January 18: Blackout the Web for SOPA
Using WordPress to blog, to publish, to communicate things online that once upon a time would have been relegated to an unread private journal (or simply remained unspoken, uncreated, unshared) makes you a part of one of the biggest changes in modern history: the democratization of publishing and the independent web. Every time you click Publish, you are a part of that change…
via WordPress › Help Stop SOPA/PIPA.
If you host your site here on WordPress.com, here are two three ways you can include your site in the blackout protest against SOPA/PIPA.
First, you can add the black “STOP SOPA” ribbon that you see in the upper right corner of this site to your website by copying and pasting this code into an unnamed text widget:
<a target='_blank' class='stop-sopa-ribbon' href='http://americancensorship.org/'><img src='[image URL]' alt='Stop SOPA' style='position:fixed;top:0;right:0;z-index:100000;cursor:pointer;' /></a>
where ‘[image URL]‘ is the location of this file that you download to your computer and upload to your site’s Media Library. (hat tip to Macmanx)
Secondly, if you wish, you can use an overlay to “blackout” your site for the day, by copying and pasting this code into an unnamed text widget:
<div align="center" style="position:fixed;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;right:0;background-color:#000;-moz-opacity:0.8;opacity:.80;filter:alpha(opacity=80);text-align:center;font-size:800%;font-weight:bold;padding-top:300px;"><a style="color:#fff;" href="http://americancensorship.org/" target="_blank">Stop SOPA</a></div>
Don’t forget to tag your post SOPA.
UPDATE: Third-WordPress.com officially enters the protest with special settings you can enable on your WordPress.com blog. You can display a black “Stop Censorship” ribbon until January 24th, as well as choosing to completely or partially black out your site on January 18th. Make your voice heard and join the protest.
Beyond the visual protest, the most important action you can take if you are an American citizen is to contact your State Representative and Senator and tell them why Online Piracy is not the problem. Google has prepared an excellent website explaining the issues.
Other resources:
via Lorelle on WordPress: January 18: Join Reddit in a National Blackout Day of Protest Against SOPA
via ZDNet: Google to protest SOPA, alongside Wikipedia, Reddit, others
via timethief: House Kills SOPA – Denver Computers | Examiner.com
via PandoDaily: CloudFlare Gives Sites a “Less Foolish” Way to Fight SOPA, PIPA [Updated]
It’s a Gingerbread Christmas
Still my favorite PhotoImpact kit and tutorial for Christmas by Stephanie Baker-Thomas with a few subtle additions including my Icings preset, which you can download directly here until January 2nd.
Over on “Letters Home,” Ian has written up a wonderful tale of another gingerbread house (and follow up).
And little did we know this was going to turn into an Internet meme!
Gingerbread Houses 2011 gallery - distinguished renditions of the culinary custom share.yhoo.it/6xP
—
(@Flickr) December 25, 2011Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Oh and thank you @chrisbrogan for pointing out that Straight No Chaser’s “The 12 Days of Christmas” is on youtube
Oy Hanukkah, Oh Chanukah…
Every winter brings the same dilemma… how do you spell Hanukkah?! The first spelling above is the spellcheck’s preference, but ask 2 Jews and you’ll get at least two opinions. Ask a Hebrew speaker and, in this case, you’ll get only one:
Despite the miracle which occurred during the rededication of the Temple following its desecration by the ancient Greeks, Hanukkah is really a very minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, which has gotten a leg up in the Diaspora because of its proximity to Christmas and other winter holidays. Here in Israel, however, the holiday centers around family get-togethers, lighting of the candles, singing songs, and, of course, food.
Add to the name confusion the special menorah that is lit during Hanukkah, the Hannukiyah, which has 9 candleholders, 8 for each night of Hanukkah and one separate one for the “Shamash”, the candle which is used to light all the others. Like many religious objects, the Hannukiyah is a folk art object and over time and varied cultures has taken many shapes. Nonetheless, the basic requirements above, 8 holders for candles or oil wicks, plus one for the Shamash, are what unite them all.
