Dear Molly is Gone

But not forgotten and won't be for many a year to come.

Molly Ivins passed away today at age 62. She was a gifted, funny and powerful voice for the progressive liberal people of this country. Her voice and humor will be sorely missed. She was a hell of a lady and this loss is gonna hurt. The people of Texas and we have lost two great ladies in very short order the other being Ann Richards. Thanks for everything, Molly. Your words will live for years.

Steve Bates at YDD has some links with more information with the Texas connection. Steve also posts the last paragraph of her last column which is significant in countless ways.

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on January 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

Love This Stuff

Running late this morning and will be in front of the client all day so very quiet here I expect. I did find this this morning in my quick check of things. This is so cool. I love the whole mystery surrounding Stonehenge and after visiting it a couple of years ago even more so.

Archeologists working near Stonehenge in England have discovered an ancient religious complex containing a treasure trove of artifacts that may finally illuminate the lives and religious practices of the people who built the mysterious monument 4,600 years ago, British archeologists said Tuesday

If you want a good read try Sarum which is a fictional account of the whole deal.

Hot in Ohio

Ok, we are here. Long drive in the snow from Cleveland to Mansfield but not too bad. It is a balmy 12F here and snowing but otherwise very pleasant. Can't wait to step out tomorrow morning and experience the brisk.
Did the Outback thing for dinner with my colleague. Her choice...not mine. Just did the salad and the appetizer shrimp. I have decided that they are tenderizing their beef with something because it has that "mealy" texture that makes it taste fake. No beef for me at Outback.
Need to wander and see what is going on. Sure there is major reading at Firedoglake where Emptywheel is live blogging the Libby trial.
I may find something worthy of comment in a little while.

P.S. the title of this post is in deference to commenter Pekka who chided me for whining about the cold here in Ohio. Evidently 12F and snow is skip and go naked weather in Pekka's neck of the woods. I will refrain from whining about the cold henceforth.

Off We Go

Getting ready to head to the airport and off to Cleveland and the heartland. Current weather is snow and cooooold. Not looking forward to the drive to Mansfield in the snow and dark tonight. Such is life. I'll try and check in with you guys from the hotel tonight as the hotel is purported to have HS internet access.

Still Crazy

What's new, GOP Senators are playing procedural games with the minimum wage debate hoping to put off the debate on the anti-surge resolutions. That's the report from Bob Geiger:

The Republicans figure that if they can keep the Senate occupied indefinitely with an open-and-shut thing like a minimum wage increase, they can avoid the thing they fear most -- having to vote on any of the myriad Iraq-war resolutions waiting in the wings.

I'm sorry to say I will be flat out on clients this week on what appears to be a very interesting week in the Senate. Despite the Republican delaying tactics, there is going to be a debate on Iraq. They, the GOP, enabled this war and never challenged Bush's failed leadership and reckless wasting of American lives and treasure. The chickens always come home to roost boys and no matter how hard you try and avoid it, you are going to have to put your name on the line as crazy as Bush or just a little bit goofy.

Worked So Well the First Time

I've got a ton of work to do but I just had to post about this little tidbit that came arching across my bow this morning. According to the Sunday Herald our boy Bush will playing tin soldier one more time by launching an attack on Iran before the end of April:

PRESIDENT BUSH is preparing to attack Iran's nuclear facilities before the end of April and the US Air Force's new bases in Bulgaria and Romania would be used as back-up in the onslaught, according to an official report from Sofia.

"American forces could be using their two USAF bases in Bulgaria and one at Romania's Black Sea coast to launch an attack on Iran in April," the Bulgarian news agency Novinite said.

The American build-up along the Black Sea, coupled with the recent positioning of two US aircraft carrier battle groups off the Straits of Hormuz, appears to indicate president Bush has run out of patience with Tehran's nuclear misrepresentation and non-compliance with the UN Security Council's resolution. President Ahmeninejad of Iran has further ratcheted up tension in the region by putting on show his newly purchased state of the art Russian TOR-Ml anti-missile defence system.

Whether the Bulgarian news report is a tactical feint or a strategic event is hard to gauge at this stage. But, in conjunction with the beefing up of America's Italian bases and the acquisition of anti-missile defence bases in the Czech Republic and Poland,the Balkan developments seem to indicate a newphase in Bush's global war on terror.

