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Gene Marks, Contributor
I cover technologies helping companies be quicker, better, wiser.
President Obama gave an excellent speech last week in Kansas about inequality in America.
"This is the defining issue of our time." He said. "This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and for all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. Because what's at stake is whether this will be a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home, secure their retirement."
He's right. The spread between rich and poor has gotten wider over the decades. And the opportunities for the 99% have become harder to realize.
The President's speech got me thinking. My kids are no smarter than similar kids their age from the inner city. My kids have it much easier than their counterparts from West Philadelphia. The world is not fair to those kids mainly because they had the misfortune of being born two miles away into a more difficult part of the world and with a skin color that makes realizing the opportunities that the President spoke about that much harder. This is a fact. In 2011.
I am not a poor black kid. I am a middle aged white guy who comes from a middle class white background. So life was easier for me. But that doesn't mean that the prospects are impossible for those kids from the inner city. It doesn't mean that there are no opportunities for them. Or that the 1% control the world and the rest of us have to fight over the scraps left behind. I don't believe that. I believe that everyone in this country has a chance to succeed. Still. In 2011. Even a poor black kid in West Philadelphia.
It takes brains. It takes hard work. It takes a little luck. And a little help from others. It takes the ability and the know-how to use the resources that are available. Like technology. As a person who sells and has worked with technology all my life I also know this.
If I was a poor black kid I would first and most importantly work to make sure I got the best grades possible. I would make it my #1 priority to be able to read sufficiently. I wouldn't care if I was a student at the worst public middle school in the worst inner city. Even the worst have their best. And the very best students, even at the worst schools, have more opportunities. Getting good grades is the key to having more options. With good grades you can choose different, better paths. If you do poorly in school, particularly in a lousy school, you're severely limiting the limited opportunities you have.
And I would use the technology available to me as a student. I know a few school teachers and they tell me that many inner city parents usually have or can afford cheap computers and internet service nowadays. That because (and sadly) it's oftentimes a necessary thing to keep their kids safe at home than on the streets. And libraries and schools have computers available too. Computers can be purchased cheaply at outlets like TigerDirect and Dell's Outlet. Professional organizations like accountants and architects often offer used computers from their members, sometimes at no cost at all.
If I was a poor black kid I'd use the free technology available to help me study. I'd become expert at Google Scholar. I'd visit study sites like SparkNotes and CliffsNotes to help me understand books. I'd watch relevant teachings on Academic Earth, TED and the Khan Academy. (I say relevant because some of these lectures may not be related to my work or too advanced for my age. But there are plenty of videos on these sites that are suitable to my studies and would help me stand out.) I would also, when possible, get my books for free at Project Gutenberg and learn how to do research at the CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia to help me with my studies.
I would use homework tools like Backpack, and Diigo to help me store and share my work with other classmates. I would use Skype to study with other students who also want to do well in my school. I would take advantage of study websites like Evernote, Study Rails, Flashcard Machine, Quizlet, and free online calculators.
Is this easy? No it's not. It's hard. It takes a special kind of kid to succeed. And to succeed even with these tools is much harder for a black kid from West Philadelphia than a white kid from the suburbs. But it's not impossible. The tools are there. The technology is there. And the opportunities there.
In Philadelphia, there are nationally recognized magnet schools like Central, Girls High and Masterman. These schools are free. But they are hard to get in to. You need good grades and good test scores. And there are also other good magnet and charter schools in the city. You also need good grades to get into those. In a school system that is so broken these are bright spots. Getting into one of these schools opens up a world of opportunities. More than 90% of the kids that go to Central go on to college. I would use the internet to research each one of these schools so I could find out how I could be admitted. I would find out the names of the admissions people and go to meet with them. If I was a poor black kid I would make it my goal to get into one of these schools.
Or even a private school. Most private schools I know are filled to the brim with the 1%. That's because these schools are exclusive and expensive, costing anywhere between $20 and $50k per year. But there's a secret about them. Most have scholarship programs. Most have boards of trustees that want to give opportunities to kids that can't afford the tuition. Many would provide funding for not only tuition but also for transportation or even boarding. Trust me, they want to show diversity. They want to show smiling, smart kids of many different colors and races on their fundraising brochures. If I was a poor black kid I'd be using technology to research these schools on the internet, too, and making them know that I exist and that I get good grades and want to go to their school.
And once admitted to one of these schools the first person I'd introduce myself to would be the school's guidance counselor. This is the person who will one day help me go to a college. This is the person who knows everything there is to know about financial aid, grants, minority programs and the like. This is the person who may also know of job programs and co-op learning opportunities that I could participate in. This is the person who could help me get summer employment at a law firm or a business owned by the 1% where I could meet people and show off my stuff.
If I was a poor black kid I would get technical. I would learn software. I would learn how to write code. I would seek out courses in my high school that teaches these skills or figure out where to learn more online. I would study on my own. I would make sure my writing and communication skills stay polished.
Because a poor black kid who gets good grades, has a part time job and becomes proficient with a technical skill will go to college. There is financial aid available. There are programs available. And no matter what he or she majors in that person will have opportunities. They will find jobs in a country of business owners like me who are starved for smart, skilled people. They will succeed.
President Obama was right in his speech last week. The division between rich and poor is a national problem. But the biggest challenge we face isn't inequality. It's ignorance. So many kids from West Philadelphia don't even know these opportunities exist for them. Many come from single-parent families whose mom or dad (or in many cases their grand mom) is working two jobs to survive and are just (understandably) too plain tired to do anything else in the few short hours they're home. Many have teachers who are overburdened and too stressed to find the time to help every kid that needs it. Many of these kids don't have the brains to figure this out themselves – like my kids. Except that my kids are just lucky enough to have parents and a well-funded school system around to push them in the right direction.
Technology can help these kids. But only if the kids want to be helped. Yes, there is much inequality. But the opportunity is still there in this country for those that are smart enough to go for it.
Editor's note — This post has generated an enormous amount of feedback here on Forbes and across the web. Here are a few of those responses:
Kashmir Hill, Forbes: Trolling The Internet With 'If I Were A Poor Black Kid'
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic: A Muscular Empathy
Kelly Virella, Dominion of New York: If I Were The Middle Class White Guy Gene Marks
Cord Jefferson, GOOD: An Ode To A 'Poor Black Kid' I Never Knew: How Forbes Gets Poverty Wrong
Perhaps it is not what you intended, but this reply to someone who has firsthand experience to what you only imagine seems somewhat arrogant. If you do happen to find that magical student you desire (and they do exist) who is also lucky enough to get the right push, I think you will find that they will have no interest in working for business owners like you. They have already demonstrated a drive to succeed that would likely not be satisfied by settling for working for you.
Is this a serious comment? I'm actually laughing right now. This is the worst analogy I've heard in a long time, and it's even more amusing when -every- sentence sounds like it's being yelled with great enthusiasm. ("!!!")
At least Gene Marks can rest assured that he has equally-incompetent supporters.
As a black woman, I agree with most everything you wrote BUT the fallacy is you believe that somehow this is a "poor Black" problem instead that plagues ALL races with limited resources and knowledge! "Society" (White Upper Class men) has a tendency to overlook the hordes and hordes of poor people who are NOT Black!
I'm a 25 year old mixed kid from Oregon, who's currently working through Level 2 of the PGA. I taught myself to read at the age of two, attended a private college on an academic scholarship, and am currently trying to make it in America. Your article is annoying because you act as if going to a good college is the be all and end all. Most kids in school are idiots, cheating and lying to professors just to get the degree. That being said, the golf industry in this country is a mess, and no matter how intelligent I may be, the money is still not there. I am currently designing a web page for a top 100 instructor, for free to build a portfolio, but there are so many other issues that go into life after college. Why do you have to say "poor black kid?" Why not mexican, asian, filipino or jewish? Why is it ALWAYS black and white. Because you're simple minded, and because your readers can understand this. Btw I loved Obama's speech.
I think this article is great for a middle-class black or any other race kid who didn't want to go into the class of the poor black kid. One thing that I think is important to remember is that any kid has to have basic need met in order to have a good learning environment. To be safe. How many poor black kids do you know that are in a safe neighborhood or in a safe school or that are not pressured to be in a gang. Oh thats right! You don't know what it's like to be poor or black and probably forgot what it's like to be a kid.
I disagree. The technology you speak of can take a child 3 steps forward, but their environment can take them five steps back
Mr. Marks,
Your right and your wrong in your assessment of a poor black kids capabilities to "succeed" in life.
