Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Dinner Recipes: Stuffed Chicken by Tina
This is a quick and easy dinner recipe that your family will love!
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
10 oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained or enough fresh to make 1 c cooked
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
oregano
salt
pepper
1 bag baby carrots
1 c chicken broth
Blend the cheese, herbs and spinach in a bowl. Make a deep slit in each breast and pack it with stuffing.
Sauté the chicken breast on each side for 3 minutes. Put in a casserole dish with carrots scattered around.
Pour broth over top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Fall Baking: Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe by Tina
This delicious cheesecake recipe can be used at gatherings, for Thanksgiving, Halloween or even as a dish to pass for a potluck.
Crust:
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c melted butter
Combine and press into bottom of a spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
Filling:
3 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 1/3 c pumpkin
2 eggs
2/3 c evaporated milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Beat cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin, eggs and milk. Stir well and add starch and spices. Pour into
crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until edge is set.
Topping:
2 c sour cream
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Combine and gently spread over cheesecake. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
Cool on wire rack. Remove sides gently and chill overnight before serving.
Fall Baking: Pumpkin Bread Recipe by Tina
Nothing beats the smell of pumpkin on a cool fall day. This pumpkin bread recipe will easily turn in to one of your favorites.
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
Mix ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, add:
2 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/3 c melted butter
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1 c white sugar
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c chopped pecans
Mix well and add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Pour in to greased bread loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 18-24 minutes.
City Of Oakland's Dan Lindheim and Walter Cohen Named In Lawsuit By Oakland Taxpayer
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| Oakland City Hall |
Martin filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court that specifically names City Administrator Dan Lindheim, CEDA (Community and Economic Development Agency) Director Walter Cohen, Building Services Director Ray Derania, and City Controller Osborne Solitei, and because "revenues generated from permit and code enforcement activities have been misappropriated for purposes other than those permitted by law and seeks an injunction to prevent further misuse of funds," as the email reads.
Looking beyond the email and at the documents, Gwillym Martin's simple and controverial point is that the City of Oakland's using revenue collected under California Heath and Safety Code Section 17951. Section 17951 is a long read; Martin's focus is what's called "subdivision (c)" which reads:
(c) The amount of the fees prescribed pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) shall not exceed the amount reasonably required to administer or process these permits, certificates, or other forms or documents, or to defray the costs of enforcement required by this part to be carried out by local enforcement agencies, and shall not be levied for general revenue purposes. The fees shall be imposed pursuant to Section 66016 of the Government Code.
Now, I took a cyber walk over to look at 66016 of the California Government Code, just in case, and came upon another long read - this one:
(a) Prior to levying a new fee or service charge, or prior to approving an increase in an existing fee or service charge, a local agency shall hold at least one open and public meeting, at which oral or written presentations can be made, as part of a regularly scheduled meeting.
So, Martin's in the clear so far; that only says the City of Oakland has to let you, the Oakland Taxpayer, know about these new fees. Marin's lawsuit does not call for an investigation of the City's compliance with that code, just 17951.
What Gwillym Martin found was the City of Oakland was allegedly using money from permits, like zoning permits, and putting it into the Oakland General Fund and giving some of it to The Oakland Unified School District.
There's the rub: part of it was used to help education in Oakland. A good cause. But Martin does not dispute the need for education money, he just doesn't want the City to violate state law in getting money for education or for general fund use.
He claims this video by Echa Schnider of A Better Oakland, has Economic Development Director Walter Cohen admitting such misuse of funds. Trouble is, the video's 25 minutes long and was not made for the purpose of "outing" Walter Cohen; Martin wants you to start at 20:00 then go to 25:00:
Oakland Budget: CEDA from V Smoothe on Vimeo.
A Complete Case
His case includes detailed spreadsheets to back his claim. My only question is if there's anything in the Oakland City Charter that may block this lawsuit. Article 1, Section 106 of the Oakland City Charter reads as follows:
Article 1, Section 106. General Powers. The City shall have the right and power to make and enforce all laws and regulations in respect to municipal affairs, subject only to the restrictions and limitations provided in this Charter; provided, that nothing herein shall be construed to prevent or restrict the City from exercising or consenting to, and the City is hereby authorized to exercise, any and all the rights, powers and privileges heretofore or hereafter granted or prescribed by the general laws of the State including those specifically applicable to general law cities; provided, also, that where the general laws of the State provide a procedure for the carrying out and the enforcement of any rights or powers belonging to the City, said procedure shall control and be followed unless a different procedure shall have been provided in the Charter or by ordinance.
