I just wanted to say a fond farewell to a wonderful actor, Richard Widmark who died on Monday at the age of 93. I was a very young girl when I became infatuated with him, although goodness knows he was nearly 40 years older than me. I had a crush on him for many years, and remember faking illness one day when he was scheduled to appear on the I Love Lucy show. It was part of their “California trip.” I saw a very large number of his movies in those years. He was not the type of person to appear on the usual talk show circuit, and actually I think thought of acting as a workman like employment, deserving of no special appelation. He definitely did not feel that his status as actor meant that his opinions were important. He kept a low profile. He died in Connecticut at home where he had lived for several years with his second wife, Susan. He had been married to his first wife from 1942 until her death in 1997. The bizarre thing is that just a few days ago, we saw his picture flash on the TV during something or other and I commented that he must really be getting up there. Parker thought for sure he was dead, and I “googled” him and found that he was indeed alive and living in Connecticut. These weird things happen to us all.
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On the update side: I have finished spring cleaning the master bath. Hurrah for me. It only took a week and a half. Slow but steady that is me. It will work until I get danged tired of it by about the 4th room, and then I start getting sloppy. But for now, it’s clean enough to operate out of! Now it’s time to get on with the news before I run out of time! Tip: if you hate housework like I do, commit to 15-20 minutes only on some significant job. In a week or so, it will be done, and you will feel most accomplished. I can hear the applause out there in the blogosphere now. Send any gifts of congratulations to my email and I’ll make sure you get my address to send my gift!
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The sad thing, is that where once we depended on the regular media and newspapers to keep us properly advised on what’s going on in the world, we can no longer do so. It’s all about money. The conglomerates are pretty much only interested now in the bottom line of profit, and so news stories are followed depending on whether they produce viewers/readers or not. We are now required to seek out the real news through news outlets that never existed a few years ago. Iraq is not much in the news anymore. The powers that be apparently think that we are tired of seeing it, reading about it, and having it commented upon. It is still a big story. And as we have reported here, things are not going nearly as well as we are led to believe. Read an important take on the war from
Alternet‘s “
Five things you need to know to understand the latest violence in Iraq.” I would urge you to read it, lest you fall into the trap of thinking that this war is about done. We have simply been horribly mislead about what is going on, and who is responsible.
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Begging for Bargains has a couple of things you might be interested in.
New moms will like a number of free offers for samples of formula, diapers, and whatnot. There is also a new website that promises to
making your coupon experience easier. I’m not quite clear yet, because I don’t have time at the moment to go through it, but check it out. I added the link to my favorites and will go back and try to figure out what a loyalty card is!
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Like, chicken, there can never been too many meatloaf recipes. Each one promises you a new delight in flavor which of course is most appreciated. I love meatloaf and it’s taken me a long long time to develop one that really works. Once you find the magic formula (not too much filler, but one that doesn’t fall apart when slicing) you can vary a lot of the ingredients.
Coconut & Line has a nice one that has a southwestern flair. Hope you like
Southwestern Meatloaf!
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Okay, calm down, just whisper cheesecake and people start herding toward you with whimpering eyes and forks in hand. This one is from
Copycat Restaurant Recipes, and is from the
Cheesecake Factory. What could be better than
Key Lime Cheesecake? Perhaps some of the
puddings she also lists?
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Love roses but have trouble growing them? I sure do.
Sally’s Gardening Tips will give you some help to grow these magnificant beauties that never fail to bring a smile. I think I’ve managed to kill 3 here so far. Perhaps I can figure out what I am doing wrong and correct it with Sally’s help.
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An important note from Iowa. The state legislature is poised to enact a bill requiring
insurance companies to cover the HPV innoculation. This is the new treatment to prevent cervical cancer. Why they need to be ordered to do so it of course a conundrum. Why the only opposition to the bill comes from Republicans is another. I am simply dumbfounded that we have to do this. It’s the most obvious thing in the world to me. It passed the House by a margin of 81-16, all 16, Republicans and six of them were women! I’ll be sending off some e-mails to both of my Republican senate and house reps today for sure! A big big thanks to
Essential Estrogen for this heads up.
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As I peer out the window, I see of course that white crap is falling all around, in some demented scheme to return to winter. It is spring, damn it! So instead of becoming even more gloomy at this kick in the spring pants, hobble on over to
inspired by antique quilts and take a gander at some of
the lovely new blocks this woman puts out every day. They are so lovely. Oh boy, I’m starting on the bedroom cleaning tomorrow, getting ever closer to my pathetic cluttered dump of a craft room. It’s gonna be great when I’m done!
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Just in time, Russell comes along with tales of
ditches and lovely native plants. I know that I love it when I pass a place that has stopped mowing and started seeding the ditch with the wonders that were the norm in this part of the country before we stomped all over it, tore it up and planted most of it. It must have been something to see when those first traders, explorers, and indian scouts first laid eyes on the great Iowa prairie. Stop by his blog and read his soothing words and smile at the lovely photos.
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Knitting dragonflies gives voice to a truth that is present in any type of crafting project. The sense that one is fully engaged and resides in the moment. These are important concepts to our psychological well being I am convinced. We are all creative, that is part of our DNA. Finding out in what we are creative is perhaps the trick. When we do so, we have the ability to lose ourselves, and do it without effort, something we can almost never accomplish when we simple resolve to “pay attention.” She and Buddhists call it mindfulness. Try it, you will see what I mean.
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Talk about your unintended or unexpected consequences of global warming? This one is well, yech!
