One More Time

Via Digby ......Vanity Fair has a great article today about the outrageous compensation schemes in the medical industry. We've written about the insurance company CEO's a lot on this blog, but this article takes a broader look at the health industry as a whole:

With median annual compensation of more than $12.4 million, C.E.O.’s at the big health-care companies make two-thirds more than their counterparts in finance and are the highest paid of any industry. The health-care industry’s total annual profit has grown to an estimated $200 billion, and it doled out nearly $170 million in campaign contributions in 2007 and 2008. It now spends more than any other industry lobbying the federal government—$3.5 billion over the past decade and a record $263 million in the first six months of this year. That’s six lobbyists and nearly half a million dollars for each member of Congress. It’s been a good year on K Street, too.

It should come as no surprise, then, that we spend 17 percent of our G.D.P. and more than $7,500 per American per year on health care. That’s 50% more than any other industrialized nation. Meanwhile, the quality of care we get in return has fallen to embarrassing lows. According to the World Health Organization, our health-care system ranks 37th in overall quality and fairness, placing us between Costa Rica and Slovenia. We rank 41st in infant-mortality rates, alongside Slovakia and Serbia, and dead last among 19 leading industrialized countries in preventable deaths. Nearly two-thirds of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are caused by illness, yet more than three-quarters of those people actually had health insurance when they fell ill. In other words, we’re all getting ripped off.

When Did Hanging NOT Mean Foul Play?

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher. He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky.

Investigators have said little about the case. FBI spokesman David Beyer said the bureau is assisting state police and declined to confirm or discuss any details about the crime scene.

[snip]

"Our job is to determine if there was foul play involved — and that's part of the investigation — and if there was foul play involved, whether that is related to his employment as a Census worker," said Beyer.

I may just being dense but what part of "hanged in a tree with 'Fed' etched in your chest' doesn't pretty much tell you foul play?

Whose Cooking?

My previous post about my gift of eggs from a friend got me thinking. After I hit the publish button I thought to myself... a lot of people reading that post will think it is silly to 'gush' over something as mundane as a stupid egg.

I just came back from the grocery(it's Wednesday and 'old peoples day' where seniors get a 5% discount on their grocery order) and I always notice what is in other people's carts and it always dismays me. Piles of frozen 'entrees', boxes of mixes, frozen pizza, frozen potatoes, plastic bread, Little Debbie snack cakes, Velveeta and little packets of American cheese slices, canned biscuits and all sorts of dog awful stuff. There was a marked absence of anything fresh.

The thing is none of the stuff these folks are paying big bucks for requires any cooking. It only requires either opening or heating. You would have thought that with over 1oo million viewers the Food Network might have changed this but from my perspective it hasn't. When you think about it, it makes some sense and Michael Pollan alluded to it in a recent article. Most of those watching the Food Network are really food 'voyeurs' and not really cooks. It is also true that most of what is on the Food Network is not really cooking but shows about food related things and there are some really awful shows like Chopped, Challenge and Unwrapped that really stink. I admit I enjoy Ina Garten and sometimes Giada but I get really tired of seeing Bobby Flay trying to best every cook in the country.

I may be weird but I really enjoy cooking. I like to make things from scratch and I like to make things myself even if I can buy them. When I was growing up (and yes I'm a geezer) but cooking was a central part of daily life. Baking bread, making soups, stewing chickens, making cookies and cakes, making your own jellies and jams and even your own cheese was a part of the regular weekly activities. I was lucky growing up in a family of good cooks and in neighborhoods with Italians, Greeks, Slavs and all the rest. I got exposed to all kinds of food while growing up and most if not all of it was made from scratch. I was also lucky enough to travel abroad while in the military and experience the local foods in Europe, the Middle East and in Asia. All of this gave me a sense of food and appreciation for how important it was to the culture of a people. I learned to love food of all kinds and learned early on that "the realer" it was the better it was. I also learned that it was also cheaper to do it yourself.

This brings me back to the reason for the post in the first place. People need to learn to cook again. They need to stop throwing their money away on crap food and learn how food should be made and discover how wonderful and satisfying cooking for real can be. This, of course, brings me back to the eggs. If you think it is silly to gush over a dozen glorious eggs that were laid by hens raised the way hens are supposed to be raised then you don't or can't cook and probably don't know how to eat either and that is a damn shame. I for one am going to do each one of those culinary justice and I am going to relish each one for the jewel that it is.

In case you are wondering my grocery basket contained the following foods, King Arthur A/P flour, black beans, quesadilla cheese, chorizo, walnuts, org carrots, org celery, red grapes, buttermilk, butter, sweet potatoes, V8 juice, and bacon. With my frozen and canned garden produce that is the food shopping for the next week until 'old peoples day'.

Eggstra Special

I am so excited. My friend Carmen, who lives down the road, started a small flock of about a dozen chickens early this year and she just gifted me with a dozen of their eggs. Real local free range as in pasture raised chicken eggs.

Now I just have to figure out how to give them the honor they deserve. Of course four will be soft boiled (4 minutes) and served over homemade sour dough toast in the morning but what to do with the other 8. A cheese souffle would be nice but that takes 6 so I will have to study on it. Then there is hard cooking a couple and making a nice olive oil mayo for a simple but oh so nice egg mayonnaise. Then there is the dish I had at a little restaurant in Lyon(Daniel et Denise) a couple of years ago which was simple but absolutely smashing. Serve two lightly poached eggs in a broth of slow cooked red wine, butter and Herbes de Provence. Sounds a little weird but when you break the soft yolk and it mixes with the rich mellow wine broth and you soak it all up with a gorgeous piece of fresh baguette all the bells go off. Most of the eggs you get in Europe and especially France are from pastured chickens and the yolks are rich and almost orange, very unlike the lemon colored industrial eggs we have here in the U.S. available to most of us.

How would you use the other 8 very special eggs?

A Bit of Bad Luck

I was out an around Monk manor surveying all the damage from the rains. Picking up branches and moving part of my gravel drive in the back yard back up the hill..lots of moving water. The garden is a disaster that will take weeks of work to repair. While picking up trash I managed to step into a yellow jacket's nest and before I realized what I had done they managed to get me pretty good. I had a pretty lucky summer with respect to bee stings... only a couple which I probably deserved but I had to wait until the last day of summer to get really hit. Ouch! i used to keep honey bees and am no stranger to bee stings but yellow jacket stings really seem to hurt a lot worse. Time for the Benadryl and no more yard work today. I did get the few puddles in the basement mopped up and it is drying nicely, so that's something. I can see from all the activity at the next door neighbor that they weren't quite so lucky, basement wise, as their is a large pile of carpet in the driveway.

Maybe I'll surprise Madam and run the suck broom while she is out.

Last Day of Summer

Well, today at 518pm EDT summer officially ends. That's when we strike the autumnal equinox and the nights begin to be longer than the days. Tomorrow will be the first full day of fall. Tomorrow, according to the ancient rules of gardening, is when I am supposed to plant my fall crops. Seeing as how there is an inch or two of water standing in the garden right now I am going to miss the ritual time and hope that the garden goddess doesn't punish me too badly for the failure to plant on time. Seeing as how rain is still in the forecast for the rest of the week I may be weeks late in getting anything done. The good news is that right this moment the sky is clear and the sun is shining. There is hope yet.

Metro Atlanta is Under Water

Serious flooding all around after yesterday's rains on top of the days of rain preceding it. Interstate 20 is closed at Six Flags because of the Chattahoochee and the Perimeter is closed in several places. Almost all of the school systems are closed due to flooding and power outages. I just have a little water in the basement but nothing except some seepage from under the door. It's not over since rain is forecast for the next few days but not at the level we have had. The pictures on the news this morning are pretty bad for a lot of neighborhoods. I am lucky that I live at the highest point in the area at the union of the two major watersheds(Foe Killer and Hog Wallow). I haven't been down to see the damage in the garden but a couple of days ago it was bad enough. Oh well.

