Name That Bird

I'm giving you the bird Can you identify it?   Answer scroll A Rare Albino Mourning Dove

Cut!

Applause Meter                                  There's no better way to prep slice (anything, really) for dehydration than with a mandolin.  Most things do best sliced at ¼ inch.  Even thickness means tasty, evenly dried product . This is the  Best Mandolin in the world, pound for dollar. Only problem—it's so sharp that I don't feel anything when it cuts a thumb off; only blood in the taters clues me.  That's why I bought these gloves (for about $13).  They are, I believe, made from depleted uranium and aerogel.  The only cuts I've incurred since buying them are when I don't put them on (the cut rate then is 87%).  One of the reasons I didn't always (I damned sure do now) use them was they'd get soaked with juices.  Later I discovered that all I had to do was wash my hands (with them on), and let them dry.  But, and this is what this post is about—this is genius.  Look at the picture.  Disposable glove barrier.  I invented that.  You're welcome.

Wedding Mishaps

Rorschach Tests I Have PASSED!

Poor Thing

Our New Neighborhood

The Terp's new conference, the BIG, have three of the final eight teams still playing  (MSU, UM, WISC) in  NCAA hoops.  Their erstwhile conference have just  ... wait ...  [Googles] What's this?  The ACC have none?  Oh my.

Michelle's Scrapbook

STFU Michelle

Old, but in vogue FULL FUN H/T KdT

So a guy calls his rabbi

So a guy calls his rabbi ...   A man calls his Rabbi and rather hysterically blurts "Rabbi, I think my wife is trying to murder me." "Calm down Levi," says the Rabbi, "what makes you think that Esther wants to murder you?" "I can't cite particulars; it's just an overwhelming sense of dread that I can't shake," says Levi. "Very well.  Let me call Esther and see if anything is bothering her." Levi waits an hour and calls the Rabbi back, but the phone is busy.  And then in an hour he calls. Busy. And again.  Finally the Rabbi answers. "Rabbi, did you talk to her?" "Did I talk to her?  Oy, for three hours  I'm on the telephone with Esther." "So, what do you think?" "Let me give you my best advice Levi." "Yes, Rabbi, what is it?" "Drink the poison."

Harry Reid, you know. Liar.

Harry Reid March 23, 2014  Harry Reid February 26, 2014 "Mr. President, the junior senator from Wyoming has come to the floor several times recently talking about the fact that examples that he and other Republicans have given dealing with ObamaCare, examples that are bad, I've called lies. Mr. President, that is simply untrue. "I have never come to the floor, to my recollection, I've never said a word about examples that Republicans have given regarding ObamaCare and how it's not very good." "We heard about the evils of Obamacare, about the lives it's ruining in Republicans' stump speeches and in ads paid for by oil magnates, the Koch brothers. But in those tales, turned out to be just that: tales, stories made up from whole cloth, lies distorted by the Republicans to grab headlines or make political advertisements. "There's plenty of horror stories being told. All of them are untrue, but they're being told all over America."   Harry Reid is 74 years old.  It's fair to say that anyone over the age of, say 16, who habitually lies is a liar.  So there's that.  Why then would anybody believe a word Harry (or any elected Democrat, and some Republicans) say about anything that would effect their life?   Why in an age where the past can be summoned with a wave of the Google wand think they can get away with lying?  The answer of course is the Progressive's  arrogance allows them to invoke Churchill's "Bodyguard of Lies " in any case where the truth is disadvantageous. So it's not lying; it's protecting their country—from us.

