Of Ink and Quills and Parchment

Tags

2nd Amendment, Jack Kerouac, Muslims, Qur'an, right wing bigotry, Rosh Hashanah, Sharron Angle, Soame Jenyns, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Writers, writing, Yom Kippur

One of the joys of living, it seems to me, is the ever-present ability to re-invent oneself. So, a few months ago, I declared, amid no fanfare whatsoever, that I deemed myself a writer.

I’m not sure there is some formal standard that one must meet in order to claim this appellation. If there is, I may not meet it. But then I don’t care. It is my claim, and anyone is free to disagree.

Note that I call myself a writer, not a Writer. I reserve the capital W for those who can REALLY write. I scribble, with an occasional dash of brilliance that streaks across the sky and too soon snuffs out much as your average meteorite. A big ado about little–this is me.

I have concluded that being a self-proclaimed writer gives me a certain ability to be witty and slashingly evil. All in the name of sharp-edgy rhetoric, the turn of a phrase that causes a gasp from you my reader. You do gasp on occasion don’t you? Please say you do.

It’s why I adore people like Dorothy Parker and Lillian Hellman, and goodness knows one of my favorites Truman Capote. And Tennessee Williams! Rapier wit, icy, droll, slicing, eviscerations. I just love them all.

I read this piece today courtesy of 3quarksdaily and frankly the article on a very old book on the study of evil is worth reading, but I include it for its gorgeous quotes. One is by Capote, who in reviewing Jack Kerouac‘s On the Road, quipped:

That was not writing, that was typing.

There is another by the reviewer of Soame Jenyns book, A Free Inquiry in the Nature and Origin of Evil. But follow the link for that. As I said, a discussion of the author’s theory of evil is worth the read in and of itself. Evil here is cast in the greater sense of natural as well as man-made, and Jenyn’s concludes that evil is required to keep balance in a well run universe. I would of course not agree, but that’s a whole other blog post.

Oh just want to throw in my two cents at the GOP attempt to “speak against the nut case pastor in Florida.” Both Sarah and John B. have weighed in and both, as I have heard are tying the impropriety of the Qur’an burning to the impropriety of Park51. Like there is anything remotely similar in the two. Just exactly what is to be expected from moral defectives. Shame on ya both.

Helen weighs in on the book burning over at Margaret and Helen. Never miss these lovely slices of humor and straight talk. Ever. I mean it.

I got to thinking. (You have been warned.) We were watching The Colony last night. It is a reality show where about ten people are thrown into an area somewhere along the Louisiana coastline, as “refugees” of a viral global epidemic. Nine-tenths of the human race is dead. They are left to their own devices. It’s fairly interesting as they scavenge material and food, trying to build a viable community.

They are not doing well with food, and they are starting to show the effects. I suddenly giggled at the possible headline:

 Reality show participants forget that it’s just pretend, and by lots kill a member for food. Body found partly dismembered. One survivor was heard to  say, why “he tasted just like pork, better than the cockroaches we were eating for sure.”  All have been hospitalized and are under observation. Psychiatrists condemn show producers for not making the make-believe aspect more clear. Meanwhile, the partially eaten body of James Kelly was turned over to the family for burial. A closed casket is expected. Authorities are investigating for possible criminal charges. The leader of the survival group, when advised that it was all just make-believe, expressed his sympathy, and emphatically said, that no such killing would have occurred had they not been so hungry, or had they known that a Burger King was right down the street, behind the fence.

Well, so sue me. I have a morbid mind at times.

On a completely different note:

I ran into this at Tikkun Daily Blog: Non-Jews would benefit from observing Rosh Hashanah thru Yom Kippur (Sept 9-Sept 19). I think Rabbi Lerner is right. Repentance and atonement are things we all need, both individually and communally. We are so quick to blame others for the chaotic world we live in. We don’t condone nor commit the hate that swirls around us, but we are complicit when we sit in silence bemoaning the state of things. When we don’t speak out, and let it be known that we disagree with the war mongers and hate mongers who continually tear down bridges and erect walls of division. This is a good read.

Heather at Crooks and Liars has an important question, or at least reiterates one: when has someone crossed a line? When is the GOP rhetoric just too much. When is it dangerous? When it is traitorous? When do we pull back in disgust and turn our backs on such people as simply unacceptable in a democratic state? Rachel Maddow asks this of Sharron Angle and her continuing threat that people may have to resort to their second amendment rights to get what they want. Is this the real face of the GOP? Are they the party of dictatorship?

What’s on the stove: pork chops and parslied potatoes and green beans.

History Will Not Be Kind

Tags

GOP, Ground Zero, hatred, History, Muslims, Newt Gingrich, Obama, racism, religious intolerance, religious right, right wingnuts, Sarah Palin, teabaggers

Hatred and bigotry have had an illustrious career in America. It  did not originate here of course, earliest man soon found an angry god to blame for snow storms and drought.

