Timeless

A while back I drove on a Class Trip to Sacramento. With a van full of 5th graders, I should've planned ahead and brought lots of tapes (no CD player in my Windstar) but I wasn't thinking. A short while into the 5 hour drive you lose radio coverage and all I had in the car was one old Kingston Trio tape, with the really obscure stuff. I put it in, wondering how these kids from the IPOD and 24 Hour Cartoon Network/Nintendo DS generation would react.

At first it was quiet. They listened - to the stories in the music - priming the pump with Desert Pete, running like a dog through the everglades, getting lunch to Charlie on the M.T.A., and were soon singing along with Ally Ally Oxen Free. The silence deepened as they listened to South Coast - South Coast, the wild coast, is lonely. You may win at the game at Jolon, - But the lion still rules the barranca, and a man there is always alone., the story of a man who won his wife in a card game, who fell in love, who was badly injured in a landslide, whose wife went for help, but the lion roared in, and spooked her pony, who reared up, and she fell, and died on the veranda.

It was powerful stuff. Surprising. And they asked to hear them again and again. And they were singing along.

The Kingston Trio played at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts in Eureka tonight. We took our kids. They may have been the only kids there.

So many things rush through your head - the wandering band of minstrels, the innocence of another age, the beauty of harmonizing voices with only a guitar and a banjo as accompaniment, the sheer timelessness of that simple performance, that can transcend generations... songs we grew up with, knew the words to, appreciated the deeper meanings of...

The opening band was The Brothers Four. They all sang together, the Brothers Four and the Kingston Trio, at the end. 50 years of music. Something we may not see again. It's called the 2008 - Golden Anniversary Tour: THE BROTHERS FOUR with THE KINGSTON TRIO. It was great. A perfect match. (And by the way, what political jokes there were, were not partisan. I appreciated that)

They'll be in Klamath Falls October 1st, then up through Oregon and into Washington.

Catch it if you can!

Rare WHITE Blue Jay

Now that is a CUTE shot!


Well, more accurately, a rare ALBINO STELLER'S JAY...
Steller’s Jays may be one of the most common birds in Humboldt County, but Ferndale residents Glen and Mary Hubner’s new avian neighbor is definitely not.

The true albino jay, meaning that it is completely white with pink feet, beak and eyes, has been in the Hubners' yard for three weeks.

...Nicknamed Casper, the albino bird has made a home in the Ferndale couple’s garden.

“We just love him,” said Mary Hubner. “When he first got here, the other birds shunned him and they would chase him around, and now he chases them.”

Hubner said she feeds all the birds that come into her backyard, which includes a lot of regular Stellar’s Jays.

“I can confirm that I’ve never heard of anything like this before,” said Humboldt State University wildlife professor Jeff Black, “This is the first albino jay I’ve ever seen.”... ☛ ER Read the Rest - Rare albino Jay found in Ferndale

"Udderly ridiculous!"

PETA asks Ben & Jerry's to use breast milk

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Ice cream made from breast milk? That's what the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream to consider making.
The Virginia-based nonprofit group sent a letter to company co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday asking them to use human breast milk instead of cow's milk in their products.
PETA said the health of consumers and cows would benefit from the switch.
Ben & Jerry's spokesman Rob Michalak said the company applauds PETA's creative approach to bring attention to an issue, but believes that a mother's milk is best used by a child.

Imagine the production line!

Best quote? "To Ben & Jerry's, the idea is udderly ridiculous."

Mama's milk ice cream cone, anyone?
5 Green Consumer Trends That Probably Won't Take Off

My new car!

Should I go with the blue or the white Maserati?

Source

Huh? No. I can't afford it, but the news today is that the Democrats in Congress are wanting to add credit card debt and car loans into the Bailout package, so I figure if I act fast, I can have the car of my dreams for nuthin' - what a great idea!

Couple more contenders -

"Jane, you ignorant slut!"

Ernie has the video - vintage Saturday Night Live.

Congrats

to my morning coffee buddy - Dennis Mayo appointed to MCSD board

Katie's Fig Recipe

Let's see - INGREDIENTS:
12-15 Black Mission Figs
1# of Turkey Bacon (or regular bacon or prosciutto if you prefer)
Gorgonzola Cheese

about 2 C Pecans (or BUY Candied/Glazed Pecans)
Butter
Brown Sugar

◼ Cut the Figs in 1/2 or 1/3 depending on how big/thick they are.
◼ Lay them in a deep dish, pack them tight, side by side, like sardines (you don't want the topping falling through the cracks)
◼ Cook the turkey bacon, crispy but not black, crumble or dice, sprinkle on top of the figs.
◼ Crumble the Gorgonzola and sprinkle on top of the figs.
◼ If you want to make your own - Quickly saute the Pecans in a cube of butter and 1/2 C to 1C C..brown sugar...you want 'em carmelized but not goo-ey...put this in the freezer til it hardens, then chop up and sprinkle over the figs.
◼ Drizzle with olive oil, and then heavily with balsamic vinegar.

