Somebody Needs a Bifocal Adjustment

Tags

Alexander the Great, economics, God and the GOP, Herman Cain, History, Humor, Michele Bachmann, The Contrarian

It always starts out the same way. The way? I was minding my own business.

As is usual, in the early morning, MSNBC was on. I was busy with house stuff (I spend all the day cleaning and cooking as a good housewife should).

The Contrarian was sitting and watching Chuck Todd. Well, more to the point, he was reading the “crawl”.  Suddenly this:

“My God has California lost its collective mind?” he shouted.

I set down my pail and mop, wiped my weary brow with the back of my hand, dried my hands on my apron, and tucked a loose curl back under my kerchief.

“What has California done now?” I asked in the usual innocence I maintain, hoping against hope that the response will be sane.

“Why, they’ve banned miners from using tanning beds! Can you believe that?” he screeched.

My brain went into overdrive as I tried to fathom what, why and, well, how this impacted my life, and where was the sense in all this.  “Huh?” I managed.

“My God woman, those people spend the vast majority of their existence underground! To prohibit them from getting the vitamin D they need, in a relaxed environment seems draconian at best and downright evil. The TeaBaggers are right, we are turning into a nanny state!”

I hoisted myself up off my knees, shaking my head, and making my way to the living room, where his Highness sat in regal glory with remote control in hand. “What in the world are you talking about? This makes no sense.” I sighed.

“Here it comes again, read the crawl. See?” he smartly pointed.

I looked at the bottom of the screen. Sure enough I saw it. “California bans minors from using tanning beds.”

“You damn fool, it says MINORS, M-I-N-O-R-S, not MINERS! I should have known. Only you could misread it. Now let me get back to dinner. It’s Chateaubriand tonight, you lucky dog.”

♦

Ya gotta laugh. All the GOP candidates pretty much say the same thing. God called them to run for President. They resisted, they were noble in recognizing their own unworthiness. But God persisted, God will have his choices against all odds. Just ask Moses, or David, or any of the other poor Israelites who protested, “Not me Lord, you can’t mean me?”

Herman Cain is but the last to “answer the call.

I said all the candidates. I was wrong. One has never claimed God called him. Mitt, he still just wants it. He wants it so bad that it really makes you feel a little sick to your stomach watching him pander and plead. “Will ya like me now?” he asks as he wanders about the land, changing positions on everything, looking for “clear reception.”

♦

Aww, dang it. Can’t they let our heroes be?

Alexander the Great? Well, yes, he didn’t get the appellation “Great” for being a pizza delivery boy ya know.

Silly historians, always doing stupid things like research and changing what I thought I knew about something and somebody. Geesh.

I mean Alex was tutored by Aristotle for goodness sake.

Anyway, a delightful review of the books recently out on the Macedonian wonder. Or was he?

♦

The Grio jumps in with a good piece on Herman Cain, who is doing the bidding of the GOP, by adopting their racist rhetoric. Cain now claims that there is really no racism in America, sufficient to inhibit anyone of color who works hard.

There is a certain type of black American who actually believes this crap, they need to believe in their “self-made” status. Herm may be one of them, though it’s mighty hard to believe he can believe his own garbage.

Wearerespectablenegroes continues to probe the psyche of Herm. Not a pretty thing no matter what your conclusion.

♦

Slogans are fine things. They are usually easy to remember, and make fine rallying-round points. But when slick, easy to remember slogans are used to address serious and massive problems, like the economy, you can almost be sure they mask a lot of really bad thinking.

Take Herm’s 9-9-9 plan for the economy. Please take it! Oops, sorry, I was channelling Henny Youngman for a moment.  Anyway, Think Progress lays out the real real downside of Herm’s simplistic panacea for our economic woes.

Hint: flat taxes almost always hit the poor the hardest. This one is no exception.

♦

Talk about Occupy Wall Street. We got our own Occupation here in Iowa. That Woman won’t leave! Who? Michele (falling like a rock) Bachmann is desperately trying to remind everyone that SHE won the straw poll a few weeks ago.

In polling today, Crazy-Eyes is coming in a distant four or five. It’s creepy. She won’t leave. I can feel the state dumbing down by the minute. Somebody pry her cold dead hands from a microphone and send her back to Mina-SOTA.

♦

 

Related articles

• Herman Cain and the Glorification of Ignorance (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• Noem Cain geen ‘Herm’ (electiondeskusa.wordpress.com)
• How Cain sat out civil rights activism at Morehouse – Source: The Grio (curmilus.wordpress.com)
• Herman Cain is proud to be ignorant about Uzbekistan (Video) (alwaysquestionauthority.wordpress.com)
• Herman Cain, he represents everything we should fear about the black republican (josephlynnkitchenjr.wordpress.com)

Short Takes on the Day 11/13/08

Tags

2nd Amendment, Bush, Casseroles, chocolate, Desserts, environment, Greek history, guns, Literature, NRA, psychology, Recipes, religion, Saints, sociology, tex-mex, turkey, Women's history

It’s simply shockingly sad. Bush is doing his level best to help out his business friends at the tail end of his disastrous presidency by trashing the environment. All the plans, regulation loosenings and so far are designed to help industry make money, and reduce the protection of lands and animals now in place. It will take much time and effort by the Obama people to undo this. It was said that Clinton was only able to undo about 13% of what Daddy Bush did at the end of his presidency. True, Clinton did the same and Dubya could only undo 3% of the Clinton environmental protections. Why this evil man is intent on destroying the earth is beyond me. He has his, why can’t he let us at least exist? AlterNet has the story.

I recently read a book called “Deep Economy” about how we might revision our economic mantra of “growth is good.” It dealt largely with environmental issues, but did make the point that studies show that Americans are deeply unhappy overall as compared to much of Europe and many other countries as well. Money and buying stuff does not make us happy it turns out. A World Health Organization now places the US first in those countries whose citizenry is depressed and otherwise mentally ill. Read more, and discover that if you are stressed with not enough time, not enough leisure, you are very much not alone.

