Good explanation of the strike, via Darryl, for anyone who hasn't been following the details:
…to our own Mustang Bobby, celebrating four years of barking and woofing, with the occasional well-placed snarl; and
…to Echidne of the Snakes, also celebrating four years of minor Greek goddessing and general brilliance; and
...to our own Jeff Fecke, celebrating five years of peeing sitting down. Moderately.
That's it. I've had it. For the past decade or so, I've been assaulted by the whims of homophobic, sexist, racist, xenophobic, ethnocentric right-wingers.
I've heard them say absolutely outrageous crap, I've read their deluded rants, I've watched their insane, unethical, and fabricated "news" stories, and I've waved them off with a "Yeah, those are some crazy fuckers".
No more.
I've lived long enough now to watch the political pendulum swing a few times, so I knew that sooner or later, the pendulum would swing back from this radical pull to the right -- at times, I even thought: "Fine. Go on. Get crazy with it!"-- knowing that for every action, there is an equal and opposite re-action.
I don't know exactly what happened today, but, for me, this is that time. Reaction day has arrived.
If fundamentalist Xtians (I use this term consciously because I do not believe that anyone who espouses hatred, judgment, killing, etc. is actually a Christian -- any "real" Christians out there? -- you can consider yourself not included in this rant) -- if fundy Xtians have the freedom to claim that LGBT people are "less than", or sinful, or destructive, or threatening -- if Republican sock-puppets can claim that the media is owned and controlled by the "radical Left", and justify torture, and unlawful imprisonment, and wars predicated on lies -- if xenophobic, racist right-wingers can claim that illegal immigrants are over-running our country and ruining it -- if no less an august body than the presidential administration of the USA can dodge and weave and flout the rule of law -- and all of these people can do this while claiming that they are "protecting" my country somehow -- then I can speak, too.
Loudly, and without apology, now -- anna one anna two anna three . . . . . .
From this moment forward, every time I hear some crap like:
I'm going to say: "No. That is factually incorrect, and I believe that you know that it's factually incorrect."
And I'm going to make some sweeping statements of my own, like:encourages promotes violence against LGBT people, and is not supported by any teaching of Jesus.condones promotes rape, violence against women, and gender inequity.contributes to promotes violence against people of color, robs them of equal opportunity and access, and forces many of them to choose between maintaining their cultural heritage or surviving.
I notice that, over the past decade, I have "softened" a lot of what I've had to say. I used to think it was a sign that I had mellowed with age -- but now I think that somehow, in some small way, I actually bought into the mantra that has been chanted at all of us so often in the last ten years:
"We, the Right Wing, the Xtian, the Conservative -- We are the Majority! We are America!"
Much as I hate to admit it, I think I may have actually been slightly scared by the underlying threat in that mantra:
"And We will, We will --- squash you."
Well . . . . . Fuck. That.
What was I scared they would do -- strip me of my country-club membership?
I'm a fucking fat dyke, living just above the poverty line! If I weren't fish-belly whitey-white-white, I'd have no privilege at all. What did I think they would do to me if I got all sassy on them?
What the fuck was I worried about?!?!
It's as if the increasing shrillness of presidential whining and sock-puppet talking points reached out a dessicated hand and dragged me to a moment of enlightenment:
"Ah!! Grasshopper -- the sound you hear is that of a desperate, dying creature -- a pendulum stretched to its right-most limit. Fear nothing."
So, henceforth, when I hear even a whisper of this tired old mantra:
"We, the Right Wing, the Xtian, the Conservative -- We are the Majority! We are America!"
I'm going to say: "No. That is factually incorrect, and I believe that you know that it's factually incorrect."
What movie plot would you love to have as a real-life experience?
I can think of about a dozen off the top of my head, some of which are actually possible real life experiences and some of which aren't. I'm going to hold myself to not choosing a plot/character that was a book first (so Gandalf is out, although I'd so totally kick that Balrog's ass, and so is Mary Lennox, no matter how much I'd love to find that Secret Garden), so I'll go with E.T.
I dreamed for years as a kid that it would happen to me...
Video and info here.
Immediately, I got an email from HRC celebrating, but noting in bold letters: "HRC remains 100% committed to doing the hard work necessary to pass legislation that protects our entire community, including transgender workers who remain especially vulnerable to workplace discrimination."
Especially vulnerable. Indeed. Perhaps more so than anyone realized, given the extent of the prejudice expressed by presumed allies during the run-up to this vote.