But American has certainly refined the concept better than most places in the world, if only because we have been oh so willing to transfer our aggressive fears and hatreds to so many different groups.

Religious hatred is not new. In fact, it prompted today’s religious right’s most reviled amendment–the first, which mandates a clear non-involvement of government with religious practices. At it’s inception the new United States of America was a collection of states each, for the most part, with their laws and practices that excluded (and often road out of town and sometimes executed) such groups as Catholics, Jews, Quakers, and Anabaptists.

What those who champion “our Christian origins”  forget, is that the Pilgrims didn’t come to these shores to establish a community of religious tolerance, but rather to establish a  practice of their version of Christianity without interference from other “papist” types.

We soon moved on from religion however, and took up the banner of “non-humanity.” By that I mean, peoples who were not white anglophiles were soon relegated to non-human status. This included native peoples, and then Africans, but came to include Italians, Irish, Chinese, and Eastern Europeans, and Latinos from anywhere. 

All of these groups, to one degree or another, found the going tough in America where they were shunned, segregated, consigned to the lowest jobs and least pay. White American strutted as superior in every way. (Certainly we were not alone in this. Britain and much of Western Europe also played this game.)

Class, in America at least, has been down played, but there is little doubt that the upper echelons of our society have felt “entitled” to their privilege largely due to their superior breeding and determination. Ask any nouveau-rich just how long it takes to break into the blue blood of our major eastern cities. (Boston would be a key case in point.) No, it has been largely the working and working poor who continually have declared that we are a country of equality of opportunity.

So, I am not surprised nor shocked at the ugly and vicious attacks upon  the Muslim community in this country. The rabble have been assured that it is always okay to blame someone other than themselves for their perceived woes.

Yet, the rhetoric coming from our so-called educated leadership is most troubling. Words and arguments drip from their jaws that one would have thought more likely to be from the minds of the KKK and other white-rights militia groups. We are used to that kind of ugliness and we have learned to turn a deaf ear as the best defense. Shun and ignore has been our winning motto.

Today, however, we find those whom we would not expect saying simply awful things. People like Newt Gingrich spew hatred with abandon against Muslims. Ditto Sarah (that woman is an idiot) Palin, though she can be forgiven to a degree since she is so ill-educated in public affairs.

But, and here is the irony, these are the same folks who rant and rail day in and day out that Obama and company are “destroying our freedoms.” One of those freedoms, they declare  that is on the brink of destruction, is their ability to practice their religion.

Clearly, they do not offer this right to others. In reality they are really saying that Obama is not George Bush, who at least mouthed his preference for Christian rights as the best. Obama, following the Constitution, refuses to support efforts to raise Christianity above other faiths, and in fact has made it most clear in his remarks about the Islamic Center proposed in NYC, that government has no business voicing any “advice” about where a religious building is erected.

And that is perhaps the key point to be realized here. The extreme religious right, and it’s congressional and pundit minions, are not really about our freedoms at all. They are about instituting a “Christian” government in the US as they define it. They are about shredding the US Constitution whenever it becomes necessary to accomplish that goal. They are about revising history to “prove” their point of view.

People like Gingrich and Palin, have no real intent to alter the the Constitution, I suspect. They have a strong intention to use the mob mentality of the religious right and all the  tea bagger unfocused anger to gain power for themselves. That in some sense is all the more egregious. As one of Gingrich’s ex-wives noted in a link we gave you last week, Newt gave up on principles when he decided he wanted fame and fortune and power more.

Palin, of course, is a study in opportunistic ranting. She neither knows nor cares about truth. She plays to anger and fear and desperation. She creates it when necessary, all in her pursuit to “be somebody.” We have John Sidney McCain to thank for that one.

The Becks, Limbaughs, Hannitys, they are just pure feeders upon the human flesh. They are the vultures and hyenas, fangs dripping with our blood, returning to their lairs with bloated stomachs, laughing and reeking of their own evil.

I can but smile when I think, that history will not be kind. Gingrich, Kyl, Palin, King (Peter and Steven), Bachmann, McCain, Graham, DeMint, (oh the list is interminable indeed),  will be remembered for a very long time. But not as great states-persons. No not a one. But they will be remembered.

Wallace blocking school desegregation

They will be remembered.

McCarthy & House UnAmerican Activities Hearings

They will be remembered.

Sneakin’ A Peek at ALIENS!!!

Tags

African American, conspiracy theories, Elena Kagan, GOP, immigration, Left, Nazism, Politics, poverty issues, SCOTUS, socialism, South Carolina, voters

At great peril to moi, I have put my sanity on the line for you.

I mean, day in and day out, I link you up to bewitching sites that offer up all manner of intellectual tidbits and naughty amusements to keep you in the know.

But, there are days, when little strikes my professional palate and I, horror of horrors, have nary a thoughtful philosophical insight to prod you with.

