Most stakeholders agree that holding smaller competitions will be the best way forward post-lockdown.

The IOC Session -- an annual meeting of approximately 100 members -- will be held in July via a video conference rather than the originally scheduled gathering in Tokyo prior to the Summer Olympics.

Posted by: history79

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Posted by: cyberghostface



( Scans under the cut... )

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Posted by: icon_uk

It used to be the tradition around these here parts to post fan art on Thursday, comic themed, but not comic published, art by fans or professionals.

So share your commissions or interesting art you've seen. (If in doubt, check with the artist it's okay to post it and if they say no, then it's a no!)

( Just for fun )

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Posted by: laughing_tree



Expect evil ravens, hipsters performing pun-magic and John getting drunker than you’ve ever seen him before. Fun. -- Si Spurrier

( Read more... )

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Posted by: iamrman

People seemed interested in my New Mutants Dungeons and Dragons story, so here is the first chapter.

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Místo zájezdu nové brýle a namísto pravidelné masáže konzultace s lékařem na dálku. Vládní opatření proti koronaviru změnila také čerpání zaměstnaneckých benefitů. Na rozdíl od výplat je však firmy nekrátí.

Pandemie koronaviru dolehla v březnu i na hypoteční trh. Objemy poskytnutých hypoték se propadly o čtvrtinu. Průměrná úroková sazba hypoték však roste již třetí měsíc v řadě, v březnu vzrostla na 2,45 procenta.

Řada lidí přijde o práci a začne hledat novou. Už teď je dobré se na to připravit a před podpisem pracovní smlouvy vědět, na co si dát pozor. Je lepší kývnout na mzdový výměr, nebo na mzdu v pracovní smlouvě? A na co dalšího si dát pozor? Na otázky odpovídá advokát Pavel Nastis.

Kvůli koronavirové pandemii pracují z domova tisíce lidí. Home office má však určitý pracovně-právní rámec, což tuší málokdo. Jaká jsou práva a povinnosti zaměstnanců a co musí zaměstnavatel udělat, aby neporušil zákoník práce? Ve spolupráci s právníky Bořivojem Líbalem a Markem Poloni přinášíme praktický servis rad pro zaměstnance a zaměstnavatele.

Spodní prádlo obvykle řeší především ženy. Existují však výjimky. Mezi ty patří i Adam Rožánek, spolumajitel české módní značky spodního prádla Styx. Je české ve všech směrech. Všechno od začátku až do konce totiž vzniká v tuzemsku. Poslední týdny ukázaly, že tato strategie je správná.

Kvůli koronavirové pandemii lze očekávat silnou recesi. Česká národní banka proto v březnu dvakrát snížila základní úrokovou sazbu z 2,25 procenta na jedno procento. Některé banky na to už zareagovaly razantním snižováním úrokových sazeb na spořicích účtech, což zamíchalo žebříčkem nejlepších spořicích účtů. Ve spolupráci s Finparádou jsme zmapovali aktuální trend a sestavili nový žebříček.

Podřízení na něj spoléhají v časech dobrých i zlých. A když přijdou opravdové těžkosti, záleží často jen na jeho schopnostech, jak moc se podnik otřese, nebo zda padne úplně.

Možnost cestování je silně omezená a nic zatím nenasvědčuje tomu, že by lidé v letošní letní sezoně mohli vyrazit na zahraniční dovolenou. Zároveň ale nikdo dnes ještě neví, zda se nějaká možnost přece jen neobjeví. Pokud jste si koupili dovolenkový zájezd, jste asi momentálně jako na trní. Pojedete? Vrátí vám peníze?

Zájem o nákup rekreačních nemovitostí je letos výrazně vyšší než v posledních letech. Objektů, které se dostávají do prodeje, je naopak tento rok méně. Viníkem je v obou případech epidemie koronaviru a s ní spojená nejistota kolem letních dovolených. To se podepisuje na cenách, často se dostanou výš, než byly inzerované.

Sbírají jedno ocenění za druhým. Nejvíce si ale váží ocenění zákazníků. Své mošty a přesnídávky rodinná firma vyrábí v Bílých Karpatech, v místě, kde je příroda takřka nedotčená a čistá. Takové chtějí i své produkty.

Děti se v online světě pohybují naprosto přirozeně a svými technickými znalostmi často předčí své rodiče. Na druhou stranu jsou právě ony nejohroženější skupinou čelící útokům internetových predátorů a kyberšikaně. Rodiče často o hrozbách ani netuší. Vyzkoušejte si náš kvíz a zjistěte, jak jste na tom s digitálními znalostmi právě vy.

