J.r.parsons

On a recent* trip to Portland to visit with some friends, we stopped by Martin's house for some dinner. Martin is a lanky barefoot support system for an impish grin and is frequently draped in a serape. If you've any connection with Free Geek in PDX, chances are you know him. What I didn't know, after close to 10 years of his acquaintance, is that he's a fine cook.

Martin had prepared an enormous pot of vegan soup that filled the kitchen with the rich smell of spices. I'll be honest, when I saw the soup contained cauliflower**, I took the first bowl simply because I was hungry and wanted to be polite. I devoured the second bowl because it was so delicious. The third bowl I savored, attempting to work out the ingredients. I asked Martin for the recipe, and he eventually provided one in the kind of short hand used by those of us how cook often, and improvise regularly.

In an effort to share this wonderful soup with a wider audience I've taken the liberty of filling in some details and adding some measurements for those of my readers who are more comfortable with recipes that are more procedural. Feel free to embellish and experiment with the ingredients, I think it would very much be in the spirit of what Martin has created. Personally, I think the addition of Portuguese Sausage would be very nice, but then it wouldn't be Vegan, and it might be less in the spirit of Martin's work.

• 3 potatoes
• half a head of cauliflower
• 2 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 onion
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups of wine
• 4 Tblspn of olive oil
• .33 cup of nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 can of diced tomato
• 2 cups of yellow split peas
• Water (or stock) to level of desired soup

Chop up your celery, carrots and onions into a small dice. Congratulations, you just made Mirepoix. Now you're cooking like a fancy French lad.

Mirepoix

 In a large stock pot, heat up your fat of choice. If you're going Vegan, use olive oil. If you're not Vegan, feel free to use butter or bacon fat. Whichever you choose, don't skimp, this recipe will soak up a lot of fat, and that's good. When the fat is good and ready, drop in the Mirepoix and saute for several minutes, until the vegetables are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and some salt and pepper to season. The longer you saute and caramelize these vegetables, the richer your soup will end up. Careful not to cook them too long though, or it will burn.

Saute in lipid of choice

 While the Mirepoix is doing it's thing, chop up your cauliflower into a large rough dice. Make sure to pour all your hate and disgust for this pale imitator of broccoli into your chopping. Cauliflower is terrible and deserves your violence. It's okay, we'll make it taste better later.

Cauliflower; after dismemberment

Dice up your potatoes into a medium dice. Treat the potatoes with the love and attention they deserve that cauliflower never gets and doesn't deserve.

White on white bowl. Not a great color mix.

 Rinse the yellow split peas and pick them over for any small stones, bad peas, or hidden treasure. If you can't find yellow split peas, use red ones or green ones. The flavor will be mostly the same, but the color will be different. Don't use lentils. Lentils cook a little differently.

Split peas

Check on your Mirepoix. Is it coming along nicely? Yes. Yes it is.


Here's where we start to really develop the flavor of this soup. Wine. Delicious yummy wine. Notice that I've spared no expense and chosen a wine in a box. The kind of wine you use is somewhat immaterial. You'll want a white wine for this soup, preferably something dry. I've selected the Chardonnay carton. You wouldn't want to use a wine you wouldn't drink, but it doesn't have to be a very good wine, as we'll be evaporating most of it off.

The Bandit. A juice box for adults. It doesn't come with a straw.

Pour the wine in and let it cook down significantly, by half or more. You want a nice rich syrup in the pot. You can see here what's left of reducing 2 cups of wine. This is good.

Reducing the wine. I dare you to not huff the fumes.

Now we introduce some seasoning and add more flavor. Toss in the Nutritional Yeast, Curry Powder, and Cumin and toast them in the pot for a minute or so. Be careful, the Nutritional Yeast will absorb all the remaining liquid and it burns quickly. Nutritional Yeast adds a tasty nutty flavor, it can be found in your natural market, or likely in your regular grocery wherever they hide the vegetarian or natural ingredients.

Our spices and additions

 Once the spices are toasted, stir in the split peas and then add water and or stock. You can really add as much or as little as you want here. This soup will stretch quite a bit, and it's all about how many people you're feeding and how much storage space you have in the fridge. Remember though, we still have more veggies to add, and the peas will expand. Don't worry, it's okay to add more later. If you're preparing this Vegan, either use all water, or mix in some vegetable stock. If you're not Vegan/Vegetarian, then chicken stock will work as well. When I use stock and water, I like to use a ratio of 1:1.

There are no more pictures. Sorry. I drank the rest of that box of wine and forgot to take more. Fortunately, this part is dead easy, and doesn't really need pictures.

Bring the peas to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the peas are just done. How long this takes all depends on the peas. If the peas are old, it will take longer. Figure about 45 minutes to an hour on simmer.

