Categories: Animals, Announcement, Christian-Phobia, Food (Yuck), Food (Yum), Fun Stuff, Introverts.
Obligatory Fundraising Link
I notice that you've not made your contributions yet. No doubt you're wondering when the official hunger strike begins. Indiegogo originally said March 6, though now they're showing something about a thirty-day extension. I'm not going to commit to take that unless I see the first $1000 by the first day of March.
http://igg.me/at/frugalgraciouslivingchallenge/x/997637
The right to haggle about some (incredibly stale, lame, out-of-touch) argument some readers might want to make, about ways they fantasize this project being funded without their contributions, is our Secret Perk reserved for contributors. Nevertheless, in the comments on this post, an e-friend brushed up against the boundaries of that Secret Perk. Please make sure you've read the post and comments before you type in any more obnoxious comments.
http://blogjob.com/priscillaking/2016/02/23/this-is-not-a-happy-post/
Animals
How did thirteen eagles come to die in one place?
http://www.washingtonian.com/2016/02/22/officials-are-offering-a-ten-thousand-dollar-reward-for-information-on-dead-eagles/
Sponsor-friendly pet post here...I'm hoping to see a nice, bland, sponsor-friendly discussion of different animals and their preferences, but I did chortle when someone tweeted, "My wolverine liked chewing on my leg." (Foreign readers could look this up, but to save them time, wolverines aren't related to wolves--they're more like giant super-weasels. If you've ever lived with even a cute little ferret...)
http://blogjob.com/priscillaking/2016/02/24/do-your-pets-have-food-preferences/
Announcement
It's time...after all these years, I'm going back to "curate" this web site. That's because, local folks apart, it's sponsored only by Amazon, and Amazon's not installing the contextual ads I want. I will be adding some contextual ads. And some updates. And possibly some photos that weren't in the public domain a few years ago, but are now. This site will become less friendly to older or smaller browsers. I think I can get away with that because cross-posting to Live Journal and Freedomworks is allowed, and both of those sites are friendly to older and smaller browsers. I've often said that web sites should give people a choice between high-graphics and graphics-free versions, so now, when and as other demands on my time allow, I'll give readers that option.
Material posted by correspondents will stay where and as it is.
Christian-Phobia
Hate runs amok in (traditionally Lutheran) Norway:
http://eaglerising.com/30748/the-government-seizes-five-children-because-their-parents-are-too-christian/
Food (Yuck)
Even animals that were fed on GMO grain, we probably shouldn't eat. I don't eat pork, but what's true for swine is probably true for cows and chickens in this case--they eat even more grain. The photo is not pretty. It's a science gross-out...comparison of normal and GMO-fed hogs' stomachs.
http://gmojudycarman.org/New-Study-Shows-that-Animals-Are-Seriously-Harmed-by-GM-Feed/#prettyPhoto...
Jane Goodall weighs in:
http://www.naturalnews.com/049206_Jane_Goodall_GMOs_industry_science.html#
Food (Yum)
Delicious.
http://www.motherearthliving.com/food-matters/carrot-maple-walnut-salad-recipe.aspx
This meal includes a similar carrot salad, a "diabetic dessert":
http://blogjob.com/newwaystoeat/2016/02/23/wings-and-carrot-salad/
For those who want a warm and hearty vegan dinner...y'know what would make this one gluten-free and tasty, with a bit of crunch, and gluten-free? (Interesting little tie-in with my pet food post on Blogjob...) Pumpkin seeds, a.k.a. pepitas...crushed or minced, but not ground to meal. Substitute in equal proportions for the wheat germ.
http://www.motherearthliving.com/food-matters/quinoa-black-bean-stuffed-peppers-recipe.aspx
Fun Stuff
Lee County in the news...mostly the one in Alabama, but the story's a short, fun, factual read anyway.
http://nowiknow.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2889002ad89d45ca21f50ba46&id=965680d5d3&e=30f140a4bc
Health News
Many doctors recommend regular colonoscopies to screen for the possibility of colon cancer. It's a moderately uncomfortable, expensive procedure with a (very small) possibility of serious complications. (I only ever heard of one person who died from a botched colonoscopy, but he was a relative.) Dr. John McDougall reports that at least one medical board has finally pronounced this yucky business obsolete: there are safer, simpler alternatives. (And it's a fact...nobody knows exactly why some people get colon cancer and others don't, but there is some general correlation between colon cancer and an unhealthy diet. Vegans, who usually eat a very high-fibre diet, tend to have clean healthy colons.)
http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5e58f59d97611f910916b6276&id=c47bf7beb4&e=4d57a9fdfb
Speaking of Dr. McDougall...Yesterday I read that some young e-friends are trying to do weight-loss diets. I rode the "weight-loss diet" yo-yo briefly in grade ten, gained some dietary deficiencies and ugly flab, and recommend that those trying to maintain a healthy weight focus on exercise not food. If you're under 25, you're still growing; daily weight checks won't change that, or help anything else. However, if you're not medically hypothyroid, pregnant, or growing a tumor, using the McDougall diet plan will help you maintain a slim, sleek, healthy look. (Even if you are hypothyroid or pregnant, a well balanced "vegan diet with lapses" can be part of your program.) Not convinced? There's no charge for joining the skinny doctor's online seminar...just sign up today, because it takes place tomorrow.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/webinars/
Introverts
Are social media keeping young people from recognizing and accepting their introvert selves? The teenagers I know don't seem to be so badly affected as the ones William Deresiewicz knows; it's possible that his young friends don't have introvert selves, in which case their obsessive-compulsive texting may at least be keeping them quiet. I'm more concerned about staying off their friends lists, myself. Who wants to receive text updates every time somebody brushes his/her teeth?
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=6614
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Book Review: 1001 Ways to Be Romantic
(Retrieved from Blogjob. Tags: after Valentines Day, Anti-Valentines Day, keeping marriage alive, marriage counseling, relationship counseling, romantic relationship, spontaneous acts of love.)
A Fair Trade Book
Title: 1001 Ways to Be Romantic
Author: Gregory J.P. Godek
Author's Blogspot: https://greggodek.blogspot.com/
Author's video with Oprah, Donahue, et al.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f7PQV9zKaY
Date: 1993
Publisher: Casablanca
ISBN: 0-9629803-0-7
Length: 264 pages plus index
Quote: "If you have the right mindset, you can make cleaning the bathroom romantic; if you have the wrong mindset, you can turn a moonlit stroll onto the beach into a fight."
Right. I thought, "Oh, the fourteenth of February, the Official Commercially Marketed 'Hallmark Holiday' for Romance, has come and gone, so maybe I should schedule this book review for next year..." Then I thought, "Wrong. People who either forgot, or deliberately ignored, Valentines Day need this book for the rest of this year." Because this is a book about doing things that are fresher, more fun, more meaningful, and therefore more romantic, than just buying a Hallmark card in time for a Hallmark Holiday.
Godek explains on page one: "There are two kinds of romance: Obligatory romance. Optional romance. Both are important, and although my focus is on optional romance, beginners are advised...not to overlook the obligatory. But...[o]ptional romance is more genuinely romantic. Obligatory romance includes...her birthday...your anniversary...Valentine's Day. Optional romance includes: Everything else."