Splácíte hypotéku, u níž se blíží zlomové datum fixace? Jak na to, když chcete brzy půjčku doplatit nebo ji refinancovat? A lze před doplacením využít odkladu splátek?

Zaměstnaní rodiče mají od dubna nově nárok na ošetřovné ve výši 80 procent denního vyměřovacího základu. Důvod zvýšení je jasný. Původních 60 procent většině rodin na pokrytí nákladů na provoz domácnosti nevystačilo. Potvrzuje to i případ paní Anny.

Nová zákon „Lex voucher“ stanovil pravidla pro vypořádání cestovních kanceláří s klienty. Na problematické situace, které mohou být s koupeným zájezdem spojeny, jsme se zeptali advokáta Ondřeje Vokála.

Do pracovních i osobních životů vstoupila pandemie, jakou nikdo nepamatuje. Krize, která nastává, se dotkne všech. Nad aktuální situací a tím, co nás letos čeká a co je klíčové pro rozhýbání ekonomiky, se v komentáři zamýšlí personalista Tomáš Surka.

Potřeba finančního polštáře je dnes aktuálnější než kdy jindy. Jaká by měla být naše rezerva? A kam ji uložit? Zmapovali jsme aktuální nabídku spořicích účtů. Příběh klienta Poradny při finanční tísni ukazuje, jak se dá náhle dostat do dluhů, až k osobnímu bankrotu.

Česká rodinná firma SSI Group vznikla v době, kdy jsme ještě neznali mobilní telefony a podnikatelské prostředí 90. let bylo poměrně divoké. Přesto se ji Václavu Vodrážkovi společně se synem Janem a dalšími členy rodiny dařilo každý rok posouvat o něco dál. Letos tak na trhu významná bezpečnostní agentura oslaví 30 let svého působení na trhu.

The finalists are:

• Neil Clarke
• Ellen Datlow
• C.C. Finlay
• Jonathan Strahan
• Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas
• Sheila Williams

I'm a subscriber to Uncanny Magazine, edited by the Thomases, and a Patreon supporter of Clarkesworld, edited by Neil Clarke. I keep up with neither magazine as much as I'd like, but I generally enjoy both of them. Uncanny Magazine in particular has a very high hit rate for me when I do make time to read it.

(I also had the pleasure of meeting Neil Clarke in his kaffeeklatsch at Dublin Worldcon last year, which I really enjoyed & learned a lot from.)

I have one of Jonathan Strahan's anthologies from last year, Mission:Critical on my to-read pile, and I've also been eyeing the Made to Order: Robots and Revolution anthology published this year.

Ellen Datlow edits a lot of horror, which I'm cautious of, and I happen not to have read any of the Tor.com short fiction she acquired last year, but that could be remedied (in a well-lit room during the day, etc). She also lists a couple of anthologies, and while I'm not touching a Best Horror of the Year anthology, I might risk the ghost stories anthology.

C.C. Finlay and Sheila Williams edit respectively F&SF Magazine and Asimov's Science Fiction, neither of which I subscribe to or read regularly, but because I'm already not keeping up with the things I do subscribe to, not for any stronger or more considered reason.

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The finalists are:

• Sheila E. Gilbert
• Brit Hvide
• Diana M. Pho
• Devi Pillai
• Miriam Weinberg
• Navah Wolfe

You can find lists of books published in 2019 edited by each of these finalists at this crowdsourced page at File 770, of which:

• Brit Hvide: 2 books on my wishlist
• Devi Pillai: 1 read, 2 on wishlist
• Miriam Weinberg: 2 on wishlist
• Navah Wolfe: 1 read, 1 on to-read pile

Devi Pillai edited A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, which I love so much, and Navah Wolfe edited The Twisted Ones by Ursula Vernon, which is one of the few marketed-as-horror books I have willingly read. (It won't ever be my favourite Vernon book, but it was a good read.)

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The finalists are:

• Tommy Arnold
• Rovina Cai
• Galen Dara
• John Picacio
• Yuko Shimizu
• Alyssa Winans

Just looking up those websites has given me a lot of pleasure - my art knowledge continues to be "I don't know much but I know what I like" - and I'm looking forward to taking more time to consider each of the finalists more carefully.

I'm pleased to see Galen Dara on the shortlist, I've seen her work frequently in Uncanny, Lightspeed & Fireside Magazines, and usually like it. I was lucky enough to get into a kaffeklatsch with John Picacio at Dublin Worldcon last year (although I came there sideways, through interest in his work founding The Mexicanx Initiative, which was a finalist for Best Related Work), which was a great experience.