Best to make it in the morning, let it sit so the figs absorb all the flavors, serve at room temperature.

All quantities are approximate, there is no wrong way to do this. And it is to die for.

The coolest thing

Stenciled umbrellas. Absolutely gorgeous at night! They're lit inside (and were long before all the new umbrella lights you can buy at Ace, Target and elsewhere now.) They also have an interior cloth piece, it looks like that softens the light underneath... I first saw these YEARS ago, they're in one of the early journals...a quick look online shows they are still in business (a good sign).

Stenciled umbrellas.

We've been talking

on watchpaul about the definition of "Progressive" - and that has led to discussion about the "Conservative" v. "Liberal" divide. Since the whole Sarah Palin thing has revealed that divide like never before, like the tide going out before a tsunami, I have found many great blogs and posts on the issue.

Neoneocon is a blog, written by a woman, a lifelong Democrat, who found that when she voiced an opinion that didn't fit in with the Liberal groupthink, she was suddenly treated as if she had grown three heads. She details her journey, and the reasons for it. It's compelling stuff.

And she is not alone.

Joe Lieberman is certainly a very visible example - and that is a man who was 2nd to the top of the democratic ticket, a worthy standard bearer until he dared step outside the thinly drawn lines.

A more recent example, shown in the post below is Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a major Democratic fundraiser, and former Hillary Clinton supporter who is coming under that strange fire for pointing out that the Emperor has no clothes.

At any rate - the discussion about the WHY - WHY "Liberals" so viciously attack, why they characterize anyone they deem "conservative" as racist, religious, bigoted warmongers who want to rape and pillage the environment in the name of capitalism, and why they so utterly fail to allow that those of us who are "Conservative" are every bit as idealistic as are they - that discussion is very illuminating. And I keep finding passages I want to share. So, I'm going to start posting a few links, and quotes, and statements, just for the record...

PERHAPS in the discussion we will find common ground. Or, some long lost avenues of respect.

KT is at Blogworld

this week - check in to see what's happening there... ..
The Scratching Post: Blogworld Expo 2008 - Keynote by Anil Dash and Chris Alden of Six Apart
The Scratching Post: Blogworld Expo 2008 - Keynote by Richard Jalichandra of Technorati
The Scratching Post: Blogworld Expo 2008 - Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV Keynote
The Scratching Post: Blogworld Expo 2008 - How to Implement Blogs & Social Media Strategies for Big Business
• Home Depot was directing people on where to get help during the hurricanes and used Twitter for that so that cell phone users could get at the information ata a time when people at home wouldn’t have power. Very clever.
The Scratching Post: Blogworld Expo 2008 - Corporate Blogging: Myths and Realities
• Blogging is risky. Reality: Not blogging is riskier. The discussion about you and your products is going on out there on the Internet Tubes. You can ignore it and let damaging conversations spread or you can take part in the conversation and make sure your message gets out there.
The Scratching Post: Blogworld Expo 2008 - Dave Taylor Keynote
KT's Scratching Post is also linked in the sidebar.

Ya gotta love UN-biased Journalists

if you can find 'em...



☛ GatewayPundit
☛ Huffington Post
I think neoneocon's going to have company.
Then there's this:
Palin Pick Puts Many Women on the Verge
Margaret Cho (GROSS, be warned)
Palin unhinges feminists on the Left
Pissed about Palin

But THIS really IS funny!

Think Sarah Palin is the only working Mom in America?

To listen to the talking heads you'd think so - but read this Sisterhood of the Protected Female Liberal Journalists

...CNN’s Soledad O’Brien’s been working overtime covering the presidential campaign season, anchoring daily coverage, nighttime conventions, and producing documentaries that require large chunks of time away from home. Disney’s Family Parenting website lauds her as “a modern mom balancing a thriving career as one of America’s top news anchors along with her four children” – two daughters now ages 7 and 6 and twin boys who are 4. Where are the Palin-bashers to lambaste O’Brien’s professional pursuits?