Mitch McConnell is Poison

How Toxic is Mitch McConnell? FreedomWorks flips in Neb. Senate race “ In a major blow to former Republican state Treasurer Shane Osborn’s candidacy for Nebraska Senate, national conservative group FreedomWorks is withdrawing its endorsement and backing his main primary rival, Midland University President Ben Sasse, instead. At issue, FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe said in a statement, is the unspoken support Osborn is believed to have from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Sasse now has the backing of nearly all the major national conservative groups, including the Club for Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund. He's also drawn the support of conservative leaders ranging from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).  [The HILL] Great on several levels.  Candidate relegated to the trash heap because he is suspected of being supported by his party's Senate Minority Leader.  How's that for sending a message to the GOP?  Precious. ”

What a Putz

A Liar and a Friar

Butter is Back

Buttah is Back Julia Child, goddess of fat, is beaming somewhere. Butter is back, and when you’re looking for a few chunks of pork for a stew, you can resume searching for the best pieces — the ones with the most fat. Eventually, your friends will stop glaring at you as if you’re trying to kill them. That the worm is turning became increasingly evident a couple of weeks ago, when a meta-analysis  published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that there’s just no evidence to support the notion that saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease. (In fact, there’s some evidence that a lack of saturated fat may be damaging.) The researchers looked at 72 different studies  and, as usual, said more work — including more clinical studies — is needed. For sure. But the days of skinless chicken breasts and tubs of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter may finally be drawing to a close. The tip of this iceberg has been visible for years, and we’re finally beginning to see the base. Of course, no study is perfect and few are definitive. But thereal villains  in our diet — sugar and ultra-processed foods — are becoming increasingly apparent. You can go back to eating butter, if you haven’t already. [Full] cuzzin ricky

Who's the Liar? Obama or Pope?

“ "Nobody we care about will believe  ..." OBAMA POPE “We actually didn’t talk a whole lot about social schisms in my conversations with His Holiness,” Mr. Obama said at a press conference in Rome. “In fact, that really was not a topic of conversation.” The Vatican, however, issued a statement saying the president’s discussions with Francis  “on questions of particular relevance for the [Catholic] Church in [the United States], such as the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection” — issues that have fueled divisions between Mr. Obama and the church.   The only reason for this trip was to deflect charges by the Vatican that Obama is verging on quarantining Christianity, especially Roman Catholics.  His people knew this Pope would lay it out, but Administration calculus showed that the faithful won't be getting news of it from the Obama media, and those who do are members of the Church of State and could care less.  Obama—actually the entire Dem Party—learned this  from Bill Clinton.  That's my take. ”

Bobby Jindal is Large

“ Jindal: Obama’s Internet Folly A Great Speech Jindal: Obama's Internet Folly - By Gov. Bobby Jindal It was an act generations from now will regret: The country that invented the Internet unilaterally decided to give it away — jeopardizing the freedoms of billions of citizens the world over in the process. Last month, the Obama Administration's Commerce Department announced it would transfer control of the Internet's essential functions from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a Los Angeles-based non-profit, to the "global Internet community."  It is unclear exactly who or what will replace ICANN, but one thing is certain: the successor organization won't increase online freedom, openness, and transparency.  If anything, ICANN's replacement could empower hostile regimes with a greater voice in the Internet's governance, allowing censorship and repression to expand and flourish.  And you don't just have to take my word for it: Bill Clinton opposes the ICANN transfer too, saying that "a lot of these so-called multi-stakeholders are really governments that want to gag people and restrict access to the Internet." A list of members of the United Nations' Human Rights Council shows the dangers of the Obama Administration's internationalist approach.  Among the Council's current members is Venezuela — currently engaging in a violent campaign of repression under President Nicolas Maduro.  In response to negative media coverage of the unrest, government forces attacked CNN cameras, and ordered Internet service providers to "block websites with content contrary to the interests of the Government."  If these thuggish actions qualify Venezuela for membership in the UN Human Rights Council, what role will Maduro's government get to play in governing — and censoring—the Internet? Last November, the United Nations elected China to join its Human Rights Council.  China's communist authorities have adapted Chairman Mao's famous dictum to the 21st century—for them, power does not come just from the barrel of a gun, but also from pixels on a screen.  Thus the infamous "Great Firewall of China," which blocks many web addresses and websites, along with content related to "subversive" topics like the Tiananmen Square protests.  Reporters without Borders even suspects that China has turned online censorship into an export industry, selling surveillance technology to nations like Cuba (also a Human Rights Council member) and Zimbabwe.  Yet as the world's largest  country, China will undoubtedly demand a seat at the table as part of the "global community" the Obama Administration wants to govern the Internet. Then there's the case of Russia, also elected to the UN Human Rights Council last fall.  Russia's invasion of the Crimea — aided by immediate censorship of pro-Ukrainian websites by Russian authorities — leaves little doubt of that country's cavalier disregard for the freedom of other nations, and its own people.  Yet even as his half-hearted actions failed to preserve Ukraine's territorial sovereignty, President Obama seems perfectly willing to surrender America's sovereignty over the Internet, giving autocrats like Vladimir Putin a greater say in how the Internet does — or, as online censorship increases, does not — operate. Sadly, the Commerce Department's proposal to transfer control of the world wide web to the "global Internet community" is consistent with President Obama's desire to promote multi-lateralism over America's national interests.  During his 2008 campaign, candidate Obama famously addressed crowds in Germany as a "citizen of the world."  But the world doesn't look to countries like North Korea, China, and Russia for openness and free speech — it looks to our shores.  The country that invented the Internet is also the country that enshrined free speech as part of our First Amendment to the Constitution.  Both concepts have transformed the globe — and for the better.  From the online communities that gave birth to the Arab Spring, to the spread of commerce around the world, to the rapid spread of free ideas, the Internet has promoted democracy and freedom throughout the globe.  Given this track record of unparalleled success, why should the United States give people like Vladimir Putin, Nicolas Maduro, Iranian mullahs, or other oppressors access to its governance? The answer is simple: We shouldn't.  Before giving those autocrats a greater say in the Internet's governance, Congress should first have its say, and block the Obama Administration's proposed transfer.  Freedom is a terrible thing to fritter away for the sake of giving tyrants a stronger voice. The author is Governor of the State of Louisiana.  NET RIGHT DAILY After Sarah Palin, Jindal IS the best option going forward. IMO ”

