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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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More Sign Humor:

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

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

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

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

In a department store: Bargain Basement Upstairs.

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

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

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

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

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

Is God Just Pissed or What?

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Bush, Carribbean, embroidery, environment, Gardening, Iowa, Iraq, John McCain, Media, oceans, pasta, pesto, Pork, quilting, satire, vegetables, witchcraft, Women's history

Called “The Advanced Guard (the Ambush),” this piece was done by Frederic Remington in 1890. It is located at the Art Institute of Chicago. Two thoughts come to mind. I feel ambushed by the gush of water we have endured for the past twenty-four hours. I feel like I’m living on a floating flotsam of land on a sea of muck, and two, when did I start cheering for the Indians when I see pictures or movies involving Native Peoples and the Cavalry?

Oh what a holy mess. It poured buckets ALL night and the water is literally running downhill in rivers. I’m sure that we could force ourselves out if it were necessary but of course it is not, so we aren’t. We have gone from piles of snow to cold and rain for now close to six straight months with hardly a break of decent weather. It’s depressing. I fear for the garden at this point. The fact that we have a whopping two days without rain and temps in the low 80’s may save us, but I’m not sure.

The dogs are grumpy, and are stubbornly laying outside now, determined to be outside after spending way too much time indoors. My floors take a beating on days like this as 24 paws trip over the floors leaving their lovely impressions in dirty wet prints. And dogs just smell when they are wet, like old wet soggy leather. I need to make a dessert but frankly cannot get up the emotional gusto for the job. We are having hamburgers and home fries for dinner. Maybe some coleslaw, if I get up that energy! LOL. I just want to b**ch out the world today.

I’m convinced the world is nutso anyway. Dunkin Donuts cancels an ad because some wingnut on Fox Nonews thinks Rachel Ray’s scarf looks similar to the kind worn by Yasar Arafat? I mean who care what Foxthinks about anything? Has America gone mad? A Catholic priest rants like the worst kind of Telepreacher, embarrassing not only every sane Catholic but religion in general? Religion is looking awfully bad these days, no matter what type you practice. I think America is bipolar if you get my drift. I would move to a sane country if I could. I’m sick and embarrassed to be a member of this country right now. Well, let’s get to the news, it can’t be worse can it?

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Frankly the only pestos I’ve ever made were basil. I have made that several times when I had enough homegrown basil to make a big batch and freeze. This recipe from 101 Cookbooks is broccoli pesto and I thought it was a nice spring/summer type meal that can be made up quickly but elegantly as well.

This is hardly an uplifting story. It doesn’t take a big brain to conclude that global warming and pollution not only affect the air, but also our oceans. And the sad facts are that more and more “dead zones” are showing up in our seas and oceans around the world. The die off in marine life is horrid, and its not all caused by global warming either. Excessive fishing is totally changing the landscape under the waves, perhaps forever as we kill off one species after another in our greed to have it all.

I doubt that most people have any sympathy for Scotty McClellan. His allegations are undoubtedly true, and many have been saying the same for years. The problem is that Scotty’s new found attack of shame and the need to do the right thing, are well, just a tad late. But one has to admire the usual Bushite machine’s smearing of his name. It’s all been said and done before. In fact they even use the same tired excuses. In fact McClellan himself used the same excuses to smear other tell-all confessions, namely those of Richard Clarke. It is like a memo was sent out, giving the standard “talking points.”

Do you know what a nanologist is? Bet not. Feeling stitchy can tell you as well as show you some lovely stitched ones. Enjoy this little aside into embroidery fun. Your kids will love them, and weird old ladies probably will too! LOL.

Gardening Tips and Ideas has about four short reviews of new gardening books. I don’t indulge because I end up just looking at the pictures, and they generally seem awfully expensive. But many are addicted to cookbooks and gardening and crafting ones, so if you are, slip over and see if anything inspires you.

Here is a book many will be happy to spend some bucks on. Gracious Acres brings us the story of a small town guy who snapped pictures of life in Ridgeway Iowa for 60 years and never could even afford to print them. They finally have been and are collected in a book called, “Sunday Afternoon on the Porch” and are published by Iowa University Press. Make sure you take a look.

History of American Women continues to bring us stories of women charged with witchcraft in our colonial history. Today she focuses onSarah Averill Wildes. She was accused first by the sister of her husband’s first wife, then deceased. Eventually she was arrested in a sweep that included eight others and that spread from Salem to outlying towns. She was tried, convicted and then hung on July 19, 1896.

The Iowa Independenthas another profile of a Democrat running for that 4th district House seat currently held by Republican Latham. Read about Becky Greenwald and her rather impressive endorsements as she runs to win the nomination.

Inspired by Antique Quilts has some links to her favorite antique quilt makers. They are definitely not cheap but oh they are beautiful. It is delightful just to look at them. Do so if you need a visual pick-me-up today.

Jeannelle at Midlife by Farmlight has a uplifting story about how her son’s football team went to Parkersburg to help out in the tornado relief effort. The additional rain last night I’m sure did nothing to help matters a  bit. My thoughts continue to be with those people ravaged by the tornado and it’s aftermath. I cannot fathom the sense of loss people must be feeling and the strange out-of-body feeling it must engender.

Once Upon a Feast has a presto pasta roundup of recipes from around the net. If you can’t find one you like out of this array, then you don’t know pasta! LOL. I found more than a few that I would like to try. Pictures of each are a bonus along with the links to all the recipes.

McCain has made a point of appearinig to promote policies designed to stem global warming and aid our worn environment. Course, as many  of us suspected, it more talk than anything else. He misses the votes in Congress when they come up and fails to support the best bills, instead favoring those that are more in line with the Bushite desires. The Mav is a skunk it seems smelling up the biosphere with the usual rhetoric sans action.

