Heartbreak in Christchurch

A few days ago I referenced The Boston Globe's amazing news photo site, The Big Picture. They have a collection of large format pictures taken in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake that struck. Because of their large format size you can see so much detail: the anguish on the faces of those concerned about victims, the determination on  rescuers' faces, the jubilation on the faces of survivors pulled from collapsed buildings. I was struck by the mix of those who pitched in to search for survivors immediately after the quake stopped. In one picture, a group of rescuers with hard hats is at work, assisted by a guy with a bike helmet on, still wearing his backpack, who obviously stopped his bike and dove in to help. Amazing how tragedy, and the desire to preserve life, forms an instant bond among the living. The pics are here. 

Amazon Prime Just Got Better

I've been an enthusiastic Amazon customer since the mid-1990's, and an Amazon Prime member for several years. The main benefit of Prime membership ($79 annually) is free two-day shipping on any size purchase, and overnight shipping for $3.99. With Amazon carrying more and more variety, it's getting so that when I need something and can wait two days I order it from Amazon.

Today the Prime deal got even better: free streaming of 5,000+ movies, videos, and TV shows. (There are thousands more -- the newer releases -- available for rent-by-streaming for $3.99.) I discovered this early this morning when I went to Amazon to check on a book. Within a minute I was watching a beautiful, flicker-free stream of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I haven't been able to take advantage of Netflix's streaming because I don't have an Intel Mac -- but Amazon's streaming works just fine on my G5.

This new feature suddenly makes Amazon Prime an even better deal. (Am I missing something here? Let me know.) For info just go to Amazon.com for a friendly announcement from Jeff Bezos, the big-laugh founder of Amazon.

Who Said Fox News Readers All Think Alike?

What a hoot! Fox News had a reader poll going on their web site regarding the crisis in Wisconsin over union bargaining, wage, and benefits. It's a pretty large sampling -- 102,231 votes had been cast when I voted. Looking at these results, I'd say Fox News readers are a pretty homogeneous bunch. (Yes, I voted with the majority.)

Negotiate a compromise bill with State Senate Democrats: 4.88%

Ask Republicans to pull the bill and find another way to cut spending: 1.62%

Draw a line in the sand: If you want to keep your job, get back to work. Otherwise, you're fired: 92.76%

Other (post a comment): 0.74%

Total Votes: 102,232

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/02/21/decide-wisconsin-gov-scott-walker/#ixzz1EdayyXfK

Sami's Bakery

I've read several times on the Happy, Healthy, Long Life blog about no-oil bakery products from Sami's Bakery in Tampa—especially the millet and flax, no-oil vegan pizza crusts. So I ordered a few items from their web site—all no oil and vegan:

I used a pizza crust to make a veggie pizza Friday night that was great. This is what the 12" crust looks like plain:

Loaded with veggies before baking (I started with a base of pasta sauce, then slabs of eggplant, onion, red and green peppers, cubed tofu, mushrooms, asparagus spears, tomatoes, vegan (rice) parmesan, and yeast flakes, and some more pasta sauce on top. I didn't take time to make cashew cheese which I've read is excellent as a cheese substitute.):

The finished product—slightly burned! I haven't used my oven in several years and forgot how hot the gas broiler gets when I put it on broil for the last couple of minutes. I'll do better next time. Regardless, it tasted awesome: