Amen, It’s a Good Day

Tags

cake, Chilean Miners, Christine O'Donnell, Congress, DADT, election 2010, Humor, life in the meadow, Recipes, Sharron Angle, teabaggers

As I write, fifteen of the thirty-three trapped miners in Chile has been returned to the surface. So far everything is going smoothly. Amen to that.

I suspect there is one proud Papa looking down upon us this day, happy that at last, in this moment of time, his children have managed to put aside all their petty arguments, and are working in true togetherness to perform this miracle. For miracles can only occur through humans willing to give of themselves without reserve.

Would that we could do the same with all our other troubles. It is a lesson we should examine carefully for the clues that might lead us to deal more honorably, more tolerantly, more humanely, with each other on other problems.

***

On the home front, we are once again reminded that life in the meadow is sometimes most primitive. A new generation of raccoons has arisen that have no memory that a wide berth is to be given the acre or so around the house. One ventured too close, and we were startled during a showing of Mad Men with a horrendous explosion of snarling, and breaking of twigs in the underbrush. What emerged was Bear and Brandy each on one end of a poor “Little Ricky.” Bear is 13 and Brandy 11, so after several minutes they were unable to dispatch the straying coon. It lay crying in pain, they standing over it panting and whining.

I was able to call them off and into the house, while the Contrarian donned shoes and went out with shotgun. A loud report, and the coon was no more. I grieve for it, as I do for all innocent animals. It was doing nothing but living its life, sadly it made a fatal mistake. Both dogs were pretty sore the next day, stiff from muscles long unused. They are fine again today.

***

Andy Borowitz has a great new post on Sarah and Christine. Don’t miss it. It’s important to get a good laugh every day.

***

Ree Drummond has a really decadent cake called Tres Leches. It’s a great cake for company, and doesn’t take much time. Three Milks would be a translation. It’s exceedingly rich. Take a look.

***

Election 2010

• O’Donnell is debating Coons tonight at 7:30 on CNN, but check local listings
• Angle debates Reid on Thursday. No further info on that yet.

***

On the DADT front:

      Us Federal district Court Judge, Virginia A. Phillips has put a stop to all military discharges as a result of DADT. Now, since Obama campaigned on ending this awful practice, shouldn’t he instruct the Justice Department not to appeal? There is no one else who has standing as far a I know to appeal. Barney Frank is urging that if there is an appeal, the Administration wait until the last moment in their 60-day time limit, so as to give the Congress a chance to repeal the act before hand. As I said, I’m not sure why this isn’t a no-brainer. Or am I missing something?

***

Killing the Buddha offers you a quiz today. See if you can give the right answer to 12 questions. Who said it? McCarthy, Beck or Palin. Should be fun!

***

We watched the first episode of Dancing with the Stars, and then quit, sure that Bristol (my mama is a Grizzly) Palin would not be voted off no matter how badly she could dance. True to form, she sucks, and is not being voted off due to “massive teabagger voting”. What a joke this show becomes.

***

And if there were any more news, I’d tell ya.

Related Articles

• Watch: Olbermann Interviews SU’s Alexander Nicholson, Barney Frank on the Judge’s Ruling Barring Enforcement of ‘DADT’ (towleroad.com)
• A locked-up win for Chris Coons in Delaware? (cnn.com)

What’s Up? 06/22/10

Tags

blogging, cake, dessert, History, hoarding, Marcus Aurelius, McChrystal, Military, Obama, online posting, paleontology, philosophy, Photography, psychology, racism, Recipes, slavery, teabaggers

If ya read upside down like Chimpy here, then you better go elsewhere. But I know you read just fine, so continue we will to  the bestest stuff I have found today in my wanderings through the Intertubes of information.

We have managed to have most of two days of no rain, and though threatening earlier, it’s sunning now. Not sure how long that will last.

Things are alleged to be getting all fired up again as evening comes on, when I shall be heading home from a meeting at church.

So without further ado, scan the following for anything that strikes your fancy. Where you fancy might be, I have no idea, and don’t mean to say anything untoward or sexually provocative or anything. As Vodka says, children read this blog. Keep that in mind. I believe in dressing appropriately at the computer. No skivvies if you are so enrobed. Get dressed before proceeding.

We start with a nice recipe for dessert, Mystery Mocha from Pioneer Woman. I’ve cut through all the pictures and gone straight to the recipe. It’s kinda like a lava cake, chocolaty and coffeey.