I don’t know about you, but the Contrarian and I never miss an episode of either the Daily Show or The Cobert Report. We get some of the finest biting commentary on the news from them, something not available in the mainstream. It continues to amaze me how very influential they are becoming, and Steven’s “Cobert Nation” seems willing and able to do just about anything asked of them. The Salon offers a great little post on the influence of the satirists on politics.

Do you shuffle when you walk? Why if so, you are but doing as our ancestors may have done. Researchers claim that it is possible that bipedalism began with a shuffling motion designed to conserve metabolic energy. Okay, makes sense to me. Read about it at Science Digest.

This is an atypical recipe for me, but one I think I will give a go to. It’s called Pork Mango Picadillo and is a Caribbean treat. I think it would make a fine addition to any “international” dinner plan. Sounds great to me. Since it’s from Simply Recipes, you know it will be a fantastic one.

John McCain has made claims that while he disagrees a good deal about how the war in Iraq was prosecuted, he sees no alternative now since we are there, than to finish the job. But do his earlier pronouncements equal this new stance? The Nation in a well researched report, suggests the answer is a resounding NO, and that McCain has supported and echoed the Administration line from start to well, finished it still is not. Read about what he ACTUALLY SAID throughout the war years and make up your own mind.

I must say this little post just made me laugh. Bush doesn’t intend to read Scotty’s book! Is this a joke? Does he read any book? Too too funny and just the knee slapper I needed today.

Veggie Gardening Tips has some ideas about growing heirloom tomatoes. I’ve done a lot of this, mostly growing from seed. They have done okay for the most part, but remember, most of these plants are very much more susceptible to disease, and if you put up a lot like I do, you learn to appreciate the nice round blemish free tomatoes from the more modern hybrids. But for pure pleasure eating, the heirlooms are wonderful.

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“There’s an old saying about those who forget history. I don’t remember it, but it’s good.” Stephen Colbert

“Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act.” Truman Capote

“I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.” e.e. cummings

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Just dumb things said:

I think the team that wins Game 5 will win the series. Unless we lose Game 5.”
– Charles Barkley, NBA Basketball Player

“China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.”
– Charles De Gaulle, former French President

“Most lies about blondes are false.”
– Cincinnati Times-Star, headline

“If you give a person a fish, they’ll fish for a day. But if you train a person to fish, they’ll fish for a lifetime.”
– Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President

It’s time for the human race to enter the solar system!”
– Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President on the concept of a manned mission to Mars

“I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix.”
– Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President

“Sit by the homely girl, you’ll look better by comparison.”
– Debra Maffett, Miss America 1983

“We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.”
– Decca Records Rejecting the Beatles, in 1962

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John McCain repeated his assertion that Barack Obama should visit Iraq to really learn about the country. When asked for how long, Senator McCain replied a three- or four-year tour of duty should take care of it.

New York Governor David Patterson has announced that the state will begin to back same-sex marriages from elsewhere. Rudy Giuliani immediately countered with the argument that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and then another woman, and then the other woman.— Janice Hough, Palo Alto, Calif.

NASA says the toilet on the international space station is clogged. Until now, what’s always been the worst problem for restroom facilities in zero gravity? Remembering to keep the lid down. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

Drunk on an Apple

Tags

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

On to the news:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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New excuses to: I’d love to but…..

I’m teaching my cat to sing.

I have constipation.

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

my orange juice box said concentrate.

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

I gotta go walk my turtle.

I have to iron my sheets.

it’s evil.

my mom said I have to rub her feet tonight.

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

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

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

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

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Tags

American History, brain, chocolate, creationism, dessert, economy, embroidery, fruit, fundamentalists, Gardening, immigration, Iraq, limerick, McCain, Non-Believers, Obama, philosophy, quilting, Rome, science, vegetables, world history, Zoology

This photo is from the Library of Congress and depicts a sod house from Nebraska. Built by George Shields and his son in Keya Paha County in 1919. I guess it makes me think that my home is a tad more comfy than this one. Another good reason to remember that although life may give us some tough times, mostly they are not nearly as tough as they once were.

Welcome to my new platform. I think I’m liking it more and more. I was really surprised at just how much more I could do that I thought. I am told that WordPress has gone through a recent upgrade. I’m sure liking it. A few things were different but the forum here is excellent. You get answers very quickly. I’m sorry for those of you who either subscribe by e-mail or by feed. But hopefully it’s not too much inconvenience to change over.  I think this look is a bit more professional and easy to read. Hope you like it.

The plan to do an “International Blog” review is going to take a lot longer than I thought. It seems that many places around the globe restrict blogging. Repressive governments tend to do that. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, so far have yielded very little. In fact most shut down in 2007, and there were reports that many bloggers have been jailed. I have three so far, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. I’ve had little success otherwise, even in places like Finland and Ireland. There aren’t a lot to choose from, and what is there tend to be quite specific. I don’t think you are all that interested in Irish local politics or a Finnish computer geek’s ramblings on software. So I’m not sure how this will go.

It’s getting late, and we have a lot to cover, so let’s get with it:

A Mingling of Tastes has some tasty brownies today. If you would like to get a bit tipsy, take a look. They include bourbon-soaked raisins! These look super chocolaty, and in my book there can never been too much chocolate.

How time flies when you are building bridges. Californians are no doubt celebrating that the Golden Gate Bridge was completed yesterday in 1937. I’m sure San Franciscans are thrilled. Read more at American History Blog.