Sofia's news of advanced war preparations along the Black Sea is backed up by some chilling details. One is the setting up of new refuelling places for US Stealth bombers, which would spearhead an attack on Iran. "The USAF's positioning of vital refuelling facilities for its B-2 bombers in unusual places, including Bulgaria, falls within the perspective of such an attack." Novinite named colonel Sam Gardiner, "a US secret service officer stationed in Bulgaria", as the source of this revelation.

Curiously,the report noted that although Tony Blair, Bush's main ally in the global war on terror, would be leaving office, the president had opted to press on with his attack on Iran in April.

Before the end of March,3000 US military personnel are scheduled to arrive "on a rotating basis" at America's Bulgarian bases. Under the US-Bulgarian military co-operation accord, signed in April,2006,an air base atBezmer, a second airfield at Graf Ignitievo and a shooting range at Novo Selo were leased to America. Significantly,last year's bases negotiations had at one point run into difficulties due to Sofia's demand "for advance warning if Washington intends to use Bulgarian soil for attacks against other nations, particularly Iran".

Romania, the other Black Sea host to the US military, is enjoying a dollar bonanza as its Mihail Kogalniceanu base at Constanta is being transformed into an American "place d'arme". It is also vital to the Iran scenario.

Last week,the Bucharest daily Evenimentual Zilei revealed the USAF is to site several flights of F-l5, F-l6 and Al0 aircraft at the Kogalniceanu base. Admiral Gheorghe Marin, Romania's chief of staff, confirmed "up to 2000 American military personnel will be temporarily stationed in Romania".

In Central Europe, theCzech Republic and Poland have also found themselves in the Pentagon's strategic focus. Last week, Mirek Topolanek, the Czech prime minister, and the country's national security council agreed to the siting of a US anti-missile radar defence system at Nepolisy. Poland has also agreed to having a US anti-missile missile base and interceptor aircraft stationed in the country.

Russia, however, does not see the chain of new US bases on its doorstep as a "defensive ring". Russia's defence chief has branded the planned US anti-missile missile sites on Czech and Polish soil as "an open threat to Russia".

If this report is true, and it seems at pretty credible, then it's time for Congress jerk Commander Codpiece up short and get serious about taking away little Georgie's checkbook. If there is any truth to this report then he is a certified madman by pretty much any definition you want to bring to the party. Are they going to do the job we elected them to do or are they going to wring their hands over their political futures and risk Bush launch the first strike in a global thermonuclear war? We shouldn't have to remind them that if we have global thermonuclear war, there will be no political future to worry about.

Road Trip!

Frozen solid in Atlanta this morning. Woke up to 20 degrees! Found out I have to go to Cleveland for a couple of the days (well Shelby, OH). Looks like I will get my first dose of snow this year. Supposed to snow off and on all week. Shelby is about an hour and a half south of the airport so it looks like a fun and cold week coming up.

These last minute trips always require a lot of emergency prep so I will be busy getting ready for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning. Don't fly until late tomorrow so I have a little slack.

Two Vegetarian Recipes

I promised Sumo that I would post these two recipes from my vegetarian week. Both are surprisingly tasty.

Spicy Walnut Tomatoes

1 TBSP raisins
2 TBSP orange juice
4 medium sized ripe tomatoes
1/3 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
2 Tsp curry powder
1 small apple chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Soak the raisins in the orange juice to soften.
Slice about a half inch off the stem end of each tomato and save the "lid".
With your fingers scoop out as much of the seeds and jelly as you can and then
scoop out the remaining pulp, chop coarsely and reserve.
Mix the reserved tomato pulp, rice, walnuts, drained raisins, curry powder and apple
and mix together.
Fill the hollowed out tomatoes with the mixture and top with the "lid".
Brush the tomatoes all over with olive oil.
Put in an oven proof dish and bake at 375 degrees for about twenty minutes.

You could use this same stuffing for other veggies like zucchini, small eggplant, or peppers. Just chop a whole fresh tomato instead of using the pulp.


Spicy Beet Soup

1 medium onion chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
2 ribs of celery chopped
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock heated
1/2 pound cooked beets chopped (I like the golden beets)
2 inch piece of fresh ginger minced
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
chopped parsely for garnish

Saute the onions, carrots and celery in a tablespoon of canola or olive oil for a few minutes.
Add the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes
Add the beets, lemon zest and ginger and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
Using a hand blender or food processor puree the soup until smooth.
Add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and reheat if necessary.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with the fresh parsley garnish.