"Well, I'm Anti-Valentines-Day. I don't want a 'romantic' or sexual relationship in my life. I'm practicing celibacy...while enrolled in a strict traditional college or university, while doing military service or international 'volunteer' service, while unable to support a family...or because I'm asexual or postsexual...or because my sexual desires don't fit into my religious practice...or whatever." If that's you, then this book is not for you.
What a pity, because the fact is that the "optional romance mindset" works for sex-free kinds of love as well as for the "romantic" kind. Somebody should probably write a book about that idea. There's nothing wrong with surprising your parents, co-workers, boss, client, neighbors, even someone you don't actually know but whose work you admire, with a gesture of appreciation for them too.
The Washington Post once featured a cartoon strip in which a fairly typical Washingtonian said something like "I'm not 'unique.' I'm just like everybody else," and his friend said, "Does everybody send a Christmas card to the IRS?" But, seriously...as long as you do it in a way that expresses neighborly good will rather than a morbid stalker-type interest in individuals, you could send a greeting card, a letter of thanks, even a gift to all the workers in an office. Or the author of a book you enjoyed. Or the family across the street, your grandchildren's other grandparents, your third grade teacher if s/he is still alive, the next delivery person who delivers a package to your house, the driver of the city bus...
The suggestions in this book are, however, fairly specifically for couples. Although the spirit of "Let the gift find you," "No nagging, no complaining," and "Magazines from the month of his/her birth make great gifts" are for everybody, every page of 1001 Ways to Be Romantic is about erotic/romantic love, as distinct from the neighborly, family, or other kinds.
Which means that, additionally, if you were to sit down and work your way through this book, you would not get 1001 different suggestions. Some of the ideas repeat in very slightly different forms...and if they don't work for your mate, at all, they could become annoying. People who are allergic to chocolate and/or roses get tired of reading suggestions that these things are generally considered romantic. Some people may want to take Godek by the collar and growl, "Now hear this: Drinking alcohol is about as 'romantic' as eating soap. Don't make me say it again." Or even, "If she really loves me, she'll stop wasting money on commercial 'romance' garbage. Is that perfectly clear?"
No worries, though...even if you're married to one of those people, you will find suggestions for things you can do that s/he will love. Only not quite 1001 different ones.
As those who clicked on the video link know, Godek is alive and actively marketing the idea of reminding men to be more "romantic." So, 1001 Ways to Be Romantic is a Fair Trade Book. That means that when you send $5 per copy + $5 per package + $1 per online payment to either address at the very bottom of the screen, I send a clean secondhand copy of the book to you, and $1 to Godek or a charity of his choice.
Do Your Pets Have Food Preferences?
(Reclaimed from Blogjob, because advertisers can't continue using these posts as if they'd been paid for until they've been paid for. Blogjob tags: 9 Lives canned cat food, canned cat food treats, cat food, cats who beg for human food, do cats have flavor preferences in food, Dollar Store brand Kitten Chow kibble, dry kibble for cats, Friskies canned cat food, Kit’n’Kaboodle dry kibble.)
The package pictured tends to be the cheapest acceptable-quality brand in local stores, so it's a brand the cats often get. (
It comes in bigger bags, which may sometimes seem like the best deal. My cats tell me that, for two to ten animals, 15-20 pounds of kibble is plenty to buy in one package, and smaller packages are even nicer.) They get a fair amount of Dollar Store brand Kitten Chow, too, the other acceptable-quality brand that's likely to be offered at the lowest price per ounce.
(Amazon sells the cases; local stores sell similar tins in four-packs.)
(Topic credit: this post was suggested by the discussion on +Kimberly Dalessandro 's post.)
Down in the comment section is an observation, "My dog eats the round red pieces first."
The Cat Sanctuary cats aren't encouraged to be picky eaters--that behavior really comes out in overfed, under-exercised animals, anyway. My cats usually like dry kibble. They like just about all brands and flavors, although I read labels and avoid buying the ones that feature "animal digest" as a main ingredient.
The package pictured tends to be the cheapest acceptable-quality brand in local stores, so it's a brand the cats often get. (It comes in bigger bags, which may sometimes seem like the best deal. My cats tell me that, for two to ten animals, 15-20 pounds of kibble is plenty to buy in one package, and smaller packages are even nicer.) They get a fair amount of Dollar Store brand Kitten Chow, too, the other acceptable-quality brand that's likely to be offered at the lowest price per ounce.
They nearly always nonverbally express extra appreciation for...a new, fresh batch. They liked the last of the old batch well enough, but a new batch is crisper and yummier. Kitten Chow is supposed to be a little more nutritious than Kit'n'Kaboodle, but I don't know whether the cats are keen on it for that reason or just because it comes in smaller bags.
I have opened just a few cat food items that my cats rejected. There was a box of dry kibble from one of those "salvage grocery stores" that smelled so rancid, even to me, that I was surprised to be able to get some use out of it as mouse bait. There was one batch of canned cat treats that was also quite disgusting when opened; I should probably have returned them to the store, but I used one of the cans to trap a possum. Other than that, there are some flavors of cat food that smell too rank for me, but the cats seem to like them.
Anyway, although all kibble is basically grain meal mixed with some kind of animal fat, manufacturers often claim that they're using different kinds of fat to flavor different kibbles within the package. Sometimes the individual kibbles are shaped to suggest the origin of the fat and flavor. I've never been completely convinced...to a human nose it all smells like kibble, which is not very appealing to human tastes.
I don't know whether the cats notice different flavors in the Kit'n'Kaboodle mix. They show no preference.
Then again, when offered a meal that definitely does contain different flavors, the social cats tend to eat socially. They take a few bites from one dish or tin, then let someone else sample that and take a few bites from another dish. This preference is strong enough that when offered four-packs of identical tins for four adult cats, the cats still rotate among the tins, checking that it's all the same thing in each one...or bonding with each other by sharing, or both.
(Amazon sells the cases; local stores sell similar tins in four-packs.)
As +Andria Perry mentioned...
...another factor that makes it hard to identify my cats' food preferences is that they are social eaters. They love anything a friend is eating. When sharing food with one another they give mixed messages--the one who's eating a tin of tuna, a teriyaki chicken strip, or a fresh raw squirrel will growl as if to say "Back off, it's mine," but her/his growling actually functions to attract the other cats, and when the one who's been growling pauses for breath, the others finish the special food without objections.
Of things humans eat, they obviously like meat and fish best...but they'll try anything. Pet cats and dogs usually beg if their humans eat in their presence, not because they especially like the food or can even digest it--some human foods, like chocolate, can make cats and dogs sick--but just because sharing food shows friendship. I've known cats who would make an honest effort to eat lettuce and peanuts. I eat those things; therefore the cats would beg for them, and try not to waste them.