It is the intention of the people in adopting this section to take advantage of the provisions of Section 6 of Article XI of the Constitution of the State of California giving cities Home Rule as to municipal affairs.
Note: "unless a different procedure shall have been provided in the Charter or by ordinance." The question is, does the City of Oakland have a provision in place that specifically allows money to be used from fees in a way that goes beyond the limits of Section 17951?
After looking at the Oakland City Charter, there's nothing that allows the City to, of Mr. Martin's findings are understood, do what it has been doing. In other words, the City's own Charter does not have language that allows the City to expressly go beyond Cal HS Code Section 17951.
What does Martin seek? An injunction to stop the practice, and payment of lawyer's fees. What the City has to do if it wants to maintain revenue flexibility, is alter the Charter to allow for it and take advantage of "home rule" status. I know from having worked for the City of Oakland and in CEDA, that in the past such revenue transfers have been at least considered without consulting legal authority.
Stay tuned for more on this.
Lady Gaga's VMA winning streak By Nikky Raney
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| Lady Gaga VMA dress: real meat |
The winner's list from the night includes:
Best Female Video: Lady Gaga - ‘Bad Romance’
Best Male Video: Eminem - ‘Not Afraid’
Best Hip Hop Video: Eminem - ‘Not Afraid’
Best New Artist: Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris - ‘Baby’
Best Collaboration: Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé - ‘Telephone’
Best Pop Video: Lady Gaga - ‘Bad Romance’
Best Rock Video: 30 Seconds to Mars - ‘Kings and Queens’
Best Dance Music Video: Lady Gaga - ‘Bad Romance’
Video Of The Year: Lady Gaga - ‘Bad Romance’
Best Art Direction: Florence + The Machine - ‘Dog Days Are Over’
Best Choreography: Lady Gaga - ‘Bad Romance’
Best Cinematography: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - ‘Empire State of Mind’
Best Direction: Lady Gaga - ‘Bad Romance’
Best Editing: Lady Gaga - ‘Bad Romance’
Best Special Effects: Muse - ‘Uprising’
Click the links to watch the video that won.
Chelsea Lately did a wonderful job hosting the VMAs, a full review of the VMAs to be posted in an upcoming entry.
(All information was obtained through first hand account)
Deadspin's Racist: Attack On Blacks Is Insufferable
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| Deadspin's Black Row on |
And never mind that Salley's an invited contributor, Deadspin's asking him to basically make himself look like Tiger Woods before Thanksgiving 2009.
Even if he's willing, why take advantage of him?
Yeah. John Salley is married, big time. Moreover, Salley has a history of cheating on his wife. Have doubts? Look at this result for the Google Search for "John Salley Married."
What Deadspin editors did is very not funny, and shows how little regard they have for blacks in sports. The most fun this blogger would have would be either buying Deadspin and firing its staff or, just having my blog army bash it into the Internet ground.
What Deadspin did was institutionally racist. The editors might as well have showed the online version of Birth Of A Nation.
Will Deadspin apologize? No. Just do something stupid and snarky, if anything at all. That much is expected. I've lost all respect for Deadspin. And I don't care that they or their minions have none for me.
ESPN's Jay Mariotti Charged With 7 Misdemeanors, Stole Girlfriend's Purse?
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| Jay Mariotti and Girlfriend (?) (Deadspin.com) |
Yes, he's accused of taking his girlfriend's purse and keys!
If convicted of all of them, Mariotti faces a year in jail. According to Fox Sports, Jay's lawyer says the allegations are false.
What happened was that on August 22nd, Mariotti was arrested after he got into a heated argument with his girlfriend, or woman friend, and because she was flirting with another man at a Santa Monica night club. (Wonder if the guy was black?)