If you are a neighbor I hope you are OK and not hurt too much by this.

Updated to add this link of the CNN coverage of the deadly mess we have in Atlanta.

I Don't Want to Talk About It

Yes, it is still raining and right now we are having a frog strangling thunder storm with torrential rain and lightning everywhere. Flash flooding here and there and North Georgia is really having some trouble with flooding...That's all I am going to say about.

I'm making a Pot au Feu for dinner or at least my version of one. I'm not making my own stock but I am using all home grown veges with the exception of carrots and I didn't murder the bottom round roast I cubed.

Biscotti

Updated: 1/25/10. My apologies. I just realized that I left the baking powder out of the recipe. My bad and I apologize to anyone who made some rather heavy biscotti. It's now correct.


Still raining and when I get bored I tend to cook. Somehow biscotti seemed appropriate and they are very easy to make. If you have looked at them in the grocery they are also quite expensive and there is no excuse to pay two prices for them when they are a snap and cheap to make yourself. A good biscotti can make a very good cup of coffee a great cup of coffee. BTW I have gone back to making my morning coffee with my French coffee press. You use less beans and it makes a superior cup of coffee as you can get the water hot enough to properly extract all the good stuff out of a good bean. The typical drip maker, even the expensive ones, don't actually get the water hot enough to properly brew coffee.

Anyhow, let's make some biscotti( this recipe comes from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

You'll need:
4 TBLSP unsalted butter (you can make biscotti without butter but I like the flavor and texture a little butter brings to the party and without the little bit of fat the butter brings the biscotti are really, really crunchy)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 TSP vanilla or almond extract (your choice) but I like vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of kosher salt

Preheat your oven to 375F and prepare a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan by using a Silpat or parchment paper or by buttering and flouring.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy then add the eggs one at a time fully incorporating the first egg before adding the second. After the eggs are nicely mixed in add your vanilla or almond extract and then the flour in three separate steps. Make sure each third of flour is fully mixed before adding the next. Be careful not to over mix or you will develop the gluten and make the cookies tough. Don't forget the salt.

At this point you can add some additional goodies. The batch I made today had chopped walnuts (1/2 cup) and 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries but you can add whatever you want. Pine buts, almonds, pistachios, dried cherries or even chocolate chips. The batter will take about a cup of additional ingredients.

Once you mix in the additional stuff divide the dough into two equal parts and form two logs about 3 inches wide and 3/4 inches thick. You can do this right on the prepared baking sheet. Bake these about 30 minutes until they are lightly browned and then remove from the oven and set aside for about 10-15 minutes. Turn your oven down to 250F.

After you can handle the big cookies cut them diagonally into about 1/2 inch wide bars. Put them back on the baking sheet cut side up and return them to the oven to finish for about 30 minutes turning them over about half way through. Cool them on racks. Makes about 3 dozen or so. These will keep in a tightly sealed container for a week with no problem if they last that long.

Rainy Saturday

Sorry Jill, it's still raining.

The hawk is back on the deck railing this afternoon and seems intent on catching something that appears to be hiding in the gardenias. He is just pacing back and forth and staring into the bushes.

Can't work in the garden so it's Blockbuster time.

Madam wanted Chicago...I didn't love it but I'll watch it. There is Ms. Jones after all and Renee Zellweger is a favorite. I really enjoyed her work in the Beatrix Potter movie and in Cold Mountain.

I also got Australia which was recommended by a friend so we'll see. Duplicity with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen is the other and I usually enjoy her stuff. So it is day in front of the boob tube for us.

Everyone enjoy the weekend.

Shiver Me Timbers!

Don't forget it is 'Talk Like a Pirate Day' matey! The FSM expects everyone to climb the mizzen and do his or her part.

Oh! And it is still raining quite hard here and the forecast is for rain the next 7 days.

Avast! Man the pumps you swabs or we'll be sleeping with Davy Jones!

Red Tailed Hawk

One of things about a wildlife habitat in the backyard is that you get both sides of the food chain. While I have lots of deer, wild turkey, opossum, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks and a wide variety of birds I also get the occasional predator. In this case it was an immature red tailed hawk that came and sat on the deck railing for a while waiting for an unwary chipmunk, dove or something else tasty. He/she sat and posed for a long time all the while keeping a close eye on the ground under the bird feeders. The hummers and chickadees pretty much ignored it but there was not much else venturing out. Even though they are a regular visitor I get just as excited each time they appear and always try and get a few pictures. It was late in the day and between cloudbursts but I managed to catch a few poses.

You can click on the pictures if you want to see them full screen.

For any of you that are interested these were taken with a Nikon D80 using the 55-200 VR Zoom.

And the Rains Came!

Jeebus it is raining pitchforks and puppy dogs right now...again! It has been doing this for a couple of days now...every once in a while the skies just open up. My rain gauge says we have received just under 6 inches in the last few days and that was before these last two deluges this morning and now. This is putting a serious dent in my fall gardening and I am starting to get a bit of 'cabin fever'. The good thing is that I did manage to get roquette(arugula), spinach, beets, some mixed lettuce and French breakfast radishes in the ground over the weekend and the lettuce, radishes and roquette are already up and on their way. It would have been nice to have the peas in but that's the gardener's burden...timing and weather.

On the bright side...at least it is not very windy and I can keep my windows open and listen to the rain.

The rains come and go,
providing a small gift for
silent listener

-fallenmonk

A Billion Hungry!

Even when the world economy is rocking along the wealthy countries of the world have trouble meeting all of the demands for aid to the hungry. Now that we're in a global recession, it will only get worse.

Food aid is at a 20-year low despite the number of critically hungry people soaring this year to its highest level ever, the United Nations relief agency said Wednesday.

The number of hungry people will pass 1 billion this year for the first time, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) said, adding that it is facing a serious budget shortfall.

Next It Will Be Sheets and Hoods

It has been going on since the election... the lowest and most vicious of Obama's opponents have been subtlety adding a racial 'color' to their attacks. For the most part it has been very carefully worded but if you took a second look you could hear the dog whistle. Most recently it was Saxby Chambliss warning the president to show humility during his speech or Joe Wilson's shout "You Lie! and carefully leaving the 'boy' word unsaid but understood. Apparently, the time for carefully shaded remarks is over and unvarnished racism and race-baiting is now the order of the day.

It apparently started with a headline on Drudge: "White Student Beaten on School Bus; Crowd Cheers." What makes a fist fight among teenagers on a school bus in St. Louis national news is beyond me but since it was a black kid hitting a white kid it was evidently serious enough for the far right to make it important on a national scale.

While a number of wingnuts jumped on the story as an excuse to accuse President Obama of creating a new era of black on white hate, Rush Limbaugh took the prize for the most unvarnished race-baiting of the day when he decided that somehow President Obama is responsible for this tragic event.

"It's Obama's America, is it not? Obama's America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. You put your kids on a school bus, you expect safety, but in Obama's America the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, 'Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on,' and, of course, everybody says the white kid deserved it, he was born a racist, he's white."

It doesn't appear to matter that the event wasn't racially motivated but rather the result of some bullies who like to dictate who sits where on the bus. Of course, the truth doesn't matter when it comes to the real goal of the far right which is to try and transfer their racial hatred of the president to as many of their mouth breathing listeners as possible. The mostly sane and somewhat civilized among us recognize and revile this kind of crap for the hateful and dangerous thing that it is. Many of us lived through Jim Crow and the pain of the civil rights movement and remember how this kind of talk strains the fabric of our society. I had actually believed that except for a small fringe of society that we had moved beyond this sort of thing and never would I have believed that such transparently racist language would be on national media. The real tragedy is that it will get worse and that it will most likely trigger some kind of violence but even if no one gets hurt physically it will generate emotional pain and foster hatred and sadly Limbaugh and his cohorts will not suffer any consequences for their nasty discourse.

This is a terrible fire the far right are unleashing and something that will burn us all.

