Monday, February 28, 2011
Website of the Day
You can locate your cell phone in a jiffy with a quick trip to icantfindmyphone.com. Enter your digits and the free service will call your phone. And, yes, odds are your purse will start ringing.
John Baldry - Conditional Discharge and Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on The King of Rock and Roll
If you don't absolutely love this song - there's something wrong with you.
Enjoy!
Ladies!
Remember...a layer of dust protects the wood beneath it.
'A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture .'
I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - 'in case someone came over. Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
NOW, when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my home
They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun.
If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.
Life is short. Enjoy it!
Dust if you must .......
but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time . . . .
with shrimp to eat, rivers to swim and mountains to climb , music, to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must,
but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must , but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. . .
And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself will make more dust!
Share this with all the wonderful women in your life.
I JUST DID.
It's not what you gather , but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.
'A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture .'
I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - 'in case someone came over. Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
NOW, when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my home
They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun.
If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.
Life is short. Enjoy it!
Dust if you must .......
but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time . . . .
with shrimp to eat, rivers to swim and mountains to climb , music, to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must,
but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must , but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. . .
And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself will make more dust!
Share this with all the wonderful women in your life.
I JUST DID.
It's not what you gather , but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.
Do statistics in a chain e-mail give an accurate "report card" of President Obama's first two years?
Not exactly. The author made many minor mistakes and some major omissions in describing the terrible economic conditions he attributes to the president.
Read more
Read more
What Days to Buy Airline Tickets to Save the Most
There are certain days of the week when airfare sales are first unveiled, and when other airlines match those fares. But, often a day or two after being introduced, those lower fares disappear. This WSJ article points out the best days to shop for lower airfares.
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker slams Wall Street probes
Documentary filmmaker Charles Ferguson was honored last night at the Academy Awards for his film “Inside Job,” studying the financial crisis of 2008. During his speech, he took the opportunity to issue a scathing critique of the government’s post-crisis investigations.
“Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after our horrific financial crisis caused by financial fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that’s wrong,” he said.
Read more
“Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after our horrific financial crisis caused by financial fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that’s wrong,” he said.
Read more
18 Simple Tips for Deluttering your Home
These simple steps will not only clear space in every room, from the bedroom and kitchen to the home office and hall closet – but they'll also cut waste and reduce your environmental impact.
Read more
Read more
Easy Chicken Chili with White Beans
Vegetable cooking spray
1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 can (12.5 ounces)* Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1 can (about 15 ounces) small white beans
1 medium red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural GoodnessTM or Certified Organic)
1 can (about 4 ounces) chopped green chiles
Shredded Cheddar cheese
1. Spray a 2-quart saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes or until it's tender. Stir the cumin and chili powder in the saucepan.
2. Stir the chicken, beans, pepper, broth and chiles in the saucepan. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately.
*Or 3 cans (4.5 ounces each)
Makes: 5 servings (about 1 cup each).
1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 can (12.5 ounces)* Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1 can (about 15 ounces) small white beans
1 medium red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural GoodnessTM or Certified Organic)
1 can (about 4 ounces) chopped green chiles
Shredded Cheddar cheese
1. Spray a 2-quart saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes or until it's tender. Stir the cumin and chili powder in the saucepan.
2. Stir the chicken, beans, pepper, broth and chiles in the saucepan. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately.
*Or 3 cans (4.5 ounces each)
Makes: 5 servings (about 1 cup each).
Sweet Buttermilk Corn Bread
Here's a fantastic buttermilk cornbread recipe! It's sweet and moist, and it pairs nicely with chili, soup, or just about any warm meal. Serve it warm and pat on a little butter. Mmmm!
Serves: 20
Cooking Time: 30 min
Ingredients
* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 1/4 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
* 1 cup yellow cornmeal
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Lightly grease a 9x12-inch glass baking dish.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then beat in the sugar.
5. Mix in the buttermilk until blended, then add the melted butter.
6. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture; mix well.
7. Add the cornmeal and blend thoroughly.
8. Bake in a 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Serves: 20
Cooking Time: 30 min
Ingredients
* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 1/4 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
* 1 cup yellow cornmeal
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Lightly grease a 9x12-inch glass baking dish.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then beat in the sugar.
5. Mix in the buttermilk until blended, then add the melted butter.
6. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture; mix well.
7. Add the cornmeal and blend thoroughly.
8. Bake in a 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Snickerdoodles
This is the first thing every girl in my school district made in their first year of Home-Ec
Makes 60 cookies
Hands-On Time: 25m
Total Time: 3hr 25m
Ingredients
* 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar
* 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375° F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup of the granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine the cinnamon and the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Form the dough into balls (each equal to 1 level tablespoon). Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
4. Bake until the edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Today's Quote
"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind."
— Mahatma Gandhi: was a political and spiritual leader of India
Pecans in the Cemetery
From Spadoman @ Roundcircle Blog
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree
just inside the cemetery fence.
One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the
tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. "One for you, one for me.
One for you, one for me," said one boy.
Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.
Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he
passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down
to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me. One for
you, one for me."
He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off.
Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.
"Come here quick," said the boy, "you won't believe what I heard!
Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls."
The man said, "Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk."
When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.
Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for
you, one for me..."
The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth.
Let's see if we can see the Lord."
Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still
unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron
bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the
Lord. At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's
go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done."
Rumor has it that the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes
ahead of the kid on the bike
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree
just inside the cemetery fence.
One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the
tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. "One for you, one for me.
One for you, one for me," said one boy.
Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.
Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he
passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down
to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me. One for
you, one for me."
He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off.
Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.
"Come here quick," said the boy, "you won't believe what I heard!
Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls."
The man said, "Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk."
When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.
Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for
you, one for me..."
The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth.
Let's see if we can see the Lord."
Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still
unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron
bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the
Lord. At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's
go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done."
Rumor has it that the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes
ahead of the kid on the bike
The Cash Value of the American Mind
by Alexander Green
Although the economy is on the mend and the stock market has taken a big bounce off the bottom, tough times remain for many Americans.
Unemployment is high. Bankruptcies and foreclosures are near record levels. Repo lots are overflowing. Worry and stress are on the rise in many households.
Some of these folks might want to visit psychologist William James, even though he's been dead for a hundred years.
James (1842-1910) was an author, philosopher, scientist, Harvard professor and giant in American intellectual history.
He trained as a medical doctor but never practiced medicine. He broke new ground as a physiologist and psychologist. He studied religion and psychic phenomena and wrote three classic books, including The Varieties of Religious Experience, the acknowledged inspiration for the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the world's most effective treatment programs.
Although his name is not widely recognized outside academia today, James made major contributions to psychology, philosophy, literature, teaching and religious studies. He coined numerous words and phrases including pluralism, time-line, stream of consciousness, live option and moral equivalent of war. Historian Jacques Barzun writes that James' book Principles of Psychology is "an American masterpiece which, quite like Moby Dick, ought to be read from beginning to end at least once by every person professing to be educated. It a masterpiece in the classic and total sense."
What do so many find inspiring about James? In part, it was his life itself, his legendary zest for living. James loved to travel, hike and mountain-climb. He served as a naturalist and accompanied Louis Agassiz on his expedition to explore the upper reaches of the Amazon. He churned out articles, books and hundreds of public lectures while carrying a full teaching load at Harvard. When he died from heart failure in his late 60s, his contemporaries said he had literally worn himself out.
Despite James's many accomplishments, his life was not without its setbacks. He suffered from ailments of the eyes, skin, stomach and back. He was diagnosed with neurasthenia and depression. He contracted smallpox in Brazil. Three siblings, including novelist Henry James and diarist Alice James, were afflicted with invalidism. His beloved sister Alice died of breast cancer at 44.
However, James believed that we are meant to spend our lives being curious, active, and fully engaged.