How about Katie Couric? Her husband died at 42 when her daughters were 6 and 2 years old. With two young children devastated by the loss of a father, she opted not to quit journalism. She anchored NBC’s Today Show through his illness and death, continued working an intensive, time-consuming schedule as one of America’s most visible broadcast journalists while a single mother with two fatherless children at home, and then jumped to CBS News, where she maintains a rigorous on-air schedule, travel plans, and off-air social calendar. Where are the finger-waggers?

Also at CNN, Campbell Brown flew to Las Vegas last year to moderate a political debate while 8 ½ months’ pregnant. Fox News host and left-wing blogger Alan Colmes, last seen questioning Sarah Palin’s commitment to prenatal care because she worked and traveld late in her pregnancy, had no comment. When she initially left the Today Show in 2007, Brown said she was stepping down to devote more time to family and baby. She immediately turned around the next day and jumped ship to CNN, where she has anchored wall-to-wall CNN Election Center coverage and will launch a new nightly show in November.

And at NBC, famous balancer of work-and-motherhood (Meredith) Viera replaced Couric on the Today Show. She has three children at home and a husband who has battled multiple sclerosis and two bouts with colon cancer. By the Gutman standard, Viera should have left the business years ago to tend to her family in need...

Kvetching about Palin's career isn't the worst of it... Check this out!
Some reaction to that, from Dr. Sanity and neo

It's absolutely unreal!

The speeches

John McCain


Barack Obama


Sarah Palin


Joe Biden

Put up or shut up

The very presence of Sarah Palin has changed the debate entirely. She now has complete control over the political landscape, and has said nary a word.

Her very presence challenges core beliefs.

Abortion, right or wrong? What do we believe?

Motherhood, women working while children are small - what do we believe? The accepted doctrine that women can work and have it all is suddenly turned upside down. So which is it? Why DON'T they ask a man how he will handle a job when he has small children? Everyone's values are suddenly being tested.

From drilling to guns, to babies, to families sticking together... it is amazing to see.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

AGW activists stuck in Arctic ice

AGW activists stuck in Arctic ice
...reliable sources in the media told these guys that there wouldn't be any ice in the Arctic this summer! So they simply went there with a few kayaks...to prove man-made global warming by a trip from Spitsbergen to the place with the most devastating heat wave - the North Pole.... Of course, as you can imagine, the Arctic diary in Mirror.co.uk is already pretty funny or scary, depending on your viewpoint, describing how the temperature dropped "dramatically", the frostbite may be coming to Robbie's toes, and general desperation of the participants is expanding.

Moreover, Lewis returned and said that he couldn't feel his backside. To make things even worse, they encountered 88 polar bears along the way Read the rest at The Reference Frame

How'd he get it through the planning dept?

Brick by Brick, a Weekend Warrior Builds a Medieval Retirement Home (NYTimes)
Kasteel Noz, the turreted brick castle with two towers and a moat that Casper Noz, a 51-year-old contractor who was born in the Netherlands, has been obsessively building by himself almost completely by hand on weekends for the past 20 years.

And he has a blog, too! kasteel noz - the NYT profiles my house. Cool.

The Abortion debate

photo source
Sarah Palin hasn't brought it up. But it's all anyone is talking about now.

"Liberals" and "Left Wingers" are all upset about her choosing to keep her Down's Syndrome baby. And they're outraged that she is working and not staying home - quite the opposite of their normal rhetorical stances. They're upset that her daughter is pregnant, but the whole reason they support abortion is for just such an instance. Are they upset because she is KEEPING her baby?

The dynamics of the race have certainly changed and the contrasts, with Obama's statement that he has two daughters and he wouldn't want them 'punished' with a baby for making a mistake.

My "Liberal" friends challenge me to admit the choice of Palin was a mistake for McCain in light of this. But I don't see it that way.

As a basically Pro-Choice person with four kids, I have to say Sarah Palin has more courage than I do.

As for a teenage daughter who gets pregnant, it happens. It could happen to me. How would I handle it? I honestly do not know.

But I do know that the only way to end abortion is to put value on the kids, stop the mentality that having a kid means your life is over, stop girls from being hated and ostracized from their families for making a mistake, and for families to stick together when something like this happens.

Does it change my opinion of McCain? No. Does it change my opinion of Sarah Palin? Having just begun to find out what she is about - I would say again, she's braver than me. And maybe it's a good debate to have. Certainly beats "I didn't inhale."

Other thoughts, other blogs:
THE LEFT'S FIRESTORM OF PROJECTION ABOUT PALIN

Planned Parenthood admits infanticide happens