Photos from Russia

Assmann Office Furniture from Germany. Nothing says prestige and professionalism like Assmann office furniture.

Bus driving pundits? Yes, I think the EU is robbing you as well.

Recipe from the Old Country

Chicagoboyz are connoisseurs of fine foods. I love smoked salmon in particular. Here’s an easy but really good recipe:

Buy fresh salmon, the fresher the better, and a bottle of salt. Get a zip-lock bag, or any sealable container. Cut the salmon filet/section in half, leaving the skin on, and de-bone. Rub handfuls of salt all over the salmon. Don’t worry about putting too much salt, it won’t affect the taste. Put the salmon in the bag, seal, and refrigerate for a day. Serve with bread.

Bon appetite.

Update: My mother in law corrected me. It’s not handfuls of salt, rather a good amount but not too much. I guess this is where the art of cooking comes into play.

Skype

Here’s a tech/web recommendation/review. I’m traveling in the boonies, meaning outside of the USA without broadband or cheap telephone service. In fact locally it costs about $1 per minute to call back to the states. Enter Skype. If you’ve used it before, you’ll know it has terrific sound quality. What really blew me away is its performance on dial-up. In the middle of nowhere, as long as you have a 56k internet connection, you can call from your laptop to any phone in the world for pennies. This is nothing new, as ICQ has a similar service with IDT’s Net2phone, which I tried before as well. Skype wins hands down however. The sound quality is better than a regular phone, but more importantly, there is no lag or dropped sounds.

If you’re traveling with a laptop, and need a cheap way to call home, get Skype.

Amazing

If you haven’t seen Google Earth, check it out. It’ll knock your socks off.

Propaganda of the Day

“The last time the U.S. withheld funds, it led to a huge debt to the U.N. and inhibited our ability to lead within the institution,” Wirth said. “This is like trying to force a bank to renegotiate your home mortgage by refusing to make your monthly payments.”

Timothy Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation

Uh… no. Witholding funds to the U.N. is more akin to a casino withholding credit to a gambling junkie who can’t win and can’t stop.