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The finalists are:

• Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor Scott H. Andrews
• Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney, audio producers Adam Pracht and Summer Brooks, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart
• Fireside Magazine, editor Julia Rios, managing editor Elsa Sjunneson, copyeditor Chelle Parker, social coordinator Meg Frank, publisher & art director Pablo Defendini, founding editor Brian White
• FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, executive editor Troy L. Wiggins, editors Eboni Dunbar, Brent Lambert, L.D. Lewis, Danny Lore, Brandon O’Brien and Kaleb Russell
• Strange Horizons, Vanessa Rose Phin, Catherine Krahe, AJ Odasso, Dan Hartland, Joyce Chng, Dante Luiz and the Strange Horizons staff
• Uncanny Magazine, editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, nonfiction/managing editor Michi Trota, managing editor Chimedum Ohaegbu, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky

In this category, everything but FIYAH is available free online, supported by subscriptions / Patreons etc. FIYAH puts a list of contents of each issue, and also publishes a Spotify playlist for each quarterly issue. Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fireside Magazine and Strange Horizons also all publish podcasts of each of their fiction / poetry, and Uncanny Magazine publishes two podcasts per issue which cover some but not all of the content (as far as I can tell). Escape Pod is of course a fiction podcast to start with, but does provides transcripts of its episodes.

I subscribe to Uncanny Magazine & FIYAH, I had a subscription last year to Fireside Magazine, I support Strange Horizons on Patreon and I'm on Beneath Ceaseless Skies's mailiing list to get notifications of new issues, even if I don't always read them. I'll need to have a bit of a think about how I'll rank them.

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The finalists are:

• The Book Smugglers, editors Ana Grilo and Thea James
• Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice Marcus, senior writers Rosemary Benton, Lorelei Marcus and Victoria Silverwolf
• Journey Planet, editors James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, Alissa McKersie, Ann Gry, Chuck Serface, John Coxon and Steven H Silver
• nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, Vance Kotrla, and The G
• Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur
• The Rec Center, editors Elizabeth Minkel and Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

The only one of these I follow is The Rec Center, a weekly email of fan news and fanfic recommendations, which I've subscribed to for about 18 months now. That's also the only finalist where the 2019 output isn't easily viewable (but cunningly I already have the emails in my archive folder).

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The finalists are:

• Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace
• Claire Rousseau’s YouTube channel, produced & presented by Claire Rousseau
• The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
• Galactic Suburbia, presented by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce and Tansy Rayner Roberts, producer Andrew Finch
• Our Opinions Are Correct, presented by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders
• The Skiffy and Fanty Show, presented by Jen Zink, Shaun Duke, Paul Weimer, Alex Acks, Trish Matson, David Annandale, and The Skiffy and Fanty Crew

I'm not familiar with any of these, and I'm not confident of finding time to change that between now and voting time. But I have at least bookmarked the YouTube playlist (she helpfully made a "Hugo Voter Packet" playlist!) and downloaded some sample episodes from each podcast to listen to.

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The finalists are:

• Cora Buhlert
• James Davis Nicoll
• Alasdair Stuart
  • 2019 post of all eligible work
  • writer's selection from eligible work
• Bogi Takács
• Paul Weimer:
  • 2019 posts at nerds of a feather
  • writing at Skiffy and Fanty Show
  • writing at tor.com
• Adam Whitehead

Another category in which everything is free to read online. Some of the fan writers already helpfully have their Hugo packets prepared and easily found on their respective sites too, which is pretty impressive. My starting point is that I sometimes read James Davis Nicoll's reviews and I've read some of Bogi Takács's work, but I haven't routinely read any of these finalists.

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ingredients

• 2 carrots ($.30)
• 2 bananas, sliced and frozen ($.40)
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped ($.50)
• 1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• water for blending, about 1 cup

directions

In a blender, puree all ingredients until very smooth. A high speed blender will smooth out all the little carrot bits, and a less high powered one will leave a bit of pulp. If you're very opposed to pulp, juice the carrots instead.




nutritional information: calories: 165 fat: 0 gr carbs: 47 gr protein: 2 gr











ingredients

• 1 avocado, chopped ($.88)
• 2 medium apples, peeled and chopped ($1.29)
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• handful arugula leaves ($.50)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
• 2 cups water, for blending
• minced onion
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes directions

directions

1. Set aside a few arugula leaves for garnish.
2. In a blender, combine the avocado, apples, chopped onion, arugula leaves, olive oil, and water, and puree until very smooth.
3. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with a few chopped arugula leaves, some finely minced onion, and red pepper flakes.
4. nutritional information

calories: 275 fat: 18 gr carbs: 42 gr protein: 7 gr









ingredients

• 1/4 cup walnuts ($1.00)
• 1 large tomato ($1.00)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 head romaine ($2.30)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced ($.20)
• 1 small jalapeno, sliced
• 1 ripe avocado ($.1.00)
• black olives ($.50)
• green olives ($.50)

