Saw this in the NYT – brought back memories of cooking goat.  Remember Michelle, me, and Natasha going to the Jamaican market to buy goat.  I think we even found a live one at the market in Rochester, but Mich was not looking for that fresh. How I Learned to Love Goat Meat – NYT by henry alford Jennifer May for The New York Times NOT LAMB, NOT BEEF… Goat meat is a staple in many cuisines around the world but only recently has become a novelty at restaurants in Manhattan and elsewhere. Top of Form By HENRY ALFORD Published: March 31, 2009 YOU never know where goat will take you. When I asked the smiley butcher at Jefferson Market, the grocery store near my apartment in the West Village, whether he had any goat meat, he told me: “No. I got a leg of lamb, though — I could trim it nice and thin to make it look like goat.” I politely declined. We fell into conversation. Gabriele Stabile for The New York Times NEW TASTE IN TOWN Barbecued goat at Cabrito. I found myself telling him: “Koreans think eating goat soup increases virility. It can lead to better sexytime.” My new friend responded: “My lamb does that a little. You won’t want to every night, but maybe every other night.” Reaching toward his counter to pick up a mound of hamburger, he paused to ask, “It’s for you, the goat?” Mine is the tale of the recent convert. Admittedly, I’m late to the party: goat is the most widely consumed meat in the world, a staple of, among others, Mexican, Indian, Greek and southern Italian cuisines. Moreover, it’s been edging its way into yuppier climes for a year or so now, click-clacking its cloven hooves up and down the coasts and to places like Houston and Des Moines. (When New York magazine proclaimed eating goat a “trendlet” last summer, one reader wrote on the magazine’s Web site, “Here are white people again!!!! Acting like they invented goat meat.”) A famed beef and pork rancher, Bill Niman, returned from retirement to raise goats in Bolinas, Calif.; New York City has a chef (Scott Conant) who’s made kid his signature dish. Novelty and great flavor aren’t the only draws here — the meat is lower in fat than chicken but higher in protein than beef. There’s even an adorable neologism (“chevon”) for those who want their meat to sound like a miniature Chevrolet or a member of a 1960’s girl group. I’d partaken of the bearded ruminant before, most memorably in a Jamaican curry in Brooklyn. I’d liked the flavor of the meat, equidistant as it was from lamb and beef. But when my teeth wrangled a particularly tough piece of meat that was shield-shaped and curved and slightly rubbery, I had the distinct impression that I had bitten into the cup of a tiny bra. Indeed, goats have long held a lowly reputation. Scavengers, they are falsely accused of eating tin cans. Their unappetizing visage is simultaneously dopey and satanic, like a Disney character with a terrible secret. Their chin hair is sometimes prodigious enough to carpet Montana. Chaucer said they “stinken.” My conversion moment came this February when I went to the West Village restaurant Cabrito and had the goat tacos. This hip taquería-style restaurant — which is named after the baby goat that is pit-barbecued in Texas and Mexico — marinates its meat for 24 hours before wet-roasting it over pineapple, chilies, onion and garlic. The resultant delicious pulled meat is tender throughout and slightly crisp and caramelized around the edges. Think lamb, but with a tang of earthy darkness. Think lamb, but with a rustle in the bushes. Think … jungle lamb. Suddenly I was go go goat. I wanted to order goat in as many restaurants as possible. Shortly into this process, a friend asked me, “Is it gay meat?” Confused, I said, “There’s nothing gay about it at all.” She explained, “No, I said is it gamey?” Oh, that. Only very slightly, and depending on how it’s prepared. Two of my favorite goat dishes in New York are the least gamey. At Scarpetta, Mr. Conant’s signature dish, capretto, consists of slices of moist-roasted kid floating on top of a