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Friday, January 20, 2006

"I'm Your Lawyer. Here's Exactly What You Want To Hear."

In what seems to be a soft-sell of the Alito nomination, Michael Kinsley argues that his anti-Roe memos should be taken as his providing the President with a legal basis for views the President already held:
The memos gave the appearance of urging the Reagan administration to take a more conservative line on issues such as school prayer and employment discrimination. But White House press secretary Scott McClellan revealed that these were actually Reagan's views already. "I think what those files show is a young White House staffer helping to provide legal analysis in support of the president's agenda, President Reagan's agenda." In other words, Roberts supplied reasons for views Reagan already held. Roberts was just a repairman, fixing views he didn't necessarily own.
If he truly believes that, his piece should be titled "Why lawyers are useless" instead of "Why lawyers are liars". Now I will grant that there has been some real hackery in the Bush II White House, with lawyers presenting the most attenuated arguments to defend the indefensible, but those opinions were meant to provide the Bush II administration with plausible deniability when it was caught breaking the law. "Our lawyers said it was okay." It's something else entirely to suggest that a lawyer writing a memo in relation to existing case law should advocate the desired outcome rather than educating his bosses as to the actual state of the law. Kinsley continues,
When do lawyers become free to have their own agenda and say what they really think? Not when they leave the government and enter private practice. Roberts told the Senate Judiciary Committee that "the positions a lawyer presents on behalf of a client should not be ascribed to that lawyer."
But there is a big difference between a lawyer's private thoughts and advice to a client, and what a lawyer might do or say when advocating for the client in court. A good lawyer will privately tell the client the state of the law, how to conform to the law, and the risks of trying to skirt a law - including considerations which weigh against what a client wants to do - but in court will present the strongest possible argument on behalf of his client, interpreting the law in the light most favorable to the client. The role of a lawyer who is advising a client is different from that of advocating for the client.

Kinsley reminds me of this lawyer joke:
A businessman was trying to choose a lawyer, but was being very careful about it. He scheduled appointments to interview three lawyers.

At the first lawyer's office, after an initial exchange of pleasantries, the businessman said, "Okay, let's get down to business. I have an important question for you, and I want you to think carefully before answering. How much is two plus two?"

The lawyer raised his eyebrows. "two plus two is four." The businessman thanked him for his time, and proceeded to his next appointment.

The second lawyer, who was also a CPA, seemed a bit more particular than the first lawyer. After an initial discussion, the businessman again announced that he had a very important question, and asked, "How much is two plus two?"

The second lawyer went over to a computer, and entered figures into a spreadsheet. "According to my calculations, two plus two is approximately four." The businessman thanked him for his time, and proceeded to his next appointment.

The third lawyer sat behind a big mahogany desk, and smoked a cigar. He seemed rather self-important as compared to the other two, but at the same time appeared to be much more successful. The businessman again announced, "I would like you to answer a very important question for me, before I decide whether I should use your services. How much is two plus two?"

The lawyer pulled the shades, locked the door to his office, and asked in a hushed voice, "How much do you want it to be?"
Kinsley is essentially arguing that the third type of lawyer is the norm and not the exception. Maybe Alito really does place himself in that third category, in which case Kinsley has convinced me that Alito does not belong on the Supreme Court.

  1. Uhhh... Don't you think there was more than a little irony and sarcasm in Kinsley's op-ed piece?

  2. I hope so. I would have to leave it to Kinsey, though, to clarify if he is describing the profession as many seem to actually perceive it. To me it seemed less an exercise in irony than a criticism of the legal profession (or at least that substantial portion of it that Kinsey sees as behaving as he described). And you know what? There are lawyers who behave exactly as Kinsey described, quite possibly including Rehnquist and Alito.

  3. Yes and yes again, whyz.ache.err, I'll own up to it. There is a ton of personal animus in my campaign to get the "smirking chimp", also known as "dum'ya botch", impeached. It's not at all like I don't have cause. For one thing, what he's peddling as, get this, "terrorist surveillance" ain't Shinola.

    I'm hoping you'll grant me the small favor of patience. I would like you, at first, to read straight through to the end of this text, without clicking on any of the enclosed hyperlinks.

    In case, you'd like to know, the hyperlink to your blog, specifically, "The Stopped Clock", is found at the third hyperlink on the list below ... ah, please remember, no clicking until AFTER reading the entire text.

    Perusing your blog, I believe I arrived at what is a reasonable inference. That is, both you and your readers concur with my interpretation of "terrorist surveillance". Wood'ja (?) buh-leave! A civilian like me, and up to his ears in credit card debt, could come up with a game plan to snag Osama bin Ladin.

    As for my plan for capturing Osama, again I should like to ask to refrain from clicking on any enclosed hyperlink, until AFTER you've read the entirety of the text.

    The hyperlink just above this sentence leads to my game plan. If you've gotten this far on the first read, without clicking on any of the enclosed hyperlinks, congrats!

    Whatever the case, remind or prepare, please keep in mind that it's a good bet that everything else to snag bin Ladin has already been tried. I think it's time we tried drawing on one of the few activities Americans do better than any other national group, music and pizza delivery being among those few activities.

    oh, yeah, and here's the third hyperlink:

    .he who is known as sefton

    oh, yes, surely, you've heard about the government "requesting" certain records about internet activity. oh, br'dah! ... cynical and skeptical lil'ole me, I'm smelling a rat in all that. Quite candidly, I have cause to suspect that more than compiling statistics on access to pornographic websites is involved.

    oh, yeah, right after Hitler came to power, the German people were assured that, if they were innocent of untoward activity, they would have nothing to worry about ... yeah, right.

    Incidentally, the second hyperlink leads to a piece that relates to governmental eavesdropping WITHOUT a warrant.