First, I applaud you acknowledging the role that race and poverty have in preventing individuals from "bootstrapping " their way into the mainstream ranks of the middle class.
You seem to have with the right attitude and have not simply dismissed the travails of the impoverished as a condition brought upon by their own " vices".
Your also right that there are tons of opportunities to receive the academic tools that will help one get through school and acquire that coveted career that "we all want".
However, where you went is explained by your iniatial paragraph where you admit that you are not a "poor, black kid". your not, and given that one's mindset is conditioned by our environments and don't quite understand why these kids don't always take advantage of these opportunities(assuming they know they are present and accessible)
However, I'll give you an analogue that might help you realize the problem.
There are numerous sources of information concerning health available to the average man. Every major urban area has an abundance of health facilities accessible to a healthy man with funds. Yet, many men do no regularly go to the clinic/hospital/ health facility even when something is terribly wrong with them. Why is that? Well, the answer can't be explained by reference to accessibility and availability of health resources. They might as well be invisible for many men.
In a nutshell, many poor black kids(and white and Latino) have a completely different understanding of success from you and I and for them, aspiring to go to college is something OTHER people do, people from another world, time and place. It's truly a foreign idea for some.
Mr. Marks,
Your right and your wrong in your assessment of a poor black kids capabilities to "succeed" in life.
First, I applaud you for acknowledging the roles race and poverty have in preventing individuals from "bootstrapping " their way into the mainstream ranks of the middle class.
You seem to have the right attitude and have not simply dismissed the travails of the impoverished as a condition brought upon by their own " vices".
You're also right that there are tons of opportunities to acquire the academic tools that will help one get through school and acquire that coveted career that "we all want", they are assume to much the availability of these resources to many poor, black kids.
However, you are also in error. The root of your error was addressed in your first paragraph where you admit that you are not a "poor, black kid". your not, but you've erroneously put yourself in the shoes of a poor,black kid WHILE retaining your mindset as an educated, driven member of the middle-class.Given that one's mindset is conditioned by our environments you don't quite understand why these kids don't always take advantage of these opportunities(assuming they know they are present and accessible)
However, I'll give you an analogue that might help you realize the problem.
There are numerous sources of information concerning health available to the average man. Every major urban area has an abundance of health facilities accessible to a healthy man with the proper funds. Yet, many men do no regularly go to the clinic/hospital/ health facility even when something is terribly wrong with them. Why is that? Well, the answer can't be explained by reference to accessibility and availability of health resources. They might as well be invisible for many men.
In a nutshell, many poor black kids(and white and Latino) have a completely different understanding of success from you and I and for them, aspiring to go to college is something OTHER people do, people from another world, time and place. It's truly a foreign idea for some.
For this mindset to change poor, black kids need radically new models upon which to base personal identity and from which to internalize a new model of personal achievement, not simply libraries, magnet schools and advanced technology(all that helps as well) They also need help to cultivate habits for academic achievement. Many value school but have not developed the habits of reading and studying needed to do well. Many have parent(s) who care about their child's education but are poorly educated and/or work, often relying on relatives or older children to babysit and thus not always available to monitor their child's activities. When you compare how many hours a day poor black kids dedicate to homework against other groups they fare poorly. They often end up spending a lot of time socializing with peers, many of whom do not provide good models for academic achievement, and thus, while social and even certain creative verbal skills are refined and well-developed(this includes oral verbal skills) their literacy suffers significantly. I could go on an don't but I'll emphasize that it's just not about access to and availability of resources for academic success nor is it necessarily about an "oppositional" attitude towards school. It's about priorities and where one see's oneself in the larger social schema.
I challenge you to teach at a school you describe, "I wouldn't care if I was a student at the worst public middle school in the worst inner city", and see if that changes your perspective. I've spend the last 3 years of my life teaching at a school that has been described as such. Having technology in the home is something that's rare. Only my most privileged students have access to technology in their home. A more common reality is homelessness, only eating breakfasts and lunches given to them at school, and a constant struggle to survive in the midst of poverty and violence.
Yes, the opportunity is there. Where you went tragically wrong is to assume that everyone has the same opportunity to take advantage of that opportunity. Read what ryan said again. They don't, and it's not their fault that they don't.


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Skatepark set for Chesham? (From Bucks Free Press)
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Skatepark set for Chesham?
12:21pm Tuesday 15th January 2013 in News By Andy Carswell, Reporter
A SKATEPARK could soon be added to Chesham's Lowndes Park.
The town council, which owns the park, is currently looking for companies who can provide the facilities to get in touch with them.
Several residents commented on possible improvements that could be made to the park in a recent survey carried out by the council, with many remarking on the current play areas.
The Town Council is now seeking tenders for the provision of a new skatepark and have set a deadline for interested parties to contact them by 4pm on Friday March 8.
Sealed tenders, marked 'Lowndes Park Skatepark' should be returned to Chesham Town Council, Town Hall, Chesham, HP5 1DS.
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Igor Greenwald, Contributor
I study stocks, markets and the political economy.
The cable bill is too damn high, as just about every U.S. cable subscriber will attest. This is a truth even industry analysts and cable executives can no longer deny, though they haven't yet agreed on whom to blame.
A little over two years ago, Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett was warning about "the widening disconnect between flat-to-declining consumer disposable income, particularly in the bottom two quintiles of household income, and the rising price of media and telecommunications services."
And so in 2011, Comcast's (Nasdaq: CMCSA) average monthly revenue per video customer increased by $10 for the second year in a row, while the cable giant's stock rose
8% and yielded an additional 2% in dividends.
And at that year's end, Liberty Media (Nasdaq: LMCAD) Chief Executive Greg Maffei was asking about "what happens to the bundle of cable if you keep pushing [the price] higher and higher," while decrying rate increases for ESPN as "a tax on every American household."
And so in 2012 Comcast shares rose 58%, while those of ESPN owner Walt Disney (DIS) jumped 33%. Cable networks led by ESPN earned $5.7 billion for Disney in fiscal 2012, a 9% increase on the prior year.
No wonder just the television portion of the cable bill has nearly doubled to $78 monthly over the last decade. And no surprise that U.S. cable and broadband rates are now at nosebleed levels relative to those on offer in foreign capitals, despite delivering inferior technology to the one that lets Koreans, Scandinavians and Hong Kongers surf the Internet much faster.
Is it because our sports are so much more exciting, our comedies that much funnier or our news shows more informative? If only. It's because our cable markets are entirely uncompetitive on price, even in places where cable providers have let the satellite dish make significant inroads.
And why are they uncompetitive on price? That's no mystery at all. It's because government has failed to foster the sort of competition that's held down prices around the world.
That's the point Rick Karr made after researching the regulatory regimes in the UK and the Netherlands. It's the point Pulitzer Prize winner David Cay Johnston makes in his new book.
And it's the point law professor Susan P. Crawford argues in her new book as well. But whereas Karr and Johnston are mere journalists, Crawford is a former White House aide aiming against all odds to change the regulatory philosophy. So an industry minion was dispatched to enumerate all the reasons it shouldn't be regulated as a public utility. The Wall Street Journal subcontracted its hit to an American Enterprise Institute fellow who reproached Crawford for "passionate activism" and lectured her on the distinction between monopoly and oligopoly.
But nitpick as industry defenders might, there's no getting around the fact that the market deck is stacked in favor of the corporate owners of the cable pipes, with consumers stuck paying an unjustifiably high price for subpar services.
In the last decade, the Federal Communication Commission has gradually abdicated regulatory oversight of the cable industry, a shift begun under the leadership of an FCC chairman who now works as cable's top lobbyist. Done are efforts to force broadband owners to lease capacity to competitors, the practice that's largely responsible for the lower prices seen abroad. And gone is all determination to limit the market power of media giants determined to both make and distribute content. One of the FCC commissioners who approved Comcast's takeover of Universal soon left to lobby for Comcast.
The resulting system is one in which every ridiculous sports contract and every hike in ESPN fees gets passed down to the lovers of antique shows and nature documentaries entirely uninterested in sports. It's a system that has consumers pony up for the broadcasts they used to receive for free, since local retransmission fees are the industry's fastest growing cost. And it's a system in which small, fledgling channels will be increasingly frozen out unless they're subsidiaries of Mega Media, Inc.
In other words, the big will get bigger and charge more for their expensively procured spectacles.
Thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter and subscribe on Facebook.
The dirty little secret, of course, is that much of this content (sports, movies, etc.) is available for free online. Buy a cheap desktop, hook it up to your TV, and simply stream the content you want to watch. This little trick saves me about $800/yr.