One human food that seems to be good for pets is pumpkin seeds (often sold under their Spanish name, pepitas). These high-protein treats are rich in minerals and toxic to some kinds of intestinal worms. I've seen skinny, wormy-looking cats become sleek and healthy after pumpkinseed meal was added to their Friskies (or 9 Lives, or Chicken of the Sea) for a week. Cats who are unaccustomed to this treat nibble cautiously around it and leave as much as possible in the tin...but cats who've seen their human, or their mother, eating pumpkinseed meal will eat it first, possibly in order to savor the real fish afterward.
Those are my cats' preferences. Do your pets have different preferences?
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
February 23 Link Log
My Blogjob non-book post for today is a total downer. The fun stuff is here. Categories: Obligatory Fundraising Links, Animals, Environment, Flint, Food (Yuck), Food (Yum), Fun Stuff, Gardening, Phenology Link, Politics, Welfare (scientific study of cheats!).
Obligatory Fundraising Links
http://igg.me/at/frugalgraciouslivingchallenge/x/997637
http://blogjob.com/priscillaking/2016/02/23/this-is-not-a-happy-post/
Animals
Here's a gadget that may not be what enough people need to justify its being stocked in stores, but for a few people it should be great! This is what online stores are for.
http://blogjob.com/theadventuresofpandazeusandbaby/ways-to-stop-my-dog-from-scratching-my-wood-fence/
Environment
For those in other states who've never visited Louisiana, Arkansas, or Mississippi for that matter, the part of the story this patriotic Louisanan isn't telling (in so many words) is that a lot of the water down there is nasty with sulfur and chlorine and many other things best not thought about. So this corporation has this brilliant idea of drilling around one of the few springs in Louisiana that aren't positively frightening to visitors? Duh...
https://www.change.org/p/ban-fracking-in-louisiana-wetlands?
Here's another reason why we need to focus on alternatives to burning oil, not ways to destroy bedrock and drinking water in hope of being able to squeeze out a few last drops of oil. (Fair disclosure: This link was shared by another reader and passed on by Dave Barry, who wisecracks, "So it's not the beer and pizza.")
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3458224/Can-pollution-make-FAT-Breathing-smog-filled-air-cause-weight-gain-lead-diseases-linked-obesity.html
Flint
An e-friend from Luzon shows that Flint is not unique in having a badly mismanaged city water system:
http://blogjob.com/myinterests/2016/02/23/these-greedy-people-are-the-reasons-of-the-poor-service-of-water-supply/
Should all the pipes be completely replaced, or should they be re-coated? Hmm. I'm not aware of any material for either pipes or inner coatings that's 100% safe. It's up to them, and the state of Michigan can afford all-new pipes for the city of Flint if that's what the people really want...but if I were voting on my municipal water supply, I'd be interested in learning more about re-coating.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/when-will-flints-water-be-safe-to-drink/
Food (Yuck)
Monosodium glutamate is found, often identified by other names, in most processed food products sold in the United States. It has many names because it's derived from many sources. Aside from weaselly general terms like "spices," "seasonings," and "flavorings," MSG can also be described as "modified" this or that, depending on which edible or inedible substance was repeatedly dried out and burned to obtain it--often "modified food starch," "modified wheat," "modified corn," etc., though it can also be "modified" from kerosene. It's also found in a more natural, readily obtainable form in seaweed. I've always suspected that MSG extracted from seaweed would be healthier than MSG extracted from inedible material...but in excess even natural umami is also unhealthy, this Asian blogger testifies.
http://blogjob.com/myinterests/2016/02/23/they-never-used-umami/
Food (Yum)
Spaghetti and tomato sauce is a carbo-nightmare for some people (even if you use gluten-free spaghetti). More vegetables, and meat if you eat meat, make this meal lower-carb. (I like Hunt's Garlic & Herb Spaghetti Sauce because it's naturally sweetened with more carrot and onion, rather than corn syrup--which means that, so far, it doesn't make me sick--and it also contains more healthy fibre relative to carbs and calories. Homemade spaghetti sauce can be even better.)
http://blogjob.com/newwaystoeat/2016/02/23/spaghetti-sauce-with-turkey/
Living plants can make your home look nicer, some plants exude natural fungicides, and some potted plants are delicious. Once these potted herbs get going you can pinch off a few leaves now and then for cooking, and the plants will just grow more.
http://blogjob.com/gettingoffthegrid/2016/02/21/growing-herbs/
Fun Stuff
The creative process as simulated by a computer program:
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=6653
Gardening
The February thaw makes us dream, doesn't it? Here are two native North American "butterfly bushes" to go with your milkweeds, if you want "flying flowers" all summer.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/choosing-responsible-alternatives-to-the-butterfly-bush
Dogwoods are our state flower in Virginia, and, as everybody knows, this is what they look like. (Thanks to Taliesin at Morguefile: www.morguefile.com/archive/display/115383 )
However, there are a lot of other interesting things in the dogwood family, including the "cornel cherry" tree. Here's a gallery:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2298
Phenology Link
In Alabama, spring really starts with the February Thaw. In Virginia, the February Thaw can feel like spring (although so far it doesn't, this year) but that's actually a bad thing; the inevitable March freeze will nip flowers in the bud. Here, for yourall's delight, are the first beautiful yellow things of spring.
http://blogjob.com/conversations/2016/02/22/spring-in-february/
Politics
Wordpress blogs have become incredibly annoying lately. Here's a post I liked, despite its exaggerated title:
http://queenofliberty.com/2014/12/06/irish-john-words-that-have-destroyed-america/
Here's the comment the site is refusing to process, claiming that I'm not logged into a Wordpress-hosted account (which, in fact, I am):
"
“Class” is a word of very limited usefulness in the U.S. (except in the school context). Few of us have ever been poor in any meaningful sense, and few consider ourselves rich (because even millionnaires know billionnaires), so in economic terms probably 99% of us identify with a hypothetical “middle class.” Actually it’s so normal for U.S. citizens to start out as relatively low-income entry-level workers, feel really strapped for money while rearing children, feel prosperous as mature adults, and then feel poorish again in retirement, that if Marx had known anything about the U.S. he might have had to bloviate about a Generational Struggle.
"
Are you an "aficionado of complex financial crimes"? I'm not, actually. However, that people are digging this up suggests that people may be interested in my dear old Clinton FacTape script. I'm not sure whether the cassettes still exist, but the text does. If you are or know someone who missed out on the history of the Clinton Administration, let me know.
http://dailycaller.com/2016/02/22/why-whitewater-matters-newly-released-emails-show-a-pattern-of-clinton-deception/
Welfare Cheats
I like this. The U.S. needs more Maine. At least, if people are claiming handouts because they're un- or under-employed, they should be required to report to a day labor site and do whatever anybody can use their help to do, every day. (Tell me how harsh that is, if you really want to, but understand that you're talking to the Queen of Odd Jobs, here. I don't want food stamps; I want jobs, and the odder the better, myself.)
http://dailysignal.com/2016/02/08/maine-required-childless-adults-to-work-to-get-food-stamps-heres-what-happened/
Obligatory Fundraising Links
http://igg.me/at/frugalgraciouslivingchallenge/x/997637
http://blogjob.com/priscillaking/2016/02/23/this-is-not-a-happy-post/
Animals
Here's a gadget that may not be what enough people need to justify its being stocked in stores, but for a few people it should be great! This is what online stores are for.
http://blogjob.com/theadventuresofpandazeusandbaby/ways-to-stop-my-dog-from-scratching-my-wood-fence/
Environment
For those in other states who've never visited Louisiana, Arkansas, or Mississippi for that matter, the part of the story this patriotic Louisanan isn't telling (in so many words) is that a lot of the water down there is nasty with sulfur and chlorine and many other things best not thought about. So this corporation has this brilliant idea of drilling around one of the few springs in Louisiana that aren't positively frightening to visitors? Duh...
https://www.change.org/p/ban-fracking-in-louisiana-wetlands?