column of peas and cubed fingerlings. Convivio serves baked cavatelli in a tomato-braised goat ragù. In both dishes, the meat is as tender as a Jennifer Aniston movie. Once I’d tasted a wide variety of goat — from a spicy curry at Dera in Jackson Heights, to a goat paratha at the Indian takeout place Lassi, two blocks from my apartment — it was time to make some of my own. Three butchers in my neighborhood told me that, with three days’ or a week’s notice, they could get me frozen goat meat. “You have elk and wild boar, but not goat?” I harangued a butcher at Citarella, invoking Norma Rae; he countered, “That’s how life is,” suddenly Montaigne. I had better luck at the Union Square greenmarket, where two farms, Patches of Stars and Lynnhaven, sell frozen meat for about $13 to $18 a pound on Saturdays (and Lynnhaven on Wednesdays, too), as well as at Esposito Meats at 900 Ninth Avenue, which has it daily ($4.98 a pound). I found fresh goat meat available daily at $4.50 a pound at Atlantic Halal on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Two things quickly became clear once I started cooking. First, because it’s so lean, goat is particularly good when braised or cooked with moist heat so it won’t dry out. While my mantis, or mini Turkish ravioli, filled with goat and parsley and onion, were pretty good and my goat and pork polpettine, or tiny meatballs, slightly better, the two winners so far have been goat ragù and chèvre à cinq heures. Skip to next paragraph Jennifer May for The New York Times A Boer goat at Triple H Ranch in Hudson, N.Y. Related Recipe: Five-Hour Goat (April 1, 2009) Recipe: Goat and Pork Meatballs (April 1, 2009) Recipe: Goat Ragù (April 1, 2009) Evan Sung for The New York Times Cavatelli with goat ragù at Convivio. Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times Capretto at Scarpetta. The former, an adaptation of the chef Andrew Carmellini’s lamb ragù, adds cumin and lots of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and mint) to a tomato ragù, yielding a dish that evokes the saturated greenness of a meadow in springtime. In the latter, an Anthony Bourdain recipe, you cook a garlic-clove-studded leg of lamb — or, in this case, goat — in a Dutch oven so it can have all the benefit of sitting for five hours in a pool of white wine and 20 more cloves of garlic. My second realization was that goat, like lamb, has a lot of the fatty membrane known as caul. Though a sharp knife is your friend here, I have, on two occasions, resorted to using scissors, and, while doing so, been reminded of how the chef Fergus Henderson uses a Bic razor to depilate pig. This is the only part of cooking goat that I don’t love — however, I will confess that I think the single most terrifying passage in all of literature is from a lamb recipe in Madame Guinaudeau’s 1958 book “Traditional Moroccan Cooking”: “Make a hole with the point of the knife just above the knee joint of one of the legs between flesh and skin. Blow through the opening until the air gets to the fore legs and them stick up.” It is the hallmark of the true enthusiast that he is wont to proselytize. Indeed, I recently threw a dinner party at which I served goat at every course — the polpettine among the appetizers, the ragù as our entrée, and a cheesecake interlarded with nearly a pound of Coach Farm’s chèvre for dessert. At evening’s end, as my wine-fueled guests prepared to scramble down the stairs of my four-flight walk-up, it was all I could do not to tie tiny bells around their necks. More recently, in an effort at romantic overture, I mail-ordered some of Mr. Niman’s wonderfully flavorsome loin chops ($45 for 3 pounds from www.preferredmeats.com); marinated them in red wine, garlic and rosemary before broiling them; and ate them with my boyfriend amid candlelight and fresh flowers. Did the goat yield the desired end? Let a veil of decorous restraint fall over the proceedings forthwith, the better to mask a small storm of bleats and four cloven hooves, gently twitching.