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Friday, September 16, 2011

Inspirational Plans & Featured Treats

I don't know about you, but sometimes I need inspiration with this whole meal-planning thing. I am trying to eat the good stuff and not cave. I know I need to be practical and not plan to cook all that often. My largest beef (heh, vegetarian) right now is the allergy diet, but I think some other things come up too for us single ladies. What about single servings, right?

Well, I refuse to leave you hanging there. Recipe round up of all things that looked tasty today:

Kaitlyn @ The Tye Dye Files presents us: Single Serve BAH-mazing!

 {gah! just look at this! perfect breakfast idea or what? and yeah, I did make up the corny name. sorry}

I found a single+ serving vegan Pumpkin Bread @ Hungry Hungry Hippie:

{just look at this dense mess. oh moma! more than a single serve, but we can manage...}

I suppose you may be wondering what else I eat beyond breakfast and snacks when I'm "planning" out my culinary life? Well, I eat real food too. Like this!

Diet, Dessert, and Dogs offers fantastic food in general. I prefer a modified version of her French Green Soup recipe. Just leave out the end part with lemon juice, almond milk, etc. and I bet you never knew greens could taste so hearty and amazing. Ricki is quite the genius.

Vegetarian Times. Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. Fabulous professional (VT) photos. Cannot resist!
{this works so well when you want to make something fresh and hot and yeahhh for dinner}

One thing I think is most motivating when meal planning is the spontaneous snack! I mean, who eats like a robot? Sure sure, there are little kicks we get into (*cough* beans and rice *cough* story of my diet) but eventually we are on the prowl for new discoveries! Right?

Here is the last little photo sharing moment. A trail off the beaten path.

{rice cakes happen to be inspired by the Sweet Tooth Runner - I really want to try these!}

There you have it. Live evidence that the sweeter life contains rice cakes. And no, I have no idea if I will like them. I'm still willing to gamble it anyway! :D

Is there anything you have found a worthy gamble? Do you even meal plan? Maybe I'm just nerdy...

*images: all images belong to the blog linked to except beyonce, the green soup & rice cakes

1 comment:

  1. Ah, now that the link works, I get to see your lovely list and that I was included! Thanks so much for mentioning the green soup. I'm going to try it your way next time! (and love that banana--yum!) :D

Please type type away! :)

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Caffeine – TV News – February 4th Edition

Let’s start this game day TV news update with a PSA: tonight’s post-Super Bowl This Is Us is running a little long and really who knows when it will start, so you might want to add even more of a buffer to your DVR than they’re giving it in the listings. Now on to the rest of the week’s news . . .

Premiere dates:

March 16th: On My Block
March 23rd: Alexa & Katie
March 28th: Suits

August 31st: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan

Suits, Happy!, Fuller House, Suburra, The Chi

Dice, Shut Eye

Other headlines:

We pretty much knew this already, but it’s now official that Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams are leaving Suits at the end of season seven. The season finale will air April 25th.

I haven’t seen confirmation of this from Netflix, but Neil Patrick Harris says A Series of Unfortunate Events will end with season three.

Tracee Ellis Ross will direct an episode of black-ish.

Jesse Alexander is the new American Gods showrunner.

Ayanna Floyd Davis is taking over as showrunner of The Chi.

Ilene Chaiken has stepped down from showrunner duties at Empire to focus on development. Brett Moheney has taken over there.

Comedy pilot Singularity is not going forward at FX.

Pilot/first episode directors:

Abby’s: Pamela Fryman
F.B.I.: Niels Arden Oplev
Friends-in-Law: Pamela Fryman
Manifest: David Frankel
Most Likely To: Pamela Fryman
Safe Harbor: Michael Offer
Staties: Rob Bowman
Watchmen: Nicole Kassell
Untitled Bad Boys spinoff: Anton Cropper

Ordered to series:

Bravo: Two seasons of a scripted crime anthology series based on the L.A. Times’ Dirty John articles/podcast
Channel 4: Geopolitics drama Chimerica based on Lucy Kirkwood’s book and directed by William Oldroyd
DC’s upcoming digital service: Superman prequel Metropolis
HBO: J.J. Abrams sci-fi fantasy drama Demimonde
NBC: Julian Fellowes historical drama The Gilded Age
Netflix: Family sitcom The Prince of Peoria

Pilot orders:

ABC: Comedy Single Parents from J.J. Philbin and Liz Meriwether, step-parenting comedy Steps, soapy drama Grand Hotel from Eva Longoria, ranch tourism comedy Three Rivers, a comedy about growing up with a father with mental illness
CBS: A comedy about an up-and-coming pop star, Ava DuVernay/Greg Berlanti racial drama Red Line, a contemporary reboot of L.A. Confidential, military legal drama The Code, Department of Justice drama Main Justice
The CW: A Roswell reboot with an immigration element, blind witness crime drama In the Dark, sci-fi comedic crime drama It’s the End of the World As We Know It, mortician family dramedy Playing Dead, high school football drama Spencer, Carl Hiaasen crime drama Skinny Dip
Fox: An FBI drama from Ilene Chaiken, comedy Daddy Issues from Erin Foster and Liz Meriwether, workplace comedy Dan the Weatherman, a wrongful conviction legal drama from Danny Strong, Dennis Lehane crime drama Gone Baby Gone
NBC: A comedy about a woman trying to have it all from Aseem Batra and Amy Poehler

In development:

