Undoing Christianist Drivel One Knot at a Time

Tags

Christianist, damnable lies, fundamentalism

It’s been a week of people pissin’ me off.

Not that my personal life has been that way. No, thankfully, it’s been rather grand, with the kitchen redo going splendidly and my beloved and I agreeing on most every sub-step of that adventure. Who woulda guessed we would agree on faucets!

But oh, the lame-minded Christianists have been pushing my button once again, but given their IQ limitations, what could one expect.

I also garnered another bit of info that stands to reason given their lacking abilities as well.

So let’s get to setting some records straight.

Facebook memes are funny things as I’ve stated before. Some are quite accurate, but a whole lot tend to seem superficially so but fail in the deeper contemplation.

Sometimes, they are blatant lies from start to finish.

A Christianist “friend” of mine on Facebook (you know the term I trust–one who proclaims Jesus as their one and only but uses the bible and their faith to justify hating who they already hate/fear/are jealous of, etc. [Facebook “friend” being a loose term at best for people who read your shit and whose stuff you are subjected to as is the case here]), posted a meme that on its face was silly, stupid, untrue, hateful, and most UnChristian-like in every single respect.

The pastor of this “friend” allegedly  quoted from some other dude, something to this effect: (I have to paraphrase because the said Christianist when confronted with actual facts, deleted the entire meme from her wall rather than allow any of her “friends” to see actual facts.)

“Rome had a lot of “rabble” who were taken care of by the Roman government. But instead of being satisfied, they just demanded more and more, until finally Rome was bankrupt and then this rabble sacked the city, which was, as we all know, the end of Rome. America too has it’s “rabble”, which was corrected identified as the 47% by that paragon of goodness (my hyperbole) Mr. Romney, who was utterly vilified for stating what turned out to be the truth. Now we are saddled with a government (Obama of course) which has allowed/created a (1) housing crisis (2) runaway debt through over spending (3) a huge deficit (4) Obamacare and (4) insufficient sun on Sunday! (okay I added that). But the rabble won’t stop demanding and of course the inference is clear–so will go the way of America just like Rome.”

Oh where to begin.

First of all, pretty much all that Rome did for the citizens of Rome was provide bread to those who were starving, along with olive oil and wine. The only other thing provided was entertainment in the guise of the circuses. Rome was not sacked by its urban poor, although surely there were uprisings from time to time but these were not threatening to Rome’s existence.

Rome fell through a series of invasions by outsiders called “barbarians” (some of whom were no doubt the very ancestors of idiots like the above who don’t know history at all). Does the name Visigoth mean anything to you? How about the Vandals?

So it is utterly false to claim that the “rabble” destroyed Rome because they weren’t given what they wanted.

What was this “rabble” of Rome? They were in fact urban poor, citizens of the state but with no land, and no ability to make a living. Sort of like people in the US who have lost their jobs when their company chose to build a cheap factory overseas and employ cheap labor. Sort of like people who are trying to raise families on non-living wages. Sort of like small business owners and farmers pushed out of a living by mega corporations who undercut them in prices so deeply that they can’t compete. Sort of like that.

But more than that, they WERE THE FREAKING PEOPLE JESUS CALLED US ALL TO CARE FOR.

The Christianist now calls the poor, the 47% or rabble.

And then we go to Obama.

Now under no circumstances that remotely relate to truth is Obama responsible for the housing melt-down. That happened as we all recall under the watch of wonder boy, George. Now we know that the demise of Glass-Steagall had much to do with that, and Democrats bear their responsibility in that as well, but please, it cannot be laid at the feet of Obama.

Obama did not “run up massive deficits” either, but has paid them down and kept spending to levels not seen since Eisenhower. It was boy George who did that, but beginning and running two wars and a drug prescription law on a credit card.

Now I pointed all these pesky facts out in my comments. And of course, what happened is that the meme was deleted. Not with an “oh thanks for the information, my bad” but just deleted. I might have ignored this had I not found a similar in tone meme (the left is “intolerant of ideas” –the ideas being my bigoted thoughts about transgendered people “deciding to be girls so they can use women’s locker rooms”) that had not been deleted but deleted to remove the comments I made, and then reposted. This one also was applauded by the woman’s “pastor” as good Christian truth.

In perusing the wall, I noted a remark made that suggested why this woman gets so much wrong: “I do my best never to watch the news.”

I’m tired of people who use religion to hide behind all the while twisting it into grotesque shapes to fit their sick fears and hatreds. They are not Christians at all.

Next up, what’s happening in Demagography today!

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American History, crochet, Rome, world history

Mohandas Gandhi, 1946 by Margaret Bourke-White. This is truly one of my most favorite images of Gandhi. The simplicity of life portrayed is something quite humbling to us all. So great a man, so humble a task. We can learn so much by his example. The pity is that we have not in large measure emulated his peaceful resistance to injustice.

It is shaping up as a lovely day. I went for my walk, and discovered on the way down the hill that the heavy rains have washed away so much sand that the utility cables are uncovered as they cross the lane. The Contrarian is now up there trying to rebury them, which I hate. I wish he would just hire someone to do it, and have the power cut off while doing so. It’s also something as Gilda would say.

I’ve got dough on the rise for making some bagels. They are quite simple really just a bit time consuming in dividing the dough and making the rings. They are one of the few breads that are simmered in water before baking. Strange to say the least by the process goes very fast and they bake up very quickly as well.

I’m making a skillet ziti today for dinner. We saw the recipe on Test Kitchen on PBS the other day. It’s fast and frankly better than the usual baked ziti which always ends up dry. The pasta just sucks up all the sauce no matter how well done the pasta is cooked ahead of time. In this recipe you cook the pasta in the sauce which you water down extensively, then add some cream, basil, parmesan, and then cover with shredded mozzerella and bake for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese.

I have to run to Center Point tomorrow and pick up a couple f things for the 4th. I forgot to get radishes which I need for the potato salad, and some nice big hamburger buns for the brisket. I’m really excited to taste that, and very happy that it is such a no work recipe. Just 12 hours in the oven at 250 and its ready for the barbecue sauce. I got out my recipe for Chocolate molten lava cakes and I’m set for that. It’s a very simple recipe as well. I’d love to hear what you are having for the fourth. LOL. My plea for the books that have changed your life went unrequited so, I have no illusions. I guess everyone is busy these days with no time for any comments. I know I struggle to find time myself to stop by everyone’s blog and leave a couple of comments each week. Things will no doubt improve again in the winter months.

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Congrats are in order to Deborah again at (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifey. Seems she got her first wholesale order for her jewelry. See, she is making lovely things and making money while I obsess about being a good neighbor and commenting on blogs! LOL. I think I should be crafting. Drop by if you can and give her a shout.

I didn’t know anything about Julian the Apostate. He tried to reverse the Christianization of Rome in the 4th Century CE. He was obviously unsuccessful. He died in 363 CE on June 28th. Read more about his regressive individual at Ancient/Classical History Blog.