In 121 C.E. Marcus Aurelius was born this day. He was known as the last of the “good emperors.” Read more about his life at the Ancient History Blog.

A story by the Christian Science Monitor is picked up by Alternet. It seems that Europe is beginning to close its doors to Iraqi refugees. This story is little reported on of course. We have created this incredible mess yet we are unwilling to accept very many at all. There is only so much that Europe can do. See how our war of choice has strained Sweden’s capacities to the maximum.

As you may already know, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright appeared onBill Moyers Journalthe other night. We haven’t seen it yet, but have it TIVO’d. You can read about it and join in on the discussion at the Moyers site. As always, the comments are often the best part. For an excellent commentary on Reverend Wright’s remarks read, The Jeremiad and Race in America, by Professor Andrew Murphy.

Blue Girl, Red State has a good post on the growing food crisis worldwide and how it affects the stability of those country’s governments. Most of Africa is affected as you might guess, but the problem is truly global as we are learning. I’m wondering how this will impact Iowa and the increasing prices for both corn and soybeans. How does this affect ethanol production? I wish I knew.

If you have ever bothered to check, fundamentalists spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about atheists. In fact, if an atheist believes in something, that’s a good reason not to, or so they believe. They often use this argument about evolution, which is just plain crazy. Anyway, Britannica Blog has a very interesting post inspired by a article in the New Yorker about the subject, and it was quite enlightening. Check it out if you wish.

If you would like to start organic gardening or are doing so, but happy to find a few more tips, Sally’s Gardening Tips is the place for you. I’m going to have to learn more about what this cornmeal gluten is and where you can find it. I believe Sally writes out of South Africa, so it may not be available in the states.

To be perfectly honest, I had no clue what a Lemon Crostata was, but I love lemon, so I waited impatiently for the site to download to see. Well it turns out to be a lemon tart with an Italian flair. I am adding it to my repertoire for sure. Thanks to Epicurious!

Feeling stitchy has a cute little embroidery you can buy the pattern for. It’s a solar system, with each little planet, the sun and all the various moons. I really thought it was cute and thought someone might like to give it a try. Frankly, I think with a little work, one doesn’t need any pattern at all. Talented folks can do it I’m sure.

I don’t particularly care for topiaries. I like my plants to look natural. But I must say that the ones featured at Gardening Tips ‘n Ideasare so spectacular that they are incredible art forms in and of themselves. I love the Panda best! Take a look for that reason alone. And backtrack her site and scroll down for another nice post about rocks and where to find them. Like us rural folks have a problem with that! LOL.

We are all pretty much multi-taskers these days. And I don’t believe that’s a good thing at all. In fact it’s not the way were we meant to function, I’m quite sure. You cannot stay “in the moment”  and truly focused when you’re trying to juggle five other things. And guess what? Research suggests that the human mind is incapable of holding more than 3 or 4 things in mind in what is known as conscious mind at one time. So learn the lesson, slow down, pay attention and stop fighting nature.

Mad Kane has captured my feelings on this perfectly. While John McCain decries the ads being run in N.Carolina about Obama, of course they go on, doing exactly what is most helpful to him. Her limerick hits the spot as usual. Enjoy.

Well I never thought I’d write this, but the National Review actually has a rationally put together article today. It’s about the Ben Stein, Expelled docuidiocythat came out last week. He totally lambastes the movie and its makers as well as creationists in general for their nefarious ways. I’d never thought that creationists also share common ground with Islamic fundies. Both disbelieve evolution. This is actually a well documented and thoroughly informative post. Don’t miss it. Apparently the movie is facing a few lawsuits for of all things, plagiarism. Too funny.

Wow, did Niki’s Ventures ever find a site! It’s got hundreds of quilting applique patterns for you and all for free. There is a breakdown by subject matter for your convenience. I’m going to spend some time there as I’ve been itching to do an applique quilt for some time. Something springy with hearts and tulips and done in green and pink. This will be the place undoubtedly where I can find perfect patterns!

I am not the only one weary of John McCain’s assertions that he’s the straight talker maverick. He talks a good game, but doesn’t deliver as he has proven on his issues involving campaign financing, the use of K Street operatives in his campaign. and now we see plain old pork barrel nonsense in Arizona to help one of his big contributors. The sad thing is that all too much of the press is going easy on McCain since he buddies up to them with that good ole boy crap. They have been giving him a pass on Hagee all the while crucifying Obama over Wright. Somebody has got to speak up.

Paul Krugman also weighs in on McCain. McCain admitted not long ago that he was a bit light when it came to understanding things economic. Well of course, that didn’t play well anywhere, and suddenly we have Mac out there running his economic recovery package and claiming he has it all worked out and can take care of everything if given the chance. Yeah, right and pigs fly in Iowa and unicorns are prevalent in Georgia. McCain knows a big fat nothing about economics still and plenty of experts have said so. In reality, McCain’s policies show the same lack of knowledge, experience and responsibility as did Dubya’s.

I’m not an atheist by far, but I am an American, and I do view the Constitution as one of the better things we’ve contributed to the world. So I was sickened by this report of the treatment a US soldier got in Iraq by his commanding officers when he made his atheism known and tried to organize his own private atheist group. He’s suing, the Army is shutting up. Be afraid! Politics Plus has the story.

Speaking of faith or lack of it, the Salon adds this interesting piece. An interview with Ken Wilber, renowned philosopher, explores the issues of religion, new age fads, and ultimate reality. He has a lot of fans, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Deepak Chopra all find him very enlightening. Take a look at the interview and see what you think.