Blumhouse TV: Middle East political drama/love story You Bury Me
Dramacorp-Pampas Studios: An adaptation of Swedish spy thriller series Hamilton
E!: A family drama series inspired by radio personality Yesi Ortiz
Fabrik Entertainment: A medical drama inspired by Dr. Oliver Sacks
Fremantle Media: Dystopian drama Kelvin’s Book from Michael Haneke
Kudos: Wuthering Heights drama Ill Will
Sagafilm: Political tragicomedy series The Minister
Tomorrow Studios: A series based on thriller The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Leaving their shows:

NCIS: New Orleans: Shalita Grant

Promoted to series regular:

The Guest Book: Eddie Steeples
Suits: Dule Hill

Guest stars:

Grey’s Anatomy: Candis Cayne
Will & Grace: Robert Klein

The Guest Book: Carly Jibson
House of Cards: Constance Zimmer
Law & Order: SVU: Sam Waterston, Ernest Waddell

Guess Who Died: Beth Lacke, Adrian Martinez
Here and Now: Stephanie Arcila, Erin Carufel
House of Cards: Diane Lane, Greg Kinnear
Liza on Demand: Kimiko Glenn, Travis Coles
Messiah: John Ortiz, Mehdi Dehbi, Tomer Sisley
NCIS: Los Angeles: Tembi Locke
Nightflyers: Phillip Rhys
Once Upon a Time: Jeff Pierre
The Perfectionists: Sofia Carson
Suits: Katherine Heigl
Superior Donuts: Shamikah Christina Martinez
Untitled Bad Boys spinoff: Ernie Hudson

(Image courtesy of NBC.)

About Kate

Kate Linnea Welsh is a New Hampshire-based writer and taxonomist. (No, that doesn't involve dead animals.) She keeps us up to date on TV news in her weekly column "Caffeine." She writes about other TV shows, books, and more at her blog and her site Read the Screen. She'd love to talk to you on Twitter: @katelinnea


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Heading back home in October, 2014 after three days in Ontario, Canada, I decided to drop off the interstate in Hamburg, New York to see if I could scare up an Alco or two. I knew only two things about Hamburg; first, the Buffalo Southern Railroad had a shop there and second, that shop was home to my favorite diesel locomotives—Alco. It isn’t a big town, so finding the tracks wasn’t hard and they led to a small station, behind which sat a beautifully restored Alco High Hood switcher and an old friend from the Pittsburgh area, a Pennsylvania Railroad decapod (2-10-0), now sitting on display. A few derelict (likely parts sources) 539 powered Alco switchers were there also, slowly rusting away. The Buffalo Southern shop wasn’t here, that was for sure, but there was a hobby shop sign on the station door, so in I went, finding a large “O” scale layout occupying most of the space. Three old guys sat in a corner swapping stories and I asked them if they could point me to the Buffalo Southern shop complex. “Yeah, they’re down behind the Carmeuse plant, but don’t go in there cause they’ll arrest you or throw ya out.” There were nods all around in agreement to that statement, so I thanked them and headed off to find me some Alco’s—I’ve been escorted out of a few places after simply wandering in like a bumpkin, so it was no big deal to take a chance.

The Carmeuse plant was very big and with a little luck, I found a back entrance that looked quiet, quiet enough that I drove through their parking lot and right up to the Buffalo Southern shop. Not much was happening, except for a guy running a little backhoe cleaning up the parking area. As soon as I got out of the car, he came over and I asked him who I could see about getting permission to be on the property, “That would be me,” he answered.

Turns out, I had run into the Chief Mechanical Officer (CMO), Patrick Connors, who commenced giving me both a shop tour and some tutelage on Alco repair and maintenance, with particular emphasis on how to keep a battery box compartment in good working order. We looked over an ex Canadian Pacific C424 he’s restoring and an RS36 slumbering peacefully. Outside sat a C420 needing some work and a little switcher next to his home-built drop pit.

As I thanked him for his time, I asked him about whether there were any trains out on the line that day and he said, “Yes, we’re running to the NY&LE at Gowanda today. We only get down there once a month and we’ve got to get four cars off of them.”

Getting out my old crusty New York map, I figured a route down to Gowanda, which wasn’t very far away and promptly took off down the wrong road! I realized my mistake halfway down and recalculated quickly. The next few miles were the slow torture of not knowing if I had missed him in the woods. I probably checked 10 crossings in vain, before giving up and making a beeline for Gowanda, the home of the New York and Lake Erie Railroad. I’d been there a few years back, finding sleeping FPA passenger units and a C425 roadswitcher. They were still there and still sleeping, but a Buffalo Southern Alco RS18 was alive there and the crew was doing their air test in preparation for heading north. At least this gave me time to scope out a very nice shot as the train crossed the Genesee River.

I managed three shots, then went a couple miles up the line and waited and waited and waited. What I didn’t realize was that the track speed was maybe 10 mph! It was a long wait, but they finally trundled by. It was late in the day, so I decided to try one more shot before heading for home (I still had three plus hours to go). On my way down, I had found a farm which looked to be a nice backdrop and I went there.

The tracks are straight there and I looked south to see a headlight off in the distance—it took him 20 minutes to make his way to me and I had ample time to explain myself to a suspicious farmer when he stopped to give me a once over. Luckily, he was satisfied by my answer and let me hang out by his property. I ended my day with the unusual sight of the brakeman flagging the short train across the rural crossing.

Not bad for a day on a railroad that I knew almost nothing about.

Kevin N. TomasicPhotographs and text Copyright 2017

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Hwy 12 Escalante Staircase NP and Kodachrome Basin SP

Yesterday we left home thinking we would drive down Hwy 12 for a few miles and check it out.  We had been on this road several years ago.  So we didn't think we would drive to far.  Well....100 miles later and at Kodachrome Basin SP.  We decided to turn around.

The campground we are staying at is at the intersection of Hwy 24 and 12. It was only natural we would take a little trip down Hwy 12.  The landscape of 12 is very different than 24.

