EGO SAND DOLLAR TEMPLATE

I have installed a new template called Sand Dollar. [Editor's comment: Will you relate the sand dollar template to a gold dollar coin?]

The dollar sand template was originally created by Jason Sutter and then modified by Charlemagne Stavanger. I downloaded the blogger template from Blogcrowds.

GOLDEN LINE

Could you guess which is my favorite line from the Wall Street movie? The working title of the sequel is Money Never Sleeps. I recommend you to read Jonathan Hoenig's book, Greed Is Good: The Capitalist Guide to Investing.

Will you listen to Yaron Brook's lecture (Capitalism Without Guilt: The Moral Case for Freedom) on October 22? It is a celebration of the launch of the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights in Washington, DC?

I will soon take the golden opportunity and send an application for opening an account at GoldMoney. Related: My post, GOLD AND ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS.

EGO TEMPLATE

I have done some changes to the template and moved things around a bit and removed some stuff. The page takes still time to load and I will look into the matter to see how it could load faster. I know that I have some external third party scripts that could cause delays, but I want to keep a few ads that could generate a little money for my blogging and some social media and networking tools. If you think that my blog is too cluttered with stuff, but still want to read it, you could subscribe to EGO RSS feed. I will keep the Sphere feed flare feature so you could check out blogs and sites that are covering the same topics as my posts.

You have about a fortnight in order to decide if you want to give George W. Bush a score card. I think I will retire the Uncle Sam tour poll in the near future. I don't see that a new commander in chief will pay a visit to a new country in the immediate future... Please feel free to give me suggestions on topics for new polls and interactive features on my blog. Do you think it is a good idea to create some kind of survey regarding the election? I recommend you to read Craig Biddle's article, McBama vs. America, and then share your thoughts by writing a comment or linking to an article or blog post that you think is useful to read before the election day.

Have you seen that Cox & Forkum has posted a new cartoon? Here is an excerpt from Allen Forkum's post, Rescue me.

Since stopping editorial cartoons a year ago, John and I have continued creating gag cartoons for my automotive publications. Occasionally one of our gag cartoons will cross over into editorial territory. Such is the case with the cartoon above, which is why I'm posting it here (it's also posted at John's blog). We have no plans to start up again, but it's certainly not for lack of material in the news these days... (CoxAndForkum.com, October 14, 2008.)

Rescue me

[Editor's comment: I don't want to rescued by a bailout or receive a handout, but please feel free to voluntarily give me support for my blogging. You could use PayPal as the tip jar by clicking on the "Donate" button in the support section, or if you want to buy something from my wish list at Amazon.]

TIME TO GO ON STRIKE?

Do you think it is time to go on strike? Have you met characters like Ayn Rand's John Galt lately? [Editor's note: Please write a comment if you have read Ayn Rand's novel, Atlas Shrugged.] Read Dr. Helen Smith's post, Going John Galt. [Via Pajamas Media.] In one way, I am partially on strike, waiting for an invitation to the Galt's Gulch, but I think it is worth fighting for a second renaissance due to the fact that The Ayn Rand Institute is doing a great job on spreading better ideas, giving moral support to businessmen and capitalists, and teaching the New Intellectuals in Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.

TASTY LINKS

Here are some tasty links:

Carnival of the Recipes: Tricks, Treats & Eats by Shawn Lea.

McDonald’s: Local Footprint, Global Reach by Laurel Delaney.

OPEN FORUM BY AMERICAN EXPRESS

You could read a piece by yours truly over at Open Forum blog. You will find "a wealth of resources for savvy business owners" at the site powered by American Express Company. The title of my article is Time To Bring Back The Smiley Face To America. Please feel free to comment on my post and you are more than welcome to spread the good word!

FOLLOW EGO

You could now show the blogosphere that you are an avid follower of EGO blog. Click on the widget on the top of the left side bar. Right now, I have one follower called Manje.

PAUL KRUGMAN AND THE NOBEL PRICE

I will ask my guest on my next podcasting show to give his opinion on Paul Krugman and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. In one comment on The Big Picture, I saw a link to a piece by Paul Krugman there he is trashing the Austrian theory of the boom and bust business cycle.

HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE COLUMBUS DAY?

How do you celebrate Columbus Day? Here is an excerpt from the article, Columbus was a hero by Dimitri Vassilaros. [Via Randex.]

Columbus essentially was an explorer and discoverer bringing Western civilization's cures, science and technology, he says. The philosophical legal process was another gift the Europeans gave to the Indians, he says. "Indians got all that for free."

