A Feather Adrift

I moved the Blog

2008-04-25T17:21:00.002-05:00

I still have tons of work to do, but I've imported all the posts. Sorry for the inconvenience but I cannot face another day like today. Too much work lost for no good reason other than that Blogger doesn't care because it's free. Everybody I have ever met from wordpress say they love it. I'm missing my fun stuff since it won't accept java script, but I know it won't fail to save my work again.

The NEW URL: http://afeatheradrift.wordpress.com

The only thing different is replacing blogspot with wordpress in the url.

I have a lot of work to do, and after my autobiographical post tomorrow I'll get right on it. I think I can simplify some things since they have drop down categories and I have reduce my tags quite a bit! I'm sure it will take some getting used to, but I'm excited.

2008-04-25T08:47:00.002-05:00

This photograph is from the Library of Congress and pictures Mrs. Stanley McCormick and Mrs. Charles Parker. It was taken April 22, 1913.

I find it interesting that neither woman had a first name. Actually such referrals were the norm well into the 60's I imagine. I offer it in honor of the silly discussions I'm having at Catholic Forums wherein a small segment of men and women decry the "feminist" movement and blame it for every ill they now perceive in society. One can but imagine how courageous some of these women had to be in order stand up and demand the vote. No doubt some faced fierce opposition even from their husbands. We owe them a debt of thanks.

I understand that this deluge of water is to be followed by fairly cold temperatures by the end of the weekend. This miserable winter/spring will go down undoubtedly as one of the worst in Iowa's history. I guess Waterloo really got it, some places getting over 5 inches of water. The trees are fairly bursting with leaves about to explode from their tightly furled buds. Daffodils are in huge clumps to the north and east of the house. I'd go and pick a bunch, but the standing water everywhere tends to dampen my ardor for spring flowers. Perhaps a bit later today, if the rains truely have abated.

I decided not to start the next cleaning project today. The living room is next as I avoid the kitchen. I've tearing apart all the cabinets in there and reorganizing. The living room presents other difficulties since we are still burning wood and so I have to avoid the stove and wood cart and the environs around them. But I figure every bit I do is one less thing to have to do later. Tomorrow I'll start somewhere and begin. So I spent a bit more time on dinner which today is roasted pork loin with roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli, and salad. I did a marinade for the meat consisting of garlic, dijohn mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. I figure about 1 hour at 425o. I'll just do a light vinagarette for the salad.

Please let me know about what countries you would like to see featured in the new segment on blogs around the world. It will take me a week or so to acquire enough to fill a daily post, but other than hot spots around the globe such as the Middle East, Pakistan, Tibet, etc., I'm not sure who else to include. I am not searching for just political blogs but also just daily life blogs. I thought it would be fun to see what other lives are like. It has been my firm belief that at its core every human being wants about the same things in life, the basics and some opportunity for leisure activities and most important the chance for their kids to do better. I really appreciate your input and your comments. They both help direct me, and invigorate a flailing dedication which we all fall subject to from time to time.

Well, it's Friday, and you know you can't wait for what I have found today. I know I can't!

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101 Cookbooks has a wonderful Spring Ragout. She uses fava beans, peas, and asparagus. She offers you several ways to use it. She has lovely lucious pictures, and she has a delightfully warm prose to accompany it all. I'd say that that makes it a winner in my book. Take a look.

This blog is not short because I was too busy today. I spent nearly five hours and it was unusually long. Blogger decided that it would not work at all today. It saved almost none of my work, failed to alert me that it was not saving any of it. It failed to alert me that my labels were over 200. No matter how many I removed that would not go out. I tried to go to edit, and when I did, I found the entire blog missing. I don't have the the time or the temperament now to redo it. It had some wonderful information, sadly. I'm looking at Wordpress again. Much as I hate that I can't have all my bells and whistles, I know people don't have these ridiculous problems there. They also have an attentive and helpful "Help" group, which they don't have at Blogger either. I'm just not sure what I am going to do, but I'm pretty much fit to be tied right now. Sorry folks. I'll do what I can to get back on track as soon as I can.

Dripping Wet in Rural Iowa

2008-04-24T14:30:00.002-05:00

This is a Cheyenne woman photographed by Edward S. Curtis. I believe it was taken in 1911. You can find other photos that depict Native Peoples from the Great Plains westward at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html By the way, there are tons of other subject matter photos here. It's a large chunk of Americana. Hope you enjoy them.

On the home front a couple of things. First the office cleaning is done. I owe a great thanks to the Contrarian who hates cleaning but pitched in like a trooper and probably shaved two days off the project. We are ready to paint!

Secondly, the Contrarian called our neighbor and asked for some assistance to get the car out of the mud hole it had sunk into at our back door. We live in the holler so to speak and from the south, water runs down the hill to us. It continues past us to the creek which also catches the runoff from the hill to the north. He had to pull nearly 50 feet before the car was not sinking any more. We hurried off to Center Point to the "bad store" and got enough of the extras we needed until it finally dries out. The "bad store" means its one of those town local establishments that has not much but the obvious. You won't find an avocado there for sure. So we are quite happy now, as the miserable rains have returned. The lane itself is pretty good, its just down here now that is muddy. But we left the car back where its quite sandy and drains downward so, we should have no trouble getting out after this couple of days has some time to seep down. The fields look surface dry, but the Contrarian's half brother has sunk his backhoe into our field while working I believe on the tiles by the north-south creek. What a year it is becoming.

I have an idea, and that often can be a bad thing. It always gets me to thinking. A few nights ago, we were watching Bill Moyers Journal, listening to a young woman who is bureau chief in Iraq for some news group. Some of the Iraqi journalists who work for her also do a blog. I found it, and in looking it over got an idea. Here it is. I'm thinking of trying to collect blogs from various parts of the world, and once a week doing an international look around. I have this Iraq one of course. I found a Palestinian one that looked interesting, but was having trouble getting the feed, so that is still up in the air. I checked around for Iranian ones, and can find none updated since 2007, so the government may be blocking them. What do you think of the idea? After all, the wonder of the internet is the ability to talk to folks from all kinds of places around the globe. Can we benefit from peeking into their lives a bit? I sure think so.

Let's see what is happening on this soggy dreary day:

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Speaking of that, Deborah at (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifie, is from Singapore and has an interesting take on foxglove. Her life has been much different than most of ours, and I found this post delightful. She's a wonderful artist in her own right and you might be interested in purchasing some of her work. At least you will enjoy the pictures.

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John Adams was one of our Founding Fathers. American History Blog has the top 10 things you should know about him. Since I have seen some of the HBO series, I knew some of them, but I learned a couple I didn't know by reading this post. Try it.

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Sandi's Crochet Blog is always so generous with her work and designs. She posts them all for free for us all. Here is another gem that creates heart shaped work that is suitable for Mother's Day perhaps?

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Josie at C'est La Vie has an interesting idea--can the "butterfly effect" be applied to human kindness? A smile that grows exponentially, spreading far beyond the original smiler? Read her post and decide.

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Oh boy, Coconut & Lime has a to-die-for dessert today. And it's about my favorite and is composed of more favorites, oh I'm just bouncy at this one: Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Cocoa Nibs. Danged if I know what a cocoa nib is though? Is it a chip? I left a comment and asked, and I'll let you know if I remember to go back and find out.

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Lucky us, more recipes are in the offing. Here is one that looked mighty nice for a lovely spring dinner (today would not be the day, given the yucky weather). It features shrimp and is called:
Capellini with Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce. Perfect with some nice fresh bread and salad wouldn't you say? My thanks to Epicurious.

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Lynda at Essential Estrogen has been busy and brings us another profile of a woman running for Senate seat, District 40 in Iowa. Her name is Sharon Savage. Learn all about her and her vision for Iowa.

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Feeling Stitchy has some very nice pictures of some embroidery work done by another artist. I thought they were most inspiring. I have done some embroidery and I certainly appreciate the skill involved. I've just never thought it worthwhile to embroider things like pillowcases and towels, because you either never use them to preserve the work or they wear out and your work goes into the rag heap. But making pictures is a fine way to preserve.

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Free Sample Forager has a number of new offers you might be interested in. (Getting to the mail box again was a delight, I got some Tide and a free poster I signed up for.) I saw toothpaste, and magazines, tea and cereal, among others. Skip on over and see if you find something you would like. Hey, I know these free samples aren't much, but if you get one wash for free, it is one you didn't have to pay for right? Over the year, you might save over all more than $100 in products. And it cost you zip, not even a postage stamp!

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Garrison Keillor must have known that today we needed a fix! He has some interesting things to say as always. Read "Freedom is hard work."

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I must say, the National Review ( or how we can collect that many brain-dead boneheads on one magazine) strikes again. This time its my favorite, women bashing women. This happens a good deal on the right as you may know. Go to a Catholic forum and hear women talking about how wonderful it is to be "equal but different." Translation: I love being a subservient wife and mother because God wants me to. Anyhoo, today Christina Hoff Sommers tells us how terrible it is that women are fighting for a piece of the prize in what still remain largely male bastions, math, physics and engineering. That women might bring something new to the table is beyond her. She offers a lot of claims but little or no verifiable facts. It's the usual, the danged women's movement is destroying family and hearth. Yada yada yada.

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National Geographic is reporting that a tomb thought to be that of Alexander the Great's father, was actually that of his half-brother. This means that the armor found inside the grave may have belonged to Alexander himself, who pre-deceased his brother. These excavations are occurring in Greece. Read about it at rogueclassicism.

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Have you heard about the NYTimes report that "military analysts" supposedly hired by the various networks to give expert opinion on war stuff were actually plants by the US military? Plants may be too strong a word, but that is in effect what they ended up doing, simply reinforcing the political position of the administration.

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I just love Scandalous Women! I mean that in both ways too. Another wonderful addition to women's history is offered today in the biographical sketch of Delia Bacon. Her mission in life was to prove that Shakespeare didn't write those majestically exquisite plays. Her life was tragic. Samuel Morse and Ralph Waldo Emerson also figure in the story. Is that enough to tantalize your brain cells? LOL.

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Looks like science is figuring some things out. Astronomers and others of that ilk, believe that black holes, which are at the center of I believe most galaxies spew out a lot of particles in powerful jets. They had an idea of how that was done. The photos of the process have just been received from VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array) which confirms their theory. Read all the fascinating details at Science Digest.

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Hah! I got the ingredients for this one, so I think next week, I'll definitely give this a go. It is one of those dishes that seem always right, any season, any day. See if you agree with Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce. This is from that great site, Simply Recipes.

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Susan Posner has another addition to her fine series, Fundamentalist over at the American Prospect. Be sure to read it. This one features Pentecostals, Iowa's own Senator Grassley, McCain and gay teens.

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The Washington Independent reports the Senate GOP'ers managed to stop another bill. This one gave women a bigger window to sue for wage discrimination. All the Dems wanted was that the statute of limitations reset with each paycheck. Republicans wanted none of that, and McCain is on record saying it "hurt" business. Both Obama and Clinton raced back and voted yeah, McCain did not bother.

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Wet, con't

2008-04-24T13:02:00.003-05:00

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Soon, if you haven't already, lettuce will be going into our gardens. Of course, no matter how carefully you plan, some will get away from you and will bolt. Here's what you can do: Read Veggie Gardening Tips and she will help you and me both out.

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You can find a thoroughly intriguing and thought provoking post at Urantian Sojourn today. It discusses what has happened to our sense of community in American? Did we ever have one? Where did it go? How do we get it back? We bloggers know that one of the reasons we do this is that we want that community, and we jump for joy at each new visitor, hoping to find common ground. We want that in our country as well. We seek family and friendships for the same reason, or at least one reason. It is simply the human thing to do. It is more than human, it is the way of life to some extent. This is the one post I would declare a must read today.

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"The only really good place to buy lumber is at a store where the lumber has already been cut and attached together in the form of furniture, finished, and put inside boxes." Dave Barry

"Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it." Cullen Hightower

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Little Ones Baby Lotion Keep away from children
Hair Coloring Do not use as an ice cream topping.
Wet-Nap Directions: Tear open packet and use.
Dial Soap Directions: Use like regular soap.
Stridex Foaming Face Wash May contain foam.

Old Spice Red Zone Deoderant Use only on underarms.
Zantac 75 Do not take if allergic to zantac.
Sleeping Pills Warning: May cause Drowsiness
Christmas Lights Warning: For indoor or outdoor use only.
Bic Lighter Ignite lighter away from face.
Komatsu Floodlight This floodlight is capable of illuminating large areas, even in the dark

From: www.bored.com

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The Democratic presidential race is dragging on and on and on, but the Democrats are trying to put a good face on this. They say now absolutely they will have a nominee by McCain’s second year in office. So they’re ready to go. David Letterman

No one talks about John McCain anymore because he won his side of the thing pretty much, and now he’s just wandering around. So he’s trying to do things to get press, and this week, he is on a tour of what he calls forgotten places in America, which at his age means just about everywhere. Conan O'Brien

John McCain is off on a campaign tour of the South, what he describes as “forgotten places.” Of course, in his case those forgotten places can be where he left his keys, his wallet, his glasses … – Janice Hough, Palo Alto, Calif.

The President assures America that there is no recession. I tend to believe him –this guy knows recess. – Thailand Richard

Are You Sure Where You Are?

2008-04-23T10:05:00.015-05:00

This mural was done by Bartolommeo di Giovanni between 1490-95 in Italy. It is called "Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist." It can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago. I guess I am constrained to recall any of these "scenes" about John.

The office is just about done. It will be finished tomorrow since there is but a small area that still needs some sorting. We've moved a lot of things around and it's shaping up as a more usable room now, easier to get around in, more organized. So I'm quite pleased. When we get out I'll get the paint and that will really make a huge difference no doubt. I've got spaghetti sauce on the stove ready to go. Usually I make sauce and then meatballs, but I ran out of meatballs and don't have all the ingredients now, so I just cooked up loose ground round and added it to my usual sauce. It smells good.

I guess the weather is going to continue to be terrible. Bad rains are forecast for tomorrow and then some really cold temperatures again. The Contrarian is getting a bit depressed at this turn of events, as am I, but at some point, you just give in. It is out of my control certainly, so I just plug along with my cleaning as best I can and forget about the rest.

Let's see what is going on today. As you all know by now, Hillary won Pennsylvania by ten points, so that race is going to go on. Although the Contrarian disagrees, I think her argument is now a good deal stronger. He has outspent her 2 or 3 to 1 and he cannot close her out. In fact, as I actually expected, she beat him by more than most were saying she would. He is having trouble in the big must win states, and I do think some are beginning to wonder.

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Sandi's Crochet Blog has some nice patterns for you to filet crochet a monogram. Nice to do for your home, or as a gift. I think they are quite beautiful and would make a lovely wedding gift. See what you think.

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It should come as no surprise that newspapers have been losing readers in the last few years. As more and more of us turn to the TV and our computers for news, newspapers seem to be gathering dust. The stuff that passes as news on TV is a joke, and most of us know that. It seems almost the unanimous opinion that Gibson and Stephanopolous, moderators of the last debate, were just plain awful, wasting the majority of the time on matters trivial and inconsequential, and neglecting the real issues that are of concern to all of us. Newspapers and their writers were the people we turned to. They spend real time investigating and learning about an issue before they set pen to paper. We got a more thorough and thoughtful examination of the news item rather than the one minute thirty-second "high" points rendition we get on TV. Blogging has certainly pointed that out dramatically to me. Things I refer you to here, often appear on the news a day or two later. Almost invariably they barely skim the subject and the written post I link to has much more detailed and often important information. I'm at a loss what can be done, or should be done. Read Alternet's take on the issue.

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Blue Girl, Red State has a good post on Congress and it's finally nailing the FDA for utter incompetence. We've been saying that for a long time of course, and the same pretty much applies to most if not all of our so-called "regulatory" agencies. The question is, will Congress actually do something about this state of affairs.

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Remember the Brown Derby? Feeling a bit nostalgic about Old Hollywood? Want to cook? LOL. Okay, Copycat Restaurant Recipes has one from the famous California eatery--Cobb Salad and the Old Fashioned French Dressing. I remember the old I Love Lucy, where she and Ethel and Fred went there, and well, you can imagine the trouble that ensued.

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I didn't waste a second when I pulled up this feed. I love lemon desserts and this one looks soooo very delicious one could almost eat it off the page. Lemon Curd Mousse Cake sounds and looks divine and I'm running off the recipe now so I can be sure to get my lemons at the store when I get to shop again. I wish I lived at Epicurious's house, if she makes this stuff every day. Do you think?

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Essential Estrogen has a very important post today. Friday is a Day of Silence, which is being observed by many in Iowa in support of efforts to stop harassment, bullying and assault both verbal and physical on gays and lesbians in our state. You can expect the usual right wing screaming that somehow this supports an "ungodly" lifestyle. Of course it doesn't do anything of the kind but merely speaks to our solidarity with all who stand against violence toward ANYONE. Read Lynda's report and decide for yourself.

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Knitting Dragonflies has a great post today that you should not miss if you like to knit. She has five reader's choice sweater patterns for you free! I've made two sweaters in my life, a V-neck pull over, and a cardigan with buttons and all. Both turned out wonderfully, and believe me I'm barely more than a beginner knitter. So you can do it, I promise. I'm making sure I keep track of these for this fall, and I am gonna make me another one.

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It would appear that oil painting was first invented in Asia and not Europe. Remember when the Taliban destroyed Buddhas throughout Afghanistan? Well, behind those statues that were destroyed were caves in which oil paintings were discovered. They are older by many centuries than the ones found in Europe. Read more at Live Science.

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If you caught Boston Legal last night, Alan Shore pretty much summed up my views on the death penalty. Oh how I wish it were possible to stand as he did before a facsimile of Scalia, Roberts, Alito, and Thomas and tell them to their face how hideous they are in their smug little privileged world as they legislate in their own fashion from the bench. Gilbert King offers his opinion in this NYTimes editorial.

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Another good issue is being raised by On Faith at the Washington Post: In his speech to U.S. bishops last week, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted . . . To the extent that religion becomes a purely private affair, it loses its very soul." Do you agree or disagree? Why? This strikes directly at our present controversy I believe, what role should religion play in our town square? Read the panel responses and join in yourself. It's easy to sign up to post your comments.

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Most parents have probably known this forever, but our faces really do give us away when we lie, and it's not the usual shifty eyes, or inability to look you in the eye that tells the tale. Read this interesting report in Science Daily and learn how a new expertise is helping police tell the truth tellers from the liars. It has to do with facial muscles that we are really unable to control. Now if this gets allowed as expert testimony, a whole lot is going to be changing in the world of crime I tell ya.

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From what I hear, it's getting pretty hard to meet those recruitment quotas these days in the good old US of A (army). I'm thinking that if you can walk, they will sign you up. Well, maybe even if you promise you will walk someday. You might want to look at this recruitment talk and see if you think it works. Undoubtedly this is close to the mark, I'm betting.

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Tip Junkie has a list of submitted tips today. It's a pretty long list of ideas for crafts other helpful bits and pieces. Take a look and see if there is anything you fancy.

