Thank God for the Alcock-Paczynski test!

Tags

airport security, astronomy, dark matter, environmentalism, feminism, GOP, Mike Huckabee, money laundering, religious right, Sarah Palin, science, terrorism, Tom Delay

At last, perhaps I can get a good night’s sleep again! I haven’t had one since that dark (pun) day in 1998, when I learned the awful truth: the universe seemed to be expanding at a faster and faster rate! My once cozy pulsing home was threatening to shred itself and leave me forlorn in an ever darkening sky as old friends rapidly flew off into a cold inky black.

Well, no more worries. It appears not to be happening. That demon “dark matter” is a truth we must accept, but it appears that the Alcock-Paczynski test may well prove that our universe is “flat” or what we used to call steady state or static. Just enough gravity, just enough dark matter to keep it in a comfortable rocking to and fro.

I know we just finished Thanksgiving, but this is a whole-nother-level of thanksgiving. I will never not see my beloved Orion, my dippers, my Pleiades. Oh sweet God, I knew you would come through. Let’s have a party!

***

Speaking of Thanksgiving, hope your’s was a good one. Mine turned out most excellently. The meal was sublime, and we feasted until we could force in no more. We liked it so much, we are gonna do it all over again today! And Saturday, and Sunday. You see the method to my madness?

***

I confess! I really do, or did, and am going to continue. I was simply delighted when I learned that “the Hammer” got hammered and may be heading for the slammer! Tom DeLay was convicted in that old state of Texas (good for something!) for money laundering.  I don’t think they execute for that, money is God in Texas along with football you recall. But here’s lookin’ for some good old time for the man who thought he ruled the world when he was in Congress. Oh let the sentence be fair: LONG. (H/T to Crooks and Liars for the link)

***

I have to give it to WordPress. The new linkage system is up and running, and they have added a few new features that don’t concern readers, but are certainly nice. One of which I think is not so new, but I just found out how to do it, and it sure speeds up my game. I can now reply to comments through e-mail which is soooo much faster than publishing replies again and again and waiting for it to refresh. Hurrah!

***

Again from Crooks and Liars we get a link to Whiskey Fire and a post on our Sarah. It’s not what you might expect, but it’s an interesting take. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Are Dems the ones who have missed the chance to have a salacious babe mouthing their talking points? I would hate to think so. Yet the point is made, much of Sarah’s following has zero to do with policy or politics, it’s pure sexy appeal and the “it” factor.

AlterNet also has a nice piece on Sarah about her brand of “feminism” which amounts to nothing more than narcissism-namely hers. If it affects her, then it matters, if it doesn’t, than as the article says, “women suck it up and be strong”. Which explains why women don’t cotton to the Moosilla Maven so much.

***

Speaking of snake-oil sales persons, I’ve decided that the “know what we are doing” crowd consists of Palin, Beck, O’Reilly, Coulter and probably most of the house and senate wacko-heads. Those that are seriously stupid include Hannity, Bachmann, O’Donnell. The aforementioned know they are bilking the US for as much as they can for as long as they can. The give not a rip about anyone. Bank accounts matter. Your list?

***

Ahab at Republic of Gilead has a great post of a lecture he attended on Christian escatologies and environmental issues. It is really an eye-opener if you are puzzled why some sects of Christianity continue to literally ignore the damage we are doing. These don’t deny it’s happening so much as they don’t care and believe that we should not waste our time to help the planet heal. It’s an amazingly good read.

***

And 180° it is. I’m going back to my original position on the airport patdowns. After watching Fox and jerks like Huckabee all malign the administration for this “outrage” I can but conclude that this is nothing much more than “any way at all to make Obama look bad.” Huck has demanded that Obama submit his family for this search if it’s all that good.

I guess Mikey was just trying to protect his son who got caught carrying a GUN in his luggage at Little Rock National Airport. What his son needs a concealed weapon for, (being a son of a preacher man) is beyond me, but we see where Mike is coming from.

While I conclude that there may be legitimate reasons why these searches aren’t as useful as they might be assumed, I’ll stick with support as long as the idiots at Foxy are trying to take down a President via this means. And something like 70+% of the public is behind the TSA on this. It was higher, but the rightwing (those bastions of security) has done its thing again.

Enough for now. Time to hit those leftovers again and watch a little more football.

Related Articles

• Dark energy on firmer footing (nature.com)
• Dark Energy Theory Gets a Boost From New Galactic Measurements | 80beats (blogs.discovermagazine.com)

Untangling Threads

Tags

airport security, Benedict XVI, Catholicism, condoms, economics, Entertainment, foreign policy, GOP, Iowa, Justin Bieber, Kyl, life in the meadow, Russia, sex, social class, START treaty, teabaggers, terrorism, TSA, wealth

Whenever your darling asks you to sup with him “on the town” and the restaurant is named “La GGG”, all I can say is beware.

