Tunica Waterfalls of Salsa

Clarke Creek
RAC and I had planned on going camping this weekend but "The Rouge" and surrounding areas decided that it wanted to get a leg up on summer, it was muggy and warm all weekend. So, instead of being miserable inside a tent that doesn't breath, we scrapped the camping idea and headed up north to the Clarke Creek nature area near Pond, MS. The particular trail we were on had 6 small waterfalls.

RAC and I found 4 of the 6 and had a great afternoon hiking around. Lugged the camera around, but was running low on batteries so only had a few good shots. Plus I should have packed the tripod. The picture to the left was at the top of one of the bigger waterfalls and the water swirled as if it were going down a drain. It exited onto a ledge and then over the main fall complex...it was a cool feature and had fun getting some photos! So if your ever in the neighborhood of Pond, MS hit up the Pond Store and hit the trails to find some falls.

Serranos Salsa Love
After the day of hiking, RAC and I had worked up a good appetite. After cleaning up, we head down to Serrano's Salsa Company here in "The Rouge." I had a gift certificate from winning a local geocaching competition put on by "The Rouges" BREC, so I figured it was a good time to try it out.

Serrano's specializes in south of the boarder foods and the menu is is extensive but simple. Huge selection of tequila's and south of the border drinks, and the Salsa is to die for. We settled in with a Red Sangria and a Chameleon Margarita and enjoyed the atmosphere and the never ending supply of chips and salsa. We decided to pair up on our meal and got the steak fajitas for two.

The steak was a little tough, but the flavor made up where it lacked in tenderness. It was served with the full compliment of garnishes and it was more than the two of us could eat. Probably because we were already partially filled by the chips. My favorite touch to the meal was the warm tortillas that are heated on a griddle once your order comes available. This touch made the true taste of the tortillas stand out. All in all, check it out if you are in "The Rouge" sometime, you will not be disappointed!

Clorox, Hibachi, and Basketball

Green Works or Does it?
Surprising news came out today about Clorox's new "green" cleaning line, Clorox Green Works. One of my very first posts on "The Daily Dose" was the purchase by Clorox of the natural personal care company Burt's Bee's. This was one of Clorox's main purchases in an attempt to expand into the$150 million (US) green product market. Another key product acquisition is that of Britta, the water filter maker. My main emphasis in that early post was how 'green' these products really are. I am still not 100% sold, but this recent news may sway me a little more.

The Sierra Club has given Clorox the right to use its name and logo on its new Green Works cleaning line. This endorsement is the first ever of a product by the Sierra Club in its entire 116 year existence. It is an interesting shift for the Sierra Club, as its reputaion for a tough environmental crusader often pits it against the likes of Clorox and other chemical manufactures. The executive director of the Sierra Club, Carl Pope, feels that instead of fighting the nitty gritty details of the product, its better to have a much better alternative than no alternative to the current status quo. He talked with the NY Times about the reason behind their support of the product.

“One of the reasons green home cleaning products haven’t achieved much market penetration,” Mr. Pope said, “is if they came from an environmental brand, people had the sense they won’t work — green won’t work. And if it came from someone with a cleaning reputation the reaction was: They can’t be green.” He went on to say that, "I won’t pretend it’s not internally controversial; it is. But we decided it was more important to try to create this marketplace” than to keep the peace."

Koto of Japan
To end the week and enjoy good company, RAC, myself, K&A Wags, and Kmewalt decided to hit up a local Hibachi Grill and Sushi Bar here in "The Rouge." We decided up Koto of Japan, as it has good reviews in 225 Baton Rouge, the ezine and magazine. We were awed by some nice knife work, witty humor, good food, and good company. If you are in "The Rouge" I highly recommend Koto, though reservations are a good idea. And another good thing...KU made the Elite Eight tonight after a romp of Villanova. Look out Davidson, here we come! Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU
Cheers

RAC Attack and the Olympics

RAC arrived today after a long and dreary flight. First, RAC flight was 'delayed' for four hours in Memphis due to 'mechanical' failure and was eventually canceled around midnight. So RAC arrived at around 1 PM (cst) today into "The Rouge" and I was so excited. RAC presented me with my 'late' birthday gifts and it was a good haul. A much needed new game for the Wii and Pullens new book, "In Defense of Food." I can not wait for either!

We settled in for the evening with a delectable dinner of pizza rolls and salad and went at the new Wii game, Mario and Sonic at the Olympics! The main characters from the world of Mario and Sonic come together to compete in the Beijing Olympics in 16 classic events and 4 "Dream Events." Classics include the 100m, 110 Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Fencing, Rowing, and gymnastics.

Strengths and weaknesses were hashed out and at the end of the day...NEW WORLD RECORD in the 100m. As it currently stands with Zachawii holding the record, its at a blazing 9.64 seconds. I feel that I have a 9.5 in the legs, just need to train a little bit more. Oh the fun we will have this weekend....and its only Thursday!
Cheers

Socialism GGOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!