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"Historians are like deaf people who go on answering questions that no one has asked them." Leo Tolstoy

"Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too." Richard Nixon ( I kid you not)

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Yes, dear Iowans, it's still illegal to do the following:

Horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants in Marshalltown, Iowa.

In Dubuque any hotel in the city limits must have a water bucket and a hitching post in front of the building.

Indianola: The "Ice Cream Man" and his truck are banned.

One-armed piano players must perform for free.

Warn your hubby that after lovemaking in Ames, Iowa, he isn't allowed to take more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with you -- or holding you in his arms.

You may shoot Native Americans if there are more than five of them on your property at any one time.

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How about the presidential campaign? I’m no political expert, but here is the problem with what the Democrats are doing. They’re spending too much time attacking one another and not enough time trying to rig the election. David Letterman

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These warnings do appear on the following products:

Liquid Plummer>> Warning: Do not reuse the bottle to store beverages

Waving at the Top of the Hill

2008-04-22T10:05:00.015-05:00

This beautiful stained glass is undoubtedly more beautiful than any photo can do it justice. It is "The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints" and was done between 1440-1446 in Germany in the Rhine Valley. It can be seen at MMA.

We had some brief showers this morning and then the sun can out. It is back and forth but more cloudy that anything. The water is just standing still, and it's so frustrating. Both the Contarian and I are just getting so tired of waiting to get out of here and do some shopping. It's near to time to start a few plantings at least, and we are mired in this mud. He thinks the lane itself is much better but we have a good 50 feet where the car is sitting that is now a swamp. He's of course regretting that he didn't leave the car farther from the house. But of course, one can't predict these things. We expected to go the day after we got unstuck last Thursday. Then it started to rain.

The cleaning continues and is showing some real progress. The office is slowly being revealed as we sort and throw out "stuff." Of course, there are plenty of disagreements; I am far from a pack rat and throw out stuff easily, especially if I haven't used it since the last time I was decluttering a room. The Contrarian functions more like the typical farmer. Anything and everything will no doubt be useful in some decade in the future, so it best be saved. The tension gets a bit, well, tense, now and then. We usually arrive at some agreed compromise.

The Contrarian has also seemed to have solved the camera downloading or uploading issues. He found the manual, during his sorting foray and sat down and had it basically working in minutes. He needs to run through it a bit more before he can successfully explain it to me and then I can take off with the picture doing thing.

Well, let's get on with the days news before it becomes yesterdays:

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You can get a nice tutorial on making dumplings, the Chinese kind at 101 Cookbooks. She has a nice recipe for pea dumplings. Any filling you want is of course fine, but her good instructions for the actual construction and steaming are very helpful in getting them to turn out well. They freeze beautifully, and so you can always have them in the freezer ready to go.

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I've featured scones before, but this recipe caught my eye. Lemon Buttermilk Scones from A Mingling of Tastes is a wonderful brunchy type scone that would serve up well for a small brunch party. Take a look and copy it for your files.

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My first reaction to this report was simple shock and disbelief. I could not think of why Senate Republicans would do this. A bit more reflection and I guess the answer is clear. The far right, of which they are so enamored of retaining, is up in arms about immigration. Witness how quickly Bush and McCain dropped discussion of immigration revisions that didn't involve arrest and deportation of millions. So we learn that Senate Republicans blocked a simple resolution that was to honor the service and work of Cesar Chavez, noted labor union organizer, and arguably the most revered Latino in this country. Shame on the GOP. I intend to find out which way Grassley went on this issue, and react with a e-mail accordingly.

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Of course we all were witness to the meeting between Bush and Pope Benedict XVI who was visiting the US last week. American Presidents Blog has a nice post about another such meeting, this time between President Woodrow Wilson and Pope Boniface XV. See how that meeting went as Boniface attempted to end WWI.

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Baking Delights has a long list of blogging giveaways that you can sign up for a chance at. I will check through the list later, but you really should take a look. Many are crafting gifts and kits of one sort or another, so take a look.

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Britannica Blog offers a nice exposition on the many different hats a president can and does wear. Which type are you looking for?

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I ran across this new book that is about to be released and thought you might be interested. It's called "Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement." It looks at the problem from a socio-economic, ecological, and psycho-spiritual angle. I'm definitely intrigued and plan to see about getting a copy. Get additional details at Catholic Anarchy.

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The Contrarian sweetly always does the TIVO on Masterpiece Theatre, even though most of the stuff he considers "chick flicky." He does dutifully watch however. We watched with deep attention the offering last Sunday, "My Boy Jack," about Rudyard Kipling and his son Jack, lost in WWI. It is a poignant story, one that takes your emotions up and down and around. Read a fine post on it at C'est La Vie, as well as the beautiful poem Kipling wrote about his son.

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No doubt you are aware that today is Earth Day. And for that reason alone this post is important. But every day should be earth day shouldn't it? Life Science gives you "Ten ways you can improve Earth's health." Take a look, make a change, feel good. Please don't think that your little changes don't make a difference. A lot of little changes make big differences, and we can all participate.

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Mamiedale has come across some tutorials for a variety of crafts. Visit her site and find them on her sidebar. The coiled basket interested me, and I'm going back later to look more carefully.

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I guess one of the reasons I go ballistic when the far right starts up with the intelligent design and creationism junk science they want to include in classroom curricula is because education in this country is in very big trouble. Everyone who takes a look seems to agree. Compared to kids in other developed countries, we fall further and further behind. We catch Jay Leno's "jaywalking" here and again, and rather than funny, I find it fairly nauseating that grown people, many of them college students, have not a clue about rather basic information. And what is worse, they seem to think its amusing and funny not to know. Read Robert Herbert's editorial in the NYTimes and see what you think. Are we "clueless in America?"

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The On Faith section of the Washington Post, poses this question: What can Pope Benedict XVI say and do to repair the growing rifts between the Vatican, the clergy and the laity in America? Follow the link and read a variety of responses from the panel and from regular folks like you and me. I'm intrigued as to how Depak Chopra thinks of the situation. Also Sally Quinn weighs in, as well as several others, like John Dominic Crossan. A must read.

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Now talk about comfort food. This is certainly it. Rice pudding, in all its smooth, sensuous seductive taste and smell, never fails to please hardly anyone. Simply Recipes has a wonderful recipe for you to partake from. Simple yet so fulfilling.

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Tip Junkie has a Mother's Day giveaway. So stop by and leave a comment and get the chance to win! The prize is a "Mom" charm for either a bracelet or necklace.

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"To my embarrassment I was born in bed with a lady." Wilson Mizner

"Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come." Carl Sandburg

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Be careful in Arizona or you may be arrested for these crimes:

• A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month.
• Any misdemeanor committed while wearing a red mask is considered a felony (This goes back in the days of the Wild West).
• Cards may not be played in the street with a Native American
• Donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs.
• Due to a typographical error in the Tempe, Ariz., code, a shooting range can be run by the "Amateur Crapshooting Association."
• Glendale: Cars may not be driven in reverse.
• Hayden: If you bother the cottontails or bullfrogs, you will be fined. • Hunting camels is prohibited.
• In 1985, an Arizona legislator proposed that each candidate for the legislature take a reading and an I.Q. test three months before the election. The scores would have been posted on the ballot, had the bill passed. But a majority of legislators, for whatever reason, voted it down.
• In Arizona it is illegal to take naked photographs before noon on Sunday.
• It is illegal for men and women over the age of 18 to have less than one missing tooth visible when smiling
• It is illegal to hunt camels in the state of Arizona.
• It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water.
• Maricopa County: No more than six girls may live in any house.
• Mesa: It is illegal to smoke cigarettes within 15 feet of a public place unless you have a Class 12 liqueur license.
• Mohave County: A decree declares that anyone caught stealing soap must wash himself with it until it is all used up.
• Nogales: An ordinance prohibits the wearing of suspenders.
• Prescott: No one is permitted to ride their horse up the stairs of the county court house.
• There is a possible 25 years in prison for cutting down a cactus.
• Tucson: Women may not wear pants.
• When being attacked by a criminal or burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person possesses.
• You may not have more than two dildos in a house.

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave us the New Deal. George Walker Bush gives us an appearance on “Deal or No Deal.” – Jon Gelberg

The Pope has finished his trip, and I thought this was a little overboard. Today, Barack Obama accused the Pope of clinging to religion. Jay Leno

And earlier this evening, President Bush made an appearance on the TV show “Deal or No Deal.” I guess he got turned down for “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” Jay Leno

Earlier tonight, President Bush made a special taped appearance on the game show “Deal or No Deal”‘ Yeah. Afterwards, Bush said, “I like this show because randomly pointing at boxes is how I make decisions too.”

Yesterday was April 20, which has become the unofficial holiday honoring marijuana. Yeah. It was supposed to be April 16, but they totally spaced. Conan O'Brien

I Have Excess Water to Sell!!

2008-04-21T15:30:00.002-05:00

Maya Deren is the actress and this is a still from a movie called "Meshes of the Afternoon." Done in 1943, it is a 16mm black and white silent film of 14 minutes. The cinematographer was her husband, Alexander Hammid. It is known as a trance film, an experimental cinema. The balance of the provenance can be found at the MoMA site.

Nice to finally see some warm weather. Yesterday was quite lovely and I spent some time outside sitting and listening to the birds. The enormous amount of rain we had, is still lying in pools and I have no idea when it will finally seep away. Travel is inadvisable as we don't want to get stuck again. Unfortunately more rains seem on the way and it is doubtful we will be shopping any time soon. It's getting to be a bit of a drag as we are running out of most things. I'm very tired of all this. This winter and its aftermath seems to drag on inexorably with no end in sight. I'd not have thought it possible that it would be two months since we got out, but that is fast approaching. I'm sure the planting in this area is already late since most would have seeded by now.

My craft room is done and looking very nice indeed. We are well underway in the Contrarian's office and have done a fair amount, though it's hard to see it at this point. The Contrarian has been wonderful and worked hard on it himself. We got all the desk cleared and rearranged, and all the electronics cleaned and re-ordered as well. We've yet to move in a chest for his tools and then he can really start putting a lot of stuff away. I suspect we will finish by the end of the week. The problem now, is that I simply didn't anticipate such a long wait between shopping and I'm running low on some of my cleaning needs, especially glass cleaner and those "erasers" which work so well, but disintegrate so very quickly.

It's Monday, so let's see what has happened in the world in the last few days.

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On this day in 1790, Benjamin Franklin was buried in what is held to have been one of the most splendid of funerals. At the American History Blog, you can read more and run some links to other founding father information.

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Sandi's Crochet Blog has a number of worthwhile entries. Free crochet patterns galore, mostly for fairly new crochet addicts. Everything from baby blankets, to halter tops, to dish clothes to handy reusable totes are available. Give it a look and scroll down.

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There is a new book out about John McCain, and boy it ain't pretty. It's rather ugly in fact, at least to hear the author tell about what he has been subjected to since its publication. I'm not sure how much weight to place upon on, but I do known I've heard a couple of the allegations from other sources. It makes for some very interesting reading and leads me to continue to worry that this dude is scary and not at all what we need in this country. See what you think. There are plenty of comments to peruse as well.

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Republican mouthpiece, Fox news of course thinks all this is tantamount to being a traitor, and Israel sure didn't like it, but President Jimmy Carter has had what on some level seems a successful meeting with Hamas. I for one find it simply idiotic that we refuse to talk to those we don't agree with. I don't think you ever can put down hard and fast requirements that must be met in order to be granted a meeting. Historically, of course, this is what we have done with "rogue" nations. I'm not sure it's worked well. Joshuah Holland gives his take on the historic meeting.

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In 1775, English forces were sent to Concord to seize colonial armaments. And so began our fight for independence from Britain. Read all about that seminal day at American Revolution Blog. Some claim that this was not the signal to the start of the war that we now think of it as. You can decide for yourself.

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Baking Delights has a food surf and a ton of neat sounding recipes for you to sample. Panini, brownies, pound cake, and mango pancakes are just some of the offerings.

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Bill Moyers Journal has author Martha Nussbaum discussing religious tolerance and equality in America. Read her thoughtful analysis and the usual comments from readers. American Prospect has a review of her latest book, Liberty of Conscience: In defence of America's tradition of Religious Equality.

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If you thought the Afternet article about John McCain was a bit rough, perhaps you will find this one backing up some of those claims in greater detail. Welcome Blue Girl, Red State to our list of regulars and read her take on the Mac and that famous temper.

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Ever talk to folks who don't believe in science? Now, they always believe in the science that turns on the lights, and operates the car and flies the plane. I am referring to the kind they see no good use for, the kind that they think somehow conflicts with the bible? Like millions of people who spend their professional lives working on this stuff and have for generations upon generations are wrong, and somehow Pastor Literalist who hasn't taken a science course since 9th grade in high school is right. Read Robert McHenry's tongue in cheek assault on the "thinking" behind creationist/young earthers. Giggle, it's Monday after all, as you read "Ben Stein on Astrophysics."

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Okay, when it comes to brussel sprouts, you either love 'em or hate 'em. I happen to love them, but I admit they are sometimes a bit harsh dressed only with salt and pepper and a bit of butter. Coconut & Lime has a nice little recipe that I think is worth a try. Take a look at Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes with Balsamic Dijohn Dressing.

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Iowa voters are invited to another profile of a democratic contender in this years upcoming house race. Meet Lori Sokolowski, who is running in the 63rd House District. Another fine job by Essential Estrogen.

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Feeling stitchy has a some musings about art and what she likes to do at her site. She also has a free pattern for you to use. I think its a cute little embroidery project and has a sweet message that is just perfect for a daughter or a friend. Be creative and well, CREATE.

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I find that I get a lot done if I limit myself to 15 minutes. This works especially good at things I really don't like to do. Gardening Tips 'n Ideas uses the 15 minute rule to get a few things done in the garden and has come up with 51 things you might consider. Take a look, or be a schnook. Oh goodness, I didn't really say that did I?

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We get a fine report from Professor Thomas C. Reeves on plutocracy. The pluses and minuses are set out for you in this interesting piece about what wealth means in this country and what that means for our socio-economic system. How exactly do we balance politics, economics, and entrepreneurship in this country?

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If you are still needing that incentive to get on with another quilt, well, inspired by antique quilts has another gorgeous block for you. I'm totally loving this one. The colors would be great for Christmas of course, but can you see the other possibilities? Pinks and greens or blues and yellows would look wonderful too. Take a look and get moving!

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Russell often has what I call "pondering" blogs. They are little snippets of memory, musings on bygone days, or simply a revealing thought about life in general. In any case, it gets one to thinking and you know how dangerous that can be. He has one today, called "Alone with Others," and I bet you would like it.

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Magna Carta? Remember that document? Probably remember it from History class in some year of high school right? Never thought much about it since have ya? LOL. Well, recall it again, because some claim it changed the world. Some would say it was the beginning of modern human rights. And they may just be right. Read a nice post all about it.

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Need your Mad Kane limerick fix? We got it here. As always they are biting and humorous and make a point. I'm a fan and I suspect you are too.

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Oh goodie, another of my beloved Dave Barry posts. Just another of my addictions coming forth. "How to make a movie with slobber and cake" is sure to please even the most finicky reader in your....oops. I'm mixing my metaphors again. So sorry.

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Jeannelle at Midlife by Farmlight has been a literal blogging fool the last few days, and I especially liked the one about her family's trip to Germany. While we undoubtedly feel a good deal differently about Martin Luther, her points are well taken. Some lovely photos accompany the text.

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No surprise the National Review (one has to ask of what exactly) is at it again, and this time it's backing the wacko right and its quest to get "intelligent design" in your local school. Supporting the ludicrous film "Expelled" they embark on the expected pseudoscience analysis that passes as truth, without bothering to look for any actual facts. The usual misunderstanding of science is all you can get here, but it is amusing nonetheless. Science is quite clear that ultimate "beginnings" are and may well stay outside the province of science. But that does not mean that religiously generated theories are therefore to be given placement in our science classes. They remain what they are, philosophical metaphysical explanations for which there is no scientific test available. That is what makes science science and philosophy philosophy, after all. Berg talks as if science is an entity itself and makes all kinds of blatant fallacious remarks about "science wanting to be God." Utter nonsense, but they like that sort of thing at NR. Oh, by the way, plenty of the "enemy" scientists have complained how they were "interviewed." Note that in another post, the Darwin/Hitler connection is again drawn. As if that somehow makes the science wrong. Blech, what trash.

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Niki's Ventures has a bunch of links to free pattern sites. Several are for appliques. I've had a appliqued quilt in mind for some time. One of these days, I may actually give it a go. Scroll down and see if there is anything that looks interesting to you.

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Returning a moment to the insane, we visit Bill Kristol and his latest vomitous remarks in the NYTimes. Why they give this nut a forum is beyond me. Is no one reading his rag the "Weekly Standard"? He actually decides that we all want to read about his take on the three candidates various Passover Messages issued by their political staffs. I mean, gosh Bill, don't you have some toenails to trim or something even remotely interesting or necessary to do? But you guessed it, he finds one worthy of praise--John McCain's, and in Kristol's bent brain, I'm sure that's a good enough reason. And don't miss Glenn Greenwald's take on Kristol's tour 'd force, either. It's a good one. Take that Billy! LOL

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Some promising news on the environmental front. It seems science is close to a better plastic, one that can degrade within four months of hitting a landfill. This comes as welcome news as we wonder where in the heck we are going to keep putting all this garbage, and why we are doing such a miserable thing to future generations. Missouri S & T is working on the solution.

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Sugar Creek Farm has a couple of recipes for making your own sausage, breakfast and Italian. I make my own and its quite easy if you have a basic grinder. We got a KitchenAid attachment and love it. We grind our venison with it primarily, but it works great for making sausage, bologna, pepperoni and other cured meats.

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The Artful Crafter has a roundup of craft ideas for you. Wander around and see if you find anything that gets you excited. I saw some tutorials on painting and another tote to make, and a free magazine giveaway off the top.

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Some time ago, we featured the pattern for The Village Shop's new pinwheel and applique quilt. Here she shows you the construction of the pinwheel blocks. It looks like this quilt is going to be lovely and her tutorial is most helpful.

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The overdone, overblown charges against Barack Obama and his "elitism" have been done to death it seems. But the Washington Independent actually looks at the record of our Presidents and explores who has been able to exploit the anti-elitist name in fact. The fact is, it never worked against either FDR or JFK. Will it work against Obama? You decide.

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Water, Con't

2008-04-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

Thought that terrorism grew up in some Islamic fundamentalist training camp somewhere in Asia or the Middle East? Wrong you are. Go west young man, go west. America's first confrontation with this evil occurred there, and Urantian Sojourn has all the facts for you. White dudes were the culprits. And can you tell me why Zorro had no sidekick?

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If you like to grow greens, then stop by Veggie Gardening Tips and learn how to get the most from your planting. Many don't like all the tough leaves that require long cooking. But the inner leaves are tender. Harvesting will kill the plant, so plan accordingly.

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Laws still on the books in Alaska:

A law in Fairbanks does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.

Fairbanks: It is considered an offense to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose.

In Alaska it is illegal to whisper in someone's ear while they are moose hunting.

It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.

Kangaroos are not allowed in barber shops at any time.

Moose may not be viewed from an airplane.

State policy states that emergencies are held to a minimum and rarely found to exist.

