I just had to post this letter I got the other day. It seem's so appropiate, I hope it will be received in the spirt it is/was intended.. Here it is! Homemade Brownies We become desensitized a little bit at a time...Some years ago, I walked into my office after a Sunday morning service to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous person who knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper that had a short story written on it. I immediately sat down and began eating the first brownie as I read the following story. Two teenagers asked their father if they could go to the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request. "Ah dad, why not?" they complained. "It's rated PG-13, and we're both older than thirteen!" Dad replied: "Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior." "But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review websites say that!" "My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion." The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us, and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all." About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the brownies in the story. I kept reading. The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, "Before you eat, I want to tell you something: "I love you both so much." The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening. "That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic; the best organic flour, the best free-range eggs, the best organic sugar, premium vanilla and chocolate." The brownies looked mouthwatering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech. "But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think." "Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?" "Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it ." "Come on, dad; just tell us what that ingredient is." Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients. " "Dad!!!" "Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic...dog poop." I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the waste basket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained. Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror. "DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!" "Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!" "No, Dad...NEVER! " "And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience, entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?" I discarded what remained of the second brownie, as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute ago had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn't...but I couldn't convince myself.)

I was sitting in a waiting room and saw most of the show. It was very interesting. One item that I did object to was the emphasis on preparing every high school student for college. One school in particular - the Aspire public school - has as it's goal that every graduate will attend college. While that is a noble ideal college is certainly not for everyone. I've seen first hand the unfair pressure that can be put on a child who simply isn't interested, qualified or destined for a college degree. I believe that one of the problems with our school system is the fact that many of the non-academic programs have been dropped. Instead of stating that college is the goal for every student I think schools should prepare students for a future that's suited to their particular talents and interests and that could be technical training, trade school, apprentice programs, military careers etc. It was wonderful to see how enthused Bill Gates is about his educational initiatives and his willingness to utilize his fortune to achieve that goal.

I found the recipe--sure is a lot of ingredients. Momofuku Milk Bar's Compost Cookies 225 g butter, at room temperature (16 tablespoons (2 sticks)) 200 g granulated sugar (1 cup) 150 g light brown sugar (2/3 cup tightly packed) 50 g glucose (2 tablespoons) 1 egg 2 g vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon) 225 g flour (1 1/3 cups) 2 g baking powder (1/2 teaspoon) 1.5 g baking soda (1/4 teaspoon) 4 g kosher salt (1 teaspoon) 150 g mini chocolate chips (3/4 cup) 100 g mini butterscotch chips (1/2 cup) 1/4 recipe Graham Crust (page 112) (85 g (1/2 cup)) 40 g old-fashioned rolled oats (1/3 cup) 5 g ground coffee (2 1/2 teaspoons) 50 g potato chips (2 cups) 50 g mini pretzels (1 cup) For the graham crust: 190 g graham cracker crumbs (1 1/2 cups) 20 g milk powder (1/4 cup) 25 g sugar (2 tablespoons) 3 g kosher salt (3/4teaspoon) 55 g butter, melted, or as needed (4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)) 55 g heavy cream (1/4 cup) Cooking Directions For the graham crust: Toss the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients. Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. Add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. The butter will act as a glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 14 to 25 g (1 to 1. tablespoons) butter and mix it in. Eat immediately, or deploy as directed in a recipe. The crust is easiest to mold just after mixing. Stored in an airtight container, graham crust will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or for 1 month in the fridge or freezer. For the cookie: Combine the butter, sugars, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. (See page 27 for notes on this process.) Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crust, oats, and coffee and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and pretzels and paddle, still on low speed, until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or break too many of the pretzels or potato chips. You deserve a pat on the back if one of your cookies bakes off with a whole pretzel standing up in the center. Using a 2.-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature� they will not bake properly. Heat the oven to 375�F. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if that's not the case. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month. In a pinch, substitute 18 g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose. For the "coffee grounds" in this cookie, we tested the recipe with freshly roasted and ground artisanal coffee from Stumptown as well as with crap-tastic coffee grounds that you can find just about anywhere. We discovered that it doesn't make a difference what kind you use; the cookie is delicious every time. Just make sure you don't use instant coffee; it will dissolve in the baking process and ruin the cookies. And, above all else, never use wet, sogalicious grounds that have already brewed a pot of coffee. We use Cape Cod potato chips because they aren't paper-thin, and so they do not break down too much in the mixing process. Recipe courtesy Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook. This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.

Great photos and critters. Growing up, kids on our block used to collect and care for these over the summer, then release them back onto the wooded creek banks when school started. I remember looking out a window to see my younger brother prancing around in a panic with one clamped onto the end of his index finger - then chasing my mom out the back door after she picked up a kitchen knife to fix the "problem" with a friend's turtle I was caring for while they were on vacation. Fortunately the turtle had let go by the time we got to him, there was not even a scratch on my brother's finger, and I never had to find out if I really would have tried to tackle her. Always figured he more or less brought it on himself by poking at them. But never considered how much his 2-something year old digits must have looked like worms until seeing your pictures.