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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Online Currency Converter - Online Forex Rates
The Online Currency Converter is a free online foreign currency exchange rate converter offered by Google!. It provides users a way to easily convert.
Wednesday Wisdom
"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say , Master. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her." John 20:16,18
In my tradition (I emphasize with love - my, personal tradition)I see Christ as the latest and most influential earthly incarnations of God. To me He is part of the ancient Pagan mystery tradition. The following is from Religious Tolerance.com
"Dionysus, a Greek God, and Osiris, an Egyptian God were viewed as mythical characters. Osiris may have been the first god-man. His story has been found recorded in pyramid texts which were written prior to 2,500 BCE. These and other saviors were truly interchangeable. Coins have been found with Dionysus on one side and Mithras on the other. A person who was initiated into one of the mysteries had no difficulty switching to another Pagan mystery religion.
In the 3rd century CE, these god-men were referred to by the composite name "Osiris-Dionysus." Authors Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy have used this term in their book "The Jesus Mysteries."
[All the God's experienced] [e]xecution, resurrection, etc. [The commonalities were that] He was killed near the time of the Vernal Equinox, about MAR-21.He died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was hung on a tree, stake, or cross...On the third day after his death, he returned to life. The cave where he was laid was visited by three of his female followers. He later ascended to heaven."
The tomb is empty! Christ lives! Alleluia!
Wednesday Wisdom
"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say , Master. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her." John 20:16,18
In my tradition (I emphasize with love - my, personal tradition)I see Christ as the latest and most influential earthly incarnations of God. To me He is part of the ancient Pagan mystery tradition. The following is from Religious Tolerance.com
"Dionysus, a Greek God, and Osiris, an Egyptian God were viewed as mythical characters. Osiris may have been the first god-man. His story has been found recorded in pyramid texts which were written prior to 2,500 BCE. These and other saviors were truly interchangeable. Coins have been found with Dionysus on one side and Mithras on the other. A person who was initiated into one of the mysteries had no difficulty switching to another Pagan mystery religion.
In the 3rd century CE, these god-men were referred to by the composite name "Osiris-Dionysus." Authors Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy have used this term in their book "The Jesus Mysteries."
[All the God's experienced] [e]xecution, resurrection, etc. [The commonalities were that] He was killed near the time of the Vernal Equinox, about MAR-21.He died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was hung on a tree, stake, or cross...On the third day after his death, he returned to life. The cave where he was laid was visited by three of his female followers. He later ascended to heaven."
The tomb is empty! Christ lives! Alleluia!
Tyranny versus Liberty
Every so often, one of His Grace's communicants contributes a gem which merits reproduction beyond the confines of an ephemeral thread of largely-forgettable dialogue.
This from Bryan (with His Grace's thanks):
'I see the debate is framed here as it is in my own country; as a struggle between liberalism and conservatism.
'Yet no matter how the struggle turns out, both the liberals and the conservatives feel frustration, no matter who "wins", neither seem to enjoy the victory as "their" party fails to live up to its promises once in power.
'You see there is another, less obvious, struggle at work in the body politic, and that is tyranny verses liberty. Tyranny is the natural course of professional politicians, whilst liberty is the heart's cry of the populace.
'Tyranny lives in the professional politician's desire to remain in power, to increase his own personal power, and therefore the power of the central government over the people. He sells this through offering to lift the heavy burden of personal responsibility from off the shoulders of the populace.
'The amount of this tyranny you allow is entirely based on the amount of personal responsibility you refuse to bear; for personal responsibility is the cornerstone of personal liberty. Surrender your personal responsibility to anyone or anything else, and that other controls your actions.
'The true struggle of politics is therefore, how best to balance government control with personal responsibility. And the level of tyranny a people will abide is inversely proportional to their moral ability to shoulder personal responsibility.'
This from Bryan (with His Grace's thanks):
'I see the debate is framed here as it is in my own country; as a struggle between liberalism and conservatism.
'Yet no matter how the struggle turns out, both the liberals and the conservatives feel frustration, no matter who "wins", neither seem to enjoy the victory as "their" party fails to live up to its promises once in power.
'You see there is another, less obvious, struggle at work in the body politic, and that is tyranny verses liberty. Tyranny is the natural course of professional politicians, whilst liberty is the heart's cry of the populace.
'Tyranny lives in the professional politician's desire to remain in power, to increase his own personal power, and therefore the power of the central government over the people. He sells this through offering to lift the heavy burden of personal responsibility from off the shoulders of the populace.
'The amount of this tyranny you allow is entirely based on the amount of personal responsibility you refuse to bear; for personal responsibility is the cornerstone of personal liberty. Surrender your personal responsibility to anyone or anything else, and that other controls your actions.
'The true struggle of politics is therefore, how best to balance government control with personal responsibility. And the level of tyranny a people will abide is inversely proportional to their moral ability to shoulder personal responsibility.'
Headlines - Wednesday March 31
Bumper sticker of the day: If you're not part of the solution, you're a Republican.