While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

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People across the Midwest are still talking about the 5.2 magnitude earthquake that was felt from Chicago to Cincinnati. Much to Barack Obama’s surprise, bitter Midwesterners dropped their guns and started clinging to poles and doorways. Paul Seaburn

Scientists, I believe in Norway, have located, identified, and verified 8,000-year-old Norway spruce trees. The oldest living things on the planet. The good news is that takes some of the heat off John McCain. David Letterman

The NFL draft starts Saturday. The Oakland Raiders will be looking for speed. But what the players do in the off season is really their business. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

"There's a stranger in our house"

2008-04-20T10:35:00.005-05:00

Thus begins the central theme of the movie, The Good Shepard, starring Matt Damon and a cast of prominent actors, and directed by Robert DeNiro. The movie opens and quickly moves to the fiasco that became the Bay of Pigs. Soon thereafter, a CIA spy bemoans that in fact someone on the inside tipped off the Cubans. True to the spy business, terms like "stranger in the house" are used to denote the fact that a mole existed within the CIA.

Well, this is not a blog on the relative merits or accuracy of the movie. As I am wont to say, we watched it last night, and well, it got me to thinking. It got me thinking on at least two different levels and I cannot seem to focus on one without necessarily invoking the other. They seem in some sense to go hand in hand. One births the other or the reverse. I'm not quite sure. Let me set the scene for those of you who might have missed it since it's 2006 release.

Edward Wilson (Matt Daman) is a privileged youth attending Yale. A poetry major, he is soon inducted into the now infamous "Skull & Bones" society of the super elite, wealthy boys of Yale. Soon thereafter he is recruited by an FBI agent to spy on his poetry professor for Communist sympathizing. Young Edward asks, "You want me to spy on my professor?" to which the FBI agent, played by Alec Baldwin replies, "We want you to be a good citizen." It seems enough and Wilson does the job, the professor is deported and Wilson has his first taste of the nefarious world of espionage.

With the beginning of WWII, young Wilson is sent to England to learn the trade from experts, the British, under the auspices of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) which sounds oh so innocuous. He meets his old professor, who it turns out, was trying to infiltrate the Communist party as part of their espionage. The war ends, and Edwards returns home finally to a wife, (Angelina Jole) whom he had been married to one week before his departure for England. A son, now 6 years old awaits him as well, a son who was the reason for his marriage in the first place.

The movie continues through the building of the CIA, amidst the growing Cold War, and much of the movie involves the chess game between Edwards and his Soviet nemesis "Ulysses." Through flashbacks and updates we witness the ongoing investigation by Wilson and "lab" boys to uncover, through a grainy film and audio tape who the insider was who had given up information on the Bay of Pigs. We learn eventually that Wilson's own now grown son, who has since entered the Agency, but had also unknowingly fallen in love with another spy, has inadvertently given up the invasion site, the Bay of Pigs.

That's enough to give you the gist of things. The first issue that I found so intriguing was the whole atmosphere surrounding the wealthy and privileged in this country. Skull & Bones is portrayed as the petrie dish of national leaders, those folks who make policy and see that the rest of us carry it out. This old boy's club, and it is all boys mind you, all come from wealth and power, the kind that through their power, makes sure that wealth says where it is supposed to, in their hands.

There is no questioning of this self-ascribed authority to determine the fate of the the country and in some cases no doubt the world. It is birthright, plain and simple. They own it (so they think) so who else is to determine the course of the country? They meet at yearly parties to reinforce their "brotherhood." "Bonesmen, are you here, " the cry goes up, "Bonesmen, are here." they retort. And as Mrs. Wilson sighs softly, "Bonesmen first, God second. "

I am constrained to wonder how this all got started. I make no claim that it is American in nature. Such was surely the case and still is in royalty laden England and was in royalty laden France. No doubt it exists among the richest of the rich in these countries as well. But America was supposed to be different, or so our history tells us. We were not to be that bloated top heavy minority led country so "European" in nature. But of course that is what we are.

It's nothing new of course. It was like that at least from the point that the great industry titans, the Carnegies, the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts started amassing unheard of wealth and using it to mold the world into the kind of place that would enable them to, well, keep doing that. A wonderful ruse was perpetrated when they adopted the new "social darwinism" and used it to defend themselves as natural leaders, the winners in the game of "survival of the fittest," a game made legitimate by intellectual college scholars who coined the phrase. Worse yet, they cemented in their advantage by pushing the notion that what they did was open to and could happen to anyone who applied themselves in the dedicated way they had. We were sold the bill of goods that hard work and determination could lead anyone to success. The common people, thus appeased, were out of the way. It was full steam ahead for the privileged to continue to fashion the world in their liking.

To watch this play out on the screen, is to be shocked and amazed at the "rightness" of all this, that is assumed without mention or question by those so engaged. It's normal we find for Christmas parties at private residences to be attended by "Santa Claus" hired for the occasion. Men go to have private conversations and set the agenda for the country, determining among themselves that it's time for us to have an intelligence network spanning the globe to protect our (their?) interests. Oh sure, we have seen this play out in countless films and books, the rich living in a style that is beyond the pale for most everyone but themselves. Heck we see that today in the extreme, with movie "stars" and sports heroes spending lavishly on gaudy toys because they can. At least the real old money rich have the decency, we often bemuse, not to throw it in our face so blatantly.

But why have we accepted this? Why do we assume that this is correct, the way it is supposed to be? That I do not understand at all. Oh we may well rail at the excesses of some, but for the most part it is limited to those Hollywood types and sports icons. We still believe that somehow we could be the Kennedys or the Bushes if we were but willing to apply ourselves. Oh it may take a few generations to get that much wealth, but still, we believe they did it, and so can we. Perhaps once this was true. I doubt it is any longer. Yet we do nothing to call this game over and restructure our wealth in this country into more equitable terms. So the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and, well, the middle class shrinks into nothingness. And the damn thing is we have the numbers and they don't.

That takes me to the other thing. The movie, and I make no claim that it is accurate exactly, shows US CIA agents water boarding folks, giving them LSD (which I believe has been proven), slapping and otherwise mistreating people. Wilson, watches with barely a twitch as his professor is murdered for having been a bit too loose in his homosexuality and threatening the British espionage system. Somehow we are not to be shocked since the professor understands his behavior is unacceptable and goes willingly to his fate. Later, it is clear that Wilson himself is implicated in the death of his son's "wife," a spy who is thrown from a plane over some place in Africa. Earlier he uncovers a mole within his post-WWII operation overseas, and has her summarily executed.

Today, we are up to our necks in controversy about our treatment of suspected terrorists incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay. Most of us are appalled at the idea of torture, we decry the government attempting to defend it in any way. It is simply uncivilized, barbaric and counterproductive we claim. And indeed I believe it is true. Yet, we, mask, I believe the truth behind our fine-sounding rage. I ask you, do we really believe no such things have occurred or aren't occurring in this country and outside it under the authority of this government?

I say, we pretend not to know. We are all too willing to defer to the "need for security" and the claims of "it's classified" to stymie every inquiry. We really really don't want to know. We watch Jack Bauer and "24" and we nod, and we are shocked, and we know, and we believe deep down, that that stuff must be going on more than we think, but we say it doesn't. Don't we? We know, and we decide we don't want to really "know." It allows us to sanctimoniously claim that we stand for better than that, when we know we don't. We can be incredulous when something awful surfaces like Abu Ghraib. We can claim it was a few aberrational nut cases, when we know it was not. We can let it slide that no higher ups went to jail, when we know that they should have. We can wring our hands and not understand why so many peoples around the globe hate us, but deep down we know. We know we are and have been over and over the "ugly American."

We have been lulled into it, because for most of us, life is not easy. Whether poor, or working class or middle class, we are simply too enmeshed in our personal dramas of making enough to survive or support our current lifestyles. We have no time, between the PTA, the church food drive, the golf match, the yoga class, the second job, the kids spring play, to devote any time to how in the hell this country got to such a state. And while we were so busy trying to make ends meet, and God forbid, actually move up the ladder, slowly this country has been inch by inch taken from us, from our control. Most people lose their countries to the dark side because they were not attentive. Shall we continue the tradition? There is a stranger in our house.

Testing My Wings

2008-04-19T10:27:00.004-05:00

Graduation loomed and I had little idea of what to do next. I was reasonably accomplished at typing, bookkeeping and shorthand. I envisioned working at General Motors in the office, rising to the level of some body's "private" secretary. Why you ask would I set my sights so low? After all, I was graduating third in my class, albeit the total class was 103 students. In order to understand, you have to take a short excursion back in time to 1968.

We were stretching our wings as girls no doubt. We thought that our hair styles, clothing, and British rock and roll set us apart as the "new generation." The war was still fairly new, although one boy had died from my school, but he was probably four or more years ahead of me, and frankly I'm not sure I even remembered him at all. Flower power and free love, were a bit in the future for us still, though we toyed with the outer elements no doubt. We thought we danced most suggestively, throwing our hips in grinding rhythm to beats that raised an eyebrow or two among the adults.

But life was still fairly traditional. Television was peopled by women who were mostly homemakers or lower level professionals like nurses or teachers. College for women was still the place to make a good catch so one could live the comfortable and good life in middle class suburbia. We thought we were middle class all the way. Television suggested we were. Our homes were fairly comparable to the Cleevers or the Andersons, or the Nelsons. Although most of those dads were white collar which our fathers were not, they were not bosses usually, but lower functioning insurance salesmen or other non-descript pencil pushers. Mothers, on TV as I said, stayed at home, which some of our mothers did, but most were "modern" and had jobs in the factories, "working the line." We mostly had two cars, often a boat, often a summer cabin up north, and a fair share of the newer appliances and electronics.

Nobody in my family had gone to college. Nobody. My dad did not even finish high school, and I assumed my mother had, but actually I never really knew. Her brothers hadn't, my dad's sister and brother-in-law hadn't. No cousins either. It was unknown territory. When I changed from "college prep" courses to business, I figured I had cast the die so to speak. I figured I had closed that door. Still, I was smart, and I knew that.

I seemed to me that if I wanted that "executive" secretary job, more education was in order. In Flint, there were two choices. There was an extension of the University of Michigan which I assume taught mainly liberal arts, and I was really uncertain what that was. There was Flint Junior College, now I believe Mott Community College. The campuses were contiguous and the land had been donated by the Mott family, the major family of Flint, though I cannot honestly say anymore how they acquired their wealth. Probably in the automotive industry, since that was Flint's claim to fame in those years.

I was encouraged in my thinking about the junior college route. It was the clear desire of all factory parents that their children not have to go into the "shops." Some of the work, especially in the foundry, was hard and miserable, but mostly the work was just insanely boring. Riveting the same six places for eight hours a day was mind numbing for certain. I can say that for the most part, none of us did follow our parents into the shop, and that was a good thing, since they all started to downsize well before I would have been eligible for retirement. Once the bastion of security, the auto industry and its decline would have a major impact on Flint and Detroit and no doubt Michigan as a whole.

So, I enrolled in the junior college, taking as many business courses as I could. Oddly, as it seems to me now, we were required to complete some liberal arts study. So I was required to take a "lit" course, and a general science class. I did fine in all, as well as my usual courses in advanced bookkeeping and all. In fact, I quickly learned that my placement into all the advanced business classes was going to leave me a lot of free electives to fill up my credit requirements. I also had to take a sport.

Now, to know me, was to know that I was not a sport's fanatic. I had played an awesome amount of jump rope as a kid, ridden a bicycle, and could do all the accompanying tricks. I was not incompetent in sports at all. One year I recall we played softball every recess and before class after lunch. I was quite good and could catch as well as most boys and was a reasonably good power hitter. I could bowl, I could play badminton and croquet. I was a good swimmer. I just had no especial interest in this stuff, and by the time I was in high school, was worried more about how a shower would wreck my hairdo than I was about becoming an accomplished basketball player. I could do it, but I did not want to do it. About the only really abnormal interest I had in sports was a early keen love for professional football. Unfortunately, my home team was the Detroit Lions and well, that is a story of pain and disappointment most fans can commiserate with.

So, when faced with this requirement that I take a sport to fulfill graduation requirements, I chose a combo of half a semester of volleyball, and half of golf. I was okay at both. I was never any more than okay. Enough to get the grade is all, no love grew in my heart for either sport.

My favorite class, bar any, was not a business one, but political science. I simply loved it, and loved the guy who taught it. No, not love like that, I just thought he was a great teacher. He had a policy, given that he was usually teaching a fair number of kids who had were going on to trade or low level white collar jobs, of having his students fill out a detailed "who are you" sheet. I can't remember any of the questions any more, but they must have something to do with aspirations and such.

One day, he stopped me in the hall. "Sherry, have you got a minute?" "Sure," I replied. "I'm wondering, exactly what is a business student taking my elective poli-si class for?" "Oh, Mr. Martin, I just love the study of government, and I have plenty of electives to spare. If I could go to a four-year college, I would probably major in it," I confessed. "What do you mean, if you could?" he queried. "Well, I didn't take college prep courses, and well, now I've started this, so I assumed that was out of the question. I'd have to start all over," I explained. "Nonsense!" he exclaimed. "You're very bright, and you can transfer credits to another school. Do me a favor and go see your guidance counselor and discuss this. You're wasting your time in business." "Okay," I stammered. I was both embarrassed at my parochialism and shocked. My mind was reeling with new possibilities.

If you ever went to a junior college, then perhaps you are familiar with what is about to follow. Other four year institutions make it a regular practice to come to junior colleges throughout the state for "recruitment" days. You got a copy of your credits so far, and visited with the big schools of your state and they gave you indications of whether they were likely to accept you as a transfer student and how many of your credits would be counted. So I was soon doing just that on the appropriate day. I only was interested in two, well actually only in one.

It does not seem the case in Iowa, but as best I can tell, it was very much the case in Michigan that there were but two schools of major import. One was MSU and the other UofM. One is considered a near ivy league school, and the other, MSU was a land grant college, agricultural in its initial inception. In Michigan you choose. You are either a fan of one or the other. And once you choose, you are required to hate the other with ferocity.

I have no idea why, but for as long as I can remember, I loved MSU, therefore I despised UofM. I dutifully went to the transfer meetings with both schools. The UofM representative said that most of my credits would not transfer so I would be stuck there an additional year. MSU, welcomed me with open arms, accepting most of my work and allowing me to graduate after an additional two years. There was, of course, no real choice for me. It was MSU all the way.

Oh you cannot imagine the heady world I floated in for several months, after I finished at Flint JC and awaited the fall at MSU. Orientations, packets of tantalizing information, testing to determine whether I needed either remedial English or Math (neither), and planning and packing. I had a car by then, though I don't believe I took it the first semester. Perhaps we were not allowed to at first. I was going to be a SPARTAN, the most wonderful thing I could imagine being. I was going to live in a dorm. I was going to get away from parentals, and all the misery of visiting mother and seeing my father's face fall, as he felt somehow I was favoring her by the visit. I was leaving a grandmother who was firmly in charge of the household. I was through with being controlled. I was gonna be free!!!!

Next: The war, summer jobs, bygone friends

Shaking It Up in the Heartland

2008-04-18T09:26:00.016-05:00

This beautiful example of African art is a Mask made of wood, fiber, beads, and pigment. It is from Angola or the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is from the late 19th-early 20th century. The word Chokwe leads the discription. I am not sure if that is the tribe or what. I believe it to be absolutely gorgeous though.

Well, soggy it is. It has rained almost non stop since about 5 yesterday afternoon. It's getting boring to say the least. We probably will wait to shop until at least Sunday, letting it dry out, if indeed it stops raining any time soon. Water is starting to pool around in the "yard" and our creek may start flooding us--just kidding.

I'm nearly done cleaning the craft room. Just a few more baskets of this and that's to go through and redistribute to their proper location. I'm quite pleased with it, though there are drawers and a closet that will need a redo, but it's good enough for me to find most things again.

It's Friday, and that means, well, that its the end of the week. So, let's get you the news you need to be the talk of the golf course, church coffee hour, or other social gathering of your choice.

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Starting to get a little hungry for strawberries? I found this different kind of recipe at 101 Cookbooks, and thought I'd pass it along. I think you can vary this a good deal with different fruits, different sugars (vanilla infused sugar for instance) and using whipped cream instead of yogurt. You be the judge, or follow the recipe as given. It's called Strawberry Panzanella.

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How's this for weird. Today is the anniversary of the big one that hit San Francisco. April 18, 1906 recorded the worst ever earthquake in the history of San Francisco. Last night of course, there was a rocker and shaker epicentered in Illinois. I sure didn't feel it, did you? I felt one once in Detroit, back in the 70's or so? I remember it clearly. You can read about more disasters, (and we do get giddy about that don't we) at American History Blog.

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I've had a goodly number of gays friends over the years, and I adore them and their partners. It disgusts me that a small segment of my Church is homophobic, couching it in the old malarky of "oh we love the sinner but hate the sin." That might convince were it it not for the fact that they drag forth every little tidbit of trash they find that insists that it is now definitively proven that being gay is a choice not a genetic imperative. Of course if you truly do love the sinner, this should not make a whit of difference. Here's just a tad more evidence that the whole thing is genetic in nature and we thank the fruit fly for helping us along in our quest.

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American Presidents Blog has a off beat post today about President D.W. Eisenhower and his love affair with the Augusta National Golf Club. A number of regular tour golfs knew him from his visits there, and have interesting anecdotal remembrances of him.

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Methodists are the third largest Christian denomination in America. They are quintessentially America, being a moderate voice in the religious world. Brittanica Blog has an excellent overview as the body gets ready for its next General Conference. They essential offer a microcosm of American beliefs on all the issues of social concern that are in the news so much these days. Some expect a conservative backlash.

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Okay, I simply get weak in the knees when the word ice cream is mentioned. Oh I have my favorites to be sure, but I'd walk a mile to eat most any kind. Imagine my delight, my near orgasmic joy when I saw this recipe: Ben & Jerry's NY Super Fudge Chunk. Oh I bow to the folks at Copycat Restaurant Recipes for this one. Enjoy.

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If you missed that series on growing roses at Sally's Gardening Tips, she has a one post refresher with all the main points for you today. I, as I said, have had lousy luck for the most part, mine seem to die out after a couple of years, but I'm willing to try it again, with all her helpful tips.

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I did not watch the debates Wednesday night between Barack and Hillary. I'm told by some bloggers I trust as well as some mainstream media that Barack did poorly and seemed to literally become tongue-tied when he was unable to deal with tough questions. This does give some cause for concern as he seems more than likely to end up the Democratic nominee. Mad Kane is at it again with a pointed, and so spot on Limerick. Should we be concerned?

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I've lately mostly chosen not to engage in a lot of discussion about the Obama/Clinton fight. I tend to think that in the end Barack will prevail because he just simply has the numbers. He made a mistake with his remarks about Pennsylvanians and their misplaced anger, pushing them into guns, religion, and suspicion of "other." I mostly, ironically or not, thought he was right, but also thought it was fairly a dumb thing to say. Paul Krugman has a different take on the matter and thinks Barack was simply dead wrong in his analysis. I'm somewhat persuaded that Mr. Krugman is right. What do you think?

