PA Town to Ban Santa Because He is Undocumented Worker

The people of Hazleton, PA are proud to announce a citizen-organized public awareness campaign called "No Santa for Hazleton." The campaign will use Santa Claus' status as America's most-loved illegal worker to demonstrate Hazleton's new "zero tolerance" policy toward illegal aliens. View a CNN news clip below

How to read a binary clock

Impress all your friends, by buying a binary clock and tanding it on the corner of your desk. It is impressive, and reads in two different modes commonly used to display time in binary. No matter which mode you might be faced with, you can now tell time following these simple steps. You also might want to buy a wrist watch, in binary mode and be one step ahead of most of your friends. The idea of the binary clock is relatively simple. Instead of displaying numbers in base 10 (which most people are used to), it uses binary (base 2) which only uses 1s and 0s. Because there are only two digits, lights can be used in place of the digits. "On" signifies a 1 and "Off" means 0. Reading the clock is only a matter of converting the binary value to decimal.

Steps

BCD (binary coded decimal) mode:
Decode each binary digit. The clock is divided into three sections, each containing two columns of lights. The first section displays hours, the second minutes, and the final section tells the seconds. The first column in each section represents the first digit (10's place) and the second column displays the second digit (or 1's place). Each column is composed of 2-4 lights, each representing a power of two. Starting at the bottom, the first light represents 20 (1), the second represents 21 (2), the third is 22 (4), and the top light represents 23 (8). In the picture, you can easily see this by the numbers to the left of each row.Add the corresponding values of every light in the column that is lit to find the appropriate number. For example, if the bottom three lights are lit, the number is 4 (third row) + 2 (second row) + 1 (bottom row) = 7. (See the second digit of the minutes in the picture.)

Read the hour by decoding the first section. In the picture, the bottom light (first row represents 1) in the first column is lit and the second column is blank (0). Combining the digits, you get 10 o'clock.NOTE: the time is displayed in 24hr time. Subtract 12 from the number if it is 13 or greater. For example, 15 would be 3 o'clock.
Find the minutes using the same process as before. Again looking at the picture; in the middle section, the first two (bottom) lights in the first column are lit (second row represents 2 and the first row is 1; 2 + 1 = 3) and the first three in the second column are lit (third row represents 4, second 2, and first 1; 4 + 2 + 1 = 7), combining the two digits, we find it is 37 minutes past the hour.

Decode the seconds. This can sometimes be tricky on an active clock because the seconds are ever changing. In the picture, the third light in the first column (third row represents 4) and the fourth and first light in the second column (fourth row is 8 and first is 1; 8 + 1 = 9) are lit, displaying 49 seconds. If you forget what number a light stands for, look at the number directly to the left of the row.

Combine the numbers to read the time.

yngmstr's Current Picture

Jedi Selling Robe?

Ishtalum (greetings in your language).

My name is Jeriam Lakrashi, I am a Jedi knight from the planet Galium in the Istorium galaxy, far, far away.

I have crashed on your beautiful little planet and am in the need to sell 4 items that I can manage without to enable me to purchase the parts needed to repair my light cruiser. The first of which is my Jedi robe, it is made of a heavy silken material, drapes elegantly and fits someone from about 5' 8" to 6'2" or so. It was hand made and has double stitching on all seams to ensure durability in all active engagements.

Please find it in your heart to purchase this or another of my items so that I might return home. It has been worn and might smell of smoke from the fire on my ship. Please look at the other 3 items I have for sale.

Throw Down with Bobby Flay

My Family and I had this for Sunday dinner last week, it was great.

Emile Stieffel, known far and wide throughout New Orleans, brings a party wherever he goes, and nothing gets the crowd going more than his jambalaya. When Bobby Flay shows up looking for a jambalaya jam, the tables are turned and he’s in for a big surprise. Bobby might know his way around a kitchen, but Emile’s got authentic, hometown secrets that will make this Throwdown one for the ages.


Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 10 to 12 servings

2 pounds mild smoked pork sausage, or any lean high-quality smoked pork sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thigh meat
1 1/2 pounds onions, diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 pound tasso, cubed
3/4 tablespoon whole fresh thyme leaves
3/4 tablespoon chopped fresh sweet basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon white pepper
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/3 gallon chicken stock
1 1/4 pounds long-grain rice
1 tablespoon freshly chopped curly parsley leaves

Use high heat to preheat the Dutch oven and add the sausage. Using a chef's spoon or large spoon, constantly move the sausage from the bottom of the pot. Be careful not to burn the meat. (Normally I use Manda's sausage because it has little fat, however at this point you may want to drain off all of the excess grease to reduce the fat content from the dish.)

Add the thigh meat and brown the chicken on all sides. Again use the spoon to scrape the meat from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot. Browning the sausage and chicken meats should take 20 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the thigh meat to the point that it shreds.

Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic; saute for about 15 minutes or until the onions are very limp and "clear". Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove all the "graton". This is where the jambalaya gets its distinct brown color and taste.

Add the tasso, thyme, basil and black and white pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. This will give the seasonings time to release their oils and flavors.

At this point the jambalaya concentrate can be transferred to smaller containers, cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated for future use. (This is what we do commercially; it allows the seasonings to marry.)