• 4 tablespoons cashew cream ($.60) {recipe below}

directions

• Make the walnut taco meat first and set aside.
• In a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, pulse the walnuts, half a tomato, cumin, and salt until chopped but still a little chunky.
• To a bed of chopped romaine, add the walnut taco meat, the other half of tomato (chopped), sliced onion, a bit of sliced jalapeno, chopped avocado, and olives. 
• Top with a couple scoops of cashew cream.

cashew cream

• 1/2 cup cashews ($2.00)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice ($.20)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend all ingredients in small blender until very smooth. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

nutritional information










ingredients

• 1 zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick ($.70)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil ($.20)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup ($.40)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ($.10)
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

directions

Slice the zucchini into strips about 1/4" thick. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Toss with the zucchini until well coated, then dehydrate for several hours or overnight, until just a little bit crunchy but pliable.




Tear the zucchini bacon into pieces and serve over vanilla banana ice cream with maple syrup. To make the ice cream, slice and freeze four bananas. When ready to use, grind them in a food processor with one teaspoon vanilla and a splash of almond milk. Process until smooth, which may take a few minutes and some scraping down on the sides. This will cost about $.30 per serving.



nutritional information: calories: 298 fat: 14 carbs: 45 protein: 2 gr



ingredients

•  2 big handfuls greens (kale, romaine, etc) ($.75)
• 3 bananas, sliced and frozen ($.75)
• 1 cup blueberries ($1.00)
• 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds ($.20)
• 4 tablespoons hemp protein powder ($.90)
• about 2 cups water for blending

I love making big, sweet, hearty green smoothies in the morning, and this is what I had this morning. I'm pretty sure I put just about everything I had in it, hence the name "(everything but the) Kitchen Sink Smoothie!"

My blender is small and weak, poor thing (but has lasted forever), so I blend my greens first. If you don't have a VitaMix or other high powered blender, this might work better for you, too. They get pretty smooth if I process them for a minute or two.

I also used Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 50, 50% Protein Powder, 32-Ounce which is my favorite hemp powder. Manitoba Harvest leaves all the good omega-3s intact.

Just blend everything well until smooth and serve.

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced ($.70)
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced ($.70)
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced ($1.50)
• 1 cup black or kalamata olives ($1.50)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion ($.20)
• 1/4 cup olive oil ($.20)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice ($.40)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar ($.20)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave (optional, for those who like a touch of sweet) ($.20)
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
• 1-2 medium sized zucchini, spiralized

Prepare the red and yellow bell pepper, mushrooms, olives, and onion and place in a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, syrup, onion powder, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour over the prepared vegetables. Allow to marinate for at least a half hour, but it can marinate as long as a day.

When ready to eat, simply pour the marinated veggies and marinade over a portion of spiralized zucchini noodles and toss.





nutritional information:
calories: 389
fat: 23 gr
carbs: 35 gr
protein: 11 gr



I use my spirilizer as much as any kitchen tool I have (except my VitaMix, of course!!). The Paderno brand one I have can be found on Amazon HERE, or in most stores that sell kitchen supplies.

• 2 bananas, sliced and frozen ($.60)
• 1/2 cup almond milk ($.40)
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• few drops of stevia, if more sweetness is desired

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil ($.80)
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder ($.80)
• 1/4 cup finely ground coconut palm sugar ($.80)
• pinch salt 
• 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios ($.40)

1. Place all fudgesicle ingredients into  blender and puree until very smooth. Add more almond milk or water if needed to facilitate blending. 
2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for several hours until fully frozen. 
3. Prepare the chocolate shell coating. 
4. Place all the chocolate shell coating ingredients into a small bowl and stir well until smooth.
5. Remove the fidgesicles from the freezer and pop them out of their molds.
6. Dip the fudgescicles into the hard chocolate shell, or drizzle it over them to coat. 
7. Just heating the coconut oil up enough to melt it and not any warmer will yield the best results. If needed, gently remelt the chocolate hard shell. 
8. Add a sprinkle of chopped pistachios or other chopped nut, if desired. Cacao nibs also work well.
9. Any leftovers can be wrapped and stored in the freezer for a week or so.

salad

• 1 head romaine, chopped ($1.70)
• 1 orange, peeled and sectioned ($.50)
• 1 banana, sliced ($.30)
• 2 tablespoons sliced onion