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PTSD is a subject near and dear to my heart. It's a life-long condition that is at best coped with by use of a lot of mechanisms, none of them perfect. Some suffer a good deal more than others, and on the upside there are some promising treatments, especially when the trauma is addressed close in time to the events. It is horrifying to find that the Rand Corporation pegs the numbers of veterans suffering from depression, PTSD and brain injury at nearly a million. How the VA will handle this horrific number is impossible to know.

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Most of us are trying to do our best to keep pesticides our of our environment these days, for obvious reasons. That is particularly problematic when we live in rural areas, because farmers are not likely to be prevailed upon to stop using them, given their convenience. But they do have an impact. Weed killers, have a deleterious effect on the development of amphibians, causing birth defects in them. I guess the rest of us must simply do the best we can not to add to the usage. Moreover, we need to investigate these problems for ourselves, and if warranted, lobby our state legislatures for measures to control the use of these dangerous herbicides.

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Earth Day is upon us April 22, and Craft Tutorials has a whole host of crafts using recycled materials. If you are looking for something to do, or have an upcoming need for a gift, check out the site and you likely will find something that you can make easily with stuff you have around the old house.

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"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought." Dorothy L. Sayer

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." Douglas Adams

"I took a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It involves Russia." Woody Allen

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Here's to you IOWA:

Iowa Pranksters Get 3,000 Forks In Lawn DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) ―

When known pranksters Rick and Marilyn Jones left town for a wedding, neighbors seeking payback eyed their property and decided to stick a fork in it — a few thousand forks, in fact.

Tom and Paula Tschudi planted 3,000 white plastic forks in the Jones' yard and dangled more from the roof, fence and garage."We just wanted to do something funny to them, because every time we leave, they pull some prank on us," said Paula Tschudi, who promised to help pick up the forks.

Over the years, the Joneses have strung beer cans like holiday lights around the Tschudis' home, put a for-sale sign in their yard and strung yellow crime-scene tape around chalk outlines of bodies on the sidewalk.

As the Tschudis, their two children and another neighborhood family planted the forks Sunday, one passer-by asked what they were doing."We told him we were aerating their lawn," Paula Tschudi said with a laugh.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.) From Dave's Daily.com

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Down in Washington it was so sunny the Pope was wearing his stained-glass sunglasses.

These international trips are tricky, and often there can be some confusion and perhaps some embarrassment. They had an episode today in Washington, everybody is laughing about it now. But at the time it was not funny. The Pope, after the mass, accidentally gave the last rites to John McCain.

The Pope, God bless him, got on the Pope-Mobile after the mass. And then, President Bush followed him in the Dope-Mobile. David Letterman

Dumb Laws in Alabama:

Boogers may not be flicked into the wind.

It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.

It is illegal to stab yourself to gain someone's pity.

You cannot chain your alligator to a fire hydrant

You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time.

Tomorrow: Alaska! (From Bored.com)

Oh Yeah? Back Atcha Double

2008-04-17T09:57:00.016-05:00

This lovely example of cubism was done by Marc Chagall and I couldn't find a location for it. It was done in 1913 and is entitled "Self Portrait with Seven Fingers." I'm sure there is a fascinating story behind that. I can tell you that Chagall did famous paintings involving the Eiffel Tower and donkeys both of which are pictured here. In the part of the painting to the right, the woman appears to be floating and this is part of another of his paintings involving a man and woman dancing, she in the air.

Things are going well on the home front. I've made serious progress on my crafting room. A couple of days should finish the job. At this point, I just have a lot of little things to put away. Most of the actual cleaning is done.

Even better, the Contrarian got a bit enthused as well and has cleared out a lot of clutter from his office. He's not so big on the cleaning, but he now has a plan for where to put his tools and such, so that room should go a lot faster than I had anticipated.

Additionally, we made arrangements for a friend to come and pull us out, and when the Contrarian got down to the car, he pulled it out easily with no help. So we are now mobile again, and undoubtedly will be shopping, perhaps as early as tomorrow. So we are just now awaiting the rains to begin. We had the doors open and a window open all night. It was a bit chilly this morning but oh so nice to smell that fresh air. The dogs slept outside all night, only coming in to eat. This is what makes the meadow the special place it is for us.

And now to see what you must know before you can be declared a well-rounded intellectual!

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There was an unsettling year in Rome wherein there were four emperors. One of them was Otho and he committed suicide as did several others. His suicide occurred April 16, 69C.E. It seemed he had a rather unhappy time of it as Rome's Emperor. Read more at Ancient History Blog.

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Many of you are no doubt enjoying the series from HBO on John Adams. We've seen some of it for free, and it is wonderfully done. The American President Blog has a nice piece from the series and with additional information about his son Charles, who had a difficult life it seems. He died from alcoholism at only the age of 30. Brush up on your knowledge of this president's son and brother to another president.

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American Revolution Blog picks up the theme of the HBO series and focuses on the various flags that are found during the opening scenes. An explanation is given of each and I certainly learned something from the post. Hopefully you will to. Did you know Franklin wanted the rattlesnake depicted on the flag "Don't tread on me" as our national symbol and pushed hard for this to be our national flag?

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Baking Delights gives us a heads up on a new food blog you might enjoy. This one specializes in quick, but healthy whole foods menus and recipes. That would be for me! The name is Busy Family Meals. Give it a look see. I'll add it as a feed and monitor it and see what comes around. A quick perusal suggests it offers some good ideas and good food.

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Yesterday, Sally's Gardening Tips gave us tips on houseplants. Today she continues that theme but turns her attention to flowering ones and how to care for them. Again, her information is most helpful and I'm thinking about what I might salvage at the end of the summer from the typical annuals and bring indoors and give it a go.

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If you happen to live in House district 71 in Iowa, drop over to Essential Estrogen and read a detailed profile on the Democrat running for that seat, Pat VanZante. As we have learned, we must as a responsible citizenry, become knowledgeable and involved in our political process lest we lose the right to control our government.

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Sister Joan Chittister has a great little post about stress and what she learned in Hawaii about it. Rather than attack the problem after it has occurred as we are wont to do, why not address some of the causes themselves? Take a look and see if she is on to something.

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I imagine you have seen some of the Japanese robots that have been developed in the last few years. They are quite cute and fun to watch. It's amazing how you just naturally begin to interact with them as if they were human. It seems the newest models being developed by MIT will have faces that have a lot more expression. They are just so darn cute, we are going to think of them as very helpful pets in the future no doubt.

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Mamiedale brings us two new fabric lines. Having just sorted my stash into color groups and put it in its new home, I can tell you that I am more excited than ever to start a new quilt. This one will be mostly scraps and I realized how much I miss some of the fabrics I have and want to use them. I'm still, of course, always open to NEW ones! lol.

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Justice Stevens sided with the majority yesterday in allowing for the use of lethal injection to end the lives of some individuals that some states deem to be unworthy of life. Somehow plaintiffs had failed to show that lethal injection was "objectively intolerable" whatever that means, since we can't ask the people it is used on SINCE THEY ARE DEAD. Of course Scalia and Thomas were the cruelest of all, saying that any method is legal if not set up to deliberately inflict pain. Come on, who are you kidding! However, in his concurring opinion, Stevens suggests maybe it is time to discuss the real issue again, do the benefits (whatever they could possibly be) any longer outweigh the costs. It's a good article, and you should read it. Oh, and I'm thoroughly sick of the statement, "now the families can get some peace." Do you really think that suddenly families of victims feel better after an execution? They may say so, but who are they kidding?

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I don't know how you feel, but Joe Lieberman really really torques me. He is leaving open the door whether he might sneak over to the GOP convention and give a speech for his boy the MacNut. As usual, the Political Realm has the story, but the real fun is reading the comments. There is an overwhelming desire to see Joe get his in the butt and be relegated to some little office in the basement. This is all about Joe's overwhelming desire to make the US the lifetime protector of Israel and nothing much more in my opinion. Enjoy the shooting match!

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Remember at every turn in the road how the Bushites claim that their mostly illegal tactics have actually prevented real attacks from occurring in this country? They say it in defense to almost every criticism of their wire-tapping, torturing activities. Well, it seems when you look at the individual cases, they mostly fade away like smoke. Politics Plus has the story for you.

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Woohoo, Scandalous Women has a great post today on Lillie Langtry. You remember her right? She became a star in the Victorian era. This is a thorough and delightful account of a woman who wanted to be "somebody" and achieved her goal. She was a beautiful woman to be sure.

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Scientists tell us that the Jet streams, planet wide, appear to be on the move. Well, the are always moving of course, but they tend to follow a pattern. That pattern is moving. It is thought that this may be in response to global warming, since the movements are predicted using current warming models. This will affect the movement of storms around the world.

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Oh i love curry, as I may have mentioned before and this lovely soup looks like a great recipe for a coolish, rainy day. Take a look at Curried Potato and Vegetable Soup and see what you think. Thanks to Simply Recipes.

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Veggie Gardening Tips has a list of common gardening assumptions and she pokes a hole in many of them. From growing in rows to the subject of weeds, you'll find plenty of helpful hints that erase some of those old rules of road.

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"You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there." George Burns

"Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so." Bertrand Russell

"All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." Sean O'Casey

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Actual Signs That We Have Found

A sign seen on a restroom dryer at O'Hare Field in Chicago: Do not activate with wet hands.

At a car dealership: The best way to get back on your feet? Miss a car payment.

At A Laundry Shop: How about we refund your money, send you a new one at no charge, close the store and have the manager shot. Would that be satisfactory?

At a Towing Company: We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows.

At an optometrist's office: If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.

Billboard on the side of the road: Keep your eyes on the road and stop reading these signs.

Door of a plastic surgeon’s office: Hello. May we pick your nose?

In a cafeteria: Shoes are required to eat in the cafeteria. Socks can eat any place they want.

In a non-smoking area: If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action.

In a veterinarian’s waiting room: Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!

From: GoodQuotes.com

Breezes Blowing Through My Mind

2008-04-16T09:39:00.024-05:00

"Nympheas" is obviously one of Claude Monet's "waterlily" pieces. It was done 1916-1919. It can be found at Musee Marmottan, in Paris. He is one of my favorite painters.

It's windy as heck today, but warm, and I cannot remember the last time I said that! I got a good deal done on my office/craft room, mostly thanks to the Contrarian who helped me move a few pieces of furniture around. Now I have a nice trestle table to cut material on.

So it's getting late, and we better get on with it if we are to finish today.

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Have you ever wondered which civil war general you were most like? Honestly, no. LOL. But if you have spent many a sleepless night pondering this burning question, relief is only a click or two away. The American Presidents Blog has a little link to a quiz you can take and get the answer.

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American Revolution Blog has a review of a book that looks quite interesting. It's the personal history of one average women in America during the revolutionary period, with plenty of information of what was going on during that time in our young country. See if you like A Midwife's Tale.

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A tip from Begging for Bargains. Stop by Saturday at Walmart and pick up a free re-usable grocery bag.

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Since I've been boring you for a few weeks now with tales of my cleaning projects, I thought I'd bring you some more information, aimed, no doubt, at making you feel so guilty that you feel compelled to join in the agony of house cleansing. Read a good post with some good ideas from Britannica Blog.

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You should definitely go over to C'est La Vie and read her account about her "visit with John Paul II" some years ago. It is most provocative, most spooky, and in the end, touching. I'll not spoil it for you, but I do encourage you to drop by and read her account.

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Civil War Women has another Civil War nurse she is featuring today. Her posts are always jammed with facts, so don't miss this installment about Emily-Elizabeth Parsons today. Reclaiming American women's history, one post at a time!

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Sally's Gardening Tips has some, errr, tips on indoor house plants. I've managed to collect a good few, and after the summer outside, they are getting to be monsters I tell you. She goes through some of the more common ones that are easy to acquire, and gives you plenty of information on taking care of them properly.

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I'm doing Italian today, with some left over chicken breasts that I roasted. Got some leftover spaghetti sauce, and I'll jazz it up a bit with some cheese and olives. Put it over fettuccine I think. Epicurious has a nice little recipe for White Lasagna with Parmigiano Besciamella. This recipe comes from Gourmet so you know it will be a good one.

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Essential Estrogen traces the subject of abortion through television shows over the years. It was a fascinating read to me. I had not thought much about how television responded to our national debate on the issue of women's reproductive rights. There were and are plenty of political repercussions to the decisions of various networks to push the envelope so to speak on this issue. See what you think.

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Garrison Keillor weighs in on the proposed merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines. Seems Mr. Keillor and Minnesota have a long and poignant history with Northwest. His stuff is always lovely I think, and worth a chuckle if seldom a guffaw. I think some days are just chuckle days don't you?

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The History News Network has a chilling post on the death penalty. It was posted before today's announced decision that has declared, unfortunately, that lethal injection is not cruel and unusual punishment. In any event, before the case just decided, the most important case on this particular aspect was one involving one Willie Francis. Read all about this god-awful case in Gilbert King's well-done post.

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If you listen really carefully you can sometimes hear it. That mysterious, ethereal melody that haunts your dreams? Well, maybe not, but the earth does in fact sing, and its a lovely symphony we are told. Read about its possible causes at Live Science. It seems kinda nice knowing our little ball of blue is so happy. Hum a happy tune and know that you are one with Mother Earth.

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Just what does it mean to be a university or college and Catholic? It is expected that Pope Benedict's address to Catholic university presidents at Notre Dame will help to answer that question. There has been a good deal of debate on this issue, mostly within the Catholic world. The right wing is appalled as usual with any teaching that strays one whit from the narrow confines of dogma. The vast majority of Catholics don't think about it at all. Read an Op-Ed piece at the NYTimes and see what all the flap is about.

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Kevin Drum from Political Animal has a concise little post about an interview that Martha Raddadz had with George the other day, in which he admitted that he had not told the truth about the war goings on in Iraq. This lying was done, he claims for good reasons. See if you agree with George or with Kevin. I'm thinking that as an adult I'd rather have the truth.

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What Hath Got Wrought: The Transformation of America 1815-1848, by David Walker has won the Pulitzer prize for 2008. So reports Religion in America. You can read a bit about the book and decide whether to add it to your reading list for the summer. Sounds like a good one to me.

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If you remember history at all, you probably know that Philippi is an important site. St. Paul preached there, and the forces that killed Julius Caesar were finally defeated there. That's just a couple of several other important things that occurred in that area. Read about what the archaeologists are uncovering there at Rogueclassicism.

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I would run somewhere to hide, but danged if I can figure out where in the heck to run to. It seems that our galaxy's central black hole has flared in the last 300 hundred years. The giant seems a bit restless and I don't know what to do next. Find out more at Science Daily.

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Wednesday is Fundamentalist day at the American Propect. Read Susan Posner's excellent scoop on what nefarious goings on are brewing among the religious right in this country. It's a weekly stop for me. Hope it is for you.

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I don't think I've ever seen this chain in Iowa. Macaroni Grill, but I sure like the looks of this recipe so, dig in. Reese's Peanut Butter Cake sounds like to die for as they say. Oh, yeah, this one is sure to please anyone who is a peanut butter fanatic, and that would be me.

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Been looking all over the web for a recipe for butter mints? Well sure you have. At Uncommon Artistic Endeavors, she gives you the recipe and how she used them for a baby shower. Cute idea I thought, and well, you can use them for any number of occasions when a mint is just the right thing. Okay, I'm stretching. Just thought you might like to take a look. PS, they are quite simple.

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One of the reasons given by those who want to lock the doors to America against the "flood" of illegals, is that they don't pay taxes. Not so says Vox Nova and presents a case that in fact immigrants may be paying way more than their share. I've skipped to the actual source for your convenience.

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"They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse."
Emily Dickenson

"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease." Voltaire

"A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers." H.L. Mencken

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Two major airlines, Delta and Northwest, have announced they’ll merge to form the world’s largest airline. But I don’t know about their new company name. They’ve merged to form DethWest, which to me has a negative connotation. Jimmy Kimmel

John McCain apologized today after it was revealed that some the “McCain family recipes” posted on his Web site were actually plagiarized from the Food Network. I am amazed. How many different recipes can there be for prunes and creamed corn? Chris Ferguson

Although I don’t think President Bush is too familiar with the Catholic religion. There was one awkward moment when President Bush kept looking behind the Pope going, “So where’s Mrs. Pope?” Jay Leno

President Bush also told the Pope that he has prayed every single day since he became president. Hey, since Bush became president, we’ve all prayed every single day. Jay Leno

The Pope will visit President Bush in the White House. Talk about different leaders. One speaks almost no English and thinks he’s God’s emissary. The other is the head of the Catholic Church. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

The Age of American Unreason

2008-04-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

Today, with great delight and thanks to Pantheon Books, I review Susan Jacoby's latest book, The Age of American Unreason. This is her eighth book, and from perusing the web, some believe it is her best to date. She is a journalist and has written for any number of well-known publications. She is a forum contributor at On Faith, noted Washington Post and Newsweek section.

This is about the ninth book I've been fortunate enough to review, and this one was exceptional in my view. I am no expert of course, and make no such claims. I will leave the nitpicking criticisms to those who claim such expertise. I am here to report what I thought about the book as a lay person. I recognize that publishers are finding bloggers a good way to get the word out so to speak about books not normally destined to reach the best seller lists because of their "academic" bent. They know we are not professional reviewers, and so I'll give an honest appraisal from a lay point of view.

In 1963, Richard Hofstadter wrote what has since been declared a classic in this genre, "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life." Many say that Ms. Jacoby has written the most significant book on the subject since that time. I did not read Mr. Hofstadter's book, but I can say without question that this is an important and eye-opening account of what has happened intellectually in this country, and why.

That we have become dumb comes as a shock to some. Especially given our beginnings in the Enlightenment, one would think that education and intellectual pursuits would be, and would remain, of paramount importance in America. Not so says Ms. Jacoby. She documents how we went from a country organized and led by a surprisingly large group of serious intellectuals to one wherein the very word is often met with derision and suspicion.

Emerson warned of the danger long ago. We were able to trade upon the intellectuals of Britain and Europe, without seeking to set up the institutions ourselves that would maintain and further this knowledge. We, from the beginning, were torn about how to set up our educational system, and ended in allowing the states to set up education for our citizenry, with all the obvious regional disparities that would entail. It gave the curriculum decisions to those who were often ill-educated themselves.

We, from the beginning, saw education as a means to an end. We were interested in practical results. This bode well of course for us as a leader in the industrial revolution, but it did nothing to help us become critical thinkers able to define the valuable from the pure flotsam.

This unfortunate situation only got worse as we entered the "Second Great Awakening." This religious revivalism put more pressure on education to conform to religious truths put forth by those who today we would call Fundamentalists. Secular knowledge was no longer simply addressed from a logical, rational point of view, but must also pass the religious test: was it compatible with an increasingly literalist reading of the bible?

Local control of schools meant nearly from the beginning that city kids had better schools than rural, the wealthy had more money than the poorer in our land to devote to education. New England in the mid 1800's had twice the children in school as the mid-Atlantic states, and six times the number as schools in the South. [1]

Some intellectuals also determined that if Darwin was good enough for biology, it ought to be good enough for social philosophy as well. Darwin's conclusions turned into "survival of the fittest" and were used by both social philosophers and titans of industry to justify a world in which competition was paramount, the best rose to the top. It in the end supported the idea that success came as the result of "pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps" and "anyone can grow up to be President." The conclusion was that education was not the key, knowledge was not the key. Success was in part predetermined, and the rest was simple dedication to a work ethic.