Yea, but cable companies control the internet, until internet companies come out as stand alone complexes, they still have control. Don't think they wont jack up your internet bill, or put in tier payment systems, just watch.
Soon the game will change again. You can arrange for a WiFi hot spot through numerous sources now. Within two years cable companies will be hurting. Some cities are offering free wireless. The cable companies greed will come back to haunt them.
You're right. At least for the next immediate stage. But cut rate WiFi is just around the corner. In one city I visit you don't even need internet service in certain areas because the city provides city wide WiFi. In my opinion there that trend will only grow.
I can do without cable and I wonder how many companies will get into a gut wrenching battle which will see ever reduced products for the public. At some point the cable companies will go down.
What I find even more infuriating is when municipalities jump in and help these companies create a monopoly. In Oakland, CA for example, the city has helped keep other high speed providers out in obedience to Comcast. Comcast has us in a stranglehold, with crazy price schemes and tiers. They aren't even trying to be competitive – why should they? The alternative is DSL, which while reliable is much slower. Verizon FIOS has been kept out of the City, which I am sure Comcast is happy about.
I remember when Cable started – they promised that they would be making their revenue from subscriber fees only, it was supposed to be commercial free – but the government did not make them keep that promise. Now we are paying nosebleed prices for service, while they also make money with advertisement. We are paying more for less. The speeds we are getting are artificial – it isn't that higher speeds are not capable, it's because the cable companies are holding the higher speeds hostage so they can offer us more speed for more money over increments of time. They actually spend money on technology that slows the internet speeds down – it would be cheaper to let it run at it's natural rate – but why do that when they can offer you "higher speed internet" for just a little bit more at a time?
I recall for a long time thinking that $50.00 per month was as far as I would go for internet / tv service – but that's not an option now. I don't know what world these people live in – but my pay hasn't changed since 2004 (well it has – I take home LESS now); they act as though every year people are getting paid more and more, and that's just not the case.
If you couple this with the same attitude from landlords, utility companies, government agencies (dmv, parking, etc). entertainment venues, restaurants, grocers, retailers, creditors – it's looking like something has got to give here, we are being squeezed like olives in a press for every penny they can get… I don't know about you but I am out of oil…
Actually there is some competition in Oakland. I got AT&T U-verse after I got fed up with Comcast. But I note that like all oligopolies, AT&T has little incentive to undercut Comcast by much.
"The big squeeze." It seems like it has been one scam after another. First the gas prices, then the ponzi schemes, following housing markets, etc. Hopefully we can move forward, and the economist show promise.


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Am I the only one who can't wait to see the documentary Finding Vivian Maier? I don't even know when it's coming out yet, but I'm excited! I'm a sucker for a dramatic story behind an artist and their work, so naturally I'm in love with the nanny-cum-photographer whose enormous body of work was only discovered after she died when thousands of negatives were found in a truck at an auction. Plus, the images are amazing!
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Living with Wolves
Most commonly known as evil villains from childhood fairytales, wolves have long been the subject of strange myths, causing many humans to fear them. Opening March 22nd, Living with Wolves sets out to debunk cultural misconceptions of these elusive creatures. Living among a pack of wolves at the edge of Idaho's Sawtooth Wilderness, Jim and Jamie Dutcher spent years in a tented camp intimately observing the social hierarchy and behavior of the famous Sawtooth Pack. Now exquisite, large-scale photographs bring you closer than ever before to each individual pack member, and invite you to explore each wolf's role within their interconnected social group. Experience the selection of pack leaders, the birth of pups, and the mourning ritual following the loss of a pack member. Plus, learn how the reintroduction of wolves has played a key role in balancing and managing the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park and beyond.
This exhibition was organized by the nonprofit organization Living with Wolves.
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Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. I love everything associated with it – food, fellowship, family, friends, a fire in the fireplace, and, yes, football on TV.
It just doesn't get any better than that as far as I'm concerned.
Thanksgiving never fails to bring back warm and happy childhood memories of this special day. In my hometown of Roanoke, Va., there was a football game on Thanksgiving Day between VMI. (Virginia Military Institute) and VPI. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute, known these days as Va. Tech). The game, known as the "Military Classic of the South," was played from 1913 to 1969. The VMI. Keydets and the VPI. Cadet Corps arrived at the train station in the morning and marched through town to Victory Stadium, about three miles away. It was quite a spectacle.
This great college rivalry evoked deep loyalties in us at an early age. Even in elementary school we knew who was for VMI. or VPI. My best friend's father went to VMI., so naturally I became a Keydet fan. We actually dressed up to go to the game in those days and wore ribbon corsages in the colors of our chosen school. My ribbons were, of course, red, white and yellow to show my allegiance to VMI.
I can remember the parade, the excitement of the game, the sweet aroma of my father's pipe tobacco, the chill in the air, the cheerleaders, and the roar of the crowd.
It was magical.
However exciting the game was, making things even better was the knowledge that after it was over we were going home for Thanksgiving dinner. Coming into our house after the game was awesome. The aroma of a turkey dinner in the oven has a powerful effect on cold, hungry football fans, that's for sure.
We knew there would be something for everyone at dinner. There would be oyster dressing for my brother, rice and gravy for me, and green beans cooked with a ham hock for my father. Aside from these mandatory dishes, there would be stuffing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin bread, and usually a pecan pie for dessert.
I have most of mother's Thanksgiving recipes but not the one for pumpkin bread. She must have loaned it to a friend because it was lost. I tried some recipes but they weren't the same. Thanksgiving dinner just didn't seem complete without that bread.
The good news is that our son solved the problem. He came home from a neighbor's house raving about the pumpkin bread they served him. I immediately got the recipe and tried it. It turns out that our neighbor's pumpkin bread was a dead ringer for my mother's. The search was over.
That delicious bread is now on our Thanksgiving table again. Now it can be on yours, too.
Pumpkin Bread
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Sift dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add other ingredients. Pour batter into three greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Baste with some melted butter about 15 minutes before done. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool. Makes three loaves.


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Vigo County
• Free computer lab for job-search purposes, also access to phone for local calls; résumé-building software and self-taught tutorials, noon to 5:30 p.m., Wabash Valley Goodwill Industries, 600 S. Third St., 812-235-1827, ext. 236.
• President's concert, free, 4 p.m., Recital Hall, Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts, Indiana State University, featuring 10 students from ISU School of Music; space limited; to request tickets, 812-237-2771.
Greene County
• Prom dress sale, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., cafeteria, Bloomfield High School, proceeds benefit post-prom activities, 812-384-4301 or email@example.com.


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AMSOIL Power Foam (APF)
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Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe
This recipe was originally published on May 7, 2007. Updated with new photos. This Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe has been pinned 83,000 times! With the recent news that Red Lobster might be closing its door forever, I thought many people would love to have the recipe. The Red Lobster biscuit mix is also available at Sam's Club and Walmart now. Enjoy!
Truth be told, I am a food snob.
I shun away from chain restaurants—Cheesecake Factory, nah; The Olive Garden, meh; Denny's, are you kidding me?! So, you have it, I am a food snob.
I avoid going to franchise or chain restaurants at all cost, well, unless I am starving or stuck in the middle of nowhere and the only restaurant in town is Applebee's. Somehow, the notion of a huge restaurant empire scares me. I am afraid they are going to take over the world and infest the dining scenes with the likes of Planet Hollywood (are they still in business?) and Rainforest Cafe. I yearn for pure culinary originality and I champion epicurean creativity. Dining out is one of the most enjoyable and best things in the world, so a restaurant should be unique, possesses lots of character, and has its own identity (no cookie-cutter decor and menu, please!).
However, I have to admit that there is an exception. I go to Red Lobster, occasionally. As a seafood connoisseur, you must think that I go there for seafood, but no, I go there for the sole reason of stuffing myself silly with their biscuits.
Yep, you heard it right—those fluffy-cheesy-buttery-garlicky-fresh-off-the-oven world famous Red Lobster biscuits. (Red Lobster serves almost 1.1 million of their Cheddar Bay Biscuits every day.) You have the statistics, they are spectacular!
Wait a minute, didn't I just proclaim that I don't do chain restaurants? I can't lose my integrity, but I am nuts for Red Lobster biscuits. What to do? What to do?
I made them, well, after hours of Googling for the secret and copycat recipe of Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits on the internet.
I don't think I got the real "secret" recipe for Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits, but they were pretty darn good. In fact, they were about 85% close to the original in terms of taste and texture. That's very good for a knock-off.