GGG, in case you were unaware, stands for Gas, Groceries and Good Eats. I can assure you, they are lying about two.

Recently the Contrarian invited me to Chez Troy Store Restaurante for lunch. Ahh, we went in and sat down, finding the seating ample, (no one else was there) and took a seat overlooking the corn field.

Out rushed a cook, (I should say, the cook) and announced: “Oh we don’t serve until 3 now, economy and all. But I can get you pizza or fried chicken or a sub?” Two of those come from those display cases that keep the food warm with lightbulbs. We demurred and walked across to the Dam Bar (yes that’s what it’s called) and ordered the usual saloon fare: something fried or deeply so.

So, it should come as no surprise when last night in the middle of Nature, I cried, “oh damn!”

“Whaaaa?” the Contrarian started from his dozing, muttering, “I am not sleeping, just resting my eyes!”

“I forgot the pearl onions for Thanksgiving!”

“Can I get them at the Troy Store?” he queried.

Yes, he actually said that, asked it, I mean.

With a look of utter disgust, I pouted, “NO, you can barely get an onion there.”

“How ’bout at Sherbon’s? I could run over there,” he offered.

“No, no, she won’t have any either.”

Sherbon’s is a step above Troy, having no gas station and not purporting to offer dining pleasure, but it’s a long way off from being a GROCERY store too.

“How ’bout Center Point Store?” he whimpered.

“No,” I sighed, “they won’t have them either. It’s hopeless.

There was no offer to drive all the way to Cedar Rapids of course.

Such is life in the meadow. You either remember or you do without. I will sure miss my carmelized pearl onions though. Send me some if you can ship it FedEx overnight, okay?

***

I guess I’m doing an about-face on the whole patty down at the airport thing. I  still think it’s mostly silly whining perpetrated by testosterone-laden young men and old ladies whose junk is so old that nobody would want to if they didn’t have to, touch it.

But I heard an argument that made some sense. He (unknown speaker on MSNBC) suggested that it’s good we are questioning just what we are willing to give up in the name of “terrorism.” This is a good conversation, proving we are not so insanely scared that we are hiding in our holes, only coming out with full military protection.

Perhaps, he asks, we might start questioning all that stuff about unauthorized wiretaps, waterboarding, and all those other dark and evil practices that we kinda figure are going on but about which we really would rather not know. There’s a point there I think. I later found the same argument here.

***

The Pope, Benedict XVI is very busy backstepping his way out of the “condom issue.” Some saw some slight movement in his latest remarks that in some cases, such as male prostitution, it might be allowed, as a step in “taking responsibility”. Today the Vatican is claiming that there is no change at all in the position of the Church as to condom use. I suspect that is true. If the fiasco over the pope’s comments about condom use while last in Africa, didn’t bring about a change, then I suspect nothing will.

Odd, how all those who have tons of advisors to, well, advise them, still cannot avoid the sticky wicket. Spiritual Politics has their own take here. If you want to know more, (and you probably don’t) go to Enlightened Catholicism.

***

The bad the worse and the ugly, i.e., the GOP continue to stonewall on the START treat ratification. Editorials across the land, the support of dozens of old line GOPers and revered State Department and Military leaders from of old, have failed to move, so far, one Sen Kyl from AIR-headZona.

One wonders how long the GOP is willing to take the heat to promote their only real goal: the downfall of Barack Obama. Crooks and Liars has a nice post, featuring a roundtable held by Christiane Amanpour.

***

Thomas, at Living Next Door to Alice sends us a must read post from 3quarksdaily. It’s about us, politics, and our doom. While we play at politics, the rich are taking this country for themselves and leaving us to be their servants. We are coming to be a permanent underclass. And that can only lead to one thing.

***

But if the above article is too long, well, this next says basically the same thing and in just a couple of sentences: Justin Bieber was the big winner at the AMA awards last night, beating out Usher. The world has ended, you just haven’t heard the explosion yet.

***

There be times I wish I had me one of them big balls that you do stretching on. But I’d sit on mine as I read Internets. ‘Specially when I read about da stoopid Rethuglians and their being pulled mightily in two directions at once. The FC’s (fiscal conservatives) vs the SC (social conservatives) are trying to direct the old party hacks who give a damn about neither.  Priority One-McConnell and Don’t you dare touch my junket Boehner, are being stretched over the fence and, well, personally instructed to do their respective biddings.  And I’d be bouncing on my ball, sippin’ my soda, and giggling.

Related Articles

• Pope Ignites Debate Over Condoms (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)
• Pope says some condom use can be justified (feministphilosophers.wordpress.com)
• Bishops say Pope still anti-condoms for HIV – The Australian (news.google.com)
• Obama Pushes for Showdown on START Treaty (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• Showdown Over START (politicalwire.com)
• Obama finds support for arms treaty at NATO meeting (thehill.com)

Where Did Peace of Mind Go?