 More information on Escalante National Monument

Kodachrome Basin SP is pretty close to Bryce Canyon as the Canyon can be seen from some of higher elevation in the park.

What started out to be a short day ended up being an all day trip, a very enjoyable trip.
The weather has been windy almost everyday and it is a good thing I got some sun in Tucson cause I don't think we are going to be getting any really warm weather soon.  That is what happens when you get tired of the desert and start heading North before the weather warms up.  It's okay cause we are still having a great time and it is still better than being in 90 degree weather.

Here are a couple more pictures.

Hope you enjoy!

Escalante - Kodachrome

Still Living the dream.....

Monday, April 24, 2017

Capitol Reef and Hwy 24

Yesterday we took a day trip on Hwy 24 through Capitol Reef and the Fruita area within the NP.
The views are amazing and around every turn there is a new experience.

Part of Capitol Reef is the Fruita area and the Gifford House.  The area is populated with one of the largest orchards in the National Park service.   Gifford House.  Fruita area.

We took the scenic drive through the Fruita area and enjoyed a stop at the Gifford House.

We had to leave with a sample of a couple of pies, cherry and apple.  We had them for dessert after dinner.  Best pie I have had in a long time.  We also sampled the home churned ice cream. YUM!

Right down the road from the Gifford house was the Fruita Campground, dry camping, very nice campground large sites and very well maintained.   Also down the road were several of the orchards.

Back on Hwy 24 again we stopped at the one room schoolhouse.  It was completely furnished as it was in the day.  Brought back memories, I went to a country one room school for my first seven years of school. There were seven different grades in one room.  Fruita Schoolhouse

Another stop along the way were the petroglyphs.

One of the things we noticed when we were on the walkway checking out the petroglyphs were what looked like giant webs in the trees.  Then we noticed on the railing were thousands of little caterpillars.

Not quite sure what that was all about.

Beautiful area and if you are into hiking you could spend weeks here.

Here is a link to more pictures, as usual.
Hope you enjoy.

Capitol Reef

Living the dream......

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

San Juan Byway, Silverton Co.

A couple of days ago we took the San Juan Scenic byway that took us through Telluride, Ouray, Silverton and Durango.

San Juan Scenic Byway

The part of the byway from Quray to Silverton has been referred to as the Million Dollar Highway.
The weather was sunny and warm, perfect for a road trip.  The landscape is beautiful.  Lots of snow in some of the areas.  The trees were just starting to bud.  This would be a great trip to take in the fall when the leaves are changing as there were lots of Aspens in some areas.

The snow covered peaks were awesome.

The small towns have kept the historic downtowns areas in their original forms.

We enjoyed walking the streets and doing some window shopping.

The sun was out and the snow was melting creating water falls all along the road.

We went through a couple of little tunnels, one of the tunnels was created for snow slides so the slides wouldn't cover the road.

It was an awesome day and as usual the pictures don't do the landscape justice.

More pictures.

San Juan Scenic Byway

We will be leaving for the Capitol Reef area in Utah in a couple of days to check out the area.

Living the dream............

Canyon of the Ancients

One of the side trips we took was heading out to Delores, Co and more Indian ruins.  This trip took us on a loop through farm country.  It actually took us to some of the more complete ruins we have seen and we got to look at them up  close and personal.

We had taken a little trip out to the little town of Delores the day before and stopped at a little grocery store that had fresh meat and farm fresh eggs.  We bought a couple of pork chops and a dozen eggs.  The pork chops were awesome.  I hadn't eaten pork that good since I left Minnesota.  Eggs were very good as well.

We first stopped at the Canyon of the Ancients visitor center and museum to get some information on where to go in the area.

The best stop we made was at the Lowry Ruins. Of course we had to get there via a dirt road.

We could even walk through some of the housing.

The second was Hovenweep National Monument.

Another wonderful day of site seeing and learning.

More pictures, hope you enjoy.

Indian Ruins

Living the dream.......


text:
Peachy Night will take place at Cue+ Minimal Bar in Gegeenten Entertainment Center on August 24.

Singer Namuuna will perform at the event before she leaves for Germany. Namuuna is a cover songs Mongolian artist who lives and works in Berlin. She started her singing career in 2011 by posting covers on YouTube.

DJ Maya will play music of Kaytranada, Carmack, JMSN and Spzrkt at Peachy Night.

Where: Cue+

When: August 24, 10:00 p.m.

Admission: Free

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text:
tropical zucchini bread

Hey, does anyone need any zucchini? I have plenty! I think I had better go on the hunt for a good zucchini cookbook. Is there one called 1001 Zucchini Recipes? I think that would work for me.

Do you ever go hunting for zucchini and find that you missed one from the day before and now it's monstrously large? My husband brought in a couple this morning just this way and the only thing to do was to turn them into zucchini bread.

I found a great recipe over at Lemon Basil that calls for coconut oil. I don't have any coconut oil but I do have coconut milk. I decided to see if I could put a tropical twist on my zucchini bread.

  • 3 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1-2 mashed bananas
  • 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
  • 1/2 cup light coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup melted butter (wait to add to mix until it cools a bit)
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 1/4 maple syrup
  • 3 eggs (These are from my neighbor. Her chickens just laid them this morning!)
  • 1 tsp coconut extract
  • 1 tsp rum extract
  • 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Makes 2 loaves

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together the zucchini, banana, pineapple, coconut milk, maple syrup, agave nectar, melted butter, extracts, and eggs.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add to your wet ingredients.

Stir just until combined.

Split batter between loaf pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This was a big hit at my house. My mom stopped by on her way home from camping just as I took this out of the oven so I was able to share! I'm kind of a weirdo because I like to give people things when they come to visit. I sometimes go through my closet or my cupboards when my sister comes over to see if I have any shirts or lotions or whatever else I think might make her happy. Call me crazy!