I like to roast the beets to cook them as they develop a nice flavor, but you could boil them as well. I don't see why you couldn't use canned for frozen cooked beets in this recipe as well.

Molly Needs Some Help

If you are religious please pray. If you are not religious then send some positive energy her way. One of the great ones, Molly Ivins, who has been battling breast cancer, was hospitalized this week.

Molly Ivins is a national treasure. We need her voice in the worst way. So regardless of what you believe your influence with the Goddess or the universe to be, send whatever energy and good wishes you can spare her way.

We love you lady...hang in there!

Alone Again

Our visitors are safely away and on the way to Florida for a few days before they head back to London. Good visit and lots of laughing and gin and tonic put away not to mention my wine stores severely depleted. Got through the week of vegetarian cooking with no problems and since one of our friends does eat fish I didn't have to go completely vegan. I actually created some new recipes that are keepers even in a carnivorous world which I will share at some point. One is for a nice big tomato stuffed with brown rice, lentils, apple and raisins that turned out to be very tasty as well as a completely nutritious side dish. The other was a beet soup that was hearty and tasty as well.

I know it has been rather quiet here but life intrudes at times and I wouldn't have missed their visit for anything. Right now there is a plan to head their way in April or May and return the favor. They live about half way between London and Cambridge near Stanstead Airport and while it is still pretty much metro London it is on the fringes and you can still get a sense of the English countryside. We'll probably take advantage of the trip to invade our other English friends as well and they are truly in the wilds of England and actually live up north in Derbyshire in the Peaks National Park and it is truly bucolic and very restful...lots of stacked stone walls, sheep, cows and horses. I can almost taste the pub grub now, not to mention the fine English beer. Yeah, I know I can buy good English beer here with the little widgets in the can that make it appear to be freshly pulled from the cask but there is nothing quite like having the friendly publican putting it in front of you while you stand in a building that was serving good beer before Columbus was even a twinkle in his father's eye.

Have some post visitor errands to catch up on this afternoon but we'll be back and we might have to break down and pick up a four pack of Boddington's now that we're thinking about it... we'll be right there replenishing the Bombay gin supply so might as well. I think there might be a nice little New York strip in my near future as well.

More Lies

We on the progressive left and especially those of us that have been vocal about our opposition to the war in Iraq are constantly accused, in so many words, of being traitors. Just trust our president and the Pentagon to do the job and believe everything they tell you about how well things are going our detractors say. Well before Bush and company attacked Iraq we were saying not to take everything coming out of the White House and Pentagon at face value. The following from the AP via E&P is just one more example of why you should not trust your government to tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They are lying liars.

BAGHDAD Contrary to U.S. military statements, four U.S. soldiers did not die repelling a sneak attack at the governor's office in the Shiite holy city of Karbala last week. New information obtained by The Associated Press shows they were abducted and found dead or dying as far as 25 miles away.

The brazen assault 50 miles south of Baghdad was launched Jan. 20 by a group of nine to 12 militants. They traveled in black GMC Suburban vehicles - the type used by U.S. government convoys, had American weapons, wore new U.S. military combat fatigues and spoke English.

In a written statement, the U.S. command reported at the time that five soldiers were killed while "repelling the attack." Two senior U.S. military officials as well as Iraqi officials now say three of them were found dead and one mortally wounded in locations as far as 25 miles east of the governor's office.

Why are we even considering sending another 21,000 of our children into this freaking mess?

Gonna' Remember

This list originated with Bob Geiger at the Yellow Dog Blog and was borrowed by Frederick at mccs1977 from whom I am, in turn, borrowing. We need to keep this list handy and remind anyone who brings up the lie of "compassionate conservatism" of the truth by shoving this down their throat.
The list below represents the18 Republicans who are up for reelection in 2008 that were part of the 43 Republicans who voted yesterday to deny the first minimum wage increase in a decade. I am sorry to say that both of the Senators from Georgia, Chambliss and Isakson voted no.

• Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
• Wayne Allard (R-CO)
• Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
• Thad Cochran (R-MS)
• John Cornyn (R-TX)
• Larry Craig (R-ID)
• Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
• Pete Domenici (R-NM)
• Michael Enzi (R-WY)
• Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
• Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
• James Inhofe (R-OK)
• Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
• Pat Roberts (R-KS)
• Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
• Gordon Smith (R-OR)
• Ted Stevens (R-AK)
• John Sununu (R-NH)

Please keep this list handy and drag it out when these people start their campaigns.