While much against the theology of Augustine can be argued with, there is something very right about a guy who asked God to cure him of his sexual needs, but “not quite yet.” He became a very human being for that statement in his Confessions. That being said, his birthday is today, and I think we should all pause and remember this great Father of the Church. If you would like to read more about this incomparable man, link to Gill’s Ancient History Blog.

You might enjoy this aside: Being a blogger, we all get used to our private and overused phrases. Much as John McCain drove us insane with “my friends” we all have our peccadilloes when it comes to language. Britannica Blog gives us “the 10 most overused and useless expressions in English.” Did you find one you use? Numbers 4 and 5 were ones I think I use a bit too frequently.

Uncovering women’s history is always fascinating. Every heard of a woman by the name of Cynisca? Probably not, but she was the first woman to compete and win an Olympic event, and we are talking about 396 and 392 BCE. Read this fascinating tale with tons of historical background at Rogueclassicism today. G,wan, get a little knowledge, your brain will thank you for it.

Speaking of birthdays, yesterday’s was Grace Kelly. That wonderful biographer Elizabeth Kerri Mahon at Scandalous Women does her usual top notch job and presents you with a lovely reflection on this American Princess.

If you are a history buff, you might find this new blog fun. It’s called Histatic! The history blog for all your inquisitive needs. Give it a look see and bookmark if it suits your fancy. I’ll be picking up the feed and checking it for good posts that you might enjoy.

I had a co-worker when I was a lawyer, who used to go to magazines like Bon Appetit and others of that type and make their entire holiday menu. I have never done such a thing, and frankly won’t because we have found the perfect Thanksgiving menu on earth, all from different sources. But if you want to do something different, Baking Delights has a full menu for you with all the recipes. You might not choose to make it all, but you might find a recipe that you do like. I think I should try to post the incredible stuffing recipe we used last year. First time we ate every drop of stuffing I tell you, and I will never do another turkey that isn’t brined either. Enjoy!

Simply Recipes gifts us with a great Tex-Mex dish. It’s similar to enchiladas, but she says without the trouble. It’s often used as a breakfast food. Give it a look if you love Mexican food. This looks like one I’ll add to my repertoire. Full directions are given for Chilaquiles.

And just to close out the recipes, here’s one you should not miss. Easy as anything to make, elegant for the holidays, and it is Chocolate! Now that combination is not to be missed. Called Chocolate Purses, you can wow your guests and also adapt easily to your own particular tastes. What could be better? Our thanks to Uncommon Artistic Endeavors.

This next story has been on the news in the mainstream media for a few days. Partly it makes me just laugh and partly it makes me sick to my stomach. The NRA has done an excellent job in making up a scare story that Obama is gonna take away guns, and gun sales have skyrocketed. That’s the funny part, the scary part, is the gun sales have skyrocketed. What kind of world are people living in that they have to run out and buy $1000+ assault rifles before they are banned? What kind of nut wants one? The winners are of course the NRA and its beloved gun manufacturing industry. Once again the idiot poor does the bidding of the rich. Crooks & Liars has the story.

Oh Goodie Goodie, DistributorCapDC has a quiz for couch potatoes and prizes too! Hurry on over and take it, win win win, I never win a thing. Maybe this time!

And to close out, just a personal observation. Sarah, our dear Sarah is being called the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats. She is making more of an ass of herself, now that she is out from restrictions and can do things her way. Although she claimed many of her woes were the result of the left wing media, she is courting that media for all it’s worth these days. She is granting “exclusive” interviews nearly every day. True to form, she says nothing, and says that nothing in such circular fashion that one can but weep with joy that the girl hasn’t lost her stupid touch. You might have thought she would bone up a bit, but word is that her latest foray on Larry King resulted in answers about the federal economic bailout that were “stunning” in their lack of any knowledge of what it entailed.

Miss Palin continues to adhere to the idea that politics is a piece of cake and requires no real knowledge of anything. Since she is apparently interested in virtually nothing, this works well for her so far. Her press conference at the Governor’s meeting consisted of 3 questions and then was closed down. The other governors felt a bit left out as you can guess. She was not wanted there in the first place so we are told. Sarah is that annoying fly that you cannot swat and cannot evade. It will soon be time to bring out the assault spray and overkill the land in order to make sure she gets her fatal dose.

I know this sounds weird, but a bunch of political bloggers and others have set up a food network site. You can find it here, called the “Internet Food Association.” Some of our favorites, such as Simply Recipes are on board. Who knows who might be next. Bookmark it and check it out if you love food and new recipes.

Have a greater day than ever before!

Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 9/19/08

Tags

Archaeology, cake, chicken, cookies, dessert, Election 2008, energy, environment, fundamentalism, gay rights, Greek history, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Spain, tex-mex, voting

Starting out with good news, it appears that the bloom is definitely off the flower as regards the Palin candidacy. The cracks are there, and the buckling is starting to occur. Nearly 1500 gathered to denounce her candidacy in Alaska (that is a huge number for Alaska folks). The media seems to be ready to fight back at last, and there are plenty saying that only the most rabid racist hate mongers among us will be voting for that ticket in November.

Oh, I just love Tex-Mex if you hadn’t heard. And one of my favorites at the restaurant anyway is Chimichangas. Baking Delights  has a wonderful recipe that doesn’t require deep frying which is such a mess and since her brisket recipe was SOOOOO GOOOOD, I’m assuming this will be a hit too. These are for chicken but I’m sure you could substitute about any meat you like.