There is an interesting review of a biography of Marcus Aurelius at In Character. That might interest one person I know, but I thought it posed an interesting dilemma today. We all want so many answers to life’s questions, but we seldom seek the answers in philosophy, certainly not ancient Stoicism at least. We are more prone to the quick fix of self-help books. Perhaps a post might grow from this. . .who knows.

The Boston Globe has a really good article on the mind of the anonymous commenter online. The hard core make up about 1% of all online users.  Should people be required to use their names? What is happening as a result of the anonymity generally allowed? Are comments even a good thing at all? Read on and see.

In case you didn’t know, Blisterina does some outstanding photography, usually in black and white which I just love. Please visit.

Religious Dispatches has a good piece on the Tea Party and how it attempts to re-write history. Now we are to understand that racism really played no part in slavery. No, it was a conspiracy is all. Do read on. Providing “proof” that racists don’t have to feel guilty about their racism. Takes the cake doesn’t it?

It appears we may have been walking longer than we thought. Kin of Lucy the most famous of our ancestors, is older than she apparently. Lucy’s ancestor is called “big man” because he was between 5 and 5’6″  compared to Lucy who was a mere 3’6″ tall. As you would expect, not all agree, and that’s the fun of science isn’t it?

We hear about it more and more. It seems to be the new “in” thing to suffer from. I’m talking about hoarding. I think there is even a TV show that features interventions. Anyway, I don’t get people like this, but I find it all quite fascinating as well. There is a book out about it, and it is featured  at Huff Po. In our consumer obsessed lives, I can only guess it is on the rise.  It’s a sad and complex disease. The book looks interesting for sure.

Will or will not President Obama fire Gen. Stanley McChrystal? Most think he will, but David Quigg has a very different take, and one that is worth thinking about. Obama is smarter than the average President  after all.

And dat oughta keep you outa trouble today.

Short Takes on the Day 11/28/08

Tags

Barack Obama, Bill O'Reilly, cake, dessert, economy, liberal/conservative, Media, oratory, poverty, racism, Sarah Palin, voting

Brachychampsa Montana (early alligator)

Well, hope everyone is fat as a tick and lazing the day away. None of that silly racing to stores in the middle of the night for me! I don’t do crowds and we don’t buy much of anything, so we are saved from the frantic rush to purchase what we don’t need at those bargain basement prices. How cheap is free? That’s about my speed!

Rogueclassicism has a really interesting article reprint on Obama and his oratorical skills. Matched against those of history, many liken him to another Cicero. The article does a fine job of explaining the imagery and symbolism present in the President elects speeches. It makes for some thoughtful reading, and after all, today should be a thoughtful day don’t you think?

I may not be very newsy today, but I sure found another thoughtful article! It seems a thoughtful day as I said. This one from Emptywheel. It explores Obama and his rise to fame, following the feet of many other black men. Race in a positive way it suggests. A worthwhile look at how Obama came to be where he is today.

There is a fair amount of rhetoric these days about the present state of America. Are we center? Are we center right? Are we now center left? Ezra Klein has a nice piece that goes through the definitions and gives us some idea. The Contrarian on the other hand, says the argument is meaningless, since however the country votes is automatically the Center, period. He may well be right, but still, Klein’s analysis is worth your time.

Digby at Hullaballo has of all things a recipe that caught my eye. Decidedly a Turkey day offering, it can sure be used for Christmas or during the winter. It’s a Buttermilk Pumpkin Cake, and I’m definitely trying it. Take a look and copy it out for yourself!

You really have to laugh at the likes of Michelle Malkin of NRO. Still unspeakably spittin’ mad about losing the election, she pouts that her kind don’t beg for help when times get tough. They are like her imaginary friend “Jan,” who hunkered down and opt out of the economy by going “beyond the sidewalks.” For those of you unfamiliar with the term, that’s the folks who, go rogue, live the rural life and basically try to do it off the grid. Now does the ever stupid Malkin ever stop to think what that might do to her blessed free market economy, if nobody was a travelin’ to the market? A not so subtle slam at the poor done in the usual poor taste of Ms. Malkin. Don’t enjoy this, but realize that this is the mean spirited world of the right!

A bit of a giggle over at Politico. Seems there is a new bio on Rupert Murdoch coming out and it has lots of unfavorables about the blowhard Billy O’Reilly. It seems most at Foxy NoNews can’t stand him, but of course money talks louder. Further, Murdoch allegedly picked up the Wall Street Journal in an attempt to balance his place in history. Not wanting to be known only for that rag Fox Noise. It’s amusing! Oh and the comments are especially delicious!