How Much Did Your Bag of Groceries Really Cost?

With a h/t to AmericaBlog there is an interesting article in the Guardian today that links back to a post the other day by Steve Bates at YDD. Do you know the "carbon footprint" or the complete environmental impact of the food you eat?

Tough question, but Tesco in the UK is giving almost $10 million to Oxford to figure it out so they can include such data on food labels.

In principle, the concept is easy. A so-called "life-cycle analysis" tots up the energy used to extract raw materials and turn them into products. The greater the energy use, the greater the carbon footprint, and the worse for the environment a product is. Tesco says such information would allow consumers to shop according to their environmental conscience. As demand for more damaging products falls, the thinking goes, so will the stocking of that product. The supermarket is not alone in coveting carbon labels: Duchy Originals, the food company set up by Prince Charles, is among those investigating similar schemes.

The problems start in deciding exactly what emissions should be counted. Direct carbon use is easy to measure, but indirect emissions are far more difficult. Should supermarkets include the electricity used to refrigerate products in their stores? What about the fuel in the tractors on a farm thousands of miles away? And if you think the answer is obvious, what about the fuel in the cars the farmworkers drive to get to work? "Boundaries are hugely difficult and, of course, the boundaries may not be in this country," says Dr Boardman. Some experts even argue the audited supply chain should extend as far as the ultimate source of energy - the sun.

I have been discussing this with our visitors from the UK and it is getting to be a hot topic over there as they are struggling with how to improve food labeling. You see this kind of article in the UK and European news but not a peep in the American press. Why is that? One would think that with the US leaving the largest carbon footprint of any other nation we would be keen to address this kind of thing.

I don't imagine it has anything to do about corporate ownership of the media does it? For those of you who aren't familiar with the UK, Tesco is probably the largest grocery chain there followed closely by Sainsbury (or vice versa). Somehow I don't see Kroger, Publix or one of the other big US chains spending this kind of money on something like this and Goddess forbid the Bush bunch suggesting such a thing as a knowledgeable consumer. The last thing they appear to want is for the American public to be able to make informed decisions.

The next time you take a run down the grocery aisle think about how much energy, from beginning to end, goes into getting that dinner on the table. When you make the choice of frozen vegetables over fresh think about all the energy consumed in keeping it frozen from manufacturing through transport and then while it waits in the store and your freezer at home for you to thaw it and consume it.

Compassionate Conservatism Shines Through

Do you ever ask yourself how most Republicans in Congress can actually go to bed at night and sleep? What are they thinking when they think opposing extremely popular legislation is a smart political move.

The Senate Democrats are as one and voted to pass the same stand-alone minimum wage increase approved by the House of Representatives two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Republican minority voted against cloture on the bill thereby creating a roadblock until Democrats agree to more business tax cuts.

A clean minimum wage bill went to a floor vote after the line-item veto was killed and, despite the fact that the minimum wage has not been raised in 10 years and an increase is supported by the vast majority of Americans, almost all Republicans voted against the increase and it fell six votes short of the three-fifths required to reach cloture.

The vote was 54-43, with every Democrat voting to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour and only five Republicans -- Coleman, Collins, Snowe, Specter and Warner (Kudos guys)-- crossing the aisle to vote with the Democrats.

Don't the Republicans realize that continuing to suck up to business interests like this is going to give Democrats a big edge in 2008. Here is the list of Republicans up for election in 2008 who voted against a clean minimum wage bill: Cornyn, Dole,. Domenici, McCain, Smith and Sununu. I don't care if you are Jesus Christ voting against the minimum wage isn't winning votes. The only place keeping a throttle hold on minimum wage is popular is among business interests who will be donating to the election campaigns of these Republicans. Even in defeat and for the first time in many years a minority Republican still think government is just a way to reward the key money cows of their election machinery.

This bill will pass eventually. There is no way Republicans can hold out on this one indefinitely, considering how popular it is. Democrats need to keep pushing this as long and hard as possible until five more Republicans are forced to cave, even if that means the bill won't pass until 2009.

