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Film about William Colby

I recently saw the film The Man Nobody Knew. It’s a film about former Director of Central Intelligence, William Colby, made by his son Carl Colby.

Colby was nominated as DCI by Nixon immediately before Watergate hit the fan.  The film, and the Q&A with the director afterwards point out that there were several attempts by Nixon to pin Watergate on the CIA, who successfully avoided it.  Colby was famous for disclosing, first to NYT reporter Seymour Hersh and then later the Congress, a raft of illegal CIA activity.  This activity, known as the “family jewels” included the mind control experiments, spying on American citizens, and assassinations.

The principal question attempted by the film is, why did Colby choose to make these damaging disclosures? Unfortunately, it doesn’t present a clear answer, perhaps because, Colby, being a professional secret keeper and from a generation where men didn’t discuss their feelings, never discussed it.  The film makes light of Colby’s Catholic upbringing as a possible reason that he couldn’t lie, as well as grief over his young daughter’s death.

Another reason presented, was that Colby felt, by disclosing the Family Jewels, and cooperating with the Congress, was the only way to the save the CIA, and the nation’s intelligence program, which were in very real danger of abolition by the post-Watergate Congress.  I find this a more probable explanation.

Overall, the film, and Colby’s career itself, reminds me of what a tortured period the Vietnam and Nixon eras were.  There were so many careers, families and individual souls ruined.

Elitists in Congress

Structured approach to show the depth of elitism in the US Congress. Each member is given a composite score consisting of:

  • Ivy League Schooling
  • Lack of significant experience in the private sector
  • Length of time in office on a sliding scale
  • Age above 70

Possible scores range from 0 (least elite) to 7 (most elite)

Results thus far:

Most Elite:
McCain, J (5)
Lieberman, J (5)
Nelson, B (5)

Least Elite:
Boozman, J (0)
Udall, M (0)

ghormeh sabzi

Ghormeh Sabzi

Ingredients: (6 servings)
750 grams boneless stewing lamb or beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup of cooking oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup dried limes (or fresh lime juice)
3/4 cup black-eye beans or kidney beans
1 large potato, diced (optional)
salt
black pepper
1 cup spring onions, finely chopped
1.5 cups spinach, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup coriander, finely chopped (optional)
1/4 cup tareh (garlic chives), finely chopped
1/4 cup shanbelileh (fenugreek), finely chopped (optional)

via ghormeh-sabzi.html.

Works and Days » Some Very Bad American Habits

In short, we live in a medieval age of politically correct penance — as the brilliant Al Gore grasped when he made millions hawking carbon footprint offsets — in which loud abstractions can mask concrete incompetence.

via Works and Days » Some Very Bad American Habits.

Punjabi Kadi with Pakora (Dahi Besan Kadi)

About Punjabi Kadi Pakora Recipe

Typical Punjabi recipe Kadi Pakora with rice or Chapati. Submitted by trust2wiN, whose mom makes it very well and learnt this from her.

Ingredients

For Pakora:

1 cup Besan (gram flour)
Pinch of cumin seeds
2 teaspoon chopped onions
1 chopped green chillies
½ teaspoon grated ginger
pinch of turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon garam masala
red chilli powder (as per taste)
½ teaspoon jwayen (optional)
water (to make a smooth batter)
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For Kadi:

2 spoons vegetable Oil
1 cup Besan (gram flour)
1 huge onion (sliced in long pieces)
1 tomato (chopped)
1 teaspoon ginger paste
2-3 teaspoon garlic (minced)
4-5 dry red chillies
7-8 curry leaves
2 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2-3 cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 spoon tamarind paste (mixed with water)
2 cups yogurt
2 teaspoon dry kasturi methi powder (fenugreek powder)

Salt to taste

Preparation

Pakora:

1 Mix besan and all the other ingredients in a bowl.
2 Add enough water to make a very thick batter.
3 Make any random shape or balls and fry them in oil to make pakoras.
4 Deep fry them until they turn brown and crispy. Take them out on a paper towel so that the paper soaks all the extra oil. Keep them aside.