Glenn Greenwald has three posts, all on varying aspects of McCain’s campaign.The first is about McCain’s fear mongering about the Middle East in an attempt to secure the Jewish vote. No doubt Lieberman is helping him there. The second is about McCain and the real story about torture, and the third is his new fear mongering about the Middle East and that “Hamas” wants Obama as president. Sorry I’m overloading on McCain today, but the news is the news, and I thought you should have an opportunity to read these.  The first post is about Karl Rove, and worth a look as well, the three McCain posts follow.

I guess I never much thought of birds as smelling creatures. But  I was wrong. (This comes a quite a shock to my system I can tell you.) Turns out they detect predators that way, and alter their behavior accordingly. This will no doubt change and improve studying the little creatures.

Simply Recipes has a nice recipe for Mustard Greens. They are my favorite by far, but I usually mix them with a bunch of collards. I’m linking you to the main site, because if you scroll down, you’ll find a super recipe for another Lemon Tart. I’m on a lemon kick obviously. This one is reputed to be superb. Note that she has some excellent links for more recipes too.

War has many victims. In Iraq the victims are both human, animal and well other things of value as well. One of the oldest libraries in the world was looted following the American invasion. American troops were ordered not to intervene. Read about how the library attempts to struggle on. It is another sickening tale laid at our doorstep. Read about it in The Nation.

The US History Site Blog has a little profile of U.S. Grant, born yesterday in 1822. I never knew Grant had once owned a slave. One in fact.

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“This is like deja vu all over again.” Yogi Berra

“What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.” Benjamin Disraeli

“In democracy it’s your vote that counts; In feudalism it’s your count that votes.” Mogens Jallberg

“Your theory is crazy, but it’s not crazy enough to be true.” Niels Bohr

You know you’re a dog person when:

You get birthday cards for each of your dogs from family, friends, and the vet. (Bonus if you keep them on the refrigerator for more than a month.)

Every gift you ever get has something to do with dogs

Kiss your dog more than 10 times per greeting

Onlookers grimace at the sight of you sharing your sandwich with your four-legged pal, bite for bite

Call long distance and talk with your dog

Your voice is recognized by your vet’s receptionist

Complete strangers call you on the phone to ask questions because they heard you were a” dog person”  From www.bored.com

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday. This annual tradition at Churchill Downs is like the Democratic presidential race. The participants behave as 3-year- olds and they always stink up the field.

Arby’s is buying Wendy’s for $2.34 billion. The assets are amazing. The new owners will obtain over 6,000 restaurants, 18,000 workers, and 1 packet of ketchup

The Baghdad Zoo has reopened to the public. Visitors to the park are most fascinated with the hyenas. They’re the only living things in this country who are laughing. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif

Tech support in the good old days?

Q: My Etch-A-Sketch has a distorted display. What should I do?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: My Etch-A-Sketch has these funny little lines all over the screen.
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I turn my Etch-A-Sketch off?
A: Pick it up and shake it. Set it down.

Q: My Etch-A-Sketch has lines that prevent me from doing my art project.
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I delete a document from my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: What’s the shortcut for Undo?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I create a New Document window?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I set the background and foreground to the same color?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: What is the proper procedure for rebooting my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I delete a document on my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.

Q: How do I keep from losing my Etch-A-Sketch document?
A: Stop shaking it.

 

Dripping Wet in Rural Iowa

Tags

astronomy, beading, chicken, crochet, dessert, embroidery, founding fathers, fundamentalism, ice cream, Iowa, Military, pasta, psychology, seafood, Women's issues, world history

This is a Cheyenne woman photographed by Edward S. Curtis. I believe it was taken in 1911. You can find other photos that depict Native Peoples from the Great Plains westward at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html By the way, there are tons of other subject matter photos here. It’s a large chunk of Americana. Hope you enjoy them.

On the home front a couple of things. First the office cleaning is done. I owe a great thanks to the Contrarian who hates cleaning but pitched in like a trooper and probably shaved two days off the project. We are ready to paint!

Secondly, the Contrarian called our neighbor and asked for some assistance to get the car out of the mud hole it had sunk into at our back door. We live in the holler so to speak and from the south, water runs down the hill to us. It continues past us to the creek which also catches the runoff from the hill to the north. He had to pull nearly 50 feet before the car was not sinking any more. We hurried off to Center Point to the “bad store” and got enough of the extras we needed until it finally dries out. The “bad store” means its one of those town local establishments that has not much but the obvious. You won’t find an avocado there for sure. So we are quite happy now, as the miserable rains have returned. The lane itself is pretty good, its just down here now that is muddy. But we left the car back where its quite sandy and drains downward so, we should have no trouble getting out after this couple of days has some time to seep down. The fields look surface dry, but the Contrarian’s half brother has sunk his backhoe into our field while working I believe on the tiles by the north-south creek. What a year it is becoming.

I have an idea, and that often can be a bad thing. It always gets me to thinking. A few nights ago, we were watching Bill Moyers Journal, listening to a young woman who is bureau chief in Iraq for some news group. Some of the Iraqi journalists who work for her also do a blog. I found it, and in looking it over got an idea. Here it is. I’m thinking of trying to collect blogs from various parts of the world, and once a week doing an international look around. I have this Iraq one of course. I found a Palestinian one that looked interesting, but was having trouble getting the feed, so that is still up in the air. I checked around for Iranian ones, and can find none updated since 2007, so the government may be blocking them. What do you think of the idea? After all, the wonder of the internet is the ability to talk to folks from all kinds of places around the globe. Can we benefit from peeking into their lives a bit? I sure think so.