And you thought Turkeygate must be over by now! You would be wrong, and if you want the latest on the international crisis you best drop by Ragebot and read. It will tickle and delight you, I promise!

It’s a slow day, people are still recuperating from the food fest of yesterday it appears. Enjoy.

Trapping the Lint of My Mind

Tags

dressing, Recipes, Thanksgiving menu, turkey

Things are getting busy everywhere now. The time of the year of course may have something to do with it. Planning for a ridiculous meal that will take all of 20 minutes to consume. It never ceases to shock me, after putting in hours of work designing and cooking it.

Adding to this is my continued involvement at Christ Church. My meeting was moved to Friday at the last minute. I’ve had contact as well with the Adult Ed program that runs four years. I think they are waving me off until next fall, with but at least I’ll get the summer reading program underway sometime. It’s still unclear to me, and they said they would get back with me. As well, the jail ministry won’t commence until spring, mostly because the jail won’t be ready for occupancy again until then. This due to the floods.

Add to this the Contrarian has got three appointments for various consults at the VA and more to come. Most is just the usual, a new colonoscopy is due, and an MRI. He has balance problems but this is something that has gone on for years and they are thinking perhaps a pinched nerve. It is something he has learned to live with, but treatment would be a blessing. No major concerns on our part at all, just the misery of driving to Iowa City and sitting in waiting rooms. You cannot know how much the Contrarian hates this. “Might as well just rent a room down there and stay for two months,” he carps.

So, with all that, I’m sure I’ll be missing some postings along the way. But I trust that most everyone else is just as busy. I was grousing last night about what to do for dinner today, when his Majesty, the Contrarian whimpered with the appropriate tear in the corner of his eye, “Perhaps chicken potpie?” he whispered. I looked with disdain,

“Do you have a clue how much work that is? I mean we have the chicken, but cutting up veggies, making a gravy, and then making a biscuit crust to bake on top? Do you know how much time that takes?” “But it would be so good,” he retorted, his soft blue/grey eyes begged silently. “We shall see,” I replied, unmoved by his puppy dog eyes. (So you can guess what I did this morning after cleaning the kitchen and laundry room!”

I wanted to show off my FIRST scarf that I knitted. It shall take me forever to make them of course, and certainly, I won’t have more than a couple for the upcoming winter, but I think it turned out nicely enough.

I did it in a simple k5, p5 for five and alternate. It looks to be plenty warm and I hope someone enjoys it. I’m making another but for myself. I bought a “new” coat at the Goodwill, my favorite place to shop, and I had nothing that would match it, so I am making a scarf and hat to go with it. Hopefully it will be finished before the winter takes hold!

Now I thought I would lay out the menu for Thankgiving. It’s a huge meal for us, but we eat it for three days with relish and then I freeze up the remaining turkey and dressing if any is left. I’ll give some of the recipes should anyone be interested.

Menu

• Turkey
• Dressing
• Mashed potatoes/gravy
• Winter squash
• Caramelized onions
• Cranberry sauce
• rolls
• relish tray
• Parmesan Creamed corn
• pumpkin pie
• german chocolate cake
• wine

Turkey

By all means brine your turkey. It makes so much difference you will never not do it that way again. The brine consists of:

• 1 1/2 C salt
• 6 bay leaves
• 2 TBSP whole coriander
• 1 TBSP juniper berries
• 2 TBSP who peppercorns
• 1 TBSP fennel
• 1 TSP mustard seeds
• 1 Bottle white wine
• 2 medium onions
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• Enough water to cover the bird.

Place all in a bucket, lined with plastic bag, secure, and keep in a very cold place, outside if possible or in an unheated garage, for 24 hours. Drain, pat dry and prepare as usual. I’m told the brining reduces the cooking time by about 20%. If you have no cold place, put all in a cooler filled with ice bags. It is also better to dissolve the salt in part of the water heated until dissolved. Add the spices and herbs to this and allow to cool a bit before proceeding to the bird.

Stuffing

I got this last year from GMA from their dressing contest. I have no idea whether this one won, but it was one of the 4 finalists, so I tried it, and we loved it past adoration. We scarfed it unabashedly as if we were stealing. It is sinfully caloric and fattening, but so good it will become your favorite. I am just giving the ingredients, you know they all get added together. Bake at 375 for 45 min or so. depending on what else is in your oven at the time.