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"I want to just take a moment to thank the Teabaggers. Thank you so much for helping us pass health care, for resurrecting the Obama presidency. I know they're saying, 'Why are you thanking me? I was so against it, I marched on Washington with tea bags hanging off my Founding Fathers costume, with a gun on my hip and a picture of Obama dressed as Hitler, screaming about his birth certificate.' And America saw that and said, 'I think I'll go with the calm black man.'" –Bill Maher
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WaPo: Sinéad O'Connor on the Catholic church's ongoing rape scandals.
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It's douchebag day!
And speaking of douchebags....
L'il Miss Inflammatory Rhetoric is advocating for road rage now?
Her remarks focused mainly on Sen. Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Obama, the latter of whom was the opponent of the McCain-Palin ticket in the 2008 presidential campaign. Palin beckoned to two familiar phrases from the Obama-Biden campaign."That bumper sticker that maybe you'll see on the next Subaru driving by -- an Obama bumper sticker -- you should stop the driver and say, 'So how is that hopey, changey thing working out for ya?'" Palin said, poking at two words closely tied to Mr. Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, "hope" and "change."
Because what the country needs is more of these assholes.
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The Catholic Archdiocese of Miami is being sued. And you know why.
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Wow. President Obama's accomplishments: http://www.thepoliticalcarnival.net/2010/03/president-obamas-accomplishments.html
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Alaskan blogs are claiming that Sarah Palin's 15 year-old daughter Willow has been identified as part of a gang of teenagers that broke into and vandalized a home in Wasilla.
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WTF? The father of the dead Marine whose funeral was picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church has been ordered to pay Fred Phelps' court costs for defending the church from the father's lawsuit.
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This is nice. Andrew Sullivan has a suggestion to exempt those wanna-be terrorists, the Hutarees, from the fold of the faithful.
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NAMBLA: "At least we aren't the Catholic Church": http://www.williamkwolfrum.com/2010/03/18/nambla-at-least-we-arent-the-catholic-church/
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Steve Benen: So, Michele Bachmann would have us believe that John Lewis is a liar. John Lewis, who has demonstrated more integrity, honesty, and courage in his career than Bachmann's limited intellect can even fathom, is deserving of mistrust, because he heard racial slurs and talked about it.
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When is Barack Obama going to learn that they are going to call him a Muslim terrorist socialist antichrist even if he does things like this: Obama to expand offshore drilling for gas and oil.
The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.
The proposal is intended to reduce dependence on oil imports, generate revenue from the sale of offshore leases and help win political support for comprehensive energy and climate legislation.
Yup, that's vintage Obama -- try to cut the baby in half in the hope of getting bipartisan support for something Republicans will never, ever go for. If he still thinks Republicans will go for any effort to combat climate change (when they don't believe we have any part to play in it) after the health care near-debacle, I don't know what's going to convince him that these people will not work with him under ANY circumstances.
Then there's the delusion this will create that we don't have to worry about oil because we can pump our way to the return of cheap gas and Hummers. Meanwhile, here in New Jersey, we have had three major storms in six weeks -- one blizzard that left us with up to 20 inches of snow, a late-winter near-hurricane that brought us 70mph winds and up to 6" of rain in two days (and toppled my giant blue spruce tree in the front yard), and another one this week that brought up to another 5" of rain. But no, climate change has nothing to do with that either.
The only comfort that I take in this is that it's the states who chanted "Drill baby drill" during the 2008 election campaign who will find oil globs washing up on their beaches.
Oh yeah, and this too.
The other day Sarah Palin was using her patented "How's that hopey-changey thing workin' for ya" line again. Until I read this, I was inclined to say "Pretty damn good." Now I'd say "I don't know why you think we need to elect Sarah Palin; Obama is doing everything the oil industry wants."
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A buncha morans got their cars towed en masse when they parked at some frathouse somewhere in Florida while attending a goofy Glenn Beck revival meeting.
According to WFTV channel 9 in Orlando, 53 cars were towed out of a fraternity parking lot at the University of Central Florida on Saturday night, and all of them belonged to people who were attending Beck's American Revival Tour appearance at the nearby UCF Arena… The frat house wouldn't talk to the media, but Ronald Hulbert, the owner of the towing company that hauled off the cars, said he earned around $6,600 for the massive tow operation, which he said was the largest he ever carried out in a single day.
The wingnuts are of course saying it was a conspiracy.
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I've heard of shotgun weddings ...
…but not automatic weapon weddings. You better not dance with the bride's maid at this affair, groom dude, or you will go from cock o' the walk to capon, real fast!
Yes, this is a wedding picture from the lovely Hutaree Xristian Xrazy Militia, who are shooting their way into heaven, except now they are locked up for planning to start a civil war by attacking the police department somewhere in Jebusland.
Even the ring bearer is packing heat.
(via TPM)
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Levi Johnston's reality show
The anti-Mooselini is going head-to-head with the Wasilla Chillbillies.
While I think I now know more than I ever wanted to know about all the grifters in Alaskastan, I gotta admit that I am on team Levi. He's doing us all a public service just shadowing them and getting under their skin. Yeah, it might be self-serving, too, but I'm giving him props for keeping up a good fight.