He was also one of the first to try to reconcile science and religion. In particular, he was interested in human spiritual experience, a realm that is difficult to capture by logic or observation, and nearly impossible to nail down scientifically.
Yet he found a way. James is the father of the distinctly American philosophy known as Pragmatism, the doctrine that truth reveals itself in practice, regardless of its origins. Something is true if it doesn't contradict known facts and it works.
James thought a belief should be judged by its results. He was more interested in the fruits of an idea than its roots and advised people to look for a truth's "cash value," arguing that a belief is true if it allows you to live a fuller, richer life.
He was particularly interested in showing men and women how to convert misery and unhappiness into growth. As you can see from some of his remarks, the approach is nothing if not pragmatic:
Lives based on having are less free than lives based either on doing or being.
Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.
If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.
Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed.
Compared with what we ought to be, we are half awake.
Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action.
Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.
James taught that we can change our lives by altering our attitudes of mind. He called pessimism "a disease" and said it could be cured by substitution. You can change, for example, "I have to exercise today" to "I get to exercise today." "I get to visit my grandmother" can be substituted for "I have to visit my grandmother." The shift is a subtle one, but powerful.
The essence of a belief is the establishment of a habit, a willingness to act. That begins with a change of mind. The best motivation is always an inspiriting attitude.
As a pioneering psychologist, James's primary interest was how the mind can bring about life-changing effects. Yes, we can always grouse about circumstances. But it is not what fate does to us that matters. What matters is what we do with what fate hands us.
"All that the human heart wants," declared James, "is its chance."
Although the economy is on the mend and the stock market has taken a big bounce off the bottom, tough times remain for many Americans.
Unemployment is high. Bankruptcies and foreclosures are near record levels. Repo lots are overflowing. Worry and stress are on the rise in many households.
Some of these folks might want to visit psychologist William James, even though he's been dead for a hundred years.
James (1842-1910) was an author, philosopher, scientist, Harvard professor and giant in American intellectual history.
He trained as a medical doctor but never practiced medicine. He broke new ground as a physiologist and psychologist. He studied religion and psychic phenomena and wrote three classic books, including The Varieties of Religious Experience, the acknowledged inspiration for the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the world's most effective treatment programs.
Although his name is not widely recognized outside academia today, James made major contributions to psychology, philosophy, literature, teaching and religious studies. He coined numerous words and phrases including pluralism, time-line, stream of consciousness, live option and moral equivalent of war. Historian Jacques Barzun writes that James' book Principles of Psychology is "an American masterpiece which, quite like Moby Dick, ought to be read from beginning to end at least once by every person professing to be educated. It a masterpiece in the classic and total sense."
What do so many find inspiring about James? In part, it was his life itself, his legendary zest for living. James loved to travel, hike and mountain-climb. He served as a naturalist and accompanied Louis Agassiz on his expedition to explore the upper reaches of the Amazon. He churned out articles, books and hundreds of public lectures while carrying a full teaching load at Harvard. When he died from heart failure in his late 60s, his contemporaries said he had literally worn himself out.
Despite James's many accomplishments, his life was not without its setbacks. He suffered from ailments of the eyes, skin, stomach and back. He was diagnosed with neurasthenia and depression. He contracted smallpox in Brazil. Three siblings, including novelist Henry James and diarist Alice James, were afflicted with invalidism. His beloved sister Alice died of breast cancer at 44.
However, James believed that we are meant to spend our lives being curious, active, and fully engaged.
He was also one of the first to try to reconcile science and religion. In particular, he was interested in human spiritual experience, a realm that is difficult to capture by logic or observation, and nearly impossible to nail down scientifically.
Yet he found a way. James is the father of the distinctly American philosophy known as Pragmatism, the doctrine that truth reveals itself in practice, regardless of its origins. Something is true if it doesn't contradict known facts and it works.
James thought a belief should be judged by its results. He was more interested in the fruits of an idea than its roots and advised people to look for a truth's "cash value," arguing that a belief is true if it allows you to live a fuller, richer life.
He was particularly interested in showing men and women how to convert misery and unhappiness into growth. As you can see from some of his remarks, the approach is nothing if not pragmatic:
Lives based on having are less free than lives based either on doing or being.
Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.
If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.
Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed.
Compared with what we ought to be, we are half awake.
Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action.
Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.
James taught that we can change our lives by altering our attitudes of mind. He called pessimism "a disease" and said it could be cured by substitution. You can change, for example, "I have to exercise today" to "I get to exercise today." "I get to visit my grandmother" can be substituted for "I have to visit my grandmother." The shift is a subtle one, but powerful.
The essence of a belief is the establishment of a habit, a willingness to act. That begins with a change of mind. The best motivation is always an inspiriting attitude.
As a pioneering psychologist, James's primary interest was how the mind can bring about life-changing effects. Yes, we can always grouse about circumstances. But it is not what fate does to us that matters. What matters is what we do with what fate hands us.
"All that the human heart wants," declared James, "is its chance."
Candidate Obama says, "Denied Right To Bargain, I'll Walk Picket Line With You"
Hmmmm I must have missed the news reel showing Obama in Wisconsin with the protesters!
Clothing to Jump 10% in Price This Spring
The era of falling clothing prices is ending.
Clothing prices have dropped for a decade as tame inflation and cheap overseas labor helped hold down costs. Retailers and clothing makers cut frills and experimented with fabric blends to cut prices during the recession.
But as the world economy recovers and demand for goods rises, a surge in labor and raw materials costs is squeezing retailers and manufacturers who have run out of ways to pare costs.
Cotton has more than doubled in price over the past year, hitting all-time highs. The price of other synthetic fabrics has jumped roughly 50 percent as demand for alternatives and blends has risen.
Clothing prices are expected to rise about 10 percent in coming months, with the biggest increases coming in the second half of the year, said Burt Flickinger III president of Strategic Resource Group.
Read more
Clothing prices have dropped for a decade as tame inflation and cheap overseas labor helped hold down costs. Retailers and clothing makers cut frills and experimented with fabric blends to cut prices during the recession.
But as the world economy recovers and demand for goods rises, a surge in labor and raw materials costs is squeezing retailers and manufacturers who have run out of ways to pare costs.
Cotton has more than doubled in price over the past year, hitting all-time highs. The price of other synthetic fabrics has jumped roughly 50 percent as demand for alternatives and blends has risen.
Clothing prices are expected to rise about 10 percent in coming months, with the biggest increases coming in the second half of the year, said Burt Flickinger III president of Strategic Resource Group.
Read more
‘Who’s going to shoot Obama?’ GOP Rep. asked at town hall
At a recent town hall meeting with constituents, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) fielded a frightening question: "Who's going to shoot Obama?"
That's not an exact quote from the unnamed questioner, but it is how local reporter Blake Aued scrawled it down.
Aued was also able to confirm the wording of the question with Broun's press secretary, his report in the Athens Banner-Herald noted.
That question apparently got a "big laugh" out of the crowd assembled for Broun's Tuesday meeting. But instead of coming out very strongly against such a shocking query, Aued wrote that Broun tried to sympathize with the individual.
Read more
That's not an exact quote from the unnamed questioner, but it is how local reporter Blake Aued scrawled it down.
Aued was also able to confirm the wording of the question with Broun's press secretary, his report in the Athens Banner-Herald noted.
That question apparently got a "big laugh" out of the crowd assembled for Broun's Tuesday meeting. But instead of coming out very strongly against such a shocking query, Aued wrote that Broun tried to sympathize with the individual.
Read more
Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 packages (8 oz each) plus 4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons red food color
3 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon granulated or powdered sugar
Chocolate curls, if desired
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place foil baking cup in each of 16 regular-size muffin cups. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and melted butter. Divide crumb mixture among cups. With back of spoon, firmly press cookie crumbs in bottom of each foil cup.