What to do? Well, I determined that it was time to return you, kicking and screaming if I must, to the real world. This ladies and gents is why we continue the good fight. For the enemy is all around. It nips at our heels and smacks its lips in anticipation of destroying our right to freedom.

Yikes, that sounded a bit teabaggerish did it not?

But frankly, although they claim freedom as their aim, in reality they would have us adhere to a set of principles defined by them as “Judeo-Christian” in origin. I say origin, since they have interpreted it in their own selfish fashion to support what makes them comfortable in their homophobic, work ethicy, racist, bigoted symbolistic way. And just in case you weren’t aware, the use of Judeo is only offered as lip service since we all know the only good Jew is one who is trying hard to bring about that Armageddony thingie by which the Christian Kingdom of God will descend.

So, with no little trepidation and packing on of extra undies (Depends, I need Depends!), I have with military precision entered into the realm of the nuttier than a fruitcake and retrieved a few symbols of their insanity. All so, you will be renewed in your vigilance, and ever ready to defend our way of life.

Victor David Hansen lambastes the Obama administration for its failures to uphold the law on immigration and swears we are on the verge of civil insurrection.

Other states and even cities are now marching in lockstep to boycott Arizona. Meanwhile, the president of Mexico recently blasted Arizonans from the White House Rose Garden, no less, apparently counting on the president of the United States to go along with this demonization of one of his own states. All this is eerie; it has a whiff of the climate of the late 1850s, when the federal government was in perpetual conflict with the states, which in turn were in conflict with one another, and which often appealed to foreign nations for support.

Jonah Goldberg informs us that it’s just our imagination that the poor are suffering more today than before. Why HDTV’s and IPods and all that junk are coming down fast! The only real areas where costs are going up?

So, what has gotten more expensive? According to St. Lawrence University economist Steven Horwitz, there are only four areas that have become more expensive over the last century as measured in their “labor price”: housing, cars, higher education, and medical care. With the arguable exception of a college degree, all are marked with wildly improved quality. And the main reason for rising medical and college costs (and to a lesser degree housing costs) is that the government has distorted the market by “helping.”

Abigail Thernstrom is all agog over the fact that South Carolina recutelicans nominated a BLACK man to run in the November elections for Congress. See, she says, we are so reformed her, not a bit of racism in us! But then she said this:

The site [the candidates] also contains a video of Scott talking to voters. Not a trace of a southern accent — in sharp contrast to the state’s GOP gubernatorial candidate, Nikki Haley. Indeed, just listening to him, not knowing his color, one might think he was a northern white. His race- and region-neutral voice will likely be an asset should he seek higher office in the future.

Thomas Sowell tells us that democracy is being destroyed apparently because Obama is reaching out to Americans who have often not participated in the political process. They are dangerous says Sowell:

When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics. Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler’s rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions.

Pete Winn reports that over 800 Orthodox Rabbis say Elena Kagan is “Not kosher” and thus not fit to sit on any court.

. . . that she will function as a flame-throwing radical, hastening society’s already steep decline into Sodom and Gomorrah,” the rabbis said in the statement. [. . .]We’re waiting for the more courageous, decent senators – whether it’s a (Sen.) Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) or a (Sen.) Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) or a (Sen.) Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) – we’re looking for them to stand up and filibuster this embarrassing endangerment of a nomination,” Levin said.

And WND tells us what the sneaky left has really been up to!

Indeed, today in the age of Obama, millions of Americans are “waking up” to the stealth infiltration and subversion of their beloved country and are appalled at what they see: Not only is their government in the hands of the left, but virtually all of our nation’s major institutions – from the public education system to our colleges and universities, from the news media to the entertainment industry, from the unions to our major philanthropic foundations, even many of our churches – have also been captivated by this same destructive ideology.

Phew, I but scratched the surface and I think I’m contaminated, so I got hose off now with plenty of vinegar and baking soda. My eyes burn and I’m feeling queasy. I am hoping that a strong dose of Rachel Maddow or Keith will revive me. But if you see a VOTE REPUBLICAN sign at my drive, well, you know I’ve paid the ultimate price. Be kind. Kill me quick!

Each has a Story to Tell

Tags

History, Holocaust, Irena Sendler, Jesus, storytelling

I was running through some blogs this morning, reading some, skipping along others when I came to “. . .other dreams” the fine blog written by dguzman. I’d advise you take a look today, for she’s written a lovely piece about a Holocaust survivor. And  in doing so, she reminded me, at least, that today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Some of you might have watched the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie the other night, “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler.”  It, like “Schindler’s List” before it, documented the real life hero, Irena Sendler,  a Christian Pole, who became dedicated to saving the children of the Warsaw Ghetto from the Nazi killing machine.

Ms. Sendler, managed at great risk to herself, to save 2,500 children from death in the extermination camps. She literally smuggled them out and turned them over to Polish families willing to take them in and protect them.

She was saved from execution herself and went on to live to I believe 98, before he death a few years ago.