Sandi’s Crochet Blog never fails us. She has three posts all worth looking at. So, as I often do, I’ve linked to the main site and you can scroll at your leisure. I liked the drawstring crocheted bag that would be great for a picnic or the beach. She also has three very cute headbands. Any little girl or big one would love any of them.

We tend as youngsters to get a very romanticized notion of the colonization of this country. Some of us never get any updating of that basic information. That is sad, because it causes us as adults to assume things as fact and factor them into our thinking on other subjects. American Revolution Blog helps to disabuse us of some of those notions we learned as children in school. Reality is always better than fantasy when it comes to critical thinking about real problems. Do yourself a favor and read this post.

The bagels are done, and frankly I am not into blogging. I need a break and its just too much work for too little reward. I’ll be back whenever I feel like it. LOL.

 

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American History, Applique, astronomy, beading, chicken, Civil War, crochet, Desserts, embroidery, founding faithers, fruit, Gardening, George Washington, herbs, Italian, Pennsylvania, pesto, quilting, religion, Rome, seeds, Women's history, world history

George Krause did this beauty, entitled “Fountainhead” in 1970. I suspect that in some parts of the west, such a delightful experience would be most welcome.

Well, the garden is officially planted for the second time. I couldn’t get any more tomato plants or any sweet peppers but I did manage to get four Anaheim peppers which are mildly hot and good for a lot of dishes. The garden doesn’t look too bad, and the corn seems to be going a bit. Some of the tomato plants look rather spindly, but who knows, they may take off. I’m wondering if I should get some fertilizer out on it. Perhaps the heavy rains have washed away nutrients. The little pepper plants, no more than about 7 inches tall are trying to set fruit. That concerns me, since I’m thinking they are not going to produce much. Nothing can be done.

It seems the story is the same everywhere. The Contrariansstep brother has sprayed his fields for weeds so apparently he thinks the corn will come along. Since we planted at nearly the same time, that gives us some hope. Surely he wouldn’t spend the money for nothing. He must feel that the chances are still worth it.

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A huge congrats to Deborah over at (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifey. Seems they are pregnant. Stop by and give her and hubby a nice high five.

William Penn is of course the reason Pennsylvania is called, well PENNsylvania. Yesterday marked the anniversary of his penning ( no pun intended of course) a treaty between his white folks and the native tribe there, the Lenni Lenape. King Charles II had given Penn the land, but of course it was never his to give. Read more at Martin’s American History Blog.

Hannibal won a significant battle against the Romans on this date in 217 B.C.E. Of course in the end he lost. N.S. Gill’s Ancient/Classic History Bloghas the details. The Contrarian and I seldom hear of Hannibal when we don’t recall a funny incident. We were watching “Millionaire” back in its beginnings when Regis Philbinwas still hosting at night. The first question to a contestant was “What animal did Hannibal use to cross the Alps in his war against Rome?” Without batting an eye, the young man confidently exclaimed with obvious superiority, “Llamas!” ROFL. Now there is so much wrong with that that well it never fails to get us laughing like crazy.

Sandi’s Crochet Blog offers a pattern for an afghan, and she offers you three different sizes. The pattern is called shell triangles and it’s very lovely I thought. I have a couple of afghans in progress already, but of course I seldom work on them during the summer months. Just to hot and the yarn drags horribly and your hands sweat. (We don’t use air-conditioning) I have tried to leave comments on her site but they never open up. If any of you have any luck, let me know.

You can find a very interesting discourse on George Washington at American Revolution Blogtoday. He discusses at length Washington’s faith, and how he interpreted that in light of his responsibilitiesboth as Revolutionary General and later as President. A very impressive overview.

I’ve been on a cilantro kick for a while. The fajitas we had yesterday were so much enhanced by fresh cilantro in the salsa. So it should come as no surprise that I found this recipe from  Baking Delights enticing. It’s called Cilantro Chickenand is a quickie. I’m rather certain I shall make it before the end of the week, though I will be significantly cutting it down for two.

Today Civil War Women features Judith Carter Henry. The story is about the first battle of Bull Run and an unlikely victim of that battle. Mrs. Henry, 85 years old, was one of casualties and, and as Maggie points out, the romanticism of war soon faded.

My intestines have caught up with me so I’ve had to put on the breaks with my love affair with fruit for a bit. But that doesn’t mean that I want to deprive you of a great recipe. Mango Blueberry Fool is sure to please your family any day, but especially on the hot summer days when fruit tastes just so darn good. Thanks to Epicurious for another fine one.

I thought I would include this fromFeeling Stitchy today, in honor of our friend Vicki at Knitting Dragonflies. A plethora of dragonflies for your inspiration! Patterns, tutorials and links to other great dragonfly-inspired projects for embroidery and quilting. One is also beaded, so lots of different craft ideas are available.

Okay, have you tried planting an avocado seed? I have, and have actually grown one to a real plant, but then it just died. I think I may try again with the expert advice I found at Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas. Take a peek and don’t send that poor old avocado seed off to the compost heap again. Grow your own! Of course it takes years to produce fruit, so either grow as a houseplant or transplant to a movable container and eventually you will get fruit. We can’t plant outside here in Iowa, it’s too cold in the winter.

Alice Parker is another of those unfortunate women who was tried as a witch. While many try to play down this time in our history, especially the religious right who never want to admit that Christianity can get out of hand, History of American Womenmakes it very clear by her essays that it was indeed prevalent for a time. It is important that these poor women not be forgotten. Her conviction was later reversed and her family received 8 pounds in recompense. How very nice. 😦

Inspired by Antique Quilts has another one she is getting ready to finish. A lovely applique that is colorful and looks quite quick. The pattern is large as you can see if you follow the link and take a look yourself.

Science purely shocks me sometimes. It tells me things that frankly I never thought about before.  Most know of Homer’s Odyssey, if they haven’t read it, or seen some representation of it in film. Of course we know it is part fiction but also part fact, since Troy has long been known to exist, featured so prominently in the Iliad. In the Odyssey, an eclipse is mentioned in the 20th book. Astronomers have pinpointed the date of that eclipse as April 16, 1178 B.C.E. some months after Odysseus return, near in time to when he slayed the many suitors vying for his wife’s hand. Read all the fascinating details of how this was done at Live Science.

The new Pew Report is really fascinating as it looks at American views on religion. Some of the results are simply astounding in my view. Some of this I saw last night on the news. Apparently most of us, even most evangelicals don’t believe that their faith (Christianity) is necessarily the only way to salvation. A huge majority of Catholics (79%) feel this way, topped only by Buddhists at around 83%. That suggests I think, major room for interfaith dialogue and cooperation. The Politico has the story. Here is a link to the forum itself where you can spend a long time reading through this very detailed work.

Pesto! I love the stuff, and have about 8 basil plants doing just fine in a container by the front door. I plan on making pestowhen they are as big as i can get them. It’s very easy to make, just basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Whiz it in a food processor, spoon into ice cube trays and freeze, pop out and put in a freezer bag. You can add it to pasta, soups, well just about anything you wish. Once Upon A Feast has some great new and different ways to make it. Cilantro is a favorite substitute. Just looking at the photos are enough to make a person swoon.