I was slightly moved

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Do It For Denmark! Hauntingly reminiscent of Hitler's Lebensborn program, and most DEFINITELY in the face of the Musliim invasion. —Herr Metzger, Office of Compliance

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CA. Senator Gun Running to Islamo Terrorists

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OMG!  A Democrat.  From San Francicso  Go Figure. If Guns Are Outlawed Only California State Senators and Muslim Terrorist Friends Will Have Guns SAN FRANCISCO – A California state senator who advocated gun control legislation asked for campaign donations in exchange for introducing an undercover FBI agent to an arms trafficker and told him how to get shoulder-fired automatic weapons and missiles from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. The allegations against State Sen. Leland Yee were outlined in an FBI affidavit in support of a criminal complaint. The affidavit accuses Yee of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms. He was arrested Wednesday. [Full Story] I will bet anyone $733,650 Yuan that Leland Yee is being run by the PRC. Marc Miller

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Jummy Suffers from Stockholm Syndrome

The Man Who Lived Too Long Carter Blames Jews for Obama’s Snubs

The Fifth Estate in Mascarade

At The Cinema                            SPOOKS REDUX “ I think I mentioned that MoSup, particularly, missed watching two (or more) episodes of White Collar as we supped each night.  I suggested that she would probably get just as caught up by Spooks (MI-5), and I was right.  It's been a few years since I watched the series, so I am able to re-enjoy most of them,  although there are no Holy MFS! moments for me.  Last night we watched episode 20, "A Prayer for My Daughter." Because I'm not immersed in British politics (although I'm becoming more so, as I watch more and more BBC stuff), I didn't have my antennae up the way I do with anything Hollywood.  I eventually did catch on to SPOOKS leftist tilt, but missed in the first go-around what every Brit caught in #20; the bad guy, a murdering media mogul, not only resembled Rupert Murdoch, he was BBC's character assassination target, something that continues in real life. I am reminded of this after posting the previous Koch Brothers targeting.  Progressives are pricks in any language . Influential United Nations negotiator Patricia Norton (Jan Chappell) is kidnapped and later found murdered. Because Adam was fond of her, he discovers that a shadow organisation called the November Committee, in which media mogul David Swift (Ruppert Murdoch) is a key member, was involved as they wanted her to cease any peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian territories. ”

