On Sunday I did the field trip portion of my mushroom class. The instructor (again) made a comment about how he didn't sign up to teach the 30+ people, the class was supposed to be limited to 20. I agree that the class was too large to get good exposure to the instructor - hopefully the parks and rec will enforce the class limits they set up next time.
That being said, I had a good time. The class split into two groups that each headed down different roads on Mary' s Peak. I joined the smaller group, which had the two "assistants" leading it. We all had a great time looking for mushrooms and sharing our findings with each other. I had the typical knack to find LBMs (little brown mushrooms) and initially had trouble finding anything but the LBMs. But I did end up finding two Chanterelles on my own, as well as a couple of Lobster mushrooms. Unfortunately, Lobster mushrooms are very popular with a number of insects so you have to find them before the insects.
I plan on going out to look for mushrooms in the future - it was a hoot.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A bunch of Chanterelles, some Lobster, and a very pretty purple shroom
My first Chanterelle
A collection of some of the mushrooms our group found
A jelly tooth mushroom in it's infant stage - the feel like gummy bears
No idea what mushroom this is, but one of few the non-LBMs I found
A fungi forest
My second Chanterelle
Cute little LBM
One of the many choral mushroom varietiesMonday, October 20, 2008
Pictures Recovered (mostly)
Well, thanks to a flash card reader and ZAR, I was able to recover most of the pictures off the memory card. A couple were corrupted, but most turned out. ZAR worked well, especially for a trial version - they specifically tell you to use the trial version for photo recovery.
I've learned my lesson, never use auto-delete, even when it's doing the "safe" delete. I may switch to ACD See (which Sam swears by) instead of Picasa (evil software which deleted my photos).
Here are some of the cute Simone pictures.
I've learned my lesson, never use auto-delete, even when it's doing the "safe" delete. I may switch to ACD See (which Sam swears by) instead of Picasa (evil software which deleted my photos).
Here are some of the cute Simone pictures.
Simone and me in a pile of corn
Simone in a pile of corn
Simone running through a hay maze
Simone and Mary making pizza dough
Simone riding an elephant in Newport
Simone and Mary at homeSunday, October 19, 2008
I Want My Pictures Back
I just somehow deleted all the photos on my camera. Picasa2 was "importing" them, doing a "safe delete" - which only deletes the photos after they're copied to my computer.
It didn't work, I lost all the photos. Some were very cute photos of Simone (she's cheesing it up now), and photos from my mushroom class.
Not pleased.
It didn't work, I lost all the photos. Some were very cute photos of Simone (she's cheesing it up now), and photos from my mushroom class.
Not pleased.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
St. John Monastery
A while back, we traveled up to see the family in Yakima. I forget the trip details, but it was fun - Simone loves her cousins.
On the way back we stopped at the St. John Monastery's roadside store. We've always wondered what it was like, but we've always driven by on a Sunday (for some reason we don't notice it while driving to Yakima). But, because it was Labor Day weekend, we came back on a Monday - and it was open.
We stopped in and picked up a pan of spanikopita and baklava. The spanikopita rocked, and the baklava was pretty good (though I'd prefer to make my own).
If you're in the neighborhood, check it out.
On the way back we stopped at the St. John Monastery's roadside store. We've always wondered what it was like, but we've always driven by on a Sunday (for some reason we don't notice it while driving to Yakima). But, because it was Labor Day weekend, we came back on a Monday - and it was open.
We stopped in and picked up a pan of spanikopita and baklava. The spanikopita rocked, and the baklava was pretty good (though I'd prefer to make my own).
If you're in the neighborhood, check it out.
Licorice
Mary and I went to the coast on Monday. Nothing terribly exciting, just a nice day hanging out with each other.
We stopped into a little market that had odd snacks, picked up two huge pickles and some licorice.
I've got to say, it was the best licorice I've ever had.
We stopped into a little market that had odd snacks, picked up two huge pickles and some licorice.
I've got to say, it was the best licorice I've ever had.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
East Coast Trip 2008
Mary, Simone and I traveled back east to show them my own stomping grounds and the fall colors. Plus we spent a couple days in Maine visiting Mary's cousins (from her dad's side). We had a great time, the weather was good (only one day w/rain), the food was good, and Simone traveled really well.
We walked around Cornell - campus hadn't changed very much - though the U-Halls were gone (my freshman dorm) and had been replaced with some slightly larger buildings. We ate hot-truck, lunch at Moosewood, college town bagels, and (surprisingly still around) Aladdin's.
It was also nice to meet Mary's extended family - unfortunately I didn't get any photos of them.