Well I found this next one a bit weird to say the least. It seems glass is not a proper solid at all. It’s moving. Yeah, did I say weird? Atoms are prohibited from moving where they want to by being blocked by neighbors. All of this means (heck if I know why) that glass could be the new component in airplane construction. I’m not thinking I want to sit in a transparent plane anytime soon!

Canada can boast a new find archaeologically speaking, and we always like to speak archaeologically whenever possible. An ancient fort constructed by people before Europeans arrived in the area, has been located in Western Canada, near Cluny and east of Calgary. It is defined as a Siksika First Nation reservation and is around 250 years old. The site was long known to native peoples.

Wow, I sure missed a number of posts by Melisende at Women of History. There are several so I’ll just give you the main site and you can scroll down and read what you like. The first is onMaria Comnena, Queen of Jerusalem, grandniece to Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnena of Constantinople. Second is Theodora Comnena, niece of the same Emperor. Next is Margaret Anjou, Queen to the King Henry VI of England, Artemesia of Hallicarnassus, Queen, and lastlyGalla Placidia, Empress and daughter of Theodosius the Great of Rome. They are all from June 22, so she’s been quite prolific. A lovely run of important women

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More Sign Humor:

At a Music Store: Out to lunch. Bach at 12:30. Offenbach sooner.

At a tire shop in Milwaukee: Invite us to your next blowout. 

At the electric company: We would be delighted if you send in your bill. However, if you don’t, you will be.

Church sign: To remove worry wrinkles, get your faith lifted

In a department store: Bargain Basement Upstairs.

In a Maine restaurant: Open seven days a week and weekends.

In a Pennsylvania cemetery: Persons are prohibited from picking flowers from any but their own graves.

Inside a bowling alley: Please be quiet. We need to hear a pin drop.

On a maternity room door: Push. Push. Push.

On a New York convalescent home: For the sick and tired of the Episcopal Church

Comfort in the Stratosphere

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American History, Appetizer, birds, bread, Bush, Cajun, chicken, Crafts, energy, evolution, Gardening, gay rights, Hawaii, Health care, Human Biology, immigration, Iowa, Iraq, Julius Caesar, Latinos, Limericks, McCain, Middle East, Presidents, quilting, Rome, Shrimp, War, witchcraft, Women's history, world history, Zoology

This delicate painting was done by Lan Ying in 1642 during the Ming Dynasty and is called “Autumn Clearing in the Misty Woods.” I love these so simplistic works from Asia. They contain a beauty so different from most Western art.

Unbelievable, but the shopping excursion went without incident yesterday. We registered our new Bronco and got around quickly, sneaking a Burger King for dinner! I’m back on my kitchen cleaning, having done the Microwave cart today and the dog watering area. Mostly that is just getting the stains off the floor from well water deposits. Dogs are sloppy drinkers. One day off here, and I feel like I’ve missed out on so much. My feeds were lit up, so maybe if I rework how often they update I’ll be a bit better in getting them done on their own, instead of having to hand update them, which takes me about 30 minutes every day.

The Contrarian is out doing “man work.” Yes, that is what he calls it. It’s usually about car, truck, tractor or wood things. He and the dogs seem to enjoy it, at least until I hear that famous “MOTHER F**KING…..something or other.” LOL. He takes out his aggressions on inanimate objects only, which is truly a good thing! In that he takes after his father who was also quite famous I’m told for screaming tantrums at “things.” Come to think of it, I tend to do the same thing.

Oh, and a quick apology to all. I’ve been a tad busy and this blog has taken a long time to get up each day, so I’m way behind on my comments on your blogs. I have been reading them each day, but run out of time to go back and bring up the sites to leave comments. I’ll hopefully catch up this weekend! Sorry.

On to the news:

What bothers me about all this hoopla about “immigration” is that I feel its veiled bigotry. None of this was an issue before “security” became such an issue. But if that were truly the motive, then the same hue and cry would be raised about our border with Canada, which is almost entirely open. So I think it’s just a lot of white working class folks who blame their employment misfortunes on Latinos, something they don’t do when times are good. The toll being taken on the 80% of Latinos who are legal is a serious problem. Read more at Alternet.

American Presidents Blog has a nice look at Theodore Roosevelt and his Bull Moose Party run in 1912 that enabled Woodrow Wilson to capture the White House. This campaign split the Republicans. Was it all Roosevelt’s fault? Read more to find out.

Anyone who saw Dubya’s disgusting display before the Knesset yesterday should read this next post. The fact that Republicans would do such a thing is, well what you would expect. But it is considered a no-no to engage in “politics” when one is overseas. The thing that is deplorable is that McCain joined in, married himself once again to Bush, and as usual, is on record singing quite a different tune. Once again the elder is having an Alzheimer’s moment. Such things are going to bury him in the fall, much to everyone’s delight.

Britannica Blog has a sad little story about the disappearance of songbirds across America.Such is not the case here in the meadow, as we are treated to the songs of orioles and indigo buntings, doves, chickadees, finches, and the like. I wake to the sound of red wing blackbirds and a whole host of cardinals greeting the day. Such alas is not the case in many other areas, as birds are systematically losing habitat. Scientists believe it is a combination of climate change, mercury poisoning and habitat removal.

Wow, I saw this appetizer dip at Coconut & Limeand just immediately decided that you would want to see it. It is just yummy looking. Oh I hate using the word yummy, that’s a word fit for something like rice krispie bars or something, not this elegant creation. Be sure to look at it, and get a copy and try it soon. Chipotle Spinach Artichoke Dip.

I love bonsai. I am totally captivated by the exquisite beauty of tiny trees. I have even seen fake bonsai made of paper and other items, and been so distressed that I could find no “instructions” on the internet to learn this very technical craft. The reason i want to learn fake bonsai, is that I have had no luck in keeping any bonsai of my own alive. Perhaps Sally’s Gardening Tips will help me.

Essential Estrogen puts a human face on the Postville roundup. Real people with real stories. I can find no anger in my heart at the lives of these people who come to America out of desperation and hope. I have no desire to see them sent back to their home countries. For most, even a life of relative poverty in the US is far better than what they endured at home. I think we are big enough to open our arms and make room.

Ready for some Louisiana Bayou food? I bet you are. Epicurious brings us a great little recipe for New Orleans Shrimp, Okra, and Tomato Sauce. Sure to please everyone.

I for one was rather disappointed some years ago when Tom Daschle lost his Senate seat to some nobody who slid in on Bush’s 2004 coattails. But Mr. Daschle has a new book out on Health Care, and is firmly in the Obama camp. It seems a bright light on the horizon for those of us who are passionate about this issue and have been fearful that only Clinton could get it done. Read Ezra Stein‘s good post and interview with Daschle.

On the freebie circuit, Hey it’s Free has  Viva toweling and Teddy Grahams for you. 

Here’s a post that left me scratching my head. I would understand this if it were Guam or Puerto Rico or some other island nation that we are a protectorate over, but there are some in Hawaii who want independence from the US. Now I thought that issue was settled by the Civil War. Apparently it’s not, and History News Network has the story. Most strange, indeed. This simply doesn’t strike me as a case of colonization.