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Organicized!
Hmm. So Michelle Obama's organic garden doesn't actually translate into policy:
WASHINGTON – Sidestepping a stalled Senate confirmation vote, yesterday President Obama recess-appointed Islam Siddiqui to be chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the U.S. trade representative. Dr. Siddiqui's nomination was held up in the Senate and was opposed by the Center for Biological Diversity and more than 80 other environmental, small-farm, and consumer groups. More than 90,000 concerned citizens contacted the White House and Senate to oppose the nomination. Siddiqui is a former pesticide lobbyist and is currently vice president of science and regulatory affairs at CropLife America, a biotech and pesticide trade group that lobbies to weaken environmental laws.
"Dr. Siddiqui's confirmation is a step backward," said Tierra Curry, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. "His appointment ensures the perpetuation of pesticide- and fossil-fuel-intensive policies, which undermine global food security and imperil public health and wildlife."
As undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Siddiqui oversaw the development of the first national organic labeling standards, which allowed sewage sludge-fertilized, genetically modified, and irradiated food to be labeled as organic before public outcry forced more stringent standards. Siddiqui has derided the European Union's ban on hormone-treated beef and has vowed to pressure the European Union to accept more genetically modified crops.
Appointments like this tell us the continuing mixed messages of the Obama administration. Stay tuned!
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Dr. Aubrey Levin, a Canadian psychiatrist who gained notoriety for claiming to "cure" homosexuality through shock treatments, has been charged with sexually abusing a male patient, and many other allegations are being investigated. Levin's right wing views and membership in South Africa's ruling National Party during apartheid are widely known, as well as his extreme homophobia.
South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard that Levin was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" including chemical castration of gay men. But after arriving in Canada in 1995 he managed to suppress public discussion of his past by threatening lawsuits against news organisations that attempted to explore it.
"Doctor Shock," as he is known in South Africa, was secretly filmed by a patient and arrested after the recording was presented to authorities. He has been suspended from practicing medicine and is free on $50,000 bail on charges of repeatedly sexually assaulting his 36 year old patient. Police are investing at least 30 similar claims.
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Pat Sajak Is Doing What Now?
Tony Blair - The Second Coming
He's got the whole world in his hands.
He would, of course, have preferred the Mount of Olives, surrounded by the world’s media as he descended in the clouds with great glory. But instead it was Sedgefield, and the venue was the Trimbdon Labour Club (which he described as his political and spiritual home).
The presence was far too powerful for the stage: it was not possible to confine his shekinah aura in such a lowly tabernacle. But he condescended patiently as he became one of them, fully messiah yet fully man; mindful of his humble origins as he emptied himself of his Faith Foundation.
Cranmer was not alone in the messianic allusions to Tony Blair’s Second Coming. The Daily Telegraph talked of Labour’s Saviour, finding biblical allusions perfectly fitting: “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
And the Financial Times took the same theme.
But for all the hype and audience adulation, it was the same actor using the same rhetoric, with the same pregnant pauses and the same pleading gestures.
And this rhetoric remained evangelical: “Although the sea is still rough the storm has subsided….at the moment of peril the world acted, Britain acted.”
And he, who constructed his entire political career on Labour’s need to change, had the audacity to describe the Conservatives’ ‘time for change’ slogan as ‘the most vacuous in politics’.
You see, only Labour can change and remain authentic: when the Tories do, they are pretending, deceiving, luring in the unsuspecting electorate who will soon discover that they are the ‘same old Tories’ – nasty, spiteful, selfish and only out for themselves.
And so Labour’s Saviour deconstructed David Cameron’s Conservatives brick by brick: "On Europe, they've gone right when they should have gone centre; on law and order, they've gone liberal when actually they should have stuck with a traditional Conservative position; and on the economy, they seem to be buffeted this way and that, depending less on where they think the country should be, than on where they think public opinion might be."
Buffeted?
Presumably contrasted with the sure-footedness of New Labour, who would never have dreamed of being ‘buffeted’ by something as ephemeral and capricious as public opinion.
And on his successor: “At the moment of peril the world acted. Britain acted. The decision to act required experience, judgment and boldness. It required leadership. Gordon Brown supplied it.''
His principal message is that the Conservatives are inconsistent and indecisive while Gordon Brown has ‘experience, judgement and boldness’.
It was pitched of necessity to the marginal voters in the ‘swing’ constituencies: Tony Blair has now become the Middle England Peace Envoy.
But the lies, misinformation and misrepresentation were unbecoming. He said: "On some issues like racial equality the Conservatives have left behind the prejudices of the past. I welcome that.”
And he might as well have added gender equality to his patronising ‘welcome’, for the inference was clear.
How many minority ethnic leaders have Labour had?
How many women?
The party that gave the United Kingdom its first Jewish prime minister and its first woman prime minister has never been ‘racist’ or ‘sexist’, because conservatism admits or tolerates neither.
Yet it suits his purpose to leave a whiff of irrational prejudice under the noses of those who are still taking a long, hard look at the Tories.