Once the peas are satisfactory, add in the cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes, return to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Add more liquid if necessary. Taste before you serve and add more salt or curry powder to taste.

Congratulations. You just made a pot of soup that could serve a squadron of teenagers, is packed with nutrition, very possibly is Vegan depending on your additions and choices, and it probably cost less than $10 to make.






*Last October, not really very recent.
**I am not a friend of cauliflower.

This story ends exactly how you expect.

This volunteer, which was one of those having access to the tools that allow the deletion of pages, was forced to delete the article while in the DCRI offices, on the understanding that he would have been held in custody and prosecuted if he did not comply. Under pressure, he had no other choice than to delete the article, despite explaining to the DCRI this is not how Wikipedia works. He warned the other sysops that trying to undelete the article would engage their responsibility before the law.

This volunteer had no link with that article, having never edited it and not even knowing of its existence before entering the DCRI offices. He was chosen and summoned because he was easily identifiable.

The "Station hertzienne militaire de Pierre-sur-Haute" entry is currently the most-viewed page in french-language Wikipedia.

Previously.

Today marked the long-awaited courtroom showdown of notorious copyright porno trolls Prenda Law (previous posts) and United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, the judge who figured out that Prenda was running something that looked a blackmail racket that involved systematic fraud against courts around the country. After stalling and fum-fuhing, Prenda's lawyers and principals were dragged before Judge Wright, where they sat for a hearing that ran for 12 whole minutes before Wright furiously banished them from his courtroom. Ken "Popehat" White was there, and sent tantalizing tweets about the total trainwreck he'd witnessed, which he has now had a chance to write up in full.

In a nutshell, the Prendateers showed up and took the Fifth, refusing to speak. Their lawyer tried to enter some argument into the record, but the judge didn't allow it. Prenda had filed no briefs, and had been called to answer basic, factual questions about lawsuits. Wright wasn't happy about it. Ken has written up a list of likely consequences Prenda will now face. It's not pretty. At very least, the firm and its activities are at an end. At most (though not likely), this could end in prison for the principals here.

Judge Wright grew steadily and visibly more outraged. "I want to know if some of my conjecture is accurate — and the only way to know is to have the principals here and ask them questions. This is an opportunity for them to protect themselves," he said. But Steele's lawyer confirmed his client would exercise his right to remain silent. Attorneys for Paul Hansmeier, Paul Duffy, and Angela Van Den Hemel confirmed their clients, too, would invoke their rights to remain silent. Judge Wright did not — unless I missed it — confirm whether Peter Hansmeier or Mark Lutz would answer questions.

An Opportunity To Be Heard

Heather Rosing, appearing for Paul Duffy, Angela Van Den Hemel, and Prenda Law, rose and asked Judge Wright for an opportunity to present "about a half hour" of argument on the points in his Order to Show Cause. Look: when you are a lawyer, representing a client, you have to stand up. You have to hold your ground even in the face of a furious federal judge. When a judge is yelling at you, however unsettling it is, you have to hold fast and remember you are there to represent the interests of your client against the terrible power of the court. Heather Rosing stood up, and has my admiration, whatever I think of her clients.

Judge Wright was uninterested in hearing legal argument, as opposed to testimony or evidence. "My clients have a right to a reasonable opportunity to be heard," Ms. Rosing protested. "Excuse me?" thundered Judge Wright, probably thinking — not unreasonably — that Ms. Rosing's clients could have filed briefs in advance to address any legal arguments they had, and that Ms. Rosing's clients have been evading questions for months. Judge Wright began to count off the questions he wanted answered. "I'm looking for facts," he said. He wanted to know who directs Prenda Law's litigation efforts, who makes its decisions, whether there is another Alan Cooper, and what happens with the money Prenda Law makes from settlements. Ms. Rosing answered (wisely, and properly) that she could not personally testify to those things. Why, Judge Wright demanded, did Prenda Law conceal its attorneys' financial interest in the cases? "There's no evidence that they have an interest," Ms. Rosing protested. "Excuse me?" Judge Wright boomed even louder. Were there windows, they would have rattled. "Have you read Paul Hansmeier's deposition?" he demanded, referring to the bizarre deposition in which Paul Hansmeier failed to explain Prenda Law's shadowy owners or flow of funds. "I have," Ms. Rosing said, but stood her ground.

Prenda Law's Attorneys Take The Fifth Rather Than Answer Judge Wright's Questions

via http://tebe-interesno.livejournal.com/

via http://curseofthemultiples.tumblr.com/

Vanessa Quirk argues that the practice of drawing trees on top of skyscrapers in architectural renderings should stop. First, because pretty, high-altitude foliage is the first thing that cost-conscious developers jettison when the actual building is underway; but secondly, because trees can't really survive at that altitude:

There are plenty of scientific reasons why skyscrapers don’t—and probably won’t—have trees, at least not to the heights which many architects propose. Life sucks up there. For you, for me, for trees, and just about everything else except peregrine falcons. It’s hot, cold, windy, the rain lashes at you, and the snow and sleet pelt you at high velocity. Life for city trees is hard enough on the ground. I can’t imagine what it’s like at 500 feet, where nearly every climate variable is more extreme than at street level.