• 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned ($1.00)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ($.20)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or two droppers stevia) ($.40)
• 3 tablespoons tahini ($.40)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes for the top

directions

1. Prepare the salad ingredients.
2. Place all the dressing ingredients except the crushed red pepper flakes into a blender and puree until very smooth. 
3. Assemble the salad ingredients on plates or in bowls. Add the orange sections, banana slices, and onion to the top.
4. Pour salad dressing over and add a sprinkle of black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. I added both.

nutritional information:       calories: 256      fat: 15 gr      carbs: 33 gr      protein: 6 gr

salad

• 1 head romaine, chopped ($1.70)
• 1 orange, peeled and sectioned ($.50)
• 1 banana, sliced ($.30)
• 2 tablespoons sliced onion

• 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned ($1.00)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ($.20)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or two droppers stevia) ($.40)
• 3 tablespoons tahini ($.40)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes for the top

directions

1. Prepare the salad ingredients.
2. Place all the dressing ingredients except the crushed red pepper flakes into a blender and puree until very smooth. 
3. Assemble the salad ingredients on plates or in bowls. Add the orange sections, banana slices, and onion to the top.
4. Pour salad dressing over and add a sprinkle of black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. I added both.

nutritional information:       calories: 256      fat: 15 gr      carbs: 33 gr      protein: 6 gr


 

Even though we enjoyed a beautiful, warm, sunny day here today, hard core fall is coming. This menu has some heavier, more substantial meals using seasonal produce. Pears are plentiful right now and citrus is coming into its best season soon. You should be able to score some great tasting produce at reasonable prices!








Simple, juicy, and delicious ... everything that's the best of raw plant foods ...

ingredients

• 1 peach, sliced ($.80)
• 1 plum, sliced ($.90)
• 1 apple, sliced ($1.25)
• 1/2 cup blueberries ($.50)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice ($.20)
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts ($.50)

directions

1. Slice the fruit, mix together, add a splash of lemon juice and chopped walnuts (a bit of nut milk would be good, too ... like a bowl of fruit cereal).

nutritional information: calories: 137 fat: 1 gr carbs: 33 gr protein: 2 gr






salad

• 1 grapefruit ($.50)
• 2 pears, sliced ($1.40)
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 head romaine, chopped ($1.90)
• 1/4 cup walnuts ($.50)

dressing

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice ($.20)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil ($.30)
• 2 tablespoons agave ($.20)
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

directions

1. Cut the grapefruit by first slicing off about 1/4" off the top and bottom.
2. Stand the grapefruit up on a cut side and slice along the outside curve of the fruit, cutting away the skin and pith.
3. Use a sharp knife to cut each grapefruit section away from the membrane.
4. Slice the pears and onions, and chop the lettuce.
5. Toss together and sprinkle the walnuts on top.
6. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the top.

nutritional information: calories: 304 fat: 17 gr carbs: 40 gr protein: 5 gr










ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini ($1.20)
• 1 carrot ($.15)
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced ($.59)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced ($.50)
• large handful mung bean sprouts ($.75)

sauce

• 4 tablespoons almond butter ($.80)
• 1/2 in piece ginger, peeled
• 1 tablespoon braggs aminos or soy sauce ($.10)
• 1 clove garlic ($.05)
• 1 tablespoon agave ($.10)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped cashews ($.20)

directions

1. Noodle the zucchini and carrot using a vegetable peeler or spiral slicer. 
2. Toss with the bell pepper, green onion, and bean sprouts.
3. In a bullet type blender, puree all the sauce ingredients until very creamy. Because of the high fat content of the nut butter, this can get quite hot while blending. Stop and let it cool for a minute if it becomes too hot for your personal definition of raw.
4. Pour over noodles, toss lightly, serve. 

nutritional information:        calories: 345        fat: 23 gr        carbs: 30 gr         protein: 8 gr





ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado, chopped ($.88)
• 2 bananas, chopped ($.30)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder ($.60)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons agave ($.20)
• 1/2 dropper liquid stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract

directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with an "S" blade and process until very smooth.
2. Add coconut oil to room temperature or warmer ingredients only, otherwise the coconut oil will harden into little lumps before it has a chance to blend.
3. Chill for at least a half hour before serving.
4. Top with a few orange sections and/or pieces of fruit and a pinch of orange rind, if desired.

nutritional information: calories: 321 fat: 16 gr carbs: 41 gr protein: 5 gr

nutritional information:      calories: 333       fat: 10 gr      carbs: 50 gr      protein: 7 gr