Fundamentalism did a great deal to continue the slide of education and true learning. Evolution threatened the neat little box that some churches had created for the bible. Evolution suggested that creation was not quite how it was portrayed in Genesis. Faithfulness meant refusal to believe such evidence. It was, in a nutsell, Satan generated.

The next assault on intellectualism in America came by virtue of the communist movement. There is no doubt that many intellectuals were seduced by communism. Following World War I, the toppling of the Russian monarchy, signaled this new political/economic system. In the mind of the public, intellectuals became associated with the "Reds" and such was not to abate until the McCarthy era was over. Communism now caught the eye of fundamentalists who turned their attention to "communists and communist sympathizers, and became their new enemy. Billy Graham claimed that either Communism would win or Christianity, both could not co-exist. [2] It probably goes without saying that many liberals and intellectuals stayed on the fringes of the movement a good deal longer than prudence would have suggested. Even after the excesses of Stalin were well known, far too many on the left stayed with the party, and there is still a flavor of suspicion in the air where liberalism is concerned.

Ms. Jacoby suggests that the McCarthy hearings really added fuel to the fire. "Eggheads" dominated those called to testify. She states:

"At the state as well as at the national level, the frequent presence of "eggheads" in the witness chair at loyalty hearings could not have failed to reinforce the general impression that intellectuals were, if not actual communists, sympathetic to a nation that was now an enemy of America."[3]

And, she points out, where there was an intellectual, there was often an atheist. Intellectuals tend to be secularists, and secularists tend to be atheists. The fundamentalist had his target lined up in hia sights.

Jacoby goes on laying out the other factors that helped to reduce intellectualism in America. We have always believed in self-education as a people. She points to such things as the lyceum movement in the 1830's. This continued in a sort of way with the BOMC following World War II. (I was a member of that for years on and off, and many of my dad's oldest books were BOMC selections such as War and Peace and books by Charlotte Bronte.) Most people my age had encyclopedias bought from the traveling salesman or purchased at the super market. Our parents pushed education, often summer vacations were spent perusing "historic sites" across America.

Such is no longer the case she claims. We don't read in general and what reading we do is designed for specific career reasons. We have been able to structure our college learning so that we spend the balance of our time in our major, while we learn virtually nothing about other things. The Liberal Arts education is no more. This is born out by the numbers. Twenty-five percent of high school biology teachers think mankind roamed the earth while dinosaurs did. [4]

The decline of self-learning in America is driven by the world of TV, computers and other outlets that pander to "infotainment." The conservative right tends to put the blame on leftists and those of their ilk. Much is blamed on the sixties. Jacoby points out that most people conflate that there were two things at work here. One was all about sex, drugs and rock and roll. The other was not. It was about a radical questioning of the way we do business. Radicals called for changes in universities, especially as it related to universities and their connections to the military. They were never more than a significant minority, yet changes did occur. The problem was the universities took the easy way out.

When students clamored for more woman's and minority studies, instead of integrating them into the existing liberal arts framework, they were shunted off into their own little "ghetto" as Ms. Jacoby likes to call them. Thus began the devolution of education in our colleges and universities as core studies were abandoned. This allows for a biology teacher to obtain a diploma while never once taking a course in basic evolution so that she might learn that dinosaurs were long gone before a human face ever looked across a landscape on this planet.

Following the sixties, the talking against intellectualism became pointed and overt. Nixon was well known for his anti rich/educated beliefs. George Wallace famously said "The great pointy heads who knew best how to run everybody's life have had their day." [5] Fundamentalism always an ebb and flow kind of thing, was growing again, and conservative religious congregations were busily insuring that no evolutionists need apply nor integrationists for that matter, in their newly developed "private schools."

While intellectualism is seen as elitist, the reactionary right is busily creating its own brand of elitists. Carefully crafting education that allows their children to compete in the political arena, they also just as carefully craft it such that it does not contravene biblical literalism. [6]

Worse, we have become so "tolerant" on the other side, that anything goes. All beliefs, opinions, and argument is considered welcome as everyone's right. Such lack of discrimination leads of course to a general mixing of truth and pseudo-truth. Without critical skills to separate the two, people are now in possession of large amounts of fact that are in no way true. A prime example is the issue of autism. Based essentially on anecdotal proof, a significant number of people now believe that vaccinations have some correlation to autism. The fact that all scientific studies disclaim this is of no import. Mere coincidence is sufficient to convince many. [7] Those who promote these pseudo-scientific conclusions often now do so using the language of science, further confusing the public.

Our colleges and universities are now replete, Ms. Jacoby complains, with all sorts of "junk" thought courses. Students today can examine the philosophical underpinnings of soap operas, horror movies and other such silliness, pursued as actual scholarly study. The old claim that athletes made it through college taking basket weaving is not that far off.

We are, she claims, distracted with television, IPhones, IPods, and video games. We are so busy that what is of primary importance is that information be delivered fast, the faster the better. I recognized myself in her condemnation in this vein. How often I have rejected an internet article as being too long, in favor of a shorter one that would allow me to move on to more pressing concerns. Always accommodating, the media has cut its article lengths drastically over the years. [8]

We see the fruition of all of this when we see that voters preferred Bush, who admittedly seems rather proud of his shortcomings intellectually, rather than the more intellectually inclined Gore or even Kerry. The right has been successful in selling this proposition. By using its own intellectual think tanks, it has managed to convince the public that elitism is confined to the liberal intellectual left. [9] Thus there are normal people, and these snobs from the left. Such is the battleground.

Ms. Jacoby calls herself a "cultural conservationist." Yet I find little that is hopeful in her outlook. There is little that is hopeful in mine. She has few answers as to how to turn the tide, or even stem the tide. One can only hope that the past nearly eight years have opened a window of opportunity in which we may again re-engage with reality. More and more people are awakening to be sure, and therein may lie the solution. Much as Ms. Jacoby may feel that 'bloggers" are part of the problem, they may indeed be at least a part of the solution. We can but march on and continue to blow the trumpet. The question is: is anyone listening anymore?

======

Footnotes are all from the book:

[1] p. 52
[2] p. 96
[3] p. 96
[4] p. 111
[5] p. 153
[6] p. 190
[7] p. 220
[8] p. 257
[9] p. 290

I'm 58 Today and You're NOT, are you?

2008-04-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

This lovely painting was done by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot in 1796 and is entitled "Woman with the Pearl." It can be found at the Louvre.

Problem is, there is no pearl. I'm including the provenance that attends the painting for your edification:

This is a totally personal transposition of the Mona Lisa. In the past the leaf on the girl's forehead was taken to be a pearl. Berthe Goldschmidt, the model, is wearing one of the Italian dresses Corot brought back from his travels abroad.

The title, which remains unexplained, seems to echo another portrait of a young woman by Jan Vermeer. There is the same enigma concerning the model, the same gaze, the same uncertainty about the costume. The blue and yellow turban in Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring is described as 'Turkish', while Corot has taken his inspiration from Italian or Greek peasant dress. Then there is the pearl: readily recognizable in the Vermeer, it takes the form here of a dark-colored ornament, part of a transparent veil covering the upper part of the young woman's forehead.

Her forehead partly veiled, the young woman is seated with her forearms crossed and her hands idle. The image that at once springs to mind - except for the landscape in the background - is Leonardo's Mona Lisa. However the hairstyle, the oval face, the costume and the colors are reminiscent of Raphael. What exactly Corot's intention was here is far from easy to say. We cannot ignore the fact that until the early 19th century the Mona Lisa attracted very little attention, and that the interest underlying today's myth only appeared with the Romantic movement of around 1830. Multiple reproduction was on the rise and in response there came in 1859 the famous engraving by Calamatta.

So there you are!

Today is my birthday. I awoke to breakfast in bed and my darling Contrarian has ordered that I may not lift a finger all day. That may sound wonderful, and it is, but given my personality, lol, I have retreated to the computer as I will soon drive him crazy if I don't. "Ummm, dear, when exactly do you plan on making the bed?" You see the problem? Best I stay out of sight and wait for dinner. Thankfully the Contrarian is quite an excellent cook!

The internet seems a tad quiet today, probably many are scurrying around attempting to get the taxes ready. I've never been such a procrastinator as that, but I can appreciate the idea of putting off that which you don't want to do. Let us see what we can find today. Josie, from that wonderful blog C'est La Vie suggested this blog is a bit like a community newspaper. Perhaps, lol, but a strange little community it is!

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There has been a lot of talk around the blogosphere in recent months and years about Republican efforts to purge existing voter rolls and to encourage the imposition of Jim Crow type requirements to get on those rolls. You can read about it from a excerpt of Steve Rosenfeld's book "Loser take All." The method used has been the Justice Department, and there has been pressure on states to pursue "voter fraud" cases against groups that traditionally work for voter registration in typically democratic areas. Just another sordid tale from the Bush Administration. We have come to expect it, sad to say.

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The Presidents Blog has some information about our past president, Millard Fillmore. Touted as the president we know least about, he was also touted as the worst we ever had. Mr. Fillmore will be happy to know that he has lost that appellation at least, so it might be worth your time to learn a bit more about him.

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This recipe sounded just delightful to me and comes from the Baking Delights. It's called Torta Rustica. It is so filled with wonder vegetables and speaks of summer and warm breezes. Don't miss this one. She also included a neat little dessert recipe, Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cake, and add some Black Olive Loaf, and you have a complete and gorgeous meal. (I suspect the Contrarian is working on this right now! Tee Hee.)

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If shrimp is more your style, then take a look at this one by Epicurious, Sonoran Shrimp Scampi. A nice entry for a spring dinner. This has pasta and chilies and cilantro, so you get some interesting blends of flavor.

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Cudo's to Iowa and to Congressman Bruce Braley. He has successfully got a bill passed in the House which requires tax forms to be written in simple plain English. Read all about it at Essential Estrogen. I knew Braley was one of the stars on the horizon!

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A couple of freebies for you today. Hey it's Free has a cereal coupon from Kashi and a $5 dollar discount from Kohls. Check them out!

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If you are interested in gardening and want to control bugs without the use of pesticides, then give this link a look see. Home and Garden Landscape Design offers some good information and plenty of tips to keep your garden earth friendly.

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I used to attend the zoo a lot. Every weekend in fact, in Detroit. I was a member, so I got in free. I used to go the route backward so I got the park to myself for about half the way, until the crowds arrived at the half way point. I used to love the elephants and one of my favorite days, three of them played together in their pool. Sloshing, and picking up logs and pushing balls around, they frolicked. Going under the water and blowing water everywhere. So it comes as no big surprise to me that ancient elephants loved water too. Read more at Live Science.

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If John McCain has his way, which he will not I insist, it appears nothing would change in the area of lobbying. The Mac has his people busily courting the lobbyists on K Street. He sure needs some help since the big money rollers in the Republican world are not opening their pocketbooks this election cycle. Wonder if the K Street boys will be any more desirous of pouring money down the drain than other rank and file big spenders?

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I mentioned yesterday about the faith forum that Clinton and Obama attended and which McCain begged off claiming a prior commitment. Turns our Mac was home, that was his commitment. So it was pretty much as I said, he simply doesn't know what to say given that he wants to entice the reactionary right to vote for him though he personally doesn't believe most of their claptrap. Tough place for the old boy to be stuck in. I guess when you want to be president more than you want to tell the truth, you have dilemmas like that. Read about it at Religion in America.

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During the summer months, herb storage is not an issue, I cut what I need and no more. But with cold, I buy some herbs when fresh is the only way to go, and storing them is a huge problem. More often then not, I end up throwing away a gooey looking mess of rotting leaves and stems and waste some portion of my money. Simply Recipes has a tip for you on how to preserve the freshness of those wonderful herbs like parsley and cilantro.

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I've mentioned before that the "regulatory agencies" we were taught to depend on to protect us, only protect the industries they are supposed to be regulating. Got that? We also reported a week or so ago, about the Administration's determination to get that wall built along a strip of the border with Mexico pronto even when that meant ignoring the environmental consequences. It turns out the EPA is on record about the abysmal air quality along the border due to industrialization. It also turns out that when Homeland Security chieftain, Michael Chertoff announced the "build it now" policy, the EPA remained sadly silent. In fact they were not even consulted. Read the sickening details at Washington Independent today.

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Fifty-eight, con't

2008-04-15T11:43:00.005-05:00

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Isn't it grand to be in such good company? America ranks a lovely 5th in the world in the number of people it executes. And the big 5 accounts for 91% of all executions worldwide. Even better! Our other co-killers are China, Iran, Pakistan, and Iraq and the Sudan. We get the nod from Vox Nova on this one. Even better? Look at the comments! I can tell you that this is the general position of reactionary Catholics, executions are fine because the Church still "allows" them to opt for the death penalty. Of course, JP II suggested that there were virtually no circumstances any more that would justify using it. No matter, he didn't forbid it, thus the wacko right can still be for it. Oh, does that meant that essentially Texas is fifth in the world?

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The Farmer's Almanac says that basil deters mosquitos and flies. I guess planting them close to the doors of your home may make some sense!

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Urantian Sojourn asks the question: Who are you really? Celebrate your individuality with this thoughtful post. These folks are simply a breathe of fresh air in the blogging world. They are making a hit, and making it fast. Don't miss it.

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"My mother loved children -- she would have given anything if I had been one." Groucho Marx

"A man's silence is wonderful to listen to." Thomas Hardy

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Barack Obama got himself into a little hot water in Pennsylvania when he said small-town people become bitter and cling to guns or religion because of economic problems. Well, sure, you pray your house doesn’t get repossessed, and when they take it, you pull out your gun. Makes perfect sense. Jay Leno

Everybody filed their taxes? I saw a thing today in the paper where the United States government takes a third of your money. I mean, my God, it is like being married to Heather Mills. David Letterman

A new survey that came out today says that 98 percent of historians consider the Bush presidency a failure. On the upside, those are Bush’s highest poll numbers in years. Craig Ferguson

Aaah. Tax day. I’m always tempted to send two hammers and a couple bags of screws, tell the I.R.S. to forward them to the Pentagon and suggest we call it even. – Will Durst

A Denver man was recently arrested for disturbing the peace after he and his girlfriend, who belong to rival gangs, had a heated public argument over which gang their 4-year-old son should join. But the point is at least they care. – Marc Ragovin, New York

Sweats and Poetic Justice

2008-04-14T13:00:00.002-05:00

The dress on the left is British Court Dress dating from 1750. The one on the right is American/European, and dates from 1884-86. One can but wonder how anyone considered this fashion or why anyone would agree to wear such incredibly uncomfortable clothing. And we think fashion is insane today? Both are found at the MMA. (I remember seeing some of these outfits when I visited several years ago.)

Well, hope your weekend went well. It was cold here, but at least it's starting to dry out. The Contrarian woke me early this morning and called me to the front window. Looking out we counted 8 deer meandering around out front, amazingly unconcerned about us. The dogs were out, but no where to be found. No doubt they will pick up the scent later and get very excited, although they basically don't chase deer any more. Bear does not like other animals within his territory, but has learned that chasing them reaps no benefit.

I've gotten a fair amount done on the craft room. The walls are cleaned and everything on them. I've washed another window and have removed just about everything that needs to be thrown out or moved somewhere else. I've got tables and a bookcase to go through as well as tons of knitting and crochet odds and ends, as well as fabric that needs sorting. I'm moving some furniture around as well, and the Contrarian will be called to assist with that.

As usual, Monday is usually a busy day, so lets get to it!

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This month is poetry month. I was unaware. Thanks to the Ancient History Blog, I am now aware. Today she features Lucretius Carus, Roman Epicurean epic poet. He wrote De Rerum Natura, (on the nature of things) if you aren't Latin savvy.

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Sandi's Crochet Blog has some new stitches to teach you if you like to crochet. As usual she gives you excellent tutorials to assist you, and it makes for a lovely lovely look.

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Roberto Lovato has written an extensive examination of the immigrant issue, and the national security state it is helping to build. This article is quite long, but worth your attention. It raises some scary and difficult questions we must address. Is this about security, or something else?

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Baking Delights has an old-fashioned recipe that caught my eye. I'm of course addicted to desserts and am always looking for something different. This is called Mile-High Buttermilk Cake and I'm anxious to try it. She gives links to recipes for an orange curd and also a nice frosting to use with it. This cake is gigantic, a big three layer dream.

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In days past I've been seeing a lot on the news about the spike in food prices worldwide and what this means to the poor around the planet. You can of course imagine. Bill Moyers Journal has a guest blogger, Rev. David Beckman who speaks to the topic and to the pending farm bill in Congress. Now I know some of my readers are farm oriented, and so I don't know the intricacies of this bill, but I urge you to take a look at the post. We are all beginning to feel the pinch at the grocery store, as prices seem to endlessly climb.

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This next entry really bummed me out. I used to really follow the iditarod, that race they run in Alaska. I especially enjoyed keeping up on it when Susan Butcher was running in it and winning. It was a nice little feminist prize I thought. Sad to say, now I learn that it may be inhumane for the dogs involved. Read the claims made in Brittanica Blog and see what you think. They include critical responses to their post as well. I feel rather nauseated after reading it myself.

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I love chicken salad, and I am always interested when a new recipe comes by that I can make. Coconut & Lime has a good one in Sesame Chicken Salad and I'll be making it soon I can tell you. The ingredients are simply divine. You of course can do endless variations on this simple recipe.

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Now this dressing could in another version be used for a chicken salad. The Copycat Restaurant Recipes has Benihana's Ginger Salad Dressing and it looks like a winner to me. I'd use this for a large salad greens and chicken salad dish. Do you have any other ideas?

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As many know, the Pope is visiting the US tomorrow. Only the second time in history has one arrived upon our shores. The US Church has had a bumpy road no doubt, and is out of step to a great degree from what the Church teaches. Fully 85% of all US Catholics practice birth control which is still a no-no according to Church dogma. Read the History News Networks take on the "The Risks and Rewards of the Pope's Visit to the US." It's a lot trickier than it seems.

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Mad Kane is at it again! It's always about whose ox is being gored ain't it? So Obama's people are mighty angry because he's getting it these days, and Hillary seeks to reap the benefits. Who knows if she will. But skip over and see another of those precious limericks we've become so fond of. They are always a high spot.

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Like crafts but need more than a picture? I confess to being a tad craft challenged and so I need tutorials to help me along. Mamiedale has some help for us with a few tutorials she's collected.

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Are some of you nearly apoplectic about tomorrow and those taxes? Dave Barry has just what you need. Wipe away the tears now and get ready to bust a giggle or two. Read "How your taxes turn into manure." And don't miss that deadline!