Wind is perhaps the most formidable force trees face at that elevation. Ever seen trees on the top of a mountain? Their trunks bow away from the prevailing winds. That may be the most visible effect, but it’s not the most challenging. Wind also interrupts the thin layer of air between a leaf and the atmosphere, known as the boundary layer. The boundary layer is tiny by human standards—it operates on a scale small enough that normally slippery gas particles behave like viscous fluids.

Bottom line: if we're going to have skyscrapers, let's build them without the illusion that they'll harbor high-altitude forests.

Can We Please Stop Drawing Trees on Top of Skyscrapers? (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)

(Images: “Le Cinq” Office Tower / Neutelings Riedijk Architects, Rendering by Visualisatie A2STUDIO, Pentominium / Murphy/Jahn. Image courtesy of Murphy/Jahn.)

The most rewarding aspect of the Monterey Institute is the students.  Okay, it’s the weather.  But the students are a close second.

We have, for instance, an embarrassment of Chinese-speaking graduate students.  One of our best, Jonathan Ray, has been staring at Chinese social media sites.  While most young Chinese men largely surf for smut, Jonathan has discovered titillating images of the sort familiar to readers of this site: wonkporn!

Over the past few months, images of at least three new Chinese transporter-erector-launchers have appeared on various Chinese social media sites.  Here is our best effort at beginning to sort through them.  Consider this a first cut. What we really need to do now is to start modeling the canisters to work out what sort of missiles might be inside.

Show and TEL

Jeffrey Lewis and Jonathan Ray

1.

Second Artillery Transporter-Erector-Launchers in Chinese Social Media

Over the past year and a half, Chinese bloggers have posted images of at least three new-style transporter-erector-launchers (TELs) and their respective missile canisters.  These images depict (1) a TEL with at least six axles, (2) a 6-axle TEL, and (3) an 8-axle TEL.

Since 2009, China has steadily replaced the old-style TELs for its DF-15 and DF-21 ballistic missiles with new-style TELs produced by the Wanshan Special Vehicle (WSV) Company.  WSV-produced TELs are clearly different in style from previous Chinese TELs and resemble those manufactured by MAZ/MZKT in Belarus, with whom Wanshan established a joint-venture company.  The TELs are similar in style to those that North Korea has displayed for its Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) and new KN-08 ICBM.  (WSV appears to have produced the TEL for the KN-08.)

The photographs posted by Chinese bloggers appear to show three more new-style TELs that are clearly larger than known TELs for the DF-11, DF-15 or DF-21. The angles on the photographs are poor and in some cases key features are obscured, either deliberately or through hasty photography.

With these cautions in mind, our preliminary assessment is that these TELs are for three different missiles, including the DF-31/DF-31A.  Other possibilities include a new MRBM or IRBM, a new ICBM under development, or China’s SC-19 exo-atmospheric interceptor.  More definitive conclusions require estimates of canister size and the maximum loading of the TELs.

 

2.

At Least 6-Axle TEL

On November 3, 2011, Weibo (Chinese Twitter) user “Richard潇” posted the a picture of a TEL with at least six axles. (Four wheels are visible, with two wheels obstructed by the photographer’s hand.) The TEL’s wheel-configuration is similar to a TEL that appeared in Pyongyang in 2010 carrying the Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). Although the chassis appears similar, the image taken in China shows a TEL with a canister and a different erector.

 

The original picture and post are no longer on “Richard潇”’s Weibo account, but a copy is available on his BBS blog:

The text reads: “Hanchuan, accidentally encountered a missile [s: very formidable].”  (The “s:” appears to be a Chinese emoticon to express awe.)

Hanchuan (汉川) is a county-level city in Xiaogan (孝感), Hubei Province. The Wanshan Special Vehicle Company’s factory is located in Xiaogan, Hubei Province.

3.

6-Axle TEL

 On February 17^th, two bloggers posted pictures of a six-axle TEL, claiming it is a DF-25 IRBM. The bloggers reposted the image from an automobile news site.  One of the two bloggers claims that the photographer was on vacation in Xinyi City in Xuzhou (新沂市, 徐州), Jiangsu Province. There are no reported Second Artillery bases within 200 kilometers of Xinyi City.  The image may show either a new IRBM deployed at an unreported launch brigade or in transit from the Nanjing Guided Missile plant 200 kilometers to the south.

4.

