1 December 2010 Cold, rain, and snow followed by hot latkes

The temperature high for the day, 49.5°F was recorded at 0007 this morning. Currently, it is 31.6°F. Yesterday’s 1.82 inches of rain, which began falling around 1600 has turned to sleet, snow, and possibly freezing rain. The back deck is covered with sleet, glare ice, and small wild birds waiting for a turn at the feeders. While the sustained high winds of the past two days have moved out of the area, we are still forecast gusts of up to 35 MPH. Only the direction has been changed.

I’m waiting for Comcast to show up and tell me there is nothing wrong with our cable internet feed. Gloria has a stained glass class and needs to pick up meds in Greeneville.

The creek is high and very fast, as we expected it to be this morning. The roar of the wind has been replaced by the roar of the creek.

The Senate actually passed the FDA/Food Safety bill and it now remains for the House to pass it before the teavangelists arrive.

The Tea Partyers are coming! Quick, pass some laws.



By Harold Meyerson

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

“A month remains, though, before the zealots of a make-believe past arrive to craft our future, which means that the Senate still has time to pass laws for the 21st century. Two such bills that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has pledged to bring up are the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and the Dream Act, which would enable undocumented immigrants who came here as children to obtain citizenship if they graduated college or served honorably in the armed forces…”

“The Tea Party's battle cry - Take Our Country Back - expresses a clear desire to return to a time when America was whiter and gays and lesbians were chained in the closet. These bills are an affront to that America, and if defeating the Dream Act can't by itself make America whiter, it can at least keep some Latinos and Asians from getting the vote… “

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/30/AR2010113005168.html?hpid=opinionsbox1



Cassi Creek: If the teavangelists hold to pattern, one or more of the recently elected will soon be caught with his hand in an intern. However, also holding to pattern, a tearful public confession followed by a private visit with Jesus will absolve him of any remorse and the public of any memory that the smugly sanctified offender may have reason to want “don’t tell” as a mantra

When it comes to the Dream Act, there would be little problem if the supplicants were not Latino. Again, the newly sanctified forget that during the last half of the 19th century, as we forced the Indians onto reservations, the core of our army was made of recent immigrants from Germany and Ireland who spoke little English but wanted to earn a living and to become citizens. The faces fighting our wars today have more pigmentation, perhaps than the faces of our soldiers at Wounded Knee. We demand no less from them today than we did in the past most of the time we demand far more. I find no wrong and no harm in rewarding immigrants who don our uniform and risk their lives in service with citizenship. I am less certain that merely earning a degree should grant one citizenship. I do know, however, that the dedication required to earn that degree, often while working full time, is likely to be greater in nature than that of the student handed admission and funding by his/her family. I don’t believe in punishing children dragged cross-border by their parents. I don’t believe, however, that those children should be granted tuition breaks because of the illegal status. This area is murkier in nature. Still, if it comes to choosing between granting them citizenship after they graduate, and the racist behavior of the GOP and teavangelists, I see no choice but to reward effort after it is completed. I was fortunate to be born a U.S. citizen. However, there are many paths to citizenship and few of them are easy. If it raises the collective blood pressures of the GOP and teavangelist mobs, it can’t be all bad.

Today’s hike with Mike was proof that Gore-tex works. The wind was icy in nature, varying in direction so that whichever path we took it blew ice pellets into our faces. The roads were wet but not icy. Tomorrow they may be icy. UPS arrived today with a box of cheeses from my sister Suzanne and her husband Ernie. Cheese is always welcome in this home. They sent a good selection from a cheese- maker in their locale. I’m looking forward to opening them and enjoying them.

Chanukah begins tonight at sundown. Latkes are traditional and we’ll have them for dinner tonight. I bought both sweet potatoes and russets yesterday. The sweet potatoes are better for us but we’ll have both types before the holiday is over. I also seared some short ribs in the oven this morning. They now reside in the crock cooker with onions, parsnips, and button mushrooms. They’re braising in a mixture of beef stock, red wine, and a bit of sherry. We can probably get two meals from this dish.

It is nearly impossible to find a Chanukah card locally so I have none for Gloria. I did manage to order her gift and it may arrive within the 8-day period. It may not. Either way, I believe she will enjoy it.

I lit a fire in the stove about 1400. The night promises to be chilly and we’ll use the stove to decrease our electricity consumption. It also provides a visual effect that contributes to “feeling” warm. It is time to close this effort and study Gothic cathedrals and other Gothic art. I’d like to believe that I learned more about the world beyond my own confines than did such notables as Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, and associated demagogues. Auditing these courses is one mechanism to continue learning and to challenge my remaining brain function.