~Double Yum!~

Elra said...

I never made zucchini bread before. It sounds pretty delicious.

Chow and Chatter said...

this bread looks awesome you are so sweet to give things to folks Rebecca

Jenn said...

I've heard of zucchini brad, but have never tried it. I do love zucchini, so this has got to be something for me to try. Looks good!!

♥peachkins♥ said...

Zucchini bread sounds both healthy and delicious! I bet this taste yummy!

Denise said...

I am bookmarking immediately. I love pineapple,coconut and zucchini, so this is a definate one to try.

Katy ~ said...

Gosh, I love zucchini bread! Kim, this sounds soooo good. All those tropical add-ins must make this so moist and flavorful. YUM YUM

And aren't you just as dear as dear can be, to want to share. {{hugs}}

Hummingbird Appetite said...

Zucchini bread is always tasty. I like the idea of putting coconut milk in it.

Donna-FFW said...

Sounds like an absolutely wonderful way to use up your zucchini!

Erica said...

I love all the flavors! Sounds delicious.

Cathy said...

I keep thinking I want to try growing zucchini but all I ever here is you get way to much of it. Funny - I saw coconut oil in the store the other day and was wondering what I could use it for.

Reeni♥ said...

These look delicious with all the coconut flavors in them!

girlichef said...

Okay crazy, this looks super good!! I luv zucchini bread, but tropical...oh mama! ;P

Mary said...

This really is a double yum recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Charlotte said...

I love zucchini bread, but I never made it with tropical fruit before. The fruit sounds like a nice addition.

jenjen said...

How interesting! I am sure it is wonderful! You are so lucky to be harvesting things from your garden! I have a few things that are almsot ready. I can't wait!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Alicia, The Snowflake said...

I love zucchini bread. This sounds delicious!

Krista said...

Zucchini is so versatile! I just got a bunch from my grandma's garden and was trying to decide which zucchini recipe to make this time. I've had a zucchini bread with pineapple and coconut, but your recipe is a little different and sounds wonderful! I'll have to give it a try.

HannahBanana aka Amanda said...

I love zucchini bread but haven't had it for years. Yours sounds amazing with the tropical additions....I'll be saving this recipe cause the garden will start to spew so much zucchini in the next week or so I'll be going crazy! haha

Little Miss Baker said...

ohh yummy Kim! and youre not a weirdo hehe I'll come visit for some pressies! Nice new header pic too :) I am working on our little project we discussed!!

The imPerfect Houswife said...

That looks FABULOUS!! I e-mailed you some zucchini books I saw - I'll keep my fingers crossed that you can get your hands on one. Take care and keep cookin'! :)

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

I always loved zucchini bread, but didn't know it had bananas in it! I have a very new allergy to bananas, but at least now I know not to try any zuc bread this year! Boo-hoo. :(

It looks beautiful and delicious.

Monica said...

This zucchini bread version sounds delicious!! I am still waiting for zucchini on my plants, but will keep this recipe in the back of my mind when it comes time. I love your little colorful bowls in your pictures. Are they by chance Fiesta?

Julia said...

That bread looks like it is very moist and full of flavor. I think I could manage that one OK!

Those rouge zuc's are just obscene aren't they. Not fit for public viewing I'd say. :)

Kathy B! said...

These looked so moist and yummy when I made saw them the other day. I'm making them right NOW!!! Not trying to... doing it :)

It's the only thing in my garden the dag-blasted birds haven't gotten to yet!

teresa said...

I'm the same way, I love having people come over because it gives me an excuse to get baking! This looks SOOO good! I miss my garden, if I wasn't on the other side of the country, I'd be taking you up on that zucchini!

Megan said...

I love the tropical twist. I'll have to give this a try!

One Sassy Girl said...

I made a chocolate zucchini cake from Cooking Light last week. It was awesome. I'll have to see how it compares to the cupcakes and this tropical bread. I always feel so sneaky hiding zucchini in cake!

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"Oops, he did it again." During a radio interview Friday morning, lagging GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry was asked (again) which federal departments he would shut down as president. The Texas governor responded: "Three right off the bat. You know, Commerce, Interior, and Energy." The problem? Those are not the same three agencies he attempted to list during his infamous debate gaffe in November, when Perry suffered a devastating brain freeze. "Let's see," a struggling Perry said at the time. "I can't. The third one. I can't. Sorry. Oops." (This time around, Perry forgot to mention Education, and added Interior instead.) Pundits, of course, are cracking wise. Here, some of the best jokes:

Americans love sequels, right?
The Texas governor is primed for a starring role in "Oops 2: The Oopsening," says Paul Constant at The Stranger. But really, it's pathetic that Perry is not being ridiculed for wanting to completely shut down government agencies. Instead, it's "because he can't remember which three or four he wants to cut. Welcome to American politics in 2012."

Small victories
Sure, Perry goofed again, says RealClearPolitics. But at least "he did name three this time."

Call Merriam-Webster
The "Rick Perry Gaffe-O-Meter" is off the charts, says Jay Root at The Texas Tribune. With his latest misstep, he has cemented the word that will be "permanently attached to his 2012 presidential campaign: 'Oops.'"

Send out an Amber alert
"Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing an idiot," says Janet Shan at Hinterland Gazette.

Pity the Lone Star
Texas "really is a cool state," says The Political Carnival. "But when you think that it's been governed by this guy and W for the past 20 years, it's a miracle it isn't more of a shambles than it is."