• 1 1/2 lbs. Italian sausage, decased and cooked
• 1 large onion, sauted
• 7 ribs celery, sauted6
• 4 cloves garlic, sauted
• 6 oz bacon, ham or panchetta cooked and crumbled
• Add to:
• 6 C. bread, staled and cubed
• 3 C cornbread, crumbled – make ahead a day or so
• 1/2 C butter, cubed
• 1 TBSP sage
• 1 1/2 TBSP poultry seasoning
• 1 TSP salt
• 2 C mozzarella cheese, cubed
• 1 C Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 C pinenuts
• 4-5 cups chicken broth.

Mashed Potatoes

Nothing special here, but I am adding some rutabaga and parsnips I think to the potatoes to enliven the taste a bit

Gravy

I’ll use the neck and gizzard, heart and liver which I will cook in some chicken stock and then remove the meat from the neckbones. I’ll add minced onion, garlic, mushrooms and saute them. Salt, pepper, a bit of worcheshire sauce, and then butter/flour and the chicken stock and heat until boiling and thickened. Add a bit of cream if desired.

Winter Squash

I always bake this a day ahead, remove from the skin, add butter, salt, pepper, some maple syrup and mix together. On the day of eating, I’ll add pecans to the top and bake covered until warmed through. Also can be microwaved if space is hard to find in the oven.

Caramelized Onions

Nothing tricky here. Just simmer your onions a bit, cut off the root ends and slip the skins off to a clean new surface. Drain nicely, add to a pan with butter and just saute forever until they are nicely browned all over. Slow is the key, don’t turn them too high or they will burn. Make the day before and then you can just heat them before eating.

Cranberry sauce

Prepare according to package directions. I then section an orange, and add it, and some of the juice to the cooled cranberry sauce. Just before the meal, add chopped walnuts or pecans. I think I may add a bit of raisin this year and see how that tastes. I’m also adding some minced fresh ginger as well.

Creamed corn with Parmesan

This is simply corn, sauted with salt and pepper, some cream, a bit of chicken stock and Parmesan cheese. All done on the stove. The recipe calls for 6 cups of corn to serve 4. If you use that much, use 3/4 C of the cream, and 1/4 C of the stock, with 1 C Parmesan. I plan to cut this down to closer to half. (Martha Stewart Living recipe)

Pumpkin Pie

Directly out of the Joy of Cooking , the bible of American cooking

German Chocolate Cake

Right off the back of the package of the German chocolate

Well, that’s about it. We don’t go to nearly this trouble for Christmas, but we really enjoy this meal a lot. The only thing different this year is the corn recipe.

I do as much of the stuff ahead as I can. I’ll start on Tuesday and do the bulk of the cooking on Wednesday. Thursday will be for roasting the turkey, potatoes, and gravy mostly.

Have a blessed day everyone, and stay warm!

Short Takes on the Day 11/06/08

Tags

appetizers, Archaeology, cake, chocolate, Desserts, Election 2008, fundamentalism, gay rights, gender, GOP, History, McCain, Pork, Presidency, psychology, race, religion, voting

Well, I’ve been saving a few articles I have run across during my convalescence. As we alluded to last week, the post election press is full of the usual Obama transition elements, but much more fun is the crazy world of Republican politics. The fur is beginning to fly as predicted between Sarah and the McCain campaign operatives. As well, we find the beginnings of the super fight brewing between the moderate wing of the GOP and the reactionary wingnut right. Months of fun are to follow!

Religious Dispatches reports that the much touted and predicted death of the Religious Right is highly exaggerated. In fact, what we will witness seems to be a fight among them for control of the movement. The more moderate faction will attempt to work with the Obama administration, the more wingnuttery will vie for control and try to direct the GOP in an even more conservative mode. Read their analysis.

I am always fascinated with any article that purports to dissect people from a psychological point of view. This article from The Daily Beast suggests that at least subconsciously, McCain deliberately made decisions that would guarantee his defeat. This was not conscious but was subconsciously his way of destroying the people who had destroyed his campaign in 2000. I don’t know if its correct, but I very much have always assumed that much that drove Dubya was tied to his need to prove himself to daddy. I think McCain has issues that stem from his successful father and grandfather and his relative failure as a Navy man. Additionally I think his POW time has a huge impact on him psychologically that was dangerous in it’s possibilities. Read this article and make up your own mind.

Another great post at Religious Dispatches about what role race, gender and religion played in this election. I found the analysis quite thorough and if this subject interests you, I’m sure you will find something worthwhile in the reading.