As Pam said this morning: "[T]he big picture is that this entire situation is a complete embarrassing mess of mixed messages and motives, inadequate preparation, poor PR strategy, and a hell of a lot of anger and vitriol that is damaging, painful and was this amateur hour was avoidable. One can only hope that whatever tattered relationships remain can be stitched together in some form or fashion, because there's more legislation and lobbying coming down the pike. Our community, for whatever that word means at this moment, needs to find a better way of doing things."
I don't know what else to say at the moment, except that I'll continue to be a fierce ally for the Ts.
"If you are in the pink and feeling well and getting a good amount of exercise and if your doctor is very happy with your lab values and other test results, then I am not sure there is any urgency to change your weight."—Dr. Mitchell Gail, a cancer institute scientist and author of a paper published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggesting that (shocker) what are currently considered 'ideal weights' may not be ideal after all.
[H/T to Shaker Susannah in Vermont. Kate's got a post on the article at her place.]
So I was reading an issue of Eating Well and ran across a full-page ad featuring celeb chef Cat Cora and touting her new spokespersonship for something called the Catfish Institute. I paid attention to the ad because Cora is teh cute, but eventually I noticed that there was also an actual catfish recipe involved. I love catfish, its second-class reputation notwithstanding (as do other smart people), and so scooted right over to get the goods on Cat Cora's Catfish Lettuce Tacos.
In a word, friends: awesome. We've had it twice now, most recently last night. As always with recipes, things get changed in the translation from outline to actual meal. First, ignore the call for oregano in the cooking instructions; it's not listed in the ingredient list and is a typo (should say "black beans" instead, I think). Also, rinse the black beans beforehand if you're using the canned variety.
With my usual heavy-handedness in the kitchen, the dish turns out to be more of a catfish salad than a "lettuce taco," but we don't mind that. Radicchio is nice but not required; crispy romaine pairs well with the butter lettuce. The marinade with chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper gives the fish a redder hue in real life than in the image above. I pre-heated the oven with a cast-iron skillet inside, used the skillet to sear the marinated fish atop the stove over high heat, and then popped the pan back into the 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. (Please don't forget to use an oven mitt.)
The fish is indeed spicy, but the lettuce, tomato salad mix, and (optional) sour cream provide cooling balance.
It occurs to me that this would make a nice casual dish for visiting friends. Of course, that means you have to clean the house up beforehand. Small price to pay for this recipe, though.
Editorial cartoonist, co-creator of the comic strip Zits, and Cincinnati resident Jim Borgman spent some time recently in Gatewayville and came away with this observation:
Here's a laugh. In St. Louis they "admire what Cincinnati has done with its riverfront," which, as far as I can tell, is next to nothing. In St. Louis they built an arch forty years ago and then punted. Funny what constitutes success.
I have a friend who dislikes the Gateway Arch and has referred to St. Louis, with justification, as The City That Hates Its Riverfront. He shared this with me recently:
(Courtesy of Married To The Sea by Drew and Natalie Dee.)
Funny! I rather like the Arch myself, but must agree with the rest of the sentiment to a fair degree.
Some years back, in a now-defunct literary magazine named Delmar on whose board I served, essayist Rockwell Gray framed this situation well when he said, "Here" has a hole in it.
Two years ago I drove into town across the Mississippi after several exhilarating days in Boston, full of admiration for its blend of nineteenth-century dignity and contemporary architectural vision. Looking down from the bridge toward the solitary Old Cathedral, lone survivor of the earlier riverfront district that was razed in 1940, I gasped, "There's nothing there! There's no here here!" Perhaps I felt just then the haunting presence of the old port, but even the more recent city showed gaping spaces where history and structure should have been. Urban-renewed St. Louis suddenly seemed starkly empty beside the murky River, and I pined again for its earlier vitality unknown to me as a newcomer. After all that demolition, the Arch was our consolation prize. But, from a distance, as one watches it loom from odd angles over empty street corners and bare sidewalks, it seems more a ghost-spirit than a symbol of renewal.
At the very least, there are people who are still talking about about it. That's something, yes?
(Cross-posted.)
I missed this story last week and didn't even know that classical music had returned to the airwaves in South Florida until Bob pointed it out last night.
Wednesday [Oct 24] at 6:01 p.m., the Lullaby from Khachaturian's ballet Gayne streamed forth on South Florida airwaves, marking the debut of WKCP 89.7 FM, and ending the long absence of full-time classical music on local radio.I'm happy for two reasons. The first is that it's great to have classical music back on the air after almost six years without it (unless you have an HD radio), and the second is that it took a Christian music Jesus-shouter station off the air to do it.
American Public Media Group, the parent corporation of Minnesota Public Radio and several other stations, purchased the outlet, formerly WMCU, for $20 million from Trinity International University last month, with the intent of flipping its format from a Christian-oriented outlet to a public radio station dedicated to 24/7 classical music.