"Is there a core?” he asks. “Think of all the phrases you associate with their leadership and the phrase 'you know where you are with them' is about the last description you would think of. They seem like they haven’t made up their mind about where they stand; and so the British public finds it hard to make up its mind about where it stands. In uncertain times, there is a lot to be said for certain leadership."
Mr Blair never once mentioned David Cameron by name. But he didn’t need to.
When he talked of ‘vacuous’, ‘question marks’, ‘confusion’, ‘inconsistency’ and ‘inexperience’, there was no doubt his target was the present incarnation of conservatism.
By contrast, Labour is ‘consistent’, ‘certain’ and ‘coherent’, with a ‘strong commitment to public services’ and a ‘strong commitment to reform’.
And the evidence, he averred, may be seen in ‘reduced crime, higher standards in schools, and hospital waiting lists reduced from 18 months to 18 weeks’.
This was Blair the preacher delivering his Sedgefield sermon: the extravagant evangelical Roman Catholic convert condescending to exalt the Presbyterian puritan with great ecumenical generosity.But he is an hypocritical charlatan; a perma-tanned fraud who desperately wants to be all things to all people in order that all may be duped.
David Cameron said he was ‘not at all worried’ by Mr Blair's intervention. Referring to the millions the former prime minister has made in public speaking since he left office, he said: 'It is nice to see him making a speech that no-one is paying for.’
The problem, of course, is that we all have.
And will continue to do so, for decades to come.
Tony Blair was right about one thing. This election is about ‘…who gets the future... who understands the way the world is changing…’
The future will not be ‘fair for all’ under another Labour government.
It is time for conservatism to articulate itself for the 21st century.
The choice is clear.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Knowing How to "Make Stuff"
"Sewing is special because you get to make things and I get to make my little brothers toys." -Nykki
Sewing is an important part of our mental and spiritual development. Our ancient ancestors sewed before they could write, before they could read -even before they could speak.
The picture above is for Nykki's sewing sampler he's working on. It's his back stitch. In my opinion, it's practical to teach my boys to sew. I don't know what path there lives will take or where our society will be when they get there but I'll be danged if my boys will be dependent upon Walmart or Kohls for their clothing.
I think teaching boys home arts is especially important. Many mother's today are not teaching their girls how to keep a tidy home, how to cook, sew, knit, raise babies, and otherwise take care of their family. It's not "cool", it's not "modern".
In case my one of my boys falls in love with one of these "modern" girls, he will be able to help her in the keeping a nice home.
That isn't to say I load them up simply on home arts, they also learn karate, farming, hunting/trapping, water purification, archery, reading, math, science, politics, community involvement, etc.
Three cheers for well rounded boys!
Knowing How to "Make Stuff"
"Sewing is special because you get to make things and I get to make my little brothers toys." -Nykki
Sewing is an important part of our mental and spiritual development. Our ancient ancestors sewed before they could write, before they could read -even before they could speak.
The picture above is for Nykki's sewing sampler he's working on. It's his back stitch. In my opinion, it's practical to teach my boys to sew. I don't know what path there lives will take or where our society will be when they get there but I'll be danged if my boys will be dependent upon Walmart or Kohls for their clothing.
I think teaching boys home arts is especially important. Many mother's today are not teaching their girls how to keep a tidy home, how to cook, sew, knit, raise babies, and otherwise take care of their family. It's not "cool", it's not "modern".
In case my one of my boys falls in love with one of these "modern" girls, he will be able to help her in the keeping a nice home.
That isn't to say I load them up simply on home arts, they also learn karate, farming, hunting/trapping, water purification, archery, reading, math, science, politics, community involvement, etc.
Three cheers for well rounded boys!
Building A Foundation
This is Labour's latest poster campaign.
Iain Dale has said everything that needs to be said.
Couldn't be bothered to wait for the technical geeks to create another spoof poster generator, so here's the rough and ready version:
Headlines - Tuesday March 30
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There really isn't a Tea Party. The so called "Tea Party" is just an attempt to rebrand the Republican Party as if changing the name will make people forget the Bush years. These people were all Bush/Cheney supporters who couldn't care less about fiscal responsibility when they were in power. Now they are Republicans who are too ashamed to admit it.
I don't blame them. If I were a Republican I would be too ashamed to admit it too. But Republicans can't seek obsolution from past sins by changing their name. We won the 2006 and 2008 elections and with a record of accomplishment we are poised for another big win this year. We already took back America. This year might end up being the end of the line for the Republican Party.