One surprise was that we found out Simone's namesake (Mary's great-aunt) spelled her name with two "N"s: Simonne.
Check out the photo album:
We walked around Cornell - campus hadn't changed very much - though the U-Halls were gone (my freshman dorm) and had been replaced with some slightly larger buildings. We ate hot-truck, lunch at Moosewood, college town bagels, and (surprisingly still around) Aladdin's.
It was also nice to meet Mary's extended family - unfortunately I didn't get any photos of them.
One surprise was that we found out Simone's namesake (Mary's great-aunt) spelled her name with two "N"s: Simonne.
Check out the photo album:
 |
| East Coast 2008 |
Monday, September 22, 2008
700 Billion
We, the tax payers, have decided (through our elected officials... wait, an appointed official from the most incompetent president ever... sigh) to bail out the financial markets.
It's disgusting. Is it needed? Maybe, but the people who are saying we need to do it are the same people that let us get into this mess. I've got friends who swear by the capitalist system: it's the most efficient, generates most progress, etc. etc. And when you throw up critiques like it has led us down the path of destroying our environment, commoditizing the commons, preying on the un-educated, privitizing public programs, and so on. Of course the standard response is something along the lines of, "well, that's because the costs were not set up properly... blah blah blah" Nice out, it's akin to saying, "X is the best. Oh, it's not working? You're doing it wrong."
Anyway, transparency is a good thing all around. Mark Cuban thinks that's what's needed to get the bailout to work: 700Billion bailout ? Ebay it ! « blog maverick
It's disgusting. Is it needed? Maybe, but the people who are saying we need to do it are the same people that let us get into this mess. I've got friends who swear by the capitalist system: it's the most efficient, generates most progress, etc. etc. And when you throw up critiques like it has led us down the path of destroying our environment, commoditizing the commons, preying on the un-educated, privitizing public programs, and so on. Of course the standard response is something along the lines of, "well, that's because the costs were not set up properly... blah blah blah" Nice out, it's akin to saying, "X is the best. Oh, it's not working? You're doing it wrong."
Anyway, transparency is a good thing all around. Mark Cuban thinks that's what's needed to get the bailout to work: 700Billion bailout ? Ebay it ! « blog maverick
Sunday, September 21, 2008
September Simone
It's been a while since the last photo post. Here are some snippets of what we've been doing the past month. It's mainly been: going to the park, to the water fountain, to the farmer's market, hanging around at home, working in the yard, the usual.
Simone always gets her own pretzel when we go to the market. Lucky for me, she shares.
Simone and I on a walk after dinner, she's a little sleepy
Her favorite mermaid, having some raisins on the rug
Like my do?
What? You wanted me to wash the dishes, right?
So soft...
Doing some yoga at the fountain
Is it cold?
Eyes on the prize
Having a dinner of PB&J (well, cashew butter) at the playground
Momma and Simone giggling in the kitchen
Look what came in the mail!Fireplace, Take 2
Wow, I just looked, and I never posted pictures of the finished fire place from last year. I know we've got them - they're probably on the other computer.
So, if you don't know the story about the fireplace, it was finished last fall. It was beautiful. You really need to see the pictures. Notice the past-tense. In November or so, during a big storm, it collapsed. Mary and I had just gotten into bed when we heard a huge, "whump!" I sleepily got up, knowing what it was - Mary was a little more panicked because she thought it might have been Simone falling out of bed.
Kiko came out (apologizing profusely) and figured out the flashing wasn't quite right, and the water had dripped down and saturated the front of the chimney at the base - and that's where things collapsed. He'd come out earlier when we saw the chimney starting to weather poorly, and we'd wrapped it up in tarps, but I guess that wasn't enough to save it.
Long story short, we no longer had a fireplace.
Well, now we have one. It's a completely different design. I really need to find the older pictures so you could see. But here it is. We fired it up two nights this week and it works pretty well. You can't see the chimney in any of these photos, I'll have to get another picture.
So, if you don't know the story about the fireplace, it was finished last fall. It was beautiful. You really need to see the pictures. Notice the past-tense. In November or so, during a big storm, it collapsed. Mary and I had just gotten into bed when we heard a huge, "whump!" I sleepily got up, knowing what it was - Mary was a little more panicked because she thought it might have been Simone falling out of bed.
Kiko came out (apologizing profusely) and figured out the flashing wasn't quite right, and the water had dripped down and saturated the front of the chimney at the base - and that's where things collapsed. He'd come out earlier when we saw the chimney starting to weather poorly, and we'd wrapped it up in tarps, but I guess that wasn't enough to save it.
Long story short, we no longer had a fireplace.