1 December 2010 Cold, rain, and snow followed by hot latkes


The temperature high for the day, 49.5°F was recorded at 0007 this morning. Currently, it is 31.6°F. Yesterday’s 1.82 inches of rain, which began falling around 1600 has turned to sleet, snow, and possibly freezing rain. The back deck is covered with sleet, glare ice, and small wild birds waiting for a turn at the feeders. While the sustained high winds of the past two days have moved out of the area, we are still forecast gusts of up to 35 MPH. Only the direction has been changed.

I’m waiting for Comcast to show up and tell me there is nothing wrong with our cable internet feed. Gloria has a stained glass class and needs to pick up meds in Greeneville.

The creek is high and very fast, as we expected it to be this morning. The roar of the wind has been replaced by the roar of the creek.

The Senate actually passed the FDA/Food Safety bill and it now remains for the House to pass it before the teavangelists arrive.

The Tea Partyers are coming! Quick, pass some laws.



By Harold Meyerson

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

“A month remains, though, before the zealots of a make-believe past arrive to craft our future, which means that the Senate still has time to pass laws for the 21st century. Two such bills that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has pledged to bring up are the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and the Dream Act, which would enable undocumented immigrants who came here as children to obtain citizenship if they graduated college or served honorably in the armed forces…”

“The Tea Party's battle cry - Take Our Country Back - expresses a clear desire to return to a time when America was whiter and gays and lesbians were chained in the closet. These bills are an affront to that America, and if defeating the Dream Act can't by itself make America whiter, it can at least keep some Latinos and Asians from getting the vote… “

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/30/AR2010113005168.html?hpid=opinionsbox1



Cassi Creek: If the teavangelists hold to pattern, one or more of the recently elected will soon be caught with his hand in an intern. However, also holding to pattern, a tearful public confession followed by a private visit with Jesus will absolve him of any remorse and the public of any memory that the smugly sanctified offender may have reason to want “don’t tell” as a mantra

When it comes to the Dream Act, there would be little problem if the supplicants were not Latino. Again, the newly sanctified forget that during the last half of the 19th century, as we forced the Indians onto reservations, the core of our army was made of recent immigrants from Germany and Ireland who spoke little English but wanted to earn a living and to become citizens. The faces fighting our wars today have more pigmentation, perhaps than the faces of our soldiers at Wounded Knee. We demand no less from them today than we did in the past most of the time we demand far more. I find no wrong and no harm in rewarding immigrants who don our uniform and risk their lives in service with citizenship. I am less certain that merely earning a degree should grant one citizenship. I do know, however, that the dedication required to earn that degree, often while working full time, is likely to be greater in nature than that of the student handed admission and funding by his/her family. I don’t believe in punishing children dragged cross-border by their parents. I don’t believe, however, that those children should be granted tuition breaks because of the illegal status. This area is murkier in nature. Still, if it comes to choosing between granting them citizenship after they graduate, and the racist behavior of the GOP and teavangelists, I see no choice but to reward effort after it is completed. I was fortunate to be born a U.S. citizen. However, there are many paths to citizenship and few of them are easy. If it raises the collective blood pressures of the GOP and teavangelist mobs, it can’t be all bad.

Today’s hike with Mike was proof that Gore-tex works. The wind was icy in nature, varying in direction so that whichever path we took it blew ice pellets into our faces. The roads were wet but not icy. Tomorrow they may be icy. UPS arrived today with a box of cheeses from my sister Suzanne and her husband Ernie. Cheese is always welcome in this home. They sent a good selection from a cheese- maker in their locale. I’m looking forward to opening them and enjoying them.

Chanukah begins tonight at sundown. Latkes are traditional and we’ll have them for dinner tonight. I bought both sweet potatoes and russets yesterday. The sweet potatoes are better for us but we’ll have both types before the holiday is over. I also seared some short ribs in the oven this morning. They now reside in the crock cooker with onions, parsnips, and button mushrooms. They’re braising in a mixture of beef stock, red wine, and a bit of sherry. We can probably get two meals from this dish.

It is nearly impossible to find a Chanukah card locally so I have none for Gloria. I did manage to order her gift and it may arrive within the 8-day period. It may not. Either way, I believe she will enjoy it.

I lit a fire in the stove about 1400. The night promises to be chilly and we’ll use the stove to decrease our electricity consumption. It also provides a visual effect that contributes to “feeling” warm. It is time to close this effort and study Gothic cathedrals and other Gothic art. I’d like to believe that I learned more about the world beyond my own confines than did such notables as Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, and associated demagogues. Auditing these courses is one mechanism to continue learning and to challenge my remaining brain function.