KOCH-The Real Thing

Meet The Press                                    “ So in the Post’s view, it is acceptable to publish articles that are both literally false (Koch is the largest tar sands leaseholder) and massively misleading (the Keystone Pipeline is all about Koch Industries), if by doing so the paper can “stir and inflame public debate in this election year?” This is an article in Powerline by John Hinderaker.  It was posted to Facebook by Jack Cashill.  Nothing here will surprise anyone, just reinforce what we already know.   Der Christmas Skoonj The Washington Post Responds To Me, and I Reply to the Post On Thursday, the Washington Post published an article by Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin titled “The biggest lease holder in Canada’s oil sands isn’t Exxon Mobil or Chevron. It’s the Koch brothers.” The article’s first paragraph included this claim: The biggest lease holder in the northern Alberta oil sands is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, the privately-owned cornerstone of the fortune of conservative Koch brothers Charles and David. The theme of the article was that the Keystone Pipeline is all about the Koch brothers; or, at least, that this is a plausible claim. The Post authors relied on a report by a far-left group called International Forum on Globalization that I debunked last October. So Thursday evening, I wrote about the Post article here. I pointed out that Koch is not, in fact, the largest leaser of tar sands land; that Koch will not be a user of the pipeline if it is built; and that construction of the Keystone Pipeline would actually be harmful to Koch’s economic interests, which is why Koch has never taken a position on the pipeline’s construction. The Keystone Pipeline, in short, has nothing whatsoever to do with the Koch brothers. My post garnered a great deal of attention, and Mufson and Eilperin undertook to respond to it here. It isn’t much of a response: they don’t deny the truth of anything I wrote, and they don’t try to sustain the proposition that Koch is even in favor of the pipeline, let alone the driving force behind it. They lamely suggest that if Koch leased 2 million acres, rather than 1.1 million as they reported on Thursday, then Koch might be the largest leaseholder. But they make no attempt to respond to the official Province of Alberta maps that I posted, which clearly show that Canadian National Resources, Ltd., for example, leases more acreage than Koch. The Post’s response attempted to explain “Why we wrote about the Koch Industries [sic] and its leases in Canada’s oil sands.” Good question! What’s the answer? The Powerline article itself, and its tone, is strong evidence that issues surrounding the Koch brothers’ political and business interests will stir and inflame public debate in this election year. That’s why we wrote the piece. So in the Post’s view, it is acceptable to publish articles that are both literally false (Koch is the largest tar sands leaseholder) and massively misleading (the Keystone Pipeline is all about Koch Industries), if by doing so the paper can “stir and inflame public debate in this election year?” I can’t top Jonah Goldberg’s comment on that howler: By this logic any unfair attack posing as reporting is worthwhile when people try to correct the record. Why not just have at it and accuse the Kochs of killing JFK or hiding the Malaysian airplane? The resulting criticism would once again provide “strong evidence that issues surrounding the Koch brothers’ political and business interests will stir and inflame public debate in this election year.” Let me offer an alternative explanation of why the Washington Post published their Keystone/Koch smear: 1) The Washington Post in general, and Mufson and Eilperin in particular, are agents of the Left, the environmental movement and the Democratic Party. 2) The Keystone Pipeline is a problem for the Democratic Party because 60% of voters want the pipeline built, while the party’s left-wing base insists that it not be approved. 3) The Keystone Pipeline is popular because it would broadly benefit the American people by creating large numbers of jobs, making gasoline more plentiful and bringing down the cost of energy. 4) Therefore, the Democratic Party tries to distract from the real issues surrounding the pipeline by claiming, falsely, that its proponents are merely tools of the billionaire Koch brothers–who, in fact, have nothing to do with Keystone one way or the other. 5) The Post published its article to assist the Democratic Party with its anti-Keystone talking points. Which frames a very interesting contrast. The Keystone Pipeline is by no means the only energy-related controversy these days. “Green” energy is also highly controversial. “Green” energy is controversial, in part, because, unlike the Keystone Pipeline, it harms the consumer: solar and wind energy are inefficient, and therefore raise energy costs to consumers. “Green” energy is also controversial because it harms taxpayers: because they are inefficient, solar and wind energy can survive only through taxpayer-funded subsidies. Further, the federal government has invested in numerous “green” energy projects that have gone bankrupt, sticking taxpayers with the tab. Solyndra is only one of a number of such debacles. “Green” energy