Well, now we have one. It's a completely different design. I really need to find the older pictures so you could see. But here it is. We fired it up two nights this week and it works pretty well. You can't see the chimney in any of these photos, I'll have to get another picture.
Kiko looking at his handiwork
The fireplace before the plaster finish
Backside of the finished fireplace
Our first fire
Fancy long exposure fire shotEggs, take 2
A month ago we started getting eggs, and the girls have been steady at producing 2 nearly every day. I find that amazing - how do they know to balance their laying out like that? Why don't we ever get 3 on one day?
The eggs have steadily gotten larger, one day we even had one that would have qualified as Jumbo (I should have weighed it).
We get produce scraps from the co-op every week or so to supplement the girls' diet - they plow through a 40 pound pile of lettuce/melon/apple/whatever in a few days. With the scraps from our kitchen and the co-op, they end up not eating very much of the pellet food. And, when we're in the back yard, we usually let them out to roam around to find whatever bugs/greens they want to eat.
Here are the girls:
The eggs have steadily gotten larger, one day we even had one that would have qualified as Jumbo (I should have weighed it).
We get produce scraps from the co-op every week or so to supplement the girls' diet - they plow through a 40 pound pile of lettuce/melon/apple/whatever in a few days. With the scraps from our kitchen and the co-op, they end up not eating very much of the pellet food. And, when we're in the back yard, we usually let them out to roam around to find whatever bugs/greens they want to eat.
Here are the girls:
100 Pushups, week 1
We just finished the first week. It has been relatively easy (motivation-wise) to do the routine. I still have a little trouble imagining being able to do the 6th week's schedule (250 push ups in an evening), but it was easy enough to progress along with the first week's plan. I ended up doing 168 push ups total, which has to be more than I've ever done in a week before. Mary out performed me with 192 - you go girl.
Hot Chocolate Cakes
Mary and I ate at Sybaris for the second time about a week ago. The food was delicious, as expected. Dessert was a chocolate sampler, the best of which was a souffle-like cake with a molten center - absolutely delicious.
I thought I'd try making my own. I looked on David Lebovitz's site for a recipe that sounded like the cake, and I found this: Individual Hot Chocolate Cakes.
The cakes didn't turn out quite the same. The recipe has you unmold the cakes onto plates - so the presentation is different. And, even before that, the Sybaris cake had a crispy top, where the Lebovitz cake was a little softer. The center of the Lebovitz cake wasn't molten, just very soft.
That being said, Lebovitz provided yet another winning dessert. The cake was rich and delicious. The cake is so soft it barely holds itself together, and when you "bite" into it, what little structure remains just melts away inside your mouth.
Plus, the cake is very easy to make and doesn't take much time. I'd only change the recipe slightly - I'd be sure to use superfine sugar to line the ramekins, and I'd use ramekins (I don't own any, I used coffee mugs). As it was, the sugar on the outside of the cake was a little grainy and distracted from the cake itself. Plus with such a tall cake mold, there was just too much sugar on the outside.
The next time I want to impress folks with a dessert, this is the one I'll make.
I thought I'd try making my own. I looked on David Lebovitz's site for a recipe that sounded like the cake, and I found this: Individual Hot Chocolate Cakes.
The cakes didn't turn out quite the same. The recipe has you unmold the cakes onto plates - so the presentation is different. And, even before that, the Sybaris cake had a crispy top, where the Lebovitz cake was a little softer. The center of the Lebovitz cake wasn't molten, just very soft.
That being said, Lebovitz provided yet another winning dessert. The cake was rich and delicious. The cake is so soft it barely holds itself together, and when you "bite" into it, what little structure remains just melts away inside your mouth.
Plus, the cake is very easy to make and doesn't take much time. I'd only change the recipe slightly - I'd be sure to use superfine sugar to line the ramekins, and I'd use ramekins (I don't own any, I used coffee mugs). As it was, the sugar on the outside of the cake was a little grainy and distracted from the cake itself. Plus with such a tall cake mold, there was just too much sugar on the outside.
The next time I want to impress folks with a dessert, this is the one I'll make.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
100
Mary found this page a week ago: one hundred push ups.
It's a simple workout, the standard pyramid where the sets decrease in number of reps as your muscles tire. The goal of the program is to work your way up for 6 weeks until you're able to do 100 consecutive push ups. It should take about 30 minutes a week initially, probably more like an hour a week at the end, and then you should be able to do 100 in a row.
Mary and I just started. We both tested at 20 push ups (I'm doing traditional, Mary is doing the "knee"), and we completed the workout Monday night, which was about 50 push ups in total. By the end, the workouts will result in 250 push ups.