Let’s see what is happening on this soggy dreary day:

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Speaking of that, Deborah at (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifie, is from Singapore and has an interesting take on foxglove. Her life has been much different than most of ours, and I found this post delightful. She’s a wonderful artist in her own right and you might be interested in purchasing some of her work. At least you will enjoy the pictures.

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John Adams was one of our Founding Fathers. American History Blog has the top 10 things you should know about him. Since I have seen some of the HBO series, I knew some of them, but I learned a couple I didn’t know by reading this post. Try it.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog is always so generous with her work and designs. She posts them all for free for us all. Here is another gem that creates heart shaped work that is suitable for Mother’s Day perhaps?

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Josie at C’est La Vie has an interesting idea–can the “butterfly effect” be applied to human kindness? A smile that grows exponentially, spreading far beyond the original smiler? Read her post and decide.

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Oh boy, Coconut & Lime has a to-die-for dessert today. And it’s about my favorite and is composed of more favorites, oh I’m just bouncy at this one: Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Cocoa Nibs. Danged if I know what a cocoa nib is though? Is it a chip? I left a comment and asked, and I’ll let you know if I remember to go back and find out.

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Lucky us, more recipes are in the offing. Here is one that looked mighty nice for a lovely spring dinner (today would not be the day, given the yucky weather). It features shrimp and is called:
Capellini with Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce. Perfect with some nice fresh bread and salad wouldn’t you say? My thanks to Epicurious.

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Lynda at Essential Estrogen has been busy and brings us another profile of a woman running for Senate seat, District 40 in Iowa. Her name is Sharon Savage. Learn all about her and her vision for Iowa.

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Feeling Stitchy has some very nice pictures of some embroidery work done by another artist. I thought they were most inspiring. I have done some embroidery and I certainly appreciate the skill involved. I’ve just never thought it worthwhile to embroider things like pillowcases and towels, because you either never use them to preserve the work or they wear out and your work goes into the rag heap. But making pictures is a fine way to preserve.

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Free Sample Forager has a number of new offers you might be interested in. (Getting to the mail box again was a delight, I got some Tide and a free poster I signed up for.) I saw toothpaste, and magazines, tea and cereal, among others. Skip on over and see if you find something you would like. Hey, I know these free samples aren’t much, but if you get one wash for free, it is one you didn’t have to pay for right? Over the year, you might save over all more than $100 in products. And it cost you zip, not even a postage stamp!

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Garrison Keillor must have known that today we needed a fix! He has some interesting things to say as always. Read “Freedom is hard work.”

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I must say, the National Review ( or how we can collect that many brain-dead boneheads on one magazine) strikes again. This time its my favorite, women bashing women. This happens a good deal on the right as you may know. Go to a Catholic forum and hear women talking about how wonderful it is to be “equal but different.” Translation: I love being a subservient wife and mother because God wants me to. Anyhoo, today Christina Hoff Sommers tells us how terrible it is that women are fighting for a piece of the prize in what still remain largely male bastions, math, physics and engineering. That women might bring something new to the table is beyond her. She offers a lot of claims but little or no verifiable facts. It’s the usual, the danged women’s movement is destroying family and hearth. Yada yada yada.

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National Geographic is reporting that a tomb thought to be that of Alexander the Great’s father, was actually that of his half-brother. This means that the armor found inside the grave may have belonged to Alexander himself, who pre-deceased his brother. These excavations are occurring in Greece. Read about it at rogueclassicism.

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Have you heard about the NYTimes report that “military analysts” supposedly hired by the various networks to give expert opinion on war stuff were actually plants by the US military? Plants may be too strong a word, but that is in effect what they ended up doing, simply reinforcing the political position of the administration.

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I just love Scandalous Women! I mean that in both ways too. Another wonderful addition to women’s history is offered today in the biographical sketch of Delia Bacon. Her mission in life was to prove that Shakespeare didn’t write those majestically exquisite plays. Her life was tragic. Samuel Morse and Ralph Waldo Emerson also figure in the story. Is that enough to tantalize your brain cells? LOL.

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Looks like science is figuring some things out. Astronomers and others of that ilk, believe that black holes, which are at the center of I believe most galaxies spew out a lot of particles in powerful jets. They had an idea of how that was done. The photos of the process have just been received from VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array) which confirms their theory. Read all the fascinating details at Science Digest.

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Hah! I got the ingredients for this one, so I think next week, I’ll definitely give this a go. It is one of those dishes that seem always right, any season, any day. See if you agree with Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce. This is from that great site, Simply Recipes.

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Susan Posner has another addition to her fine series, Fundamentalist over at the American Prospect. Be sure to read it. This one features Pentecostals, Iowa’s own Senator Grassley, McCain and gay teens.

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The Washington Independent reports the Senate GOP’ers managed to stop another bill. This one gave women a bigger window to sue for wage discrimination. All the Dems wanted was that the statute of limitations reset with each paycheck. Republicans wanted none of that, and McCain is on record saying it “hurt” business. Both Obama and Clinton raced back and voted yeah, McCain did not bother.

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I Have Excess Water to Sell!!

Tags

astronomy, breakfast, economy, election, embroidery, evolution, Gardening, Iowa, John McCain, Limericks, meats, Middle East, quilting, religion, vegetables, world history

Maya Deren is the actress and this is a still from a movie called “Meshes of the Afternoon.” Done in 1943, it is a 16mm black and white silent film of 14 minutes. The cinematographer was her husband, Alexander Hammid. It is known as a trance film, an experimental cinema. The balance of the provenance can be found at the MoMA site.