One of the unsavory aspects to American History has to be the trampling of individual rights by colonials in their desire to preserve a pure religion in their realm. In fact, as I’ve noted before, most of the colonies were church/state organizations which allowed no “foreign” interference by other religious groups. Catholics, Jews, Quakers and others were systematically banished, murdered, jailed, and were not allowed to own property, vote, or hold office. History of American Womenhas a fine piece on a Native American charged with witchcraft back in early Massachusetts. Read the story of Tituba and her tragic life.

Representative Steven King (R. IA) continues to be on the wrong side of most issues these days. He was against the new GI bill of course, that is predictable, since Republicans don’t care about veterans once they finish fighting their wars it seems. He was also THE ONLY IOWAN who voted against the bill to direct Bush to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserves and give some relief to consumers. He of course wants more drilling, even though such resources are small, soon depleted and worse a serious ecological threat. Looks like another one ripe for defeat come November to me.

Mad Kane hits the nail again, as she explains how Congressional GOP’ers are running desperately away from Dubyasince everything Republicany is losing these days. Oh as I said, nothing more need by said, just show over and over again, that image of man love of Dubya and Mac embracing so touchingly. That is all the Democrats have to do. Show the picture, again and again and again.

Mamiedale has some tutorials for you. Three, of which a couple looked somewhat interesting. Hand-bound journals are fine gift givers, and the shoulder bag from an old sweater might tempt you to take a look.

As you might expect the right wing wingnuts are in a dither today. That thing in California and gay marriage you know. Nobody gets as dithery about these things than the National Review. Of course civilization as we know it is about to collapse. Go there and laugh at the hand wringing that is going on. Oh, marriage needs our protection, against something or other. The sky is falling, judicial overstepping activism. You can find every code phrase you are looking for. I’m just chuckling. As always when reading anything from the NRO,always check to see where the author is from. LOL Seriously, if you would like an unbiased look at the decision, read Glenn Greenwald’s piece at the Salon. It’s at least objective in its reporting.

Niki’s Ventures has a link to a cute little set of coasters to sew up for the summer months when drinks sweat so much. I thought they were cute as heck and the complete instructions are included at the site.

Unbelievable as it may seem, and its believable given this administration, Blackwater’s contract in Iraq has been renewed. The Bushites continue to rely on mercenaries to do its job for them, and they are not subject to anybody’s jurisdiction. So of course, they can kill with impunity and not be charged with a thing. Oh George, I do hope you live long enough to see the judgment of history on your pathetic administration. Generations to come will wonder why oh why you were not impeached and a dozen or more of you guys jailed.

Oh I am in heaven. I love Roman history as I’ve said before, and a new biography of Julius Caesar is just out. It’s by Philip Freedman and I’ll be attempting to secure a copy for review!

Scandalous Women has the mistress of Napoleon, Marie Walewska,  featured today. As usual, these are such intriguing little pieces that they make you want to learn more. Don’t miss another one, and don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance at a free book.

More news on the evolution topic. For some years now, a lot of work has been done on the mitochondrial “Eve” mother to us all. She was an African of course. About 60,000 years ago, humans started moving out of Africa and around the globe. But before that, they were not it seems a single group, but one highly divided on the continent. It appears now that due to climate issues, the split may have been for literally tens of thousands of years. It’s fascinating and you can read more at Science Digest. Remember to look at the right side, wherein there are links to other similar articles.

It seems we have another “international” recipe. This one from Simply Recipes and it features Moroccan Spiced Grill Chicken Breasts. As the grilling season starts up, this is one to try.

It seems the theme of the McCain campaign is going to be “I’m more American than he is.” That such an argument is illogical and untenable is obvious. That it smacks of a party that has lost all claim to morality is also obvious. That it will not work is also obvious. Read Harold Meyerson’s article in the American Prospect. And if you still have doubts about the disaster that is the Republican Party, read this little ditty from The Nation, “Is the Party Over?” This is one of the must read articles. It’s simply excellent.

Baking Beauties brings us a lovely Italian bread recipe that fits in with any Italian meal and well, most any meal at all. Italian Bread Wedges will certainly fit the bill, and are easy as snap to make as well. I’m making it pronto!

Anti-war veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are finally getting a chance to speak. In unofficial Congressional hearings on the Hill, veterans remark on under reporting and misreporting on civilian casualties, racism by commanders regarding Iraqi citizens, and severe over-reaction in terms of fire power. The Washington Independent has this under-reported story.

Vox Nova steps in with a post about John McCain’s chief political advisor. Remember he just lost another one for being a lobbyist in the pay of the Myanmar Regime. Now it seems that another lobbyist and chief political adviser, Charlie Black, is being seen for the slime he is. He’s a money lobbyist for an array of thugs and other dictators around the world. Is senility in full control of the Mac’s brain? This kinda thing makes your skin crawl.

And to finish off the serious news, take a gander at this site, brought to us by the World History Blog, called Reportret,and true to it’s name it attempts to make an unbiased assessment of what figures from history might have looked like. These are of people for which there are no known portraits or pictures of any kind. They give a long explanation of their technique as well. I think you will enjoy the trip. Jesus, Mohammad, Christopher Columbus are among those featured. Really nice sources at the end of each “portrait.” These are not clay recreations, but an attempt to locate the person in terms of his status, ethnicity, and any other factors that might impact looks.

Now on to the other stuff.Urantian Sojourn has a piece by Terry Hart that is wonderfully funny and witty too boot. It’s just a collection of great tag lines he’s picked up along the way. I have a list too. It reminds me that I should resume my monthly tag for this blog. I’m envious of some he has, especially the one entitled, “Now, go spread some peace, love and understanding. Use force if necessary.” I can still only lead you to the main site. The feed won’t direct link to an individual post, only the main site. It’s the 3rd one down, but heck the other two are well worth reading as well.

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“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” William G. McAdoo

“Some things have to be believed to be seen.” Ralph Hodgsen

“A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.” Samuel Goldwyn

“The reason there is so little crime in Germany is that it’s against the law.” Alex Levin

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More of the type of questions I get in my house from guess who?

Why do we say we’re head over heels when we’re happy? Isn’t that the way we normally are?

Why do sleeping pills have warning labels that state :’Caution: May Cause Drowsiness?

Do nudists have pin-ups of people with clothes on?

When the French swear do they say pardon my English?

How is chess considered a sport?

How’s come people tell you to stay a kid for as long as you can. Yet the moment you do anything childish or immature they tell you to grow up.

If marbles are not made of marble, why are they called marbles

Why are elderly people often called “old people” but children are never called “new people”?

How does Freddy Kruger wipe his butt?

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Huge political fireworks today after President Bush went to Israel and he talked about American politicians who might want to talk with Hamas or other leaders. Politicians who would sit down and appease terrorists. He said he would not do it. He would not put up with it. He would never talk to terrorists. And then he flew to Saudi Arabia to spend a couple of days with the Saudi royal family. Jay Leno

Ford is recalling 655,000 trucks to fix a brake hose. Industry analysts estimate the program will take about 2 years to complete. And then they’ll move on to the second vehicle. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

The Steelworkers union has given its endorsement to Barack Obama for president. This was a blow to John McCain who is the only candidate in the race who actually participated in the Iron Age. Paul Seaburn.

