Feb 12 2012
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Feb 12 2012
“Why of all the people on the globe to light me up like that, does it have to be a crazy person?” I asked Linda a couple weeks ago, laughing my ass off. “I mean really, only two people in my life have been able to do that. Now this?”
She didn’t miss a beat, “Ummm, Diane, like either of your Mike’s were actually sane?” sarcasm and irony dripping off her good-natured words.
Before I could draw a breath to make a smartass reply? It hit me. She nailed me, it, totally. I literally did the face-palm and said, “Well,” the full exhale made the second word a whisper, “shit.” Then laughed even harder.
I had been explaining to her how it worked for me, that slam-rush when someone thought of you, that psychic connection that sounds like so much utter tripe to a normal person.
I did it just now, you see. (11~something am) Was surfing you tube, and chatting away on 2 pages on FB, when WHAM it hit me, I looked up and decided to hit the site meter of another site right EXACTLY as the lost-Mike (not the Dead-Mike, obviously) hit the page. This time, he didn’t read me. Another night? I had written the time down on my wrist to prove a point to her while playing yahtzee at her house. We came back here, and lo and behold – the EXACT time he had read me. Not useful at all. I normally totally ignore it, other than to make a point that I really CAN do it. I mean, he is as gone as the dead one from my life, so why hasn’t that tie ended?
Its of no use to me at all, then, this so-called gift. I mean, what the fuck, universe or evolved other-70% of my brain that apparently I get the joys of using? My kindreds have never been sane. Or perhaps I am not. Or perhaps alike’s really do attract, worse, connect, and neither/all of us are not quite sane. I have NO idea. All I know, is that all of them and I have fought like cats and dogs, at least part of the time. And that I love them fiercely whether or not we could stand being around one another in the long run. It is to laugh, right?
But I didn’t come to talk about that, this is the result of another thread talking about technology. I want to talk about a thought-provoking comment by David Williams on Journey with RoundTree7’s FB page…..
It began with me defending books over Kindles and Nook’s… and ended up with me thinking about string theory and human connectivity.
Feb 12 2012
In 1991 at Super Bowl XXV, Whitney gave this flawless performance of the National Anthem that has yet to be matched.
May the Goddess guide her on her journey to the Summerlands. May her family, friends, fans and the world find Peace.
The Wheel Turns. Blessed Be.
Feb 12 2012
“A self-portrait. It was after a dangerous eight-hour operation on my lung. Afterward I walked and walked the country around Chadds, getting my strength back, wearing these French cavalier’s boots which belonged to the painter Howard Pyle. As I walked, I had to watch my feet because I was so unsteady. And I suddenly got the idea that we all stupidly crush things underfoot and ruin them – without thinking. Like the weed here getting crushed. That black line is not merely a compositional device it’s the presence of death. Before my operation I had been looking at Albrecht Durer’s works. During the operation they say my heart stopped once. At that moment I could see Durer standing there in black, and he started coming at me across the tile floor. when my heart started, he, Durer – death – receded. So this painting is highly emotional – dangerous and looming. I like it. ”
– Andrew Wyeth
Feb 12 2012
Welcome to the Health and Fitness weekly diary which is cross-posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette. It is open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.
Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.
You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.
I made two great discoveries while coming up with these simple and delicious vegetarian skillet suppers. One is that a wok should not be limited to Asian stir-fries. A well-seasoned carbon steel wok makes a great natural nonstick pan that you can get hot enough to obtain a wonderful seared flavor when you cook vegetables, no matter what the seasonings.
The other thing I discovered is that the cooking water drained off from cooked barley or brown rice can be added to cooked vegetables the way pasta cooking water is sometimes used to moisten and add texture to an accompaniment. The starch in the nutrient-dense water enriches the vegetables like a sauce. Just add more water than the usual proportion that you’d use – say a quart for a cup of brown rice or barley – and drain the grains through a strainer set over a bowl when they’re tender.
~ Martha Rose Shulman
You can cook this beautiful, lemony skillet dinner in a well-seasoned wok or a heavy nonstick pan. You’ll get the best seared flavor in a wok.
The Greeks serve this dish as a salad, but if you want to make a meal of this, serve the greens and beets with a whole grain, like barley or quinoa.
Mushrooms and barley are a classic combination, but brown rice is also very nice with this dish, and it cooks faster.