2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 cup granulated sugar and the cocoa until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and food color. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Divide batter evenly among baking cups (cups will be almost full).
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until centers are firm. Cool 15 minutes (cheesecake centers will sink while cooling). Refrigerate in baking cups at least 1 hour; cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour longer before serving.
4. In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Spoon whipped cream on chilled cheesecakes. Just before serving, garnish with chocolate curls. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecakes.
Middle East Uprising: Facebook's Secret Role in Egypt
Emails show that Facebook executives took unusual steps to protect the identity of protest leaders during the Egypt uprising. Mike Giglio on how the social media giant scrambled to keep pace with Egypt's revolution.
Read more
Read more
Humans Stink More Than Other Animals
Pungent body odor from sweaty adult human skin is unique in the animal kingdom. Humans turn out to be particularly smelly because odors are released from nearly every part of the body while other species living on us are simultaneously emitting odors too.
Read more
Read more
Words of Wisdom from Mom & Dad
1. When you dance with the customer, let him lead.
2. You never know a man’s character until you share a bowl of peeled shrimp or an inheritance with him.
3. There’s a BIG difference between nearly right and exactly right.
4. Some goals are so worthy, it’s glorious even to fail.
5. Forgive and forget. Sour grapes make for a lousy wine.
6. Don’t wait for your ship to come in – row out and meet it.
7. In the game of life even the 50-yard line seats are of no interest – we’re here to play!
8. What you see is what you get – except in pre-packaged strawberries.
9. Any failure will tell you success is nothing but luck.
10. Wealthy people miss one of life's great thrills- making the last house payment.
2. You never know a man’s character until you share a bowl of peeled shrimp or an inheritance with him.
3. There’s a BIG difference between nearly right and exactly right.
4. Some goals are so worthy, it’s glorious even to fail.
5. Forgive and forget. Sour grapes make for a lousy wine.
6. Don’t wait for your ship to come in – row out and meet it.
7. In the game of life even the 50-yard line seats are of no interest – we’re here to play!
8. What you see is what you get – except in pre-packaged strawberries.
9. Any failure will tell you success is nothing but luck.
10. Wealthy people miss one of life's great thrills- making the last house payment.
Daily Pizza Habit Saves Woman’s Life
Pizza delivery driver was surprised that a regular customer hadn't called in a few days -- so she went to the woman's home and alerted rescue officials, saving her life.
Read more
Read more
Fox lets truth slip on GOP union-busting
Shepard Smith, the host of a show on the conservative-leaning Fox News Channel, says the motive of Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker and his allies is to bust unions, not balance the budget.
Video
Video
Family Spaghetti Pie
1 pound ground beef
1 cup Picante Sauce
1 cup Prego® Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce
1/3 of a 16-ounce package spaghetti, cooked and drained (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1. Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until meat is well browned, stirring frequently to break up the meat. Pour off fat. Stir the picante sauce and pasta sauce into the skillet and cook until it's hot and bubbling.
2. Stir the spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, egg and butter in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture on the bottom and up the side of greased 10-inch pie plate. Spread the ricotta cheese in the spaghetti shell. Top with the beef mixture.
3. Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until it's hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 wedges.
Makes: 6 servings (1 wedge each).
Serve this tasty pie with Garlic Bread and a salad with tangy Italian dressing.
1 cup Picante Sauce
1 cup Prego® Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce
1/3 of a 16-ounce package spaghetti, cooked and drained (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1. Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until meat is well browned, stirring frequently to break up the meat. Pour off fat. Stir the picante sauce and pasta sauce into the skillet and cook until it's hot and bubbling.
2. Stir the spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, egg and butter in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture on the bottom and up the side of greased 10-inch pie plate. Spread the ricotta cheese in the spaghetti shell. Top with the beef mixture.
3. Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until it's hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 wedges.
Makes: 6 servings (1 wedge each).
Serve this tasty pie with Garlic Bread and a salad with tangy Italian dressing.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Today's Quote
“In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”
― Tom Bodett
Couple Has Different-Race Twins
In Ohio, a mixed-race couple’s twin children are as diverse as their parents: One child is black and the other is white. Triniti has dark, African-American features while Gabe is white with blond hair and blue eyes. "I don't know how it happened," said their father Charles Cunningham. "They are fraternal twins.” The 17-month-old babies were born 10 weeks early, weighing three pounds each.
Read more
Read more
My Prayer
Dear God,
My prayer for 2011 is for a fat bank account & a thin body. Please don't
mix these up like you did last year.
Amen
My prayer for 2011 is for a fat bank account & a thin body. Please don't
mix these up like you did last year.
Amen
Georgia anti-abortion bill would require investigations of miscarriages
Legislation recently introduced to the Georgia legislature by House Republican Bobby Franklin would make abortion the legal equivalent of murder and require miscarriages to be investigated by authorities.
The bill, known as HB 1, was uncovered by the progressive blog The Daily Kos.
Franklin's bill would classify the removal of a fetus from a woman for any reason other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus as "prenatal murder." Physicians indicted for alleged "prenatal murder" would have their license suspended until they were found innocent of the crime.
Read more
The bill, known as HB 1, was uncovered by the progressive blog The Daily Kos.
Franklin's bill would classify the removal of a fetus from a woman for any reason other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus as "prenatal murder." Physicians indicted for alleged "prenatal murder" would have their license suspended until they were found innocent of the crime.
Read more
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
On the first day, she sadly packed her belongings into
boxes, crates and suitcases.
On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their
beautiful dining-room table, by candle-light; she put on some
soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar
of caviar,and a bottle of spring-water.
When she'd finished, she went into each and every
room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar
into the hollow center of the curtain rods.
She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.
On the fourth day, the husband came back with his new
girlfriend, and at first all was bliss.
Then, slowly, the house began to smell.
They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place.
Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned.
Air fresheners were hung everywhere.
Exterminators were brought into set off gas canisters,
during which time the two had to move out for a few days,
and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive
wool carpeting. Nothing worked!
People stopped coming over to visit.
Repairmen refused to work in the house.
The maid quit.
Finally, they couldn't take the stench any longer, and
decided they had to move, but a month later - even though
they'd cut their price in half - they couldn't find a buyer
for such a stinky house.
Word got out, and eventually even the local Estate Agents
refused to return their calls.
Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had
to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
Then the ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going.
He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely
and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing
to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for having the house.
Knowing she could have no idea how bad the smell really was,
he agreed on a price that was only 1/10 th of what the house
had been worth ... but only if she would sign the papers that very day.
She agreed, and within two hours his lawyers delivered the
completed paperwork.
A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as
they watched the moving company pack everything to take to
their new home ......... and to spite the ex-wife,
they even took the the curtain rods!
I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU?
boxes, crates and suitcases.
On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their
beautiful dining-room table, by candle-light; she put on some
soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar
of caviar,and a bottle of spring-water.
When she'd finished, she went into each and every
room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar
into the hollow center of the curtain rods.
She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.
On the fourth day, the husband came back with his new
girlfriend, and at first all was bliss.
Then, slowly, the house began to smell.
They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place.
Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned.
Air fresheners were hung everywhere.
Exterminators were brought into set off gas canisters,
during which time the two had to move out for a few days,
and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive
wool carpeting. Nothing worked!
People stopped coming over to visit.
Repairmen refused to work in the house.
The maid quit.
Finally, they couldn't take the stench any longer, and
decided they had to move, but a month later - even though
they'd cut their price in half - they couldn't find a buyer
for such a stinky house.
Word got out, and eventually even the local Estate Agents
refused to return their calls.
Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had
to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
Then the ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going.
He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely
and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing
to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for having the house.
Knowing she could have no idea how bad the smell really was,
he agreed on a price that was only 1/10 th of what the house
had been worth ... but only if she would sign the papers that very day.