Of equal amazement is the fact that her story comes to us via a group of Kansas high school students who uncovered this unknown story and ultimately wrote a play called “Life in a Jar.” It was called that because Irena kept the names and family names of all her children in jars, along with their Polish “parents”  hoping against hope that after the war they could be re-united with family again.

Dguzmen, in relating the story of one woman’s survival in the camps, marvels at the strength of the human spirit, and the movie about Irena Sendler does much the same. Indeed, we have all had occasion to be awed by the power of the fight to survive that we witness over and over again during all kinds of disasters of life. Dguzman wonders at this, as we all do, when as she says, it would have been so much easier to do something to enrage her captors and be executed and end her misery.

It caused a somewhat different reaction for me, I must say. While I too marvel at the resiliency of the human spirit, faced with pain and great agony, and how we trudge through it somehow and someway, I was struck by how these stories surface in the first place.

I recall reading where someone once asked Mother Theresa how she managed doing what she did, amid the misery and utter horror of Calcutta and those she ministered to. She said something to the effect, that in looking at each, “she saw the face of Jesus,” thus implying, that really she could not not help.

Perhaps one of the most powerful statements in all of sacred writing is that of Matthew 25:31-44. Jesus teaches that as we care for the least of mankind, be they prisoners, sick, hungry, strangers, we care for Him. This is what Mother Theresa imaged so clearly among the hopeless of Calcutta.

Yet, sadly we all to often fail to image Christ in the faces of those we meet, as did  Theresa and Irena and Oskar Schindler. Indeed as all those we revere as truly expressing empathy and Christian brotherhood. Somehow we can separate out people  as “other” all too often. I think we listen to them, observe them, and conclude that Jesus cannot reside in them. Thus we are able to justify subconsciously our turning away in anger, hatred, or merely cold indifference.

If you think as I, that Jesus or the God spirit, lives within all, then you really can’t use that paltry excuse it seems. So I search for a better way to remind myself to take care with God when I run up against the “difficult” person.

This is what triggered a thought when I read dguzman’s lovely post. The story, the story, the story. We are all of us filled with story. Each of us has tragedy and joy to relate, overcoming of odds, falling just short, foibles and triumphs, embarrassments and hidden gems of wisdom and truth to offer.

Sure the Jacques Cousteau’s of the world have obvious stories of adventure and tales of daring to delight us. And the Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s have their stories of great sacrifice and strength as well. But aunt Susie’s long struggle with raising an autistic son in the 50’s and current battle with arthritis are also compelling.

Moreover, aunt Susie is more like us, normal, not special, not destined to be known worldwide. We can relate to her struggles and we can  though that hearing,  learn to bear our own a bit better. The Mother Theresa’s and such of the world are too high for us to grasp and relate to our own lives.

So when you meet that person who just drives you crazy, who is stubborn and won’t agree that the sun rises in the East, don’ t go off in a huff. Maybe you truly can’t interact with this person effectively, but you can still judge them gently, wondering what an amazing story they must have to tell that turned them into the irascible person you’ve determined them to be.

Maybe it’s not exactly like seeing the face of Jesus in such a one, but maybe its a start. And trying, each and every day, to be just a little bit more understanding, forgiving, and gentle, is a lot like seeing Jesus in every face.

Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 8/1/08

Tags

Barack Obama, Bush, cookies, crafting, Election 2008, energy, Iowa, Iraq, Israel, John McCain, Literature, lobbyists, Media, oil interests, War, Women's history

Whether from concerns about the environment, or simply the need to cut back on expenses, or perhaps for some singular mendacity, lots of folks are crafting. It’s become “IN” and in some cases haute couture. Martha of course has been trying to convince us for years. Alternet has the story and a link to a site that has exploded called Craftster.org.  There are tons of new books out there touting the DIY method of acquiring unique and useful items at way below store cost. Check out the link and don’t miss the link to Craftster. I’ll add it to my sidebar.

I made some Cherry Garcia Ice cream the other day. It turned out wonderfully, but  the taste was not quite there. I used frozen sweet cherries, but I found the taste lacking. I guess fresh cherries? Anyhoo, I thought this recipe from Baking Delights sounded good and she said you can use dried cherries which I usually keep on hand for muffins and bread puddings. It’s Cherry-Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Recall that John McSame was against drilling off shore before he changed his mind and was for it. He claims that he is for it to help Americans who are paying high gas prices. Uhuh, na. We already know that off shore drilling won’t have any impact for years, first of all. But more importantly he gave that speech just before he met with–you guessed it–Republican energy monied folk, who dutifully gave him a whopping 1.3 million the very next day! LOL, and the old guy didn’t think we could figure it out.

Oh just for fun, go to Balloon Juice and read his take on McCain and his lies. Not so much for his post which is short, but for the comments which are worth it. Some guy says Bush is going to pass by his house on the way to a campaign fund raiser and he wonders should he stand on his porch and give him the finger as his car goes by! ROFL. It’s a hoot to read.

