a few LINKS in the chain
that leads to life's inexorable ball
Politics
The truth about 9/11 and its consequences is so convoluted as to make The X Files look like Aesop's Fables. But Marc Ash, in a 2000-word truthout report, has summarized what happened before, during the after in words so clear that if they were to be read and understood by our media-massaged populace, the leaders of the U.S. and Britain would be put away in straightjackets.
The Irate Codger One of the internet's undiscovered gold mines. The late Ned Paynter, one of my dearest friends, understood more of what is going on in our government's sordid upper reaches than do those who are paid so handsomely to reassure us.
Democracy Now! This daily news show, broadcasting to over 400 independent radio and TV stations, conducts long uninterrupted interviews with some of the most important news-makers and best informed political analysts from around the world. On the rare occasions when these pundits appear on the U.S. corporate media, they are hardly allowed to speak in complete sentences, let alone paragraphs. You may sign up for a daily email digest.
Tom Paine.Common Sense In the world of politics, common sense is the most uncommon sense there is. If you like your daily update on the unhappy state of the world spoken rather than screamed, then this website could serve as your home page. You may sign up for a daily email digest.
Food
Barry Foy is looking for a publisher for his Devil’s Food Dictionary. Not only does it take the cake, but it's a cut above the rest.
à la carte An elegant and invaluable source of detailed information about classic French cuisine. Peter Hertzman writes: I am obsessed [with] French cookery—its preparation, materials, history, politics, and culture. This site is indeed an ostensive definition of obsession; both content and graphic design are as elaborately complex as a Victorian sugar sculpture. And he has a sense of humor—see his entry for coq au vin.
Gastroville: a refuge for foodies Vedat Milor is that rare oxymoron, a humane economist. He is also an equally oxymoronic unpretentious gourmet: on his site you will find careful attention to culinary detail, minus the usual oneupmanship.
Other
The Eastside View Charles and Lindsey Shere Charles Shere is a widely travelled composer/ broadcaster/author/critic/restaurateur whose journals take you inside culture and cuisine in such a way as to demonstrate their total interpenetration.
Create your own Jackson Pollack. Move curser to create continuous line—fast for drip, slow or stationary for blob. Left click to change color.