Plan B
"This is apparently a MENSA-level test question for a Texas governor," says Kirsten Boyd Johnson at Wonkette. So "perhaps sensing that even this type of questioning was too rigorous, Perry went to a campaign stop in South Carolina today, looked out at the audience, and then decided to call on a mannequin with its hand raised." Yes... that actually happened.


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Whole 30 Day 10

February 14 - Day 10:

It's Valentine's day, so I'm treating myself to paleo muffins. I got a carrot & apple sauce recipe from here. Looks amazing.

Breakfast: the usual bacon and eggs
Lunch: shredded beef with coconut milk "gravy" and fresh veggies. No time to cook last night, so I have produce straight from the grocery store today.
Supper: roasted kale and shredded beef with coconut milk "gravy"

I looove kale. And so does my cat.
Went for an adjustment for the first time of my life this morning. It was equally terrifying and awesome.
He even said I should workout today! Squats at lunch it is!
(Update: heavy-ish squats started to hurt again, so I didn't go super high, and stopped after 1 rep in my down sets. I'm thinking... lighter squats/more reps for tomorrow? I think I should still be squatting until my next appointment on Thursday)

20 days until March 5.

  1. I need details on this coconut milk gravy. Nice blog, too. It's good to read your daily updates Ariane, you're doing great!

    1. Thanks!
      The "gravy" was a total fluke, but I'm loving it.
      I always find that the large quantities of meat I cook end up quite dry by the time the 8th packed lunch rolls around. This solves the problem!
      I slow cooked a roast with a spice rub and water (cover half the meat) all night on low.
      Took the meat out, added 1/2 can of coconut milk and let the liquid simmer all day.
      It's quite fatty (from the meat + coconut milk) so I have to shake it up before pouring on.
      Let me know if you try it and it turns out.


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Photos Nice Carnival 2012 King of Sport Carnaval de Nice Roi du Sport

The Nice Carnival in France is one of the oldest and most famous carnivals in the world. This year like the last two years I attended the Carnival in Nice with my children. The children dress up and we all look forward to a fun event. The theme of this year’s Nice Carnival was ‘the King of Sport – Roi du Sport – so most but not all of the floats carried a message related to sport.

There are 26 pictures below. Check out the images of the Queen of Sport, the King of Sport, muscle builders, the Queen of England, Zidane, famous for his head butt of another soccer player and the floats illustrating corruption in sports like the Tour de France.

Carnival Nice Photos

Drugs in Sports

carnival king of sport

Nice Carnival 2012

The Devil in Sports

photos nice carnival

The Video Sportsman

pictures from nice carnival

Not the Queen of Sports

photos from carnival in Nice

Money in Sports

photos from carnival in Nice France

Snow Sports

picture of sports nice carnival

Motor Sports

Pics Nice Carnival 2012

photos nice carnival

Racing Sports

photos king of sports carnival nice

Camel Racing?

king of sport nice carnival

Muscle Sports

nice carnival pics

Nice Carnival 2012

photos nice carnival sports

Zidane French King of Sports

photos nice carnival france

pictures from nice carnival king of sports

Sliding Sports

king of sport nice carnival

Flying Sports!

For Dick Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines Click

carnival nice pics

pics from a Nice Carnival 2012

Another Flying Machine

Photos Carnival in Nice

Cool Flying Sports

Nice Carnival Photos

The King of Sport Arrives

Photos King of Sport Nice Carnival

The Giant King of Sport

king of sport nice carnival pictures

One Side of the King

queen of sport nice carnival 2012

Finally The Queen of Sport Arrives

There they are my photos of the Nice Carnival 2012 – King of Sport – Roi du Sport – now take the time to share this posting with all your friends in your social network. The fun pictures are sure to make people smile and laugh.

There is a ‘share’ link at the top and bottom of the posting

Now you have shared the link of these photos take a look at last years pictures of the Nice Carnival which was called King of the Mediterranean .

Then you can look at 2010 Nice Carnival Photos I took. The theme of the 2010 Carnival was King of our Blue Planet.

Please spread the photos by writing about this spectacular event on your blog and link back for the photos. Thank you in advance!

Enjoy a wonderful day,

If you are curious I took these photos with a Kodak Easyshare Digital Camera


text:
WASHINGTON — Watching the troubling events on the northern Syrian border with Turkey — events that once again drag the United States even deeper into the Middle East — my thoughts go back to 1983 in Beirut.

American troops had been stationed in that once-beguiling city on the Mediterranean as part of an international peacekeeping force to guard against what were then supposed to be Palestinian terrorists. In fact, several different groups were vying to reach higher levels of mayhem in the region.

And we had made it so very easy for them: We placed all our Marines and others in a huge four-story building right out there in open space. So it was hardly a surprise when an Iranian, probably a Hezbollah driver, took a truck loaded with explosives and drove it straight into the helpless building, which was literally lifted off the ground and exploded in upon itself, killing 241 Americans.

It was the largest surprise attack on Americans since Pearl Harbor.

President Ronald Reagan then did something I cannot remember any chief of state doing. He simply withdrew the remaining troops, something many analysts wished earlier presidents had done in Vietnam, and damn the immediate consequences.

Reagan's secretary of defense, Caspar Weinberger, a capable man who had been against the deployment in Beirut, tried to clarify the policy, declaring that we should go to war only (1) to protect a vital national interest, (2) if we are willing to commit sufficiently to achieve the goal, and (3) if we are clear about the cost in lives and treasure.

But Weinberger's commonsensical recommendations were soon forgotten, and we now find ourselves hunkered down in small areas in the north of Syria, our "interests" known and open to all hostile comers, much like Beirut in 1983. We have 2,000 men and women advisers to a largely Kurdish army of 30,000 there.