Nice to finally see some warm weather. Yesterday was quite lovely and I spent some time outside sitting and listening to the birds. The enormous amount of rain we had, is still lying in pools and I have no idea when it will finally seep away. Travel is inadvisable as we don’t want to get stuck again. Unfortunately more rains seem on the way and it is doubtful we will be shopping any time soon. It’s getting to be a bit of a drag as we are running out of most things. I’m very tired of all this. This winter and its aftermath seems to drag on inexorably with no end in sight. I’d not have thought it possible that it would be two months since we got out, but that is fast approaching. I’m sure the planting in this area is already late since most would have seeded by now.

My craft room is done and looking very nice indeed. We are well underway in the Contrarian’s office and have done a fair amount, though it’s hard to see it at this point. The Contrarian has been wonderful and worked hard on it himself. We got all the desk cleared and rearranged, and all the electronics cleaned and re-ordered as well. We’ve yet to move in a chest for his tools and then he can really start putting a lot of stuff away. I suspect we will finish by the end of the week. The problem now, is that I simply didn’t anticipate such a long wait between shopping and I’m running low on some of my cleaning needs, especially glass cleaner and those “erasers” which work so well, but disintegrate so very quickly.

It’s Monday, so let’s see what has happened in the world in the last few days.

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On this day in 1790, Benjamin Franklin was buried in what is held to have been one of the most splendid of funerals. At the American History Blog, you can read more and run some links to other founding father information.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has a number of worthwhile entries. Free crochet patterns galore, mostly for fairly new crochet addicts. Everything from baby blankets, to halter tops, to dish clothes to handy reusable totes are available. Give it a look and scroll down.

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There is a new book out about John McCain, and boy it ain’t pretty. It’s rather ugly in fact, at least to hear the author tell about what he has been subjected to since its publication. I’m not sure how much weight to place upon on, but I do known I’ve heard a couple of the allegations from other sources. It makes for some very interesting reading and leads me to continue to worry that this dude is scary and not at all what we need in this country. See what you think. There are plenty of comments to peruse as well.

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Republican mouthpiece, Fox news of course thinks all this is tantamount to being a traitor, and Israel sure didn’t like it, but President Jimmy Carter has had what on some level seems a successful meeting with Hamas. I for one find it simply idiotic that we refuse to talk to those we don’t agree with. I don’t think you ever can put down hard and fast requirements that must be met in order to be granted a meeting. Historically, of course, this is what we have done with “rogue” nations. I’m not sure it’s worked well. Joshuah Holland gives his take on the historic meeting.

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In 1775, English forces were sent to Concord to seize colonial armaments. And so began our fight for independence from Britain. Read all about that seminal day at American Revolution Blog. Some claim that this was not the signal to the start of the war that we now think of it as. You can decide for yourself.

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Baking Delights has a food surf and a ton of neat sounding recipes for you to sample. Panini, brownies, pound cake, and mango pancakes are just some of the offerings.

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Bill Moyers Journal has author Martha Nussbaum discussing religious tolerance and equality in America. Read her thoughtful analysis and the usual comments from readers. American Prospect has a review of her latest book, Liberty of Conscience: In defence of America’s tradition of Religious Equality.

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If you thought the Afternet article about John McCain was a bit rough, perhaps you will find this one backing up some of those claims in greater detail. Welcome Blue Girl, Red State to our list of regulars and read her take on the Mac and that famous temper.

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Ever talk to folks who don’t believe in science? Now, they always believe in the science that turns on the lights, and operates the car and flies the plane. I am referring to the kind they see no good use for, the kind that they think somehow conflicts with the bible? Like millions of people who spend their professional lives working on this stuff and have for generations upon generations are wrong, and somehow Pastor Literalist who hasn’t taken a science course since 9th grade in high school is right. Read Robert McHenry’s tongue in cheek assault on the “thinking” behind creationist/young earthers. Giggle, it’s Monday after all, as you read “Ben Stein on Astrophysics.”

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Okay, when it comes to brussel sprouts, you either love ’em or hate ’em. I happen to love them, but I admit they are sometimes a bit harsh dressed only with salt and pepper and a bit of butter. Coconut & Lime has a nice little recipe that I think is worth a try. Take a look at Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes with Balsamic Dijohn Dressing.

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Iowa voters are invited to another profile of a democratic contender in this years upcoming house race. Meet Lori Sokolowski, who is running in the 63rd House District. Another fine job by Essential Estrogen.

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Feeling stitchy has a some musings about art and what she likes to do at her site. She also has a free pattern for you to use. I think its a cute little embroidery project and has a sweet message that is just perfect for a daughter or a friend. Be creative and well, CREATE.

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I find that I get a lot done if I limit myself to 15 minutes. This works especially good at things I really don’t like to do. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas uses the 15 minute rule to get a few things done in the garden and has come up with 51 things you might consider. Take a look, or be a schnook. Oh goodness, I didn’t really say that did I?

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We get a fine report from Professor Thomas C. Reeves on plutocracy. The pluses and minuses are set out for you in this interesting piece about what wealth means in this country and what that means for our socio-economic system. How exactly do we balance politics, economics, and entrepreneurship in this country?

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If you are still needing that incentive to get on with another quilt, well, inspired by antique quilts has another gorgeous block for you. I’m totally loving this one. The colors would be great for Christmas of course, but can you see the other possibilities? Pinks and greens or blues and yellows would look wonderful too. Take a look and get moving!

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Russell often has what I call “pondering” blogs. They are little snippets of memory, musings on bygone days, or simply a revealing thought about life in general. In any case, it gets one to thinking and you know how dangerous that can be. He has one today, called “Alone with Others,” and I bet you would like it.

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Magna Carta? Remember that document? Probably remember it from History class in some year of high school right? Never thought much about it since have ya? LOL. Well, recall it again, because some claim it changed the world. Some would say it was the beginning of modern human rights. And they may just be right. Read a nice post all about it.