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Everyone got their space helmets on? We are about to depart this universe folks and travel to that far and remote land of wonder and illogic, the National Review. Up today is a totally inane article about how co-habiting couples are responsible for the abysmal divorce rates in this country. Probably responsible for global warming too, oh, but the far right don't believe in that. I'm always ready to listen to folks from the reactionary right, especially on sex issues. How exactly many sexual scandals have they been embroiled in now? Now you may decide that co-habiting is wrong for religious reasons, and that's fine with me. I'm not backing the practice. But I'm smart enough to know that trying to blame the divorce rate in this country on those who co-habit before marriage is, well, stupid. There might be only 4 to the 25millionth degree of other reasons that have more to do with it in any particular case. Some people will say about anything to hawk a book it seems. Statistics must be used in CONTEXT dude.

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Have you heard the latest from the pharmaceutical companies? Always standing ready to make sure their wonder drugs find their way to those who desperately need them, they have come up with a great solution that should help us all, especially those of us who are financially stretched to the breaking point in an attempt to pay rising health costs. Now it no longer matters whether you are insured or not. You are gonna pay 20-33% of what you drug costs, period. No more flat copays for you! Ain't they generous and helpful though? I wonder, do they require a psychological test of new employees proving that your are a sociopath before you can be hired? Clearly that must be true of the unfeeling dead hearted folks who run those joints. Thanks to Politics Plus for this one.

Sweats, con't

2008-04-14T12:03:00.011-05:00

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Just as an aside, did you notice that Obama and Clinton met for an interview about faith on CNN? I didn't catch it, but the big news was the absence of John McCain who begged off because of "prior" commitments? I'll just bet that was it. Sure I do, uhuh, you right, you got it. He's avoiding the dang topic cuz that whole reactionary right fundamentalist side of the table is still in flux. You bet.

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This is one great link I tell ya. If you quilt or do other work with fabric, this little calculator is invaluable. If your project can be reduced to height and length dimensions, then you can calculate your fabric needs just by plugging in the numbers. Thanks to Niki's Ventures for bringing us this one.

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Part of this article was also used in the Politics Plus link earlier. But you should read the article in full by Paul Krugman. The latest study from UofM's Survey Research Center and the Pew polls suggest that things are not seen as good in America these days. Remember when Ronald Reagan asked "are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?" Well today, the answer seems a resounding, emphatic NO! About the only people or pseudo-people who have it good these days are some corporations and their bloated CEO's. I would imagine the Republicans are having a tough time reading his post with all the tears smearing the ink.

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Amidst the usual denials by the bad boys in the White House that we are not making permanent bases in Iraq, comes word that the Iraqi parliament is deciding just that right now. Oh, in case you don't understand the double speak, there are no permanent US bases ANYWHERE, even in the good old USA. All are subject to being shut down and moved. Bush says of course, that he has no interest in what Congress might think, it's none of their business he contends.

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Solar Power? Thought that was old news? Well it may be old news, but it still offers the best way to combat two problems, dependence on fossil fuels and global warming. This is called solar thermal electric and it heats liquid which powers generators. The technology is as old as well, time itself. Read about it at the Salon.

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As we age, most of us experience some form of arthritis, mild, or worse. A new study suggests that stem cells may offer help in repairing the damage, instead of the usual pain killer approach. More and more we find that stem cells are offering researchers the best way to approach any number of health problems.

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Rhubarb, that maligned pie fruit that is so often paired with strawberries in an attempt to temper its tartness, gets a new look. Simply Recipes has come up with a gorgeous recipe that is so very special I can't wait to try it. I love the tart clean taste of rhubarb untainted by berries. Do try Rhubarb Ginger Galette.

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Okay, I only included this one because I am no fan of Oprah. I do not wiggle and giggle and oooh and aaaah as she screams, "You get a Car, you get a car, everyone gets a car." I have my issues with the self-indulgence, with the wise woman syndrome, and with her choices of charities. She built that school in Africa because those kids said the right thing when she asked "if you could have anything what would it be?" American kids did not answer correctly. American Prospect reviews her latest foray into philanthropy, the "Big Give." See what you think. I promise you, it will make you think.

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The Artful Crafter has a roundup for you, which seems to be about the same as a carnival. Lots of interesting links to check out, with several crafts. I'm going back later to look at it more carefully.

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We hear of the unfortunate case all too often of babies being switched accidentally in the hospital. Actually I believe there is another in the news today. But grandfathers? Now that's a whole lot different. That's what happened at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in LA. Family members were confused since the wrong grandad spit up peas and carrots just like their real grandad did. You can understand that can't you?

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If anyone in your circle of family and friends is pregnant, this would be something to make. The point is, a baby quilt can be done up in short order if you do something like the stripes shown on this one. I'd pick way different colors I think, but I like it!

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Farmer's Almanac has a few tidbits:

If fowls roll in the sand, rain is at hand. (Keep your eyes peeled)

Where did the term "bumper crop" or "bumper year" come from?

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"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important." Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns; he should be drawn and quoted." Fred Allen

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." Abraham Lincoln

"I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them." George Youbetcha Bush

"In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards." Mark Twain

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This week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be speaking at a convention of gay Republicans. Arnold could get in trouble because he plans to start his speech by saying, “Hello, girly-men.”

According to his tax return, last year Vice President Cheney donated over $166,000 to charity. Most of the money went to Cheney’s favorite holiday charity: Coal for Tots. Conan O'Brien

Cankpe Opi Wakpala

2008-04-13T09:23:00.006-05:00

Psalm Of Cankpe Opi (Wounded Knee)

Cankpe Opi, the winter came and coldness settled in your valley.

On that day when blood fell upon the snow and the rivers flowed with human tears, your name that was to be, is now the name it is.

The wounded was formed and cries out in pain. It scratches at our hearts and cries out to be healed. Like a wound that does not heal, so it has continued to hurt. The people and the land and all the relatives and their friends hurt from your wound. Some could not take the pain and sickness and we was scattered off into four directions. Not matter how far and isolated we were, the wound is still there 116 years and it still hurts.

So I pray for you Cankpe Opi. To pray for the healing to go out from your epicenter, To pray that the rivers will flow with the spring rains again and not with tears, that the spring time will come and the morning dew will form.

The spring rains will descend on happy hearts and dew of joy will be carried by the four winds unto all those who have scattered and cried for you. That people will dance a joyful memory for their ancestors. Tunkasila, go over the land and breathe on your people. Let knew life go forth with new blessings and unified vision. Lift the heaviness, remove the burden, may there be peace.

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The Contrarian and I watched "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" last night. I'm sure many of you have already seen it. We see most movies quite a while after their release. This has to do with Vietnam and is not essential to this story, so enough said. It is a powerful film, one that should not be missed. It is painful, somber, and there is little in it that will bring a smile.

It is, as you may recall the story of the last years of the Lakota Sioux in the Dakotas and the Black Hills. It is the story of a peoples trek to near extinction. It is but one of the stories that clutter our historical landscape with uncomfortable accounts of the demise of great numbers of native peoples across our land, the result of white people's insatiable desire for land and its produce.

I make no claim that there was not fault on both sides of the equation. This is undoubtedly true of nearly every conflict, yet as we all know, some are much more lopsided than others. This is one of the more lopsided ones to be sure. The facts are clear, that here as in other instances, the United States entered into treaties it either blatantly violated when it suited it, or which were created with loopholes one could drive the proverbial truck through in the first place. Driven to live lives that were alien and hardly possible, the Indians rebelled and in the end always lost.

Of course we didn't learn much if anything about this as children in our schools. Indian "issues" were treated summarily at best, and with quick apologetic sentences that barely touched the surface of the deeply shameful conduct of our government and our people. The film depicts the entirety of the sordid affair of the plight of the Lakota Sioux after the battle of the Little Big Horn, where Indians triumphed and had killed the entire army of George Custer. Of course General Custer was intent on destroying them in the first place.

That there were well-meaning whites involved in the process that lead to the near destruction of the Sioux is undisputed. The film is quite fair in its portrayal of those "good" men and women. Though good in their intentions, their mindset was still that Indians were heathen, uncivilized, and barely human. They saw clearly that Indians would either change to American "ways" or die. They were largely correct in this assumption. But they also believed that they were bringing a civilizing element to these near-animals, something the Lakota should be grateful for. It is easy to see why the methods of deceit, casual killing, and land grabbing might be seen by the Lakota quite differently.

That not all the Native Peoples acted with perfect morality is also not in dispute. Sitting Bull is portrayed as a man who did his best, but often succumbed to the lure of fame and money while on the road with Buffalo Bill Cody. He rose to the occasion in the end, rejecting the governments final "offer" for their land to build rails to the mines in the Dakota territory. He was among the first casualties at Wounded Knee.

The story is told in some respects through the eyes of Charles Alexander Eastman, whose true name was Ohiyesa (Oh hee' yay suh). As a young boy, he had come upon the fighting at Little Big Horn, and managed to kill a soldier and acquire his first feather. He had stood bravely for his people, yet his father had been out East with the whites, and upon his return he sent Ohiyesa to "school." The school mistress refused to acknowledge his presence in the class until he chose a "white name." He became in the end Charles. He was sent East, and went to school there, and acquired a medical degree. He returned to the reservation.

Ohiyesa tried mightily to bridge this gap between white and red. More and more as time went on he realized that the US government had much more interest in the land than the people. He slowly began to see that doing the right thing was standing for his people. He was unable to continue working effectively for policies he no longer believed in.

America today claims moral leadership in the world. We have not been granted that status, we have assumed it ourselves. We revere and cite with pride our beginnings, fighting for religious rights, and freedom from oppression, whatever the source. We undoubtedly have some claim to this position. Yet we are not without sin. Far from it. Some may attempt to limit our errors to a blip on the screen, that pesky thing slavery, finding in it somehow the seeds of something so alien that it can be shrugged off as some massive aberration that cannot and did not happen anywhere else. That is simply untenable and wrong.

We did it first to the Native peoples of this land. This land that was theirs and not ours. This land that we assumed by God given right, and soon justified with social Darwinian elan, belonged to proud and numerous tribes scattered throughout the lower 49. We are still just beginning to understand how civilized they really were. We took it because we had bigger and better weapons, simply put. We took it because we wanted it and saw riches beyond riches and we wanted them. Native peoples had no concept of land ownership, and no tribe as far as I have been told had a word for land ownership, so alien was the concept.

We did it and we justified it by all sorts of nonsense. Mostly we just considered them savages, not fully human. We did the same to Africans we captured and sent to America to work our fields and tend our homes. We did it again to Japanese citizens who found themselves carted off to concentration camps during WWII for no reason other than they were Japanese and "might" pose a threat. We did it in smaller measure to immigrants like the Italians and Irish. We like to declare that others are uncivilized. It makes for a clean little self deception that works for an excuse and justification for acting badly.

It was not that long ago, when people spoke of Chicanos and Latinos or at least Mexicans. We now have cloaked them with the invisible appellation "illegals." We are quickly reaching a point where we don't differentiate between illegals and immigrants or citizens of Mexican descent. The same can be said of Muslims these days. Islam is a false religion we are told by some, and increasingly the average American is nodding his/her head in agreement, forgetting that for centuries on end we have regarded Muslims, Christians and Jews as having the commonality of "People of the Book."

Are we heading down the road of slavery, Wounded Knee, and Japanese Internment Camps once again? Time will only tell, but we will not if we, those who have bothered to know our history, have any say in the matter. We need to remember what really happened in our past, lest it happen again.

Tonkasila, go over your land and breathe on your people.

As Tough as I Wanna Be

2008-04-12T09:10:00.002-05:00

Grades always were easy for me in school. From the beginning I got satisfactories in all those important areas such as writing, reading and mathematics. Those turned to A's when actual grades were given, though I don't remember the demarcation. In fact, I seldom saw a B. By the eighth grade I took such things for granted. In fact, I was placed in an advanced math class in eighth grade, taking Algebra instead of waiting until 9th. I don't recall feeling particular special, and I don't recall being thought of as weird. As I said before, more than half the kids I started kindergarten with, I graduated with. We, by that point, had a pretty clear idea who were the smart ones, who not.

Algebra went fine. In ninth grade we started geometry and I began to struggle. Struggle for me was simply frustration that this stuff wasn't going so easily for me. I spend actual time doing homework now, and parents were of no help. Neither my mother or father had a clue about math beyond the simple stuff. If geometry was tough, then algebra II was scary. I was really having a tough time. Often, intuitively I could figure out the answer, but I couldn't "show my work" sufficiently a lot of time, demonstrating that I had not absorbed the finer points of the theorems. I finally, in distress, went to my teacher and asked, exactly what did I need to get on the final to avoid a dreaded C. You see, I had never received a C up to that point. In fact i would receive only one poor grade in my entire high school career. (More of that in a moment.) He said, well, don't fail it. I got a D- on the final and got a B- for the year. Whew.

So shaken had I become at that turn of events that I pulled myself out of the "college prep" course track, and moved "down" to the business track. The third track was "general" and was reserved for those who would be gas station monkeys, checkout clerks, or hold other brainless jobs. Such was the way we kids understood that stuff. I don't recall that my parents were consulted or whether they protested. I doubt they did. Grades were the important thing to them I assume, and not the subject they were attached to.

Failure was something that I was not used to as you might have guessed. The main reason I took such lengths to avoid failure, was for that reason, and because I didn't exactly know what failure entailed, but it didn't look good to me. Failure was the guy who got fired because he couldn't do the work. Everyone in my family had a job and worked it until they retired. So to be fired from a job meant you were thoroughly incompetent and an embarrassment to society.To be without work was unthinkable. My parents bought thoroughly into the Protestant work ethic. The reason I had little if any involvement with failure is that my parents had a very strong demarcation between what children do and adults do. I was never allowed to do things in the second category, whether it be painting a wall, planting peas, or fixing a drain. So I had little experience in the normal try, fail, try again syndrome. Such of course is a valuable and essential learning experience but it was not to be mine.

In any event, I very much enjoyed business classes. I loved typing, and in fact still do enjoy it. I enjoyed learning shorthand and was good at that as well. I loved bookkeeping, for the tidy symmetry of the "books" intrigued and appealed to my sense of order. I did well. Most of the business classes were taught by Mrs. James, a very nice woman. She was tall and slim like my mother, with glasses as well, and always the latest hairdo. I recall she was married to a factory worker and there was always talk that she had married "beneath" her status.

I was a somewhat racy kid in my 16-18 year range. We hung out with those "bad boys" from Beecher for starts. We wore leather jackets, we smoked, and we made fun of the "in" kids, the ones who played sports and were on student council. We never admitted it, but we were essentially jealous. They were the teachers favorites, we increasingly were not. Mrs. James never played that game, at least not with me.

By senior year, all we wanted was to get out. We gave up all pretense of being interested in school activities of any kind. We attended no games, no pep rallies, no float building evenings, no extra-curricular clubs any more. We just were waiting it out. Every evening we assembled at Barb's or Pat's to listen to music, laugh and make jokes. School was a miserable thing to be suffered.

I had never skipped a day of school, and to tell you the truth I don't know who decided it was time. We certainly felt that our status as "bad" kids would be in jeopardy should we not have at least one skipped day under our belts. I recall it was warm, so it was either late spring or earlier in the fall. Usually one of our parents drove us to a gas station, which abutted the school property. We didn't want to be seen with parents, we protested, but in actuality we wanted to smoke before heading on to class, at the very last moment. That one day we had other plans.

We were expecting the boys. They drove in the gas station perhaps 15 or so minutes before school started, and we all piled in Tom's Chevy. Unbeknownst to us, a bus driver going by, saw us, and could identify a fair number of us. Our group was of course well known, and it was easy for them to figure out who all was gone, just by checking the classes for absences. We, being oblivious to all this, took off, and headed over to Tom's house. His mother worked days, and there was no one there.

We had no particular plan as to how to spend the day. I don't recall, but someone called someone, and we were soon advised that everyone already knew we had skipped. So a fun day was spent wondering how to spin this in some way that wouldn't end us all in a lot of trouble. We came up with no fine plan and all. We stayed at Tom's the entire day, and the boys drove us to within a block of home so we could dutifully arrive home as usual.

I was met by my grandmother, who said, your dad called and said for you to stay home. He will be calling later. Nothing more was said, and I continued to live with a huge boulder in the gut a few more hours. Finally he called. "How was your day?" he asked innocently. "Fine." I replied cautiously. "Anything interesting happen?" he followed. Knowing the gig was up of course, I figured lying would hardly be appropriate. "I got caught skipping school," I confessed and waited. "Wait up for me until I get home." "Okay." And he hung up.

I was not severely punished. Us kids got in contact with each other by phone, and knew that all us girls had been grounded. The school had called and said we were suspended and must return with a parent in tow before re-entering. Dad asked what the other kids suffered and imposed the same on me. Since I was not one to get in serious trouble, he had little experience with severe punishments. None of us suffered much from this but one. That was Patty. Patty's father beat the dickens out of her with a belt, and in fact the school was seriously considering calling the authorities. Such was my one experience with skipping school. I wouldn't recommend it.

When it had come time to sign up for senior classes, I was taking the lazy way out. I didn't want to be bothered with classes that taxed my mind much. I decided to take a class in "library science." It was not a science I tell you, and was considered a "throwaway" elective. It was taught by a new teacher, whose name I no longer remember. She was fat and wore atrocious polka dot dresses. Now I was a huge reader, even then, but for reasons that we can only surmise, me and Miss polka dots didn't get along. It got pretty much worse as time went on. Whatever she told me to do, I did, but in a fashion that was not pleasing to her. I know I did some things very deliberately wrong, just to aggravate her.

In our school, if you carried at least a B- going into midterms, you didn't have to take the midterm exams. I'd never taken a midterm exam except the imfamous algebra II midterms. The library "bitch" gave me a C average and I was required to take the damn exam. I decided I was not going to. On the appointed day, I simply didn't go. My Dad assumed I didn't have to take any exams and so had no suspicion that I was being disobedient. This was a matter of honor to me. This woman was actively making my life a misery, the kids all knew, and I had to take a stand or loose status in their eyes.

A bit into the morning the phone rang. The principal was on the line and asking why I hadn't appeared for my exam. "I'm sick," I replied. No doubt he was unconvinced. "Well," he finally sighed, "If you don't show up to take it, Miss Polka dots is going to give you an E for the test and she said you can't make it up." "Okay," I replied. I got a D- for the midterm. That of course did not go over especially well with the male parental. He was thoroughly disgusted. This was at the time in the world when no teacher was wrong, every kid was. I was wrong, evidence not withstanding, had there of course been any.

I had to come up with a solution. Of course, everyone in the school knew about the fight between my and Miss Polka dots. I looked around at what was available, (not much in a suburban school, whose graduating class typically consisted of less than 110 students). I realized that there was a 10th grade home economics class that was about the only thing I could switch to. I went to the home ec teacher, a lovely lady, and asked if I could transfer, even though I was a senior. She smiled, telling me she knew of my problem and sure I could. Such, I thought, ended my nightmarish relationship with the Polka Dot idiot.

Near the end of the year, with graduation only weeks away, we had an "awards" ceremony. We had these each year, and boys got letters for sports, girls got letters for cheerleading and majorettes. Pins and certificates were given out for club activities, school student council, and various stuff. They were mostly boring, and we attended as required with the usual non-interest. Suddenly, an odd thing was occurring, people were being called from the senior class. As they came down, parents started popping out of doors into the gym. It turned out that these were the new inductees into the Honors Society. These new folks were given a sash, and probably some pin. The sash would be worn over their graduation robes.