Here's another reason why we need to focus on alternatives to burning oil, not ways to destroy bedrock and drinking water in hope of being able to squeeze out a few last drops of oil. (Fair disclosure: This link was shared by another reader and passed on by Dave Barry, who wisecracks, "So it's not the beer and pizza.")
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3458224/Can-pollution-make-FAT-Breathing-smog-filled-air-cause-weight-gain-lead-diseases-linked-obesity.html
Flint
An e-friend from Luzon shows that Flint is not unique in having a badly mismanaged city water system:
http://blogjob.com/myinterests/2016/02/23/these-greedy-people-are-the-reasons-of-the-poor-service-of-water-supply/
Should all the pipes be completely replaced, or should they be re-coated? Hmm. I'm not aware of any material for either pipes or inner coatings that's 100% safe. It's up to them, and the state of Michigan can afford all-new pipes for the city of Flint if that's what the people really want...but if I were voting on my municipal water supply, I'd be interested in learning more about re-coating.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/when-will-flints-water-be-safe-to-drink/
Food (Yuck)
Monosodium glutamate is found, often identified by other names, in most processed food products sold in the United States. It has many names because it's derived from many sources. Aside from weaselly general terms like "spices," "seasonings," and "flavorings," MSG can also be described as "modified" this or that, depending on which edible or inedible substance was repeatedly dried out and burned to obtain it--often "modified food starch," "modified wheat," "modified corn," etc., though it can also be "modified" from kerosene. It's also found in a more natural, readily obtainable form in seaweed. I've always suspected that MSG extracted from seaweed would be healthier than MSG extracted from inedible material...but in excess even natural umami is also unhealthy, this Asian blogger testifies.
http://blogjob.com/myinterests/2016/02/23/they-never-used-umami/
Food (Yum)
Spaghetti and tomato sauce is a carbo-nightmare for some people (even if you use gluten-free spaghetti). More vegetables, and meat if you eat meat, make this meal lower-carb. (I like Hunt's Garlic & Herb Spaghetti Sauce because it's naturally sweetened with more carrot and onion, rather than corn syrup--which means that, so far, it doesn't make me sick--and it also contains more healthy fibre relative to carbs and calories. Homemade spaghetti sauce can be even better.)
http://blogjob.com/newwaystoeat/2016/02/23/spaghetti-sauce-with-turkey/
Living plants can make your home look nicer, some plants exude natural fungicides, and some potted plants are delicious. Once these potted herbs get going you can pinch off a few leaves now and then for cooking, and the plants will just grow more.
http://blogjob.com/gettingoffthegrid/2016/02/21/growing-herbs/
Fun Stuff
The creative process as simulated by a computer program:
http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=6653
Gardening
The February thaw makes us dream, doesn't it? Here are two native North American "butterfly bushes" to go with your milkweeds, if you want "flying flowers" all summer.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/choosing-responsible-alternatives-to-the-butterfly-bush
Dogwoods are our state flower in Virginia, and, as everybody knows, this is what they look like. (Thanks to Taliesin at Morguefile: www.morguefile.com/archive/display/115383 )
However, there are a lot of other interesting things in the dogwood family, including the "cornel cherry" tree. Here's a gallery:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2298
Phenology Link
In Alabama, spring really starts with the February Thaw. In Virginia, the February Thaw can feel like spring (although so far it doesn't, this year) but that's actually a bad thing; the inevitable March freeze will nip flowers in the bud. Here, for yourall's delight, are the first beautiful yellow things of spring.
http://blogjob.com/conversations/2016/02/22/spring-in-february/
Politics
Wordpress blogs have become incredibly annoying lately. Here's a post I liked, despite its exaggerated title:
http://queenofliberty.com/2014/12/06/irish-john-words-that-have-destroyed-america/
Here's the comment the site is refusing to process, claiming that I'm not logged into a Wordpress-hosted account (which, in fact, I am):
"
“Class” is a word of very limited usefulness in the U.S. (except in the school context). Few of us have ever been poor in any meaningful sense, and few consider ourselves rich (because even millionnaires know billionnaires), so in economic terms probably 99% of us identify with a hypothetical “middle class.” Actually it’s so normal for U.S. citizens to start out as relatively low-income entry-level workers, feel really strapped for money while rearing children, feel prosperous as mature adults, and then feel poorish again in retirement, that if Marx had known anything about the U.S. he might have had to bloviate about a Generational Struggle.
"
Are you an "aficionado of complex financial crimes"? I'm not, actually. However, that people are digging this up suggests that people may be interested in my dear old Clinton FacTape script. I'm not sure whether the cassettes still exist, but the text does. If you are or know someone who missed out on the history of the Clinton Administration, let me know.
http://dailycaller.com/2016/02/22/why-whitewater-matters-newly-released-emails-show-a-pattern-of-clinton-deception/
Welfare Cheats
I like this. The U.S. needs more Maine. At least, if people are claiming handouts because they're un- or under-employed, they should be required to report to a day labor site and do whatever anybody can use their help to do, every day. (Tell me how harsh that is, if you really want to, but understand that you're talking to the Queen of Odd Jobs, here. I don't want food stamps; I want jobs, and the odder the better, myself.)
http://dailysignal.com/2016/02/08/maine-required-childless-adults-to-work-to-get-food-stamps-heres-what-happened/
Endorsement of Ben Carson
Here's what I posted at Change.org's sister site, Changepolitics.org, where you too can create an account and endorse your favorite presidential candidate:
First of all, due to the birthplace question for Cruz and the sincerity question for Trump, I think Ben Carson really is the most viable candidate in the Republican Party now.
Secondly, I think he's relatively conservative on financial issues, very "conservative" in terms of personal lifestyle, and quite "liberal" and "enlightened" about people and social issues. He practices modesty and chastity but wouldn't discriminate against people whose personal choices are not sanctioned by the church. He doesn't want to cut the budget nearly as much as Rand Paul would have done, but isn't calling for more taxes and spending either. He's willing and able to work with military advisors if we have to go into war, but he's generally a man of peace. This is a combination America needs.
Thirdly, I've been saying for about a year now--the Democrats' big problem is that they let their youngest solid candidate be President first, and now their remaining candidates are too old for the job. I think the Republicans should rally behind their oldest solid candidate too. People call Marco Rubio "the young one" and Rand Paul "the junior senator." Those Senators will probably have other years to run for President if they work with Dr. Carson and build their resumes right now.