She agreed, and within two hours his lawyers delivered the
completed paperwork.
A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as
they watched the moving company pack everything to take to
their new home ......... and to spite the ex-wife,
they even took the the curtain rods!
I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU?
Scientists Accidentally Discover Cure for Baldness
Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Veterans Administration were working with genetically altered mice that typically develop head-to-tail baldness as a result of overproducing a stress hormone.
The experiment wasn’t focused on hair loss. Instead, it was designed to study a chemical compound that blocks the effects of stress on the gut. The researchers treated the bald mice for five days with the compound and then returned them to the cages, where they scampered about with several furry mice from a control group.
Three months later, the scientists went back to the cage to conduct additional experiments. They were surprised by what they saw inside — all of the mice had full heads and backs of hair. The once-bald mice, eventually identified through ear tags, were indistinguishable from their normal, furry cage mates.
Read more
iPad 2 to Be Unveiled Next Week
So those rumored delays definitely aren’t true: Apple is set to unveil the iPad 2 at an event next Wednesday, March 2. The device will be thinner than the previous generation and have an improved display, a front-facing camera, and FaceTime video-chat support. Steve Jobs is not expected to attend, as he is on medical leave.
Read more
Read more
Glorified Onion Pork Chops
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 bone-in pork chops, 1/2-inch thick (about 3 pounds)
1 medium onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup water
1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until well browned on both sides.
2. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soup and water and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.
Makes: 6 servings.
For well-browned chops, it's a good idea to sauté them in two batches rather than all at once. Crowding the skillet will cause the pork to steam and they won't get the deep color they should.
6 bone-in pork chops, 1/2-inch thick (about 3 pounds)
1 medium onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup water
1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until well browned on both sides.
2. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soup and water and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.
Makes: 6 servings.
For well-browned chops, it's a good idea to sauté them in two batches rather than all at once. Crowding the skillet will cause the pork to steam and they won't get the deep color they should.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Today's Quote
"If you don't have a purpose for your relationship, if you don't have a place that you're going, something that you want to accomplish, something that you want to do, you can really get lost in the murk of the journey. There has to be a vision."
— Will Smith
New Study Fuels Cell-Phone Cancer Fears
Maybe you’re better off holding the phone away from your ear, after all: A new study is renewing fears that cellphones can cause brain cancer. Tests showed that cellphones cause increased brain activity in areas near the phone when it was held against the head—the first evidence that radiation from the phones directly impacts brain cells. However, the study does not show whether or not such activity is harmful.
Read more
Read more
Captive Gorillas Succumbing to Human Disease
Life for humans is much easier than for animals in the wild. On a day-to-day basis, we generally do not have to worry about being eaten or starving to death. Depending on the individual's job, some can get by just fine by sitting around all day. However, this lifestyle brings forth its own set of health issues such as diabetes and heart disease, illnesses rarely found in the wild. These "human" diseases have spread to gorillas that are raised in captivity.
The only species of gorilla kept at North American zoos is the Western Lowland Gorilla. The number one killer of males in captivity is heart disease, much like humans. After a 21 year old gorilla named Brooks died of heart failure at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in 2005, a group of researchers decided to examine how the gorilla’s lifestyle affect their health. The team was led by Elena Hoellein Less, a PhD candidate in biology at Case Western Reserve University.
Read more
The only species of gorilla kept at North American zoos is the Western Lowland Gorilla. The number one killer of males in captivity is heart disease, much like humans. After a 21 year old gorilla named Brooks died of heart failure at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in 2005, a group of researchers decided to examine how the gorilla’s lifestyle affect their health. The team was led by Elena Hoellein Less, a PhD candidate in biology at Case Western Reserve University.
Read more
Wisconsin Legislature Shuts Down Comment Line After Too Many Complaints
The protesters amassed outside the state capitol in Madison, WI and their supporters across the country have succeeded in getting state Republicans to back down on at least one front: the toll-free Legislative Hotline that the legislature has kept open 24 hours a day for more than 20 years.
Read more
Read more
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Today's Quote
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
― Winston Churchill
The Betrayal of Public Workers
By Robert Pollin and Jeffrey Thompson/The Nation
"The Great Recession and its aftermath are entering a new phase in the United States, which could bring even more severe assaults on the living standards and basic rights of ordinary people than we have experienced thus far. This is because a wide swath of the country's policy- and opinion-making elite have singled out public sector workers - including schoolteachers, healthcare workers, police officers and firefighters - as well as their unions and even their pensions as deadweight burdens sapping the economy's vitality."
Read the Article
"The Great Recession and its aftermath are entering a new phase in the United States, which could bring even more severe assaults on the living standards and basic rights of ordinary people than we have experienced thus far. This is because a wide swath of the country's policy- and opinion-making elite have singled out public sector workers - including schoolteachers, healthcare workers, police officers and firefighters - as well as their unions and even their pensions as deadweight burdens sapping the economy's vitality."
Read the Article
Troopers would ‘absolutely’ use force on Wisc. protesters if ordered, police union president tells Raw Story
Amid the largest protests Madison, Wisconsin has seen in decades, newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker last week issued a stark message to public labor unions occupying the capitol building: we have options, and using the National Guard against protesters is among them.
Since then, a myrad of rumors have circulated through crowds gathered at the state capitol, united in protest of a bill that would strip public unions of their collective bargaining rights. One rumor, which had not yet come to pass, even suggested that like Egypt's former dictator did in Tahrir Square, Gov. Walker may call in police to forcibly clear out the capitol.
And according to a Wisconsin police union president, whether the police agree or disagree with their governor's politics, they would "absolutely" carry out any order given to them ... even if that order included using force against their fellow Americans gathered in peaceful protest.
Read more
Since then, a myrad of rumors have circulated through crowds gathered at the state capitol, united in protest of a bill that would strip public unions of their collective bargaining rights. One rumor, which had not yet come to pass, even suggested that like Egypt's former dictator did in Tahrir Square, Gov. Walker may call in police to forcibly clear out the capitol.
And according to a Wisconsin police union president, whether the police agree or disagree with their governor's politics, they would "absolutely" carry out any order given to them ... even if that order included using force against their fellow Americans gathered in peaceful protest.
Read more
Polar Bears emerge
January and February is a fantastic time of year for new life all over the world! And activity in the Arctic is of no exception, even though the freezing temperatures may have you thinking differently. Surviving and succeeding in the most extreme elements, the Polar Bear is one of nature’s great fighters. And it starts from day one.
Born in the darkness of December, within the mountainous areas of the Arctic circle, the first few weeks of these cubs' life would be fraught with danger”if it wasn't for one thing; the dedication of their mother.
After consuming huge amounts of food (almost doubling their body weight!) in preparation for hibernation, the female Polar Bear will first wait for the sea ice to break up. Then in the snow drifts near the coastal waters, will go about making her den that will be her resting place for the next three to four months.
Read more
Born in the darkness of December, within the mountainous areas of the Arctic circle, the first few weeks of these cubs' life would be fraught with danger”if it wasn't for one thing; the dedication of their mother.
After consuming huge amounts of food (almost doubling their body weight!) in preparation for hibernation, the female Polar Bear will first wait for the sea ice to break up. Then in the snow drifts near the coastal waters, will go about making her den that will be her resting place for the next three to four months.
Read more
Website of the Day
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Today's Quote
“To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing.”
-Lilian Whiting
True friends are riches the economy can’t threaten
Gov. Walker in Prank Call: 'This is Our Moment'
“This is our moment, this is our time to change the course of history,” Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says, talking about his fight with the unions in a prank phone call that was secretly taped by a Buffalo journalist Ian Murphy of the BuffaloBeast.com website who was posing as billionaire oilman David Koch.