I just think it'd be pretty macho to be able to drop and do 100. We'll see if it sticks. Check back in 6 weeks.
It's a simple workout, the standard pyramid where the sets decrease in number of reps as your muscles tire. The goal of the program is to work your way up for 6 weeks until you're able to do 100 consecutive push ups. It should take about 30 minutes a week initially, probably more like an hour a week at the end, and then you should be able to do 100 in a row.
Mary and I just started. We both tested at 20 push ups (I'm doing traditional, Mary is doing the "knee"), and we completed the workout Monday night, which was about 50 push ups in total. By the end, the workouts will result in 250 push ups.
I just think it'd be pretty macho to be able to drop and do 100. We'll see if it sticks. Check back in 6 weeks.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Barack Obama and the “End” of Racism
After a long-winded introduction to the author, the piece wonderfully illuminates how some view Obama's rise as it relates to racism in this country. I found this particular passage interesting:
The Fourth World: Barack Obama and the “End” of Racism:
Well worth the read.
hat tip: letterstotheoregonian
The Fourth World: Barack Obama and the “End” of Racism:
"Obama plays the role of a Black Cinderella. He does for Black folks what Cinderella does for girls. He shows that oppression and silence can be good for you – at least if you are the one the prince chooses, or if you are the one who gets to be the prince. It’s total fantasy. It’s a glass slipper that will break at the arch and be turned on us like a broken beer bottle or a jagged-edged knife; the same knife Obama has threatened to turn on the people of Iran and Pakistan."
Well worth the read.
hat tip: letterstotheoregonian
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Eggs!
Ok, I'm a little late on this, we've been getting eggs from our chickens for a couple of weeks now. Actually, until just a couple of days ago, only one chicken was laying (Mary thinks it was Frances). But on Thursday, Mary found three (3!) eggs. Wow.
They're tiny. Very cute next to the XXL eggs we get from the farm. We waited almost two weeks to eat the first one (we made a nice scramble), but now we're eating them as fast as they come in.
Supposedly the eggs will get to be normal size in a couple of weeks, but these girls are laying early, so who knows.
They're tiny. Very cute next to the XXL eggs we get from the farm. We waited almost two weeks to eat the first one (we made a nice scramble), but now we're eating them as fast as they come in.
Supposedly the eggs will get to be normal size in a couple of weeks, but these girls are laying early, so who knows.
The first egg - found in the corner of the run
The egg is a little bigger than a walnut
We don't normally eat 10 eggs at a time, but it was like 6 regular eggsTuesday, August 19, 2008
Obesity Is Still Not About Exercise
This guy writes about weight loss and the media. His latest post is one of many where he's noted (over and over and over again) that energy-in matters far more to obesity rates than energy-out.
Interesting reads, and it seems to make sense. In my efforts for weight loss I controlled both my eating and exercise, and while the exercise certainly helped me feel comfortable eating what I wanted, it was super easy to eat more than what I was expending. Think about it, is it easier to eat a grab bag of chips or run for an hour? The bag takes maybe 5 minutes to eat and nearly no effort. With a "normal" life where you work 8+ hours a day, it's nearly impossible to exercise enough to keep up with what you'd eat.
So... eat less folks.
Interesting reads, and it seems to make sense. In my efforts for weight loss I controlled both my eating and exercise, and while the exercise certainly helped me feel comfortable eating what I wanted, it was super easy to eat more than what I was expending. Think about it, is it easier to eat a grab bag of chips or run for an hour? The bag takes maybe 5 minutes to eat and nearly no effort. With a "normal" life where you work 8+ hours a day, it's nearly impossible to exercise enough to keep up with what you'd eat.
So... eat less folks.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Very Good Taste » blog » The Omnivore’s Hundred
Very Good Taste » The Omnivore’s Hundred
Which of these 100 things have you eaten? I've marked the ones I've eaten in bold.
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue (in Paris no less)
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes (we're growing some right now)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (not a whole one...)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (blech, I don't understand the attraction of eating boogers)
29. Baklava (I should post my recipe, it's a potluck favorite)
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I doubt I'll ever smoke a cigar)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (I introduced Mary to Jello shots)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (grasshoppers in Mexico, tasted like dust)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (Simone drank this quite a bit)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin (worst, sushi, ever)
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone (totally overrated)
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (thanks to my uncle Wes)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (tasted it, ick)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (why carob?)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho (I've even had white gazpacho in Spain)
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (thanks to Cornell dining)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor (I made it myself)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
I've eaten 67 out of 100, does that make me worldly?