Disclaimer: This post was written in a deliberate tongue in cheek tone, and voices my personal preferences and opinions. If you love chain restaurants, please don't get offended.
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142 comments... read them below or add one
I had not heard the news about Red Lobster and hope it is not true. I feel the same way about their biscuits as you. I talked to a server about them once. Someone makes a mix exclusively for Red Lobster. If they run out of mix they use Bisquick! I wonder if their regular mix has transfat. I also love their Caesar salad.
Would love to try this recipe but may I know what is this bisquick biscuit mix? What is the next best to replace this if I couldnt get this in Malaysia.Thanks.
IBisquick is kind of a premade mix, but i found a substitute for it: just mix 1 cup flour, 1½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tbsp oil or melted butter into a mixing bowl.
Bisquick Substitute:
The biscuits have the right flavor but are too 'heavy'…not lightweight and airy like Red Lobsters. My husband thinks that whipping up that gluten or whatever may cause this but is still puzzled. Don't know how to make the biscuit airy and light like RL does.
In order to get a good, fluffy texture that is very similar to Red Lobster's, you need to mix the dough by hand, and instead of melting the butter, you should cut it in with a pastry cutter or a couple forks, whichever you have on hand. It's pretty messy, but the results are fabulous. I Hope this helps :)!
Try using Pioneer Biscuit mix instead of Bisquick. They will produce a more fluffier biscuit.
The instructions state to beat the dough which causes toughness. Mix thoroughly but gently with a fork, then drop by tablespoonful onto cold baking sheet, ungreased. handle the dough as if you were making scones.
#1. They are called Cheddar BAY biscuits because of the cheddar cheese and the OLD BAY seafood seasoning included in them. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seafood seasoning to them.
#2. They are lighter and fluffier in the restaurant because they are greasier. They add the equivalent of 1/2 oil/real butter to the mixture (for the size of this recipe)
Just add the old bay and throw in a stick of butter and there you will have it! Of course they are really fattening with the butter, lol
Maybe it's just me, but I always feel that anything made with Bisquick tastes like, well, Bisquick. I found that using a basic scratch buttermilk drop biscuit recipe, and adding 1tsp of Old Bay and a cup of cheese comes pretty close to Red Lobster. They're also fluffier. Probably less healthy, but that's not the point :)
Instead of Bisquick try Pioneer Baking Mix. They create a fluffier biscuit and don't have the "bisquick taste".
I don't mind making them from scratch, but I will definitely check out Pioneer baking mix for those times that I need a mix. It would be great to find something that tastes better. Thanks!
I realize you are most likely a very good, experienced cook and baker, but I have to give you a tip for this recipe. The reason (most likely)the texture of your biscuits is not quite right is that you are mixing them with an electric mixer (which is what I assume you mean by "beat vigorously for thirty seconds). In order to get a good, fluffy texture that is very similar to Red Lobster's, you need to mix the dough by hand, and instead of melting the butter, you should cut it in with a pastry cutter or a couple forks, whichever you have on hand. It's pretty messy, but the results are fabulous. Oh, and to get a more similar flavor, use MUCH more garlic powder than you have in that recipe. I hope that helps! I also hope I didn't come off as insulting or conceded, I just wanted to give you a few tips from one cook to another :)
Thanks lots for the receipe. I am a novice at baking and this recipe is a good starter for me :)
I have made some changes on my own:
- Used 1 cup full cream milk (2/3 cups is quite dry for mine.)
> Would evaporated milk makes it denser?
- Added 1/4 cup cashew bits :P
- Mix with hand into dough (I find this easier.)
- Leave the dough to stand for 15 mins (I find that this makes the texture more chewy).
Happy Lunar New Year in advance :)
People in the comments say to cut the butter in or do other things with the butter, but the butter doesn't go in the batter, it goes on top of the biscuits after they are baked!
I've tried this recipe along with many others. All were just ok. I finally found "the one"! I make these all the time and I think they are at least 95% close to Red Lobsters. Try, you won't be dissappointed!
Red lobster biscuits
1c. Ap flour
1c + 2TB cake flour
Or 2c white lily AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 1/4c cheddar cheese freshly grated not in bag
1c very cold buttermilk
1 stick butter melted & cooled slightly
Combine dry ing. and cheese
Combine butter with buttermilk stirring to break up the butter, should be small pieces of butter floating in the milk
Add to dry mixture
Combine gently by hand just until mixed
Drop 1/4c or so mounds (12 mounds) onto greased cookie sheet
Bake 12-14 min at 425*
Melt 2 Tbs butter add 1/4tsp garlic salt, finely minced parsley brush on warm biscuits right out of the oven.


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The funeral for Furman Bisher, the legendary sports columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at in Buckhead.
Bisher, who lived for years in Buckhead while he was raising his sons as a single parent, died Sunday at age 93 at his home in Fayette County, the newspaper reported.
A nationally known writer, Bisher was renowned for his brilliant columns, especially his coverage of golf, baseball and college football. His memorable work on the Masters in Augusta played a significant role in building the tournament's success.
He also was known for his interviews with Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the participants in baseball's Black Sox scandal, and Ty Cobb, the baseball great known as "the Georgia Peach."
If you have memories of Furman Bisher, please share them in our comments section.


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Tomorrow morning I am flying to St. Louis, so tomorrow, blogging may be a bit sporadic. I have asked Ben, Chris and Kim to chip in while I am away, they have agreed. Monday morning, I fly back and won't be back on the blog until after 11am (EST).
Slow Over the Next Few Days Again
Paul Drago
10/05/2006 10:02 pm
Once again, enjoy yourself in my fair city.


text:
A suburban fairy tale – featuring a peacock, a trail of bread crumbs and a little girl's dream come true – recently has unfolded on a quiet street in Berkley.
The Mlutkowski family and their neighbors on Columbia were surprised to discover a peacock strutting along their street on Dec. 24, 2012 – Christmas Eve. Jenny Mlutkowski explains what happened next:
Christmas morning, we enjoyed the usual Christmas jazz and when we sat down to eat breakfast we noticed lots of neighbors outside in their jammies checking out the peacock again. People were laughing, taking pictures, having fun. Neighbors called the police and the Detroit Zoo but everyone was told that birds are free to come and go. Later, we "lured" the peacock to our house using pieces of bread. We thought it would be fun to have a photo of a peacock at our house on Christmas. Due to the way we "acquired" our pet, we named her Gretel. Well, I suppose that piece of bread was the tastiest ever because she has been hanging out on our porch ever since.
For the past two weeks, we have come to love having Gretel around. We have learned her schedule. Yes, peacocks keep a schedule. When the sun goes down, she flies up to our neighbor's tree where she sleeps for the night. When the sun rises, she flies down to our porch. We have learned her habits and hiding spots along with her likes and dislikes. I read online that peacocks like cheese. This is true. I bought some Midwest blend birdseed. She likes all the seeds but does not like the thistle seeds. Gretel will eat everything in her dish but leave a pile of thistles. I give her a small dish of seed a day. Gretel is a friendly bird. She loves watching kids play. Whenever we are outside she walks right up to us. When we speak to her, she cocks her lovely head. I believe that she likes us as much as we like her. However, we never touch her.
[Have you snapped a photo of Gretel? Upload it to the gallery!]
What makes the tale of Gretel's arrival on Columbia all the more magical is that Mimi Mlutkowski, 6, had been asking for a pet bird, her mom said.
"It works out perfectly! She doesn't even have to live in the house," Jenny Mlutkowski said of Gretel.
Tom Schneider, who serves as curator of birds at the Detroit Zoo, said Gretel – who, as a female, is actually called a peahen, rather than a peacock – could be quite comfortable at the Mlutkowski's house.
"They come from Asia in areas where it gets pretty cold," he said, adding that the zoo does not bring its peafowl – the name for males and females of the species – inside during the winter but does offer them access to shelter. Gretel has found just such a spot under the Mlutkowski's bay window, protected from blustery winds behind a row of shrubbery.
Schneider said the zoo's peafowl eat cracked corn and dog food, but that the birds are "pretty omnivorous – they'll eat a lot of different stuff," making Gretel's diet of bird seed and cheese, plus anything she finds outside, sufficient.
While peafowl normally flock together during the winter months, Schneider said they are quite territorial the rest of the year and that it is not unusual for the birds to live solitary lives during the breeding season.
But, the youngest Mlutkowski can't help but worry about Gretel's own family: Violet, 3, fears the wayward peafowl may have offspring who miss her.
"I keep trying to convince her that Gretel would not leave her babies and would not even have babies this time of year but Violet remains unconvinced," Jenny Mlutkowski said.
