Nothing to See, Move Along

Tags

brain, critical thinking, Dream Act, Election 2012, global warming, GOP, illusions, immigration, Latino, Libya, Middle East, Newt Gingrich, robotics, science, Syria

You could call it a three-ringed circus, but they may need an extra ring or two. We are advised that the Newty is joining in the entertainment division of “Republicans who are in the race for President.” He joins a fine panoply of jokesters–The Hair, The Palinator, and CrazyEyes, and Step-‘n-fetchit.

I’m sure that Hollywood is in this too, for this quintrangle (wrap your head around what that might look like) of queerness deserves what any good nut job gets in the good old USA–their own reality show.

Years ago, they had a wonderful if short-lived show on PBS wherein Steve Allen, and his wife were joined by a couple of others, each impersonating famous figures from history. Imagine Newton meets Einstein, meets Socrates, meets Cleopatra. They would sit around and chat on selected topics of the day.

So, I’m thinking, our fivesome (do not let you mind even alight for a moment on sex or your brain will burn up–think eating sauerkraut, caramels and raw rhubarb at the same time to counteract the thought) could just debate things like how to secure the future for our posterity in a post-post modernist Adam Smith world. You see the possibilities? I mean they could seriously put SNL out of business.

Newty’s announcement, scheduled today, comes at just the right moment. Obama’s polls are now up to 60% saying he’s doing a good job, his highest in a very long time, and 53% say he deserves another term.

Have at it Relaughlicans, have at it.

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There is a thing called the “best illusion of the year” and you can go and see it! As I understand it (since I can’t do the video) there is a central dot that you star at. A surrounding circle of interwoven dots of different colors surround it. The dots change colors and you can see that, but as the surrounding circle begins to rotate, the colors can no longer be seen changing. For some reason the brain can’t recognize the color changes when the circle rotates. There are others to see as well. Have fun!

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While the crackdown continues in Syria, things seem to be looking up again in Libya where rebels are once again on the move. NATO forces have upped their air attacks which no doubt has helped. Qaddafi has been “absent” for several days now.

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We just got through the mother of all winters in many parts of the country. Then killer tornadoes struck the Southeast. Now the Mighty Miss is inundating the flood planes along its sojourn to the Gulf in a way not seen in most of history. And the naysayers of course say this has nada to do with global warming.

Well, scientists say otherwise. The crazies who buy the rhetoric of Corpacracy, giggle as the snows fell. “Global warming? Ya gotta be kidding.” But of course those who have bothered to actually READ something not written by those who don’t want to pay for their pollution, know that extremes in ALL weather is an expected effect of global warming.

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The Democrats are re-introducing the Dream Act we understand. This is just exactly the right thing to do on every level. First, IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Second, IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Third, its politically the perfect thing to do. The GOP seems caught in its “find ’em, arrest ’em, send ’em back strategy. And in states with burgeoning Latino populations, that is a recipe for disaster as they say.

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It used to be that the Democrats were noted for taking a good thing and screwing it up. Well, move over, there is a new bungler in town. The GOP, who promised after 2010, nothing but work on jobs, jobs, jobs, has gotten itself bogged down in the usual anti-Obama rhetoric regarding the Bin Laden business.

Instead of just saying, “good job” and keeping their eye on the economic message, the good old boys just couldn’t help it. They fell for the uber right-wing “that black guy can’t be given credit for anything” frenzy and have been, for the last several days whining about how it’s all due to them that the usurper in the White House was able to put the very last nail into the house. And it has of course backfired as Obama’s numbers just continue to rise.

In other words, the GOP would have you believe, that they built the car, filled it with gas, and put the key in the ignition. Obama just turned it. Yeah, go with that Redicklians.

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Ya know, I’ve lived most of my adult life with the “Three Laws of Robotics”. It gave me comfort on days when I fought with machines, when no amount of cajoling would get them to do their duty–operate as required. I have never feared them, because I trusted they were in the end my friend, albeit a frustrating and someone chaotic one.

Well, now it seems that I can’t rely on this safety net at all. I kinda think I’ll keep a hammer by the computer from now on. Same goes for anything else that is remotely robotically connected. I may never trust again.  [h/t to Exploring our Matrix]

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We have spoken here a lot of the nut cases on the right who fracture, torture, and otherwise twist actual facts to favor their theory of choice. This can be evolution, climate change, health care reform, you name it. Because they cater to a basically ill-educated, ill-read, and ill-minded group, they can get away with this.