In a tour de force, the NYTimes  has vetting Ms Palin themselves, and boy what they have turned up is enough to curl your nose hairs as they say. It’s all cronyism and strong arm tactics and plenty of secrecy. Sound familiar? Believe me this is one damning article and you should read it. I’ve been saying that Palin would be relegated to a closet in a McCain administration. I may have been very wrong. It may be McCain who is shoved in the corner. This woman is an egomaniac on a mission to be president herself.

Oh boy, and don’t miss Frank Rich’s op ed in the Times  on the 13th. It is simplya scathing indictment of Palin and the weak McCain who now holds onto her coat tails hoping she can drag him into the White House.

We seem ruled by polls these days. And they seem to go up and down and round and round with little agreement. Distributor Cap NY  tries to make some sense out of them, and tries to explain to us how they should be viewed. I’d take a look and read his analysis and then you will understand why they are not the things to place too much credence in.

The mere mention of the word chocolate and I am there! So here is a lovely recipe, reprinted at Epicurious  from Gourmet Magazine. Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart  is easy to make and will soothe the savage beast of a chocolate addiction. Don’t miss it.

There is a new website called Women Against Sarah Palin. You should take a look. Impressive response by women in America. They have an email and you can give you views of Ms. Palin some of which will be printed on their site. Email them at womensaynopalin@gmail.com. Please do so and make your voice heard. The tide is beginning to turn. We need your help.

Remember when Sarah and John told us that she was qualified to handle the economy since Alaska produced 20% of all US energy? WRONG. According to experts, even under the broadest definition, Alaska contributes at best 7.5%, and under traditional definitions, they produce only 3.5%. They lie it seems about everything. Alaska is 9th in production behind states like Texas and Wyoming. This was fact checked by the Washington Post  and brought to us by Ezra Klein.

Garrison Keillor gives us his take on the remade Republican party. Just forget the past  (and our responsibilities for it) and write a “new narrative” as the people who are going to clean up the mess we made. As always, nobody says it quite like Mr. Keillor. Enjoy the ride.

More bad news for McCain. It seems his pundit buddies, Richard Cohen, and now David Brooks are jumping off the trackand saying, “gone too far there John, we’re done with ya.” His colossal dishonor in picking Palin is just a tad too much for even some of his former supporters.

Joseph Welch? Remember him? He is the guy who finally put an end to the McCarthy hearings with the well placed words, “Have you no sense of decency sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?” History News Network  says this campaign of McCain’s is simply stunning in its use of lies and deception. If this works, then there facts and issues no longer matter at all, it’s just about skillful manipulation of facts to distort character. The answer, a well placed Welch remark in the debates. I hope it happens, and I’ve been predicting that Obama will push the buttons of Mr. McCain until he erupts. And that shall be that as they say. End of campaign.

If you are tired of the old rhetoric of gotcha politics, head over to Institute for America’s Future where they make a fine attempt to actually discuss the issues. There is a forum there as well. I haven’t had time to look it over very carefully but I got the tip from Hullabaloo.

Maureen Dowd  has a not to miss article this week. She slams dear Sarah for her non-thinking approach to running the world. Just platitudes and well, Sarah is sounding more and more like Dubya than Dubya did. Not a McCain clone at all, she’s a carbon copy of our dumb boy Bush himself. And we know where that got us don’t we?

I know you, like me, are always desperately happy to learn more about Troy. No not where I live, but where the whole Trojan Horse thing came about from. You know, Homer, Illiad? Ringing a bell? Sure, I knew it would. Well there are ongoing excavations going on there, and so I thought you would appreciate an update. Go to rogueclassicism  and read all about what they are learning these days.

A reader of this blog, Shannon, brought this to my attention, and I think it’s one of those things that we all should bookmark and read whenever we get depressed during this never ending election cycle. Anne Lamont offers us sage advice on how to deal with the insanity generated by the McCain campaign.

Two excellent entries from Scandalous Women today. One is a scandalous biography ofthe woman pope, Olimpia Maidalchini. No she wasn’t elected pope, but her brother was, and the word is she wielded the real power. And the second, right below, is a list of 100 of the best history blogs. So if you love history, check that out.

Lots of baking in the fall, as the kitchen is cool. You might want to try these Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies. These seem rather unusual and well, nuts and chocolate just go together. You can of course substitute white chocolate for any of your liking. I generally prefer bittersweet myself, but heck,  who are we kidding, there is no bad chocolate.

We of the liberal persuasion all know that if Barack Obama had Sarah Palin’s “qualifications” or did the things she and John do, he and his family would be vilified in ways that are too disgusting to relate.  Acts of Hope  has a fine piece that she got from Tim Wise on what it means to be White Privileged. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, stop by now and do so. It is very true. And I need to thank a number of folks like FranIAm  who have done similar whatif’s.

I’d recommend Susan Posner’s column, The Fundamentalist  this week at American Prospect.  She has a good perspective on the evangelical wacko right and how they have infiltrated and control the McCain campaign platform. They see Palin as their best hope of controlling McCain, whom they have always been suspicious of. They see her choice as their return to firm power. I suspect they are right. Let’s hope they don’t win.

Good news for gay marriage proponents. Prop 8 in California is losing steam and now trails by 17 points in the polls. I find this so wonderful and delight frankly in the fact that the wingnuttery right is gnashing their teeth over this development. They continue to tout that they are giving voice to the majority, but I submit that this isn’t the case! Bravo to Californians.

We reported yesterday that Old McCain got confused when being interviewed by a Spanish radio stationperson and didn’t apparently know who Jose Luiz  Rodriguez Zapatero was. Randy Scheunemann claims that of course that is wrong, he knew perfectly well who he was, but in his own bumbling round about way, he was just suggesting that he was going to continue the snub that Bush has started for the Spanish leader, when Zapatero withdrew his troops from Iraq. Well, okay, if you want to buy that rhetoric which is obviously silly, go ahead. So McCain is once again promising a continuation of Bush policies. That works! (So why did he say he would be happy to meet with Zapatero merely five months ago?) I just want to thank McCain now for screwing up relations with another ally. Good going there big guy. Ain’t senility a bitch?