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Study: Just 13% of Voters Are Tea Baggers – And Their Anti- Establishment Rage Fails to Connect with 72% of Americans
News coverage of tea baggers' protest rallies has given them the appearance of a groundswell movement sweeping the nation. Pundits regularly cite them as dominant players in the coming elections. Recently, the Republican establishment has started courting them. Last week, addressing a crowd of John McCain supporters in Arizona, Sarah Palin said, "Everyone here today supporting John McCain, we are all part of that Tea Party movement." Former Vice Pres. Dan Quayle recently described them as Pres. Richard Nixon's "Silent Majority" who were "silent no more." Not surprisingly, all the attention has given tea baggers an inflated sense of their importance which they project by routinely exaggerating the crowd sizes at their rallies.
http://www.pensitoreview.com/2010/03/29/study-just-13-of-voters-are-tea-baggers/
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“We know you is the mayor” – the political elixir of instant recognisability
Very few attain it: short of the prime minister, only the infamous rascals and rogues of Parliament achieve fame, or notoriety. And even then, it is more often the name rather than the face which penetrates the national consciousness by a process of media inculcation.Boris Johnson is fast-becoming a national treasure. Some may consider him an idiot, a buffoon, a caricature. But they thought the same of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Yet still they flock from the four corners of the world to kiss her shrine.
The story in yesterday’s Daily Mail is so typically Boris. Apparently, he chased a ‘souped-up Astra’ along the streets of London on his bike after the ‘louts’ had thrown litter out of their window.
What other mayor would do that?
What other national politician would?
What local councillor would?
They only seem to care when there’s a camera around.
But Boris’ instinct is to decry the injustice, to confront the ‘lout’, to reprimand the hooligan and to chastise the recidivist.
And he does so personally: he can’t be bothered with politicians, the police, or interminable bureaucracy:
'Soon the bike had beaten the car, as it always does,' he wrote. As they waited at the next set of lights, I pounded on the window. "Open up!" I cried.
'There were three kids inside, and I could see the culprit goggling up at me with appalled recognition. They lurched off again in the hope of escape, but of course I had them at the next lights.'
The ensuing conversation must have made entertaining listening it indeed unfolded as Mr Johnson - distinctive even with his trademark mop of blonde hair hidden under a cycle helmet - described. It began with the irate mayor demanding the car's occupants open up, then him telling his assailant 'you aren't going to get away with it, I am the mayor!'.
Rolling down a window, the driver replied: 'I know you is the mayor, and it was a accident'.
The conversation then continued on the street, after the culprit offered to get out of the car.
Mr Johnson's asked 'why did you throw something at my head?'
The response, was it seems: 'Please, Mr Boris sir, this wasn't meant to happen.
'We know you is the mayor, man.
'We gotta lot of respect for the things you are doing.'
Not normally one to be lost for words, at this point Mr Johnson appears to have lost his track.
After discovering two of the car's occupants were Derron and Erron, he failed to elicit the name of the third.
He erupted with rage when one of the men told him 'it was only a piece of litter', but only to warn them not to throw litter at people's heads.
All appears to have ended amicably, with the litter louts promising 'we won't do it again' and asking 'can we have a photo, Mr Boris?'
Whether he obliged, the mayor did not say.
What he did say, in his column, was: 'Only a piece of litter, he says, when we all know that the number one environmental concern of the British public - far ahead of global warming - is the tidiness of their neighbourhoods and the plague of litter.
'I don't know what the Astra passenger threw at my head, but whatever it was, it wasn't just a piece of litter. It was a national disgrace.'
It was only four months ago that Mr Johnson saved a woman who was being attacked by a group of hoodies. One of the gang was brandishing an iron bar, but that didn't stop Boris.
In Boris, the Conservative Party has a high-profile, intelligent and personable politician who is a true Conservative of considerable pedigree.
What he speaks is true and what he writes is common sense. And he has a rare gift for a politician – he is lovable. No matter what his faults and failings – and these have been broadcast far and wide - there is something profoundly warming about his personality. In an era where the medium is the message, Mr Johnson speaks Tory volumes.
This is just vintage stuff:
'I don't know what the Astra passenger threw at my head, but whatever it was, it wasn't just a piece of litter. It was a national disgrace.'
And everyone has heard of Boris – even the litter lout in the souped-up Astra. Will they have heard of George Osborne? Or Alastair Darling? No, not at all. They are obscure, undistinguished and indistinguishable from the bland uniformity that politics has become. The characters are being cleansed, individualism eradicated. But, like Diana, Boris has the aura of first-name familiarity about him; not such a one that may breed contempt, but one that endears people to him; one that makes people feel that they somehow know him. There is something cultic about him; to use the vernacular, he has mojo, he creates his own mystery which inevitably yields a loyal following and God knows the Conservative Party desperately needs politicians with whom the electorate wants to engage; politicians who can lead and create disciples.
In an age of cynicism for the political process and disdain for politicians, parties ought to be looking out for those who are instinctively above manipulation, evasion, cunning and deceit, and those who might possess individualism, uniqueness, beliefs of their own, and a personality.
Boris is the people’s politician.
And his being Mayor of London is like trying to put infinite space into a nutshell.
He is destined for much greater things.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Amateur Photographers Underpricing Professionals
Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred for The New York Times
Interesting article in The New York Times:
For Photographers, the Image of a Shrinking Path
By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
Published: March 29, 2010
Amateur photographers, happy to accept small checks for snapshots, are underpricing professionals.