As we welcome a new president in, Britannica Blog has a fun little post on other presidents and some of the quirky things they said and did. Did you know for instance that John Adams swam nude regularly in the Potomac? See? Now go get that perfect water cooler tidbit that you so desire to dazzle your coworkers with. Also good for the kids to use in that next book report! LOL.

History News Network probes the issue of race and it’s impact on the election. Their review of polling information provides some important conclusions that we should all reflect upon. Most important the so-called “Bradley” effect seems to have been debunked as erroneous.

As someone who is more often critical of the Vatican than otherwise, I am pleased to report that Vatican officials are returning the head of a sculpture to Greece for inclusion in it’s proper place in the Parthenon. The head will be on loan for a year, and may be renewed. As some may be aware, the topic of antiquity pieces being returned to their lawful owners is hot news around the archaeology world. Reportedly, the Vatican possesses at least two other pieces of the Parthenon which may also be turned over to Greece. In any event, it’s a fascinating subject. Visit Rogueclassicism for the details.

Oh chocolate sets my heart a singing as you well know. Baking Delights has a lovely chocolate lava cake to offer you palate. I tried one recipe for these which failed rather badly, so I’m interested to try it again when my back allows a little more time in the kitchen. Enjoy.

Since the holidays are now close upon us, I thought I would include this rather interesting recipe for empanadas which are a popular finger food in Spain and Portugal. These are pork curried empanadas and they just sounded great. If you are having a party and want something really elegant but not too hard to make, you might want to take a look. Simply Recipes also suggests that you can vary the filling and spices of course.

Okay, some of us deal with snow during the winter. And those of us who have been raised in that hellish environment know snow, you know what I mean? Well the Angry African sends us a hysterical piece on a novice and snow. He happily waves at the snow plow who covered up all his clean sidewalk and troops out to start shoveling again. You can imagine how long his love affair with snow lasted! Enjoy this piece, but be prepared to laugh a lot, or cry, if it sounds all too familiar. I was nearly screaming with laughter, and pain as my back started spasming from my guffaws! Stop this!

Although we scored a huge victory in Barack Obama’s presidency, we faired badly in California with Prop 8, the ban on gay marriage. I am sickened as are many by this development, one we thought was not possible only a few short weeks ago. But all is still not lost. Read AlterNet‘s report on the what the lawyers say about the legality of the new ban.

Well, enough for today. Enjoy the reads, I’ve already found some for tomorrow that will wow your socks off! LOL.

Short Takes on the Day 10/30/08

Tags

astronomy, autumn, Barack Obama, cake, Crafts, dessert, economy, Election 2008, evolution, feminism, fruit, GOP, Neo-cons, paleontology, Sarah Palin, socialism, voters

The Obama campaign has been astounding in its breath. By that I mean, it’s desire to redraw the lines in America, and draw from groups long thought to be in the Republican column, never to budge. This is not so, as a report from AlterNet suggests today. In fact, Evangelicals, rurals, and Jewish voters are breaking for Obama this year in numbers that have made red states start to look more blue. This may indeed forecast a total restructuring and realignment of the parties, leaving the Republicans will little more than the deep South and the far West. Read this fascinating article that talks about the changing landscape in America. This may have a huge impact on the ability of Obama to govern from a position of extraordinary strength across the country.

We’ve been talking a bit about the economy and what makes a successful country, one that makes it citizens happy and prosperous. Slip by DistributorCap NY today and read an excellent post on the social fabric of our country versus that of others, and how we far on the success index.

If you are a Garrison Keillor fan, then your fix is right here. As might be obvious, the issue is the election, and Mr. Keillor true to form, pulls no punches with his smart sparkling talk. Enjoy.

Digby over at Hullabaloo has a nice report on feminism and Sarah Palin. Of course you haven’t missed, I’m sure, the new/old tack being used to defend Sarah. She’s just the victim of a misogynistic media after all. Nobody else would be treated this way. She’s a feminist so she says, or doesn’t. Role model and all that jazz right? Read the article and decide.

It will soon be Thanksgiving and you know that is the time to be thankful for all our blessings, both real and surmised. In These Times takes a break and thanks all those wonderful folks who have lead us to this point in time, when (hold your breath and cross your fingers) we are about to elect Barack Obama to be president of the US of A, and return this land to the column of sanity. The list is predictable, but it’s nice to reminisce about the “bad old days.” Wouldn’t you like to personally thank some of these bozos yourself? I sure would.