He was spotted allegedly tossing her around and pulling her hair, and throwing things around in her apartment on Venice Beach. A witness called 911, which led to Jay's arrest.
Ironically, Jay Mariotti's in the exact, same trouble of athlete's he's written about and harshly criticized for getting into.
Jay's due in court Friday. Stay tuned.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Kansas City Chief's Mccluster, Arenas, Berry - Rookies Open New Arrowhead Stadium
According to ESPN's Trent Dilfer, Chief's Head Coach Todd Haley said they were essentially better, stronger, and faster compared to last season. Dilfer said he'd not "bought the Kool Aid" until he saw the team. This space agrees. The Kansas City Chiefs are certainly faster, and reports are the Chargers are still chasing Dexter Mccluster.
Dexter Mccluster, formerly of the Mississippi "Runnin Rebels," was one that, when the Chief's picked him #36 and in the 2nd round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Bill Chachkes of Zennie62.com remarked "He's going to be a good one for them."
Bill was right.
He's listed as wide receiver, but really it's best to think of him as something like a hybrid U-back that can play receiver or running back. He's fast and his 94-yard punt return was a record in Chief's history.
Dexter Mccluster, Javiar Arenas, and Eric Berry, their 1st round pick, together with new coaches Romeo Crennel on The Chief's Defense and Charlie Weis heading The Chief's Offense, give the Chief's new life and identity. It's a different team, with new player and schemes, that if it gets confident could go deep into the playoffs.
Pican's Oakland Female Bartender Competition October 5th 2010 By Grand Marnier, Zennie62
Oakland's bar scene has really improved over the last five years. Where there were one or two good bars downtown ten years ago, now there's arguably six of them. You know the environment's good when there's a bartender competition.
The problem is such events have been all-male or mostly male. Not anymore. On October 5th, 2010, Pican Restaurant will play host to the first Oakland Female Bartender Competition sponsored by Grand Manier and Zennie62.com.
A Great Idea.
How the idea started goes back to a video I created of another Oakland bartender competition held at Sidebar on Lake Merritt. This one:
Where at the end of the video, I said Oakland needs an all female bartender competition. Well, Josh Perry and the good folks at Pican Restaurant at 2295 Broadway at 23rd, in Oakland CA, figured it should be done and at Pican!
One thing: the first person to say they saw this at Zennie62.com, of which this blog is part of the network, gets a bottle of Grand Manier!
The problem is such events have been all-male or mostly male. Not anymore. On October 5th, 2010, Pican Restaurant will play host to the first Oakland Female Bartender Competition sponsored by Grand Manier and Zennie62.com.
A Great Idea.
How the idea started goes back to a video I created of another Oakland bartender competition held at Sidebar on Lake Merritt. This one:
Where at the end of the video, I said Oakland needs an all female bartender competition. Well, Josh Perry and the good folks at Pican Restaurant at 2295 Broadway at 23rd, in Oakland CA, figured it should be done and at Pican!
One thing: the first person to say they saw this at Zennie62.com, of which this blog is part of the network, gets a bottle of Grand Manier!
Here's the rules:
This competition is open to all female bartenders that are currently working in the San Francisco Bay Area and may not be employed by a liquor company or distributor as full
time employees.
2. Please submit your recipe on the official submission form and e-mail to candacecooper@southernwine.com no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, September
28th, 2010. If an entry is incomplete, it will be automatically disqualified.
Recipes
1. The recipe submitted must be a long drink, a drink on the rocks, or served up in a cocktail glass. Ingredients must be listed in ounces and the total amount of liquid should be no more than 10 ounces. The breakdown of ingredients should be divided in respectively whole numbers (1 oz, 2 oz, etc.) and/or half and quarter numbers (½, ¼, etc.), dashes and drops being the smallest quantities.
2. The maximum number of alcoholic and non-alcoholic ingredients in the recipe shall be limited to six (6) including dashes, drops and rimmed glassware. The recipe should contain at least two (2) but not more than four (4) alcoholic ingredients.
3. Garnishes must be edible and can be placed on the rim of the glass or in the drink.
4. Recipe shall not include hot beverages (coffee, tea, etc.). Ingredients
1. Each competitor must use Grand Marnier as the base spirit.
2. Each competitor must bring all ingredients except Grand Marnier, which will be provided.
3. Exotic, self-made ingredients or the blending of multiple ingredients to be counted as one (1) ingredient shall not be allowed.