Social(ist) Tourism Program
Dominica just opened its doors and welcomed the very first group of tourists from Venezuela as part of the Social Tourism Program. The program is part of a Venezuelan initiative to help those that are less fortunate to get the chance to travel abroad and use the exchange of people to bring countries closer together. This week the first group of such travelers arrived in Dominica, a new destination on the program. Some estimates put that as many as 9,000 Venezuelans have traveled as a part of the program started by Hugo Chavez.

The first group of thirty-three to Dominica greeted Prime Minister Skerrit at the Financial Center and he even posed for a picture with the group. I like this idea of cultural exchanges but am weary of anything that is created by Chavez. I really hope that many hotels/resorts will benefit from this exchange and not just a select few. Proper eco-tourism spreads the wealth around and all hoteliers should have an opportunity (if they have the capacity) to host these groups as so the wealth of the program is spread abroad creating work and stable incomes across all sectors, not those "in" with the government. Maybe more exchanges like this are needed around the world, us to Muslims and Muslims to us. Would be cheaper than guns and bullets and a great deal more fun and educational. But then again, what else would we need to spend $1Billion on?

World Cup Soccer Update
Dominica was bounced from the World Cup qualifier in Barbados. I was not able to watch this particular match, but many accounts of the competition state that Dominica was more focused on defense rather than putting up an offensive attack. Its a shame, as I would have liked to have seen Dominica play the U.S. in the next upcoming match, so when someone would ask...Where is Dominica? I could give a long winded answer on my favorite island.
Cheers!

MIRF

MIRF
Every once in awhile I get some small request on the side for the Make It Right Foundation and figured that it would make for an interesting segway from the usual work. The Make It Right Foundation (MIRF as I call it) is a post-Katrina rehabilitation program founded by Brad Pitt to help bring new homes to some of the most devastated parts of New Orleans.

The project aims to build 150 new homes in the Lower 9th Ward, one of, if not the, most devastated areas in all of New Orleans. The new homes, from inspirations of a Global Green competiont that Brad Pitt help set up, will aim to retain the cultural feel of the Lower 9th Ward while incorporating sustainable building practices and high quality workmanship.

The most vivid part of the program currently is the "Pink Project" that uses monopoly inspired housing replicas to depict the progress of the funding for the MIRF. As certain funding goals are met, certain pieces of the houses are constructed. As the website states,

"The simple legibility of the pink monopoly house reassembled from smaller individual components intentionally focuses attention on a problem of manageable scale, allowing the individual to physically participate in the installation through donations. Contributions become incorporated into the built environment through architectural assembly. In this, there is a transformation from an individual American Dream into a collective one. Real beauty arises from harnessing the power of global awareness and global helplessness and providing an outlet. Pink is an opportunity to interact meaningfully with the world by rebuilding a torn cultural fabric."

The project will hopefully be a resounding success, but I worry that this well intentioned efforts will go to waste in the next Katrina-esque disaster. The levee's are not up to spec and the city is continually sinking further below sea-level while the natural protections of wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. At any level, its a worthwhile cause and I highly recommend checking out the website and if your in the area, check out the project.
Cheers!

2001: A TV is watching You!

The renowned science fiction write Arthur C. Clarke passed away last week. He was the author of many great science fiction novels including my favorite, 2001: A Space Odyssey, though the ending is a little hard to wrap your mind around when you are 13. He is credited with predicting the future of satellite communications to never learning to trust a computer as he was the one who gave us HAL. I figured that in my little farewell tribute to a great science fiction writer, something SciFi would be nice, and I found just the piece!

1984 in 2008?
Comcast, the cable and internet provider Comcast of Bit Torrent that knowingly admitted to slowing customers broadband speed to those users that used Bit Torrent, is experimenting with a 1984-esque concept that will use 'body recognition' to dictate how your cable box presents information to the user. This new system will, as Comcast's VP of user experience states that Comcast is experimenting with various camera technologies that will use body recognition to identify who is sitting in front of the cable box to deliver specially tailored ads and programs to the viewer. Little to 1984-ish for my liking and just plain creepy. Be sure to check out the readers comments at the bottom , lots of Anti-Goverment conspiracy theorists worm their way out of the woodwork.

I, for one, have "un-plugged" from cable, not because of worries fascist governmental control and tracking, but because cable has become junk. To many commercials selling junk, and nearly any show that I would want to watch is on the internet for free (abc.com, fox.com, nbc.com). The NCAA tournament is online for free this year and I have the trusty rabbit ears that get a few channels when I get to have the 'traditional' viewing experience. With the huge amount of personal information that is being stored by companies these days, I'm even more glad that I 'unplugged,' I don't need a fascist commercial entity watching my every move while I watch "The Hills." :-)
Cheers

Happy Easter

Happy Easter
Happy Easter to everyone today. I hope that your time with family and friends is a good time on a wonderful day. It is a time of renewal and rebirth, as spring is right around the corner. It is gorgeous here today so I'm out to enjoy my Easter Sunday! I had an egg hunt in my apartment last night as my parents told me they had hidden 12 eggs in my apartment. Talk about a surprise for someone who thought he was observant. haha. Happy EASTER!

Picture is of the three crosses just off of I-10E here in "The Rouge." Took the picture on a whim. Enjoy!