The Kurds are a fine fighting force and a brave and long-suffering people. But the sad reality is that this Kurdish enclave supported by the U.S. is surrounded by Syrian soldiers under the killer regime of Bashar al-Assad, by Russians supporting Assad who also have air and naval bases in Syria, and by Iranians supporting Hezbollah guerrillas in Beirut.

And the worst is to come. The Kurdish enclave we support, the YPG or People's Protection Units, is bordered on the north by Turkey, a NATO member and American ally that hates and fears the Kurds because they claim part of Turkey.

These are not passive hatreds. In the past two weeks, increasingly hostile phone calls have been going back and forth between Washington and Ankara. Turkey has invaded the Kurdish border region known as Afrin, called the Kurds there "an army of terrorists," and promised to wage war on all of Syria's Kurds.

In the earlier years of the Syrian civil war, serious attempts were made to keep Russians, Iranians, Americans and others with sharp tempers from stumbling lethally over one another. But as The Washington Post's always well-informed David Ignatius wrote recently, "The space separating these forces has collapsed."

Meanwhile, American intentions keep inexplicably expanding. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaking at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University on Jan. 17, went so far as to commit the U.S. to keeping an indefinite military presence in Syria, vanquishing al-Qaeda, ousting Iran from the country and securing a peace settlement that excludes Syrian President al-Assad -- for starters.

But the sobering questions here lie not so much with the immediate conflict on the Syrian-Turkish border. No, the bigger questions are:

1. Why are we, month after month and year after year, getting more deeply involved in the quicksand of military politics in the Middle East when we have no immediate need of our own to do so?

2. Why, when we DO get involved, do we so often leave ourselves open to enemy analysis and attack?

3. Why have we forgotten that our great nation has the best of natural protections, two great oceans, but we have wantonly sacrificed those defenses as we constantly intervene in other countries and increase our military expenses?

Are we seeing on that bitter and forlorn border between Syria and Turkey the beginnings of yet another open-ended, forever war like the others that have torn us since the end of Vietnam? If so, why?

Georgie Anne Geyer has been a foreign correspondent and commentator on international affairs for more than 40 years. She can be reached at


text:
Monday, August 4, 2008

food for thought

swissmiss posted an article from scientific american that reminded of of a show i heard on KERA a few months ago. the podcast isn't available anymore, but kris boyd interviewed the author of generation me and i really enjoyed the show. you might enjoy reading these also.

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - and More Miserable Than Ever Before

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text:
Thursday, January 20, 2011

Garden Dreams and Water Features

Gorgeous no?
This is the fountain at my friend Saundra's house.
The fountain is situated on the front walk to her home.
I covet it.
I pretty much covet Saundra's whole house and garden...except for her property taxes and maintenance costs...she can keep those.

January is when I start thinking about gardening, when I itch to get my fingers into the soil - but I can't because every square inch of soil here at this old farm is a muddy mucky mess...
so I dream.
Lately I've been dreaming of water features...especially fountains like Saundra's.
Except today, when my dreams of water fountains came true.
In my kitchen.
My kitchen sink became a lovely water feature, shooting water straight up into the air, onto the window and all over me and the counters and floors.
I bet that doesn't happen at Saundra's house, Saundra's faucets wouldn't dream of exploding all over her kitchen - Saundra runs a tight ship.

On a happy note, Moen is sending me a replacement faucet.
Thank You Moen, for not making me jump through a lot of hoops and standing behind your warranty.
Disclaimer* The nice guy that I talked to from Moen didn't ask me to say nice things about them, he doesn't even know that I have a blog that nobody reads.
I can't say that he doesn't know who I am except he does, cuz he's sending me a new faucet. I doubt he knows that when you blog and say nice things about faucet makers that you also have to say that they aren't paying you to say those nice things.
I wonder how much we paid our elected officials to make up those silly rules, oops...I think that's another post - for another day.

I shall resume my dreams of water features..but I shall be more specific, all water features must be outdoors.

1 comment:

Lori said...

Good for Moen that they responded so quick. Man that sucked after all the work you put into the kitchen.


text:
1. Hahaha! RT“: Confirmed. The Regional Government new cabinet members.
  2. Why some PUK people insist on accusing Gorran of fraud is beyond me :-D
  3. I am dubious whether to trust regarding the or not..?!!
  4. Dear Kosrat Russul, call your boss immediately to explain how you spent $8 million on your son's parliamentary campaign?
  5. Results of parliamentary elections in Kurdistan Region will be announced tomorrow.
  6. Where can we find out which candidates have been elected ?
  7. & if fails to build a coalition? How would KDP react if other parties can form a coalition without it? KDP in opposition?
  8. Is it true that is under house arrest? Anyone knows what is going on?
  9. Rumors that is under house arrest after dispute with officials over big lost in . Any news if this is right?


text:
Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Favorite Chrismas song

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Under The Tree" went up tonight.

And don't mean to spoil the surprise but one more Christmas comic tomorrow from Isaiah.  I'll note it late Thursday when I next blog.

My favorite Christmas song?  After the traditional ones, I have to say it's Jimmy Fallon's "I Wish It Was Christmas Tonight."  I was with my sisters today doing cookies and we had the radio on a Christmas station.  That song came on and I was singing along and bouncing along and my sisters didn't know the song.

That surprised me.  I can still remember when he first performed it on SNL.

But it's a cute song and, in California anyway, I've heard it all month whenever I've been in a store.  But maybe that's just in California?  (I'm home in Atlanta for Christmas.)

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas if you're celebrating.  If you're not, I hope you have a really good day.

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Tuesday, December 24, 2013.  Chaos and violence continue, Iraqis celebrate Christmas in Iraq and Jordan and elsewhere, Nouri's forces surround the Ramadi protest yard and then withdraw (for real or as a fake out), and more.