Ezra Kleinhas a bute of a post on John McCain and a group called the International Republican Institutewhich he heads oddly enough. From its chairmanship he solicits millions of buckeroos from all the key players he loves so dearly: defense contractors, oil folksies, lobbyists (oh no Mr. Bill!!!), and others, many of whom magically have issues before his Senate committees from time to time.  Course, we shouldn’t think anything nefarious or wrong is going on should we? No. Course not.

While in Jerusalem, it seems that both of our presidential contenders and the one and only Georgie Bush have been interviewed by the Jerusalem Post. Here is their take on the three in terms of ability to speak to the issues of concern to Israelis. It’s pretty much what you might assume, Obama wins again!

It continues to be the rallying cry of Republicans–the liberal media is giving Obama a pass. Nothing of course is further from the truth. Republicans have been saying this for eons. Actual statistics show that Obama is criticized more than McCain and by a wide margin. You see, the so-called liberal media has internalized the criticism and now bends over backwards to appear “neutral” while actually favoring the Republicans. Don’t believe that? Read the fine post by Chris at Inside-Out the Beltway.

Iowa: Anybody paying any attention to the “impeachment” hearings conducted in the House, has seen our Rep. Steve King make a complete ASS of himselfdefending the prez. According to Iowa Independent, Dem hopeful Ron Hubler has hired high profile Joe Trippi, who helped mastermind the Dean campaign in 2004, to run his campaign. This King is one loonie I tell ya, and I am hopeful that Hubler can unseat him. Lets get out there 5th District and oust the idiot boy!

More Iowa news. It seems Becky Greenwald in the 4thdistrict is making a real horse race out of it with Tom Latham.Moreover, Latham is campaigning using the national McCain issue of the surge and off shore drilling for oil. Recent polls suggest that the numbers of the public who favor off-shore drilling is substantially below the 73% mark touted by McCain, in fact it is below 50%. Moreover, Republican national strategists are urging local candidates to run on local issues and NOT to assume a coattail effect. They figure that McCain can’t win. Good news!

John and his troop of merry misfits can’t seem to keep things straight. After telling George Stephanopoulous that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to social security reform, McCain retracts this through a spokesman saying “there is no imaginable circumstance where John McCain would raise payroll taxes. It’s absolutely out of the question.” The inside scoop: the GOP right wing went nuts, and our boy, never particularly sure of what he is saying when he says it, had to back pedal fast.

Okay, ready for some salacious and devilish murder mystery? Then go and read the utterly captivating story of the murder of Charles Bravo. Did wife Florence do it? Intrigue, affairs, oh this one is full of them. And to this day, it has not been solved. Scandalous Womendoes it again, with a thoroughly brilliant writing. It’s long, but she does her stories so well, you can’t stop reading, and wish there was more. Don’t miss it. And in a week or so, she’s doing one on Lillian Helman, one of my favorite women!

Urantian Sojourn has a nice piece on the Bush maneuverings to get the Iraqi government to agree to basically allow an army of occupation in their country for all eternity. It seems that this is not going well with the Iraqis for a myriad of reasons. Propagandee leads you through the sewer of Bush and his Bushbaby plans that have gone awry. It’s the July 31 post, since I still cannot link directly to any individual one.

The Angry African is at it again, telling us next weeks news. His prescient abilities continue to astound those of us in the good old US of A. Must be something about living down there in the South African tropicals. Anyhoo, get your laughter in the ready before you link up and see what fun he has in store for you today. Features this week span the globe as they say. And no, I don’t know who they are nor what they really say.

Mind Flipping Incongruities

Tags

1st Amendment, American History, astronomy, Barack Obama, breakfast, Bush, environment, Gardening, gay rights, Israel, John McCain, Military, Palestine, religion, Sauces, SCOTUS, seafood, tex-mex, vegetables, Women's history

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This lovely painting is by Pierre Auguste Renoir and is called “Near the Lake.” It was done in 1879/80 and is from the Art Institute of Chicago.

It’s a rather gloomy Tuesday, with the sun long gone it seems. It did peek out a bit earlier this morning, but that it appears is all we are likely to get today. Rain is again in the offing for later. Like we have room for any more. I cleaned the fridge today. That started out as a much easier job than it finished out being. I did a lot of cleaning around the seals in the door which had gotten a bit gunky, if you get my drift. Anyway, it’s done now. I haven’t cleaned behind yet. The Contrarian didn’t sleep well last night so he went back to bed when I got up. So that is my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

On with the news:

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I think I featured a crab cake recipe recently, but I found this one with a fabulous sauce that I just couldn’t resist. So take a look and see if you like Crab Cakes with Green Mango Salsa. A Mingling of Tastes brings you this lovely one.

Another Bushite in trouble. Scott Bloch, self described “devout” Catholic and hater of all things gay, is in some deep trouble with the FBI which has raided his office and home looking for evidence that he has obstructed the investigation of his own misconduct at head of the Office of Special Counsel. Bloch as far back as 1971 has opposed the anti-war movement and women’s rights as well, making him an all-purpose hater of various minorities, and a lover of war. That of course made him just right for the neo-cons of the Bush Administration. The investigation has to do with his alleged treatment of employees.