Sorry, but the old dude is not to be believed. In trying to drum up voter support for his off shore drilling mantra, the dull one touts that oil rigs are safe and come through hurricanes just fine, and “fish love them.”No explanation for the latter remark of course, just the usual nonsense that pops into the old guy’s head. But the bit about oil rigs having no problems with hurricanes is simply absurd. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina destroyed 113 rigs off shore, and three rigs simply disappeared and their whereabouts is unknown. Untold spills were also the result. As they say, yes, and telephone wires are essential to the habitat of birds too. Caretakers, come in and clean up another one for da loony boss.

Okay, so I have to finish with AA. Today is a special, his love letter to  his wife. I know you will enjoy it, and you will recognize perhaps some things about your own spouse. Might be a good time to mention one or two. 🙂

Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 8/15/08

Tags

abortion, Archaeology, Barack Obama, cake, Desserts, Election 2008, Greece, History, Iowa, Jesus, Jim Leach, John McCain, lobbyists, Media, mental illness, Military, Olympics, Sports, Women's issues

We all know a bit about how athletes train for the Olympics. A huge number of disciplines are now involved, nutrition, sports health, computer technology, and tons more. What was it like back at the beginning? How did athletes train when they actually competed at Athens? Ancient/Classical History Blog brings you a piece from the stoic Epictetus on was was involved. A fascinating look at the differences.

If you are looking for an elegant dessert, and who isn’t, I mean really? You best stop over at Baking Delights and try this Instant Gourmet: Walnut Genoise with Coffee Infused Ganache. Wow a mouthful, err by figuratively and actually. It is simply heavenly with both coffee and chocolate and whipped cream. Oh help my pounding heart I think I am going to drool all over the keys. You must see the photograph of it made! And most importantly, it’s not very difficult to make.

Lordy Lordy, McCain has lost his freaking mind. Seems our befuddled old guy may be in cahoots with bad boy Ralph Reed in Georgia.Reed was a partner of Abramoff, the K Street naughty, if you remember. Ralphie boy lost his bid for lt. governor when all the poopy hit the fan over that. He is scourged quite badly in the new book by Thomas Frank, which was featured on Bill Moyers Journala few weeks ago. Ralph may well be headed for jail before all is said and done. It seems that he is sending out invites for a McCain fundraiser. We are unsure, at this moment whether Johnny intends to attend. If so, Johnboy better look out. If I hear more, I’ll let you know. This source is from Capitol Hill Blue and I’m not very comfortable with them yet as sources.

Garrison Keillor is always funny, or at least chuckle amusing, but he hit the perfect tone today in his essay, “It’s an Amazing Country.”  He rather hits McCain right between the eyes. It’s a chutzpah claim that surely hits home. I mean really, McCain the multimillionaire, son of privilege all his life, calling the black kid raised by a single mom the elitist? Well, as he says, American, she can be an amazing place to live. Don’t miss it.!

A great little piece at AlterNetyou should take a look at. Summing up a host of non-issues and falsified ones, Allan Uthman, runs down the ten most idiotic issues in this campaign so far. Most, but not all have been mentioned on this blog a time or two.  This gives a nice packaged run down of some of the worst offenders, and the real truth behind the lies and innuendo. That they seem to all pretty much fall on one side is, well a given isn’t it? It’s a good read, and actually provides a bit of real good information, expecially on Senator Phil Gramm, the guy you recall who said we were a country of whiners. Look of more of his questionable ethics and economics should, God forbid, McCain win the white house.

A couple of purely Iowan concerns. First Wesley Clark is backing Becky Greenwald in her attempt to unseat Tom Latham in the 4th District. Clark contends Greenwald has shown a strong commitment to veterans while Latham has voted to cut billions in various Veterans programs in order to support tax cuts for the wealthy. Of more general interest, our own Jim Leach, Republican unseated by Loebsack in 2006, is endorsing Obama for President. Leach, all around good guy was felled in the general “throw em out” election of 2006. This unfortunately does happen when people are so thoroughly disgusted with a party. The good goes with the bad. Leach was definitely a good guy, never fitting into Gingrich’s gang, and paying the price with low-interest committee assignments. Good for Leach!

Media Matters reports that the presidential debates will be hosted by NO Foxy NEWsless heads this time around. Good news! And there is some reason to suspect that the blogging community may have influenced that decision. Bloggerdom has vilified of course Fox as a shameless purveyor of Republican talking points. This is of course true. Anyhow, the moderators chosen this time around are: Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifill from PBS and Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer from NBC and CBS. A reasonably good array I would say, especially the first two, but Brokaw is acceptable in my book as well. The post has a long discourse on how the group was chosen, and the efforts of the bloggers to block Fox out.

McCain always touts his solidarity with the military. Apparently nobody has asked the military. By a rate of 6 to 1, Obama is out raising him among overseas personnel. Ron Paul who has suspended his campaign, has out done him by 4 to 1. The only group even close to be in his camp are the Marines. Even the Navy goes for Obama.

On the humorous side, we can all remember how vociferously McCain attacked Bush for invading Iraq? Right? Oh. Well, apparently the Great Old man had an Alzheimer’s moment. He has recently said of Russia’s invasion of Georgia: “In the 21st Century, nations don’t invade other nations.”Guess the old guy forgot his chest thumping endorsement of the invasion of Iraq, and well Afghanistan? Oops. Doh, stupid history!