Here's a permalink to the article: For Photographers, the Image of a Shrinking Path
March 29, 2010 - Survivors' Tips from Dr. Laura Liberman
When I attended the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s national meeting in New York last fall, one of the most helpful presentations I heard was by Dr. Laura Liberman, a radiologist on the staff of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Liberman spoke not so much as a physician, but as a cancer survivor. She herself has been successfully treated for lymphoma.She evidently gave the same talk again at a more recent event at MSKCC, and they’ve posted an online video of it. It’s just 30 minutes long, and is well worth it.
Laura’s experience was, like mine, one of tables being turned. As a pastor, I’ve visited with many cancer patients, and have tried to give them what help I could. She and I both found it disorienting, at first, to assume the role of a patient. In fact, the title of Laura’s book is I Signed As the Doctor – the first several times she signed consent forms for medical procedures, she made the mistake of signing on the line marked “Doctor,” rather than “Patient.”
Here are Dr. Laura Liberman’s cancer survival tips, a baker’s dozen:
1. Reach out to your friends.
Some people can’t deal with your cancer (it’s not in their nature), but many will be grateful for the opportunity to step up and help.
2. It’s OK to cry, but try to keep it to 20 minutes a day or less.
This is no joke. An oncology nurse gave her this advice. Laura actually found it helpful to try to fit her crying into that period of time (20 minutes at a stretch, four 5-minute crying jags, whatever worked). I didn't do much crying myself, being the typical male in our culture, but I appreciate the importance of giving ourselves permission to feel sad.
3. Ask people to pray for you.
Laura’s of the opinion that prayer, from any and all religious traditions, is a good thing. If nothing else, you may receive a sense of positive energy coming toward you, and it allows friends want to do something to help you who may have no other way to do so.
4. Find doctors you can trust.
You don’t want Dr. House from TV, she says. You want someone who’s empathetic as well as technically skilled
5. Take it bird by bird.
A literary reference to Anne Lamott’s book of that title. Lamott tells the story of how her brother was frustrated at the magnitude of his grade-school report assignment on “The Birds of North America.” Their father gave him the sage advice to “take it bird by bird.” So, too, with cancer. The big picture can feel overwhelming, especially at the outset. Take it one medical procedure at a time.
6. Be sensitive to your family.
Be honest with your kids, but don’t overwhelm them with more information than they can handle. Make sure your kids know you will still be there for them.
7. Be your own advocate.
Do your own research. Bring someone with you on doctor’s visits – not only to help you advocate for yourself, and also to listen for details you will probably miss. Laura suggests “bringing your own anesthesia” – not the big stuff you need an anesthesiologist for, of course, but she sings the praises of something called Gebauer ethyl chloride, a topical application you can get at the pharmacy with a prescription. The stuff numbs the skin; it’s what they spray on kids’ skinned knuckles in the emergency room. Emla Cream, she says, is also useful, though you have to apply it a half-hour before. Not every doctor, she says, is alert to the value of preventing minor pain, like that of a needle insertion, with such topical preparations. Bring the stuff with you, though, and the doctor’s unlikely to object.
8. Find silver linings (it’s an opportunity to get new hats!).Laura says she indulged herself, when she was losing her hair, by buying herself an embarrassing number of fashionable new hats. People want to say “You look great,” she points out – but when they can’t, you can always ask them, “Do you like my hat?”
9. Discover your inner Zen.
By this, she means whatever it is that brings you to a place of inner peace. There’s an awful lot of waiting associated with being a cancer patient, and all that downtime can lead to excessive worrying. One friend advised her to pretend each doctor’s visit is a trip to the airport – if you don’t have to wait that long, you’ll be pleased. Get an iPod, she also advises – so you can listen to music during all those waiting experiences. Putting songs onto your iPod is something teenagers can do for you.
10. Keep your sense of humor.
Nothing about cancer is a joke, but if you can focus on things that make you laugh, that’s a good thing.
11. Play the cancer card.
Every once in a while, it helps to mention that you have cancer. Sometimes people will give you special consideration (she’s got a good story about this on the video about getting a cab in New York).
12. Savor celebrations. It’s not all about the cancer!
Celebrations are important at any time of life, but especially when you’re sick. “The way you make life good is by incorporating good stuff into it.”
13. Use your experience to help others.
Give back, pay it forward, or whatever you like to call it. This can help you feel you’re going through this experience for a reason
Good advice. Check out the video!
Menu Plan Monday
This menu plan is for a family of 5, two adults, two male children and a breastfeeding babe. Because I have growing boys the meals and snacks a quite abundant. I don't typically use all the recommended spices in a recipe so if it's in a recipe but not on the store list, that's why (my children and hubby like bland food). This menu follows the nourishing traditions diet but has vegetarian options for my husband where needed. Enjoy!
B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D = Dinner
P = Prep work
Already made last week – 2 loaves Sourdough bread, cultured oats (soak oats with water and a few teaspoons yogurt, over night), soak black beans
Mon.
B- Oatmeal with butter and brown sugar
L- Baked potatoes with cheese and steamed broccoli
D- Full Moon Soup (Black bean soup with a sour cream "moon" on top)
P- Soak 1/2 cup cornmeal with 1 1/2 cup water and one tablespoon yogurt
Tue.