1 December 2010 Cold, rain, and snow followed by hot latkes


The temperature high for the day, 49.5°F was recorded at 0007 this morning. Currently, it is 31.6°F. Yesterday’s 1.82 inches of rain, which began falling around 1600 has turned to sleet, snow, and possibly freezing rain. The back deck is covered with sleet, glare ice, and small wild birds waiting for a turn at the feeders. While the sustained high winds of the past two days have moved out of the area, we are still forecast gusts of up to 35 MPH. Only the direction has been changed.

I’m waiting for Comcast to show up and tell me there is nothing wrong with our cable internet feed. Gloria has a stained glass class and needs to pick up meds in Greeneville.

The creek is high and very fast, as we expected it to be this morning. The roar of the wind has been replaced by the roar of the creek.

The Senate actually passed the FDA/Food Safety bill and it now remains for the House to pass it before the teavangelists arrive.

The Tea Partyers are coming! Quick, pass some laws.



By Harold Meyerson

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

“A month remains, though, before the zealots of a make-believe past arrive to craft our future, which means that the Senate still has time to pass laws for the 21st century. Two such bills that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has pledged to bring up are the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and the Dream Act, which would enable undocumented immigrants who came here as children to obtain citizenship if they graduated college or served honorably in the armed forces…”

“The Tea Party's battle cry - Take Our Country Back - expresses a clear desire to return to a time when America was whiter and gays and lesbians were chained in the closet. These bills are an affront to that America, and if defeating the Dream Act can't by itself make America whiter, it can at least keep some Latinos and Asians from getting the vote… “

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/30/AR2010113005168.html?hpid=opinionsbox1



Cassi Creek: If the teavangelists hold to pattern, one or more of the recently elected will soon be caught with his hand in an intern. However, also holding to pattern, a tearful public confession followed by a private visit with Jesus will absolve him of any remorse and the public of any memory that the smugly sanctified offender may have reason to want “don’t tell” as a mantra

When it comes to the Dream Act, there would be little problem if the supplicants were not Latino. Again, the newly sanctified forget that during the last half of the 19th century, as we forced the Indians onto reservations, the core of our army was made of recent immigrants from Germany and Ireland who spoke little English but wanted to earn a living and to become citizens. The faces fighting our wars today have more pigmentation, perhaps than the faces of our soldiers at Wounded Knee. We demand no less from them today than we did in the past most of the time we demand far more. I find no wrong and no harm in rewarding immigrants who don our uniform and risk their lives in service with citizenship. I am less certain that merely earning a degree should grant one citizenship. I do know, however, that the dedication required to earn that degree, often while working full time, is likely to be greater in nature than that of the student handed admission and funding by his/her family. I don’t believe in punishing children dragged cross-border by their parents. I don’t believe, however, that those children should be granted tuition breaks because of the illegal status. This area is murkier in nature. Still, if it comes to choosing between granting them citizenship after they graduate, and the racist behavior of the GOP and teavangelists, I see no choice but to reward effort after it is completed. I was fortunate to be born a U.S. citizen. However, there are many paths to citizenship and few of them are easy. If it raises the collective blood pressures of the GOP and teavangelist mobs, it can’t be all bad.

Today’s hike with Mike was proof that Gore-tex works. The wind was icy in nature, varying in direction so that whichever path we took it blew ice pellets into our faces. The roads were wet but not icy. Tomorrow they may be icy. UPS arrived today with a box of cheeses from my sister Suzanne and her husband Ernie. Cheese is always welcome in this home. They sent a good selection from a cheese- maker in their locale. I’m looking forward to opening them and enjoying them.

Chanukah begins tonight at sundown. Latkes are traditional and we’ll have them for dinner tonight. I bought both sweet potatoes and russets yesterday. The sweet potatoes are better for us but we’ll have both types before the holiday is over. I also seared some short ribs in the oven this morning. They now reside in the crock cooker with onions, parsnips, and button mushrooms. They’re braising in a mixture of beef stock, red wine, and a bit of sherry. We can probably get two meals from this dish.

It is nearly impossible to find a Chanukah card locally so I have none for Gloria. I did manage to order her gift and it may arrive within the 8-day period. It may not. Either way, I believe she will enjoy it.

I lit a fire in the stove about 1400. The night promises to be chilly and we’ll use the stove to decrease our electricity consumption. It also provides a visual effect that contributes to “feeling” warm. It is time to close this effort and study Gothic cathedrals and other Gothic art. I’d like to believe that I learned more about the world beyond my own confines than did such notables as Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, and associated demagogues. Auditing these courses is one mechanism to continue learning and to challenge my remaining brain function.