And I'm not saying I'd vote for anybody just because s/he worked at the hospital that did so much for a child I loved, or belongs to the church I'm most likely to attend, or wrote books I've recommended to students in search of a role model...but none of those things hurts!
[Update: I hit the "share" button, and Google + automatically pulled up my kitten image. We can do better than this. Why not a clickable link you can use to buy Dr. Carson's book?]
First of all, due to the birthplace question for Cruz and the sincerity question for Trump, I think Ben Carson really is the most viable candidate in the Republican Party now.
Secondly, I think he's relatively conservative on financial issues, very "conservative" in terms of personal lifestyle, and quite "liberal" and "enlightened" about people and social issues. He practices modesty and chastity but wouldn't discriminate against people whose personal choices are not sanctioned by the church. He doesn't want to cut the budget nearly as much as Rand Paul would have done, but isn't calling for more taxes and spending either. He's willing and able to work with military advisors if we have to go into war, but he's generally a man of peace. This is a combination America needs.
Thirdly, I've been saying for about a year now--the Democrats' big problem is that they let their youngest solid candidate be President first, and now their remaining candidates are too old for the job. I think the Republicans should rally behind their oldest solid candidate too. People call Marco Rubio "the young one" and Rand Paul "the junior senator." Those Senators will probably have other years to run for President if they work with Dr. Carson and build their resumes right now.
And I'm not saying I'd vote for anybody just because s/he worked at the hospital that did so much for a child I loved, or belongs to the church I'm most likely to attend, or wrote books I've recommended to students in search of a role model...but none of those things hurts!
[Update: I hit the "share" button, and Google + automatically pulled up my kitten image. We can do better than this. Why not a clickable link you can use to buy Dr. Carson's book?]
From U.S. Representative Robert Hurt (R-VA-5):
"
Dear Friend,
Last Monday, another important deadline in the fight to defeat the Islamic State came and went with little attention from the media. February 15 was the congressionally-mandated deadline for the President to submit his plan for defeating ISIS to Congress. This President, unsurprisingly, has once again chosen to ignore the imminent threats imposed by this radical organization instead of taking action.
The threat posed by the Islamic State is not some nebulous, undefined threat. It is all too real, clear, and present as we saw in Paris, Beirut, San Bernardino, Turkey, and many other places around the world. Just last month, the Pentagon officials concluded that more must be done to defeat the Islamic State. Two weeks ago, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency testified before Congress that the Islamic State “will probably attempt to conduct additional attacks in Europe, and attempt to direct attacks on the U.S. homeland in 2016.” And yet, this President refuses to take any sort of substantive action. It is past time that he step up into his role of Commander in Chief and deliver a plan to defeat this radical terror organization. We must act before it is too late.
The President repeatedly continues to shirk his constitutional responsibility, claiming that Congress has taken no action, but on the contrary, we have maintained our focus on matters of national security. In the House, we have recently passed legislation to both enhance sanctions on Iran and North Korea as well as strengthen our visa waiver program – both efforts to enhance our national security. And of course, we instructed the President to develop a plan for eliminating the threat of ISIS once and for all, yet he disregarded this instruction and instead points fingers. The President’s choice to ignore a congressionally-mandated deadline to develop a strategy not only further diminishes the prospects of Congress and the Administration working together, it essentially leaves or men and women overseas without a plan – putting them in harm’s way with no true plan of action.
Months have passed since the President signed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, the legislation that required him to submit a plan to defeat the Islamic State to Congress. In that time, the Islamic State has only continued its campaign of terror both at home and abroad in the months that have passed. As ISIS strengthens both in numbers and influence, our national defense is left without a compass.
Despite this ignored deadline, the House will continue to do everything within our power to protect our national security. Under Article One of the Constitution, Congress has no greater responsibility than to provide for the defense of our great country. In the House, national security remains a top priority, and I urge the President to join us in this essential effort.
If you need any additional information or if we may be of assistance to you, please visit my website at hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.
Sincerely,
"
[signature graphic: Robert Hurt]
"
Dear Friend,
Last Monday, another important deadline in the fight to defeat the Islamic State came and went with little attention from the media. February 15 was the congressionally-mandated deadline for the President to submit his plan for defeating ISIS to Congress. This President, unsurprisingly, has once again chosen to ignore the imminent threats imposed by this radical organization instead of taking action.
The threat posed by the Islamic State is not some nebulous, undefined threat. It is all too real, clear, and present as we saw in Paris, Beirut, San Bernardino, Turkey, and many other places around the world. Just last month, the Pentagon officials concluded that more must be done to defeat the Islamic State. Two weeks ago, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency testified before Congress that the Islamic State “will probably attempt to conduct additional attacks in Europe, and attempt to direct attacks on the U.S. homeland in 2016.” And yet, this President refuses to take any sort of substantive action. It is past time that he step up into his role of Commander in Chief and deliver a plan to defeat this radical terror organization. We must act before it is too late.
The President repeatedly continues to shirk his constitutional responsibility, claiming that Congress has taken no action, but on the contrary, we have maintained our focus on matters of national security. In the House, we have recently passed legislation to both enhance sanctions on Iran and North Korea as well as strengthen our visa waiver program – both efforts to enhance our national security. And of course, we instructed the President to develop a plan for eliminating the threat of ISIS once and for all, yet he disregarded this instruction and instead points fingers. The President’s choice to ignore a congressionally-mandated deadline to develop a strategy not only further diminishes the prospects of Congress and the Administration working together, it essentially leaves or men and women overseas without a plan – putting them in harm’s way with no true plan of action.
Months have passed since the President signed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, the legislation that required him to submit a plan to defeat the Islamic State to Congress. In that time, the Islamic State has only continued its campaign of terror both at home and abroad in the months that have passed. As ISIS strengthens both in numbers and influence, our national defense is left without a compass.
Despite this ignored deadline, the House will continue to do everything within our power to protect our national security. Under Article One of the Constitution, Congress has no greater responsibility than to provide for the defense of our great country. In the House, national security remains a top priority, and I urge the President to join us in this essential effort.
If you need any additional information or if we may be of assistance to you, please visit my website at hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.
At the 58th Annual Piney River Volunteer Fire
Department Chitterling Dinner, I visited with Danita Massie, and her husband
Michael Massie, a Piney River firefighter.
Sincerely,
"
[signature graphic: Robert Hurt]
This Is Not a Happy Post
(Blogjob tags: Blogjob fundraising,financial ethics, Frugal Gracious Living Challenge,fundraising with Indiegogo,Glenn Beck book Broke,Glenn Foden cartoon, me me me me me, soda pop as a weight loss diet, wail.)
Fair warning: This post is about money. This post is not intended to make anybody feel good. This post was not written by a happy camper. This is the post where I nag you, blame you, and shame you...because your lack of response to my project isn't leaving me any more pleasant options. If you are living on less than US$1000 per month or the local equivalent, like some Blogjob bloggers who earn pennies by commenting on each other's blog posts, please click back and comment on a book review.