And because you can’t have a holiday without food, here are a few classic recipes. For obvious reasons, oil plays a big part in Hanukkah foods. 
Janna Gur, Israel’s Diva of the Kitchen, Ashkenazi Potato Latkes
King Arthur Flour Easy Does It Latkes
Easy Jewish Recipes Yeast-free Sufganiyot
And here’s a recipe for the yeasty-type of sufganiyot that I shared with one of my mailing lists many years ago. Enjoy!
Hannukah Doughnuts (Sufganiyot)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp dry yeast
3 1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 c lukewarm milk
2 1/2 c flour, sifted
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
25 gm margarine, softened (my guess a little less than 1 oz)
2 tbsp brandy jam of your choice (IMHO strawberry is best here)
oil for deep-frying
powdered sugar
Method: Dissolve the yeast and 2 tbsp sugar in the lukewarm milk. Place flour on a board and make a well in the centre, add the yeast mixture, egg-yolks, salt, cinnamon and the remaining sugar. Now add the brandy (which keeps the doughnuts oil-free). Knead well. Add the margarine and knead until the dough is elastic. Cover and let rise about 2 hours.
Sprinkle flour on the board. Roll the dough out thin; cut into rounds 5cm (2″) in diameter with a cookie-cutter or glass. Cover and let rise 15 minutes more. Pour 5cm (2″) of oil into a heavy pot and heat to a slightly hotter degree than medium heat. Drop the doughnuts in the oil 4 or 5 at a time, turning when brown. Drain on paper towels.
If you have a kitchen syringe, fill it with strawberry jam and inject about a teaspoonful of jam in each doughnut. If you don’t have a kitchen syringe, using a tiny spoon take some jam and fill the doughnuts through a small slit. Dust with powdered sugar and serve while still warm. This recipe makes about 30-35 doughnuts.
Israelis favor sufganiyot to latkes to celebrate Hanukkah and in case you think donuts are a small change business:
Wishing you a Chag Urim Sameah, Happy Festival of Lights!
Quicksand and Sinkholes
Of the blogging sort, that is. Some people let their blogs linger on and on and others perform a radical blogectomy, deleting all their posts or even their entire blog. Several friends have lately decided to put a torch to what was their home on the Web. One of them routinely does so, along with almost all her other online accounts. It shouldn’t surprise me by now, but it still does. I sorely miss connecting with those online friends, many of whom I’ve known for close to a decade or more. On the other hand, other real life friends have taken up blogging with a passion and it amazes me they waited so long to do it. (Yes, SJ, you’re one of them. )
One of my favorite reads is The Pioneer Woman and her post on Ten Important Things I’ve Learned About Blogging speaks to me loudly, with the obvious exception of her second point, which I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stick to and maintain my sanity. (Have I mentioned that I have a brown thumb?) In spite of having a blog, I am not a writer by nature (I tend to express myself visually) and after 8 solid years of daily business writing, my personal writing “style” has taken a serious hit. Worse still, at times it’s hard for me to find things that I think would resonate with my readers. Heaven knows there’s enough WordPress.com memes around (Plinky and Post a Day for example), but I find I’m not much of a joiner and tend to go off in my own direction and certainly at my own pace.
There’s a crazy number of blogs online these days, somewhere around 30 million on WordPress.com alone, and finding the blogs that speak to you is an enormous challenge. So if I haven’t said it lately, I’m thankful for each of you that takes a few minutes to stop by my little salon. Coffee?
Sheeee’s baaack!
Wishing all my friends who celebrate, a very happy and safe Halloween. (Once upon a time, of course, you didn’t need to add “safe” to your greeting and it makes me infinitely sad that we do now.)
In spirit, I’ll be going with you door-to-door, pillowcase in hand trying to quell my insatiable craving for mini-Butterfingers.
PI users: if you’d like the UFO for Emily (figure only), just drop me a comment with a working email address. The font used here is Gorey, both on the headstone and a bit distorted for the greeting itself.
More Ghoulish Goodness on this site:
Vincent
The Zombielections Are Coming!
One for the Ghouls