Eric Porres sent me an email noting that my secret soba place was written up in the Tasting Table. I’m happy that they were — this is a great restaurant, but now it will become harder to secure my table. Anyway, for the few that read this blog — I have probably brought you here. http://tastingtable.com/email/campaign/496.html

I am still trying to get my arms around the whole blog thing — and think it is going pretty well.  I have encountered a few thingsd that I want to keep track of — 1.  Posting a video slows down loading — I would not recommend it 2.  THere should be a way to have seperate BLOG pages within a blog by catagory — it would be a lot easier to locate, find, or direct others to a particlar section or tab 3.  You should be able to imbed a PDF or word file — I do not like links, they expire, but a long article or white paper would be better if it could be posted with an abstract and a file to open more to come — please post your thoughts on such things with your blog — thanks

Saw this in LA and thought it was great. Wish they made commercials like this these days…. http://www.fordvehicles.com/asp/modules/the2010mustang/flash/assets/swf/mustang_flvplayer.swf?flvFile=/asp/modules/the2010mustang/flash/assets/video/Newman_FathersDay.flv

OK – so anyone that knows me, knows I’m not really into sports.  I saw my first college basketball game a couple months ago (DUKE – NC) with my friend Kevin (www.gottadvertising.com) — who is a HUGE fan!  So in honor of last nights win, and dedicated to my friend, I post this on my BLOG.  NOTE:  I even added "sports" as a catagory to do this correctly. North Carolina 74, U.S.C. 64 Explosive Tar Heels Rally to Win EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., March 23 — North Carolina did not play a perfect 40 minutes, but it was not necessary. The young, gifted Tar Heels are capable of exploding at any moment, and that was what they did Friday night at the Meadowlands. Piecing together about 12 minutes of brilliant basketball, they roared back from a 16-point second-half deficit that flattened Southern California, 74-64. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times North Carolina’s Brandan Wright blocking a shot Friday night by Southern California’s Nick Young. Wright had 13 points in the second half. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times North Carolina’s Wayne Ellington scoring in the second half. The Tar Heels went on an 18-0 run to erase a 16-point deficit. With an 18-0 run that began with 11 minutes 2 seconds to go in the game, top-seeded North Carolina seized control and never let fifth-seeded U.S.C. back into the game. When it was over, North Carolina had a date with No. 2 seed Georgetown on Sunday in the East Regional finals. The comeback was fueled by the freshman Brandan Wright, who had 13 second-half points. He helped pick up the slack on a night when North Carolina’s leading scorer, Tyler Hansbrough did little. Hansbrough had 5 points while playing just 29 minutes. Much of North Carolina damage came on the offensive glass. They had 20 offensive rebounds in the game, 13 of them in the second half. The Trojans jumped out to an 18-7 lead on a 3-pointer by Nick Young with 12:41 left in the first half. North Carolina chipped away at the lead and tied the score at 26-26 with 5:36 to go on a 15-foot jumper by Wayne Ellington. But U.S.C. again took control. After Reyshawn Terry’s 3-pointer cut the U.S.C. lead to 34-33, the Trojans closed out the first half with an 8-0 run and had a 42-33 lead at the intermission. The Trojans’ strength in the half was their shooting. They were 17 for 34 from the floor and connected on 3 of 7 3-point attempts. Taj Gibson led the way with 12 first-half points for U.S.C. The Trojans’ run continued during the opening minutes of the second half. When Lodrick Stewart connected on a 3-pointer with 17:43 to go, the Trojans had a 49-33 lead and seemed to be playing with a sense of purpose. “I think we are hungry because we weren’t expecting to be here,” the Trojans’ Gabe Pruitt said Thursday. “We came in as underdogs. I think we kind of feed off that, being the underdogs. There’s no pressure on us because no one expects us to win and we have proved people wrong.” North Carolina’s drought, which lasted 6:46, ended when Wayne Ellington made a layup with 17:15 left. Predictably, North Carolina was not done. A Wright putback with 11:45 to go cut the Trojans’ lead to 57-49. The Tar Heels kept coming. On a tip in by Danny Green with 6:50 left, they went ahead, 60-59, for their first lead of the game since leading by 1-0 in the opening seconds. Southern California finally got back on the board when Lodrick Stewart hit a three-pointer with 6:23 left. By then, though, it was too late. The momentum had shifted in North Carolina’s favor and U.S.C. was helpless to take it back. Terry, who has been battling strep throat, did not start for North Carolina, but entered the game midway through the first half. Normally the Tar Heels’ only senior starter, Terry came into the game averaging 9.8 points a game. With Terry out of the starting lineup, North Carolina started three freshmen and two sophomores. Wright was the leading scorer for North Carolina (31-6) with 21 points. Wayne Ellington had 12 points and Marcus Ginyard chipped in with 10 for the Tar Heels. North Carolina shot 39 percent for the game, while U.S.C. shot 42.6 percent. The Tar Heels made just 2 of 14 3-point attempts and did not have a 3-pointer in the second half. U.S.C. (25-12) was led by Taj Gibson, who had 16 points. Not among the more highly regarded teams in the N.C.A.A. tournament and a team that takes a backseat to U.C.L.A. in its own market, Southern California did not have a bad season. For 30 minutes Friday, they may have been the best team on the court. It was the final 10 minutes, and a terrific comeback by North Carolina, that did them in rebounds The student who wears the North Carolina mascot uniform was in critical condition Friday after being hit by a car while walking outside a hotel in Fort Lee, N.J., a few miles from the Meadowlands complex. Jason Ray, a senior from Concord, N.C., was to have performed inside the Rameses costume during Friday night’s East Regional semifinal between the Tar Heels and Southern California. The Fort Lee police said Ray was walking on the shoulder of Route 4 when he was hit by a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer driven by 51-year-old Gagik Hovsepyan of Paramus. Hovsepyan called the police and aided Ray, who was hit while returning to the Fort Lee Hilton after purchasing food at a convenience store. (AP)