• 4 tablespoons artisana coconut butter ($2.20)
• 4 tablespoons artisana cashew butter ($2.35) 
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 3 dates ($.60)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves ($.10) 
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• juice of one lime ($.50)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cucumber, sliced into noodles ($.89)
• 1/2 avocado, chopped ($.88)
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 stalks celery, minced ($.20)
• small bunch cilantro leaves ($.05)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved ($.30)
• red pepper flakes

1. In a blender, process the coconut butter, cashew butter (almond butter will work as well), water, dates, cilantro, garlic, red pepper flakes, cayenne, lime juice, salt and pepper. 
2. Puree until as smooth as possible.
3. Cut the cucumber into noodles and put in bowls with the avocado, celery, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. 
4. Using a wire mesh strainer, strain the coconut and nut butter soup base. This will take out any larger pieces of dates or spices. A higher powered blender may make this step unnecessary. 
5. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

nutritional information:      calories: 537       fat: 44 gr       carbs: 33 gr       protein: 11 gr













ingredients

• 1/2 cup walnuts ($1.00)
• 1/2 cup raisins ($.85)
• 3 plums, sliced thinly ($3.00)
• 3 tablespoons coconut butter ($1.65) 
• 2 tablespoons coconut nectar ($.40)

• banana ice cream ($.50)
• blackberry puree

• 1 cup carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 banana, sliced and frozen
• 1 cup almond milk 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or other nuts
• 1 cup chopped apples

directions

1. In a high powered blender, puree the carrots, banana, and almond milk until very smooth.
2. Add in the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg and pulse a few times to blend well.
3. Pour into a bowl and add the chopped dates, pecans, and apples. A sprinkle of coconut flakes goes well, too!

Tumeric is famously anti-inflammatory and can be enjoyed many different ways, including juiced raw. But today, I wanted to pass on this super easy tea (psst, it's not raw!).

I've been drinking it almost every morning for a couple months now and it's still delicious to me, which is a good thing. Turmeric has so many beneficial qualities ... let us count the ways (scroll below for the tea how-to).

1. Anti-inflammatory.
Turmeric, the brightly colored spice that gives curry it's intense color, contains beneficial compounds that have positive health benefits. The main compounds are the curcuminoids and the most important of these is curcumin. One of the most beneficial things curcumin can do is lessen inflammation, which is implicated in most Western diseases.

To be fair, inflammatory responses are a good thing. We wouldn't be able to wage a defense against bacteria and viruses, or injuries, for example, without a strong inflammatory response. However, too much of a good thing can cause problems. Chronic inflammation has been implicated in many diseases that plague us today, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and obesity. Curcumin can reduce inflammation as effectively as some anti-inflammatory medications, but without the side effects. One of the ways it does this is by inhibiting (NF)-kB.  
 
2. Antioxidant
Oxidation is a chemical reaction that produces free radicals. Free radicals have unpaired electrons. These lonely little fragments damage cells and wreak havoc and destruction wherever they go. Antioxidants, like curcumin, terminate the chain reactions that lead to unpaired electrons and, therefore, free radicals and the damage they cause. Seriously, it's the radicals, man.
 
3. Heart Health
Almost 50% of Americans will die prematurely from heart disease. Heart disease and chronic inflammation are so closely linked that inflammation is thought to be an atherogenic response (atherogenic means it causes atherosclerosis, aka, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, and is also peripheral artery disease). It's even thought possible that the slight benefit sometimes derived from statins could be due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Reducing inflammation is a vital key to reducing heart disease.Curcumin is a potent COX-2 inhibitor, that

4. Cancer
Curcumin is being investigated as prevention and treatment for cancers such as that of the colon and pancreas. Chronic inflammation and free radicals promote cancer. Reducing those conditions can be preventive and curcumin works well at both. 
  
5. Arthritis
 Inflammation is an important mechanism in arthritis. Curcumin acts as a COX-2 inhibitor in the same way pharmaceutical drugs such as Celebrex do, but without the dangerous side effects. The tea below, as well as curcumin supplements can ease the pain of arthritis and rejuvenate mobility.

7. Alzheimer's 
India has a low incidence of Alzheimer's, possibly linked to higher intake of curcumin. Because inflammation plays such a big part in most disease, including Alzheimer's, it can be protective and preventative.

8. Brain Function
Alzheimer's is not the only thing that can go awry in brain function, and again, inflammation is implicated. In this case, it's known as neuroinflammation, or inflammation specifically in the brain and reducing that can help overall brain function. 
   
9. Depression
Depression and anxiety are often linked to brain inflammation (this is why going gluten free can help mood, as well). It seems to offer some improvement and relief to those who have depression.