As regular readers know, the project is discussed at Indiegogo, a fundraising site, so anybody who has any kind of bank account may contribute; you don't have to use Paypal, although there's a Paypal link right in the sidebar to your left. Check out the new update (an "Updates" tab should show up about the middle of the screen).
Y'know, when I set up a fundraising page, I anticipated two outcomes: either (a) the project would be funded and all would be well, or (b) a handful of e-friends would want to chip in a dollar here and five dollars there, so I'd end up having to refund all their insufficient funds, which would be a bore. I didn't anticipate that no readers would want to support this project. But that's what Indiegogo is still showing: zero funding.
Gentle Readers, I don't ask people for money if I have any viable options. And I don't want to hear any garbage about my emotional mood--which is fine--when I say that, if this project isn't fully funded, fast, I'll go home and stop eating. I've always thought that, if others don't appreciate what we do enough for us to earn a decent living at it, that's the ethical thing to do. Not rob banks or sell drugs--plenty of people my age, in my part of the world, are faking disabilities to get prescriptions for resale, but that's not for me. Not continue scrimping and scraping and scrounging while other people get rich at our expense--that doesn't serve their Highest Good any better than ours. And certainly not consider any form of welfare cheating; any ethical person who's able to work should be willing to work and, by the same token, their neighbors should be willing to pay for what they do.
And, to fulfill my obligation to throw in an Amazon book link...readers who've not been following me for very long are encouraged to read Broke
. When that book came out I was like, "How reliable can an entertainer be on economics?" Since then, Real Economists have agreed that if anything Glenn Beck was optimistic. Let him explain to you why...in 1970, I believe, welfare cheating was morally less vile than prostitution; not now.
. When that book came out I was like, "How reliable can an entertainer be on economics?" Since then, Real Economists have agreed that if anything Glenn Beck was optimistic. Let him explain to you why...in 1970, I believe, welfare cheating was morally less vile than prostitution; not now.
And it's not that other people don't find uses for what I do, make, or resell. That, they definitely do. When I've not been unpaid or underpaid for writing, in the past ten years, I've been equally unpaid or underpaid for home nursing, baby-sitting, tutoring, storekeeping, even for knitting...there are people venal enough to take a $5 handknitted cap and not pay for it, and one of them is sitting within 200 yards from where I'm typing this. The problem is not and has never been with my work. It's with other people's willingness to pay for what they are, in fact, taking at every opportunity.
I enjoy living. I enjoy writing. I don't know how many people really enjoy reading what I write, but the computer shows that plenty of people are reading it. I enjoy eating. I don't enjoy the days in between paid jobs, like today, when I can't afford to eat. (I also don't enjoy the days when the last meal on which I spent money is making me sick because it contained GMO grains and/or glyphosate "pesticides"; between one of those things and the other, I've got through a lot of days without solid food...literally living on soda pop and/or sweet coffee.)
I spent the last of the last payment I collected on a cheap road-junk meal yesterday. Who knows when the next person will pay for anything I've made or done. Maybe later today, maybe not for another month...I'm tired of waiting to find out.
That Indiegogo page shows a wide range of "perks" people can use to get more than their money's worth in return for their investment. And yes, it is an investment that might lead to profit later on, as well as (for those who contribute enough) a chance to support your favorite 501(c)(3) charity.
If that page isn't showing your substantial contribution, you're telling me, loud and clear, to go home and die. So of course that really makes me care about you enough to put up with any "But-but-but" blather that might ease your emotional feelings about this. Not.
Morgan Griffith Explains "Brexit"
From U.S.Representative Morgan Griffith, R-VA-9:
"
Brexit
On February 20, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that on June 23, a referendum will be held on whether Britain would remain part of the European Union (EU) or if it will depart and exit the EU, commonly known in the United Kingdom as “Brexit.” This announcement follows an EU summit in Brussels at which Cameron had renegotiated Britain’s membership in the EU, which reportedly would grant his country with special status in the EU should it remain part of the EU.
Britain’s relationship with the EU has been and continues to be a significant, divisive issue in British politics. Some are of the belief that Britain has been pushed around by the EU, and hasn’t received a fair deal. Others, including the Prime Minister, advocate remaining in the EU, arguing among other things that it is important to Britain’s security and its economy.
Comments on this debate by United States Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman indicate that the US would not be interested in a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Britain should it leave the EU. He said, “We're not particularly in the market for FTAs with individual countries. We're building platforms ... that other countries can join over time.”
Further, he said, “We have no FTA with the U.K. so they would be subject to the same tariffs – and other trade-related measures – as China, or Brazil or India.”
I am disappointed by these comments, which appear to be veiled threats against one of our oldest allies and friends. The special relationship that exists between the United States and the United Kingdom is of great importance to both nations. I am of the belief that Froman should not have made these remarks, and that the United States ought not meddle in Britain’s internal political affairs. Instead, Britain should be left to make its own determinations.
After all, we are a nation founded in part because the British wouldn’t let us independently make decisions on such issues as levels of taxation.
As I reflect on this situation, I can’t help but note that I am writing this column on February 22, the anniversary of George Washington’s birth. Washington, as you may know, was initially a loyal British subject before he later would become known as the father of the United States.
It is not the place of the US government to interfere in Britain’s internal matters, just as we would not want Her Majesty’s government to interfere in those of our own.
Nor should we punish our ally and friend Great Britain should its people vote to leave the EU. Further, if they decide to Brexit and leave the EU, we should immediately grant Great Britain trade agreements similar to those granted the nations of the EU.
In a letter to President Obama in early November, I expressed my concerns about Froman’s comments. I noted that the United Kingdom is our seventh largest trading partner, accounting for approximately $54 billion in exports in 2014 alone. We should continue to have good trading relations with our friend and ally no matter what Britain’s voters decide to do in regards to their membership in the EU.
Additionally, while some argue that the EU and Great Britain are both stronger if they remain united, let us recall the Continental System of Napoleon in the first decade and a half of the 19th Century. That system was designed in part to economically unify Europe to the detriment of the British. These efforts were not successful. Not only did the British defeat Napoleon, but the British economy was the strongest in the world for most of the 19th Century.
Instead of interfering in Britain’s business, let’s trust the British voters to make their own decisions. Once again, an overreaching Obama Administration is attempting to meddle in areas in which it probably has no business meddling.
Traveling Staff Office Hours
To better serve you, my staff and I travel regularly through the Ninth District to attend meetings or events and to hold traveling staff office hours. At traveling staff office hours, we meet with constituents, help interact with federal agencies, and/or listen to constituents’ opinions on legislative matters. A complete schedule of upcoming traveling staff office hours is available on my website, www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"
"
Brexit
On February 20, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that on June 23, a referendum will be held on whether Britain would remain part of the European Union (EU) or if it will depart and exit the EU, commonly known in the United Kingdom as “Brexit.” This announcement follows an EU summit in Brussels at which Cameron had renegotiated Britain’s membership in the EU, which reportedly would grant his country with special status in the EU should it remain part of the EU.