8-Axle TEL

On February 8^th Xilu.com, a Chinese military news site, posted what looks like an eight-axle TEL, but with the cargo cropped out. The image was titled – “The Second Artillery’s Newest Dongfeng Exposed; The chassis that an internet user photographed is a model number never seen before” (“二炮最新东风导弹曝光网友拍摄底盘是从未见过的型号”) – but not accompanied by any explanatory text. Chinese bloggers were disappointed but not surprised.

Then on March 6, Sina Military Forum user “Red Arrow 73 (红箭73)” posted a different and complete picture of a similar (possibly even the same) eight-axle TEL carrying what he claims is a DF-31.

There are no geographic data about the location of this TEL.

This is the largest TEL spotted in China to date. In 2010, the Department of Defense said, “China may also be developing a new road- mobile ICBM, possibly capable of carrying a multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles (MIRV).”

Fewer than 10 bloggers have reposted the picture, and have speculated the missile is a DF-41 and that the design is similar design to the Russian Topol-M. In 2012, one press report in the U.S. claimed the Second Artillery conducted a “DF-41” flight test although the report is not independently confirmed. One thread on a Chinese blog describes the TEL’s missile as “又粗又长,” which translates as “both rough and long.”  The conversation soon degraded; it is not safe for work if your boss speaks Chinese.

A similar 8-axle WSV-manufactured TEL appeared in North Korea’s 2012 military parade carrying the KN-08 ICBM. As in the case of the Musudan, however, despite a similar chassis, the TEL in China carries a canister and has a different erector. Shipping documents obtained by Asahi and published by James Hardy for Jane’s, as well as a press release posted on the WSV website, suggest that WSV manufactured the TELs seen carrying the KN-08.

5.

China’s Ongoing TEL Upgrades

While these three TELs are of different sizes, they all appear to be WSV-manufactured and, at least in style, resemble MAZ models. In the 2009 National Day Parade, China paraded DF-15 and DF-21 with new WSV-style TELs that replaced older towed configurations.

For example, here are before and after images of the DF-15:

Here are “before” and “after” images of the DF-21:

The 2009 parade also included a DF-11A, which was carried on a WSV-style TEL. (The DF-11 appears to be the first Chinese missile that received a WSV-style TEL dating to at least 1999.)

China displayed the DF-31A, however, with an old-style towed erector-launcher (sometimes called a MEL or Mobile Erector Launcher).

For some time, observers have wondered when China’s road-mobile ICBM force would receive new vehicles.

We now have images of what appear to be three new TELs, one or more of which is apparently for the DF-31 series.

(1) The smallest appears to have six axles.  This TEL is larger than the TEL for the DF-21 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), which has five axles, and may correspond to a new MRBM or IRBM.

(2) It is unclear how many axles the next largest TEL has, but the wheel configuration indicates six or more and a different chassis from the 6-axle TEL.  It is possible that this is either a DF-31 or DF-31A TEL.  The old DF-31 TEL had eight axles, but in a towed configuration.

(3) Finally, the 8-axle TEL is the largest seen to date in China. It is presumably for China’s longest-range mobile ICBM, either a DF-31A or the reported DF-41.

One possibility is that the three TELs are for the DF-31, DF-31A and the reported DF-41.  Another possibility is that the TELs are for an unreported IRBM, the DF-31 and either the DF-31A or a reported DF-41.  A third possibility is that one of the TELs is associated with China’s SC-19 hit-to-kill interceptor.

Further constraining the possibilities requires modeling the TELs and canisters in an effort to gauge the canister size and maximum load to provide a preliminary assessment of the missiles carried inside.

WSV TELs in China
Diagram	Picture	Missile	WSV Model	Axles	Load Capacity (1000 kg)
		DF-11	WS2400	4	22.0
		DF-15	WS2400	4	22.0
		DF-21	WS2500 or WS2600	5	35.5 or 42.5
		??	WS2900	>6	55.0
		??	WS2900	6	55.0
		??	Modified WS2900?	8	Up to 90.0
Diagrams depict the TEL wheel configuration. They are not drawn to scale and are for illustrative purposes only. All Wanshan Special Vehicle (WSV) model information, unless indicated otherwise, is based on the “Sanjiang-Volat Special Vehicle Company” brochure, excerpts of which are available on the FYJS blog. Sanjiang-Volat is a joint enterprise between CASIC’s Sanjiang Space Wanshan Special Vehicle Company and Belarus’s Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, and produces the WS (Chinese) and M3KT (Belarusian) series of all-terrain vehicle chassis. An eight-axle chassis is not commercially available, but the WSV website claims that the WS series can carry loads up to 90,000 kg.

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Original images: Top image copyright 1998 Jon Rosenberg, from GOATS.
Bottom image copyright 2007 Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkins, from Penny Arcade.

Seems in 2010 this training video got a green light. The Associated Press has the details.