Now, I was aware at this time of the statistics for our graduating class. I was graduating 3rd out of 102 classmates. I noted that as this parade of parents and called-down students went on that it encapsulated the kids who made up the top ten in the class. There were actually 11 as there was a tie for 3rd place as I recall. As this realization crept over me, the knot began to grow. My parents? No way? Both in the same room? Nope. Not gonna happen. Oh how I dreaded it. But my name was never called. I was puzzled, but still had no idea why I had been ignored. Before I had a opportunity to think about it for long, my name was called, but not for the Honors Society. I was called by Mrs. James and given "best business student" of the year. I was certainly not expecting this, and in fact was dumbfounded. I knew I was "good" at all the business classes, but had never thought about being "best."

Some time after the assembly and awards ceremony had been concluded, Mrs. James took me aside for a chat. She wanted to assure me that I indeed was the best student that year. But she wanted to tell me something else. It seemed that the requirement for induction into Honors Society required that every teacher you had taken in your senior year had to sign a nominee application. Miss Polka dot had refused. She was the only one who had. Mrs. James told me that every teacher had made a point of going to Polka dots and asked her to reconsider, pointing out my fine record over my entire high school time. She refused to relent, even when some of them pointed out that the dispute she had with me was largely in their view a difference of personality and she was the adult after all. Nope, nada, no way she said. And that was that. Mrs. James felt I should know that my other teachers supported me, and further that the business award was not a consolation prize.

I relate the story because it taught me a very important lesson. Unfortunately it took me a few years before I got it. I was a lawyer and still, when I thought of that incident I would grow wild with anger, wishing all sorts of demented misery on that woman in the library. I mused of seeing her at a reunion and lauding it over her. "See I'm a lawyer, and you Miss Polka dots are still a librarian in a tiny suburban high school. I'm somebody, and you are not." I cannot point to a time or place or thing, but suddenly in the midst of one of these gut-tightening rants, I got the "aha moment." I realized that my very success was the best revenge, and there was no reason whatsoever that she need know of it. Her slight, intended to screw me, had made not one single impact in my life that was negative as far as I could determine. Her meanness had accomplished nothing. I never got angry about it again. Lesson: don't waste time being angry at people who try to hurt you but fail. Don't waste time bemoaning the past which can't be changed.

But I do sometimes wonder what happened to Miss Polka dots. I like to imagine she lives as an old maid with a old maid sister, in a gray world where the time can be determined simply by noting what activity a person is engaged in.

Next: college, war, and whatever comes next.

It's Going to be a Bumpy Ride

2008-04-11T14:30:00.002-05:00

The artist is Zubaren and the piece is entitled, "St. Casilda."

It can be found at El Prado in Madrid. It was painted in the time of 1638-42. It is religious in nature but the artist used presumably a friend as model. The dress is current to the day.

St. Casilda was daughter to the Muslim king of Toledo and carried bread to the to captured Christians. Once caught, the bread hidden in her skirts when unwrapped, had been turned into roses.

Well the rains seems mostly gone, and its soggy as you might expect. It's also gloomy and dark which is starting to wear on me for sure. I suffer to a degree from SAD. I got a start on my poor craft room. What a mess. You see, we stopped taking extraneous things to the basement, because it tends to be damp, so my room got to be the receptacle of everything that needed saving. I moved out 2 towers and one monitor and 3 keyboards! Some of it still works I guess, but frankly I think it should all be pitched. It's all piled in the kitchen. The Contrarian can decide if he wants to keep it. With that stuff out of the way, I got a fair amount put away, though I am torn about whether I should systematically clean every drawer. Crafting makes for lots and lots of tiny little "things." Since I craft as eclectically as I think, I have bits of this and that, beads, boxes, ribbon, fabric, wooden doohickies, you name it. I dread going through everything and trying to put everything into some order. I know I have to eventually, I'm just not sure it's a good thing to do now. Afraid I'll get bogged down and not keep moving on to other rooms. I have a bad tendency to dump stuff into hidy holes to get it out of sight. Such is the state of my office/crafter room.

Let's see what you need to know to get through the weekend!

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Ceres is both a asteroid and a goddess. As a goddess, she is Roman, the equivalent of Demeter, the Greek goddess. We really should be worshiping her in Iowa here, since she is the goddess of grain, and we get the name cereal from her. Read more at Ancient History Blog.

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I simply found this post intriguing and useful in improving my understanding of the evangelical right. No one can peruse this blog for long without realizing that I have a "thing" when it comes to the reactionary right. Most of that has dealt with politics and their attempts to restructure our country along their version of "Christian" life. This post addresses how this right wing sees itself in terms of family life and child rearing. It's quite fascinating and you just might learn a few things. I think of myself as fairly knowledgeable when it comes to this subject, and I know I learned a few new things. Actually, some of it is quite chilling.

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I've never heard of these cookies. Maybe you have. The recipe seems simple enough. Give them a try. I think I will, after we finish the yummy cinnabuns I made yesterday. Thanks to Baking Delights for this lovely little cookie. They are called Berger Cookies.

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Want to make your own candy bars? How about a Baby Ruth? Copycat Restaurant Recipes has the recipe for you. I think I might be a tad too lazy for this one.

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This recipe is unusual. It's fancy and perfect for an important dinner. Phyllo dough is required but you can get that at most supermarkets these days. I think it's absolutely lovely and light and I'm rather anxious to give this one a try. It's called Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie Stacks, and is from the ever wonderful Epicurious.

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Mother's Day will be coming along soon, and this might be a nice gift to give. Also nice for any number of other occasions when a small personal gift is appropriate. Feeling stitchy has a pattern and a link to a tutorial to help you along. Make these sachets for lasting pleasure.

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Gardening Tips 'n Ideas has some useful help if you have azaleas or want to plant some this season. They are an old garden standard and I like them a lot. I don't have any, nor rhododendrons either for that matter.

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If you need inspiration, inspired by antique quilts will always help you out. Look at her lovely quilt that she has just finished. How do these folks do it? Turning out quilts in a couple of weeks, and it takes me months to get one even ready for hand quilting. I just love this one.

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I don't pretend to know how they know, but they say they know, and I know I should know better, but know that I can't know beyond what they claim they know. Got that? Scientists claim that the first animal life on this planet was way more complex than they thought. It was a jelly fish type thing. Have you seen some of these? I've seen film of some at great depths and they are florescent and colorful and so unworldly as to mesmerize one. Check out the Comb Jelly, which is fairly drab but still, it was your great-great to the nth power daddy.

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Oh you have watched Casablanca no doubt? Or you think you have. I bet you missed the ending. I mean the ending after the ending. Confused? Let Jeannelle set you straight at Midlife by Farmlight. Seems a couple of visitors told her the balance of the story very few of us have heard. You will be the talk of the cocktail parties when you wow them with this version!

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Okay, got your helmet firmly on and your oxygen mask tight? We are entering the twilight zone and next stop is weirdo world, home of folks who contribute to the National Review and the bunch of crazies who inhabit it. So up is now down, left is right, and inside is outside. Ready? Seems Thomas Sowell, black person, has determined how the GOP can capture the black vote. Not just any black vote, but that undefined part that they can win. Not the part the Democrats can get, it's some other part. Think Alan Keyes I guess. Appeal to them on the level of no teacher's unions, no environmental laws, no tort lawyers, no liberal judges. Apparently African Americans don't like these things. Huh? There is some convoluted rationalism here that is beyond me. But as Mr. Sowell says, this is only for the blacks that Republicans "can realistically reach." I guess this must be the 1/4 of 1% who are mentally disturbed. Mr. Sowell should thank God every night that he has a job.

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One of my pet peeves is universal health care. It's a crime that we don't have it. Most of the modern democracies in the world do. It is simply morally reprehensible that we operate on the idea that those that are lucky and have insurance through work or because they are wealthy and can afford it get what they want, the rest of us should suffer and die in silence. That is one of the reasons I continue to support Hillary Clinton. Paul Krugman has a good post on the matter, one I urge you to read. Twenty-seven thousand deaths per year stand silently asking us for an answer.

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Deepak Chopra is a spiritual guide for me. I have read a number of his books and find his work thoughtful, loving, inclusive, and deeply moving. He poses a compelling question for us today at On Faith, forum at the Washington Post and Newsweek. He claims the "Ecumenical Age may be Past." Read what other readers think and join in the conversation if so motivated.

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If you think you might like to find out where John McCain stands on women's reproductive rights, then I have the post for you. It goes way beyond his determination (arrived at late no doubt in an attempt to keep that religious right in tow) to reverse Roe v Wade. It goes way beyond that, and some women who are anti-choice even say he is way out of touch with the real world. See what you think.

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Bumps, Con't

2008-04-11T13:21:00.011-05:00

Have you heard of Madame Restell? I sure had not. Scandalous Women has nailed another one in her ongoing histories of women we mostly have never heard about. This one was reputed to be the wickedest woman in New York. Quite an accomplishment. Read all about her and find out what made her so controversial.

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Wow, it's all I can say. Scientists at the Pole have found a "window" to the center of the earth, and boy are they discovering new things. Rocks found on the Arctic Ocean floor are the key. It offers an opportunity to study the mantle which makes up 70% of the Earth, better than ever before. It all means somehow that our geologic history is much more complicated than was thought. In a different vein, but still dealing with geology, the Grand Canyon may be older than we thought, and those darlings of museums, the dinosaurs may have taken their fair share of peeks over the edge.

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I don't know about you, but Mikey Huckabee scared the bejeesus out of me. Such a nice acting man, and such a thoroughly idiotic mind set. I feared this was only the beginning. And true to that fear, Huck is starting his own right wing political organization. He will be making a serious try for the presidency again in 4 years, you may be sure. Be sure you know exactly what is going on. Read Talk2Action to get the scoop on the nefarious doings of the wacko right.

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This is one of those oldie recipes and I thought it was purely delightful. I love apple desserts and don't eat many since fruits are a problem for me. I am supposed to stick to mostly the low sugar types. I find that I can eat a little of the sweeter ones, and this one is definitely on my radar. Aunt Rachel's Apple Pudding is novel, and appealing. It may be more of a fall or winter dessert, but I doubt that will stop me from trying it. Hope you like it too.

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If you would like to see some truly beautiful cross stitch, follow the link to Threads of Desire and see her work. I can't imagine working cross stitch on such a small count linen. Wow, its gorgeous. I'm very envious and wish someone could teach me that one. I've bought linen like this and despaired after looking at it of ever figuring out how to count the threads correctly.

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I've been impressed by just how many crafters make a lot of their beauties for charity. Here is a way you can help too, if you knit. There are links to Save the Children. I'm not sure if there are any patterns but if you hit the link on my sidebar under crafts and Knitting patterns central, you will find dozens of patterns all for free.

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I've been tooting around for months now here and on forums that Republicans have done an excellent job at convincing the right wing evangelicals that a vote for a Republican is a vote for all those "family values" they think they have a corner on. The hypocrisy is of course outstanding here. Have you heard about the North Mariana Islands, a US territory? The main industry is textiles and they get to avoid tariffs and can label their stuff "made in the USA." So what has this to do with family values you ask? Women make up the bulk of the workers and they are treated as essentially slaves. What goes on there is unbelievable, forced abortions, sex trafficking, if it's sordid it's happening there. Jack Abramoff was their voice in Congress, and Tom Delay and friends made sure that no legislation got through Congress to impose our federal standards for wages and safety on the textile companies. This is a pattern of conduct. It's talking the Christian game and playing an ugly, immoral alternative. It's simply money over morality once again and the Republicans continue the big lie to the Religious Right. Vox Nova gives us all the vile facts.

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"Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else." James M. Berrie

"In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Of course, a lot of controversy right now about China. During a speech, President Bush urged Chinese leaders to talk to the Dalai Lama and called him a really fine man. Cool. Yeah. Bush said: “I used to be reluctant to meet with him. Then I found out he was not a real llama.” Conan O'Brien

The pope will visit New York City next week. His Holiness would certainly fit in at a Knicks game. The fans have been known to say “Jesus Christ” a lot too.

Katie Couric may exit CBS News. A handful of people know the exact date. She only told her audience. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

In fact, when we go to the airport do you know what F.A.A. stands for? Find another airline. Jay Leno

Tsunami of Rain on a Soggy Land

2008-04-10T09:24:00.016-05:00

Today, our featured art offering is from Japan. Katsushika Hokusai did this in a series in 1830-31, entitled "The Great Wave off Kanagawa. " The mountain in the background is Mt. Fuji. You can find it at the Art Institute of Chicago.

I am always rather captivated by East Asian art. I like the delicacy and simplicity, yet great and intense attention to detail.

I sure hope you are having a good day. It's raining here, cold and windy. It is expected to go on all day. The good news is that temperatures are going up next week, maybe into the low 70's!!!

On the home front, the bathroom is finished. I always start with the bathrooms thinking they are small and won't take time, but they always end up I think being the hardest, soap scum, tiny places where mops don't reach and all that make for slow progress. So I'm delighted to finish. It's three rooms down and 4 to go. Really 4 1/2 to go, since the laundry/pantry is a room too. But at least tomorrow I can start on my room, getting it all spiffy for serious crafting.

Okay, ready to see what's going on? Proceed with caution, you never know what you may find.

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A Mingling of Tastes has a great little recipe for breakfast that would certainly work for a nice brunch as well. If you want to kick it up a notch, try Orange-Ricotta Pancakes with Almonds. Sounds about perfect for a lazy spring Sunday meal.

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Lesbians. Oh, I can just see your mind flip into gear. Hmmm, gay rights post right? Nope, Originally the word referred to inhabitants of the isle of Lesbos. The poet Sappho is its most famous daughter and she wrote lovely poetry of love about both men and women. Skip over to the Ancient History Blog and learn more about this fascinating woman.

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I have no doubt that General Petraeus is a fine soldier, perhaps one of the best. He may well be a great military strategist for all I know. But I do think that he has been placed in the breach by the Bush Administration. George stands behind the bemedaled army general, afraid to stand forth alone, and lets the General do his dirty work for him. The General is not a politician, yet he is being used as one. Now George steps forth and says, "well, I'm just doing as my generals advise." Alternet has a compelling post today addressing the "betrayal" of the American people. See what you think.

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American Revolution Blog has an important post today. It is about the abysmal state of education in this country. We like to think our system is better than any in the world. That is far from the truth, and has been for many years. Any cursory watch of Jay Leno's, Jay Walking will set you straight in a moment. College students whose major is education cannot answer basic questions about our government officials and framework. A full 25% of high school teachers believe that man and dinosaur co-existed. This cannot be tolerated. Read a fine post that will give you the facts on this growing dilemma that threatens our very standing in the world, and our claim to be the best.

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I am a big fan of Bill Moyers. I believe he is one journalist who has never compromised his ethics for the moment. I say that being aware that he was a politico and has served in our government in times past. Mr. Moyers was recently given the Ridenhour Courage Prize. If you follow the link you can read his acceptance speech. It's a very valuable statement, about our government, our times, and our responsibilities as citizens. I hope you will take the time to read it. It reminds me, and all of us that we too have some responsibility to the truth. To tell it as best we can. To hold government's collective feet to the fire. I do so in the most minor of ways, but the words of Mr. Moyers are powerful calls to us all. I hope you take the time to heed it.

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C'est La Vie has a post today about our love for guns. She views this from a Canadian point of view. While she graciously says that she casts no aspersions on other countries, I have no problem saying that her country has some sanity where this issue is concerned and we are largely insane in my opinion. But that is true of quite a few others issues as well. She is spot on in her analysis. Stop by and take a look.

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I don't know about you, but I adore artichokes. This recipe is a new one for me, I usually do the usual, boil them and then make a lemon/butter sauce. This just looks so good I want to eat the screen. LOL. Epicurious finds this recipe from Cookie, and it's called Braised Artichokes.

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Okay, it may not be the right timing. After all, today is a slug of a day, but if you have a hankering for something exotic and terribly upscale when it comes to ice cream, consider this one for Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream. Oh a nice one to keep in mind for the summer. Much thanks to Gourmet CakesEasy Dessert Recipes.

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I keep saying I want to knit some socks, when Knitting Dragonflies who knits quite obviously, comes up with patterns for crocheting them. Now I'd never even thought of that. And I have not of course yet started the infamous socks. (Afraid of failure no doubt). So, take a look and see if it motivates you. Perhaps to shout a resounding NO!, or maybe to try it yourself. I think they would function best as kind of sock slippers , rather than for shoes. They look a bit bulky.

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In the news last evening was the new stuff about how all this torture crap got approved. Tenent is seen scrambling to the White House again and again, demanding permission from higher ups before his guys and gals participate. Colin Powell was in attendance. So were all the usual suspects, such as Cheney and Rice. It now seems clear that they all were in it up to their necks. Nobody can claim they were unaware of the "details," they defined the details. What sordid and unAmerican tactics. It makes my skin crawl, it makes me ashamed, it makes me burning mad.

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Perhaps you have heard. Pope Benedict XVI is coming to America. Couple of reasons: to seek some sort of reconciliation in a church torn with sex scandals, and to pump up the flock so to speak which has suffered losses of numbers in recent years. Nobody expects Il Papa to wag his finger at Bush's war a good deal, or say anything very dramatic. The truth is Benedict, often called the "Rottweiler" in his pre-popery days, is a quiet, soft-spoken, pious and nice man. His policies are not to my liking for the most part, but I can appreciate his great intelligence and learning. It will be interesting to see what he has to say. A report by Phillip Pullella from Vatican City, purports to alert us that our view of Benedict seems to be changing.

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Taken a gander at the Constellation Leo lately? If you had, you'd undoubtedly seen the planet that is located there. That is if you happened to have a super duper Palomar type telescope to see it. Actually, I doubt that would be big enough. The darling is about the size of Neptune and is rocky. And it may have a brother or sister planet too. Both orbit a devilishly cute star called Gliese 436.

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I love hash browns, and I know how to make them nice and brown and crispy. If you don't, and for a long time, I didn't, Simply Recipes has the recipe, but more importantly, the method for guaranteeing that they turn out perfect. (She uses a ricer, I use a tea towel to squeeze out the liquid--the most important part of the recipe.)

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Heather Mills, remember her? Dancing star, who actually seemed kinda nice for that brief moment in time before she reverted to her evil self and the divorce from Paul? Well apparently the lady has scored once again, this time she has been awarded the right to royalties on the song "Eleanor Rigby," super superior song we thought was written by Lennon/McCartney. She claims this is just the start of her claims, so watch out! Ouch, the fumes are making me cry!

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Chicken recipe alert. Chicken Marsala from the Olive Garden. The Secret Recipe Blog has it for you just in time when you were wondering what to do with the 1/2 cup of Marsala wine lurking in the fridge. You no doubt have a 1/2 cup of Marsala in the fridge don't you? Oh, well, then use some red wine you do have and call it Chicken Red! I doubt it will be apparent to any but the most discerning palate.

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You know it wouldn't be so bad, but this happens every damn time. Whenever its something versus the environment, the something seems always more important than it. And this is no exception. The planned "fence"to keep out illegals is dangerous to the environment. That is a given. The White House has ordered it built and decided to side step all state laws to the contrary. The Congress gave them that power, long ago. Nobody wants to talk immigration in this political year, so, yep, you guessed it, nobody is gonna stop this silly fence unless the Courts step in. Many are planning lawsuits. I'm not very hopeful. Sigh, I'm never very hopeful when it comes to our recognition of environmental matters.