Britain’s relationship with the EU has been and continues to be a significant, divisive issue in British politics. Some are of the belief that Britain has been pushed around by the EU, and hasn’t received a fair deal. Others, including the Prime Minister, advocate remaining in the EU, arguing among other things that it is important to Britain’s security and its economy.
Comments on this debate by United States Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman indicate that the US would not be interested in a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Britain should it leave the EU. He said, “We're not particularly in the market for FTAs with individual countries. We're building platforms ... that other countries can join over time.”
Further, he said, “We have no FTA with the U.K. so they would be subject to the same tariffs – and other trade-related measures – as China, or Brazil or India.”
I am disappointed by these comments, which appear to be veiled threats against one of our oldest allies and friends. The special relationship that exists between the United States and the United Kingdom is of great importance to both nations. I am of the belief that Froman should not have made these remarks, and that the United States ought not meddle in Britain’s internal political affairs. Instead, Britain should be left to make its own determinations.
After all, we are a nation founded in part because the British wouldn’t let us independently make decisions on such issues as levels of taxation.
As I reflect on this situation, I can’t help but note that I am writing this column on February 22, the anniversary of George Washington’s birth. Washington, as you may know, was initially a loyal British subject before he later would become known as the father of the United States.
It is not the place of the US government to interfere in Britain’s internal matters, just as we would not want Her Majesty’s government to interfere in those of our own.
Nor should we punish our ally and friend Great Britain should its people vote to leave the EU. Further, if they decide to Brexit and leave the EU, we should immediately grant Great Britain trade agreements similar to those granted the nations of the EU.
In a letter to President Obama in early November, I expressed my concerns about Froman’s comments. I noted that the United Kingdom is our seventh largest trading partner, accounting for approximately $54 billion in exports in 2014 alone. We should continue to have good trading relations with our friend and ally no matter what Britain’s voters decide to do in regards to their membership in the EU.
Additionally, while some argue that the EU and Great Britain are both stronger if they remain united, let us recall the Continental System of Napoleon in the first decade and a half of the 19th Century. That system was designed in part to economically unify Europe to the detriment of the British. These efforts were not successful. Not only did the British defeat Napoleon, but the British economy was the strongest in the world for most of the 19th Century.
Instead of interfering in Britain’s business, let’s trust the British voters to make their own decisions. Once again, an overreaching Obama Administration is attempting to meddle in areas in which it probably has no business meddling.
Traveling Staff Office Hours
To better serve you, my staff and I travel regularly through the Ninth District to attend meetings or events and to hold traveling staff office hours. At traveling staff office hours, we meet with constituents, help interact with federal agencies, and/or listen to constituents’ opinions on legislative matters. A complete schedule of upcoming traveling staff office hours is available on my website, www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"
Book Review: Irma's Big Lie
(Reclaimed from Blogjob, where it was tagged: chapter book for middle school readers, children’s book, children’s story,middle school social life,stories about dolls, stories about girls, stories about honesty.)
Author: Carol Ryrie Brink
Title: Irma's Big Lie (originally The Bad Times of Irma Baumlein)
Author: Carol Ryrie Brink
Date: 1972
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: none
Length: 134 pages
Illustrations: drawings by Trina Schart Hyman
Quote: "She took so long to answer that Judy said, 'Don't you have anything?' Then Irma said (and she was surprised to hear herself say it), 'Yes, I have the Biggest Doll in the World. She's as tall as I am.'"
(Topic credit for this one goes to +Kimberly Dalessandro , who mentioned Irma's Big Lie as a childhood favorite in a comment on another novel about middle school children. I hadn't had a copy for sale, but I did remember having read and liked this one in grade four.)
Irma isn't even much of a doll collector; she's more interested in living people and animals. But she's new at this school, and since Judy has so many siblings and pets, Irma feels a need to claim to have something, in her home, besides a great-aunt, great-uncle, a live-in couple who seem almost as old as her elders, and a father who's busy trying to revive the great-uncle's store. Even Irma's mother thinks the great-uncle's home is boring.
At first the lie seems to work. Judy accepts Irma as an interesting person; they become friends. There's only one problem. Irma, having fended off inquiries with a description of a fabulous doll like nothing she's ever seen, has to find such a doll (and show it off at school) before her new school friends realize what a whopper she's told...and she has only fourteen dollars to spend.
Irma could, of course, get creative and make the doll she's described--from rags, or cardboard--but she doesn't know how, and her big lie just keeps growing as the other girls want more details about this doll. And then Irma sees the doll she's described. The fictions writers imagine are often suggested by things we've half-noticed when we saw or heard them somewhere. Nothing like the doll Irma has described is in her great-uncle's department store for sale as a doll, but there is such an object in the store...
In the end, what Irma's done is not unlike what an Internet Portal does. Blogjob blogs market all kinds of things that the bloggers may or may not actually have to sell. To write this review, I went over to the part of the local library that's still a library, or half of one, and looked at a vintage hardcover copy of The Bad Times of Irma Baumlein, showing all the signs of having been enjoyed by middle school readers for forty years. (I remember it as a new book; some of the pencil marks here and there were mine.) What I can sell you ($5 per book, $5 per package, $1 per online payment) won't be the copy at which I'm looking now; nor, if I were to sell this book in real life, would it be the copy in my home, which belongs to The Nephews now. I'm actually fantasizing, as Irma did, about being able to give you something I don't have. The difference is that I know the thing, the book (by whatever title or binding), does exist and I can get it for you.
Monday, February 22, 2016
February 22 Link Log
I didn't make it to the bottom of the mountain of e-mail that piled up during those "snow days," yet, but at least I dug up the elected officials' contributions, which I know are what some people read this site for. Categories: Animals, Food (Yuck), Food (Yum), Funny Things, Music, Politics, Security, Virginia Legislature, Writing.
Animals
The cougar...you wouldn't want to meet a cat like that.
http://blogjob.com/insights/2016/02/09/about-the-magestic-american-cougar-puma-concolor/
Food (Yuck)
Could your municipal water supply contain lead?
http://earthjustice.org/blog/2016-february/lax-rules-let-flint-s-poisoned-water-drip-through-the-cracks?utm_source=crm&utm_content=Flint_blurb&curation=ebrief#
Should Kroger stores, whose image is based on quality rather than cheapness (although they still run some good sales), continue to use eggs from overcrowded hens? Caged hens are unhealthy birds; you can see and feel, as well as scientifically measure, how inferior their eggs are to eggs from free-range hens.
https://www.change.org/p/kroger-tell-kroger-to-stop-caging-hens?