Schneider said the peafowl family members at the zoo are banded, which Gretel does not appear to be.
"I kind of doubt it's one of ours," he said of Gretel. "It's unlikely it would wander that far away."
He added that anyone can buy a peafowl to keep as a domesticated bird, similar to a chicken. Nonetheless, Schneider is working to arrange a visit to the Mlutkowski's house to take a gander at Gretel and see whether she belongs at the zoo, he said.
"We were just an average family of four living a very normal life in Berkley," Jenny Mlutkowski said. "Then Gretel came along and gave us a little excitement. We have no idea how long she will stay with us, but she is welcome to hang out in our yard as long as she needs us."


text:
Mikalah Guyton
Every school year around Christmas time, Thomas County Central High School holds its annual Shop with a Yellow Jacket (SWAY J) event.
The TCCHS staff receives applications from families that need a little assistance throughout the holidays.
Students from TCCHS form teams of up to five members to sponsor each child. Also, they must raise a total of $100 to support their child during this event. The money is used to buy gifts for the child, as well as the rest of his or her family.
Many teachers and staff members sponsor teams to help the chosen kids around Thomas County.
This year's event was held Dec. 15.
Kids made stockings, decorated cookies, shopped for gifts at Walmart and enjoyed the holiday atmosphere.
Participant Kerri Butts, 17, volunteered with a group of fellow students. She said her group's child bought two baby dolls and a set of lotion and body wash for his family members.
"It was very good," Butts said of the event. "All the little kids loved it and I think it was a good way for the families that don't have anything for their kids to get what they want."
Her favorite part of the day was shopping with the kids and "seeing the look in their eyes at the stuff they wanted."
TCCHS teacher Regina Beasley is the new director of this five-year-old event. Participants said she did a wonderful job organizing all of the activities and structure of SWAY J.
"Words cannot describe what I felt on Saturday during SWAY J," Beasley said. "The smiles on the kids' faces and the gratitude expressed by their parents were worth more than gold. The students at TCCHS are incredible and I am truly blessed by them on a daily basis."


text:
(CNN) - Seventy-one percent of Americans say it's time to raise the federal minimum wage, according to a new CNN Money poll.
While 36 percent want an increase to $10.10 an hour, the rate President Obama has proposed, 19 percent would like to see a smaller increase, and 16 percent think it should be higher than $10.10.
The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour.
Several states and cities have taken matters into their own hands.
Last week, Seattle passed the highest minimum wage in the nation at $15 an hour.
Critics argue higher minimum wage laws cost jobs as employers scale back to save money.
Copyright 2014 CNN. All rights reserved.
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For Immediate Release: October 12, 2010
NASHVILLE - September 2010 collections of the Tennessee Department of Revenue were $977,472,880, an increase of $56,584,871 or 6.1 percent from September 2009 collections.
Sales and use tax collections totaled $512,311,556, an increase of $10,779,747 or 2.2 percent from September 2009 collections.
Collections from the retail trade group decreased 2.4 percent. Items with significant changes include:
Collections from the service group increased 7.5 percent from September 2009. The biggest contributors to the increase were automotive repair, service & parking services (12.5 percent) and other services (36.5 percent).
Collections from the non-retail, non-services group increased 6.1 percent led by gains in wholesale trade (13.8 percent) and electric, gas & sanitary services (15.9 percent).
Consumer use tax collections were $193,440, a decrease of $285,939 or 59.6 percent from September 2009.
Flood relief tax rebate was $45,670 for September 2010 for taxpayers affected.
Franchise and excise tax collections were $269,503,473, an increase of $25,294,218 or 10.4 percent compared to the collection in September 2009. Separately, franchise tax collections were $73,711,316, a decrease of $29,754,164 or 28.8 percent from last September. Excise tax collections were $195,792,157, an increase of $55,048,381 or 39.1 percent from September 2009.
Business tax collections were $11,151,507, an increase of $8,098,356 or 265.3 percent compared to September 2009.
Gasoline tax collections were $57,038,933, an increase of $7,476,951 or 15.1 percent compared to September 2009 collections.
TVA in-lieu of tax collections were $33,676,145, an increase of $4,762,832 or 16.5 percent compared to September 2009 collections.
Inheritance, gift & estate tax collections were $8,076,590, an increase of $3,421,376 or 73.5 percent compared to September 2009.
Motor vehicle fuel tax collections were $11,878,216, an increase of $1,661,692 or 16.3 percent compared to September 2009 collections.
Tobacco tax collections were $23,562,255, a decrease of $4,965,675 or 17.4 percent compared to September 2009.
Motor vehicle registration tax collections were $18,800,878, a decrease of $1,292,398 or 6.4 percent compared to September 2009 collections.
The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws established by the legislature and the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The Department of Revenue collects approximately 91 percent of total state tax revenue. During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the department collected $10.1 billion in state taxes and fees. In addition to collecting state taxes, the Department of Revenue collects taxes for local, county and municipal governments. During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, local government collections by the Department of Revenue exceeded $1.9 billion. In collecting taxes, the department enforces the revenue laws fairly and impartially in an effort to encourage voluntary taxpayer compliance. The department also apportions revenue collections for distribution to the various state funds and local units of government. To learn more about the department, log on to www.TN.gov/revenue.


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Across America, from small towns to great cities, Mount Vernon is a constant presence. The distinctive two-story portico is the most copied feature in American architecture, lending distinction to tract houses and mansions alike. Spurred by the national preoccupation with the founding of the United States that was occasioned by the centennial celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington and Mount Vernon, more than any other person and structure, have come to symbolize the colonial era and the new republic. So completely have Mount Vernon's distinctive architectural elements been ingrained into the nation's subconscious, that the designs of untold numbers of houses and an astonishing array of commercials buildings -- including banks, restaurants, funeral homes, and motels -- continue to incorporate those features, often without their owners' awareness of the original source. Are these design elements copied simply as memorials honoring our beloved first president? Or did George Washington, a man who strove to blend style and practicality, develop an architectural vocabulary that is distinctly American?
For more examples of buildings inspired by Mount Vernon, visit our Democratic Architecture gallery.
This website was generously supported by The Robert H. Smith Family Foundation.
©2014 Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Daly highlights a decade in his district
Over the last decade, Sup. Chris Daly has been both a stalwart leader of the progressive movement in San Francisco and a political lightning rod – both for his aggressive advocacy of controversial policies and his combative personal style. But as he prepares to leave office, Daly is trying to highlight the role his District 6 constituents have played in pushing progressive reforms, starting with an event this Saturday morning at Herbst Theater.
Entitled "10 Years of District 6," the event will feature significant players and movements from the last decade, including dot.com era land use fights over tenant eviction and the use of live-work lofts and other tactics to circumvent city housing policies, including formation of the Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition; the struggle to save SRO units for the poor; the successful campaign to save rent-controlled units during the Trinity Plaza rebuild; efforts to squeeze funding for community improvements out of developers; campaigns for progressive budget priorities; and a look at what's next by Daly himself.
"Over the last decade in San Francisco's District 6, the more honest analysis is that our many victories-- on the ballot, at City Hall and in the neighborhoods-- have not been about Chris Daly," he writes. "Rather, our success has grown from the strength of our grassroots community and a true partnership between those in the trenches and those of us they elevated into the halls of power." The event runs from 10:30 am to noon. It should be an interesting discussion of the district's past and future, led by a termed out supervisor who has yet to announce who he's endorsing to succeed him among the crowded field of candidates running for that seat.
We're all in luck. This Saturday we'll all have a chance to listen to a politician talk about himself for six hours.
Won't that be special? Especially if its a glorious, sunny day outside!
Where did Chris Daly get this idea from? Kim Jong Il?
I'm not sure how either of you calculated an event from 10:30 am to noon as being six hours, but Arthur has always seemed prone to hyperbole.
Arthur, get a life. Seriously, you're a broken record.
Says Steven in a post above:
"I'm not sure how either of you calculated an event from 10:30 am to noon as being six hours"
Only one and a half hours of having to listen to a politician hype himself?
Well, that is appealing. Who would want to miss this event?!
Chris Daly will go down in history as a bare knuckled human rights leader. The sole reason why he has so many powerful enemies is because he has fought for the working poor and their interests. Attempts to paint him out to be crazy have always been by people who's opportunistic financial interests were in conflict with Daly's humanitarian agenda. He has fought long and hard to defend poor, working class and middle class San Franciscans. Forcing honest working people into poverty, closing public schools or making elderly people beg for change when we live in one of the wealthiest cities in the world - that's crazy.