Among the way out there cadre of anti-abortion advocates (the one’s who like to do graphics to shock people), it has long been the contention that women who have abortions suffer to a greater degree from subsequent mental issues. Not so,according to the APA. Women who have early term abortions as opposed to women who deliver a pregnancy suffer no greater incidence of mental health problems.

Betcha didn’t know that Jesus played cricket did ya? Well, if you want to learn more, stop by Rogueclassicism and find out. A very old Armenian “infancy gospel” seems to suggest that Jesus played such a game in his youth. Interesting stuff, though I’m sure hardly definitive. But certainly water cooler stuff!

It seems prudent to stop by Angry African and catch next weeks news. It’s always special and tailored just for you. I just wish some of it actually turned out to be true. Wouldn’t that be a hoot? Then the African madman could be prescient and we could all ask him questions and he would make oodles of dough answering. Okay, get in on the ground floor and become his manager just in case it happens. Hey, if you invested in Microsoft way back when, you’d be really really rich today. So, I am giving you sound advice!

Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 7/25

Tags

Archaeology, bible, Breads, Catholicism, cornmeal biscuits, economy, Egypt, Election 2008, Greek Mythology, History, Israel, McCain, Media, Middle East, Palestine, Politics, religion, West Bank

Ladies, this is for you. Sorry gents, unless you are feeling particularly girlie, you might want to skip this one. What Greek Goddess are you? N.S. Gill’s Ancient History Blog brings you this fun little quiz to determine which one you most resemble. I’m Athena by the way, a pleasant surprise. Have fun, and guys, go ahead and try it for your favorite significant other.

An extraordinarily good post by Media Matters, reprinted at Alternet. While the media wastes our time telling us about Jesse Jackson’s gaffe, McCain’s unbelieveable statement about Social Security being a “disgrace” goes almost unreported.The selacious wins out over serious issues once again, but not if you follow the link.

Glenn Greenwald reports in a well documented post that Johnny Mac is doing the same thing as Bush did as candidate. And what would that be? Well, stacking the deck as they say. People who seem to be against the old codger are being forcibly evicted from his “open” town meetings. Furthermore, he’s hired the same snake that Bush used for these very events. Bushiness as usual it seems for McBush, and its all negative ain’t it?

A good recipe can still be found here. Nothing is better in the late fall and winter than chili, and nothing sounds better to me with chili than cornmeal biscuits. I loved this recipe from A Mingling of Tastes. If you are inclined pop over and make a copy for yourself.

If you haven’t had a chance, drop by Dancing with Fire run by a dude name Kurt, with a fine sense of anger/humor. We think alike which is why I like him. His post on why you should vote for McCain is worth the trip!

Linda at Essential Estrogen has a wonderful piece with some nice links about the media and how it continues to fail Americafor the most part. She has the amazing opportunity to interview Helen Thomas, so well known to those who follow the White House journalists. She also has remarks from Bill Moyers. Both are worth reading. We bloggers are about the only thing going these days in trying to ask the tough questions and point out the truth as we see it. I as always know I’m on the bottom of this long ladder by I do feel the need to alert people to all the missed questions and missed research that is lacking in the major news media these days. This article is worthwhile.

The Republicans tout “free-market” economies as the only sensible way to go. Let business alone, and all will be fine. But is that true? No, not the fine part, we know that isn’t true, just look around. But have we ever had “free-markets?” Professor Steven Conn takes us on a historical trip to the so-called Gilded Age when free markets were alleged to have held the day. It wasn’t true then, and it’s not true now. It’s really about government supporting business, giving them what they want. Learn as I did that it ain’t really so, this laissez-faire they keep talking about.

Sr. Joan Chittister weighs in on the latest disciplinary action taken against Sr. Louise Lear. She cautions that the Catholic Church is punishing questioning Catholics instead of those who actually do evil things. Moreover, many who are excommunicated historically have a nasty habit of ending up being sainted in later years. Does this suggest we ought to temper our use of punishment in the Church? She sees some evidence of that in Pope Benedict’s fine warning to the Anglicans to not divide over their issues of homosexuality and women. Perhaps he is also speaking to the ultra right wing wingnuts in his own Church. I hope so.

There are things that the internet is perfectly adapted to. This is one of them. Live Science reports that biblical scholars are intent on putting together an entire online copy of the oldest copy of the New Testament. Bit and pieces are scattered around the globe, but the internet can bring them all together. I for one will be excited to see it. Look for Codex Sinaiticus to be available next July. The Codex shows a different ending for Mark that we are accustomed to, and books that were not admitted to the official canon, such as the Epistle of Barnabus.

I find that one of the things I do most here is clear up stuff the media fails to clear up. Of course, I’m reporting mostly what others are doing, and simply picking it up for you. Passing it along as it were. I think it might be worthwhile if you subscribe to Media Matters. They try to pick up and research virtually every statement and claim made by the candidates and where they are wrong. I can’t of course begin to do them all, so if you want to be updated on the truth instead of the lazy person’s version which is passed off to you by mainstream media, the hop over to http://mediamatters.org and pick up a subscription to their feed or get their newsletter. You will be glad you did so you can cut through the crap.

Raising Yousuf and Noor takes reports a story sent to her by a Palestinian man and his Gaza born wife. Their trials and tribulations living in West Bank Ramallah, occupied by the Israelis. Sounds a bit like living in Baghdad these days under the US occupation. These vignettes of life that others are forced to lead, remind us in the states, just how very lucky we are by comparison.

What many of us fail to realize is that history is seldom over. What? Well I mean that we keep finding new stuff that helps us understand what happened, and then somebody writes a revision of what we thought we knew. The advent of technology busting out all over has indeed helped this process immeasurably. Techniques for extracting text from what fifty years ago might have been unthinkable rags offer insights into history never before dreamed of. History is written by not only the winners but also the rich. Now efforts are being made to uncover a bit more of real life in Egypt in the vicinity of 300-30 BCE. Read about the fascinating methods used and what is being uncovered at rogueclassicism.