John McCain, of course, no one is really paying attention to him right now, but he’s everywhere trying to get attention. Yesterday on “Live with Regis and Kelly,” John McCain showed one of his baby pictures. That was nice. Yeah, the picture was on loan from the Museum of Natural History. Conan O’Brien

If I Knew the Answer, I’d Sell it.

Tags

Applique, Archaeology, Barack Obama, Crafts, Democrats, Election 2008, evangelical, fundamentalism. John McCain, immigration, Iowa, Iran, Myanmar, religion, Rome, science, Veterans, Women's history, world history, Zoology

This photo is of Francis Benjamin Johnston and his family, 1890-1910 and is from the Library of Congress.

The sky is clearing and the sun is starting to come out nicely. We missed the rain yesterday, so we are looking forward to a few days of dry weather. I got behind the fridge today and then did my “baking” pantry, this tiny little closet that is next to the fridge. I hate it, since its too narrow to use well, and its deep, but I have it now reorganized into a better system I believe. I’d say about 1/3 of the kitchen is now done. Tomorrow we are heading to town for shopping, so whatever blogging I do tomorrow will be short and later in the day.

On to the news:

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(Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifey did a nice plaque for Mother’s Day and presents a tutorial to help you learn how to do them yourself. I’d say hers turned out very nice indeed. She gives you all the particulars so you can dive right in for that next special occasion.

In case you missed it amid all the hoopla about Clinton’s landslide victory in West Virginia, Democrats scored another victory in a special election in Mississippi, making it now three seats they have thus far picked up in special elections and making them also 3-0. Republicans are hand wringing and sobbing, but this is exactly what polls predict as well as all other standard indicators based on past elections. It’s gonna be a straight win across the board for the Democrats this year according to the experts. 

Britannica Blog posts a question that has been on my mind since the cyclone hit Myanmar. Do we, as a global community have a duty to protect the innocents against rogue goverments that allow what amounts to genocide in their countries? I’m not sure what the answer is, but I come down at the moment on the side of a UN led force designed essentially to take them out and allow aid workers in to help in the crisis. Of course, I have no plan as to what to do then, and perhaps that’s the crux of the problem. China and Russia will obviously disapprove given their problems with “provinces” in rebellion. What do you think?

Civil War Women has a biography today of Mary Morris Husband, civil war nurse. These posts are always so delightful, and one gets such a sense of how brave and heroic these women were. Women were generally not thought to be in the forefront during the Civil War, and well, women were generally not in the forefront in any sense in those days. These are the trailblazers that made way for us today. Oh and Maggie has another blog. I’m not sure if it’s new, but I just found it: History of American Women. I’m sure I’ll be featuring it soon on a regular basis.

As most in Iowa know at least, a major raid was conducted in Postville a few days ago, and a bunch of “illegals” were rounded up. The media and all went to great lengths to keep telling us how humane it all was. Several were released if they could show that they had minor children with no other supervision. It’s disheartening to see this. There are estimates of at least 10 million illegal immigrants in the US. Catching a few dozen here and there does virtually nothing but cost us money. It is just something that the government can point to and say, “see, we are doing something.’ Sigh, I think there are better solutions than this. Read more at Essential Estrogen.

Ezra Klein has a nice link to Josh Marshall from TPM about Obama and the Appalachia problem. You see, that’s how Josh sees it. Obama is not having trouble with working whites per se, but only those portions of states that reside within Appalachia, and West Virginia is all Appalachia. See what you think of the analysis.

Garrison Keillor has a post, and that always makes me smile big. Today his topic is individualism, and as usual, its the usual mix of homegrown advice, commentary and flights of free thought. Enjoy.

While our mislead government continues to rattle the sabre at Iran, and McCain promises to continue in that vein, History News Networkhas some advice. Michael Axworthy has just written a book on the subject of Iran so he might have something worthwhile to say. Read his advice to the next president.

The Iowa Independent has a very good post on the “New GI Bill” introduced by Senator Webb and cosponsored by Senator Hegel. McCain is gonna get creamed on this issue for sure. Wesley Clark had some very unkind but true remarks to make of McCain’s counter bill and the reasons why he opposes the Webb bill. Harkin is on board, Grassley is still wavering, so a e-mail to him is most appropriate.

Since we all need more women’s history, bop on over to Live Science and read a article on The Most Powerful Modern Women Leaders. Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Golda Meir are just three of the top ten.

Niki’s Ventures gives us another couple of freebie patterns. One for a Kleenex box cover and the other for a quilt square. I just made a Kleenex box cover from 3-ply thread that was yellow, green, pink and grey. It was my own pattern and it turned out quite well, though it’s far from being “professional” looking. This pattern is for scraps of material and is definitely better looking than mine. Quite delightful indeed and perfect as a seasonal change. Applique would be the operative word on this one. The quilt blog is patriotic, cute if you like that sort of thing.

When you use the word evangelical, most people know what side of the equation they stand on. And to some degree that is correct, but in some ways it is not. There is a broad group of evangelicals who do indeed feel their cause hijacked by the ultra reactionary right and they are trying as best they can to set the record straight and return the good name to evangelism. On Faith weighs in on “what is an evangelical”and its usual list of panelists respond, and of course people comment like crazy. Always a fun place to stop.

It truly shocks and delights me that there is so much stuff still out there to be found. Huh? Oh, I mean artifacts of old civilizations. The oldest to date bust of Julius Caesar has been found at the bottom of the Rhone. It has been tentatively dated at 46 B.C.E. Thanks to Rogueclassicism for the post.

Did you know that sloths in captivity sleep more than those in the wild? I guess it stands to reason, predators and all? Do sloths have predators? I assume they do. I assume as well that zoos can be mighty boring places. If you’ve ever been to one, you find a lot of sleep going on. As you might expect, scientists think that there is something more important to be learned.

 

 

Talk to Action has a good post on McCain and his love affair with hate mongerers John Hagee, and Ron Parsley.Hagee has made a public apology to Catholics, now claiming he’s “learned” about Catholicism and presumably it’s not the Great Whore of Revelation any more. Uhuh, sure. This is just making nice between fellow wingnuts of the ultra right fundamentalist persuasion, folks, and nothing more. Why McCain aligns himself with such riff raff is well telling I guess. Anything to win, it seems, morals, and ethics be damned.

Speaking of which, it’s Wednesday, and Susan Posner is back with another installment of Fundamenalist at American Prospect. As usual, its good.  

The Artful Crafter has something that may be wonderful, I’m just not sure and don’t have the time to look at it much right now. It claims to be software for making your own cookbook easily and quickly. I would be very interested myself, given that I have a stack of pages getting very very high, all of recipes I’m determined to make. LOL. Right. Anyway, take a look if you’re interested. I guess you can do other things, like calendars and family trees with it also.