Koch Industries' political action committee was one of the biggest financial supporters of Walker's gubernatorial campaign last fall, giving $43,000 to his political fund.
David Koch also gave $1 million to the Republican Governors Association last year, and Koch Industries contributed another $50,000. The RGA spent $65,000 on ads supporting Walker and an additional $3.4 million attacking Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker's Democratic opponent.
'Koch': We’ll back you any way we can. What we were thinking about the crowd was, uh, was planting some troublemakers.
Walker: You know, well, the only problem with that —because we thought about that. The problem—the, my only gut reaction to that is right now the lawmakers I’ve talked to have just completely had it with them, the public is not really fond of this…[explains that planting troublemakers may not work.] My only fear would be if there’s a ruckus caused is that maybe the governor has to settle to solve all these problems…[something about '60s liberals.]…Let ‘em protest all they want…Sooner or later the media stops finding it interesting.
Governor Walker’s spokesman, Cullen Werwie, today confirmed the taped phone call was real.
Read more
Koch Industries' political action committee was one of the biggest financial supporters of Walker's gubernatorial campaign last fall, giving $43,000 to his political fund.
David Koch also gave $1 million to the Republican Governors Association last year, and Koch Industries contributed another $50,000. The RGA spent $65,000 on ads supporting Walker and an additional $3.4 million attacking Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker's Democratic opponent.
'Koch': We’ll back you any way we can. What we were thinking about the crowd was, uh, was planting some troublemakers.
Walker: You know, well, the only problem with that —because we thought about that. The problem—the, my only gut reaction to that is right now the lawmakers I’ve talked to have just completely had it with them, the public is not really fond of this…[explains that planting troublemakers may not work.] My only fear would be if there’s a ruckus caused is that maybe the governor has to settle to solve all these problems…[something about '60s liberals.]…Let ‘em protest all they want…Sooner or later the media stops finding it interesting.
Governor Walker’s spokesman, Cullen Werwie, today confirmed the taped phone call was real.
Read more
Spike Reported in Number of Stillborn Dolphins on Coast
Baby dolphins, some barely three feet in length, are washing up along the Mississippi and Alabama shorelines at about 10 times the normal number for the first two months of the year, researchers are finding.
Seventeen young dolphins, either aborted before they reached maturity or dead soon after birth, have been collected on the coasts of the states in the past two weeks, both on the barrier islands and mainland beaches.
This is the first birthing season for dolphins since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; however, Moby Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, said it’s too early to tell why they died.
“For some reason, they’ve started aborting or they were dead before they were born,” Solangi said. “The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17 and February isn’t even over yet.”
Read more
Seventeen young dolphins, either aborted before they reached maturity or dead soon after birth, have been collected on the coasts of the states in the past two weeks, both on the barrier islands and mainland beaches.
This is the first birthing season for dolphins since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; however, Moby Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, said it’s too early to tell why they died.
“For some reason, they’ve started aborting or they were dead before they were born,” Solangi said. “The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17 and February isn’t even over yet.”
Read more
GOP Governors Shift Burden To Poor, Middle Class To Pay For Tax Breaks For Rich, Corporations
State budgets across the country are in disarray as a weak economy, the end of tens of billions in Recovery Act funds, and a GOP-led House that is pushing for deep cuts to many programs that benefit state and local governments set the stage for massive in shortfalls over the next two years. Instead of making the tough choices necessary to help their states weather the current crisis with some semblance of the social safety net and basic government services intact, Republican governors are instead using it as an opportunity to advance several longtime GOP projects: union busting, draconian cuts to social programs, and massive corporate tax breaks. These misplaced priorities mean that the poor and middle class will shoulder the burden of fiscal austerity, even as the rich and corporations are asked to contribute even less. Here’s a detailed look at how the GOP’s war on the poor and middle class is playing out at the state level:
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Poll: Americans oppose weaker unions
Americans strongly oppose laws taking away the collective bargaining power of public employee unions, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. The poll found 61% would oppose a law in their state similar to such a proposal in Wisconsin, compared with 33% who would favor such a law.
Read more
Read more
GOP Attacks Democratic base under budget guise
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Monday, February 21, 2011
Today's Quote
“Take your heart to work, and ask the most and best of everybody else too.”
Meryl Streep (1949 – )
American actress
Academy Award winner
You Might be a Teabagger If.....
by Bruce Lindner
1) You're offended at any suggestion that the Tea Party is racist, even though nobody objects when people show up at your rallies with blatantly racist signs and slogans.
2) Ronald Reagan is your hero because he was against raising taxes and big government... even though he raised taxes 11 times, doubled the national debt, and tripled the size of government.
3) You mocked Nancy Pelosi for getting emotional when she reflected on the murder of her friend, Mayor George Mosconi, but you think it's manly when John Boehner blubbers when he watches reruns of Flipper.
4) You were all in favor of George Bush bringing "Democracy" to Iraq by invading and killing hundreds of thousands of women and children, but you think Obama "blew it" by staying out of it when the people of Tunisia and Egypt toppled their dictators in popular revolts.
5) You think Climate Change is a big hoax because Senator James Inhofe, firmly in the pocket of the oil companies says it's bogus.
6) You think president Obama's birth certificate is a forgery, and that he managed to fool the CIA, FBI, NSA, Secret Service and the entire US government archive of documents with one Photoshopped image.
7) You think president Obama is a socialist, because he wants all Americans to pay their share of taxes, including the rich, and all Americans to enjoy the same benefits of an equitable society, including the same healthcare that Congress enjoys.
8) You think Glenn Beck's theory of a Code Pink/Muslim/Communist alliance conspiracy to take over the world in a 21st Century caliphate makes perfect sense.
9) You believe the Citizens United decision was all about corporate "free speech," yet you're against the Fairness Doctrine being reenacted, because you think it's contrary to "free speech."
10) You are absolutely pro-life, under all circumstances -- except when an abortion doctor is executed in his church, because he asked for it.
11) You thought it was cool when Sarah Palin "targeted" Democratic seats on her website with crosshairs, including Gaby Giffords. But when Giffords was shot in Arizona, you didn't see any connection.
12) You think Sarah Palin would make a good president because she's a feisty conservative, but that Diane Feinstein should be run out of town, because she's a feisty liberal.
13) You think George Soros, a Hungarian born American citizen, is an enemy of freedom because he uses his vast wealth to meddle in foreign affairs. But you think it's great that Australian-born Rupert Murdoch uses his vast wealth to meddle in American affairs.
14) The main reason you despise George Soros, is because he helped bring down three foreign governments; the Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, and Soviet Georgia. Three communist regimes. Ronald Reagan on the other hand, took down one communist regime: Grenada... Reagan: 1, Soros: 3. Ergo, Soros is an un-American commie. Besides, Sean Hannity said so.
15) You think being a Teabagger makes you more patriotic than liberals, because you own more guns than them wussies.
16) You screamed bloody murder when president Obama rescued GM and Chrysler, because they were "going to fail anyway." But now that they're both on the road to recovery, you think George W. Bush deserves most of the credit.
17) When Barack Obama was sworn in, the Dow Jones was at 6500. Today, it's at 12,400, almost double where it was. And at that time, the economy was shedding 700,000 jobs per month, a trend that has been arrested and reversed ever since. From that, you deduce Obama's the one who wrecked the economy.
18) You still believe Saddam had WMDs.
19) You are dead-set against "judicial activist" judges, but you were okay with it when the five conservative justices of the Supreme Court voted in favor of Citizens United, effectively guaranteeing our politicians will be bought by the highest bidder, rather than elected by the people.
20) You're strongly opposed to gay rights, because you claim it's not biblical. Except in the case of Ken Mehlman, Mary Cheney, and Ted Haggard, because they still vote "right" on the issues.
21) You want all illegal immigrants rounded up and deported, ASAP, no exceptions, period, period, PERIOD. But you don't want any criminal charges filed against the corporations that have been hiring them en masse in violation of law.