Garnishes
1. Garnishes shall consist only of edible fruits or vegetables.
2. Artificial arrangements or food-dyes shall not be allowed.
3. Condiments such as salt, sugar, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and others, shall be allowed and will be counted as ingredients in the recipe.
4. Any questionable garnish must obtain the approval of the competition committee.
MTV Presents : Bachelor Pad Finale
Today at 8 p.m the final 4 contestants of the MTV Bachelor Pad (Kiptyn Locke and Tenley Molzahn, David Good and Natalie Gertz went into the Semi -final not knowing what the final challenge was. Only knowing it was in front of a live studio audience along with the people they voted off to get to that point.
At first the people who were voted off the show were given the chance to ask the final four personal questions. If you remember
the last time we saw Michelle, she got in an argument with Tenley. So Chris Harrison, the host of the season asked Michelle if the way the argument
was handled would influence her vote. She replied specifically "Yes, it definitely will influence my vote and Tenley does not have it."
Tenley and Kiptyn were definitely the outsiders. In the end David Good and Natalie Gertz went onto the final round.
In the final deliberation the two finalists would go into separate deliberation rooms to decide their fate. They could either "Share" the money or one person could be greedy
and take the money and run. The choice was up to them. If they both chose to share the money they would split the $250,000 . If one said keep and the other said share then the person
who said keep would take all the money and run. If they both said keep, the 17 other contestants would split it up. In the end
Natalie and David decided to "Share the money" and both came out winners.
Katherine Schwarzenegger's Message To Girls - Love Yourself
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| Kat Schawarzenegger |
First, this blogger has to note that Katherine Schwarzenegger has a massively good publicity machine which undoubtedly is due to her father's celebrity status and connections. As of this writing, Katherine Schwarzenegger's number one on Google Trends and she doesn't even have a sex tape!
The 20-year old USC Annenberg student heard her 8-year old cousins talking about their bodies and about how they didn't want to be fat. So she was spurred to write a book cslled Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty, and which comes on September 14th.
Hey, that's Tuesday!
Katherine Schwarzenegger's observation reminds me of when I was 8 years old and went on my first diet. No kidding. My did so because my godmother said I was fat. I stopped eating what candy I did consume, and lost my once proud "Banker's Belly."
All at eight.
So you want a job? Check here
So you want a job? Check here: Acccording to reCareered:
Business Service firms led hiring companies as IBM, Deloitte, Booz Allen and CSC were actively staffing. Hospitality companies remained top hiring firms as Pizza Hut, Marriott, Applebee’s and Cracker Barrel continued heavy job advertisements.
Telecommunications was next with AT&T and Verizon still staffing actively. Banking stayed in the top employer list as Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorganChase were heavily hiring.
Health care continues in a strong recruiting mode as Kaiser Permanente, HCR ManorCare, UnitedHealth, Gentiva Healthcare, Community Health Systems, Genesis Healthcare, HCA Healthcare, DaVita and Amedisys were top job advertisers.
Based on surveys of US job advertisements in the top job board aggregators, the following companies searched for the most job openings as of 9/13/10:
Total Job Openings by direct advertisers (Recruiters & Staffing Companies not included):
- IBM
- Pizza Hut
- AT&T
- Bank of America
- Verizon Wireless
- Kaiser Permanente
- Wells Fargo
- HCR ManorCare
- H&R Block
- General Dynamics
- Macy's
- Deloitte
- Sears
- JPMorgan Chase
- UnitedHealth Group
- Gentiva
- Kmart
- Northrup Grumman
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- HP
- Marriott
- JCPenney
- Community Health Systems
- Lowe's
- Genesis Healthcare
- HCA Healthcare
- DaVita
- Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
- Murphy USA
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Toys "R" Us
- Amedisys
- Applebee's
- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
- Microsoft
- HP
- Pilot Travel Centers
- U.S. Army
- Snap-on Tools
- PDS Technical Services
So, in between all of your calls to Washington D.C., check out these 40 companies above and possibly get hired!
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