Be square! Create your own art on a 2’x2’ square canvas. Send it to us and we’ll join it together with 120 special pieces to form an enormous and evocative mosaic Tapestry Wall, 24 feet high on The Life Cube! This is your chance to create your flag, your art, your message, and your vision of the future, in your own space.  It will become part of a community tapestry, sharing what’s in your head and your heart with the citizens of Black Rock City and the world. Specifications:  2’ x 2’ Canvas (unstretched – no framing, please).  Cover and paint with your own design and/or colorful message, using water repellent (oil) paints or other weather-resistant materials (permanent markers, latex house paint, gesso, resin, etc.)  Artwork must be mailed by July 31, 2013. Email your interest to lifecubetapestryproject@gmail.com and get a place on the wall!  Only 120 spaces are available – first responses have first priority.  We’ll send you a confirmation and mailing instructions. Special thanks go out today to Skyline Art Editions for partnering with the Life Cube to provide the exact canvas that you need to create your flag to add to the Tapestry Wall.Create your own art on a 2’x2’ (24″x24″) square canvas (that’s huge!). Send it to us and we’ll join it together with 120 special pieces to form an enormous and evocative mosaic Tapestry Wall, 24 feet high on The Life Cube! For more information about the Life Cube, check out the links below: Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/thelifecube Kickstarter Campaign:  http://tinyurl.com/TLC-BM2013 BLOG: http://www.thelifecube.org #mosaicwall #burningmanart #TheLifeCube #thelifecubeprojectlifecubeproject #ENVISIONTheLifeCube #Cubelifecubelifecubeprojectlifecubelifecubeproject #BM2013 #Burningman #thelifecubeartprojectatburningman #blackrockcommunityart #communitytapestry #wishcube #skeeter #TapestryWall #cargocult #blackrockcity #artprojectatburningman #artburningman #artatburningman #communityart #BurningMan

The new documentary that’s taking the community by storm, Spark: A Burning Man Story, has donated 10 copies of their award winning film to The Life Cube – Art at Burning Man for our fundraiser.  Just have to figure out how to use these wonderful gifts to get to our goal. Spark: A Burning Man Story movie trailer #sparkpicturessparkburningmanmovieburningmanbrcindiegogothelifecubethelifecubethelifecubeprojectlifecubeproject

#TheLifeCube #thelifecubeprojectlifecubeproject #RENO #BM2013 #brc #TheGenerator #BurningMan