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Need your Mad Kane limerick fix? We got it here. As always they are biting and humorous and make a point. I’m a fan and I suspect you are too.

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Oh goodie, another of my beloved Dave Barry posts. Just another of my addictions coming forth. “How to make a movie with slobber and cake” is sure to please even the most finicky reader in your….oops. I’m mixing my metaphors again. So sorry.

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Jeannelle at Midlife by Farmlight has been a literal blogging fool the last few days, and I especially liked the one about her family’s trip to Germany. While we undoubtedly feel a good deal differently about Martin Luther, her points are well taken. Some lovely photos accompany the text.

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No surprise the National Review (one has to ask of what exactly) is at it again, and this time it’s backing the wacko right and its quest to get “intelligent design” in your local school. Supporting the ludicrous film “Expelled” they embark on the expected pseudoscience analysis that passes as truth, without bothering to look for any actual facts. The usual misunderstanding of science is all you can get here, but it is amusing nonetheless. Science is quite clear that ultimate “beginnings” are and may well stay outside the province of science. But that does not mean that religiously generated theories are therefore to be given placement in our science classes. They remain what they are, philosophical metaphysical explanations for which there is no scientific test available. That is what makes science science and philosophy philosophy, after all. Berg talks as if science is an entity itself and makes all kinds of blatant fallacious remarks about “science wanting to be God.” Utter nonsense, but they like that sort of thing at NR. Oh, by the way, plenty of the “enemy” scientists have complained how they were “interviewed.” Note that in another post, the Darwin/Hitler connection is again drawn. As if that somehow makes the science wrong. Blech, what trash.

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Niki’s Ventures has a bunch of links to free pattern sites. Several are for appliques. I’ve had a appliqued quilt in mind for some time. One of these days, I may actually give it a go. Scroll down and see if there is anything that looks interesting to you.

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Returning a moment to the insane, we visit Bill Kristol and his latest vomitous remarks in the NYTimes. Why they give this nut a forum is beyond me. Is no one reading his rag the “Weekly Standard“? He actually decides that we all want to read about his take on the three candidates various Passover Messages issued by their political staffs. I mean, gosh Bill, don’t you have some toenails to trim or something even remotely interesting or necessary to do? But you guessed it, he finds one worthy of praise–John McCain’s, and in Kristol’s bent brain, I’m sure that’s a good enough reason. And don’t miss Glenn Greenwald’s take on Kristol’s tour ‘d force, either. It’s a good one. Take that Billy! LOL

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Some promising news on the environmental front. It seems science is close to a better plastic, one that can degrade within four months of hitting a landfill. This comes as welcome news as we wonder where in the heck we are going to keep putting all this garbage, and why we are doing such a miserable thing to future generations. Missouri S & T is working on the solution.

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Sugar Creek Farm has a couple of recipes for making your own sausage, breakfast and Italian. I make my own and its quite easy if you have a basic grinder. We got a KitchenAid attachment and love it. We grind our venison with it primarily, but it works great for making sausage, bologna, pepperoni and other cured meats.

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The Artful Crafter has a roundup of craft ideas for you. Wander around and see if you find anything that gets you excited. I saw some tutorials on painting and another tote to make, and a free magazine giveaway off the top.

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Some time ago, we featured the pattern for The Village Shop’s new pinwheel and applique quilt. Here she shows you the construction of the pinwheel blocks. It looks like this quilt is going to be lovely and her tutorial is most helpful.

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The overdone, overblown charges against Barack Obama and his “elitism” have been done to death it seems. But the Washington Independent actually looks at the record of our Presidents and explores who has been able to exploit the anti-elitist name in fact. The fact is, it never worked against either FDR or JFK. Will it work against Obama? You decide.

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Pardon My Assumptions

Tags

appetizers, bible, cake, Catholicism, Christianity, crochet, election, embroidery, founding fathers, Gardening, Iraq, quilting, racism, vegetables, Women's issues, world history

Oh no doubt you guessed this one already. Done by Picasso in 1932, it is called “Girl before a Mirror.” It can be seen at MOMA. It is said that the “model” was Marie-Therese Walter, Picasso’s mistress at the time. The Artsy people claim that the reflection in the mirror is a death mask and that the painting is a confrontation with mortality. Also it can be seen as daytime and night time and her reaching out an attempt to integrate the two.

I am always suspicious of art critics and their psychological interpretations, but I sure know that I feel like this some mornings when I look in the mirror. Well, it looks to be a long post today so we better get at it. It’s raining steadily here in Iowa and I have chili on the stove simmering and cornbread ready to begin its final incorporation for baking, so I am at your disposal for a couple hours.

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Abby Sweets comes up with a nice looking cake perhaps for a special occasion. She doesn’t name it so I will. Based on the picture and recipe ingredients I call it Lemon-Raspberry Coconut Cake. It looks good and sounds good. Add it to your to-make list for sure.

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Today is the anniversary of Ronald Reagan being shot. It was also the official end of Tecumseh’s Curse. Unclear what that is about? Slip on by Martin’s American History Blog and find out what that was all about.

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Who are the 11 Biblical characters you should know and why? Travel by train, bus or plane to Gill’s Ancient History Blog and find out the lowdown.

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I’ve linked you to the main page of Sandi’s Crochet Blog. She has three entries today that I thought you might like. One is a new afghan pattern for beginners, another is a multi-tier rose, which will work as an addition to a dress, sweater, etc, and a textured stitch she developed which of course can be incorporated into any pattern if your at all adept at crocheting.