is also controversial because it has been used to enrich government cronies. Let’s take, for instance, the billionaire Tom Steyer. Steyer has made much of his fortune by using his government connections to secure support for uneconomic “green” energy projects that have profited him, to the detriment of consumers and taxpayers. See, for example, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. As is explained here, Tom Steyer is a bitter opponent of the Keystone Pipeline. His financial interests, in “green” energy and perhaps also in pre-pipeline oil sources like BP, stand to benefit if Keystone is killed. Haven’t heard much about Tom Steyer, you say? Maybe that’s because he isn’t heavily involved in politics. Heh–just kidding. Steyer, as you probably know, is one of the biggest donors to the Democratic Party and its candidates. This year, he has pledged to contribute $100 million to the campaigns of Democratic candidates, as long as they toe the line on environmental issues–which includes, presumably, taxpayer support for “green” energy and opposition to Keystone. So the Post could have written a very different story about the Keystone Pipeline. The Post could have written that opposition to the pipeline is being funded in large part by a billionaire who has a personal financial interest in the pipeline not being built. And that’s not all! The billionaire is a political crony who has used his connections in Washington to get rich and to fleece consumers and taxpayers. Now, with Keystone, he is doing it again! How is that for a story that would “stir and inflame public debate in this election year”? The Post, of course, didn’t write that story. But the Post has written about Tom Steyer. Not only that–what a coincidence!–Juliet Eilperin has written about Steyer. In this February 2013 puff piece, to which Mufson also contributed, she promoted Steyer’s campaign to be named Energy Secretary: John Podesta, who chairs the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, said Steyer has “got the right skill set, the understanding and attitude to lead an energy transformation in this country.” “I think he would be a fabulous choice for energy secretary,” Podesta added, “and I’ve let my friends in the administration know that.” Here is a thought experiment: imagine Juliet Eilperin writing about a campaign to get Charles Koch named Secretary of Energy. Eilperin went on to describe a public appearance by Steyer in glowing terms: On Sunday, he spoke to a crowd that organizers estimated at 35,000, gathered on the Mall to call for a stronger national climate policy.“I’m not the first person you’d expect to be here today. I’m not a college professor and I don’t run an environmental organization,” he said. “For the last 30 years I’ve been a professional investor and I’ve been looking at billion-dollar investments for decades and I’m here to tell you one thing: The Keystone pipeline is not a good investment.” The move stems from an uncomfortable conclusion Steyer has reached: The incremental political victories he and others have been celebrating fall well short of what’s needed to avert catastrophic global warming. There is lots more, all of it adoring. Of course, neither Steyer nor Eilperin mentioned that killing Keystone, capping carbon emissions and so on would all benefit Steyer financially. So we have a contrast that couldn’t be clearer: the Washington Post published a false story about support for Keystone because it fit the Democratic Party’s agenda. It covered up a similar, but true story about opposition to the pipeline (and about “green” politics in general) because that, too, fit the Democratic Party’s agenda. I don’t think we need to look any further to connect the dots. And yet, a still deeper level of corruption is on display here. Juliet Eilperin is a reporter for the Washington Post who covers, among other things, environmental politics. As I wrote in my prior post, she is married to Andrew Light. Light writes on climate policy for the Center for American Progress, a far-left organization that has carried on a years-long vendetta against Charles and David Koch on its web site, Think Progress. Light is also a member of the Obama administration, as Senior Adviser to the Special Envoy on Climate Change in the Department of State. The Center for American Progress is headed by John Podesta, who chaired Barack Obama’s transition team and is now listed as a “special advisor” to the Obama administration. Note that Ms. Eilperin quoted Podesta, her husband’s boss, in her puff piece on Tom Steyer. Oh, yes–one more thing. Guess who sits on the board of the Center for American Progress? Yup. Tom Steyer. This kind of incest is common in Washington. You can’t separate the reporters from the activists from the Obama administration officials from the billionaire cronies. Often, as in this instance, the same people wear two or more of those hats simultaneously. However bad you think the corruption and cronyism in Washington are, they are worse than you imagine. And if you think the Washington Post is part of a free and independent press, think again. A quick search on Koch Bros reveals the full intensity of hatred and fear they generate amongst the Left establishment.  Which of course manifestly makes them American patriots of the highest rank. ”