Kadi Prep:

1 Blend yogurt,double the amount of water, pinch of turmeric powder, salt, pinch of red chilli powder, besan. It should look like a butter milk (lassi) mixture with besan in it.

2 Keep it aside for half an hour before starting to make kadi.

Kadi:

1 Pour oil in a big pan (or any big cooking utensil) and heat it until it gets hot. Add cumin seeds mustard seeds, fenugreek seed, coriander seeds, cloves and let them pop.

2 Add curry leaves and dry red chilli to the above tadka (frying mixture)

3 Add onions to it and fry them until brown.

4 Add garlic, ginger to it and fry for 3 minutes.(watch that it should not stick to the bottom of the pan)

5 Add chopped tomatoes and fry for 3-4 minutes.

6 Add tamarind paste to the pan and let it come to the boil for 4-5 minutes.

7 Add turmeric powder ,garam masala, red chilli powder, salt and fry until oil starts floating on the top and it gives out dark reddish brownish color.

8 Add the kadi mixture, which was kept for half an hour to this tadka.

9 Keep stirring the curry, as it will start sticking to the bottom. Keep it on a medium flame first, and let it come to a boil. Keep watching it stirring it. After 3-5 boils, lower down the flame to low and let it cook on low flame for 20 minutes and stir in between.

10 Stir for another 5 minutes and check if its thick enough and looks dark yellow. Again stir it for 5 minutes and sprinkle dry fenugreek leaves on it and let it boil for another 2 minutes and than add the pakoras in the kadi.

11 Boil more for 3 minutes and don’t stir too much as the pakora can break apart.

12 For garnishing, sprinkle cilantro and serve hot with rice.

via Punjabi Kadi with Pakora (Dahi Besan Kadi) [Food-India.com].

Multiculturalism has failed, says French president

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday declared that multiculturalism had failed, joining a growing number of world leaders or ex-leaders who have condemned it.”We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him,” he said in a television interview in which he declared the concept a “failure.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron last month pronounced his countrys long-standing policy of multiculturalism a failure, calling for better integration of young Muslims to combat home-grown extremism.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Australias former prime minister John Howard and former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar have also in recent months said multicultural policies have not successfully integrated immigrants.

via Multiculturalism has failed, says French president.

Château l’Hospitalet

Un séjour grandeur nature, dans un vignoble entre ciel et mer.

Situé à quelques kilomètres de la Méditerranée, au cœur du Massif de la Clape, l'hôtel de charme 3 étoiles du Château l’Hospitalet regroupe 38 chambres entièrement rénovées récemment, avec une vue sur le jardin ou les vign

via hôtel de charme à Narbonne (11) Perpignan (66) et Montpellier (34) – Château l’Hospitalet.

The Drunkard’s Progress

The Drunkard’s Progress

Nothing so demonstrates plebeianism as the inability not to even know the rules. The real hallmark of membership in the new aristocracy is knowing all the etiquette without even having to ask — easy enough because they make the rules. What’s right is what Keith Olbermann and Lady Gaga say. Why? Well if you have to ask then you must be immoral. The new morality is above all the art of speaking in code and part of the power of political correctness springs precisely from its vagueness. The art of correct behavior today consists largely in sensing the prevailing fashion. It is a survival skill the Old Bolsheviks knew well. The important thing was to always to have opinions, but never to have opinions that were out of date.

Bottling BBQ sauce

from this thread

Mix your ingredients and simmer, if you use tomatos-then use kethup instead.
You can get 12oz bottles from a company called :sks-bottling.com. The bottles are cheap and made of glass.
Get a large pot once you get your bottles and boil them to sterilize for about 20 mins. Remove and let dry.
Fill your bottles with product and stop 1/2″ from top, put on cap.
Return bottles with product , back into the pot of water and boil for 30 mins. on high. Remove but down burn yourself , let product cool and store in a cool dry place. Keeps for about 3 months

Birnbaum forced out of MMS – Carol E. Lee – POLITICO.com

The head of the Minerals and Management Services has resigned the top post at the agency that has come under fire for lax oversight of offshore drilling amid an increasingly devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, sources with knowledge of the move said Thursday morning.

via Birnbaum forced out of MMS – Carol E. Lee – POLITICO.com.