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The costs of the war in Iraq are of course varied and large. One of the most painful is what is happening to women there. Of course, we might well have hoped that women would have been freed from bondage in the same way that we expected to free Afghani women. Iraq of course was not nearly so religiously constrained as Afghanistan was, but still, there had been expectations that Iraqi women would move forward in individual rights. Of all those forced to flee their homes, 70% have been women and children. Efforts are now much stronger for women in Iraqi to conform to more stringent Muslim traditions in clothing and activity. Such has been the wonderful US legacy. Read more by Nadje Al-Ali.

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I bet you didn’t know this. I sure didn’t, and if I didn’t, no doubt you didn’t. You clear about that? Okay, well, the truth is, that this is not the first election where race has played a part, and no, I am not referring to slavery as an issue. Well, mostly I’m not. Read all about VP Richard Johnson, and his wife, at American Presidents Blog.

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As you no doubt know, there is an attempt on various fronts to pursue the idea that American was based on “Christian” principles and thus we are a Christian nation. While it is undoubtedly true that most of our founding members were Christians of one sort or another, it is not true that they believed American was a religious nation. With plenty of excerpts from Stephen Waldman’s new book, Founding Faith, American Revolution Blog gives you a good overview of the subject.

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Many of you are old enough to remember the Kerner Commission Report issued in 1968 and documenting the state of racism in this country. Bill Moyer’s Journal offers a 40-years later review of where we were, and where we have come to on that subject, with a couple of interviews. One is with a Kerner Commission member, Senator Fred Harris; the other with Newark Mayor Cory Booker. An interesting retrospective you shouldn’t miss.

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Copycat Restaurant Recipes has wonderful stuff. I just wanted to tell you that I signed up for their free cookbooks. It’s very simple. The cookbook downloads to Adobe. The problem is, the cookbook I chose was desserts (surprised?) but there is NO index or table of contents. So you cannot find anything. There is a search on Adobe of course. I typed in cranberry and it gave me an apple cranberry pie. It did not bring up the Wisconsin cranberry pie at the end. You see it’s in alphabetical order by the name of the recipe.The cookbook is over 400 pages long, so you can see the problem. Worthless in my opinion. There are just way too many recipes around to bother with this. I have no idea why they would take all the time to do these cookbooks and then do them so poorly. Today’s recipe from them is from a chain called Houston’s and is Spinach Artichoke Dip.

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I have always wanted a water garden. (The Contrarian tells me to plant something at the creek if I so desire.) If you would like one too, and need some help getting started, then Sally’s Gardening Tips has some help for you. More help than the Contrarian in any case!

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Feeling stitchy has some really cute embroidery to show you. A neat little trick of mailing a tea towel around the world and having each embroidery expert add their own little spot. There is a giveaway there, so stop by and leave a comment and perhaps you will win a kit to make your very own treasures. I’ll probably win this one, so you might want to wait for another one. LOL.

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Free Sample Forager has a free sample of Nutrasweet for you.

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This election cycle of course has us asking the question–which is more important? Do we elect an African American or a woman to the presidency? The History News Network has a very good post on this subject and the dangers this fight can cause to both sides. It is one of those odd moments in history when two worthy sides both vie for the same office. Somebody is going to lose, one side will have to wait. Which one? Look at it from a historical prospective and see what you think.

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Home and Garden has some advice about structure in your garden. Arbors, trellises and fences provide shape and interest to any garden. Find out how best to utilize these additions to highlight special plants and create that special welcoming flair.

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Inspired by antique quilts has a lovely little wall hanging she made. The pattern is simple and its a scrappy quilt. If you don’t have the patient for a full quilt, you might well want to try one of these. I’m sure you could get this one done in no time, and it would look great hanging somewhere in your home. I just love it myself. This lady’s block is the single driving force behind my spring cleaning. I can’t wait to get my craft room fixed up and running again after the long winter. (We close it off to conserve some heat.) It’s used as the dumping ground for all manner of stuff, old computer, old coffeemaker, you name it, and plenty of clutter. I’m started on the bedroom now, so its only two rooms down!

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Russell, over at Iowa Grasslands has a nice post about Lincoln, gleaned from a book he is reading. You will certainly enjoy his thoughts and you might decide to buy the book yourself as well.

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I tend to assume that everything about the history of Christianity is Catholic in nature. I do believe that, for whatever it’s worth, the Catholic church was the original church. Thus I assume the Council of Nicea is something that I am well familiar with, but assume (probably quite wrongly) that no one who is not Catholic much is. Live Science has a nice article that makes the case that this Council was one of those things that changed the world. See what you think.

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Billy Kristol, (no not Billy Crystal) is superbly funny. He is the neo-con of all neo-cons but of course he doesn’t come by it honestly, but inherited it from his Daddy who was originally a liberal of the old school, who became a conservative during the “red scare” and…oh you get the picture. Billy boy appears regularly on Fox NoNews and is editor of the Weekly Standard. He is kind of an idiot of course, his side has got most everything wrong for the last 8 years. This does not of course keep him from giving bad advice to both sides. He reminds Mr. McCain, that “democracies don’t always elect the man who has done the most for his country.” I’m not sure what that means exactly, and I don’t know that McCain has “done the most for his country.” Did he sustain a horrific sacrifice in his life for his country? Sure. Beyond that I’m not convinced he’s done much of anything. He touts for election campaign reform then ignores its precepts because they hamper his election plans. Anyway, Kristol says that McCain is not resting on his laurels, right after he informs us that McCain’s first big ad is a reminder to us all (like we need it) of his POW days. A thoroughly mixed up post, but then it’s Kristol, what can you expect?