The Goose's Golden Eggs

The Wise Men of Gotham and their Goose, 1776

Pub. 16th Feb 1776 by W. Humphrey Gerrard, Street Soho

Library of Congress (Civil War), Print Collection

This scene satirizes the North ministry's treatment of the American colonies.
At least nine ministers, some in elaborate wigs - one seated, the rest standing - surround a covered table upon which is stretched a fat goose. Lord Bute (r.) in highland dress raises his sword to strike off the goose's head. Behind them, another grinning minister, or possibly a servant, hoists a basket full of golden eggs, and on the floor, a torn potato sack, labelled "TAX PO." spills out more eggs. In the foreground, a dog hoists its leg to urinate on the map of North America. On the back wall, an elaborate frame topped by the crown holds the painting of the sleeping British lion. The image is unique among the mezzotints for its text in the two upper corners :

In Gotham once the Story goes
A lot of Wise-acres arose
Skill'd in the great Politic Wheel
Could pound a Magpie, drown an Eel,
With many Things of worthy Note
At present much too long to quote,
Their district was both far and wide
Which not a little swelld their Pride
But above all that they possess'd
Was a fine Goose, by all confess'd,
A Rara Avis to behold
Who laid each Day an Egg of Gold
This made them grow immensely rich
Gave them an avaritious Itch,
The Case belongs to many more
They not contented with their Store
Would Methods vague and strange pursue
To make the Harmless Bird lay Two,
This Glorious purpose to obtain
About her Neck they put a Chain,
And more their Folly to compleat
They Stampt upon her Wings and Feet,
But this had no Effect at all,
Yet made her struggle, flutter, squall,
And do what every Goose would do
That had her Liberty in view,
When one of more distinguis'd Note
Cry'd D__n her, let us Cut her Throat,
They did, but not an Egg was found
But Blood come pouring from ye Wound.

From here.

Pitiful

From here.

Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FHLMC) are the two pillars of U.S. housing credit for nearly four decades.
The collapse of the U.S. housing market, which is accompanied by a strong reduction in the number of loan applications, severely compromises the ability of both to repay their debts. They are financed primarily because receiving authorization to borrow at preferential rates, to lend themselves to the private credit agencies U.S. or guarantee their loans. The higher the volume of loans decreases, the lower their revenues fall.

Translated from an article from the french newspaper Le Monde, 21/08/2008.

The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), commonly known as Fannie Mae, is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered by Congress in 1968 as a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), but founded in 1938 during the Great Depression. The corporation's purpose is to purchase and securitize mortgages in order to ensure that funds are consistently available to the institutions that lend money to home buyers.

The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), known as Freddie Mac, is a government sponsored enterprise (GSE).

Egg and Flowers

Egg in The Cancer Research UK Garden, 2009,
created by Robert Myers
Sculpture by Simon Thomas

Photo.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, officially the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held each year on five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea (Chelsea, London). It is the most famous such show in the United Kingdom, perhaps the most famous gardening event in the world.
Each year the Chelsea Flower Show reveals talents that have high horticulture in an real art.
In 2009, there was over 600 exhibitors, 50 small gardens and 100 exhibits of flowers.

Egg in The Cancer Research UK Garden, 2005

Photo.

L'Œuf à Deux Jaunes

L'Œuf à Deux Jaunes, 2006
Lisa Carducci
Editinter Eds

Lisa Carducci nous livre une trentaine de nouvelles mettant en scène des moments de vie quotidienne : les conflits de la vie à deux, leurs stratégies et leurs failles, l’effritement des relations, la sexualité qui s’étiole, l’incommunicabilité, la routine à laquelle on tente d’insuffler une passion renouvelée, bref, des incursions dans le cœur humain.
Le charme et l’humour qui caractérisent l’ensemble de l’œuvre de Lisa Carducci sauront certainement offrir aux lecteurs et lectrices des divers coins du monde un moment de lecture privilégié.

Catch the Eggs !

Play here or click on the picture.

The Egg and the Handkerchief

Description

There is a basket of eggs upon the table. The performer takes an egg from the basket, places it in an egg-cup, and covers it with a hat. He takes a handkerchief and scrunches it up between his hands. When it's no longer visible, he opens his hands to reveal the egg, then removes the hat to show the handkerchief. The egg and the handkerchief have changed places!

Execution
At the back of the basket is a wooden half-egg, painted egg-colour on the outside and the same colour as the inside of the egg-cup on its inside. It is exactly the right size to sit on the egg-cup or fit inside it. It contains a handkerchief exactly like the one that's scrunched up. It's this that the performer actually uses rather than one of the real eggs. When the performer covers the egg-cup with the hat, he turns over the half-egg so that the handkerchief can be pulled out at the end of the trick. When he seems to be scrunching the handkerchief up, he's actually squeezing it into a metal or plastic egg, of exactly the right colour, which has a small hole in one side. This he palms and presents as the original egg, and then lifts the hat and pulls out the handkerchief.

Comments
Nothing difficult about this trick except for the manual dexterity and misdirection required. The metal egg can be concealed anywhere, even within the handkerchief when it's first picked up.

Plenty of magic tricks here !
Enjoy !

Egg Curry

Egg Curry in a Creamy Coconut Gravy

Ingredients :
1 red chili, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
1 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
2 green cardamom
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 red onion, very finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
Small piece ginger, very finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
250 ml unsweetened coconut milk
8 hard boiled eggs, cut in halves
400 g small potatoes, cooked
150 g frozen or fresh peas
Coriander leaves, chopped

How to cook :

1. Place all the whole spices in a skillet and dry toast for 30 seconds to 1 minute on gentle heat, until fragrant.
2. Add ghee and swirl the pan around. Add the onions, ginger and garlic and sauté until browned – approx 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well to form a nice thick paste like consistency. Finally add the coconut milk and simmer the entire mixture for 15 minutes. The gravy should have thickened at the end of this time.
4. Finally add the egg halves, cooked potatoes and peas. Gently stir and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes until everything has warmed through.
5. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with rice and/or rotis.

From Meeta K.

Enjoy your meal !

Poésie dans l'Œuf

La poésie dans l'Œuf, 2009
Carène Wood, SLDS Publishing

La Poésie dans l’Œuf est une fantaisie poétique écrite par Carène Wood auteur de plusieurs recueils de nouvelles, chroniques et romans enseignant qu’il n’y aura, jamais rien d’autre, de plus important, que l’Amour.

De la joie, de la paix, de l’humour et de l’Amour est le contenu de ce recueil de Poétophosie, néologisme de l’auteur signifiant la mise en photo et en poésie des souvenirs.

Une goutte, une perle, une larme de beauté simple et naturelle comme un œuf.

Un livre unique qui par sa sensibilité touche une à une les parcelles du cœur de chacun en toute simplicité poétique avec le sourire pour signature.

L'Œuf a la Cote

L'Œuf à la cote* est un restaurant taverne à Jambes près de Namur (Belgique).

On y cuisine tous types de mets contenant des œufs, de l'omelette aux crêpes en passant par les spaghettis carbonara.
* Avoir la cote: être très populaire, très estimé.

Gripe de avestruz

Como forma de prevenir uma pandemia de gripe aviária no próximo inverno, solicita-se a todos os proprietários de ovos de avestruz com mais de 500 gramas que procedam à sua vacinação atempada.

As vacinas e os berbequins para administração da mesma serão distribuídos gratuitamente nos Centros de Saúde.

Foto: RCC & X@n@.