You can just cook these vegetables in a skillet and serve them with grains for a great vegan dinner, or turn them into a hearty vegetarian (but not vegan) Provençal-style gratin.
Barley water is used to make nutritious beverages in many cuisines; it can also be useful as a sort of sauce, adding rich flavor and texture to vegetables.
Feb 12 2012
Cross Posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette
This is a state by state breakdown of the foreclosure settlement (h/t Yves Smith):
An astute observation from Lambert Strether:
OMFG, look at the weasel wording in the press release:
“This agreement is very significant in how it addresses the fraud that these banks committed against many homeowners across our state,” said ___.” This agreement not only provides much needed relief to (STATE) [Ha ha, fill in the blank!!!] borrowers, but it also puts a stop to many of the bad [criminal] behaviors that contributed to the mortgage mess in our state and across the country.”
And then there’s “fraud that these banks committed.” So if it’s fraud (against whom?!) then why is nobody going to jail?
UPDATE Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot. Banksters never go to jail. A banana republic like ours has a two-tier system of justice, and banksters have impunity for all crimes. Unlike you, peasants. My bad, seriously.
And is definitely a top comment:
Google tells it like it is. I google the first phrase as a complete string, a la “This agreement is very significant in how it addresses the fraud“, and the first thing that comes up is indeed Tom Miller’s press release, from 9 minutes ago (10:44AM EST), and two or three down after that, links to Nigerian 419 scams, triggered by the similarities between the Miller’s wording, and the scripts of scam artists. Shocker!
(all emphasis mine)
Some of the propaganda (again h/t Yves Smith):
Settlement Graphic and Settlement Graphic
Click the links but first put all heavy and sharp objects out of reach.
Feb 12 2012
Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette
This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.
Find the past “On This Day in History” here.
February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 322 days remaining until the end of the year (323 in leap years).
On this day in 1924, Rhapsody In Blue, by George Gershwin, performed for first time
Rhapsody in Blue premiered in an afternoon concert on February 12, 1924, held by Paul Whiteman and his band Palais Royal Orchestra, entitled An Experiment in Modern Music, which took place in Aeolian Hall in New York City. Many important and influential composers of the time such as John Phillip Sousa and Sergei Rachmaninoff were present. The event has since become historic specifically because of its premiere of the Rhapsody.
The purpose of the experiment, as told by Whiteman in a pre-concert lecture in front of many classical music critics and highbrows, was “to be purely educational.” It would “at least provide a stepping stone which will make it very simple for the masses to understand, and therefore, enjoy symphony and opera.” The program was long, including 26 separate musical movements, divided into 2 parts and 11 sections, bearing titles such as “True form of jazz” and “Contrast: legitimate scoring vs. jazzing”. Gershwin’s latest composition was the second to last piece (before Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1). Many of the numbers sounded similar and the ventilation system in the concert hall was broken. People in the audience were losing their patience, until the clarinet glissando that opened Rhapsody in Blue was heard. The piece was a huge success, and remains popular to this day.
The Rhapsody was performed by Whiteman’s band, with an added section of string players, and George Gershwin on piano. Gershwin decided to keep his options open as to when Whiteman would bring in the orchestra and he did not write out one of the pages for solo piano, with only the words “Wait for nod” scrawled by Grofe on the band score. Gershwin improvised some of what he was playing. As he did not write out the piano part until after the performance, we do not know exactly how the original Rhapsody sounded.
The opening clarinet glissando came into being during rehearsal when; “…as a joke on Gershwin, [Ross] Gorman (Whiteman’s virtuoso clarinettist) played the opening measure with a noticeable glissando, adding what he considered a humorous touch to the passage. Reacting favourably to Gorman’s whimsy, Gershwin asked him to perform the opening measure that way at the concert and to add as much of a ‘wail’ as possible.”
Feb 12 2012
Risks of Afghan War Shift From Soldiers to Contractors
By ROD NORDLAND
This is a war where traditional military jobs, from mess hall cooks to base guards and convoy drivers, have increasingly been shifted to the private sector. Many American generals and diplomats have private contractors for their personal bodyguards. And along with the risks have come the consequences: More civilian contractors working for American companies than American soldiers died in Afghanistan last year for the first time during the war.
American employers here are under no obligation to publicly report the deaths of their employees and frequently do not. While the military announces the names of all its war dead, private companies routinely notify only family members. Most of the contractors die unheralded and uncounted – and in some cases, leave their survivors uncompensated.