This piece also comes via Exploring our Matrix and explains the tools used by the pseudo-science of the extreme right. It’s a decent piece that might enlighten you as you swim through the muck of todays internet world.

Weeping for All the Victims

Tags

army, Fort Hood, Islam, Japanese, Latino, Muslims, racism, War

I share with most people, the sadness of what transpired at Fort Hood in Texas. Sadness that so many were harmed and killed, grief that war continues to take its toll even off the battlefield.

What I most fervently prayed for, in those initial moments, is that no Muslim or Latino would be involved. Of course, that turned out not to be the case, as a Muslim army psychiatrist seems to be the person who wreaked such horror on the base.

I fear for the expected backlash, which always seems inevitable in this country. We are a country that proclaims it’s melting pot status on the one hand, and then goes out of its way to scapegoat most of its ills on “immigrants” and other “others.”

I cannot imagine the pain that ensued in Muslim quarters as the news came forth. I cannot imagine what plans and practices normal everyday Muslims must take to protect themselves against the slurs and actions of rabid “patriotic” nut cases. I almost desire to run up to every Muslim I can identify as such as offer my apologies.

I have already heard talk that “some” suggest that Muslims shouldn’t be serving in the armed forces, simply because our identifiable enemy is “Islam.” Of course it is not, for the vast vast majority of Muslims are law abiding, pious, quiet people, much like their Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters. It is only some demented fundamentalist types who pose a danger to all of us, Muslim, Jew,  and Christian alike.

Such an idea is absurd and unconscionable of course. It is akin to the racist nonsense we endured during WWII when we “interred” Japanese Americans, lest they secretly offer help to the Empire of Japan. We still are shamed by the film of those days as perfectly ordinary citizens are rounded up and incarcerated for no other reason that their heritage.

Such hatred and vitriol is not news these days. The right wing continues to ratchet up the rhetoric. Go to any of the tea bagger events and see the signs. President Obama is vilified as a “sambo” and referenced to Hitler. One knows that this powder keg will someday explode in some sort of ugly display. And of course the right wing pundits will all look left and right, and deny any complicity in the tragedy that has come upon us.

This is the quiet cloud of desperation that Muslims live under today. Never knowing. Keeping their eyes averted, and their mouths closed, they move among us. Knowing that anyone may be a potential nut case, ready to wreak patriotic retribution on supposed enemies of the state.

Latinos are not far behind in this. Regularly, otherwise innocuous “crimes” and unsavory activities are tied to “immigrants” and their “living off America” lives. We forget that they work harder and longer for less than most of us, and send a good portion to family members still trapped in even deeper poverty than here experienced.

Fostered no doubt by high schools that still teach that American is somehow the best and never much to blame for anything, we now live in a nation which always looks to some one else to be the cause of our unhappiness. It is always the fault of the socialist, the communist, the anarchist, the fundamentalist, the Asian, the Latino, the Muslim, the Jew, the Buddhist. As long as it is not “us,” that illusive and ever shrinking whitey. We are the somehow never to blame, perfect being.

I offer my meager support to Muslim brothers and sisters and those of all other minorities who seek the American dream in this morass of fickle humanity. We can slap them on the back and tell them, that, “hey, this was done to the Irish and the Italians as well. They made it. You will too. Just keep you head down and your nose clean. In a few decades, we will have found someone else.” It is hollow and trite and is inexcusable.

I am saddened that we as a nation cannot seem to learn any better. I am sorry that we don’t see this tragedy for what it is. A man, ill suited to the job he was in, increasingly makes it clear that he doesn’t belong in war. We ignore him, as we do all such men and women for the most part. Buck up there soldier! we say. You’ll survive, just as we did. It used to be okay to say, “it will make a man of you,” but it doesn’t sound as good saying it will make a woman of you.

War has many victims. More than we know. It has all of us as its victim if we would but see that. We all are reduced as human beings, we all suffer, we all are harmed in ways too deep to even see. We violate each other and then we return to base and eat a steak and sip a beer. A little touch football, and a good nights sleep, and tomorrow, well who knows, live, die, kill, wound, cry, laugh, it’s anybody’s guess. The insanity of such a life is clear isn’t it?

When will we learn that war is not an answer, but a stop gap for a people who have become too uncreative to come up with anything else?

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