Well these are the bits and pieces I’ve collected over the week. Hope you find a link or two that tickles your fancy.

This Butt’s for You!

Tags

Afghanistan, American History, Barack Obama, baseball, birds, chicken, crafting, crochet, Desserts, Election 2008, environment, fundamentalism, Iraq, pasta, pie, quilting, religion, science, tex-mex, tolerance, War, weather, world history

I Just got a kick out of this chalk drawing by Vincent van Gogh called “The Carrot Puller.” I wonder if the poor lady was amused by the position or by the appellation. It was done in 1885 and is located at the Institute of Art in Chicago.

On the homefront. We got the Bronco. The Contrarian was very impressed by how nice it was both inside and out. Some rust around the wheel wells and that is about all. It’s a super big engine, with plenty of power. We pulled the truck out slick as a wink when we got home. I’m about 3/5 done cleaning the living room. Got the windows all done today. It’s a big bay with six big panes and got my biggest plant put out for the summer. A bit early, but I really would be surprised if we get any more frost. Let’s get to it, Monday is always a super busy day.

In the news today:

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Today, May 5 is the anniversary of America’s first person in space. Alan Shepard Jr. went on a 15 minute flight. This was back in 1961, and I do remember it. America was a bit shaken because the Russians had beat us, and the Cold War was then in full swing. We really did expect a nuclear war back then. Thanks to American History Blog for the information.

Sally’s Crochet Blog has some ideas about making a small bag or enlarging it to a purse. See her ideas about yarn and get the free pattern. It’s really quite cute I thought, and I think an enlarged one would be perfect as a delicate summer bag. Not the kind you haul everything under the sun in, but for an evening out.

If you would like a look inside the world of John Hagee and fundamentalism, read this excerpt from Matt Taibbi’s new book, “The Great Derangement.” He went to Church “school” in Texas and I promise you, what he discovered is well worth the read. I of course believe that we all need to be aware of what is going on in these bizarre sects. And i can assure you that what you see in public is but the tip of the iceberg as they say.

I don’t know if you caught this, but we are sending more troops into Afghanistan again, mostly due to “shortfalls” from NATO. That is code for, our allies are not supporting the effort like they should and so we have to shore up the forces. Of course, all of this is necessary because we have more or less ignored that war as we got bogged down in the never-ending quagmire that is Iraq. Where these troops are coming from is anyone’s guess, perhaps from the minor draw downs expected in Iraq, which of course is already beginning to heat up again. Sigh….this is like finding the pea in the shell game isn’t it? Read all the sad facts at Blue Girl, Red State.

Britannica Blog has a great look at religious freedom in America. Looking back to our earliest colonial times this post explores what it was like to be a religious minority in America. I’ve learned a lot about this recently, and I must say, it’s a far cry from the pablum that I learned in public school education. It makes it crystal clear just why our founders determined to set up a clear distinction between our political and religious life.

Okay it is Cinco de Mayo after all, so perhaps a Latin inspired dish should be on your radar today, or sometime soon. I thought this recipe was a real winner and perfect for the summer to boot. TryCinco de Mango: Chicken Mango Burritos from Coconut & Lime.

CopyCat Restaurant Recipes has a couple of winners today. One is a delightful pasta recipe, the other a pie which is Derby inspired. Try Chicken Tequila Fettuccine, and while you are at it, try Derby Pie. Both look excellent to me.

Free Sample Forager has a slew of new offers, from magazines to new mom stuff, to fabric softener, to feminine hygiene. Enjoy.

Given that I just spoke of a relationship between Adlai Stevenson and Barack Obama this weekend in my Sunday Editorial, I thought this post at History News Networkmost apropos. We are, as I have argued, a nation that has a strange and antagonistic relationship with the intellectual. Does this pose a problem for Senator Obama? Read the post and see what you think.

If you want to get started on a quilt and haven’t yet, it is best I find to take a trip to Inspired by antique quilts. This lady is both talented and prolific in her production of absolutely stunning quilts. I think I’ve shown this before, but it was at the beginning. Look how far she’s progressed. This is truly inspirational, at least to me.

Live Science has an essay on the great dust bowl of the 30’s. There are not a lot of us alive who remember it still. I was born a good well after it, and I lived in Michigan, so it was not a topic around our table. I’m sure some here in Iowa have family who lived through it. New science has helped to uncover exactly why it was so bad.

Oh Dave Barry has another of his so-funny little posts that just tickle the bejesus out of me. Read it now or you will be sorry! “Bad Driving: It’s just not for Old People.”

The Republicans are at it again. Tax credits on new energy technology are about to expire, and Democrats have had no luck in getting them through, since Big Oil is screaming and Bush is threatening to veto if Big Oil doesn’t get its way. Politics Plus picks up the NYTimes editorial and adds his two cents which are always worth a read. And where was McCain, Mr. Environment? Oh he missed the vote.

Now this may seem silly to you, but it raises some interesting questions I think. None of us can go back in time, at least at this point, but we assume that antiques made of marble and such were the natural colors that we find them in today. Yet there is evidence, which some now use in historical docudramas, that many of our ancient  monuments were painted and quite gaudily painted at that. Yet Hollywood always portrays them in their greenish, whitish hues. Are we getting an accurate picture? Read Rogueclassicism‘s post and see what you think about the new idea of painting up the antiques.

Those of us in the country always suspected it: dozens of beady little eyes following us the minute we stepped from the porch. Gazes that noted every step, every pulling of every weed. Yep, those birds are not always doing “bird” things it seems. They are watching us.