10. Gall Bladder Function 
Curcumin causes the gall bladder to contract, which stimulates bile formation and gall bladder emptying and a freely flowing gallbladder is a happy, healthy one (unless you have a stone blocking the exit, which can cause a painful gallbladder attack).

11. Pepper
I can't talk about turmeric and curcumin without also mentioning black pepper. The Piperine in black pepper increases the absorption of curcumin by 2000% (that's 20x). So, add a little bit of black pepper to whatever you make with turmeric for the greatest benefit. It tastes good, too.

*Do not use turmeric or curcumin if you are using blood thinners such as Warfarin or if you have existing gall bladder disease.




 This tea (and this salad dressing, too) are delicious ways to get a healthy dose of turmeric.


ingredients

• 1 orange, peeled and chopped ($.70)
• 1 teaspoon powdered tumeric ($.10)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds($10)
• a few black peppercorns, or pinch of black pepper
• stevia or sweetener, if desired ($.10)

directions

1. Place the orange, turmeric, and caraway seeds in a large saucepan with four cups water. 
2. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue to boil for about five minutes. This will reduce any bitterness in the turmeric.
3. Add the peppercorns or pinch of pepper and steep for a minute or two. 
4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into mugs and and the sweetener of your choice, if desired. 

Blueberry Smoothie Jar is a delicious recipe from Plant-Based Meal Prep by Jackie Sobon from the website Vegan Yack Attack. This gorgeous book is full of recipes (100+), info, and tips to successfully prep for vegan and plant-based meals.

See the FULL post at:
https://www.rawon10.com/blueberry-smoothie-jar-plant-based-meal-prep/

ETA: You guys are amazing. I was really not expecting to get so many volunteers! I have more than enough people for now. I'm happy to add any additional names to the list for future opportunities. I can't add any more volunteers for this course, otherwise it would end up being all my friends which isn't great for diversity.

My awesome job involves creating free online courses about genomics. The first course I've been fully in charge of is about to go live, and it needs some final quality checks. It's quite exciting IMO: it's about using genomics to identify and avoid antibiotic resistance.

We need people who can put in a couple of hours in the next week, and just play around with the course and see if there are any obvious problems, whether that's technical issues like display problems for your particular hardware and software, or conceptual problems like confusing instructions or something that doesn't make sense. We are definitely not expecting any one individual to go through the whole course in detail, and we're not looking for copy editing or proofreading. I mean, if you have the sort of brain that can't help spotting typos, we don't mind reports of those, but we're mainly looking for something more general than that.

We want people from all backgrounds, so a mix of people who know something about microbiology and genomics, and people who have no idea. I will say that the course is fairly technical, though, so you probably don't want to volunteer if sciencey stuff is hateful or scary to you. We are especially happy to have beta readers who aren't completely fluent in English to be more representative of our target audience.

Other than doing some good for the world, what you get out of it is a £25 Amazon voucher. So in order to get paid you need to be in a position to receive and spend an Amazon voucher. We might possibly be able to acquire vouchers for other countries' versions of Amazon, or else I can informally arrange to swap to something more locally useful. But it's not employment, it's a volunteer thing with a small token of appreciation.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments, but if you actually want to sign up you need to interact with my work persona, so I'll ask you to PM me about arranging that. You're also welcome to pass the request on to anyone else who might be interested. The number of available slots is somewhat flexible, probably in the range of 3-5.

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Good things: jack and I went to see the Troy exhibition at the British Museum. With a bit of time and energy left after that, we also visited the Aztec room. And then we went out for pancakes at my favourite spot. And it was generally lovely.

Then we had a go at some tabletop roleplaying, with OSOs and their younger two. jack had put together a cut-down system, roughly D&D based but a lot lot lot less complex and fiddly. And a delightful little one-shot story about saving a baby giant turtle from a suspicious sea captain, set in an archipelago of islands on the back of giant turtles. jack really encouraged us to develop fun characters, and we're all excited to play more in this setting.

I have plans for an exciting date with ghoti_mhic_uait next week, and I think after that no more travel for fun. Honestly I'm not sure about this week either. Maybe it isn't morally or safety-wise sensible to visit a huge tourist spot in the capital. I'm expecting several months of somewhere between boring and terrifying, and I'm not really impatient for that to start.

ghoti_mhic_uait bought me and jack an annual membership of the British Museum for our birthdays. And it was a really good time to visit as members; the Troy exhibition, in its last weekend, was completely sold out for non-members, plus it was lovely to be able to go to the museum semi-spontaneously rather than having to plan for a particular time and buy tickets. I probably wouldn't have made a special trip or paid lots of money to see Troy, but when it was low pressure it was worthwhile.