Remember Phylis Schlafly?The woman who made a career and no doubt tons of dough saying women should stay home where they belong? She’s backkkkkkk. And if you can believe it, she’s being offered an honorary degree at Washington University in St. Louis. Two hundred forty faculty and 14 law school profs have objected. Schlafly’s response: “They are a bunch of bitter women.” Oh how thoroughly disgusting. Unreal, transporting to another universe once again.

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“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”  Douglas Adams

“The higher the buildings, the lower the morals.” Noel Coward

“History is the short trudge from Adam to atom.” Leonard Lewis Levinson

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The kind of things the Contrarian thinks of: (trouble is, he whines, “why don’t you look it up on the internet. You’re so much better at that than me.”

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the car-pool lane?

Can you cry under water?

If a man alone in the woods said something would a woman still say he was wrong?

How old are you before it can be said you died of old age?

If someone owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way to the center of the earth?

Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Why is it said that an alarm clock is going off when really its coming on?

Why did Sally sell seashells on the seashore when you can just pick them up anyway?

If you fart and burp at the same time, would it make a vacuum in your tummy?

If an African elephant comes to America, is it an African-American elephant?

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Of course, big primary tonight in West Virginia, that’s the story. Barack Obama, slugging it out. And I guess — I don’t know if Barack Obama’s getting tired or what, but in a recent speech, he said he had visited all 57 states. Yeah, after hearing this, President Bush said, “Ha-ha, he forgot Alaska and Hawaii.” Conan O’Brien

Travis Childers, the Democrat who won Mississippi’s special Congressional election, is both pro-gun rights and anti-abortion. I guess that is what’s known as a Cheney Democrat.

John McCain is refocusing his message to seniors. Not simply saying what they want to hear, but also saying it much louder. – Will Durst

 

Is Gravity Still in Iowa?

Tags

American History, bread, church-state, crochet, DNA, economy, environment, Gardening, herbs, Human Biology, Iowa, John McCain, Media, Military, Presidents, religion, Rome, salad, science, Washington, Women's history, Women's issues, world history

A photograph of Yosemite Falls taken by Carleton E. Watkins 1865-66. It is from the Library of Congress collection.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother’s Day and weekend. We suffered through another bout of rain, a good two inches I’d say. It’s just sitting now, no where to go. We can still get in and out with the Bronco, but the lane is suffering from saturation. I really wonder what farmers are going to do. Given the temperatures and the wet ground, no planting can be done for some time, and it seems we cannot have more than three days without rain each week. It’s quite depressing.

I’m moving along with the kitchen and have done two good days worth of work. Of course, that means I have done something like an hour and half total. I’m really fighting off the blues about it at this point. I have little to no interest and am forcing myself, mostly by shortening the daily work. Sometimes as I get close to finishing what I have assigned myself, I feel a bit better and so do a little more than i had planned. It will take a good two weeks at this rate.

We’ll probably go shopping sometime this week. The best bets are for mid week since we may, and I say that very provisionally, we may not get any rain  for Thursday and Friday. But things are quite fluid. Oh that was a bad choice of words I guess.

Let’s get on with the news today:

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has three new crochet offerings for you. A square for an afghan, a filet crochet, and some edgings. All are patterns developed by her and free to you.

You can go along for years and think things are pretty much okay. And then a conflation of different things come together and you find yourself angry and definitely thinking that things are so not okay that you wonder how this could be happening in this day and age. I’m referring to the anti-feminist backlash that I’m observing it seems everywhere these days. Alternet carries this important article from The Nation. I can only say that I’m angry. I’ve just finished arguing this subject with conservative Catholics and had the fine displeasure of arguing with self-reporting “women” who think women are not equal to men but are “different” and get this, the CAUSE of the fall of Adam. Eve the vicious bitch duped him, in their brain dead opinion. Oh and look down at the comments to the post. They are heartbreaking.

American Revolution Blog has a nice piece on Washington and whether he prayed at Valley Forge. Not the most exciting topic, still it has gained in importance as left and right argue about whether we were meant to be a “Christian” nation. (No, but  l’ll be doing a book review this week and will expound in greater depth.) It’s an interesting and well researched post and you might enjoy it.

Sad to say, the Religious Right is going around the country trying to convince ministers to violate the law. The Alliance Defense Fund is trying to convince ministers to violate the ban on electioneering from the pulpit for churches which are tax-exempt. They are looking for a prosecution, hoping that a fight in the courts will lead to an overturn by SCOTUS. These folks are pure theocracy advocates, and this type of thing is very dangerous. Thanks to Americans United for the heads up.

It seems that John McCain is unable to cut his ties to lobbyists. Another of his boys just resigned when it was found out that his lobbying firm had worked FOR the ruling Junta in Myanmar. Given the media attention being given to that murderous regime, Doug Goodyear had to go. The Mac is seemingly unable to find good people to help his campaign and again and again sinks to choosing people with unsavory backgrounds and political stances. Oh I just can’t wait for this election cycle to really gear up. It’s gonna be like shooting ducks in a bucket. We thank Blue Girl, Red State for the information.

 Epicurious has an interesting cheese bread that looks good. I know that many find bread making daunting, but I promise you, it’s quite easy. I spend about 10 minutes time making a loaf of bread. I use the fast rise yeast and never have a problem. Essentially bread dough is quite forgiving. You just add flour until you can work it. I use my KitchenAid to do the kneading. See what you think of Georgian Cheese Bread.

I would dearly love to have raised beds in my vegetable garden. It’s just so neat and I think you can get bigger yields, and it makes weeding a lot easier, and there are fewer weeds to begin with. It’s just a huge project to set up, with lots of backbreaking work. So I don’t have raised beds. If you are interested in starting some raised beds, Mr. Greenfingers has some help for you.  

If you are planning a family trip or just like maps, DHL is offering a free atlas. This one comes from Hey it’s Free. The link is direct. It was an easy sign up.

If you are still enthralled with the Kennedys you might like this post on Joseph P. Kennedy, ambassador to Britain during the Roosevelt Administration. He held the post between 1938-40 and many have considered it to have been one of the worst appointments in Roosevelt’s presidency. Today, History News Network suggests that that assessment may have been unfair. A nice post explains.

Some are claiming that ethanol production cuts into food production and is a major contributor to the food crisis facing this planet. Others argue that it is a minor event at best. Tom Harkin, Senator from Iowa, suggests it is the latter. Read his comments and decide what you think.

I would not say that I am a pepper connoisseur or anything. I do like it freshly ground but I probably couldn’t taste the difference, just notice the texture difference. But I realize its a valuable culinary tool and I use it a lot. Once upon a time pepper was a very very valuable commodity. Read all about it at Live Science. Remember, it was claimed that Columbus “discovered” America while in search of a better route to the East and it’s spices.

Bet you have heard of gladiators? Yep, sure you have. Have you heard of gladiatrixes? I bet you haven’t, but they were real and they were women! Slip over to rogueclassicism and read all about it in his partly humorous blog today. Real they were, but I don’t think they wore Prada.