Columbus' critics should fall down on their knees and thank the Founding Fathers for creating a nation based on the moral principle of the individual's right to life, liberty and, Bowden stresses, the selfish pursuit of happiness. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 10, 2008)

Related: My post, COLUMBUS AND LEIF ERIKSON DAY.

YUJA WANG

Have you heard about classical pianist Yuja Wang? Here is an excerpt from Lawrence A. Johnson's article, The restless, intellectual life of 21-year-old Wang. [Via Randex.]

In addition to a voracious appetite for music, the depth of Wang's taste in reading is impressive in an age when The Da Vinci Code is considered classic literature. ''Right now I'm reading The Idiot by Dostoyevsky,'' she says. ''And I read Nietzsche's Thus Sprach Zarathustra and Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. And I love Victor Hugo. I read no trash,'' she laughs. (The Miami Herald, October 10, 2008.)

BLACKOUT SHOT

I am feeling a bit under the weather at the moment. [Editor's note: In Swedish you call it "under the ice."] Here is a drink recipe that could be a good remedy:

Blackout shot

• Sambuca.
• Unicum.

First pour Sambuca and then Unicum. Use a spoon then you add Unicum into the shot glass.

Egészségedre!

CARNIVAL OF THE RECIPES

Welcome to my edition of the Carnival of the Recipes! I had similar difficulties in grouping the different recipes as NerdMom, but I tried to compile it in different food groups and type of meals. You could say that a common thread is that you get a warm and fuzzy feeling when you serve these dishes. You will find several examples of soups and stuff with a hot & spicy touch to it. Don't you think this is the perfect theme during the fall season? And now, without further ado, here is the list of recipes!

Liquid form of recipes, e.g. stew and soup. Perfect as a starter.

Shaun presents Ajiaco Emerilized posted at Onelite Foods. [Editor's comment: Is this the similar dish that is popular in Columbia?]

Bill presents soup recipe - vegetable soup recipe vegetable soup recipes - Quick Hearty Minestrone | World Famous Recipes posted at World Famous Recipes. [Editor's comment: Have you had this soup in Italy?]

Slow Cooker Recipes presents Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup posted at Slow Cooker Recipes. [Editor's comment: Does this recipe belong to the Slow Food movement?]

Pasta

After a great start with stuff that is warming up your body, it is time for a meaty pasta dish from Italy.

World Famous Recipes presents Italian Recipes - Italian Pasta Bolognese posted at Recipes. [Editor's comment: Have you compared the different taste between the original source of Bologna and the American style? The Swedish Chef declares that "spaghetti med köttfärssås" is popular in Scandinavia.]

And now over to the sea food category...

Fish

Diabetic Recipes presents Scallop Fish Tacos posted at Diabetic Recipes - Diabetic Meals. [Editor's comment: Mmm... it's getting spicy with Tabasco.]

As you may know, I like to eat meat, so it is time to get out the carving knife!

Meat

Editor presents Barbecued Pork Chops posted at Phoenix Arizona East Valley Living Blog. [EGO Editor's note: I am thinking of getting Eat The Meat by Jonas Borssén. Talking about books, check out the next recipe for tips on cooking books for children.]

Anne-Marie presents Warming up with some pumpkin chili | My Readable Feast - children's book activities, kidlit reviews, and children's cooking activities posted at My Readable Feast - children's book activities, kidlit reviews, and children's cooking activities.

Gus Van Horn sent me the following recipe by email. [Editor's comment to Gus: Please pick a matching beer to your recipe...]

And now for a recipe with a "warning label"... Master artist, Robert Tracy, sent me the following email with a moving story about a recipe called "Sh*t On a Shingle":

I tell you the best meal I've ever had, and I had it for breakfast every morning I was in a Marine Corps mess hall, was SOS. We Marines called is "shit on a shingle". I've cooked it myself once in a while and my wife (and daughters, when they were girls) loved it. We always have it for supper, not breakfast. It's a complete meal in itself. This is as far from a PC meal as you can get, what with the beef, fat, butter and salt. But I'm still alive.

Here it is:

Recipe for “Marine Breakfast” (SOS)

(Serves eight, or two hungry Marines)
½ pound ground beef (ground chuck for flavor)
1-tablespoon bacon fat (lard/Crisco or butter) -Bacon fat is best.
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk (add more milk if you want it thinner)
1/8-teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
8 slices of dry toast -It was white toast in those days.

Using a large skillet (12-14 inches), crumble and brown the ground beef with fat and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly. Mix in the flour until all of the meat is covered, using all of the flour. Replace the skillet on the heat and stir in the milk. Keep stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens (boil a minimum of one minute).