"Chris Daly will go down in history as a bare knuckled human rights leader."
Utter rubbish. Chris Daly won't go down in ANY history other than maybe at Zeitgeist and with SF Critical Mass. He's a cipher in the bigger political picture. Shall I name a few prominent politicians from as recently as the '80s who are now totally forgotten?
"The sole reason why he has so many powerful enemies is because he has fought for the working poor and their interests."
That's hardly true. He made an enemy of the few fairly powerful people I know who live in D6, but it had nothing to do with him supposedly "fighting for the working poor" -- it had everything to do with him fighting any attempt to clean up D6.
"Forcing honest working people into poverty, closing public schools or making elderly people beg for change when we live in one of the wealthiest cities in the world - that's crazy."
Those people have never been Daly's core supporters. Those are punks, radicals, and (mostly) yuppies infected with Caucasian guilt. The "honest working people" of D6 that _I_ know are sick of the quality-of-life crimes that D6 has so many of, which Daly allows, since he dismisses them as "lifestyle issues".
Chris Daly has been one of the most abusive people to hold public office in SF in the last 35 years. He swaggers around and bullies people like a male-chauvinist leftist from the 1950s.
He knows nothing about the critique of patriarchal behavior that was developed in the last three decades by the women's liberation movement and the gay liberation movement.
In the ten years he has been in office, he has encouraged his followers and surrogates to be as anti-intellectual, surly, abusive, and self-absorbed as himself. No one has done more to degrade the tone of SF politics than he.
Is this the legacy that George Moscone and Harvey Milk died for? If so, then this city is in very serious trouble, indeed.
Fortunately, all of the people most likely to succeed him - Debra Walker, Theresa Sparks, and Jane Kim - are far superior in character.
Arthur, Milk vigorously defended the street kids that you denigrate and attack, and I can think of no other measure that degrades the tone of SF politics more than the sit-lie ordinance and the tactics and rhetoric that you've used to promote it. Daly, who fights the same established interests that Milk did, is far closer to being his heir than you are.
Arthur, you've a serious problem with hyperbole. While I personally find a lot of amusement in your arcane ramblings and rhetoric, you really need to lay off the hyperbole and consider some actual facts.
Chris Daly is a very popular and respected politician who's been elected not once, not twice but three times by the people of the city and county of San Francisco.
Milk and Moscone were murdered by a man who was insanely jealous of the power and popularity they enjoyed. The legacy they died for is very much alive and well in San Francisco by those who support the indigent, poor and helpless. Those who support and respect the gay street kids who run away from abusive homes to find refuge and shelter in this great city. Those who give solace and respect to those recovering from personal grief and struggling with drug and alcohol dependancies who find refuge in programs and training.
The reality of society is grim and dirty and sometimes those who are best suited to deal with it cannot afford to use pretty prose around horrific, tragic and egregious injustices. In the world I'd like to live in I'll accept someone who uses profanity and got something done over a flowery mouthed, placating, eunuch in a harem.
6000. That's around .85% of "the people of the city and county of San Francisco." That's point-eight-five. In a tiny district composed of SOMA, the Tenderloin and Treasure Island.
What an incredibly overwhelming mandate. Just stunning.
And I don't know anyone who considers Daly either "respected" or "highly popular." The fact is there's a reason Chris Daly has never run for a citywide office - he can't win.
It's great that you can do percentages. Too bad that, like our good friend Arthur Evans, you haven't mastered arithmetic yet.
Chris Daly got 9000 votes in the first round in his last race, not 6000. Percentage-wise, that translated to 49% of the vote in an 8-candidate field. Pretty good for a district that suffers from historically low turnout.
But again, talking about percentages may be a bit too complicated for you at the moment. Continuing to claim that "hardly anyone" showed up to the symposium even after I exposed Arthur Evans' faulty math shows that you still haven't mastered arithmetic.
So here's lesson 2 in arithmetic: 200 people showing up to a symposium on a sunny Saturday is not "hardly anyone."
Statistics, thats so awesome. And they prove what exactly?
That the district is very small?
Granted its no district 7 or 10 although it encompasses some of the richest and poorest neighborhoods - Union Square, Tenderloin, Civic Center, Cathedral Hill, South of Market, South Beach, Mission Bay, North Mission, Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island, Alcatraz, and part of Hayes Valley.
The fact is that he gets elected AND re-elected no matter how much you and Arthur Evans stamp your feet and cluck your tongues and that makes him, in point of fact, "popular".
You and Arthur are like eunuchs in a harem. You don't have what it takes and you probably wouldn't know what to do with it if you did.
I'm not defending Chris Daly, I don't think he needs anyone to defend him but if you don't like the facts, run for election yourself.
By Mayo Clinic staff
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by dramatic, emotional behavior, in the same category as antisocial and borderline personality disorders.
Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:
* Believing that you're better than others
* Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
* Exaggerating your achievements or talents
* Expecting constant praise and admiration
* Believing that you're special and acting accordingly
* Failing to recognize other people's emotions and feelings
* Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
* Taking advantage of others
* Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
* Being jealous of others
* Believing that others are jealous of you
* Trouble keeping healthy relationships
* Setting unrealistic goals
* Being easily hurt and rejected
* Having a fragile self-esteem
* Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional
Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence or strong self-esteem, it's not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence and self-esteem into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal. In contrast, people who have healthy confidence and self-esteem don't value themselves more than they value others.
When you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may have a sense of entitlement. And when you don't receive the special treatment to which you feel entitled, you may become very impatient or angry. You may insist on having "the best" of everything — the best car, athletic club, medical care or social circles, for instance.
But underneath all this behavior often lies a fragile self-esteem. You have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have a sense of secret shame and humiliation. And in order to make yourself feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and efforts to belittle the other person to make yourself appear better.
When to see a doctor
When you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may not want to think that anything could be wrong — doing so wouldn't fit with your self-image of power and perfection. But by definition, narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of your life, such as relationships, work, school or your financial affairs. You may be generally unhappy and confused by a mix of seemingly contradictory emotions. Others may not enjoy being around you, and you may find your relationships unfulfilling.
If you notice any of these problems in your life, consider reaching out to a trusted health care provider or mental health provider. Getting the right treatment can help make your life more rewarding and enjoyable.
Chris Daly lived his public life according to the words that he often threw in other people's faces:
"Fuck you, bitch!"
Likewise, Chris Daly's ally, Aaron Peskin, lived his public life according to the words that he threw in other people's faces:
"Payback is a bitch."
However, I remember words of a different caliber from a man named Harvey Milk:
"You gotta give 'em hope."
Which one has left the noblest legacy?
Matlock, come out of the shadows and reveal your identity. What are you afraid of? Anonymity is cowardly. At least Arthur "Fuck you, bitch!" Evans posts under his real name.
Anonymity is cowardly? That is a strange charge coming from a journalist.
If you won't defend the rights of others to speak anonymously while you rely professionally on the right to use anonymous sources, that is hypocrisy.
It is also shocking ignorance.
I guarantee you that if we were 'in the shadows' away from witnesses and outside of a building full of sheriff's deputies you would think twice about calling me names.
Feel free to call people names online all you want.
Defamation and slander is not protected free speech. If you're going to attack someone by name in a public forum, at least provide your name so that you are held accountable for your words. Doing otherwise is chickenshit.
Those are Daly's traits, he wasn't being attacked, thats how he acts.
When Joe Wilson screams "you lie" he is an asshole, when a liberal screams "kiss my gay ass" or "fuck you" they are "speaking truth to power."
This is all part of the cconfirmation bias of the true believer. You excuse the stupidities of the left while whining about the same antics from the right.
Glen Becks constant ravings are indicative of the rights loudmouth bullying while Daly is just passionate?
Does that last sentence sum up your sloven Daly worship and true believer status?
I'll just say you simply don't know shit about libel law and you have a foul mouth besides.
it seemed a lot more like Arthur than Chris.
You beat me to it!
High goals cannot be achieved by low methods.
All politicians across the political spectrum seek to cloak their bad behavior with rhetoric about their high goals. But politics is as much about methods as goals. Actual methods develop a life of their own and affect people's lives as much as professed goals.
Chris Daly's methods are those of a foul-mouthed, bullying patriarchal male. He yells obscenities at people, pounds on tables, storms out of meetings, threatens to destroy the career of anyone who crosses him, and is physically menacing.
His core supporters and surrogates are just as bad. They are anti-intellectual, anti-cultural, and devoid of all social skills. They spread personal slanders against the life and character of anyone who questions The Boss. They are filled with spite and a desire for vengeance, which they justify in the name of the higher goals they profess to pursue.