It seems that whenever I think of John McCain these days, I cannot get that picture out of my head. You know the one I mean, the one  featured in the latest Moveon.orgad, the huggy bear photo which can only be described as McCain’s hug of utter adoration of Dubya. I predict that photo will haunt Mav all through the coming months, and he will never divorce himself from that sweaty embrace. But in case you are even a tiny bit unsure of where the Truthless one is coming from, read American Prospect’s article entitled: Does John McCain stand for anything?”

The Artful Crafter has a roundup of crafting sites withdifferent crafts, many with how-to’s. I saw a couple that looked a bit interesting. How to recycle a ketchup bottle for one. Hmmm, perhaps into a bird feeder? I think it has to do with cats though. Take a look around and see if you find anything you might like to make.

If you want to know what my “recipe box” looks like, take a gander at Baking Beauties post today. That is about what mine is like, and I don’t like it one little bit. She has some wonderful ideas for making a nice box one that you can use easily and looks great as well. She’s really collected a lot of links for you as well, so there are tons of ideas. Surely one will grab you and you can create something great, or–use as a gift to a new daughter-in-law perhaps.

I believe that last week I mentioned the NYTimes report that generals were sent off to the networks as “experts” to basically tout the Pentagon’s line. I know that I have seen like zilch on the networks about this, well at least none on ABC,and the Contrarian checksCNN, MSNBC, and Fox fairly frequently. Only PBS has bothered to talk about it. Urantian Sojournhas the story for you, and links so that you can learn more. Seems we have to dig out some of our own news these days. Somebody’s ox is gored you see.

I think I might have mentioned that I don’t care much for baseball. Too slow for me. I’m a football, hockey person. But I thought Russell might appreciate this link so if you would like to learn about Lou Gehrig who ended his “streak” of something on May 2, 1939, just follow the bouncing ball as they say. My thanks to the US History Blog!

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“In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.” Napoleon Bonaparte

“People are, if anything, more touchy about being thought silly than they are about being thought unjust.” E.B.White

“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.” Mark Twain

“What if nothing exists and we’re all in somebody’s dream? Or what’s worse, what if only that fat guy in the third row exists?” Woody Allen

“If it weren’t for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we’d still be eating frozen radio dinners.”  Johnny Carson

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Oxymorons:

Same Difference

Taped Live

Peace Force

Pretty Ugly

Butt Head

Microsoft works

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According to the latest CNN poll, President Bush’s disapproval rating — 71 percent That’s unbelievable, isn’t it, that 29 percent still approve? Jay Leno

So it’s the 30thbirthday of email spam. Guests at the birthday party will include an Irish sweepstakes winner, a hugely endowed man and a Nigerian prince. Paul Seaburn

Yesterday was the five-year anniversary of President Bush’s speech in front of the “Mission Accomplished” banner. Yeah, to celebrate, today, President Bush gave a speech in front of a banner that said “Economic Recession Over.” NBC latenight

Nothing to Do But Laugh

Tags

Crafts, evolution, Gardening, gay rights, geology, Greece, immigration, Individual Rights, marriage, pasta, poverty, Rome, science, torture, vegetables

Done by Umberto Boccioni in 1911, this piece is entitled “The Laugh” and can be found at MoMA. Given that the rains have returned in force and undone all the slow seepage we have so painstakingly watched for the past several days, I figured there is not much else one can do.

We have a good lead on a nice Bronco, problem is, that now, with these additional rains, we can hardly expect to get out to see it. The Contrarian and I laughed about telling the dude to drive it to us, and then to the bank and we would drive him home and drop him off. I doubt anything but a 4×4 can get back here for another couple of days, and we have no idea how much rain is yet to come. This is just the worst winter and spring I’ve ever seen here. I hope the guy has some patience, but he wants to sell, and won’t wait surely if another offer comes his way.

Spring cleaning is proceeding just wonderfully however. I’d say half of the room is done. Mostly its pulling tables from walls and getting the dust trapped against baseboards. Yes I know, I should do this regularly. I do not of course. You have no idea, if you don’t heat with wood how incredibly dirty it is. Cobwebs are created literally within a month, everywhere. I figure three more days and it will be done. Then I may try to get busy on the painting. But I really don’t want to stop the cleaning now. I’m in a good comfortable rhythm and I want to do a good job with the kitchen, tearing the cabinets apart and reordering the entire thing.

On to the news of the day:

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When you have a moment, drop by (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifey and see her extraordinarily creative jewelry. I think she has an Etsy store as well. Her work is quite eclectic and you just never know what to expect. Today, she decided to do something unusual with the flies that were tormenting her!

Okay, so maybe I am to blame for this lousy spring we are having. May is the month named after the Greek goddess Maia.I know I forgot to pay whatever homage is required. Should I burn something like a chicken or check some entrails or something. I’ve offended the Goddesssss! Whatever is needed, I’m willing to do. I want to get outside and plant and well just walk without getting my feet wet. Oh and some fine Roman victories occurred over the millenia too today, or yesterday I guess. So if you’re Italian, give a cheer for the victories over Sabines, Samnites, and Macedonians and others. Or just visit Ancient History Blog and follow more links to interesting information.

I personally detest the idea of building a wall in some asinine attempt to close off Mexico from the US. First of all, it will not work as any common sense examination of the issue shows, and secondly, IT WILL NOT WORK. Oh, and it violates tons of state laws, disturbs eco-systems, and IT WILL NOT WORK. Read more at Alternet‘s “Immigration: Do Fences make good neightbors?”

C’est La Vie reminds us of a sad statistic- Poverty and its impact on children. Canada doesn’t do a good job of carrying for children, but the US is even worse. Of course, that would be nothing new. How can we allow this? We are the richest of the rich and we let this go on. How our legislators and government can look people in the eye is beyond me. The shame is profound.