Serve over the toast (the "shingle"). Salt and pepper to taste.

Also, I recommend saturating your toast with plenty of butter.

I would add (reading that you like spicy food) that I omit the onions that are in the original recipe for Marine Corps SOS. I do so because I do not like spicy food--it gives me heart-burn, although my wife can take the a half-oz. sip of Tabasco Sauce (by the way, Tabasco Sauce was invented by a Marine) with no ill side effects. Also, I make SOS a little thicker than the recipe I sent by reducing the amount of milk.

Also, I don't think you'll want to use the kinda cute term we Marines called SOS with the first word being "shit". Might want to fix that. But when the meal is made, it looks crappy. But just try it and see. It's delicious. Moreover, you can add and/or subtract some of the ingredients to suit your taste--perhaps come up with a brand new recipe of your own.

Source: Image provided by Robert Tracy.

As a "commander in chef," I order you to prepare the above mentioned recipe and then read the following letter by Robert Tracy to his congressman:

Martin,

Let me try to re-write what I wrote my congressman, in part.

I wanted him to vote against the "bailout".

I told him a story, a true story, about how I was motivated by experience for Linda and I to deal with the situation facing us. That we can fend for ourselves and don't want any government "bailout".

It went something like this:

On a five-day Recon patrol in 1968 in the jungles of Vietnam we got socked in and couldn't get extracted. With five-day's of rations we ran out of chow. What did we do? Well, we rigged up a hook, line and sinker. While at the edge of a wide river one man would stand guard while the other would try to catch a fish to no avail. A Marine from Georgia, an out-doorsman, found a large lizard on a tree, cut the head off with his fighting knife, and cooked it. That's wall we had to share for five days. We got a call from the Commanding general of the 1st Marine Div. in Vietnam with an offer of moral support and to just "hang in there". We were miles inland and what had happened was there was a typhoon that had hit near Da Nang. All we got was so far inland was stronger than usual winds and a lot of rain and a heavy cloud cover. I think the enemy was hunkered down too. Looking back on it I figure we weren't in much danger from the VietCong. Finally the weather broke at twilight and the extraction was successful. Extracted back to the rear we were met with a big meal of steak, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and juice--and a big hearty welcome back. Funny, starved as we were we couldn't eat much. Our stomachs had shrunk. But next morning, after a night's sleep we had the usual SOS for breakfast in the chow hall, and just feasted on that breakfast.

I told my congressman this story to show that Linda and I are hurting just as bad as most are. What we're doing is buying cheap brands of everything and eating less as we see this through.

All the best,

Robert

And now over to a more healthier line of dish (Citrus-Stuffed Herbed Turkey) for the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Here is a quote from Anne-Marie's (This Mama Cooks) post.

Why not create a healthy polymeal feast this Thanksgiving? Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S, is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health. His new book Healthiest Meals on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What Meals to Eat and Why shows how to combine ingredients – what he refers to as “polymeals” – that promote long-term health to create meals that will literally save your life. (ThisMamaCooks.com)

Anne-Marie presents Healthy holiday polymeal cooking with the Healthiest Meals on Earth posted at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet. [Editor's note: Read about the true background of Thanksgiving.]

I want to make a tie in to the health issue by providing you with a a fresh and healthy smoothie based on the superberry called Acai. Dr. Perricone has ranked Acai as number 1 of today's known superfoods. He has called it nature's energy fruit. [Editor's note: Full disclosure: I am a distribute trader / reseller of Acai Planet's juice product.

Martin Lindeskog's Superberry Smoothie

• 1 deciliter of pure Acai juice.
• 200 gram of blueberries.
• 1 piece of preserved ginger.
• 1 banana.
• 2 deciliter of mild light yogurt with vanilla flavor.
• (Ice cubes, optional if you want it very cold.)

Mix everything in juice mixer. Serve cold together with a hot dish!

After dinner time

I think that the recipe called Cheesy Goblin Head by Shawn Lea of Everything and Nothing will be a perfect after dinner combo together with some crackers and a glass of wine. [Editor's note: I want to thank Shawn Lea for giving me the opportunity to host this edition of the Carnival of the Recipes!]

As a special treat, I want to inform you that the Cinnamon Roll Day was celebrated on October 4 in Sweden. Perhaps your prefer a Danish, a.k.a "Rose of the Prophet Muhammad" instead?

If you want to participate with a recipe for the next edition of the Carnival of the Recipes, go to Blog Carnival and submit your recipe.