Daly and his followers have poisoned the well of political discourse in SF to a degree not seen before in living memory. And the kicker is that this degradation is defended in the name of progressive politics.
But there is nothing progressive about abusive personalities and behavior. Give Chris Daly and his supporters enough power, and you end up with Kim Jong Il. He claims to be a big progressive, too.
The good news is term limits. All things in life, including life itself, eventually get termed out. New life arises and has a chance to correct the follies of previous lives.
Let's hope that Daly's successor proves to be a person who is balanced, well spoken, good-natured, and positive. Then his district, and the city as a whole, can start to heal from the degradation of the last ten years.
As a resident of District 6 I am VERY HAPPY that is finally leaving. Daly has done nothing in office for those of us in the district that are not poor and/or living in an SRO. He has either ignored or belitted the compaints of those of us that have jobs and own homes in the district.
Luke Thomas of "Fog City Journal" claims that as many as 200 people showed up for Chris Daly's symposium at Herbst Theater. However, Luke Thomas' pic of the auditorium shows about 85.
This would be a respectable turnout for someone who is just starting out in politics.
However, Daly has been in office for 10 years. He is often in the news. He has created a machine that pushes his interests. He has operatives in the alternative media who claim to be journalists but who act as propagandists on his behalf.
Given these assets, the auditorium should have been packed. No one should be surprised that it wasn't. Daly has made himself radioactive through his years of abusive behavior.
True, some still cheer him, especially those involved in the city's nonprofit political complex, which is his major source of power. But most folks know that he has been his own worst enemy, needlessly antagonizing people and poisoning the well of political discourse.
There's a saying in ancient Greek:
"Office will show the man" ("arkhe ton andra deixei")
And so it has.
Luke, as a foreign journalist from a country with less respect for free speech, you should educate yourself about the importance of anonymous speech. You should also educate yourself about fighting words. Exercising their right to anonymous free speech does not make American citizens "cowards", although I believe the situation is different for citizens of Britain?
Journalists, who often rely on unnamed sources and anonymous tips, have a particular responsibility to uphold and honor the tradition of anonymous speech for everyone, lest they lose that right for themselves.
I find it particularly hypocritical when journalists who rely on anonymous sources, or politicians who rely on confidential meetings and closed hearings, take away that right from other people.
From the EFF....
Many people don't want the things they say online to be connected with their offline identities. They may be concerned about political or economic retribution, harassment, or even threats to their lives. Whistleblowers report news that companies and governments would prefer to suppress; human rights workers struggle against repressive governments; parents try to create a safe way for children to explore; victims of domestic violence attempt to rebuild their lives where abusers cannot follow.
Instead of using their true names to communicate, these people choose to speak using pseudonyms (assumed names) or anonymously (no name at all). For these individuals and the organizations that support them, secure anonymity is critical. It may literally save lives.
Anonymous communications have an important place in our political and social discourse. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the right to anonymous free speech is protected by the First Amendment. A much-cited 1995 Supreme Court ruling in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission reads:
Protections for anonymous speech are vital to democratic discourse. Allowing dissenters to shield their identities frees them to express critical, minority views . . . Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. . . . It thus exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights, and of the First Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation . . . at the hand of an intolerant society. "
So who are you, Guest? You use an argument where free speech protections are applicable but do not apply to you.
Because free speech protections TOTALLY APPLY TO ME and that you would think otherwise kinda freaks me out actually.
You are from a country that has different ideas about freedom of speech and once again I urge you to educate yourself before you look even more foolish.
I'm not telling you who I am. Don't have to. Not going to. This isn't your blog so you can't ban me if I say something embarrassing to you.
You are IGNORANT of the law and HYPOCRITICAL about protecting your first amendment rights while taking away the rights of others.
This thread, and many others elsewhere, show how Chris Daly's surrogates typically operate.
Their aim is to divert attention away from criticisms of The Boss. They pursue this goal by trying to turn other participants in the debate into the topic of the debate.
The tactics they use are baiting other participants about anything they can think of and launching ad hominem slanders against other participants, without any regard for the truth.
You find the same goal and tactics in the Religious Right. They, too, seek to divert attention away from criticism of their leaders by baiting critics and using ad hominem slanders. Although the Daly Machine and the Religious Right have different ideologies, they use the same unprincipled methods to achieve their goals.
Let's stand up against bullying in the public forum wherever it occurs, and from whatever source.
Holding politicians accountable to the people, and resisting the obfuscatory diversions of their surrogates, strengthens democracy.
Seriously Arthur, lay off the flowery unnecessary rhetoric. When you're called out on things you know little or nothing about you really get your panties in a verbal twist and de.
Lets talk about actual deeds and facts and what specific laws and ordinances Chris has and hasn't put into place.
Can you count, Arthur?
You're either blind, or you're innumerate, or you're a liar.
The problem with lying in this case, is that the photo is evident for all to see and count. Also keep in mind that it does not show the whole room.
You're entitled to your opinions, but not your own facts.
Is Fairfield holding a "welcome home" party for Daly after he finally graces San Francisco with his absence? Or are we still gonna have Chris to kick around in the years ahead?
Daly is symptomatic of everything wrong with politicians (much like Jane Kim). Completely enamored of himself and unbelieving that San Francisco is going to manage in his absence, he holds this Mao-like event for his sycophants (of which Steven Jones counts happily count himself) which the SFBG screechingly publicizes. And yet hardly anyone shows up.
If a politician engages in rhetorical masturbation and no one shows up does it still count as a rally?
Lucretia, can you be more specific? What voting issues did Chris vote or not vote on that makes him "symptomatic of everything wrong with politicians"?
Of course he has an ego, every single member of the board of supervisors, our state assembly, the US congress and senate does and has too or else they simply wouldn't survive. You can't really be that naive to think otherwise.
Whether or not its the type and style of ego you want is a subjective opinion and worthless in the face of actual deeds and facts.
Holding rallies and speaking in public is what politicians do, it is how they get elected - in Mr. Daly's case - three times. If two dozen people meet in a coffee house in the 18th century and plan to overthrow a monarch does that count as a political rally?
Finally comparing him to Chairman Mao is hyperbole coated with ignorance. Mao was responsible for the deaths of over 60 million people. You'll be descending into Godwin's law territory shortly and saying that Chris Daly is "worse than Hitler".
I've no love for any of the members of the Board of Supervisors, but give me someone who speaks out and tries to get things done and sometimes succeeds over a comatose "yes man" or lying crook any day.
Thanks to those on this thread and elsewhere who questioned the number of people at Chris Daly's event that I originally counted (85) in a pic at Fog City Journal.
I was able to download the pic to my computer, blow it up, and do a recount, with much better detail. I counted 132.
The pic shows nearly the entire auditorium. Allowing for some folks who were left out of the pic, I would say that the final count was in the neighborhood of 150.
This is a poor showing. The event was widely publicized for weeks, and Daly has been in office for ten years.
If Tom Ammiano had held a similar farewell event on his legacy, the auditorium would have been filled to overflowing.
The poor showing is due to Daly's long history of abusive behavior. He commonly acts like an 11-year-old boy experiencing his first testosterone rushes.
His supporters and surrogates defend this behavior on the ground that Daly pushes for goals that they agree with in politics. However, a better world cannot be built by using tactics that lead to a worse world.
Daly's defenders should stop denying the obvious. His bad behavior has poisoned the well of political dialogue in SF.
He needs to grow up, and the city needs to recover from the damage he has down to its spirit.
Cry me a river Arthur. If you're seriously offended every time a politician drops the "F-bomb or "C-bomb" in politics you're either incredibly naive or a neophyte when it comes to political discourse.
Swanning around city hall spouting the "I Ching" isn't going to prevent unscrupulous SRO's "landlords" from charging indigent families to receive private mail.
If nothing else Daly wears it on his sleeve unlike Brown, Gavin and "Uncle" Getty and the rest of them who curse the poor behind closed doors and probably wish they had the balls Daly does.
For what its worth, the "well of political dialogue" in San Francisco was poisoned a long time ago... around the same day Willie Brown became Mayor.
On the one hand, we have Chris Daly, acting like Godzilla on steroids, while claiming to be the embodiment of progressive values in SF.
On the other hand, we have the corporate plutocrats, manipulating agencies and buying up politicians, claiming to be the embodiment of moderation in SF.