Update: Some more reading.
MoDo thinks it is.

Jimmy Carter thinks it is.

Cynthia Tucker thinks it is.

Another Bacon Cheeseburger?

Not that I eat them that much any more but it seems research has shown that foods high in saturated fats (beef, milk, cheese, etc.) actually tell the brain to ignore the "I'm satisfied" signals and keep eating. Probably another reason to stay away from the fatty foods. They don't specifically mention bacon or BBQ pork so I guess I'm good.

A U.S. study by UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has found that fat from certain foods such ice cream and burgers heads to the brain.

Once there, the fat molecules trigger the brain to send messages to the body's cells, warning them to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, hormones involved in weight regulation — for up to three days.

Reading for Teabaggers

Jon Perr has a handy little post over at Crooks and Liars. 10 Lessons for Teabaggers. Now if we could just get the Teabaggers to turn off Glenn Beck for a few minutes, read the post(following the links and documentation) we wouldn't have a problem. Not going to happen I know but one can dream.

Friends are Where You Find Them

A nice story and pics my daughter sent but I don't know who was the original author.

The Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara, CA (or Santa BBQ as Cookie Jill would say)last week caused these two to take shelter together. The fawn is 3 days old and the bobcat about 3 weeks. The fawn came from somewhere in the fire and the bobcat from Carpentaria. They immediately bonded and snuggled together under a desk in the Santa Barbara County Dispatch Office for several hours.

Reportedly the bobcat kitten was rescued near Arnold Schwarzenegger's ranch, where it was dehydrated and near death.

They rescued the fawn during last week's wildfire.

Although wild animals, especially of separate species, are never placed together due to regulations, in this emergency situation, they had no choice.

During the mayhem of the fire, they were forced to put animals anywhere they could, since they had run out of crates large enough for the fawn. The kitten ran to the fawn, and it was instant bonding.

Food Safety - Good Resources

According to Marion Nestle there are now two good Internet resources for news and information about food safety. For government food safety information, there is www.foodsafety.gov. And now Bill Marler, the lawyer whose Seattle firm represents victims of food poisonings, has just launched www.foodsafetynews.com. Naturally, some of the information on these two sites will be redundant but they will be covering it from distinctly different perspectives.

Thanks Marion.

Update: Links fixed

Most Doctors Want A Public Option

Not that it will likely change many of the bought votes of our congress critters or the otherwise insane ones it seems like actual physicians support a public alternative as part of health care reforms, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Public opinion surveys have consistently shown strong support for a public option as part of heath care reform while the entire health care industry has been furiously fighting it.

It is encouraging to know that a large majority of physicians seem to agree more with their patients than with the industry. (via Dr. Ron Chusid, who has more)

A large majority of doctors say there should be a public option.

When polled, "nearly three-quarters of physicians supported some form of a public option, either alone or in combination with private insurance options," says Dr. Salomeh Keyhani. She and Dr. Alex Federman, both internists and researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, conducted a random survey, by mail and by phone, of 2,130 doctors. They surveyed them from June right up to early September.

Most doctors -- 63 percent -- say they favor giving patients a choice that would include both public and private insurance. That's the position of President Obama and of many congressional Democrats. In addition, another 10 percent of doctors say they favor a public option only; they'd like to see a single-payer health care system. Together, the two groups add up to 73 percent.

According to the author, "Whether they lived in southern regions of the United States or traditionally liberal parts of the country, we found that physicians, regardless -- whether they were salaried or they were practice owners, regardless of whether they were specialists or primary care providers, regardless of where they lived -- the support for the public option was broad and widespread."

Like I said, this probably won't undo the congressmen and senators that are owned by the insurance industry and big pharma but physicians' opinions may help swing a few reform skeptics. Of course, I am still a believer in a true single payer system but if a public option is a step in that direction then this is, at least, some good news.

Maybe Not the Beach!

You might want to reconsider that trip to the beach:

SAN FRANCISCO — Dangerous staph bacteria have been found in sand and water for the first time at five public beaches along the coast of Washington, and scientists think the state is not the only one with this problem.

The germ is MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — a hard-to-treat bug once rarely seen outside of hospitals but that increasingly is spreading in ordinary community settings such as schools, locker rooms and gyms.

The germ causes nasty skin infections as well as pneumonia and other life-threatening problems. It spreads mostly through human contact. Little is known about environmental sources that also may harbor the germ.

The reality is that this and other resistant bacteria are showing in more and more places.You might want to double down on the hand washing.

Evolution, What Evolution?

A British film about the life of Charles Darwin cannot find a distributor in the United States.

US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.

Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.

In another example of the lack of evolution...The 9/12 march organizers are saying that there were over a million of 'em in DC this weekend to protest Obama's policies and pretty much everything else since the 19th century...other, more official, estimates have it at about 60,000 tops.

Maybe this wording on one of the signs seen over the weekend in DC helps explain some of it?

"Obama, we have waken up to your evil plans to destroy our country. Take your racist unamerican Acorn groups and arrogant wife back to your own country and strip their rights away!"

Just makes you proud to be an American doesn't it?

Saturday Things

Finally dried out enough for me to get the lawn mowed and some more garden clean-up done. It is taking me longer to clean up all the tomato vines than it did to plant them...all in the compost now. Still getting a few peppers but otherwise the summer garden is finished. Over the next week I'll get the peas, spinach, arugula, lettuce, beets, radishes and turnips in.

Trying to figure out what to fix for dinner. Somehow mac and cheese keeps popping to the fore. I have the cheese and whole grain macaroni it will now just take the will to move this tired old body to the kitchen. I'll let madam decide. Then again there are sweet potatoes that could be baked. the last couple of nights I have subjected the lady to chicken and avocado burritos and pizza so tonight is her call. I just hope it is not a souffle or something though that would be nice and actually not that much more work than a proper mac&cheese. Both require a white sauce, both need grated cheese and instead of boiling macaroni and have to beat egg whites. I guess it is a toss up.

Backing Up for 10 Years

In case you are an exception it is now confirmed that you are worse off today than you were 10 years ago. I surely know that is true for me as I see it in a shrunken 401K, depleted savings and a missing paycheck. It was just a few weeks ago when the White House released its horrible mid-season budget review that showed a huge and growing deficit and which prompted conservatives to proudly announce the death of Obama's presidency and foghorn the failure of his progressive agenda is. Now that the Census Bureau's annual report on income, poverty, and health insurance is out it might be fair that the progressive agenda just got a kick in the butt.

In the recession last year, the nation's poverty rate climbed to 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007, according to an annual report released Thursday by the Census Bureau.

This was the first significant increase in poverty since 2004. It also portends larger increases this year, as unemployment numbers have risen far more than in 2008, economists said. According to the census data, 39.8 million residents lived below the poverty line in 2008.

The data shows 46.3 million Americans went without health insurance last year. Just as important, median family incomes fell to $50,300. David Leonhardt put this in context:

The typical American household made less money last year than the typical household made a full decade ago.

To me, that's the big news from the Census Bureau's annual report on income, poverty and health insurance, which was released this morning. Median household fell to $50,303 last year, from $52,163 in 2007. In 1998, median income was $51,295. All these numbers are adjusted for inflation.

In the four decades that the Census Bureau has been tracking household income, there has never before been a full decade in which median income failed to rise. (The previous record was seven years, ending in 1985.) Other Census data suggest that it also never happened between the late 1940s and the late 1960s. So it doesn't seem to have happened since at least the 1930s.

In short all these different measures of a sliding middle and lower class reinforces what everybody already knows...The the conservative stewardship of the economy and the reign of Bush the Second sucked.

Note also that this is the data on 2008 and while they are dog awful the numbers from 2009 are going to be even worse...more painful than even these. The current recession "officially" started in 2007 but the real economic collapse didn't really go off the cliff until late last year and while it may have reached bottom finally in the third quarter, unemployment is going to get worse and the consumer economic engine will have to follow along.