22) One of your stated concerns with Barack Obama's candidacy, was that he was too inexperienced for the job, yet you want Sarah Palin to challenge him next year.
23) You hate tax cheats, and people who abuse their status for personal advancement -- but you admire Clarence Thomas, and have no problem with his wife "speaking on behalf of her husband" at the Heritage Foundation, a far right-wing organization.
24) You went ballistic when an illegal immigrant murdered an American in Texas two years ago, and you demanded justice. But when three members connected to the Tea Party murdered 9 year old Brisenia Flores, you and your right-wing media barely even mentioned it, nor the conviction.
25) You equate being a "community organizer" to being a Marxist, yet you claim to worship a God whose entire life was being a community organizer.
26) You claim Barack Obama is soft of terrorism and that he's sympathetic to Muslim extremists. Yet during his first two years in office, his administration captured or killed more terrorists than George Bush did in all eight years of his presidency.
27) You cheered as Andrew Breitbart and his faux journalists brought down ACORN. But when Breitbart got caught doctoring footage of Shirley Sherrod, which brought into question his veracity, you accused her of waging a "race war."
28) You support Israel's policies regarding the West Bank and Gaza, because Israel is a democracy, like us. But when Arabs democratically voted in anti-American and anti-Israeli governments, it bewildered you.
29) Your spiritual hero, the Grande Dame of the conservative movement, is Ayn Rand; the dedicated anti-socialist. And yet, she herself in her later years, had no problem secretly cashing in on social security and Medicare.
30) You still think fascism and socialism are basically the same thing, because Glenn Beck has convinced you of that with his magic blackboard. And because of this twisting of history, you don't think anybody can accuse you of being ideologically aligned with the Nazis... even though you are.
1) You're offended at any suggestion that the Tea Party is racist, even though nobody objects when people show up at your rallies with blatantly racist signs and slogans.
2) Ronald Reagan is your hero because he was against raising taxes and big government... even though he raised taxes 11 times, doubled the national debt, and tripled the size of government.
3) You mocked Nancy Pelosi for getting emotional when she reflected on the murder of her friend, Mayor George Mosconi, but you think it's manly when John Boehner blubbers when he watches reruns of Flipper.
4) You were all in favor of George Bush bringing "Democracy" to Iraq by invading and killing hundreds of thousands of women and children, but you think Obama "blew it" by staying out of it when the people of Tunisia and Egypt toppled their dictators in popular revolts.
5) You think Climate Change is a big hoax because Senator James Inhofe, firmly in the pocket of the oil companies says it's bogus.
6) You think president Obama's birth certificate is a forgery, and that he managed to fool the CIA, FBI, NSA, Secret Service and the entire US government archive of documents with one Photoshopped image.
7) You think president Obama is a socialist, because he wants all Americans to pay their share of taxes, including the rich, and all Americans to enjoy the same benefits of an equitable society, including the same healthcare that Congress enjoys.
8) You think Glenn Beck's theory of a Code Pink/Muslim/Communist alliance conspiracy to take over the world in a 21st Century caliphate makes perfect sense.
9) You believe the Citizens United decision was all about corporate "free speech," yet you're against the Fairness Doctrine being reenacted, because you think it's contrary to "free speech."
10) You are absolutely pro-life, under all circumstances -- except when an abortion doctor is executed in his church, because he asked for it.
11) You thought it was cool when Sarah Palin "targeted" Democratic seats on her website with crosshairs, including Gaby Giffords. But when Giffords was shot in Arizona, you didn't see any connection.
12) You think Sarah Palin would make a good president because she's a feisty conservative, but that Diane Feinstein should be run out of town, because she's a feisty liberal.
13) You think George Soros, a Hungarian born American citizen, is an enemy of freedom because he uses his vast wealth to meddle in foreign affairs. But you think it's great that Australian-born Rupert Murdoch uses his vast wealth to meddle in American affairs.
14) The main reason you despise George Soros, is because he helped bring down three foreign governments; the Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, and Soviet Georgia. Three communist regimes. Ronald Reagan on the other hand, took down one communist regime: Grenada... Reagan: 1, Soros: 3. Ergo, Soros is an un-American commie. Besides, Sean Hannity said so.
15) You think being a Teabagger makes you more patriotic than liberals, because you own more guns than them wussies.
16) You screamed bloody murder when president Obama rescued GM and Chrysler, because they were "going to fail anyway." But now that they're both on the road to recovery, you think George W. Bush deserves most of the credit.
17) When Barack Obama was sworn in, the Dow Jones was at 6500. Today, it's at 12,400, almost double where it was. And at that time, the economy was shedding 700,000 jobs per month, a trend that has been arrested and reversed ever since. From that, you deduce Obama's the one who wrecked the economy.
18) You still believe Saddam had WMDs.
19) You are dead-set against "judicial activist" judges, but you were okay with it when the five conservative justices of the Supreme Court voted in favor of Citizens United, effectively guaranteeing our politicians will be bought by the highest bidder, rather than elected by the people.
20) You're strongly opposed to gay rights, because you claim it's not biblical. Except in the case of Ken Mehlman, Mary Cheney, and Ted Haggard, because they still vote "right" on the issues.
21) You want all illegal immigrants rounded up and deported, ASAP, no exceptions, period, period, PERIOD. But you don't want any criminal charges filed against the corporations that have been hiring them en masse in violation of law.
22) One of your stated concerns with Barack Obama's candidacy, was that he was too inexperienced for the job, yet you want Sarah Palin to challenge him next year.
23) You hate tax cheats, and people who abuse their status for personal advancement -- but you admire Clarence Thomas, and have no problem with his wife "speaking on behalf of her husband" at the Heritage Foundation, a far right-wing organization.
24) You went ballistic when an illegal immigrant murdered an American in Texas two years ago, and you demanded justice. But when three members connected to the Tea Party murdered 9 year old Brisenia Flores, you and your right-wing media barely even mentioned it, nor the conviction.
25) You equate being a "community organizer" to being a Marxist, yet you claim to worship a God whose entire life was being a community organizer.
26) You claim Barack Obama is soft of terrorism and that he's sympathetic to Muslim extremists. Yet during his first two years in office, his administration captured or killed more terrorists than George Bush did in all eight years of his presidency.
27) You cheered as Andrew Breitbart and his faux journalists brought down ACORN. But when Breitbart got caught doctoring footage of Shirley Sherrod, which brought into question his veracity, you accused her of waging a "race war."
28) You support Israel's policies regarding the West Bank and Gaza, because Israel is a democracy, like us. But when Arabs democratically voted in anti-American and anti-Israeli governments, it bewildered you.
29) Your spiritual hero, the Grande Dame of the conservative movement, is Ayn Rand; the dedicated anti-socialist. And yet, she herself in her later years, had no problem secretly cashing in on social security and Medicare.
30) You still think fascism and socialism are basically the same thing, because Glenn Beck has convinced you of that with his magic blackboard. And because of this twisting of history, you don't think anybody can accuse you of being ideologically aligned with the Nazis... even though you are.
House Republicans Cut Funding to Nobel Prize-Winning UN Climate Science Bod
America is to cut off all funding to the United Nations climate science panel under sweeping Republican budget cuts that seek to gut spending on environmental protection.
The funding ban to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – stripping $2.3m (£1.31m) from an international organisation that relies heavily on volunteer scientists – was among some $61bn (£38bn) in cuts voted through the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Saturday.
If enacted, the cuts package would reduce spending on environmental protection by nearly one-third, or about $3bn (£1.85bn), advancing a key objective of the conservative Tea Party of dismantling government regulation.
The cuts also exhibit the strong hostility to climate science among the Tea Party activists with funding bans on the IPCC and a newly created climate information service under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – a reorganisation which was to be funded out of existing budgets.