A must read today from Glenn Greenwald. We’ve reported on the pentagon program to drop in “retired” personnel as experts into the mainstream media, all to tout in the end the Pentagon line. Greenwald writes of where that alleged illegality is moving. It seems clear that the media was being controlled by the Pentagon’s stooges, feeding them the Administration line as “expert analysis.” I think this might be a bigger kettle of fish than anyone is letting on, especially the media itself which has so far kept it quiet, hoping no doubt it will go away.

Scandalous Women has declared it “Napoleon Week” and has posts about his sister and mistress coming up. Those who leave a comment on either post will be in the mix to possibly win a copy of the book: Cupid and the King, by Princess Michael of Kent.

Many might suggest that reliable history cannot come from societies focused on oral tradition. No so, at least in one case. Druze villages in Israel are perfectly correct in their allegations that their lineages were diverse and stretched back thousands of years. Genetic testing has confirmed this and apparently the group has remained tight knit and it remains today one of the worlds most diverse mitochondrial populations. They say this has important repercussions for the study of disease, since there is a control for environmental issues, and they can study disease progression solely within different DNA groups. Mighty interesting stuff.

Jello molds? Okay, that is soooo 50’s isn’t it. Some orange jello, some carrots, and you have something I wouldn’t feed to my dogs. Or the other one, your favorite flavor and a can of fruit cocktail. Yech again. Okay, so you want to be a bit retro but also elegant and you are also, just by chance, wondering what you can do with that excess rhubarb? I have the answer. Try Molded Rhubarb Rosemary Cucumber Salad and be so cool that people will stop in the street just to admire your panache!

I missed this if indeed it was reported on. But fully 1/4 of all Republican voters in both N. Carolina and Indiana, voted for someone other than McCain. This simply cannot be good news to the Mac Attack Team. It makes me snicker, since try as he does to be everyone’s favorite uncle, it does not appear to be working. They keep voting for folks who are no longer even running, in an apparent “statement” of their disapproval of Mr. McCain and his flippy floppy ways.

The right wing wacko machine is up and running. Following the disaster in Myanmar, the right wing Business and Media Institute, doctored a interview with Al Gore on NPR to make it seem as if Gore blamed the cyclone on global warming. That was not at all the case, and  the splicing was detected. Of course the Drudge Report and FOX Newsless were running it full bore. Do these people never quit lying? Thanks to Think Progress and again, don’t forget the comments!

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“We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent.” Robert Copeland

“I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.” Seneca

“The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums.” G.K. Chesterton

“Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof.” Ashley Montague

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Answering Machines:

Hi, we aren’t in at the moment, if you are trying to sell us something please start speaking now and hang up at the beep, everyone else start speaking at the beep and hang up when you’ve finished.”

“Hi, you have reached the Borg collective. Please leave your name and star system and we’ll assimilate you as soon as we can.”

“Hey guess who this is? You guessed it. Guess what you have to do now? you
guessed it. Guess what’s next? You guessed it…”

You are dazed, bewildered, trapped in a world with no time, where color collides with sound, and shadows explode. You see a sign up ahead. This is no ordinary answering device; this is “The Twilight Phone”

Please leave a message. However, you have the right to remain silent. Everything you say will be recorded and will be used by us.

A bubble in the space-time continuum has connected your line to a channeler in the 23rd Century. Any message you leave will be broadcast into the future….

Hello, I’m not here right now. In fact, I’m out getting a new parakeet. If you leave a message after the beep, I’ll be sure to get back to you. Oh, and by the way, a word of advice; never try to clean a parakeet cage with a vacuum cleaner.

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Big Brown is favored to win the Preakness on Saturday. He’s kind of like an NBA star. He’s often found with grass in his possession.

John McCain is on the campaign trail. He likes to tout his two favorite domestic programs. “Matlock” and “Murder She Wrote.” – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

I saw something in the paper today which shows how fat we’re getting in this country. A company has now come out with a bathroom scale that goes to 1,000 pounds. This is probably the worst Mother’s Day gift in history. Jay Leno

U.P.S. just signed a big marketing agreement with the owners of Big Brown, the impressive winner of the Kentucky Derby. Is this really that great an idea before the Preakness and the Belmont? After all, U.P.S. generally doesn’t deliver on Saturdays. – Janice Hough, Palo Alto, Calif.

Drunk on an Apple

Tags

American History, Arabs, Archaeology, Barack Obama, Bush, cake, Catholicism, dessert, Election 2008, embroidery, farming, fruit, History, ice cream, immigration, Iraq, Italy, John McCain, Latino, Lebanon, Media, Medici, Myanmar, paleontology, quilting, Rumsfeld, torture, Truman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This a sculpture from the Louvre and is called Hermes a la sandale. It is a Roman replica by Lysippus of a Greek piece now lost. It is of Hermes, tying his sandal while listening to his father Zeus. The head is too small for the body and the tree stump under the leg is not part of the original work.

It’s gloomy and overcast with sprinklings of rain now and then. It’s thoroughly depressing and the Contrarian is simply beside himself with disgust at  his Iowa which has turned so nasty to us all this year. I fear that spring will escape us with nary a pleasantry. I can count perhaps on one hand the number of nice days we have had. The water just seems to sit everywhere with no where to go any more. It’s just impossible to work outside.

Given that scenario, I’ve done little today but pack up some things in the kitchen that I want to throw out. I find that if I don’t use things with in a year, then I probably don’t need them. Five extra carafes for coffee would suggest I don’t need at least four of them. LOL. Dinner is leftover meatloaf with gravy and biscuits, a veggie of some sort and probably a salad. I baked a loaf of bread. Whoopee what a day. Oh and we had three orioles at the feeder today. They love the apple. They go mad. I wonder if they get drunk or something?

If you are interested in new blogs, you might want to check out the sidebar, I’ve added a few over the last few days, mostly in history, politics and columnists I believe.

On to the news:

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This is one of those stories that slip through the cracks. Last week I reported on the release of a journalist Sami al Haj who had been detained for six years and then released without charges from Gitmo. It seems  al Haji’s arrest was not a fluke, but part of a pattern of intimidation launched primarily at Al Jazeera. Bombings, shootings and arrests are commonly used against them, all because the Bushites don’t like their reporting. Read about it from Amy Goodman at Alternet.

Today is the anniversary of President Harry Truman’s birth. American Presidents Blog has a nice piece on his trip to Europe in 1945, before the full end of all hostilities in WWII. Truman traveled by ship to Europe for a meeting with the allies, Britain and  the Soviets. This must havebeen some kind of surreal experience for Truman, given that Roosevelt had just died. Lots of links to his library and a day to day log of his trip.

A couple of things are really on my nerves today. One is Myanmar. Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands are at risk of dying in what was formerly called Burma. Supplies are available, but the ruling junta refuses most of it because they are afraid of being toppled by aide workers and I guess the supplies themselves. I’m saying that I think the UN ought to just invade the country with a world force and take them down and save the people. This is genocide of a new flavor. It cannot go on. It is a crime against humanity. Read more at Blue Girl, Red State.