You don't even want to think about the same report next year.

Good Speech

I thought last night's presidential address was spot on. I just wish he had given it a couple of months ago. He left the public option on the table and most of all let the opposition know that he was in the fight to win and would call liars liars when it needed to be done.

The old saying "A caught pig squeals" is about all you have to say about the outburst from SC GOP thug Wilson. This will come back to haunt him as is evident by the increase in contributions to his campaign overnight.

I've got errands to run and bread to get shaped and rising but I'll be back a little later. All in all I feel a little more encouraged after the speech. There may be hope for meaningful change after all.

Georgia KKK Speaks Up

Fortunately we haven't heard much from Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss on the health care debate but leave it to him to get his hidden racist comments in when most appropriate. Seems he has some advice for Obama:

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said today that, because of angry town hallers and the like, President Obama should show “humility” when he speaks to Congress Wednesday night.

“What you’re seeing is folks on my side anxious to see what the president has to say tomorrow night,” Chambliss said. “I think he’s gonna have to express some humility based on what we’ve seen around the country this August and that’s not his inclination.”

If you are not from the South I will translate that for you...

"Folks on my side" = white people

"express some humility" = let us know he knows his place

"not his inclination" = he's an uppity negro

Here is another example of what the health care reform debate has devolved into. The wingnuts, and conservative GOP types are standing on the sidelines and slinging shit balls onto the field. Throw enough and somebody will get hit or at least step in one. The real debate is going on among the Democrats and the progressives on the Internet as there is sure as hell nothing constructive coming from the right and the media are doing their best to stir the shit. So here is the number 2 asshole from Georgia slinging out a shit ball that when decoded is just a another way of calling Obama "uppity" much like fellow Georgian Lynn Westmoreland.

I think sticking with Paul Krugman's advice is a better choice.

Audacity

Paul Krugman has an excellent blog post about what Obama needs to do tomorrow night. It's not a very long post so I won't try and summarize it. Just go read it.

Milestone Day

Guess who hits the big 60 today? Funny but I don't feel a day over 59!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. I celebrated the big day yesterday with my favorite meal--slow smoked BBQ baby back ribs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and cucumber and onion salad.

I have to go into Atlanta this morning. I got a letter from the Dept. of Labor saying that I wasn't registered to work and had 7 days to report to the office. My access was denied when I tried to do the weekly filing on Sunday. One would think that the initial filing and the reporting weekly would effectively register you to work and you have to ask why they have been paying benefits for 5 months if I wasn't registered....government efficiency I guess. Anyhow, I'll be back later.

Maybe I'll be back in time to see the President indoctrinate all the kids into proper Marxist ideology.

Update: It's also Cookie Jill's name day and she has posted a list of all the famous people we share our birthday with and as a bonus quite a list of big events that happened on September 8th. Cool!

Losing the Battle

The always astute Christy Hardin Smith at Firedoglake reminds us that we, as a nation, are failing our most vulnerable. Here are few bits but make sure and follow the link and read her whole post.

The number of homeless schoolchildren, uprooted amidst the financial turmoil of the last few years is rising:

There were 679,000 homeless students reported in 2006-7, a total that surpassed one million by last spring, Ms. Duffield said.

With schools just returning to session, initial reports point to further rises. In San Antonio, for example, the district has enrolled 1,000 homeless students in the first two weeks of school, twice as many as at the same point last year.

New analysis shows that the poverty rate among those over 65 is far worse than previously thought:

Nearly 20% of Americans over 65 would be considered poor if the government updates the way it calculates poverty, which hasn't considered medical costs, regional variations and other factors since its creation in 1955.

Currently, the poverty rate for that age group is 9.7%, or 3.6 million people. If the government adopts a revised formula by the National Academy of Sciences, that figure would jump to 18.6% — 6.8 million people...

Conservative Derangement Syndrome

There is a good post over at A World of Progress by Sara Robinson discussing the current and continuing wave of conservative derangement and the most recent expression of it in the Van Jones attack and resignation. I highly recommend giving it a read as it puts some of the insanity into perspective.

Here is a little sample but you really should read the whole article....

It’s not news to anyone that the conservative movement has an authoritarian streak a mile wide and twice as deep. The desperate drive to quiet one’s existential fears by acquiring ultimate control and unaccountable power — rules for thee, but not for me — is at the heart of conservative political theory, economics, and culture. And when their control cracks and their power ebbs away, it creates a panicked sense of loss that’s bubbling up now in a whole range of strange and wondrous right-wing freakouts, from the teabaggers to the moonbat conspiracy theorists to Glenn Beck’s bizarre deconstructions of UN statuary. Apparently, not even one of the devout Christians at FOX recalled that the whole “swords into plowshares” idea — the motif of a UN sculpture which Beck darkly called out the other night as a “Communist” image straight out of the USSR — actually comes straight out of the Bible. And it appears there not just once, but three times — in Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. Sunday School FAIL.

Eat Your Broccoli!

Here is another reason to eat your broccoli and your other cruciferous veges.

Researchers at Imperial College London have found evidence a chemical in broccoli and other green leafy vegetables could boost a natural defense mechanism that protects arteries from the clogging that can cause heart attacks.

In a study funded by the British Heart Foundation charity and conducted on mice, the researchers found that sulforaphane -- a compound occurring naturally in broccoli and other brassicas -- could "switch on" a protective protein which is inactive in parts of the arteries vulnerable to clogging.

"We know that vegetables are clearly good for you, but surprisingly the molecular mechanisms of why they are good for you have remained unknown for many years," said Paul Evans of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College.

Granted this study comes out of the UK so it is tainted with socialism but look on the bright side...maybe the wingnuts will pooh pooh it and we will get some Darwinian edge out of it.

Environmental Failure by Obama

This is extremely disappointing. In Idaho and Montana the hunting of the gray wolf is now legal again thanks to President Obama continuing the irresponsible environmental policies of the last administration. This is a waste of years of recovery efforts by the federal government. The gray wolf population in the West was decimated by trapping, poisoning and hunting, there were even bounties and was finally put on the endangered species. After years of hard work wolf populations are coming back and now we'll see them go right back where they were. This is not just about the gray wolf but about the entire ecosystem being deprived of the balancing effect of a top of the chain predator. I can't understand why Obama sided with the Bush team to allow hunting again.

Melanie Stein, a Sierra Club spokeswoman, said that the wolf populations "are just on the cusp of recovery and that we are almost there." But she says the hunts represent "a step backward and away from recovery" of the wolf populations.

Defenders of Wildlife, one of several groups urging the court to stop the hunt, detailed the ecological role of the wolves on its Web site.

"In what is known as the cascade effect, wolves are exerting influence over a multitude of species within the park's ecosystem. Elk, wary of the reintroduced top predator, have altered their grazing behavior.

"With less grazing pressure from elk, streambed vegetation such as willow and aspen is regenerating after decades of overbrowsing. As the trees are restored, they create better habitat for native birds and fish, beaver and other species."

What Me Worry!

With all the other news going on and the bat shit crazy GOP trying to foment armed rebellion it is easy to miss other important news.

ES&S just bought Diebold. Just so you know, this means that one private company controls virtually all electronic voting machines in America. What's to worry?

If that doesn't give you the creeps or at least a little shudder then you are a Republican.

Too Crazy for Me

You kinda had to expect, if you thought about it at all, that electing a non WASP to the Presidency of the United States would generate some rather crazy stuff as we proceeded along. You had to suspect that some of the hard decisions and actions that needed to be made in trying to get this society off the rocks after 8 + years of GOP rule would generate some repercussions in the wackiest of the insane right but Jeebus whou'da thunk it would get this insane?

The announcement that the President would broadcast a speech to America's school children next week urging them to to "work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning" has invoked a major freak out on the right and we are talking mainstream right and not the truly nutty fringe. Jim Greer, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida no less, seems to have something of a breakdown. He actually issued a statement condemning the president for, among other things, trying to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda" while adding that that Obama "has turned to American's children to spread his liberal lies."