Welcome Ziem

Please welcome a new addition to the blog roll... Ziems Views. Steve Bates of Yellow Doggerel Democrat is now no longer at the bottom of the list. Ziem hails from upstate New York so now we have some additional voice from the north and another female which is always a pleasure.

Baby Steps

As you can see I took the final step with the new blogger today and updated my template so that the new design tools are avialable. I think I have most of the stuff that was there in the old blog back only in a somewhat different place. Still a little clean up to do.

Couple of things I need to figure out about the HTML though and thought one of you more experienced code hacks could help.

One, I would like to have external links open in a new window like they do on many blogs. I think that will help with navigation.

Two, I would like my quoted things to be isolated in a box instead of just indented.

Three, anything else you think I need.

Four, I think the sidebar is too wide and should shrink a bit and allow more room for posts. Maybe I could use a bigger font for the posts then as well.

While I try and figure this stuff out, if any of you wizards (male or female) can give me some guidance it would help. You would think that someone who makes his living working with and implementing web based solutions would be a little more savvy with HTML. I think we are getting into old dog territory with some of this stuff.

BTW any suggestions on improvements to the template are always welcome.

All Right Then!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see either speech last night as I was busy entertaining my house guests. I probably wouldn't have watched the SOTU anyway as I don't think I could have stomached watching GeeDubya for that long...as He just grates on my sensibilities. I am disappointed that I didn't catch Jim Webb's response. I did read the text of the speech and from what I have read around in a few places this morning it was hot and tight. This following quote is from Newsweek's Jonathan Alter and sums up how Jim Webb showed Bush how to give a speech:

For the first time ever, the response to the State of the Union Message overshadowed the president's big speech. Virginia Sen. James Webb, in office only three weeks, managed to convey a muscular liberalism—with personal touches—that left President Bush's ordinary address in the dust. In the past, the Democratic response has been anemic—remember Washington Gov. Gary Locke? This time it pointed the way to a revival for national Democrats.

Webb is seen as a moderate or even conservative Democrat, but this was a populist speech that quoted Andrew Jackson, founder of the Democratic Party and champion of the common man. The speech represented a return to the tough-minded liberalism of Scoop Jackson and Hubert Humphrey, but by quoting Republicans Teddy Roosevelt (on "improper corporate influence") and Dwight D. Eisenhower (on ending the Korean War), he reinforced the argument that President Bush had taken the GOP away from its roots.

I really like the reference to Teddy Roosevelt...

Regarding the economic imbalance in our country, I am reminded of the situation President Theodore Roosevelt faced in the early days of the 20th century. America was then, as now, drifting apart along class lines. The so-called robber barons were unapologetically raking in a huge percentage of the national wealth. The dispossessed workers at the bottom were threatening revolt.

Roosevelt spoke strongly against these divisions. He told his fellow Republicans that they must set themselves "as resolutely against improper corporate influence on the one hand as against demagogy and mob rule on the other." And he did something about it.

This is the way I like to see it done and it is mighty encouraging.

Run Away

Looks like the operative phrase in the GOP is "RUN AWAY". Susan Collins (ME), Norm Coleman (MN) and John Warner of Virginia. Warner was the former chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Collins is facing re-election and recognizes the liability of standing with Bush and Coleman is just being wishy-washy. He's criticizing Bush's Iraq strategy at the same time he's condemning the Democrats for opposing it. Warner is a different story. He is part of the old guard and a heavyweight on the hill. The fact that he's standing up to Bush is significant and his opposition to Bush's plans may have coattails and provide cover for some other Republicans too timid to go on their own. More from AP.

Monday, Monday

Another day of all day training. Bummer. Rainy and cold here in Atlanta and not the best of days to have to venture out. Everyone make the best of it. I'll check in when I can.

No Surprise Here

Just another reason NOT to shop at Wally World.

Wal-Mart, the controversial retailing giant, is under investigation in the US over allegations it is trying to pass off non-organic foods as organic.

It has been accused of using misleading labelling that is "tantamount to consumer fraud" by an organic farming watchdog, the Cornucopia Institute. The body has handed its complaints to the US Department of Agriculture (Usda).

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is also conducting an investigation into whether Wal-Mart is placing "natural" produce on shelf space labelled as containing organic items.

The Cornucopia Institute claimed to have found dozens of examples of Wal-Mart's mislabelling products - from "all- natural yogurt" to soya milk "made from organic soybeans".