Our recipe this week comes from Shaker Alex, who notes that this is: "easy enough to do on a weeknight, and if you're having some friends over for a nothing-fancy kinda meal, it's easy and delicious."
Alex recommends serving with mashed potatoes--and so do I!Polish Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
2 tablespoons canola or other light oil
1 package kielbasa, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 lbs sauerkraut, drained
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of sugar (optional)
1. Heat a large dutch over high heat. When hot, add the oil and the sliced kielbasa. Brown the kielbasa, then use a slotted spoon to remove the kielbasa to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the onion and reduce heat to medium high. Cook the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, and turn heat back to high until the tomatoes start bubbling, then return heat to medium high. Cook 3 minutes more, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the tomato has released its liquid into the pan and begun to break down.
3. Add the sauerkraut, wine, broth, pepper and sugar if using, and mix well. Bring to a simmer.
4. Sprinkle flour over the top of the sauerkraut mixture, then mix in. Add the kielbasa, and mix in again. Once it returns to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pat Robertson goes for Giuliani! Brownback goes for McCain! Doodz who think calling me ugly and accusing feminist men of peeing sitting down is original go for Ron Paul! Mitt Romney left with empty dance card!
Tune in here for more Endorse-a-thon 2007 than you can shake a stick at!
by the Frugal Fag
I've always been a little afraid that I'll live to see the complete collapse of the U.S. economy—and I'm not talking about another Great Depression. I'm talking about anarchy of Mad Max proportions, but without the Thunderdome or Tina Turner's no-nonsense leadership style to maintain a minimal sense of law and order. I'm talking about grown men and old ladies wrestling to the death over the last generator at Home Depot while looters strip every Target and Wal-Mart shelf bare. I attribute most of this paranoia to a powerful film I saw as a child. It was a story that spoke to a generation—a tale that demonstrated how evil, when left unchecked, can multiply and fester and reduce an otherwise civilized species to its most base instincts.
That timeless masterpiece was Gremlins 2, and there is one scene that stands out clearly in my mind whenever people discuss pending economic disasters. In the scene, gremlins are beginning to take over the Clamp building and it's apparent that humanity is totally screwed. Several gremlins are shown sitting around a stock-broker's office yelling, "Buy! Sell! Sell! Buy!" into telephones. As the camera pans over to the smart gremlin (the one who injected himself with some mysterious I.Q.-enhancing serum), he says, "We're advising our clients to put all they can into canned foods and shotguns."
Although a gremlin-initiated apocalypse is unlikely, buying up non-perishable groceries at bargain prices can be a great way to protect yourself in the event of a financial hiccup. A small stockpile of toothpaste, a few boxes of Uncle Ben's, and a cabinet full of soup and Chef Boyardee can be a big help if you find yourself unexpectedly unemployed. And, if you're like me, a well-stocked pantry can provide peace of mind the next time you start to panic about the repercussions of an Iranian-funded nuclear attack that leads to soccer-mom knife fights over who gets to pay $500 for the last gallon of gas at their local BP station.
The moral of this post is that if you find a good price on some consumable product today and you know you'll use it eventually, buy it today. At the very least, it'll prevent you from spending the money on something stupid and you'll save 2 or 3% as inflation continues to increase the price of everything. And who knows—those 500 rolls of Charmin could become your new 401K plan when times get tough and your neighbors are ready to trade their diamonds for the luxury of a civilized poop.
(This isn't the Gremlins 2 clip I was referring to earlier. I just think it's funny that someone took the time to edit this Beyoncé song into the clip.)
[For more wit and wisdom from the cheapest gay man in America, visit FrugalFag.com.]
"Oil at $97! And heating bills are going to be a very big problem."—Paul Krugman, causing Conscience of a Liberal readers everywhere to spontaneously shit their pants.
The man who made the French cool with conservatives again is having dinner with the man who made an unprecedented expansion of government cool with conservatives again—and the entertainment sounds hawt:
The White House is hosting a formal dinner for Sarkozy and his entourage tonight where the entertainment will be actors portraying George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, another popular, but long dead, Frenchman who fought on the American side of the Revolutionary War.No word on whether Freedom Fries will be served.
Care of Petulant comes this video of House Democrats (and one Republican) taking to the House floor to read from the Bible and sing its praises in celebration of National Bible Week (which doesn't start until November 18th). From cooing about how the science committee room is emblazoned with a Bible verse to telling us that the Bible contains everything we need to know to pretending atheists don't exist to asserting that faith has "a role that may be more important today, in these dangerous and complicated times, than ever before" without a trace of irony about obliquely referencing a danger attributable to religious fundamentalism, this line-up has got. it. all.
