Interesting.....

The new Masons - The centuries-old fraternity, in an effort to remain relevant, is shedding its secrecy in order to attract young members

"With his mop of black hair, silver nose ring and double-pierced ear, Nikki Stone, a 31-year-old rock guitarist, looked a bit out of place last weekend as he stood surrounded by serious-looking men in dark suits beneath baronial, 50-foot ceilings at the Masonic Lodge on Tremont Street in Boston.

But Stone, and the dozens of other non-Masons milling about, was a much sought after guest. With their aging membership at a 50-year-ebb and the vitality of their future in doubt, the Masons are trying something new in their august 275-year history: They have started recruiting.

``We're trying to bring the Masons into the 21st century," Jeffrey Hodgdon, grand master of the Masons in Massachusetts said at an open house in Lexington, the same day that Stone visited the Boston lodge. ``If we don't do something, we're going down the tubes.

(snip)

``There's definitely a mystique here," said Stone. ``As a guy with a rock 'n' roll back ground, it seems cooler than the Knights of Columbus.""

Interesting.....

The new Masons - The centuries-old fraternity, in an effort to remain relevant, is shedding its secrecy in order to attract young members

"With his mop of black hair, silver nose ring and double-pierced ear, Nikki Stone, a 31-year-old rock guitarist, looked a bit out of place last weekend as he stood surrounded by serious-looking men in dark suits beneath baronial, 50-foot ceilings at the Masonic Lodge on Tremont Street in Boston.

But Stone, and the dozens of other non-Masons milling about, was a much sought after guest. With their aging membership at a 50-year-ebb and the vitality of their future in doubt, the Masons are trying something new in their august 275-year history: They have started recruiting.

``We're trying to bring the Masons into the 21st century," Jeffrey Hodgdon, grand master of the Masons in Massachusetts said at an open house in Lexington, the same day that Stone visited the Boston lodge. ``If we don't do something, we're going down the tubes.

(snip)

``There's definitely a mystique here," said Stone. ``As a guy with a rock 'n' roll back ground, it seems cooler than the Knights of Columbus.""

*snorkage*

George Takei at William Shatner's Roast Not worksafe or brainsafe......

*snorkage*

George Takei at William Shatner's Roast Not worksafe or brainsafe......

Recipe of the Day

Glooph!

Bill Nicholson's Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Butter Rum Sauce
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
12 servings

Calories: 10,220
Carbs: 1,536g
Protien: 113g
Fat: 431g

2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 (4.5-ounce) cans fruit cocktail (undrained)
2 eggs, beaten
1 (9-ounce) box raisins
1 pinch salt
1 or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Butter Rum Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cube donuts into a large bowl. Pour other ingredients on top of donuts and let soak for a few minutes. Mix all ingredients together until donuts have soaked up the liquid as much as possible.
Bake for about 1 hour until center has jelled. Top with Butter Rum Sauce.

Butter Rum Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 pound box confectioners' sugar
Rum, to taste
Melt butter and slowly stir in confectioners' sugar. Add rum and heat until bubbly. Pour over each serving of Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.

Pretty Gorram Shiny.......

You scored as Kaylee (Kaywinnet Lee) Frye. The Mechanic. You are a natural mechanic, and you are far too sweet and cheerful to live out here. How you can see the good in everyone around you boggles the mind occasionally. Still you don't seem to be any crazier than that, and it is a nice kinda crazy. </td> Kaylee (Kaywinnet Lee) Frye 88% Simon Tam 81% Shepherd Derrial Book 69% Inara Serra 63% Zoe Alleyne Washburne 56% Capt. Mal Reynolds 56% The Operative 56% Hoban 'Wash' Washburne 56% River Tam 50% Jayne Cobb 31% Which Serenity character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Pretty Gorram Shiny.......

You scored as Kaylee (Kaywinnet Lee) Frye. The Mechanic. You are a natural mechanic, and you are far too sweet and cheerful to live out here. How you can see the good in everyone around you boggles the mind occasionally. Still you don't seem to be any crazier than that, and it is a nice kinda crazy. </td> Kaylee (Kaywinnet Lee) Frye 88% Simon Tam 81% Shepherd Derrial Book 69% Inara Serra 63% Zoe Alleyne Washburne 56% Capt. Mal Reynolds 56% The Operative 56% Hoban 'Wash' Washburne 56% River Tam 50% Jayne Cobb 31% Which Serenity character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Recipe of the Day

Alaskan Sourdough Fruitcake

Description:
1/2 cup golden raisins, seedless, and puffed seeded raisins
4 cup white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dried currants
1 tsp salt
1 cup blackberry cordial wine, or other wine
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 cup sourdough starter
2 tsp mace
6 tbps butter
3 cup candied fruit, green and red pineapple, citron, oragne and ginger
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 each eggs, well beaten
1 cup nuts, chopped
2 tbs lemon rind, grated

Directions:

Soak raisins and currants in 1 cup wine overnight. Remove starter from refrigerator and set, tightly covered, in warm place overnight. It should be in at least a two cup container as it will just about double its volume overnight.

In the morning, cream butter with sugar and beat in eggs and lemon rind. Drain wine from raisins into creamed mixture. Stir in starter and 3 cups of the flour sifted with the soda, salt and spices. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of flour over the fruit and nuts in a large bowl. Toss and shake until well-coated. Add to batter and mix thoroughly.

Turn into loaf pans which have been generously buttered. Let stand in warm place for 30 minutes. Bake in oven preheated to 300 with a pan of water on floor of oven and rack as near as possible in middle of oven.

Bake about 2-1/2 hours for medium-sized loaves watching carefully to see that they do not brown to quickly. Test with toothpick. Remove from oven, turn pans on sides and allow to set for a few minutes before taking from pans.

When cold drip 2 tbsp. of wine over each cake. As soon as it is absorbed, wrap tightly in cellophane freezer paper and store in refrigerator or freezer. They improve with age.