As many of you may know, John McCain recently gave a speech on the environment in an attempt to establish his creds with voters. According to Alternet, and reporter John Nichols, McCain is full of hot air. It seems much of what he touts as new environmental policy is old science, much of which is now outdated by newer stuff. Experts say his new policy is arranged more to get votes than it is to make any real difference on the planet. See what you think.

I admit that there are a huge number of vice presidents that I don’t know anything at all about. This suggests of course, that most VP’s are not particularly noteworthy. American Presidents Blog has some nice trivia about a few of them and a link to more information.

We all have faced the problem of plants that start out wonderful, then suddenly start wilting and just going ugly. Disease strikes quickly and seemingly without warning. Sally’s Gardening Tips has some great ideas for you to help avoid losing your precious flowers and vegetables to disease.

Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas has found the most interesting little site. It’s about landscaping on a miniature scale, someone like bonsai. The site is called Little Landscapes and it has plenty of pictures and instructions. This looks like so much fun and would be a wonderful project to push away those winter doldrums. (They sell a lot of the “accessories” but I do think you could be creative at any craft store.) They are so cute you just have to want one for yourself.

Seal tries sex with a penguin. Yep. You read that correctly. You do not need glasses. Go to Live Scienceand read all about this phenomenon that was actually caught on film. The picture is not very good, lol, but my goodness, what is the world coming to?

Wow, this recipe caught my eye. Corn Cakes! What a delightful idea for a brunch addition. It’s easy and I think would just be lovely to fix on a late spring Sunday morning for eating on the patio. Midwest Neurotica offers us this fine fare.

David Brooks who has to some extent lost his ultra conservative credentials among the ultra conservatives at least, has a thought provoking essay on religion, brain research and spirituality. I think his ideas are correct actually. I think he correctly zeroes in that the next major argument is not going to be God versus science, but true spirituality versus religious institutions. Read his post and see what you think.

Pauline Bonaparte is the subject of Scandalous Women‘s latest foray in the wonderful world of women and history. Be sure not to miss it, and don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance at a free book.

Maybe you don’t think finding a single carbon monoxide molecule from a galaxy 11 billion light years away is important, but scientists seem to think it’s pretty darn exciting. The trick is that this  allows them to learn the temperature of the galaxy when the Universe was only 20% of its present age, and that’s a might long time ago. The universe is estimated to be about 14-15 billion years old. So do the math. In fact, predictions of the temperature were 9.3K. Actual results from the test turned out to be 9.1K with a wiggle room of 0.7, so the predictions were very accurate.

As we have previously reported, McCain has jumped on the conservative bandwagon with both feet, determined to resurrect himself among those he derided in 2000 as divisive elements in political discourse. He is now touting that judicial activism must be opposed. Of course, there is no such thing, it simply is code for GOP/religious right rhetoric that we don’t like the decisions coming from the courts and want to them rule as we prefer. Paul Waldman has an excellent post at American Prospect that you really should read. It turns out that if anybody can be called activist, its conservative judges, not the so-called liberal ones.

If you are not sure where exactly Barack Obama stands on the issue of Israel and Palestine, then two posts should help you, both are first hand interviews with Obama and not their personal conclusions about what they have read. Read Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republictake on OBama and Israel, as well as Jeffrey Goldberg‘s interview from The Atlantic. And you can also drop by Urantian Sojourn and get Saitia’s take on the issue as well. (It’s a main site link again. Sorry, but I’m still having trouble with their website)

As a long time resident of Michigan for the better/worse parts of my life, I am very familiar with this story. Dow Chemical has been a major Michigan polluter for, well, nearly as long as I have been alive. It has continuously tried to avoid responsibility for its dirty practices. Today, a member of the EPA claims she was forced to resign by the Bushites because she was leaning hard on Dow to, as usual, clean up its act. Read a long and thorough account of Dow historically in Michigan and up to today’s news. Remember, when you see companies who have no consumer business, doing ads on TV about how environmentally good they are, you can be sure they are getting leaned on for being dirty.

Since the Pentagon was forced to release all that information on its attempts to seed the media with pentagon friendly “analysts,” the dirt just continues to build up. I mean the documents are so damning that some somebodies are going to pay a huge price. I assume congressional hearings will be in the offing quite soon. I mean you just have to read this stuff to be amazed at how our Constitution has been ripped to shreds by Bush/Cheney. Thanks to Think Progress for the excerpts.

I’d never heard of St. Sunniva, patron saint of Norway. Melisende has a lovely little bio of her at Women of History. Stop by and learn who she was.

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“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a rich widow.” Evan Esar

“Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.” Paul Gauguin

“He’s simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed.” Saki

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Best pickup lines? or the worst?