More and more people are talking about the “dream ticket”again. The one with both Democratic candidates. It would be Obama/Clinton of course. I can imagine Obama is not so happy about this, Clinton may be more so, given the bottom line now. I think it might be a worthwhile idea. I’ll vote for Obama in any case, but I think this could do a lot to heal some wounds. Britannica blog has an opinion on the issue, and it’s worth listening to.

C’est La Vie has a lovely tribute to mothers everywhere. The post consists of questions answered by second graders about what mothers are. It’s the usual chuckling and tender sweet post that you might want to send along to mothers you know and love.

Ben and Jerry  Cherry Garcia’s Ice cream. Okay. You want the recipe? I got it for you, or Copycat Restaurant Recipes does. Go and take a look. This is an odd one, no cooking before hand, and it has raw eggs, so be forewarned. I’m not a bit scared of eggs so I think it’s one I’ll try when it warms up a bit if it ever does.

Feeling stitchy has a nice little tutorial on embellishing things with embroidery. I tended to think of the usual things, pillowcases, and such, but her ideas definitely showed me a broader view of what can be done. Take a look and see if you get some ideas!

Warm Rhubarb compote with Walnut coconut crunch sounds especially nice on a day like this. Gloomy and cool and wet, begs for comfort food, and this recipe from Epicurious is sure to do just that–comfort you. A tad on the foo foo side with the ingredients, but I think you can substitute some of the high end ones easily enough.

I Just had to show you this one from Inspired by antique quilts. This is a quilt I have always wanted to make, but it is one that takes forever to make, years in fact. I have always wanted to make it using no duplicate fabrics at all. She has limited herself to no duplicates in every 100 piece block. The achievement is just mind boggling, and I really am going to start. My stash of fabric is not nearly as big as hers, no doubt, and it will never be, but I can start, and her 100 different pieces per block is a great idea! Recently when I was doing my craft room and working with my fabric, I made a special point of saving in a plastic bag all the tiny scraps that are just perfect for this kind of thing. I hear people send small scraps of their stash to others in a give-around and the end result is called a “friendship” quilt.

A new farm bill has been approved and is being sent to Dubya. He’s going to veto it of course. Tom Harkin is pretty ticked off, and so will Iowa farmers be. I guess the GOP has written off Iowa this election cycle. We are gonna be a blue state once again!

The Medici, that great Italian family from Florence, saved the day, helping to bring Europe out the of the Dark Ages. Remember, they weren’t quite as dark as portrayed. Both Arabs, Jews and Christians did much during those years to advance science, and preserve history. But the Medici’s no doubt had a great impact on art, science and culture as they pushed forth into the Renaissance. Read more about the family and its impact at Live Science.

Paul Krugman has some very thoughtful observations aboutthe impending Obama candidacy. I tend to agree with him. Most important is his statement that the various polls that seem to suggest that John McCain has a chance are wildly wrong, and common at this point in the cycle. They do not reflect in any way what will happen in November. Better predictors are all highly in favor of the Democrats. Read his post and see if you agree.

Things seem to be deteriorating in Beirut, Lebanon. Hezbollah seems in control of  parts of Beirut, and a civil war is threatening. More bad news for the beleaguered Middle East. Of course the usual charges of who’s the bad guy abound. The link by the way has little additional information. This link from the Washington Independent has a bit more.

Louis Bayard has a review of Tony Horwitz’s new book, “A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World.” It will, so Mr. Bayard says, tell you a bit of a different story about the settling of America. Not quite the flag waving stuff from high school. The bottom line, much of what you think you know is flat out wrong.

Do you know where the earliest human settlement in the Americas is? Americas should give you a hint its not in the US. It’s in Chile, and is somewhere in the vicinity of 14,000 years old. It is now believe that they migrated across the Bering Straits, and the date has been moved back to 16,000 years ago.

This is certainly discouraging. There are Catholic fanatics in the US, and they are no better than the wingnuts of the ultra reactionary right of other Christian denominations. One of the worst places for fairness is in Minnesota where a reactionary archdiocese holds sway. Recently a professor of Minnesota was denied the right to speak at a local parish adult education class on the issue of torture, simply because he is pro-choice on abortion. Such religious censorship is to be condemned wherever it raises its ugly head. His full remarks are included in the link. Talk to Action brings the story our way. This is how it starts folks. Misguided people under the shield of religion start to trample upon the rights of others.

I errrrr, did mention that I love chocolate? Once or twice maybe? I thought this recipe for a chocolate cake sounded decadent as heck and delicious sounding. It is done in pesky grams but remember the old site has the converter for you to use. I love the idea of the jam under the frosting. I’m gonna try this one. Dark Chocolate Layer Cake.

Jim Crow is back. Yes, given that we have new folks to hate with impunity, things are starting to get tough for Latinos in this country, especially now we find in Georgia. Resurgence of the KKK, and a plethora of all new Hate groups are thriving. They are breaking down doors and terrifying populations, often of US citizens of Latino descent. I am again, sickened by this type of thing. We are, through religion and political rhetoric, finding it all too easy to hate people who are not “like us” again.

Remember way back when Rumsfeld claimed that more troops weren’t sent to Iraq because the “generals didn’t ask for them?” Well, of course, most of us assumed he was lying to cover up his own incompetence, and guess what? Turns out we were dead on right. He lied. What’s new?

Urantia Sojourn has a good post on the Rev. Wright controversy and the fact that hopefully the intense spotlight will now shift to John McCain and his unholy alliance with Hagee and also Parsley another wingnut of similar flavor. McCain of course has lots of ties to the weird right, including Copeland who is now under investigation by our own Sen. Grassley for his interesting bookkeeping techniques. I’ve taken you to the main site, because for reasons I have no clue to, I can’t bring up the individu posts, they just don’t highlight or give me the hand. It’s the second post from the top.

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“No wise man ever wished to be younger.”  Jonathan Swift

“Autobiography is an unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people.” Philip Guedella

“There’s a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.”  Steven Wright

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New excuses to: I’d love to but…..

I’m teaching my cat to sing.

I have constipation.

I have to tape the official Boy George fan club meeting tonight on the TV.

my orange juice box said concentrate.

I’m having my ingrown toenail removed. Wanna see?

I gotta go walk my turtle.

I have to iron my sheets.

it’s evil.

my mom said I have to rub her feet tonight.

~~~&&&~~~&&&~~~

This weekend at the Bush family ranch, one of President Bush’s daughters will be getting married. And I thought this was cute. The groom went to President Bush and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. And President Bush said, “Well, it’s O.K. with me, but you got to run it by Cheney.” David Letterman

John McCain’s wife was recently overheard saying that they own eight or nine homes. Yeah, McCain’s wife denied this, however, and stated, “What I said is I’ve tried to put him in a home eight or nine times.” Conan O’Brien

A new poll came out today. It says conservatives like Rush Limbaugh are happier than liberals. Although it might not be happiness. In Limbaugh’s case, it might just be the OxyContin kicking in. Chris Ferguson

Say what you will about George Bush: He has driven us into an economic hole, making us less attractive as an immigration destination, thereby raising the quality of life for those of us still stuck here. – Will Durst