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Urantian Sojourn has a most sharply concise synopsis of the Petraeus/Crocker hearings in Congress. I concur with their conclusions quite obviously and admire their style, wit, and ability to write well. See if you agree.

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If you happen to be a Civil War buff, and there seem to be many, there is a great little site, featured at World History Blog that you might like. It seems you can animate the various battles and see them progress from start to finish. I assume CivilWarophiles like that sort of thing. If you do, skip on over and take a look. Oh, if you are WWII buff, there is a similar companion site for that too. Both links are at WH Blog.

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"Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad." Diogenes the Cynic

"The average person thinks he isn't." Father Lawrence Lorenzoni

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According to the insiders, Condoleezza Rice has been actively lobbying to be John McCain’s vice presidential candidate. That would be interesting, don’t you think? Condoleezza Rice, John McCain. Kind of like Ebony and Ornery. Jay Leno

Canada just announced it may boycott this year’s Summer Olympics because of China’s treatment of Tibet. Yeah, when asked about the boycott, Canada’s prime minister said: “I’m very angry at China. Plus, we suck at summer sports.” Conan O'Brien

In case you forgot, taxes are due next week. You know, we all hate paying taxes but the truth of the matter is without our tax money, many politicians would not be able to afford prostitutes. Jimmy Kimmel

What we’re finding out in the hearings in Congress is that General Petraeus tells better war stories than Hillary Clinton. – Gil Stern

That's Food for Thought

2008-04-09T09:33:00.017-05:00

This photograph was done by Lewis Hine and is entitled "Newsies at Skeeter Branch, St. Louis, Missouri, 11 a.m., May 9, 1910." It is from the MMA.

We often bemoan that our children grow up too fast these days. I wonder if that has not always been the case. These boys seem to feel quite grown up wouldn't you say? I assume they are newsboys. I wouldn't try to cheat them out of a nickel, would you?

Spring cleaning is going well. The bath is nearly done, just the floor to do by hand tomorrow, getting into all those corners that the mop hasn't reached for several months. And then it's on to my office/craft room. I hope I don't lose interest when I finish it! Oh I checked out that site, "flygirl.net" or something to that effect. What an anal retentive site! I'm sure that some can benefit from it, being told exactly what to do, but it was a bit too dictatorial for me! I still intend to spend more time there since I want to examine her "zone" cleaning ideas.

Well, the feeds were alight today, so it may be a long one and I have still to make some macaroni and cheese and something or other for dinner. Anybody got any tips on how to design a good menu planning system to avoid my daily moan about "what am I gonna fix for dinner?" The Contrarian now claims that if I say that twice in a day, I have to make gravy for dinner! Hehe, he is crazy I told ya.

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Abby Sweets starts us off with a real winner of a tart, French Lemon Tart. I am a lemon fan, and make lemon meringue pie a few times a year. This is a nice little substitute that avoids the meringue. Get you a piece and then continue reading blogs!

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I am, on thinking about this, wondering why this day is not a holiday. I guess because the losing side wouldn't have agreed. But today is the anniversary of the day the Civil War ended. All came to an end at Appomattox Courthouse when Lee surrendered to Grant. Read about it at American History Blog.

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It is also the anniversary of the death by assassination of the Emperor Caracalla in Rome. That was in 217 C.E. I wonder of Grant and Lee remarked on the event in their meeting at Appomattox?

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Sandi's Crochet Blog has a butterfly that you can crochet into a square for an afghan or make the square and then cross stitch it into the block. I think it's probably quite lovely, but I think it might also be hard to do. I've never been able to figure out how they do designs in knitting or crochet without a lot of messing around. I have never had the gumption to try it myself. Given Sandi's excellent instructions, I bet I could succeed at this one.

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Civil War Women brings us another biography, this one about a nurse by the name of Miss Hattie Dada. Mattie, as always, does an excellent job of researching and writing about these mostly forgotten women who played important roles in our nation's history. Enjoy her latest offering.

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Copycat Restaurant Recipes has a good one today. Exotic, it's Kroger's Thai Chicken Salad. I really liked the list of ingredients and plan on giving this one a try when I get to the store again. It was a bit off putting, the Kroger thing, but hey, its the end product that counts, not the name right? Note: the bacon bowl and picture is not a look at this salad I don't believe. There are no tomatoes in the recipe.

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I'm not a huge fan of meat and fruit together. I don't care for ham with pineapple rings all over it for example. This recipe looked quite tempting however, so I thought I would share it with you. It's from the ever wonderful Epicurious and is Grilled Pork Loin with fire Grilled Pineapple salsa. I hope you think it worth a look see.

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Lynda at Essential Estrogen has the remarks of Iowa congressional representatives, Harkin, Braley, and Loebsack prior to the hearings for Petraeus and Crocker. Check them out so you know what they are saying and if you agree with them or not. The Contrarian who follows hearings much closer than I, says that Braley is really a sharp cookie. I've written to Loebsack who has yet to reply to my e-mail. I wish Braley represented me. I think he does a better job frankly, but that's another story.

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It's always a delight to find that Garrison Keillor has given us another of his little gems. This one is about our urge to compete. And he is most correct. I find myself doing it constantly while I decry the competitive nature that prevents us from truly coming together to work for the common good. One begins to wonder just how genetic this trait is? Keillor points out the downside of "Midwest manners" too, so I don't know what to do now! This post is one of his best ones, so don't miss it.

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Russell has a nice tribute to the young man honored posthumously with the Medal of Honor yesterday. I saw a bit of it myself and was also moved. I wondered what his parents really thought of the war, I wondered how many more must die in this senseless tragedy that we have been forced to engage in. Then I remembered that it was our failure of diligence, our failure to hold the White House's feet to the fire that enabled this travesty to occur. We relinquish our responsibilities to a bunch of politicians for whom this is but a job, and a media industry that now counts dollars before facts. I feel ashamed as I watch parents, wives, husbands and friends bear the real cost as they bury their dead.

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The "scientific" theory behind Jurassic Park, as you may recall, was the DNA of dinosaurs found in insects trapped in amber. Now scientists today find that an unlikely possibility, but they have made one grand advance. Eighty percent of the amber found is opaque, and therefore anything inside cannot be seen. By using hocus pocus machines and techniques, they are now able to find them, and it seems that this opaque amber is just full of critters who lived among the giant creatures we are so fascinated with. They so far has discovered 356 different living beings in the amber they have tested. Read more and be amazed as I always am.

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Mad Kane has another limerick and you know you are addicted to them. She is so very good. She nailed it once again.

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Maureen Dowd has a clear, no nonsense post on the hearings yesterday and the state of woe this country is in as regards the country of Iraq we are so desperately trying to remodel into a temple of democratic rectitude. It is not working, never did, never will, and what the heck are we going to do? Both Petraeus and Crocker seemed like deer caught in the headlights yesterday, doing their best but wishing for sure to be nearly anywhere having a root canal rather than in that hearing room.

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Susan Jacoby writing for On Faith, the forum on religion for the Washington Post and Newsweek, has a thoughtful post today about Catholicism and the quest to convert the world to the one "true" religion. Yes, that is the case unfortunately. It is not something bandied about by most Catholics but a small fringe believes this vehemently. Such a stance, is of course, not productive of interfaith dialogue. Such a stance is not productive in democratic societies either. Read her interesting article about how proselytizing seems to consume Christianity and Islam.

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I came of age as it were in the 60's, graduating in 1968. Wow that seems like forever ago now doesn't it? I have always thought our beliefs and goals were laudable. I thought we were well read, well educated, knew our politics, and were among the first to really see that this was one planet wherein cooperation and assistance should be our watchwords. We got that we were not divorced from the ecosystem we lived in. Plenty since then, have done their level best to make the 60's a time of only wretched excess in sex, drugs and rock and roll. The Salon has a wonderful look at the subject through examining the latest book on the subject. See what you think.

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Wouldn't you know? I am the victim of my own genes. Or at least it may be so. It seems that new studies link back pain to genetics rather than any activity. This makes perfect sense to me, since I can recall lower back pain at least since my mid-teens. It ebbs and flows, but never is completely gone. It's never a constant pain, but it's quite apparent when I move, especially in bending. And standing for any length of time also is misery. The details can be found at Science Daily.

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Palmiers are cookies and I think they are fabulous and so easy to make. Just a simple puff pastry and some nice sugar and away ya go. Simply Recipes has the recipe, but does not include the puff pastry recipe, which is the bulk of the work in the first place. Odd, but you can find one anywhere on the net. Note, at the end she has some great links to other Palmiers. Enjoy, this is a very fast recipe to make.

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It's Wednesday and that means another installment from Susan Posner's Fundamentalist, the never miss post on the religious right and their nefarious plans to take over the country. It is simply the best.

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Another must see article at American Prospect is one by Paul Waldman. He claims that John McCain has placed his hopes on America being right of center. There is seldom an article in this publication that is anything but good, but make your own judgment here. I think he raises some excellent points. Can the Democrats convince the public that they can do better?

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The Inadvertent Gardener had me laughing as she described sitting in the corner as the snow fell yesterday. I just stomped around in utter disgust and told the Contrarian that this was going to go on until at least May in this upside down seasonal joke of a Spring.

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Another of those fabulous chicken recipes we cannot do without. This one is a bit more complicated, but not much. Uncommon Artistic Endeavors offers us Savory Chicken Triangles, made with puff pastry. She used store bought, but of course, you can make it quite easily yourself. Give it a look see and see what you think.

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"I'm a born-again atheist." Gore Vidal

"Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth!" Henry David Thoreau

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If there is not one hair-brained idea per minute I'd be surprised. Do people just stay up nights thinking of possible ways to do something not done until their feeble and ill-fitting brains come up with it? All I can say, is that's a lot of ice cream to ingest. One wonders how the boat can be big enough to hold the growing ice-cream eating idiot that thought this one up. Well, its not that bad, I guess it floats and they have good intentions. Could have accomplished the charity side of it with a good deal less effort though. Visit Dave's Daily.

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Well, I was unaware that Bob Dylan is a comic. Seems he is, if this from Vanity Fair is any evidence. The link is from Laugh Lines, the NYTimes funnies.

“My friend’s wife is a really bad cook. I broke a tooth on her coffee.”

“I once had a friend who said liquor will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no liquor.”

“A giraffe can go a long time without water. But he wants to see a menu right away.”

“I gave a bald-headed friend a comb. You know what he said? ‘I’ll never part with it.’”

“I don’t condone [blonde] jokes. I just repeat them in the public interest.”

“I want everybody to go out and paint their cars red and white tonight. We want a PINK CAR NATION.”

That's Just About How I Feel

2008-04-08T09:11:00.023-05:00

This portrait was done by Theodore Gericault sometime between 1819-1824. It is found at the Louvre. It is entitled, "The Woman with Gambling Mania."

Of course what struck me about it was the strange title which seems totally incongruous to the subject. But indeed I was wrong. The painter painted this in a series at a mental hospital. Each of his subjects was victim to a single monomania and was in other respects normal. This woman indeed suffered from an uncontrollable desire to gamble. As such it becomes quite a remarkable study into the face of mania.

The spring house work is coming along. I'm nearly 1/2 done with the other bathroom and will finish before the week ends. I had a bit of a setback for a couple of days, having pulled a muscle in my back which made any bending an exquisite experience in pain. But I'm back to fighting form once again, and keeping my schedule pretty much now.

Let's see what is simmering in the vast internet cornucopia of opinion this day.

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I've read most of the great Greek poets and dramatists but I confess I've fallen short when it comes to the Romans. And since Roman history has always been a great love of mine, there is really no excuse. Ancient History Blog has a nice piece on Ovid, poet and writer of love stories. He was deeply involved in the court of Caesar Augustus, and in the end that caused his banishment. Read more about his life and his works by following the link.

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As many of you no doubt know, General Petraeus is on Capital Hill today testifying before all the big mighty senators about how things are going in Iraq. I think we know pretty much what to expect, "things are not so violent, but more needs to be done." I don't think many are going to accept that as an answer, especially given the events in Basra and elsewhere the last few weeks. Tom Engelhardt from The Nation suggests that it is time to come clean with the American public. Anywhere from 4% to 50%, (accounts vary wildly, but nobody disagrees that some figure is accurate) of the Iraqi forces abandoned their posts, and these were not just foot soldiers either. The fact that things were not even worse is due only to some quick negotiations that ended the fighting short of the defeat that was certainly occurring. Engelhardt's bottom line: things are worse in Iraq and that is it period. It's much like Afghanistan with small military fiefdoms scattered here and there, and massive regional forces, heavily armed. Sectarian forces complete the picture. There is no way to sort out who's who, and who is aligned to whom. Such coalitions are constantly changing. Who is paying the most often matters most. Read all the awful details in an important article for all America.

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On the freebies circuit today, we have these offers: Begging for Bargains, sends you for a sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue. Free Sample Forager has John Frieda Shampoo samples, and a host of other body wash and personal hygiene products, as well as Glad Flex Garbage bags. Hey It's Free has a host of offers as well, from Starbucks coffee to glow pens and deodorant. Check them out. I confess I haven't had time yet to check the links, so no promises.

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I've been reading a lot lately about the relative merit or lack of same of bloggers in general, and specifically those that deign to report on political news. Most of the mainstream folks, the professionals that is, take a rather dim view of us. And I say us with a very small u as to myself. I'm not in any league with the Talking Points Memo, Drudge Report, or Huffington people for sure. I simply pick up stories I find interesting and compelling and pass them on with some witty (I hope) comments. I may be wrong as often as I'm right as to the conclusions to be drawn. But I am interested and I'm more trying to encourage others to be interested as well. Anyhow, a new blog for me, Britannica Blog has an insightful look at the world of bloggers and journalism and how they help, hinder, compete and coexist with each other. My opinion, is that the most seminal thing we amateurs lack is, the ability to judge sufficiently what is truthful and what is pure garbage. Sources are hard to check out and hard to evaluate on the web. Professional journalists, to my mind, have been trained in that evaluation, and make fewer mistakes.

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Josie at C'est La Vie, has a post about her battle with tinnitus. Everyone has had this from time to time, but most of us experience it for a few hours at most. It must be incredibly disconcerting to those who live with it constantly. I wouldn't post about it, but for the fact that yesterday on World News with Charlie Gibson, the was a report about it that offered the first real help to sufferers in a long time.

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Epicurious has a tantalizing recipe that caught my eye. It's called "Red Chili and Pecan Slaw." The ingredient list is a bit long, and of course you can cut the servings down a good deal, but I'm intrigued and want to try it once I've gotten back to the supermarket and can pick up some fresh veggies.

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It's really getting close now to the time to think about planting vegetables. Gardening Tips 'n Ideas has a massive list of vegetables you should consider for yours. It's the most comprehensive list I've seen and helpful in planning. I'm going to print out the list to take with me when I go seed and plant shopping. Then perhaps, I won't forget so many things as I usually do. Most people are not going to grow all of them, but it's a great little checklist for you to use.

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I can think of a few people who might like to do what this frog can do. He breathes without lungs. Yep, somehow the little cutie absorbs oxygen through his skin. I would be cool with that. Given that four trips to the basement today left me gasping like a fish out of water, I'd be quite happy to avoid the whole lung thing altogether. Wonder if they are doing research on that now?

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I've never had the nerve to try stencilling a wall. I am thinking of doing some on a chest of drawers I intend to paint. Mamiedale Does it Again, has a post about her efforts to stencil a wall in her craft room. I think it turned out quite nicely and perhaps it would encourage you to have a go at it some time.

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There does seem to be a disconnect these days between what Americans believe should be the next step in Iraq and what the public is told they believe. Cokie Roberts and certainly John McCain and some press seem determined to rework the numbers and suggest that we want to win more than we want to depart. Glenn Greenwald has the actual numbers based on the latest Gallup polling and its decisive. There is no question what America wants.

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Most everyone has heard about Typhoid Mary and the trouble she brought. But if you are like me, you know precious little about the woman involved. Scandalous Women has an excellent post on the her an what transpired. Don't miss it.

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This article is bound to be a hit at the dinner table tonight for sure. It seems what we women have always known is, well, true actually. Men create more housework for women to the tune of seven hours per week! Yes, I can surely attest to that. I am married to a man that thinks that the storage place for anything and I do mean anything is where he decides he no longer wishes it in his hands. I've found the most amazing things in my bathrooms I tell ya. A water cooler topic for you to mesmerize your friends and coworkers with your erudite knowledge, be the first to read this and have ready your ammo. ( The national average for housework per week is 17 hours. I'm err, ummm, a little below that.)

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"They are killing their own, they are killing their own." Such is the cry heard by some these days as the way right wing of the GOP continue to rail that McCain ain't their man and encouraging their adherents to sit this one out. Oh tis but music to my ears I tell you. I regularly participate in a wacko right religious forum and do encourage them to stay home on election day. They regularly ask me to leave the Church, so it's even! Talk2Action has a great little post on what the talking heads of the religious right think about McCain and why they won't vote for him.

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The Artful Crafter has linked to a site that you should not miss. It's called Flylady.net and it may be a godsend to me. It's for all us houseworky challenged people and you know who you are. She gives tips and helpful stuff to get you through the misery of home care so you can get on with what you really want to do. I'm signing up for sure. Take a look and see what you think. P.S. It opens with "Are YOU living in CHAOS? ( Can't have any one over syndrome). That grabbed me totally I tell ya. I've bookmarked it and am going back later to really peruse the site completely.

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Baking Beauties has a yummy looking Carrot Cake recipe with the requisite cream cheese frosting. I may make this one right away. I have neglected to make the Contrarian anything for his birthday so far today. We just finished up a custard pie last evening. I really should!

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Okay, Farmer's Almanac is ready to enlighten you today:

Wear red to be energized. (gosh it was THAT simple?)

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"A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her." Oscar Wilde

"The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time." Frederich Nietzsche

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Sometimes I am definitely sure that I have blinked and thus found myself transported to another world in another galaxy far far away. How do people let something so benign get so totally out of hand and why do they listen to nut cases who have way too much time on their hands in the first place? If you, like me, find you are similarly whisked away to Planet Q, well give a yell so we can find each other. Thanks to Dave's Daily for this one.

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I forgot to list Laugh Lines as the source of the last entry in yesterday's post. The NYTimes does collect a lot of the funnies from around the net and I grab a few for you guys. I don't usually attribute them to Laugh Lines, simply because most have an independent author which I do list. Just so you know.

From Conan O'Brien:

On Saturday, Barack Obama held several campaign rallies in Montana. Officials say Barack’s visit attracted large crowds and doubled the black population of Montana.

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John McCain is the only presidential candidate who is not currently using Secret Service protection. Yeah. Yeah. So far, McCain’s only protection is the life insurance he bought from Wilford Brimley.>

A science expert says that time travel in not impossible. And some time in the future I will say the same thing yesterday. – Sid Knowles

81 percent of the nation believes the country is headed on the wrong track. The remaining 19 percent has lost track of everything. – Amy Atsee