Tags

airport security, Bristol Palin, Bush tax cuts, dressing recipe, Earmarks, health care reform, John S. McCain, teabaggers, terrorism

I’ll tell you where it goes when you think you have lost your very best ever dressing recipe! I was fussin’ and fumin’ and generally expletive deleted from one end of the house to the other.

You see, I’ve spent hours creating all these recipe folders. As I paged through every single one to no effect, I realized I hadn’t made hardly any of these things anyway.

Thankfully, I found the recipe reproduced here, under a search for turkey dressing, about the 6th blog post. Phew!

So, I’m going to rethink my whole enterprise of recipe keeping. Frankly you might be bored since I plan to do every essential recipe here where I can’t lose it!

***

Well, a parent can be proud. Last night, I was in my office meditating (reading old Martha Stewart mags looking for, what else–recipes) when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I chirped.

There stood the Contrarian, beckoning me.  “You gotta see Brandy on the front porch,” he grinned.

I looked questioning, but nothing further was coming forth. I dutifully arose and headed to the front window to look across at the porch.

There stood the girlie. Eyes bright and shiny as a pups, her tail wagging furiously. In her mouth? A rather substantial rooster pheasant. She never moved, just stood in all her pride and glory, waiting to have her pic snapped with her prize.

I opened the door, praised her efforts, and nodded sadly as her eyes asked “may I bring it in please?” Great job girlie. Enjoy your triumph.

Bear was nonchalant as he wandered about the house. “Good job in helping Brandy, Bear,” I offered. He ignored the whole thing, whether out of embarrassment or generally pissiness that it was her and not him. He went out later, but walking by with no look to her catch. She watched over it for some time, finally the cold set into her bones and she labored up the steps and went to bed.

Such is life in the meadow.

***

You know, we are a nation of whiners. We want everything but want to pay for none of it. It’s who we are. Today we are all supposed to line up behind a silly idiot who went ballistic at having a pat down at the airport. “Don’t touch my junk man!” Yeah, and if somebody’s crotch explodes and plane goes down, what will we be hearing then? Shaddup and go find some other way to get to Paris or Madrid you idiot. Like anybody wants to ogle or fondle your very ordinary body. Sheesh, get a life.

***

I did, I thought, a decent smack down of the creepy old man, McCain. But it was nothing, I mean NOTHING like the super embarrass-the-hell-out-of John Sidney, that Jon Stewart did. If you missed it, please do yourself a huge favor and watch it here. Jon and a number of his crew simply eviscerated and excoriated McCain. It was beautiful. No doubt John Sidney is buying new TV’s today, having put his foot through all he owned.

***

We hear that Bristol Palin keeps winning despite the fact that she is at the bottom of the judges board every week for the last six or so. I wonder if DWTS’s realizes that it has single-handedly orchestrated its own cancellation. At best it was barely a competition, but at least some good dancing occurring in the last six weeks or so. Now it’s a silly joke of Palin mama grizzly voters who keep the two-left-footed Bristol on despite her embarrassing performances. So we hear. We stopped watching week two.

***

It’s all over the news. Newly elected Restooplican, Andy Harris, a doctor, started right off complaining when he found out his government health care wouldn’t start until February. This after campaigning vociferously against the new health care law, vowing to repeal it, and stating again and again that government had no business in health care. Yeah, whine much? Andy, hands wringing, worries about what he will do without health care for 28 days! You poor slob.

***

I imagine that Mitch McConnell and John Boehner meet after hours to share a drink and sob in each other’s martini. What has gone wrong here? All the sudden they are dancing to the tune of the know-nothing teabuggers. Earmarks? Yes? Earmarks, No! It’s fun to watch ain’t it?

***

To me, it’s quite simple. The GOPer’s claim that we have to keep the Bush-tax-cuts in order to generate jobs. Okay.

The key word is KEEP. We have had the Bush Tax cuts for how many years now. And what happened to the economy? And what happened to the jobs?

It’s really that simple isn’t it?

***

Mike Taibbi has a super article (really an excerpt from his new book) at AlterNet. If the terms “moron” “grifter class” “dingbats” and Palin and Bachmann in the same sentence, make you all giddy, then do go over and read!

***

And we are off to dinner prep.

On the stove today: Taco casserole with fresh salsa, sour creme, and avocado. Enjoy!

Related Articles

• McCain, Who Battled Earmarks, Watches Others Ban Them (thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com)
• House Republican wants his government-subsidized health care now (washingtonmonthly.com)
• “Sarah Palin Beams With Pride After Watching Daughter Bristol On Dancing With The Stars” and related posts (x17online.com)
• Bristol Palin is a precious little snowflake! (popbytes.com)
• New GOP Rep Andy Harris Wants To Take Away Your Health Care, Bitches About Not Getting His (oliverwillis.com)