B- Cornmeal waffles*
L- Lamb or Tofu stuffed pitas with lettuce and tomato
D- Salmon or tofu stuffed crepes* with sauteed asparagus
P-
*Cornmeal Waffles: Place cornmeal and water in a pot, bring to a gradual boil while stirring. Set aside, add 3 tablespoons butter, stir until creamy. When it has cooled to lukewarm add 1 egg yolk and blend the add 3/4 cup sour milk or butter milk and 2 teaspoons brown sugar, blend. In a another bowl shift one cup flour, 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and 3 teaspoons baking powder, in another bowl beat three egg whites until peaks form. Add wet to dry and then gently fold in egg whites. Top with butter and honey.
*Crepes: one cup flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk - blend well and spread thinly with a ladel on a hot skittle, flip when brown.
Wed.
B- Scrambled eggs
L- Peanut butter and honey sandwiches with carrot, apple, raisin salad
D- Broccoli and cashew casserole
P-
Thur. Fast Thursday
B- Fast
L- Fast
D- Omelet with grated cheese and sauteed mushrooms
P- Culture Oats, sprout barley by soaking it in water a rinsing it well twice daily
Fri.
B- Oatmeal with frozen berries
L- Scrambled egg and red pepper stir fry topped with sliced tomatoes
D- Lamb and pineapple (without curry, glaze and stir fried instead of kabobbed)
P- Soak rice
Sat.
B- Srambled eggs, toast and fruit
L- Sliced tomatoes on top of cooked rice with a splash of olive oil and salt/pepper to taste
D- Barely Casserole
P- make granola by toasting oats with melted butter, honey, pumpkin seeds and a few tablespoons of flour in the oven until crisp
Sun.
B- Granola
L- Easter potluck at church
D- Left over buffet
Snacks: popcorn, yogurt with honey, fruit, hard boiled eggs, carrots, cheese sticks, apples
Deserts: Custard (using honey instead of sugar and cinnamon instead of nutmeg), Honey Wheat Cookies*
*1 cup honey, 1 cup butter, 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix all ingredients together, drop on a greased cookie sheet by the teaspoon, bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Store List
Remember to buy local and organic when possible :)
Lamb meat 1 lb(ground)
Tofu 2 lbs
Onion 3 count
Seseame seeds
Olive oil
salt/pepper
pita bread
barely
mushrooms
lemon juice
veggie broth
eggs 3 dozen
carrots 5 lbs
cheese 2 lbs
tomatoes 4 count
rice 2 cups
basil
salmon 1 can
asparagus 1 bunch
milk 1 gallon
flour 3 lbs
veganaise
3 red bell pepper
garlic
canned chunk pineapple
tomato paste
asian spices
broccoli 4 heads
cashews 1 cup
pasta noodles
butter 1 lb
swiss cheese 1 lb
parmesan cheese
potatoes
sour cream black beans (canned)
lettuce
honey
cornstarch
vanilla
baking soda baking powder
cinnamon
oats 6 cups
brown sugar
bacon 1/2 lb
frozen berries
pumpkin seeds
cornmeal 1 cup
Menu Plan Monday
This menu plan is for a family of 5, two adults, two male children and a breastfeeding babe. Because I have growing boys the meals and snacks a quite abundant. I don't typically use all the recommended spices in a recipe so if it's in a recipe but not on the store list, that's why (my children and hubby like bland food). This menu follows the nourishing traditions diet but has vegetarian options for my husband where needed. Enjoy!
B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D = Dinner
P = Prep work
Already made last week – 2 loaves Sourdough bread, cultured oats (soak oats with water and a few teaspoons yogurt, over night), soak black beans
Mon.
B- Oatmeal with butter and brown sugar
L- Baked potatoes with cheese and steamed broccoli
D- Full Moon Soup (Black bean soup with a sour cream "moon" on top)
P- Soak 1/2 cup cornmeal with 1 1/2 cup water and one tablespoon yogurt
Tue.
B- Cornmeal waffles*
L- Lamb or Tofu stuffed pitas with lettuce and tomato
D- Salmon or tofu stuffed crepes* with sauteed asparagus
P-
*Cornmeal Waffles: Place cornmeal and water in a pot, bring to a gradual boil while stirring. Set aside, add 3 tablespoons butter, stir until creamy. When it has cooled to lukewarm add 1 egg yolk and blend the add 3/4 cup sour milk or butter milk and 2 teaspoons brown sugar, blend. In a another bowl shift one cup flour, 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and 3 teaspoons baking powder, in another bowl beat three egg whites until peaks form. Add wet to dry and then gently fold in egg whites. Top with butter and honey.
*Crepes: one cup flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk - blend well and spread thinly with a ladel on a hot skittle, flip when brown.
Wed.