Mr. Greer was hardly alone in the wilderness of bat shit crazy as much of the right apparently went simply apoplectic over this. None other than the Prince of Bat Shit Crazy, Glenn Beck, began organizing a campaign to keep children from going to school the day of President Obama's speech. Beck came up with this latest insanity whilst continuing to harp on the delusional idea that Obama and his minions had actually staged a 'coup' by getting themselves elected. Obviously Mr. Beck hadn't bothered to page through a dictionary for the definition of 'coup' before beginning his rant much as he didn't look up 'oligarhy' either.

I am beginning to think that it is not healthy for my sanity to even pay attention to these rantings anymore. There used to be some dim hope that, by and by, this group of fellow citizens would begin to come to their senses and that it might be possible to actually begin to have a reasonable discussion with them about the problems facing us. I would swear I remember the GOP being the party of 'personal responsibility' not so long ago but I must be mistaken. I am obviously wrong because it is just getting worse as each week goes by. Or as Matt Yglesias put it, "Probably the biggest moral of the story is that the contemporary conservative movement is run by crazy people with no scruples, who'll turn anything into a pretext to level wild accusations."

There was a time, not that long ago, when some of this was actually kind of funny. It was just the fringe of the fringe just being crazy and doing so quite predictably. It's no longer even remotely humorous and has morphed into frightening. Assault rifles carried openly at presidential town meetings, the president being called a Marxist on national TV, the poorest and neediest people in the country rejecting health care reforms that will save their and their children's lives and on and on. It is just getting too crazy for me.

Can you Say Quagmire?

I'm beginnning to have serious doubts:

Reporting from Washington – U.S. officials are planning to add as many as 14,000 combat troops to the American force in Afghanistan by sending home support units and replacing them with “trigger-pullers,” Defense officials say.

The move would beef up the combat force in the country without increasing the overall number of U.S. troops, a contentious issue as public support for the war slips. But many of the noncombat jobs are likely be filled by private contractors, who have proved to be a source of controversy in Iraq and a growing issue in Afghanistan.

I was originally kind of "OK" with our presence in Afghanistan but I am beginning to think we have lost our way. I can't really discern exactly what our strategy in Afghanistan is anymore? What is it, exactly, that we are trying to accomplish? Add to this that I think increasing the number of private contractors is ridiculous and has proved over and over again to be a waste of money and dangerous for the actual military. Electrocution in the shower anyone? How about a little sewage in your iced tea?

The War After "The War to End All Wars"

Jim DeRosa reminds us that today it is the 70th anniversary of the start of WWII.

At 0445 (0245 GMT) 1 September 1939 a German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire at point-blank range on a Polish fort on Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk.These were the first shots fired in WWII.

Update: And so does Bryan at Why Now!

Roasting Tomatoes

I don't know how many of you are suffering an overabundance of tomatoes as I am but I thought it was time to post a little recipe for roasting tomatoes. Depending upon the time of year and how much rain you've had in your area fresh tomatoes can lose some of their zip and really do need to be punched up a bit and roasting them is the perfect solution and it is extremely straightforward to boot. Roasting intensifies the flavors and can turn ho hum tomatoes into a glorious dish.

Here is a trick for a simple roasted tomato sauce that you can serve over pasta.

Peel, core, seed and chop about 3 pounds of whole ripe tomatoes. Put them in an oven proof, non reactive container and drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. If you are a garlic fan a couple of cloves of thinly slice garlic is a great addition. Salt and pepper to taste and if you like things a little spicy a pinch or two of dried red pepper flakes is very traditional. Put these uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. Remove from the oven and mix in a few tablespoons of chopped fresh basil or lacking that a tablespoon of dried. Serve over pasta or even good sliced bread toasted with a bit of olive oil. Rustic but full of flavor and, as you can see, not very difficult.

BTW peeling tomatoes is quite easy if you have a little boiling water. In the case above I would just put the tomatoes in a metal mixing bowl and put on the kettle with about a liter of water and bring it to the boil. Pour the boiling water over the tomatoes and let them stand for 20 to 30 seconds and then run them under some cool tap water until you can handle them. The peels will slip off easily. Peeling and seeding the tomatoes is a pain but most tomato skins don't react well to cooking and get bitter to boot and the same with the seeds. Neither of them bring much to the flavor party.

Still Raining

Well it is still raining here in Georgia so the weekend didn't include much in the great outdoors. Just as well actually since the rain caused several large Ancho/Poblano pepper plants to fall and break leaving an emergency "deal with the peppers" event. Yesterday was spent making cucumber & pepper relish and pepper & onion relish. It's all canned and processed, though what we will do with it all is another question entirely. Based on the very rare occasion that I succumb to the need for a "tube steak" and need a few tablespoons of relish I now have enough for 50 or 60 years. I can use it for making tuna salad so maybe 30 years is a better estimate.

Yours truly managed to get into some poison ivy or oak last week while cleaning up in the garden. Only a small bit but it is on the left side of my face from my lower eyelid down to my upper lip. Irritation, irritation and very inconvenient. An archeologist friend, with extensive experience in such things, recommended a product called Zanfel and I went to CVS to get some...It was $40 for a small tube!... and since the dollar I invested in the lottery didn't bring me $350 million I guess I will stick with the calamine.

Strange weekend...Saturday saw us laying to rest one of our great liberal statesmen Ted Kennedy and Sunday saw the media giving Darth Cheney a pulpit to praise torture and lawlessness. Very strange indeed. The head "Death Eater" had the nerve to complain that Obama administration should be asking him how he had prevented a "mass casualty" attack on the U.S. for the last eight years and not investigating the unlawful torture and murder done on his watch. Seems to me the last "mass casualty" attack on the U.S. was on his watch but whatever and I don't really remember asking Clinton how he had prevented an attack during his 8 years on office. Like I said...whatever.

The economy, or lack thereof, is in the news this morning. The WSJ has the bad news about the commercial real estate market and it is really ugly. Several people are asking how in the hell the economy is going to recover without improving wages and employment...the resounding answer is that it won't.

Everybody have a great Monday and let's keep our fingers crossed that something happens to put out the fires in California.

Rainy Friday

Lots of rain and might not even get to 70 today. Garden work is out so I guess reading is in. Waiting for a break in the rain to go out and see how many more tomatoes there are. It is the final blush and they are coming fast and furious...about a half bushel per day. Going to have to buy more jars!

Going to be a lot of soup this winter and pasta sauce!

Did manage to get a checkup at the dentist in this morning and I am good for another 6 months and on the way home bought my winning $350 million lottery ticket.

Madam and I did take in the new Harry Potter the other day and it was very good. Can't say it was the best but the kids did finally get to do some proper acting. Much better in that department.

Now I just have to decide what book to curl up with and I am feeling like it might be some old science fiction.

If It is Bad for Bees It is Bad for You

In a study published in the current issue of The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Researchers have found that exposure of High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) to heat raises levels of a toxin harmful to bees and humans -

The researcher from the USDA reached their conclusion after measuring HMF levels in samples of HFCS over a 35 day time frame, at temperatures of 31.5, 40.0, 49.0 and 68.8?c.

They saw that HMF levels increased steadily with temperature, and that there was a dramatic jump at 49 ?c. The chemical forms as the fructose dehydrates, with mineral and organic acids acting as catalysts.

What is HMF?- Hydroxymethylfurfural ( here is its MSDS)

a toxin that causes gut ulceration and dysentery-like symptoms in bees. In humans it has been linked to DNA damage, and its daughter metabolites levulinic and formic acids have also been seen to cause harm.

This is just another reason to find ways to reduce or eliminate HFCS from your diet. We keep wondering why so many bee colonies are suffering and dying and what do you know but HFCS is used as feed by many commercial beekeepers.