And if you want pure unadulterated fun, don’t miss Maureen Dowd’s column today. It is a blame hoot, a screen play entitled “And the Maverick wears Prada.” Don’t miss it if you need a laugh. This is one of the more telling events of the campaign season. When your running mate becomes the fodder for serious journalists’ foray into dramatic writing, you know you are in deep doo-doo.

Only five more days to go! Keep up the good work everyone, vote and never stop campaigning until the very end. We are almost there!

A nice fall dessert recipe from Simply Recipes. It’s called, Mrs. Paxton’s Raw Apple Cake. Be sure to look at the comments, since there are alternations that people tried and they worked out, so enjoy.

Uncommon Artistic Endeavors has a neat project for making candle holders from corn husks. She bought her husks at Walmart, but us farm folks find that slightly laughable since husks are strewn everywhere from the wind. Take a look and make a cute cheap decoration for the fall and Thanksgiving. Plenty of pics to help you see how to construct them.

If you spend time every day wondering how planets form, then Live Science has some new information for you. The study of old meteorites help scientists flesh out the actions of all that primordial soup that ended up in our solar system. Knowing where we came from is about the only way to know where you are, so dutifully trot over there and find out this stuff!

A significant fossil discovery has been made in Utah. Utahnians must be thrilled to say the least. The rocks there show evidence of the earliest Jurassic flora known in the western US. This takes us back 200 million years folks, when I at least was still unborn. No doubt the news is very exciting all over the state, where hoards of brainiacs and other nerdish types have descended with pens and pen protectors in tow. (I made that last part up). But hey, presumably, local business does an up tick when all those science types show up!

Short Takes on the Day 10/17/08

Tags

abortion, cheesecake, Constitution, Election 2008, elections, John McCain, lobbyists, racism, Recipes, Reproductive Rights, succession, voting, women's issue

Distributor Cap NY  has a nice little piece that describes how the election would be determined given a death of a candidate at different points in the process. It’s worth your while to read this. The information is well worth knowing and understanding.

Brilliant at Breakfast  has a great critique of McCain’s blowing off of women with his air quote of “women’s health” as if it were not a legitimate concern in the arena of abortions. Nice of the old man to write off such a huge chunk of women voters in one fell swoop. He is incredibly senile it seems these days.

Oh it’s starting already. The name calling, the backbiting, and the finger pointing. Bill Kristol and McCain’s campaign team are trading insults. Kristol of course has told McCain to fire the lot of them, the team returns the favor by grousing that Kristol is the one who saddled them with Sarah Palin. It seems we don’t have to wait post election for the inside dirt to begin to fly. Anybody got a poo repellent suit? I think you might need one before walking into the Republican morass. Weeeeeeee. Welcome to our newest political blog, EmptyWheel.

Garrison Keillor reminds us of the momentous thing that we will be doing on November 4. Just maybe, electing the Most  qualified individual and doing so while not paying any attention to ethnicity. It’s really a big thing when you really think about it isn’t it. Keillor of course says it so very much better than I ever could. Go and enjoy the treat.

We flipped around the stations following the debate the other night, and were watching CNN at the time that the huge panel was arguing back and forth about McCain’s performance. On balance they thought McCain did quite well, so of course that all fell by the wayside when the polling data arrived and voters rejected McCain but again. Gergen’s response o A. Cooper’s question of where does McCain go from there was “Beat’s the hell out of me.” This was followed by much laughter. Seriously Gergen continued that McCain should spend the remaining time trying to shore up the down ticket where he could and try to change the tone of his campaign to salvage as much of his dignity as possible. Of course McCain will do no such thing. HIs vicious anger will force him to try to scorch the earth in departing.

McCain has of course groused about the K Street gang and how they have to be cleaned up. Of course McCain himself, being heads and shoulders among the rest of us in integrity, self-control and other related virtues, can use these lobbyists with impunity and not become beholden to them in any way. Seems his Verizon connections have been kind to him. Not only do they run his miserable campaign, but they seem to have erected towers on his property free of charge. The McCains need to be able to communicate you know, with Joe Plumber and Sarah Moose, and Joe Sixpack. It’s My Right to be Left of Center  has the story for you, via the Huffington Post.

I baked a apple pie this morning. I like pies, cream pies more than fruit ones. Liberality, ever the smart sassy political blogger was kind enough to post her favorite recipe for cheesecake. Nobody doesn’t like cheesecake, and this one looks really good. So slip over, and copy furiously and then make it, and then eat it. Please follow the order as given. It doesn’t work well otherwise.