When you are ready to cook the jambalaya, add the stock to the concentrate and bring to a rolling boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and gently break up the rice. Using the stainless steel paddle, continue to insure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot; this is very important!

After about 5 minutes, fold in the parsley. Continue to scrape the pot to insure that no rice sticks to the bottom. When the jambalaya returns to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer, covered, for at least 25 minutes. Do not remove the cover while the rice is steaming.

Alton Brown on beer

The difference between someone who really appreciates beer and a beer snob is that someone who really appreciates beer will learn, understand and accept a wide range to the exclusion of nothing. Someone that learns and then uses their knowledge to exclude other things I see as a snob. Okay, if you don't like Bud don't drink Bud, but don't drink Bud because it's not hoity-toity microbrew. A lot of people in this country will drink a Foster's not realizing that in Australia, Foster's is held in lower regard than Bud is here. I don't how many times at home I've had sushi and Bud for lunch. When you taste something like Budweiser--which is mostly rice--and start tasting other beers like it, i.e. Japanese beers, you realize that they actually go well together."

"When I want to taste complex beer with a heady aroma, that's finely crafted, I'm not drinking Bud. You know what, I'd rather have a Bud than a Diet Coke for God sakes! I know that after mowing the lawn on a Sunday afternoon that a Bud tastes better than a Samuel Adams, it tastes better than an Anchor Steam, it tastes better than a Red Hook ESB, it tastes better than a Sierra Nevada, it tastes better than any of a hundred different regional microbrews I can name... all of which I like... but I really just want something kind of beer-like, you know (laughs)."

Second day at the new job. Yesterday was rough. Not use to working construction but i an sure i will get use to it. Butch

New Miller Lite Glass Can

Here is a pic of the new miller lite glass can prototype, I think it is cool, let me know what you think, not sure when it is or if it is coming out...

free directory assistance

1-866-748-2971

Put this number in your address/contacts on your phone. This is another free directory assistance. The difference from 800-FREE-411 in that you don't have to listen to an advert. "National Directory Assistance" also connects to the number that they find automatically for you. It also does not rely on IVR (voice response) to find numbers. With 800-FREE-411 if the IVR cannot understand you it will switch you to a real person. "National Directory Assistance" doesn't. I'm not really sure where the funding for this service comes from, but use it while it's there!

VIENNA, Austria - Four urinals shaped like a woman's mouth have been auctioned online for a total of more than $7,070, Austrian media reported Sunday. The urinals, formerly located in a public toilet near Vienna's national opera, feature thick, lipsticked lips, a set of teeth and a bright red tongue. Last month, politicians demanded their removal, calling them sexist and inappropriate. In an online auction on eBay, the used urinals went to two bidders for a total of $7,180, the Austria Press Agency reported. The identities of the new owners have not been disclosed but APA reported that all four urinals will stay in Austria. Gerhard Neuhold, owner of the toilet's operator, said he was satisfied with the auction but that the result was at the low end of what he had expected.

THIS DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY STUPID PEOPLE HAVE SO MANY KIDS

A report from the London School of Economics claims that beautiful people are more likely to have daughters than sons, a phenomenon which is slowly changing the world so that future women will be even more beautiful and men will be even uglier. The researchers claim that attractive parents are 36 percent more likely to have a daughter than a son. They explained that this must be an evolutionary strategy that passes the most beneficial characteristics of parents on to the children. In this case, beauty is a genetic trait with much more positive power for women than for men, thus evolution tends to pass attractiveness on to females. The report went on to claim that children of aggressive, scientific parents tend to be boys, as they can use those traits to outwit competitors when it comes to finding a mate. Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa, the evolutionary psychologist who led this study, concluded that "these may be stereotypes but they are also fact ... we have shown that beautiful parents have more daughters than ugly parents because physical attractiveness is heritable and because daughters benefit from this more than sons." (The Telegraph)

Gay Bashing in Boise

You don't here about it very often, but it is around this is from a local news channel

BOISE -- A Boise State student is recovering after being attacked, possibly targeted because of his sexual orientation. A university spokesperson says a police report was filed after the student was allegedly attacked and beaten in what he calls a suspected sexual bias incident. The attack was reported on the Greenbelt behind a dormitory on campus at about 8 p.m. Thursday. The school says the student, who is not being named, wasn't seriously injured and was treated and released from the hospital. In a written statement released today, the BSU spokesperson says the report of such a crime is horrible. A single incident of this nature is one too many. He goes on to say, "we are equally dedicated to fostering a culture of respect, sensitivity and courtesy."

You think he made a pass at the wrong person? It is hard to know if the guy you are hot for is hot for you. Lust may override common scense.

Police say man lied about gay bashing attack, charges filed

03:47 PM MST on Tuesday, December 19, 2006

BOISE - Boise police are filing charges against a man they say lied about being beat up on the Greenbelt near Boise State University last month. Twenty-year-old Alex McGillis faces charges of resisting and obstruction, and filing a false police report. Police first informed the media that the attack did not happen more than a month ago. The Boise State student first told police that he was beaten up and targeted because he is gay. Police report that McGillis said his attackers made it clear the so-called beating was because of his sexual orientation. Shortly after the supposed incident – the student sent out a pair of e-mail messages to the media asking reporters not to give the story any more attention because he “wanted it to go away.” Filing a false report carries penalties of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. McGillis is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 10.