Food (Yum)
Sweet potato muffins...first you bake the sweet potatoes, then you bake the muffins. Baking is a nice way to stay warm in winter. It also helps dehumidify the air and, as a commenter observes, make the house smell naturally delicious.
http://blogjob.com/foodwithaplan/archives/356
If you use garlic in medicinal quantities, you might want to raise your own. Here are tips:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4064
Could you use scrambled eggs instead of boiled eggs in a salad? Why not? You could use turkey bacon, too, and/or scrambled tofu instead of eggs if you're allergic to eggs.
http://blogjob.com/mykitchenandi/2016/02/21/scrambled-eggs-with-bacon-for-brunch/
Funny Things
How is it possible to get through your e-mail if you don't subscribe to Dave Barry's blog? This article comes from 1996...long enough ago to be funny again.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article59201833.html#emlnl=Dave_Barry_Newsletter
If you don't have a paid subscription to the Miami Herald you'll have to read this one fast, because a nasty subscription widget pops up before the page finishes loading. I read most things online fast, usually before the pictures and junk finish loading, if I read them at all, so this is not a real problem...merely annoying.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article58863748.html
Music
If you like rock/pop music with Christian themes, you might want to follow this band on Twitter:
"
Politics
Larry Elder, Jonah Goldberg and I aren't the only ones noticing how illiberal the Left has become...
http://dailysignal.com/2016/02/18/the-rise-of-intolerant-liberals/?
Rick Manning even notes that the idea that Americans are "Taxed Enough Already" is, and always was...not exactly exclusive to the Republican Party, but fairly well synonymous with the base of the Republican Party. Hugh Hewitt's idea that the Republicans could afford to become tax-and-spend "Republicrats" or "RINOs" was what was radical...and inaccurate.
http://netrightdaily.com/2016/02/what-happened-to-the-tea-party/
Did Justice Scalia name his heir? (Btw the "?" at the end of the link means that there was a long tracking link after the "?", originally, as in the Earthjustice link above, but the software ate it.)
http://joemiller.us/2016/02/wow-discovered-interview-of-antonin-scalia-reveals-exactly-who-he-wanted-to-replace-him/?
Security
You think not typing or texting your family's real names into "the cloud" is worrying too much? Consider what people who are "really" at risk put themselves through.
http://nowiknow.com/the-queens-flesh-and-blood-insurance-policy/
What happens if you win the lottery? Not much if it's "Lucky Sevens" and you win $7, but if you win $700,000, how much of it are you prepared to spend on security? 'Cos you'gon' need some...
https://www.change.org/p/let-lottery-winners-remain-anonymous?
Virginia Legislature
State Senator Bill Carrico made national news as Virginia Senate Bill 457 just passed the Senate unanimously. Christina Delgado reports:
http://www.freedomworks.org/content/legislation-virginia-protects-property-owners-government-overreach
Here's the full text...
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB457
Writing
Two editorials (host and guest), and if you scroll further down, contests:
http://archive.aweber.com/fundsforwriters/KO7si/h/FundsforWriters_February.htm
Animals
The cougar...you wouldn't want to meet a cat like that.
http://blogjob.com/insights/2016/02/09/about-the-magestic-american-cougar-puma-concolor/
Food (Yuck)
Could your municipal water supply contain lead?
http://earthjustice.org/blog/2016-february/lax-rules-let-flint-s-poisoned-water-drip-through-the-cracks?utm_source=crm&utm_content=Flint_blurb&curation=ebrief#
Should Kroger stores, whose image is based on quality rather than cheapness (although they still run some good sales), continue to use eggs from overcrowded hens? Caged hens are unhealthy birds; you can see and feel, as well as scientifically measure, how inferior their eggs are to eggs from free-range hens.
https://www.change.org/p/kroger-tell-kroger-to-stop-caging-hens?
Food (Yum)
Sweet potato muffins...first you bake the sweet potatoes, then you bake the muffins. Baking is a nice way to stay warm in winter. It also helps dehumidify the air and, as a commenter observes, make the house smell naturally delicious.
http://blogjob.com/foodwithaplan/archives/356
If you use garlic in medicinal quantities, you might want to raise your own. Here are tips:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4064
Could you use scrambled eggs instead of boiled eggs in a salad? Why not? You could use turkey bacon, too, and/or scrambled tofu instead of eggs if you're allergic to eggs.
http://blogjob.com/mykitchenandi/2016/02/21/scrambled-eggs-with-bacon-for-brunch/
Funny Things
How is it possible to get through your e-mail if you don't subscribe to Dave Barry's blog? This article comes from 1996...long enough ago to be funny again.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article59201833.html#emlnl=Dave_Barry_Newsletter
If you don't have a paid subscription to the Miami Herald you'll have to read this one fast, because a nasty subscription widget pops up before the page finishes loading. I read most things online fast, usually before the pictures and junk finish loading, if I read them at all, so this is not a real problem...merely annoying.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article58863748.html
Music
If you like rock/pop music with Christian themes, you might want to follow this band on Twitter:
"
Politics
Larry Elder, Jonah Goldberg and I aren't the only ones noticing how illiberal the Left has become...
http://dailysignal.com/2016/02/18/the-rise-of-intolerant-liberals/?
Rick Manning even notes that the idea that Americans are "Taxed Enough Already" is, and always was...not exactly exclusive to the Republican Party, but fairly well synonymous with the base of the Republican Party. Hugh Hewitt's idea that the Republicans could afford to become tax-and-spend "Republicrats" or "RINOs" was what was radical...and inaccurate.
http://netrightdaily.com/2016/02/what-happened-to-the-tea-party/
Did Justice Scalia name his heir? (Btw the "?" at the end of the link means that there was a long tracking link after the "?", originally, as in the Earthjustice link above, but the software ate it.)
http://joemiller.us/2016/02/wow-discovered-interview-of-antonin-scalia-reveals-exactly-who-he-wanted-to-replace-him/?
Security
You think not typing or texting your family's real names into "the cloud" is worrying too much? Consider what people who are "really" at risk put themselves through.
http://nowiknow.com/the-queens-flesh-and-blood-insurance-policy/
What happens if you win the lottery? Not much if it's "Lucky Sevens" and you win $7, but if you win $700,000, how much of it are you prepared to spend on security? 'Cos you'gon' need some...
https://www.change.org/p/let-lottery-winners-remain-anonymous?
Virginia Legislature
State Senator Bill Carrico made national news as Virginia Senate Bill 457 just passed the Senate unanimously. Christina Delgado reports:
http://www.freedomworks.org/content/legislation-virginia-protects-property-owners-government-overreach
Here's the full text...
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB457
Writing
Two editorials (host and guest), and if you scroll further down, contests:
http://archive.aweber.com/fundsforwriters/KO7si/h/FundsforWriters_February.htm
Trimming the Board: SB 329
From the office of Virginia State Senator Bill Carrico:
"
"
Carrico’s BVU Overhaul Bill Overwhelmingly
Passes Senate
Richmond-Senator Bill
Carrico’s SB329 passed the Senate on Friday morning, 37-0.
Senate Bill 329 reduces the current BVU board membership from 9
to 7. In addition, it includes a complete overhaul of the current board, changes
how the board is appointed, and it gives customers of BVU more equal
representation on the board.
"I am extremely pleased with the Senate's
passage of SB329, and I appreciate the overwhelming support of my colleagues,"
said Carrico. “I believe this bill represents the fundamental transformation of
BVU demanded by the citizens. It is the start of a new chapter for both BVU and
the city.”
Next, SB329 heads to the House of Delegates, if
successful there, it goes to Governor McAuliffe for his
consideration.
Additional information can be found on Virginia’s Legislative Information
System online at
lis.virginia.gov
"
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