Remember the rules: If granny wouldn't recognize it as food it probably isn't and if it is in a package and has more than a couple of ingredients it probably isn't really food.

h/t La Vida Locavore

Hunter Speaks for Me

If you haven't read Hunter's rant over at Daily Kos concerning health care then take a few minutes and do so. You'll be glad you did.

RIP Senator Edward Kennedy

Senator Edward Kennedy died late last night at the age of 77. He was the greatest legislator of his generation, and surely one of the giants of Senatorial history. It will be impossible to measure the impact Kennedy has had on the American people and the people of the world.

The White House issued a statement from President Obama this morning.

"Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.

"For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

"I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.

"An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time."

In the New York Times report on Kennedy's passing, John Broder wrote, "[H]e was more than a legislator. He was a living legend."

Exactly one year ago today, Kennedy delivered his last and memorable national address at the Democratic National Convention. Even though weakened by his illness Kennedy still inspired:

"There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination -- not merely victory for our party, but renewal for our nation. And this November, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans. So with Barack Obama, and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on."

The irreplaceable Ted Kennedy will be missed but his legacy can live on in the cause which he championed through his whole career. It is time for the Ted Kennedy Healthy America Act that will insure no American wants for proper and affordable health care.

Health Care Reform Reading

Lot's to read about health care reform and none of it is very heartening. Looking more and more like we are all screwed.

The LA Times has a report on how we are doing in the health care reform battle. It's not pretty and it goes without saying that the big money from the health insurers and big pharma are winning. If you are concerned about the future of health care in this country this is a worthwhile read.

Percentage change since 2002 in average premiums paid to large US health-insurance companies: +87%

Percentage change in the profits of the top ten insurance companies: +428%

Chances that an American bankrupted by medical bills has health insurance: 7 in 10

—Harper’s Index, September 2009

You can read more in this very good article from Common Dreams by Chris Hedges

Last but surely not least we have Matt Taibbi’s “Sick and Wrong”

Christmas Lima Beans

It's garden clean up time again. Now all the hard work of putting in the garden has to be reversed. While the tomatoes and peppers are still going strong and the occasional melon ripens things like beans, corn and squash need to be removed and composted. The fall plants of broccoli and cabbage are all sprouted and will be ready to go out in a few weeks but first a place needs to made for them. While things are winding down we are still pretty much eating every dinner with things from the garden. Last night eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and beans for dinner and yesterday's lunch was cantaloupe just picked. This is the first time I have really been successful with melons as they usually succumb to wilt or mildew plus our clay soil is not ideal for such things.

The picture is of the last of the Christmas limas which were harvested yesterday as I pulled up all the vines. Only a double handful but enough for dinner last night. They are much prettier raw than cooked BTW as they sort of turn a purplish gray after a little simmer and all of the bright red disappears. Lima beans aren't my favorite but Madam loves them so I grow them. If I have to eat them I prefer the small baby limas or butter peas we grow down here in the South. These are a pretty good size bean as you can tell from the dime in the pic.

I'm in the garden again today but should wrap up the biggest part of the chores. Another month or two of tomatoes and peppers along with late season cucumbers and the second planting of beans(French climbing and Cherokee Trail of Tears). The sweet potatoes are just about ready as well and they will be coming out of the ground in September. Off to the garden...everyone have a great Monday.

As Always... Joe Bageant

If you don't regularly check in with Joe to see what he is doing then you are missing some of most important insights and writing about what is happening to our society today. His latest is especially worth a visit.

How much freedom can one man stand?

Survival of the Fittest

The conservatives keep ranting about letting 'the market' rule how health care is delivered and paid for and just this weekend Georgia GOP jerk (my rep!) Tom Price reiterated that a government sponsored option would destroy the private health insurance industry as one of his main arguments against reform and a public option. They seem to want it both ways...don't let the government driven public option compete fairly with private industry because it would destroy the private health insurance industry and also let the market drive the business. You can't have it both ways.

I think Darwin should rule.

It Hurts

Jim Yeager has a YouTube posted at Skippy's place that makes me want to cry. Seriously.

Debunking the Health Care Reform Myths

Media Matters has done the research and has a comprehensive debunking of the current right wing myths about health care reform. You might want to keep this link handy in case you need to reset anyone's thinking.

MYTH 1: There is no health care crisis
MYTH 2: Health care reform will impose rationing
MYTH 3: Health care reform provides for euthanasia, "death panel"
MYTH 4: Health care reform legislation will cover undocumented immigrants
MYTH 5: Health care reform will raise your taxes
MYTH 6: Health proposals would tax all small businesses
MYTH 7: Health care reform would add $1 trillion-plus to deficit
MYTH 8: House bill would ban private individual insurance
MYTH 9: Obama said he didn't read House bill
MYTH 10: Co-ops are an adequate substitute for a public option
MYTH 11: Obama is pushing a system like the U.K. and Canada
MYTH 12: Obama, Dems pushing "socialized medicine"
MYTH 13: Prominent opponents of health care reform are credible
MYTH 14: Government can't run a health care program

Distributed By?

Has anyone noticed that almost every product you buy these days has 'distributed by' on it instead of 'manufactured by'? Do Colgate and P&G not make their own toothpaste and just buy it from the Chinese or someone and distribute it? I would assume since they don't claim to manufacture it then someone else does and why is that? Look around at the products you have on the shelf and you will be amazed at how many don't have the actual manufacturer but the distributor's name on it. Sort of gives me an uneasy feeling...

Where's the Balance?

Via digby

Does it bother anybody that we taxpayers are on the hook for 23.7 trillion dollars in guarantees to the banking industry to keep the bloodsuckers from collapsing and yet we are having a full blown political meltdown over a trillion dollars over 10 years to insure every American has access to health care? Just seems weird.

The Next Shoe

We asked the other day what the next canard in the GOP effort to torpedo health care reform would be and now we know:

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday defended critics of Democratic health care reform plans who claim the proposals would provide subsidized health care to illegal immigrants. Kyl said Democrats have long sought to block curbs on public services for people illegally in the country.

“It’s a logical question for people to ask,” Kyl said during a conference call with reporters, maintaining that during last year’s State Children’s Health Insurance Program debate and other legislative fights, Democrats blocked efforts by Republicans to include curbs on health care for illegal immigrants.

“In the last couple of bills … there were efforts to ensure that only eligible people would get the benefits … those efforts were defeated by Democrats,” Kyl argued, pointing out that hospitals currently are required to provide illegal aliens — as well as anyone else — with health care if they are in need.

If you thought the teabaggers and patriots were insane at the town halls before you might you might want to hold on to your hat. Of course you won't find anyone in the media asking the right questions...If we turn the illegal immigrants away from the hospitals or any access to emergency care what are we supposed to do with the bodies? Is there any plan for ameliorating the epidemics of who knows what when potentially millions of people go untreated and are left to die or spread whatever contagious disease they may have? Is there going to separate plans for disposing of the bodies of children and adults? What are we going to do about immigrant children orphaned because their parents didn't have access to health care?

Finally Someone with a 2x4

There is the old story about the farmer and a mule. A man sees the farmer grab a 2x4 and whack the mule across the head. Questioning the farmer as to why he thought it was necessary to hit the mule in such a way the farmer replies. "Oh the mule is plenty smart but first you have to get his attention."

I guess someone finally got out the 2x4 because the Dems seem to have finally figured out that the Republicans just aren't going to cooperate:

“The Republican leadership,” Mr. Emanuel said, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”

About freaking time? I can't believe it has taken this long for the Democrats to figure out that they are wasting their time. The GOP leadership has said over and over that this is a strategic decision on their part and hope to use the failure of any health care reform to take out Obama or to use their phrasing "make it his Waterloo".

Now we just have to figure out if the President is Wellington or Napoleon.