Each side points the finger at the other side in order to excuse its own narrow and debased behavior. In fact, however, both Daly and the corporate plutocrats are symptoms of a larger problem: the disappearance of a politics of balance, intelligence, and good will.
We the People will have to make up for these deficiencies by both Daly and the plutocrats. That means reminding all these schemers of the importance of the common good, and insisting on openness, rationality, and fairness in the formulation of public policy.
Or, as the late Cosmic Lady used to ask:
Are we civilized yet?
Law against libel tourism passes US Senate committee
"American legislators have moved closer to shielding US authors, journalists and publishers from libel tourism in foreign courts.
A bill already known as the Speech Act – or the Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act, to give it its full name – has been passed by the Senate judiciary committee. It is intended to hamper efforts to sue Americans for libel in overseas jurisdictions where rules governing freedom of speech are less strong.
Many places, including Britain, currently have stricter libel laws than the US, leading to libel tourism, where plaintiffs search for a jurisdiction most likely to be sympathetic to their case. Some human rights campaigners and legal scholars saying the practice is used by the rich and powerful to stifle dissent and criticism. The growth of publishing on the internet has sparked fears that libel tourism will grow rapidly in coming years."
When you or others call out or condemn or censor anonymous posters you reveal a profound ignorance about freedom of speech and are an embarrassment to the entire progressive movement that you profess to support.
You shouldn't be surprised at Luke Thomas' eagerness to censor posters who wish to remain anonymous. He has the same attitude toward posters who are up-front.
I used to post under a handle at his website, Fog City Journal, using a whimsical handle that made it obvious to all who I am. On a certain thread, I made a post criticizing our local progressive sect for its extensive drug use. I didn't mention any names.
Luke Thomas took the comment personally. In a post he to made to the thread, he threatened to ban me from his site if I made any more critical comments about SF progressives.
To top it off, he said I should get stoned. I kid you not. This actually happened.
Luke Thomas is not an independent journalist. He's a spinner for Chris Daly and other members of the Peskin-Daly machine. His goal is to promote the clout and agenda of the Peskin-Daly machine and to disparage and marginalize anyone who challenges the machine.
Luke Thomas has every right in the world to act in this manner.
But is this behavior progressive?
Is it principled?
Is it intelligent?
Arthur, you're lying and have lost all credibility. I never took your comments "personally." Your repetitive non-contributory, defamatory drivel was, and continues to be, beyond levels of acceptability.
"How did the Greens in SF get to be so dumb? Is it all the drugs, or what?" is what you wrote in your comment, a baseless, defamatory, opportunistic smear.
I am not a Green.
My response: "Arthur, you're getting close to being banned from FCJ. Your continual baseless, opportunistic attacks reflect an inner bitterness. You should try yoga, meditation, maybe even smoke a joint now and then to help ease your manifest enmity."
the Peskin-Daly machine.
The alternative is bankruptcy from playing the real estate casino and being the sucker bag holder for Newscum and his foreign bank landlord mafia. I'm just not into it.
If you believed in the Newsom vision of buy buy buy residential housing you are underwater and under pressure from some faceless offshore oligarch to lift you of your life savings. HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!
I'm talking to myself now.....
Thank you for your post above, Luke.
You say:
"Arthur, you're lying and have lost all credibility."
Fog City Journal is not independent journalism, and you are not an independent journalist.
Anybody who reads FCJ can see at once that its aim is to discredit any criticism of our local progressive sect, and to bolster the careers of certain politicians favored by the sect, especially the career of Chris Daly.
Which is par for the course in SF. There are other media that seek to discredit any criticism of the moderate sect and to bolster the careers of certain politicians favored by that sect, especially the career of Gavin Newsom.
However, good journalism is something that transcends all forms of sect-think. Good journalism reflects an attitude of equal-opportunity skepticism. It recognizes that there is a lot of dross, and a little bit of gem, with every politician. It exposes the dross and values the gem.
Unfortunately, good journalism is no longer to be found in SF. Neither the Chron nor the Bay Guardian nor Fog City Journal comes anywhere near the category of good journalism.
Luckily, we have the Internet. Inquiring people who think for themselves can use the Internet to circumvent the mediocrity and tunnel vision of all the established media and the various cliques they serve.
At its best, the spirit of the Internet is the same as that of the Enlightenment:
"Dare to know" ("Sapere aude" - Horace).
"At its best, the spirit of the Internet is the same as that of the Enlightenment:"
Arthur 1995 called, it wants its hype back.
You literally had me laughing out loud.
It's true, as Frank McGee notes above, that the Internet can function as a lowest common denominator. However, people who think for themselves and want info, can use the Internet to find out the facts on their own and draw their own conclusions.
This opportunity to inquiring minds poses a challenge to all guardians of orthodoxy, whether it's the Chron acting on behalf of the corporate plutocrats, or Fog City Journal and the Guardian acting on behalf of the Peskin-Daly machine.
As long as the Internet remains uncensored and free, seekers of info will be able to outmaneuver all guardians of orthodoxy, whether in politics or religion, whether on the right, middle, or left.
The guardians of orthodoxy would fare better if they stopped trying to censor views they disagreed with and welcomed a true diversity of thinking among their users.
But then they would no longer be guardians of orthodoxy. They would be inquirers with open minds.
And if there is one thing that all guardians of orthodoxy hate, regardless of their particular orthodoxy, it's independent thinking.
So the Chron will continue to be the Chron, Fog City Journal will continue to be Fog City Journal, and the Guardian will continue to be the Guardian.
How much more they all could be - if only they valued open minds!
Arthur can I suggest you read up on the Political Economy of the Media, it may help you focus your comments a little bit beyond the blatantly obvious.
Some examples:
The SFBG relies heavily on cigarette and escort services advertisement revenue. It'll be unlikely for you to see articles condemning either of those industries or individual advertisers directly.
The New York times relies heavily on diamond ad revenue, you'll rarely see it criticize De Beers.
In 1996 PBS's News hour relied (still does) on support from ADM and it ran very few stories about the lysine price fixing scandal.
Sadly the internet is also subject to exactly the same political economy through the practices and policies of telecoms and governments.
Words to live by - "on the internet no-one knows you're a dog" Peter Steiner's cartoon from The New Yorker (pg 61 of July 5, 1993)
You gotta love Fog City Journal's recent coverage of the D6 Symposium.
It featured photos, taken by Luke Thomas, of Supervisor Chris Daly on stage behind whom we see slides projected on the screen of Supervisor Chris Daly that are also photos taken by Luke Thomas.
The story is being cover by Luke Thomas who also controls the Comments section of the very article he wrote.
Luke Thomas also writes stories about progresive District 6 Supervisor candidates for whom he just now admits he supplied campaign photos.
Luke Thomas is a propagandist for the Peskin-Daly machine.
As the moderator of the Fog City Journal website, Luke Thomas launches personal attacks against people who make posts critical of the machine. He threatens to ban people who are too critical of groups and politicians he supports.
On this website, he baits people who criticize the machine because they use handles to protect themselves. When challenged about his behavior, he accuses people of being liars.
Once when I made a short post to his website, he deleted half of it, changing the meaning of the post, without giving readers any indication that he had done so. I have to wonder how many others he has done that to.
At the same time, he gives free rein at his site to marc saloman. He has created a software that hacks threads that are critical of the machine, creating long posts of total gibberish to wear down readers.
There's nothing unusual about this sort of cheesy behavior in politics. In fact, it's just another example of politics as usual. But is it progressive?
The same question can be asked about the politicians that Luke Thomas has supported.
For example, Chris Daly with his Godzilla-like testosterone rages. Tom Ammiano with his screaming hissy fits. Carole Migden and Ross Mirkarimi with their humiliating behavior toward their own staff members. Aaron Peskin with his boozing and making harassing phone calls to people at home at night.
Once again, there's nothing unusual about these kinds of behavior in politics. In fact, they're examples of politics as usual. But are they progressive?
Take a step back a look at the behavior that now prevails among many in this town who claim to be progressive.
Is this what George Moscone and Harvey Milk died for?
"creating long posts of total gibberish to wear down readers."
-Arthur Evans, accidentally but accurately, sums up his own contribution to society.
Not that anyone will remember after a few weeks.
In 2000, there was a voter reaction against the arrogance of then-mayor Willie Brown. The election of that year brought in a new breed to the board of supes.
In the past ten years, those who took over the board have developed a swagger of their own, causing a disgust among voters similar to what existed in 2000.
The biggest swagger of them all is Chris Daly. His surrogates are in as much denial about his swaggering as were the surrogates of Willie Brown in 2000.
Come this November, watch the pendulum swing, folks
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