If you were a booger I’d pick you first.

Baby did you fart, ’cause you blow me away!

Is there an airport nearby or is that my heart taking off?

Are my undies showing? Answer: “No.” You: “Would you like them to?

Aren’t you the tiger on the Frosted Flakes box? Cuz you look “Grrrreat!”

Baby, you’re the next contestant in the game of love.

Can I get a picture of you so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?

Don’t walk into that building — the sprinklers might go off!

Excuse me, do I need to buy a ticket for your fantastic voyage?

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But if you look at this historically, it’s not that difficult to believe that Hillary would still be campaigning. Listen to this. Once a year, in his basement, Al Gore gives a State of the Union address. David Letterman

From The Onion:

Number Of Acceptable Things
Candidates Can Say Now Down To Four

NEW YORK—After Sen. Barack Obama’s comments last week about what he typically eats for dinner were criticized by Sen. Hillary Clinton as being offensive to both herself and the American voters, the number of acceptable phrases presidential candidates can now say are officially down to four. “At the beginning of 2007 there were 38 things candidates could mention in public that wouldn’t be considered damaging to their campaigns, but now they are mostly limited to ‘Thank you all for coming,’ and ‘God bless America,’” ABC News chief Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos said on Sunday’s episode of This Week. “There would still be five phrases available to the candidates if the Obama camp hadn’t accused Clinton of saying ‘Glad to be here’ with a little tinge of sarcasm during a stump speech in North Carolina.” As of press time, the two additional phrases still considered appropriate for candidates are the often-quoted “These pancakes are great,” and “Death to the infidels.”

Blinking Wide-eyed But Aloof

Tags

cross stitch, FCC, herbs, Human Biology, Iowa, Israel, McCain, Media, Middle East, Palestinians, philosophy, Putin, quilting, Regulatory agencies, religion, Russia, science, Veterans, WWII

This silver print by Lewis W. Hine is called “On the Bowery, New York City” and is from the MoMA. That’s some hat wouldn’t you say? 😮 ! Okay, not a hat. LOL.

On the homefront, we are drying out once again, but it’s slow. We can of course get out at this point with the trucks, but its soggy just everywhere you walk. And more rain seems to be in the offing. I wonder how the farmers are ever going to get the crops in this year. I think we got another two inches in the last storm. Enough already.

On the housecleaning front, the living room is done, and that makes six down and 1 1/2 to go. I actually did a bit in the kitchen and the Contrarianis taking out some things that I’ve declared for the trash. He also has come up with a really good redesign of our laundry/pantry room at the back door. We plan on doing some reorganizing that will make it more efficient and more storage compatible.

I’m brining a couple of chops for dinner and making a fettuccine Alfredovegetable casserole to go with it. A salad and vinaigrette dressing should round off the menu today. At least the sun is shining.

Let’s get on to today’s news:

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Today is the anniversary of the celebration of V-E Day, Victory in Europe in WWII. Germany had surrenderedthe previous day in 1945. As the years go by, fewer and fewer veterans from that war remain. It seems hard for me to internalize  this since I grew up with virtually all the men in my family being veterans. And I realize that nearly all of them are gone too.

I’ve been troubled by Israel for a few years now. I have begun to wonder at our absolute support at apparently all and any costs. I know this policy has had a lot to do with anti-American sentiments throughout much of the world, but certainly in the Middle East. I think that Israel does stray often beyond the bounds of rational action. I do think the Palestinians have a real point to make and have suffered immeasurably at the hands of the Israel. I have not reconciled any of this one way or another yet in my own mind. I know there are others who feel as I do. Mostly helpless. We wish to extend an olive branch to the Palestinians, yet not support violence directed at innocents. Read Alternet‘s fine article today entitled, ” Marketing Ethnic Cleansing: Israel Parties like it 1948 on its 60th Birthday,” and see if it helps you figure it all out.

I don’t know about you, but it’s been disheartening to see Russia slide from its infancy as a democratic state back down into the cesspool that is dictatorship. I think the flirt with Communism is gone, it’s just plain old dictatorship now. Putin hand picked his successor, who had NO political experience and is a whopping 34 years old or so. Putin is now firmly installed as Prime Minister and is the real power. Taking a page from Bush, Vlad has decided not to let a constitution stand in the way of his plans.

It seems Mr. McUntruth is suffering from senility again. He told a group in Michigan that he wanted to set up a task force to deal with the issue of human trafficking,most of whom end up in the sex trades. Problem was, such a task force already exists and has since 2000. Guess what? He voted against an earmark to fund this program in 2001. We thank Blue Girl, Red State for a heads up on this one.

Do you tend to see most issues as one or the other? Or are you inclined to see that there are usually multiple positions? Are you a decliner or a progressive? If you’re now totally confused, then slip by Britannica Blog and get unconfused. It’s how you view mankind mostly. Are we devolving ( not in a evolutionary sense) or evolving (in an evolutionary sense)?

