
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
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