Which of these 100 things have you eaten? I've marked the ones I've eaten in bold.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue (in Paris no less)
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes (we're growing some right now)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (not a whole one...)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (blech, I don't understand the attraction of eating boogers)
29. Baklava (I should post my recipe, it's a potluck favorite)
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I doubt I'll ever smoke a cigar)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (I introduced Mary to Jello shots)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (grasshoppers in Mexico, tasted like dust)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (Simone drank this quite a bit)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin (worst, sushi, ever)
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone (totally overrated)
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (thanks to my uncle Wes)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (tasted it, ick)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (why carob?)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho (I've even had white gazpacho in Spain)
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (thanks to Cornell dining)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor (I made it myself)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
I've eaten 67 out of 100, does that make me worldly?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Paradise Campground (McKenzie River)
Mary, Simone and I went to Paradise campground on the McKenzie river this past weekend, we invited Nana and Grandpa - who accepted before I even finished the invite. We had a grand time.
Mary and I, re-enacting a wedding photo. Seven years ago almost to the day were were in that same spot, taking that same photo - only with fancier clothes.
The three of us posing at a waterfall.
Simone loves washing dishes (and herself)
Nana reading bedtime stories
Grandpa with his signature look
A cute one of Mary - one of a couple I wished I'd gotten in focus.
Mary's expert eye took this one
Simone supervising the setting up the tent
Posing for pappa
Grandpa and Nana show up, all rejoice!
Simone fell asleep on our hike to Belknap. I lay down to nap with her. We were both a bit hot (it was 100 degrees in the shade)
Mary and I, re-enacting a wedding photo. Seven years ago almost to the day were were in that same spot, taking that same photo - only with fancier clothes.All in all, a great weekend. The campground is real pretty - we were in site 42 - which is at the end of a loop and felt real private. There are a ton of old growth trees, and either the main river, or a small stream runs by nearly all the campsites. Ours was next to the small stream.
On Saturday we hiked all the way to Belknap (3 miles?), and even though it was around 100 degrees, the shade and the occasional cool breeze from the river kept us in high spirits.
On Saturday we hiked all the way to Belknap (3 miles?), and even though it was around 100 degrees, the shade and the occasional cool breeze from the river kept us in high spirits.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
An interesting analysis of the Republican strategy, Anglachel's Journal: Barking Up the Wrong Tree:
The boogey-monster the Right has settled on for this electoral cycle is affirmative action. Abortion is pretty much worn out, gay rights is beginning to boomerang back on them, so they need a new angle of assault on the New Deal and the Great Society. I talked about this obliquely earlier this year and now I'll say it plainly. The Republicans have set up affirmative action challenges in key states that have been trending blue, such as Colorado and Missouri, because that is the glue that holds together their two overlapping core constituencies - whites who really are racists and whites who want to secure their economic status in the face of tougher economic times and an increasingly poor, female and non-white working class. It is also an argument that appeals to a sense of fairness - the most qualified should get the position, not someone to fill up a color quota. This is the issue chosen to counter the three key candidates the Democrats would pick from for the top of the ticket - Hillary (female and Clinton), Obama (Black and inexperienced with a lot of collateral personal baggage), and Edwards (white male, but promoting poor rights and with a bimbo problem on the side).
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Don't Talk To The Police
A defense lawyer (James Duane) makes the case for why you should never talk to the police w/out a lawyer present. He quotes several Supreme Court justices, and provides examples of how even when you say nothing but the truth can be used against you. Afterwords he gives time to a cop - who is in complete agreement Mr. Duane.
The Fifth Amendment is there (in part) to protect the innocent.
It's pretty sobering.
The Fifth Amendment is there (in part) to protect the innocent.
It's pretty sobering.
Friday, August 01, 2008
New McCain Ad Portrays Obama as the Anti-Christ
Nothing to add to this. Just click on through and watch.
Framing Science : New McCain Ad Portrays Obama as the Anti-Christ
Framing Science : New McCain Ad Portrays Obama as the Anti-Christ
What Kind Of Liberal...
I've admitted to being a liberal, so I took this quiz to see what kind.
It's not a big surprise.
Note: I've not read the book, and know nothing about it. I'm guessing they have a sense of humor b/c they have a "FightLiberals" web page as well.
It's not a big surprise.
My Liberal Identity:
You are a Peace Patroller, also known as an anti-war liberal or neo-hippie. You believe in putting an end to American imperial conquest, stopping wars that have already been lost, and supporting our troops by bringing them home.
Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com
Note: I've not read the book, and know nothing about it. I'm guessing they have a sense of humor b/c they have a "FightLiberals" web page as well.
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