Maryland, Our Toilet Bowl

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Maryland My Toilet Bowl   THE NEWS MEDIA ARE  NOT REPORTING ON THIS, LET YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY KNOW. Bathroom Bill passes Committee, going to a House Vote - Please Contact Your Delegate Now A colleague in the know said that unless a miracle happens, Maryland’s version of the bathroom bill will pass this year, and likely will be voted out of the House of Delegates any day now. That miracle can only happen if you and people like you take action today by contacting your Delegate and forwarding this email to other people so that they can take action. The bill is just like the bill that California passed last year. It would allow men to use the women’s bathroom and women to use the men’ s bathroom based on what sex they happen to feel they are at the moment. Can you take a few minutes right now to try to stop the “Bathroom Bill”?  Please contact your Delegate now.  I did just contact my two delegates, but they're both Republicans who 1) have nothing to do with this, and 2) are so outnumbered by Democrats as to be toothless.  I know, 99% of you live outside MD, but this is cathartic for me, and will also serve to warn you about MD. Gov. Martin O'Malley's (aka the White Obama) coming presidential bid.

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Pacifica Radio Blows Up

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Left-Wing Darling Pacifica Radio Is Sliding Into the Abyss Summer Reese “A treasure trove of lefty greed, arrogance, self importance, corruption and incompetence. -Donald Vieraitis On March 13, after weeks of rumors, Pacifica Radio's board of directors voted to fire its executive director, Summer Reese, during what was essentially a conference call. But nothing is as simple as all that in the oldest and oddest public radio network in the country. Pacifica has a long and storied history, and still features such leading liberals as Amy Goodman, the widely known host of Democracy Now! (on which journalists Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill are frequent guests), but it has fallen on hard times of late. Listenership, according Reese, is "extraordinarily low." During an average 15-minute period, just 700 people listen to its Los Angeles station, 90.7 FM KPFK, for at least five minutes, according to Nielsen Audio, which monitors radio ratings. Four days later, Reese sent an email to the entire Pacifica staff announcing that she was not recognizing the board's authority: "I want to assure you that I am in possession of a signed and valid contract for three years of employment from the board of directors and that I fully intend to complete that contract." And so it was that Reese marched to the Pacifica national office in Berkeley on March 17, bolt cutters in hand, removed a padlock placed on the front doors over the weekend, and essentially occupied the building. When newly appointed interim executive director Margy Wilkinson showed up, Reese and 12 of her compatriots — including Reese's mother, a longtime anti-war and civil rights activist — refused to let Wilkinson, her husband and two of her allies pass. "You're all going to be personally liable — and I'm going to enjoy your houses!" Reese shouted at them, according to former board member Sasha Futran, who backs Wilkinson. Later Reese read for all the staff, in her deep and booming voice, from the Book of Joshua: "Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage." "I feel like I've ended up in an insane asylum," Futran told L.A. Weekly a few hours later, still in disbelief. "I'm not leaving the building until this is resolved by either the Attorney General's Office or the court," Reese told the Weekly. "I don't want these people to destroy Pacifica." [Full Barrel of Fun] During an average 15-minute period, just 700 people listen Just Freaking Precious

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So this guy

So this Guy ...   Here is that picture Blame cuzzin ricky