Thawing Tundra Releases Infected Corpses, is not exactly the kind of thing one wants to read as one is sipping morning coffee. Up in Siberia, there is a unholy thaw going on and bodies being uncovered, and the bad thing is that many died of smallpox, something essentially eradicated in the world today. It has all scientists and certainly archaeologists worried. The virus appears not viable, but the antigen has been discovered in some corpses. It has raised quite serious problems on what to do.
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You know I never can remember a time as a younger person, or even for most of my adult life when I was literally afraid to take medication. I’ve been lucky for the most part, and have seldom had the need, but today, we are faced with increasing questions and recalls and demands for new warnings almost daily. This is no doubt fueled in part because
the FDA no longer does it job or even tries. The asthma drug,
Singulair is now being questioned as to whether it causes suicidal behavior in some who take it. Of course
Merck has been adding warnings to the label for some time, and has “no comment.” The FDA, bastion of super intelligence has asked the company to “re-evaluate” its data. Oh that will surely tell us the truth won’t it?
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I love all things Roman, historically speaking. Heck I love Italians for no good reason as well. I would dearly love to travel to Rome and see this newly opened site.
The home owned by Augustus Caesar, on the Palatine is now open to sightseers. Although the 4 rooms were discovered a long time ago, a restoration has just been completed and tours are now beginning. A very lovely photo is enclosed for your enjoyment. The frescoes alone are said to rival those of Pompeii.
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I suffer from depression, but I don’t require, and will not take medication. Getting off it was the worst experience I’ve ever gone through in a good while. Nevertheless, depression is a disease suffered by untold undiagnosed persons without any question. For those whose suffering is intense and requires medication, this new study may be of importance.
Should you switch or keep the same class of medication when the medication you are on fails to work? The article is short but includes a list of the primary researchers, plus plenty of related stories for those who are trying to figure out what to do.
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This recipe says
it’s a brownie recipe. It sure doesn’t look like one to me, but the more I looked at it, the more intrigued I got. It takes very little to intrigue me most days however, and you should know this. A moth trapped between the windows has been known to intrigue me too. Anyways, it’s more of a cake than a brownie, but whoa, if you like chocolate and only really not nice people don’t, try this one out and let me know. I’m making a chocolate cake probably tomorrow or I might try it myself.
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Just when you thought it was safe to pick up the newspaper again, here comes another story that makes you wonder
what planet you have skipped over to when you last innocently blinked.
There is a company, and the name is AEY, and its owned by a 22 year old who is assisted by a 25 year old masseuse. Now you may wonder why any of this is anything you should care about. Here’s why. Because its the chief weapons supplier to Afghanistan. Based in Miami, this sorry outfit may well blow Blackwater off the maps of seedy, illegality. The US govt. gave this heap of manure 300 million bucks to supply Afghans, and of course the crap they sent was unusable. It just makes one sick to see our tax money used so cavalierly. Read it and weep!
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Yesterday, the
Tip Junkie gave you some nice shots of
redecorating for a girl’s room. Today she does the same for boys. Drop over if this type of redecorating is on your agenda. Like I said yesterday, one can often adapt a piece here or there to more adult fare.
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A day or so ago, I remarked on the 4,000th death of American servicepeople in Iraq. The
Urantian Sojourn has a nice piece on the subject and the stubborn position taken by the Mav that
this surge is sure working, as he says, “no matter what anyone says.” I guess when you build your entire campaign on the surge being right, and you being right about it, you are stuck with it. John McCain knows he got cheated of the Presidency by Bush the Kid, and he’s determined to get it this time, even if he has to try to scare us all to death to do it. He’s sad, he’s old, he needs to get over it. He did not win, he will not win. He’s just another in a long line of, “dad are you proud of me yet?” chasers of the White House. And the mosaic of dead service people is awesome enough to make the trip to the site for that alone.
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For reasons that escape my ability to figure it out, a lot of history sites spend a lot of time on historical novels for some reason. Now I am certainly a fan, and have read a goodly number. I appreciate that I’m getting a little free history along the way. Actually, a lot in some cases. In any event,
World History Blog has noted a book that sounds most enjoyable, and is written by an author I am unfamiliar with. Harry Turtledove has written other books, but they all follow the same basic format. He takes history and kind of turns it on its head, like Hitler winning WWII nd how the world would look now.
Opening Atlantis is his latest offering and its the beginning of a trilogy. You may decide to give it a try. Read the review and decide.
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The Farmer’s Almanac has this for you today:
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I leave this rule for others when I’m dead: Be always sure you’re right, then go ahead. –Davy Crockett
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“If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.” Dorothy Parker
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“To err is dysfunctional, to forgive co-dependent.” Berton Averre
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A new study says global warming is killing frogs. Sceptics dispute this conclusion and claim that long before global warming frogs were croaking. – Sid Knowles
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A U.S. Airways pilot accidentally discharged his gun during a flight. It was an unnerving experience. The other crew in the cockpit were so shocked, they almost spilled their drinks. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.
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Aired Tuesday night on CBS: Here’s news from Hollywood. You know Pamela Anderson? Well, she recently had her marriage annulled. The marriage lasted two months. I mean, she goes through husbands like New York goes through governors. David Letterman
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Bear is a singular example of the dog in charge. He is willful and stubborn, yet level headed, basically quite kind, and he watches over the girly girl Brandy as any big brother ought to.
When the Girly is asleep, everyone treads carefully and away from her. If she is even breathed upon, she erupts a snarling fang bearing behemoth, ready to kill.
Existential Ennui 