Basically what they've done is presented objects that represent the myth as told in Classical literature, so lots of vases and friezes and so on, arranged to recount the story of the fall of Troy. And then they have a gallery of Renaissance responses to the Trojan myth, and then a gallery of modern (ish) responses. Nice curation, lots of ideas about how the myth was interpreted through the culture of the time. And a marvellous collection of objects, the BM has really a lot of good blackfigure vases and beautiful neo-Classical objects. There is also quite a lot of commentary about how war is actually bad rather than epic, and thoughtful stuff about attitudes to women, and it's 2020 so we're no longer doing the ridiculous 'no homo' thing about Achilles and Patroclus.

My favourites were this gorgeous little bowl with a really sweet picture of Eris:


And a stunning pre-Raphaelite portrait of Clytemnestra immediately post-murder, which I couldn't photograph due to the lighting, and can't find an image of online.

Then we went to have tea in the special members' room. The main advantage is that it's quieter than the main tea-room, as it isn't in a huge echoing hall. We reckoned we had enough time and energy left to look at one more thing, and Jack was excited to see the famous double-headed turquoise snake from the meso-American gallery. I fell slightly in love with this grumpy woman who shares the room with it:


On the way we wandered past a staircase with some cool mosaics, the Wellcome gallery with has a Moai that they're in the process of returning to the Rapa Nui peoples they stole it from, and the gallery of indigenous North American stuff, much of which is again, stolen. Also the Enlightenment room, which I'm interested to go back to with more time, partly because it contains more stuff that the British Museum actually has a right to than a lot of the galleries!

Dinner was pancakes and mango lambic beer at My Old Dutch in Holborn, which has been a tradition since I visited the BM with my friend MK and his then two-year-old.

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I was really sad to learn of the death of Mel Baggs. I have been following Mel's writing for many years and learned a great deal about disability and activist communities.

In particular, Mel disabused me of the view of autism that says, autism is all very well if you're also highly intelligent, but it's a terrible tragedy to be autistic as well as intellectually disabled, or autistic and non-speaking, or "low-functioning". And in general lots of concrete ways of being a respectful fellow citizen towards the the kinds of disabled people who don't get much activism airtime.

It seems that Mel didn't die "of" Coronavirus in the strict sense of the word, but of complications of a number of other illnesses and conditions. Mel had posted a fair bit recently about not getting access to needed personal care as an indirect result of the pandemic and the dangerously inadequate official response to it. I don't know whether inadequate care was a contributory factor in Mel's death but it did cause a lot of suffering, and I have seen way too many reports of people not getting the care they need, and I'm not even that plugged in to the disability community.

Anyway. Mel was someone I admired greatly, and a huge influence on me, and the world is poorer.

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Rituals of childhood (content note: gun violence, mass shooting) The Stump That Didn’t Die Growth mindset lessons had no impact The Costs of Reliability Everyone I know is mostly going about their days right now slightly dazed with horror about the detention camps on the southern border. Piece of string? I’m a frayed knot (Included … Continue reading Links — September 1

When the Public Feared That Library Books Could Spread Deadly Diseases The Difference Between Happiness and Joy Who’s Considered Thin Enough for Eating Disorder Treatment? The Cost of Next Day Delivery Attending Burning Man or Parenting a Toddler? Not having kids is nothing new. What centuries of history tell us about childlessness today. Prehistoric Parents … Continue reading Links — October

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For Advent this year, the church I attend removed the baptismal font. I missed a few weeks, but by the fourth week the table was gone too. On Christmas Eve the pulpit was gone. All swept away for Christmas decor and space for a slick performance with little time for audience participation. Never mind community. … Continue reading Symbols

I’ve had some requests to show details of how I arrange the buttons in order to shorten my long skirts for bicycling. Well like this: Clear as mud? Let’s take a closer look. Disclaimer: I’ve been wearing both of these skirts for years and it shows in these detail shots. First that plaid walking skirt … Continue reading Bustled for Bicycling

Wow, the end of February really snuck up on me! I wrote this on the morning of March 1 and backdated it. :(

Aside from some uninteresting work travel and a bit more progress on Pac Tom, the main notable thing from February was work on my SIGBOVIK papers. It is now possible to submit, so you can too! Thank you for your suggestions for my chess paper (see previous post); it's not too late for more ideas there. I also have one non-chess paper, which turned out to be pretty fun. For that I spent a solid chunk of the weekend manually routing this bad boy:

Design rules check pass!

It may end up to be too hard to solder, but isn't it aesthetically pleasing?