Nothing Really

I realized this morning that I haven't posted anything here since Friday. No excuse really except that I don't have much going on that is any different than any other weekend. Madam and I are dog sitting for the daughter's two, Megan and Stewart, so we have done some walks and played a little fetch and let them in and let them out. Both are good dogs and are trained to a T. It's very nice to walk them as they understand the rules. You say "wait" and they stop at the intersection until you say "OK". You say "fix" and they stop and lift their paw so you can get the leash out from under. They don't pull and just walk along beside you. Megan does stop and sniff every once in while but usually comes right along after a tug.

The tomato plants have decided to ripen everything at once. Madam and I canned 16 pints of tomato sauce yesterday. Since you have to simmer and reduce the tomatoes by about half that means we peeled, seeded and food milled 16 quarts or 4 gallons of tomatoes yesterday and I picked another basketful this morning. We are definitely set for tomatoes. The okra is going full bore as well and I am picking two meals worth everyday. We've pickled and frozen enough okra for a couple of years and it's still coming. The plants are now so tall that I have to pick as Madam can't reach the tops. Looking at the number of blooms we are going to have as much again as we have had already...will definitely back off on the amount I plant next spring.

So I am off to walk the dogs.

The tropical storm was a fizzle. We got just a little rain and cloudiness but not near what I was hoping for.

Whole Foods Flap

Evidently the flap over the insane rant by the libertarian CEO of Whole Foods John Mackey in the WSJ flooded the Whole Foods forum on their website and they shut it down. There are evidently a lot of upset 'former' customers. Good!

Just because there is now even less reason to shop at Whole Foods there is no reason to despair if you want organic foods. Here's an organic store locator. And here's the famous Eat Well Guide, where you can look up farmer's markets, restaurants, groceries, etc. this is a good resource. You can also check with the local harvest site and look for sources of good food.

Even though you can't comment on their website anymore you can still express how you feel to the folks at Whole Foods:

Contact Whole Foods Market's Investor Relations Department by
calling (512) 542-0204
or via email at ir.questions@wholefoods.com.
:
U.S. National Offices

World Headquarters
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
550 Bowie Street
Austin, TX 78703-4644
512.477.4455
512.477.5566 voicemail
512.482.7000 fax(br)

RIP Les Paul, 1915 - 2009

Les Paul passed away today. You can't say enough about the man who invented the solid body electric guitar and multitrack recording. He wasn't only an inventor but one of the great guitarists. He earned 36 gold records and 11 No. 1 pop hits, including "Vaya Con Dios," "How High the Moon," "Nola" and "Lover." His contribution to music is absolutely huge. Pete Townsend of The Who, Steve Howe of Yes, jazz great Al DiMeola and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page all used the Gibson Les Paul which Gibson guitars started making way back in 1952.

Good Bye Whole Foods

It's sad really, because you really want to believe that there are companies like Whole Foods that are good citizens and actually live up to what they advertise as their core values. It turns out that it is all hype and marketing and as long as you spend your money there they could give a shit about you and your welfare. It is obvious that they could care less that 50 million Americans are one sickness away from destitute or worse, will die from the lack of medical care. As long as you shell out the big bucks for their products they really don't care if you have to skip your medications to pay for it.

It's going to be a challenge because I like the products I find there. Granted, I have cut way back on what I buy at Whole Foods because of the garden and the virtual vegetarian diet of the last few months. I'm just going to have to get over it and find other sources for the things I used to find there. Somebody else sells real chicken and quality fish. I don't, however, know where I am going to find a replacement for Madam's 365 Ginger Ale and that's bad.

I actually find it quite amazing that John Mackey, the CEO and founder of Whole Foods is so out of touch with who is customers are. I would venture to say the progressives, liberals and other "tree huggers" far outnumber the conservatives. His op-ed in the WSJ is unbelievable for someone who heads an organization that claims one of its core values is "Caring about our communities & our environment". Mr. Mackey has revealed his extremist views on employee benefits in the WSJ no less:

While we clearly need health-care reform, the last thing our country needs is a massive new health-care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health-care system. Instead, we should be trying to achieve reforms by moving in the opposite direction—toward less government control and more individual empowerment.

I've known for some time his extreme views on unions but let it go considering what I assumed were the offsetting benefits his business offered. This latest revelation was the last straw however, and I will add Whole Foods to Wal-Mart as an off limits place to shop. I'll use the only weapon I have and that is my pocket book. If Whole Foods or Mr. Mackey retract the op-ed then I will reconsider but it will forever throw a shadow over what I thought was an upstanding company that actually had peoples' welfare as a core part of their values. Frankly, today it is very easy to locate competitors and that is where I'll be.

If you are interested, check out the overwhelmingly bad vibes on the Whole Foods community forum this op-ed has generated and there is a lot more to be found in the discussions in Hopeful Skeptic's and Aptoklas' diaries at the Great Orange Satan. It appears that Mr. Mackey has managed to piss off a whole lot of customers including this one.

h/t to DarkSyde at Kos

A Little rain

We are finally getting a much needed rain today which I wish I could share with Cookie Jill in Santa BBQ who is on fire yet once again. It is a nice respite from the heat of the last week or so. It's 1pm and still only 74F. It's not raining hard but it is raining. I actually went out and stood in it for a while which is always refreshing. I must have been radiating a quiet joy or something because a hummingbird came to hover in front of me a gave me the once over. She decided, after a close inspection, that I was not food and she went instead to the feeder. It happens in the garden quite often and it is always a happy experience when they come so close and look you over so intently. A very special treat from the Goddess.

More canning of tomatoes this afternoon after Madam gets back from lunch with a friend who is having a birthday today. Probably get a batch of pickled peppers started as well. The pepper plants were late getting any fruit set but with the hot dry weather they are now in full production. I've got several poblano plants that have needed some heavy duty staking because they are so heavily laden. Looking forward to some chile rellenos very soon!

More and More Criminals

Steve at YDD links to one in a series of articles by Barbara Ehrenreich in which she documents the many ways in which municipalities have made it illegal to be poor in America. There are links as well there to the two previous articles in the series. This is not pleasing or rewarding reading but something everyone should read.

As I commented over at Steve's place. There is only so much pain and suffering such a large group of people will take lying down. The ever increasing potential for violent demands for change will break sooner or later and it will be very ugly. The main stream media, when it deals with the trials of the current depression, are focusing on the 'middle class' or what Barbara calls the 'Nouveau Poor' but as she so aptly describes there existed a whole class of already poor when this depression arrived and they are being pushed further and further down the slope. It's absurd that this should be the case in a country with all the wealth of this one that people, through no fault of their own, should be forced to live in such misery.

The Craziness Spreads

I missed by a mile (from Specter’s town hall):

I know that years down the road, I don’t want my children coming to me and asking me, ‘Mom, why didn’t you do anything? Why do we have to wait in line for, I don’t know, toilet paper or anything?’ I don’t want to have to tell them I didn’t do anything. As a normal citizen, the most I feel like I can do is come to this town hall meeting.

Who'da thought that the health care bill contained a provision for toilet paper rationing. These people must be desperate and while shit paper rationing is not something I want to contemplate couldn't they have come up with something a little better? My ideas might have been lame but toilet paper rationing?

Next Insanity Please

Last week it was Caribou Barbie and Noot decrying the inevitable death panels and granny murdering if the we get gubmint health care. What new insanity will they come up with this week to further the discussion of how and why we need a major overhaul of the American health care system?

They haven't touched on mandatory sterilization yet. I'm thinking that in order to bring it home to the target audience they will have to specify that it only applies to those with an IQ in the double digits, or those making less than 50k$ per year. Anyone unemployed is a sure target and a nice touch would be that you have to get sterilized before you can get unemployment.

Another possibility is that if you have more than two children you will have to give up the excess to the gubmint for mandatory Peace Corps duty before you can qualify for gubmint insurance.

Another requirement might be that the gubmint insurance will require that foods such as Slim Jims, Twinkies, Mountain Dew, and potato chips be taken off the market...that would kill this thing for sure.

Anybody else have a guess at what the next 'outrage' over the dreaded gubmint run health care will be?

Exciting or What?