B- Scrambled eggs
L- Peanut butter and honey sandwiches with carrot, apple, raisin salad
D- Broccoli and cashew casserole
P-
Thur. Fast Thursday
B- Fast
L- Fast
D- Omelet with grated cheese and sauteed mushrooms
P- Culture Oats, sprout barley by soaking it in water a rinsing it well twice daily
Fri.
B- Oatmeal with frozen berries
L- Scrambled egg and red pepper stir fry topped with sliced tomatoes
D- Lamb and pineapple (without curry, glaze and stir fried instead of kabobbed)
P- Soak rice
Sat.
B- Srambled eggs, toast and fruit
L- Sliced tomatoes on top of cooked rice with a splash of olive oil and salt/pepper to taste
D- Barely Casserole
P- make granola by toasting oats with melted butter, honey, pumpkin seeds and a few tablespoons of flour in the oven until crisp
Sun.
B- Granola
L- Easter potluck at church
D- Left over buffet
Snacks: popcorn, yogurt with honey, fruit, hard boiled eggs, carrots, cheese sticks, apples
Deserts: Custard (using honey instead of sugar and cinnamon instead of nutmeg), Honey Wheat Cookies*
*1 cup honey, 1 cup butter, 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix all ingredients together, drop on a greased cookie sheet by the teaspoon, bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Store List
Remember to buy local and organic when possible :)
Lamb meat 1 lb(ground)
Tofu 2 lbs
Onion 3 count
Seseame seeds
Olive oil
salt/pepper
pita bread
barely
mushrooms
lemon juice
veggie broth
eggs 3 dozen
carrots 5 lbs
cheese 2 lbs
tomatoes 4 count
rice 2 cups
basil
salmon 1 can
asparagus 1 bunch
milk 1 gallon
flour 3 lbs
veganaise
3 red bell pepper
garlic
canned chunk pineapple
tomato paste
asian spices
broccoli 4 heads
cashews 1 cup
pasta noodles
butter 1 lb
swiss cheese 1 lb
parmesan cheese
potatoes
sour cream black beans (canned)
lettuce
honey
cornstarch
vanilla
baking soda baking powder
cinnamon
oats 6 cups
brown sugar
bacon 1/2 lb
frozen berries
pumpkin seeds
cornmeal 1 cup
Headlines - Monday March 29
My favorite YouTube atheist tackles the latest Catholic scandal: Pat Condell: Is Satan A Catholic?
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Sign the "Boycott Discovery networks" petition to remove Sarah Palin as host of "Sarah Palin's Alaska."
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Pope's Palm Sunday service: Poor me, I'm the victim.
And then New York's Archbishop compared the criticism of Benedict to the suffering of Jesus Christ:
The charges being hurled at Pope Benedict XVI are the "the same unjust accusations, shouts of the mob and scourging at the pillar" suffered by Christ, Dolan said in his first Palm Sunday Mass as New York archbishop.I don't remember hearing anything about Jesus Christ covering up for criminals who raped children.
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Terrorist fist jab II
They've infiltrated our military. Uh, oh.
President Obama returned from Afghanistan this morning after an unannounced visit and "personally delivered pointed criticism to President Hamid Karzai in a face-to-face meeting," a reflection of "growing vexation" with Karzai. Anti-war Obama also met with U.S. troops. "You are part of the finest military in the history of the world," he said. "And we are proud of you."
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I was wondering when it would become our fault. It seems it's been our fault for years.
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Frank Rich: The rage is not about health care
The Republicans haven't had a single African-American in the Senate or the House since 2003 and have had only three in total since 1935. Their anxieties about a rapidly changing America are well-grounded.
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Details are sketchy, but it seems that a Xristian Xrazy Militia group in the midwest was raided by the FBI today, and several people were arrested. The charges are not available at this time, but some Fox News are saying that they were making and selling pipe bombs.
UPDATE: From the AP
Michael Lackomar, a spokesman for the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, said one of his team leaders got a frantic phone call Saturday evening from members of Hutaree, a Christian militia group, who said their property in southwest Michigan was being raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"They said they were under attack by the ATF and wanted a place to hide," Lackomar said. "My team leader said, 'no thanks.' "
The team leader was cooperating with the FBI on Sunday, Lackomar said. He said SMVM wasn't affiliated with Hutaree, which states on its Web site to be "prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't."
"We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ," the group's Web site said. "Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment.
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The repug lie that the violence they themselves incited is really the fault of the targets - Democratic politicians and their supporters - is getting traction in the MSM.
Help keep the truth alive with this post from Rachel Slajda at Talking Points Memo.
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Irony? Dead? Surely you jest! Why, it hasn't even been sick! You know how the teabagger freeloader/nitwits are always going on and on about the Constitution, and how people who don't think highly enough of it ought to be summarily executed without a trial? Sister Sarah repeated her smirky "now more than ever is when we need a commander-in-chief, not a constitutional law professor lecturing us from a lectern" to the teabagging nincompoops gathered in Searchlight, Nevada yesterday. The crowd, morons and constitutional illiterates every fucking one, with nary a trace of irony or shame, went nuts cheering for this bit of red meat and cognitive dissonance.
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Breaking news: GOP fires bin Laden.
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