Josie at C’est La Vie has a very interesting post about Synesthesia, the “condition” that allows some people to see color with numbers and well, feel color and sound unlike the rest of us. I’m wondering if proportionally, more artists are people like this or not. I’m wondering if it helps in cooking? I’m jealous I gotta tell you. I think it would be fun to experience. Alas, I do not.

Lynda at Essential Estrogen is back to  her old tricks. She is giving you another fine profile of a Democratic woman, Susan Radke,  running for the Iowa House, this time from District 10. If that is your district, then you should take a look and read about the candidates running. Lynda does a fine job of keeping us all informed on all things political in Iowa.

An excellent post by Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas today. It features herbs and explains in some detail what herbs go with what foods. That is a welcome help when you are trying to be inventive in your cooking and create your own dishes. It definitely helps to know which marry well  together. I grow fresh herbs every year, and for the first time managed to keep my rosemary and parsley growing indoors all winter!  I keep them close at hand, dotting them among the flowers. They are pretty in their own right, and you use them a lot more when they are a mere step or two away from the door.

Good news on veterans issues. The Bill sponsored by Jim Webb and co-sponsored by Rep. Sen. Hagel touted as the “new GI Bill” appears to be likely to pass in the House. Iowa Dems in the House are on record for it, including Boswell, Loebsack and Braley, as well as Republican Tom Latham. So even though McCain and Bush are against it, it seems it will be presented to the idiot for signing. If he has the guts to veto it, well bring it on I say. We’ll be watching to see if McCain backs down and votes the final bill up or down.

If there was any doubt that some in the GOP are certifiable, a quick look at Kathryn Jean Lopez’s article in the National Review, should remove all doubt. Touting her claim that Rush Limbaugh in fact helped John McCain by “screwing up the Democrats in Indiana” by his chaos plan, we learn that this type of tactic is to be applauded????? She sees this proof that the Limbaughs, Delays, and other wingnuts of the GOP still hold sway with the electorate. LOL…as if that is some good news? I’d say that the more that is proven true, the more determined the ENTIRE REST OF THE RATIONAL WORLD will be fighting to make them irrelevant. Damn the National Review for not having the guts to put up a comments section. They know better.  (She additionally brags at how good Republicans were in bringing Rev. Wright back to the fore to cast more dirt on Obama. One has to wonder just what country she thinks we are in. It’s nauseous.)

I am thoroughly disgusted with what passes for media in this country. I was one of those innocents who saw the advent of the 24-hour news shows  a wonderful thing. Plenty of in depth stories about far off places, far away problems, and those close to home. Plenty of coverage (in depth again) of politicians and policies and bills and whatnot. I got instead, fluff, and high speed chases down our nations highways, lurid murder cases, and nothing else much.  What passes these days for journalism on the tube is reduced to 1 minute soundbites that seem interested in only the shocking. No thought required. The rest apparently is recopied from briefs available on the wire services. And our regulatory agency, the FCC? Oh it’s squarely in the corner of the conglomerates out there who gobble up more and more of the competition, so they  can work even less hard at real journalism. It sucks big time. Read more at The Nation.

The Village Shop has some more tutorial on making a quilt. Lots of pictures and easy to follow commentary will be most helpful if you are fairly new to quilting. I don’t consider myself such, but I can always use a tip or two. I’ve learned by trial and error that seam allowances are critical, ironing seams is essential and pinning exact points means you can end up with a quilt you can smile at.

Threads of Desire is working on a Hawaiian Mandala, and you just have to see it to believe it. Her cross stitch is so beautiful. I don’t know what size count she is working on, but its so far beyond what I can do that I just drool with envy. I truly think this is magnificent art work. I wish I had someone who could teach me how to do this. Take a look.

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“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.” Garrison Keillor

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Philip K. Dick

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” Hunter S. Thompson

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Excuses! When stopped by the police say this:

I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are not other cars around, that’s how far ahead they are!

im sorry officer…i just got breast implants and wearing a seatbelt hurts…

“But Officer, I couldn’t have been driving 60 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. I haven’t been driving for an hour!”

Sorry officer, I was trying to kill a bug under my gas pedal

I’m sorry I was speeding officer but I have diarrhea.

Yes, I know I was speeding, but I thought I recognized you as the guy who took my ex-wife from me. I thought you were going to give her back!

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Hey, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. Now, if you haven’t gotten your mom a gift yet, can’t go wrong with a gallon of gasoline, huh? It’s a little pricey, but, hey, you only got one mom, you know? Jay Leno

Irvine Robbins, co founder of Baskin-Robbins, is dead at 90. Details of his cremation have been finalized. His remains will be sprinkled, but the sprinkles cost 50 cents extra. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

One of the planners for a Bible-themed amusement park in Rutherford County, Tennessee has admitted that he once worked as a Penthouse magazine photographer. That could explain why so many women end up with wet T-shirts on the Parting of the Red Sea ride. Paul Seaburn