The Life Cube V1 Design The Life Cube V1 #TheLifeCube #burningmanburningman #artatburningman #skeeter #BM2012 #burningman2012 #lifecube #artatburningman #bm2011 #burningman2011

#TheLifeCube #burningmanburningman #artatburningman #skeeter #BM2012 #burningman2012 #lifecube #artatburningman #bm2011 #burningman2011

I am very proud of my daughter, Natasha. Her research at the Combating Terrorism Center on al-qa’ida statements was cited in a report on closing Guantanamo. http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080905_mendelson_guantanamo_web.pdf (Reference as a source is brief and on p 5, footnote 20.)

This post is interesting to me.  Back in the 90’s I was working with several market research firms and then Internet companies where we put a plan together to offer mags in exchange for reg data.  We also had conversations with magazine publishers.  I am excited to see others in the space VAG is playing, since I think we will do a better job with a significantly better plan, technology,. and network to work with. AdPerk: Watch Video Ads, Get Cool Mags By Tameka Kee, Tuesday, Aug 7, 2007, Source:  Online Media Daily at Media Post Popular Science has signed on as the second major publishing sponsor of AdPerk, an online video ad network that offers users free or low-cost magazine subscriptions as a reward for watching video ads. Dwell magazine was the first print partner when AdPerk launched in June as the latest in a crop of incentive-based online video sites, including BrandPort and BrightSpot, that aim to offer a win-win-win model for advertisers, publishers and consumers alike. AdPerk places banners on the host magazine’s home page or other outlets, offering users free or reduced price issues in exchange for watching short videos. Visitors who click on the banners are taken to the AdPerk platform, where they can choose which ads to view and start earning points. To get those points, viewers use an automated system to confirm they have watched the entire ad, which also ensures that advertisers get a solid return on their pay-per-performance investment. AdPerk also provides metrics on user ad selection, behavior and message effectiveness across the site. The model sits well with brands like LG Electronics, Disney Mobile and Duxiana that are also advertisers in AdPerk’s network, but according to Barry Soicher, the company’s cofounder and CEO, print publishers in particular stand to reap a wealth of benefits. AdPerks pays partners like Popular Science and Dwell a predetermined fee for all subscriptions, and they also receive increased readership and brand awareness. "With so much information available online, magazines’ value proposition has changed," said Soicher. "Print is somewhat of a luxury, and some readers can’t necessarily fit a magazine subscription into their budget." Soicher adds that the model also bolsters print’s value in the eyes of advertisers: "What someone reads says so much about who they are. The audience magazines can provide becomes very demographically relevant to advertisers." AdPerk plans to add 6 to 10 additional publishers by mid-fall, he said. While helping to offset declining print ad sales, the incentive model also helps advertisers harness the power of online video in a way that doesn’t mimic broadcast TV–or its diminishing value for ads in the midst of increased DVR adoption. "We’re going to see this space get hotter and hotter," said Kivin Varghese, founder and CEO, BrandPort. "The brand accountability metrics are there, the user annoyance with ads is there, and I think it’s going to accelerate in direct correlation with DVR penetration." Indeed, with research firms like MAGNA Global predicting more than a third of all US households to have a DVR by 2011, sites like BrandPort, BrightSpot, and now AdPerk provide marketers with the option of engaging with consumers on a pull-only basis. "We’re able to bring [users] ads that are relevant to who they are as an individual, ads that they are genuinely interested in," said Harrison Wise, vice president, corporate communications, BrightSpot. "It’s very different than the shotgun approach to traditional advertising where they target large buckets of consumers and hope for the best." In seeming validation of the incentive model’s viability as an ad channel, BrightSpot also announced the addition of two new partners to its subscription program–MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and XM Satellite Radio Canada. Users that log on to BrightSpot.tv can now earn credits toward their monthly multimedia subscriptions or satellite radio bills. Tameka Kee can be reached at tameka@mediapost.com