I do a lot of container gardening, mostly because I want to sit outside and be utterly surrounded by beauty. I take all my houseplants out, and arrange them, add some herbs in a container or two, a couple of hanging baskets and the rest filled with impatiens, those wonderful cascading petunias, and any and all sorts of things like lobelia. Everything sits amongst some hostas that hide in corners that don’t get much sun. Sally’s Gardening Tips has some ideas for you. Take a look.

Anybody gotten any asparagus yet? I’m sure wanting some fresh from the garden. We don’t get much, because we never kept up well with the initial planting but we do get some. Epicurious has a wonderful spring idea for you that sounds decadent to say the least. Asparagus Ravioli with Parmesan Sauce has simply got to be amazing.

Some new offers from Free Sample Forager. Today’s include a free download of a Star Wars novel, Yomommy Yogurt, Planet Heroes free DVD, and a free Comic book. Enjoy.

I’m sure you think you know why Teddy Roosevelt didn’t win the Republican nod in 1912. Newer research suggests that you might not have known at all. As we hurdle toward a Democratic convention that may prove to be more than we expected, read about how Roosevelt and Taft met heads on in a battle for the GOP nomination. Lewis Gould, (Four Hats in the Ring: The 1912 Election and the Birth of Modern American Politics) tells you all about it.

Oh, gee, another thing I can begin to obsess about. It seems that our recent shimmy shake here in the good old Midwest was not an anomaly, not something to regard as a freakish event, unlikely to happen again. No, no, you should be scared, very scared, in fact California is looking good right about now. We are on some fault line called the “New Madrid” line. I knew it was a mistake when the Spanish sailed for America. Does hopping up and down help? Or does that only work for elevators?

It appears that the marriage issue will be back on the ballot this year in California. I have not kept track of this, so I don’t know what is likely to happen. The National Reviewof course, thinks it’s just super. The Catholic wingnuts (insert right wing nutso minority) also thinks its super. I think it’s utterly horrid and mean. Nobody, not one of these dolts has yet to explain in claiming that they are protecting marriage, has told me what they are protecting it from? Not one. Seems that given that 50% of all marriages end in divorce, that it’s pretty much on life support now. I remain a supporter that anyone who wants to be married should be able to and receive all the attendant civil rights that so attach. I’m not threatened by homosexuals. I don’t think they intend to force me to divorce and marry a woman. Most importantly, I don’t try to speak for God, and since I don’t think the Bible is God speaking directly, I don’t place any real emphasis on those few passages that the wingnut religious use to claim to speak for God. So there.

More news on the torture front. The Bushites have finally released a few documents, but not many and continue to stonewall a good deal. The are trying to ride this out until after the elections I presume. They cannot keep it up for long. More and more, people are starting to predict that when all is said and done, a bunch are heading off for prison numbers. Read today’s editorial in the NYTimes and see if you agree. More and more we hear the sounds of impeachment in the air. I’m thinking it’s a tad too late for that.

The Contrarian caught this yesterday, and frankly I’m rather surprised there has been so little media coverage about it. It seems that West Coast Dock workers went on a one-day strike to protest the Iraq war. Ten thousand participated and that is quite a statement I would say. I echo Tom Cat at Politics Plus. Hats off to the Union.

Remember when Democrats stood up and refused Bushes amnesty for the Telecoms in his latest greatest eavesdropping law? Well that seems on the verge of being upset as some Dems are apparently secretly trying to pretty much give Dubya what he wants. Jay Rockefeller is implicated in this latest heist of the FICA bill. Read Glenn Greenwald’s excellent and thorough report on what is cooking behind closed doors.  

It can only be weeks away before we can somehow convert this to human beings. I mean the desire to do so on the part of any rational woman is so clear. Surely modern science can make the connection and for a change, the shoe, errr, fetus can be on the other foot, errr womb, or well, someplace. Male pregnancy is getting a long look see in seahorses. Now we just have to find some men with brood pouches and we are all set.  

Another good article on Cufi master, Pastor John Hagee and his Armaggedon scenario.Turns out it’s not just the Jews who are scheduled to die in the conflagration that Hagee prays for daily. It turns out that most of America goes as well. Course, he and his minions are all safe by then in the Rapture, watching us burn into crisps while they praise God. Old Mac it seems cannot get this at all because of senility, or perhaps he really agrees with it as well. In either case, you are aware of the type of endorsement that McCain both sought and continues to hold dear.

Have you heard the name Sami Al Hajj?Nope I didn’t think so. Mr. Al Hajj is a cameraman for Al Jazeera. He has been in Guantanamo Bay for six years. He has been released, with no charges. I always ask this same question: How to do Dubya and his band of thugs sleep at night? They do not of course ever answer me. I don’t think they have feelings like the rest of us. And who exactly are the terrorists? I’m getting more confused daily.

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“I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.” Henny Youngman

“You know everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.” Will Rogers

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More Bumper Stickers!

Buckle up… it makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car.

There are 2 types of pedestrians, the quick and the dead.

All men are idiots, and I married their king.

Very funny Scotty; now beam down my clothes

We’re not old people we’re recycled teenagers!

IF THIS STICKER IS GETTING SMALLER, THE LIGHT IS PROBABLY GREEN

I love to give homemade gifts, which one of my kids do you want?

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Well, the claims made by Barack Obama’s pastor former pastor, I guess, are getting more and more bizarre. He now says the high price of gas is due to Dick Cheney and all his friends — O.K., he’s right on that one. Jay Leno

David Blaine, that street magician guy, was on the “Oprah” show, where he held his breath while he was underwater for 17 minutes. Underwater for 17 minutes without breathing — or as Dick Cheney calls it, “interrogation.” David Letterman

As Americans were asked in the latest CNN poll to name worst president in their history, Harry Truman came in with an impressive 65 percent, then followed Richard Nixon with 68 percent but the all-time record with a whopping 71 percent was Dick Cheney. – Eugene Cappuccio