Read more
The funding ban to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – stripping $2.3m (£1.31m) from an international organisation that relies heavily on volunteer scientists – was among some $61bn (£38bn) in cuts voted through the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Saturday.
If enacted, the cuts package would reduce spending on environmental protection by nearly one-third, or about $3bn (£1.85bn), advancing a key objective of the conservative Tea Party of dismantling government regulation.
The cuts also exhibit the strong hostility to climate science among the Tea Party activists with funding bans on the IPCC and a newly created climate information service under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – a reorganisation which was to be funded out of existing budgets.
Read more
Fewer Big Fish in the Sea
Fewer big, predatory fish are swimming in the world's oceans because of overfishing by humans, leaving smaller fish to thrive and double in force over the past 100 years, scientists said Friday. Big fish such as cod, tuna, and groupers have declined worldwide by two-thirds while the number of anchovies, sardines and capelin has surged in their absence, said University of British Columbia researchers.
Read more
Read more
Researchers: Earth will be ‘unrecognizable’ by 2050
A growing, more affluent population competing for ever scarcer resources could make for an "unrecognizable" world by 2050, researchers warned at a major US science conference Sunday.
The United Nations has predicted the global population will reach seven billion this year, and climb to nine billion by 2050, "with almost all of the growth occurring in poor countries, particularly Africa and South Asia," said John Bongaarts of the non-profit Population Council.
To feed all those mouths, "we will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000," said Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
"By 2050 we will not have a planet left that is recognizable" if current trends continue, Clay said.
Read more
The United Nations has predicted the global population will reach seven billion this year, and climb to nine billion by 2050, "with almost all of the growth occurring in poor countries, particularly Africa and South Asia," said John Bongaarts of the non-profit Population Council.
To feed all those mouths, "we will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000," said Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
"By 2050 we will not have a planet left that is recognizable" if current trends continue, Clay said.
Read more
10 tough love lessons to take to heart
Iyanla Vanzant's Life Lessons
Many people confuse love for something else—lust or obsession or jealousy, Iyanla said. Oftentimes, women meet men who they want to fix, but love doesn't need to be fixed. "When you see crazy coming, cross the street," she said during one of her many Oprah Show appearances.
Read more
Many people confuse love for something else—lust or obsession or jealousy, Iyanla said. Oftentimes, women meet men who they want to fix, but love doesn't need to be fixed. "When you see crazy coming, cross the street," she said during one of her many Oprah Show appearances.
Read more
Former Fox News employee: ‘Stuff is just made up’
A former employee of Fox News called the company a "propaganda outfit" that is determined to undermine the Obama administration and Democrats.
"I don't think people would believe it’s as concocted as it is; that stuff is just made up," the employee, whose name was kept anonymous, told the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters.
"They say one thing and do another," the former employee said. "They insist on maintaining this charade, this façade, that they’re balanced or that they’re not right-wing extreme propagandist."
"You have to work there for a while to understand the nods and the winks," the former employee added. "And God help you if you don’t because sooner or later you’re going to get burned."
Read more
"I don't think people would believe it’s as concocted as it is; that stuff is just made up," the employee, whose name was kept anonymous, told the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters.
"They say one thing and do another," the former employee said. "They insist on maintaining this charade, this façade, that they’re balanced or that they’re not right-wing extreme propagandist."
"You have to work there for a while to understand the nods and the winks," the former employee added. "And God help you if you don’t because sooner or later you’re going to get burned."
Read more
Here's the Joke
I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.
I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy chocolate with it instead of dinner?'
'No, I had to stop eating chocolate years ago', the homeless woman told me.
'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked..
'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'
'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.
'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'
'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'
The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'
I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and chocolate.'
I just know you're smiling!
I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy chocolate with it instead of dinner?'
'No, I had to stop eating chocolate years ago', the homeless woman told me.
'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked..
'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'
'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.
'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'
'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'
The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'
I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and chocolate.'
I just know you're smiling!
Chicken Mozzarella
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Healthy Request® Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 of a 1-pound package corkscrew-shaped pasta (rotini) (about 3 cups), cooked without salt and drained
1. Place the chicken into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Stir the soup, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Spoon the soup mixture over the chicken.
2. Bake at 400°F. for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the cheese. Serve the chicken and sauce with the pasta.
Ingredient Note: This recipe was developed using a 4-to 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast half per serving. However, there are a range of sizes available in-store, from the butcher counter to the meat case and the freezer section. Use whichever you prefer- just follow the recipe as written above for the best result. If you're using larger chicken breasts they may require a little longer cooking time.
Makes: 4 servings.
To keep this meal heart healthy, serve it with whole-grain pasta and a romaine salad tossed with sliced Roma tomatoes, cucumbers and low-fat balsamic vinaigrette.
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Healthy Request® Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 of a 1-pound package corkscrew-shaped pasta (rotini) (about 3 cups), cooked without salt and drained
1. Place the chicken into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Stir the soup, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Spoon the soup mixture over the chicken.
2. Bake at 400°F. for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the cheese. Serve the chicken and sauce with the pasta.
Ingredient Note: This recipe was developed using a 4-to 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast half per serving. However, there are a range of sizes available in-store, from the butcher counter to the meat case and the freezer section. Use whichever you prefer- just follow the recipe as written above for the best result. If you're using larger chicken breasts they may require a little longer cooking time.
Makes: 4 servings.
To keep this meal heart healthy, serve it with whole-grain pasta and a romaine salad tossed with sliced Roma tomatoes, cucumbers and low-fat balsamic vinaigrette.
"As Seen on TV" Products Tested
We've all seen infomercial products promoted on TV, but do they really work as advertised? AOL's WalletPop put some to the test, including Cold Fire (fire extinguisher), a stop your dog from barking device, twin draft guard, and more.
Wisconsin Union Fight Is Really a 15-State GOP Power Grab
Gov. Scott Walker's fight with the unions isn't a simple Wisconsin issue, but a 15-state Republican campaign to strip workers of their rights, says former Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern.
Read more
Read more
Gulf Spill Devastated Marine Life
BP says the Gulf of Mexico will recover from the oil spill by 2012, but a scientist from the American Association for the Advancement of Science doesn't think so. Marine life was "devastated" by the spill according to Samantha Joye. In some places, there is a layer 10 centimeters thick of dead animals and oil. The layer was deposited between June and September 2010, and there's no sign of sea life on the ocean floor that Joye observed in May. "Filter-feeding organisms, invertebrate worms, corals, sea fans—all of those were substantially impacted—and by impacted, I mean essentially killed," she said. "Another critical point is that detrital feeders like sea cucumbers, brittle stars that wander around the bottom, I didn't see a living (sea cucumber) around on any of the wellhead dives. They're typically everywhere, and we saw none."
Read more
Read more
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Today's Quote
We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.
-George Orwell
'This Is What Democracy Looks Like' in Wisconsin, as Largest Crowd Yet -- 80,000 -- Opposes Union Busting
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker finished a bad week with a misstep that emphasized his inability to generate support for his attempt to strip the state’s public employees of collective bargaining rights.
First, the governor’s radical proposal went to such extremes in its anti-labor bias that it sparked a protest movement so large, so steady and so determined in its demands that it is now commonly compared with the protests that have rocked Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries.
Then, the man that badges worn by marchers describe as “The Mubarak of the Middle West” really blew it. Saturday was supposed to be the day when the governor pushed back against the movement that has challenged his radical power grab. The governor’s Tea Party allies attempted to grab the spotlight with a rally at the state Capital. Unfortunately, the much-hyped event, which national Tea Party groups had poured money and organizing energy into generating, drew an anemic crowd of several thousand. Even by the optimistic estimates of the Tea Partisans themselves, the pro-Walker turnout was one-tenth the size of the crowd that came to oppose the governor’s so-called “budget repair bill.”