Another exciting weekend around the Monk household. 12 pints of salsa put away and 5 jelly jars of fig jam. More green beans to do something with but we are running out of freezer space so it might be another 8 quarts of pressure canned beans which is not my favorite way to preserve beans. The only thing to do with pressure canned beans is to cook them 'Southern' style which, while good on occasion, doesn't really showcase the bean...if you know what I mean.

Going to have a treat tonight and make another rustic peach tart. Peaches are starting to fade in the markets and have doubled in price in the last couple of weeks. I have enough for two more tarts as some aren't quite ripe. And yes, there is vanilla ice cream.

We are going to fall off the vegetarian wagon and have roast chicken tonight as well and surprise...green beans and fingerling potatoes...everything from the garden but the chicken. I got hungry for chicken watching the Julia Child movie yesterday and I just have to scratch the itch.

Oh! and it's August in Atlanta and the weather is making sure we know it. It's 5pm and 95 so I am expecting 96 before it starts to cool off. We have actually not suffered to badly from the heat this summer and virtually every night we have been able to open the windows and sleep with a little fresh air. It didn't fall below 80 until after 11 last night and that is go/no go threshold on open windows and it is likely to be the same story tonight.

Fresh Figs

My fig tree is starting to produce and for the last three days my breakfast has been fresh figs and plain yogurt. Brings back memories of my days in Cyprus and the little farmer lady who would bring me fresh yogurt and various fruits when they were in season including figs. Never much of a fig person until that sojourn in the Med and discovering the joy of really fresh fruit and freshly made real yogurt. Having it delivered by the lady who made it in a donkey pulled cart didn't hurt the experience either. The food I had in Cyprus during that year and a half in the late 60's changed me forever. Lamb, olives, bread, kebabs, wine, yogurt, figs, and many other things are now a part of my world food.

Julie & Julia

Going to the movies this morning to see Julie & Julia. I will report back but from everything I am reading it is great. I love Meryl Streep and from the clips I have seen she does the role justice. I still haven't seen the latest Harry Potter but I think Mini Monk and I will go see it next week on one of her days off.

Update: It won't win an Oscar probably but a very enjoyable flick just the same. Very glad I went to see it. Meryl has Julia spot on and if you have read "My Life in France" it will be even more enjoyable. Amy Adams does a good job as well and she is as cute as a button. I enjoyed it and fully intend to by the DVD to add to my library. I highly recommend it.

Just Different

I seem to running against the grain according to Michael Pollan's latest article in the NYT Magazine. Evidently fewer and fewer people are actually cooking nowadays. It is age of prepared, take out, frozen. Even though more and more people are watching cooking related shows on the Food Network and such there is actually fewer and fewer people actually getting off the couch and cooking.

Part of it has come from the change in what cooking means over the years. It used to mean getting a bunch of basic ingredients together and making a meal. What we would call 'scratch' cooking today. Now taking the meal out of the freezer and heating it up is considered cooking. If someone can make a box of mac and cheese they consider themselves cooks.

Michael talks a lot about Julia Child and her revolutionary show. I too, cut my teeth on Julia and followed her religiously from her debut in 1963. I own all her books and use them regularly and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the new movie with Meryl Streep. I guess because my introduction to cooking was through Julia and my grandmother who also was a 'scratch' cook I still cook that way today. I wouldn't get nearly the satisfaction of preparing a meal if it merely involved mixes and pre-cut veges.

As Michael points out at the end of the article. The American food industry has made it simple for us to enjoy the equivalent of a 'Sunday dinner' everyday without much or any work or all. Part of what cooking does is delay instant gratification, you have to work to to put a big heavy meal on the table. Part of the problem today is that you can eat like a king(or a hog) without having to invest any sweat or energy, just money and it is showing in our health and waist lines.

updated to correct spelling error

Morning Visitors

It was pretty early and there wasn't enough light to get a good picture. Pretty amazing considering we live in the city. Granted there is some wooded space around but still....

That Was Quick

I guess this was why they sent the 'Big Dog'.

CNN - North Korean President Kim Jong Il has pardoned two U.S. journalists, state-run news agency KCNA said today. News of the pardons came hours after former President Bill Clinton met with the North Korean leader to discuss the case of reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

They wanted some international attention and sending Bill Clinton gave them the respect they were looking for.

Not Serious

The more I watch what is going on in this country around health care reform the more apparent it becomes that a large majority of this country are just plain weak thinkers and not really serious about the challenges we face as a nation and a world. The number of people that have latched on to the Obama birth certificate insanity is enough to justify this conclusion but it is only the most obvious.
How many people that are using Medicare don't seem to realize that it is government run health care?
How many of the reform naysayers are just simply ignoring the fact that nearly 50 million of their fellow Americans are without a health insurance safety net and that one even moderately serious medical problem will bankrupt them if they can even manage to find a way to pay for care?
How many of the 'teabaggers' or whatever they are that are doing the work of the health insurance industry by disrupting Democratic town hall meetings on reform actually know what they are doing to the future of the American way of life? Do these people want the American political dialogue to just be thuggery? Are they so afraid of rational discussion and logical process that they will do anything to stop the dialogue?
How many of the folks that are dead set against modernizing American health care, or at least bringing it up to the standard of other countries, understand what countries like France, Sweden, Japan and other more progressive countries have and how it improves their ability to compete with the U.S. on the world economic stage?
How many of these 'status quo fans' understand that so far this year the health care industry has spent nearly $250 million lobbying against health care reform and what that says?

This particular time in our country is what I like to call a 'Darwinian moment' and we have to ask ourselves whether the people of this nation have what it takes and thus deserve to survive. The key to survival is to understand your environment and where possible adapt your behavior in such a way as to optimize your chances of survival. There are always accidents and unforeseen events but survival is a game of chance and doing what you can to make the odds swing in your favor. It sure looks like to me that a large portion of this country is doing just the opposite. Health care is at the forefront right now but following close behind is the environment and several other things that have the potential cause great swaths of the world's population to feel the sharp teeth of natural selection.

Dog Days

Here we are in the middle of what (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) are know as 'dog days' traditionally between July 23 and August 23. The full burst of summer is here and August is traditionally the hottest month here in the South. The lush growth in the garden is past and a lot of the vegetables are beginning to wind down from the high energy of late spring and early summer. A lot of the garden looks tired. For many of us it is the time for 'putting by' and that is just what Madam and I have been doing. Every day is at least half consumed with preserving the harvest. Yesterday was another 8 pints of tomato sauce and the day before was pickled okra, pickled peppers and dilled green beans. Today will be more beans...every other day you can pick 6 -8 pounds of green beans off the Mountain White Half runner vines and it looks like it will be another week or so of harvest before they too are exhausted. The tomatoes are showing the wear and tear from putting out a very good crop this year and some of the green tomatoes left on the vines are smaller and will probably wind up as green tomato pickles or relish. There may be another dozen quarts of red tomatoes to put up before it is all over though.

The butternut and acorn squash are being harvested as well and being carefully put aside in the basement for later in the fall and winter. Cantaloupes are coming in now and they are now a part of at least two meals a day. You really can't effectively preserve them so you have to eat them now and pray that they pace themselves a little and allow you to keep up. I'm also racing the chipmunks to see you can get the most Lima beans and butter peas...I think I'm winning but it will be close.

The 'dog days' are also the time to begin planning the fall and winter garden. You can expect the first killing frost by the first to middle of November around here but that leaves 90 days, and with luck a little more, to plant another crop of beans and start beets, turnips, spinach, carrots and lettuce for harvest as we wait for old man winter. We also don't want to forget peas either, especially the sugar snaps and snow peas.

Madam is off on a trip to spend a day teaching some folks how to preserve their vintage clothing so I am left to do the blanching and freezing today and the day is warming up. After a few days of rain the high summer is back for a few days and the humidity is going to make it seem even hotter. It's good that we got all that canning done while it was cooler and overcast.