The governor made things worse for himself by going on CNN and announcing that he had received 19,000 emails from the “quiet majority” of Wisconsinites since he made his proposal and claimed that most of them were supportive.
Dumb move. Really dumb move.
Within hours of making his claim, the streets of Madison were filled by what veteran political organizers described as the largest demonstration ever seen in the city. Former Mayor Paul Soglin, a key organizer of anti-Vietnam War protests, said, “We had some big demonstrations in the sixties, but this is bigger.”
Read more
First, the governor’s radical proposal went to such extremes in its anti-labor bias that it sparked a protest movement so large, so steady and so determined in its demands that it is now commonly compared with the protests that have rocked Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries.
Then, the man that badges worn by marchers describe as “The Mubarak of the Middle West” really blew it. Saturday was supposed to be the day when the governor pushed back against the movement that has challenged his radical power grab. The governor’s Tea Party allies attempted to grab the spotlight with a rally at the state Capital. Unfortunately, the much-hyped event, which national Tea Party groups had poured money and organizing energy into generating, drew an anemic crowd of several thousand. Even by the optimistic estimates of the Tea Partisans themselves, the pro-Walker turnout was one-tenth the size of the crowd that came to oppose the governor’s so-called “budget repair bill.”
The governor made things worse for himself by going on CNN and announcing that he had received 19,000 emails from the “quiet majority” of Wisconsinites since he made his proposal and claimed that most of them were supportive.
Dumb move. Really dumb move.
Within hours of making his claim, the streets of Madison were filled by what veteran political organizers described as the largest demonstration ever seen in the city. Former Mayor Paul Soglin, a key organizer of anti-Vietnam War protests, said, “We had some big demonstrations in the sixties, but this is bigger.”
Read more
Indulgent Brownie Torte
Water, oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box (for cakelike brownies)
1 container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting
Chocolate curls, if desired Heat oven to 350ºF.
Line 13x9-inch pan with foil so foil extends about 2 inches over sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray.
Make brownies as directed on box for cakelike brownies in a 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pan by lifting foil; peel foil away. Trim sides if desired. Cut brownie crosswise into thirds; place one piece on serving plate.
Spoon frosting into microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High 15 to 20 seconds; stir frosting until smooth.
Pour 1/3 of the frosting over brownie piece on serving plate. Place another brownie piece on top; pour half of remaining frosting over second brownie piece. Top with remaining brownie piece; pour remaining frosting over top. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set. Garnish with chocolate curls. Store loosely covered.
All Day Slow Cooker Pot Roast
This pot roast is SO delicious, and so easy to make, that you'll want to make it a frequent meal. In our house, we have it probably once a month - it's a family favorite!
Ingredients
* 2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup flour
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 cups beer
*
Instructions
1. Coat beef cubes with 1/2 cup of the flour and brown in melted butter.
2. Drain off excess fat.
3. In slow cooker, combine browned meat with onion, salt, pepper, garlic and beer.
4. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours (all day) until meat is tender.
5. Turn control to high.
6. Dissolve remaining 1/4 cup flour in small amount of water.
7. Stir into meat mixture, cook on high 30-40 minutes.
Notes
Serve with rice and salad.
Ingredients
* 2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup flour
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 cups beer
*
Instructions
1. Coat beef cubes with 1/2 cup of the flour and brown in melted butter.
2. Drain off excess fat.
3. In slow cooker, combine browned meat with onion, salt, pepper, garlic and beer.
4. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours (all day) until meat is tender.
5. Turn control to high.
6. Dissolve remaining 1/4 cup flour in small amount of water.
7. Stir into meat mixture, cook on high 30-40 minutes.
Notes
Serve with rice and salad.
Baked Creamed Potatoes
Cooking Time: 30 min
Ingredients
* 2 pounds old potatoes
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/4 cup milk
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons mustard
* Salt and pepper, to taste
* 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
* 1/2 cup grated cheese
* 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
1. Peel and chop potatoes, cook in boiling salted water until tender, drain well. Mash until smooth, mix with mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lightly beaten eggs, mustard and parsley; season with salt and pepper.
2. Press mixture though a sieve, spoon mixture evenly into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with grated cheeses.
3. Bake in a moderate oven 20 - 30 minutes or until golden on top.
Ingredients
* 2 pounds old potatoes
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/4 cup milk
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons mustard
* Salt and pepper, to taste
* 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
* 1/2 cup grated cheese
* 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
1. Peel and chop potatoes, cook in boiling salted water until tender, drain well. Mash until smooth, mix with mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lightly beaten eggs, mustard and parsley; season with salt and pepper.
2. Press mixture though a sieve, spoon mixture evenly into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with grated cheeses.
3. Bake in a moderate oven 20 - 30 minutes or until golden on top.
What Conservatives Really Want
By George Lakoff/Truthout
"Conservatives really want to change the basis of American life, to make America run according to the conservative moral worldview in all areas of life... What is saddest of all is to see Democrats helping them. Democrats help radical conservatives by accepting the deficit frame and arguing about what to cut... Democrats help conservatives by not shouting out loud over and over that it was conservative values that caused the global economic collapse: lack of regulation and a greed-is-good ethic... Democrats help 'conservatives when they use conservative words like 'entitlements' instead of 'earnings' and speak of government as providing 'services' instead of 'necessities'... Is there hope? I see it in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands citizens see through the conservative frames and are willing to flood the streets of their capital to stand up for their rights."
Read more
"Conservatives really want to change the basis of American life, to make America run according to the conservative moral worldview in all areas of life... What is saddest of all is to see Democrats helping them. Democrats help radical conservatives by accepting the deficit frame and arguing about what to cut... Democrats help conservatives by not shouting out loud over and over that it was conservative values that caused the global economic collapse: lack of regulation and a greed-is-good ethic... Democrats help 'conservatives when they use conservative words like 'entitlements' instead of 'earnings' and speak of government as providing 'services' instead of 'necessities'... Is there hope? I see it in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands citizens see through the conservative frames and are willing to flood the streets of their capital to stand up for their rights."
Read more
Dog Reappears 700 Miles From Home
It’s like Homeward Bound, only with a microchip. A dog that mysteriously vanished from a Sacramento suburb on Tuesday afternoon was found more than 700 miles away in Tacoma, Washington. The two-year-old Patterdale Terrier named Bear was last seen playing around Bryan Rapozo’s family construction business. Then on Thursday they got a call from the Tacoma Humane Society, who had identified Bear using a microchip. The Rapozos immediately drove 740 miles to get their dog. “Somebody wanted him and was planning on keeping him,” Rapozo said. “There’s no way he got from there to here on his own. He had to have help. I know he didn’t walk up here.”
Read more
Read more
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Creamy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheddar-Basil Sandwiches
My FAVORITE comfort meal - done better!
Soup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Muir Glen® Organic or Meridian Ruby™ diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sandwiches
1/4 cup butter, softened, or olive oil
12 slices white bread
12 slices aged Cheddar cheese (6 oz)
12 large fresh basil leaves
1. In 4-quart saucepan, heat olive oil, onion and garlic over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and translucent.
2. Reduce heat to low. Add tomatoes; heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add remaining soup ingredients. In blender, place soup mixture. Cover; puree until smooth.
3. Spread butter on 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange 6 slices bread, buttered side down, on work surface, and place 2 slices cheese and 2 basil leaves on each bread slice. Top with remaining 6 bread slices, buttered sides up. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook 2 sandwiches at a time over medium heat until golden brown and cheese just melts; repeat for remaining sandwiches. Serve with soup.
"A Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican"
Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.
All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.
Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.
Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)
He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.
He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, "We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I havw."
All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.
Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.
Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)
He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.
He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, "We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I havw."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)