It is Christmas Eve.  December 25th is a holiday for many around the world.  For some (including many children around the world), it's a time for Santa.

  • Lots of the children in Iraq left me and the reindeers food and drink, we all feel rather full up! Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas everyone
  • Santa, Underpants gnomes, and electroshock to the balls -- it's all part of bringing Christmas to Iraq! Watch here:

  • Also,  Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Under The Tree" went up earlier with Barack playing Santa. For some of those and for other, Christmas is a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

    One of the traditional holiday songs is "Silent Night" from 1818 (written by Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr).  Stevie Nicks performs it below with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

    In Iraq, Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi treated warm greetings to Iraqi Christians and best wishes for all Iraqis.

    1. نتقدم الى الاخوة المسيحيين والشعب العراقي كافة بأحر التبريكات بمناسبة حلول اعياد الميلاد متمنين ان ينعم بلدنا...

    Northern Iraq is the semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government.  The KRG issued the following today:

    Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (KRG.org) – The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) spokesman, Safeen Dizayee, has expressed the KRG’s heartfelt congratulations to Christians around the world on the occasion of Christmas and announced that the days of 25 and 26 December 2013 will be official holidays in all government departments and institutions in the Kurdistan Region.
      At the same times the KRG spokesman announced that the days of 1 and 2 January will also be official holidays in all government departments and institutions on the occasion of the New Year.

    KRG President Massoud Barzani also issued a message:

    Now that Iraq is going through the phase of rebuilding, one of the responsibilities is to protect co-existence among the various religious and ethnic communities in the country, and this tradition should not be compromised.
    Unfortunately, in the past few years, Christians in Iraq have become targets of violence, but we should be proud that Kurdistan has always been a refuge and a home for all different communities and it is the responsibility of all of us to preserve this co-existence.

    Lukman Faily is the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States.  He re-Tweeted the following this evening:

    1. Christmas midnight mass in Baghdad, Iraq ليلة عيد الميلاد في بغداد السلام

    Nouri al-Maliki, chief thug and prime minister of Iraq, of course had no message of warm wishes or good tidings.  Nouri's done very little for religious minorities in Iraq of any faith.  He is the US government installed puppet and he reflects the attitudes of his puppet masters.  Tom Halland (Guardian) observed Sunday:

    It is a bitter irony that the invasion of Iraq in 2003, launched under the aegis of two devoutly Christian leaders, George Bush and Tony Blair, should have heralded what threatens to be the final ruin of Christianity in the Middle East. It was Iraqi Christians, trapped between the militancy of their Muslim compatriots and the studied disinterest of their western co-religionists, who bore the initial brunt of the savagery. Extortion, kidnapping and murder became their daily fare.
    The venerable churches of Mesopotamia, ancient even in the days of patriarch Timothy, have suffered a terrible reaping. Since 2003, so it has been estimated by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), almost a million Christians have left Iraq. Those few that remain face an ongoing martyrdom.

    BosNewsLife notes that, in Amman, Jordan, Iraqi and Syrian children (among the refugees seeking safety in Jordan) are celebrating Christmas with the Religious Freedom Coalition providing dinner and a "joy bag" (gift) which will "contain at least a week's worth of food for families, including rice, oil, pasta, cheese, milk, sugar, tea, halawi dates and candy."  Christa Case Bryant (Christian Science Monitor) addressed the topic yesterday:

    As an evening breeze sweeps across the Jordanian capital of Amman, dozens of Iraqi refugees file out of the Jesuit Fathers church, touching or kissing the cross on their way out.
    Among them is Mofed, an Arab Christian who recently fled the turmoil in his native country. A year ago, Mofed (who, like other refugees, would only give his first name out of fear of retribution) was running a photo shop in Baghdad. Then one day several men came into his store and gave him three options: become Muslim; pay a $70,000 per capita tax (jizya) levied on non-Muslims; or be killed, along with his family.
    "You pay, or get killed," says his wife, Nuhad. "There is no in between. If you say, 'OK, I'll become Muslim,' there is no problem. That is their aim, to get you to change your religion, to be Muslim."
    Mofed and Nuhad decided to exercise a fourth option: flee their homeland, bringing their three children along with them. Their decision is emblematic of what an estimated half million Christians have done since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent brutal civil war there. During that time, Muslim extremists have attacked more than 60 Christian churches across the country. This includes the 2010 Al Qaeda-linked strike on a mass at Our Lady of Salvation Church that killed 58 worshipers.
    The proliferation of jihadist groups after the fall of Saddam Hussein, coupled with the rise of political Islam, has made an already tense environment even more unbearable for the country's Christian community, which has been part of Iraqi society for more than 1,900 years. While many Muslims have fled the turmoil in Iraq as well, Christians have been disproportionately represented, in part because of their above-average means: Four years into the war, Christians – who made up 5 percent of the population in prewar Iraq – accounted for 15 to 18 percent of registered Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, according to the International Red Cross. Today, fewer than 500,000 Christians remain in Iraq from a prewar population of 1 million to 1.4 million.

    Christian Iraqis who've sought asylum in the US observed Christmas Eve.  Stephen Farrell (New York Times) reports on Middle East Christians in NYC:

    The Salam Arabic Lutheran Church has become a home for Arab Christians, many of whom fled the Middle East. Some escaped violence in Syria and Iraq. Others say life was made difficult by armed gangs, kidnappers and extortionists, jihadi extremists or Israeli soldiers and settlers.
    There are other Arab churches in New York, but Salam Arabic is truly a kaleidoscope of Middle East Christianity. Side by side in its pews are Greek and Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Iraqi Chaldeans, Lebanese Maronites, Egyptian Copts and Greek Orthodox from the Galilee in northern Israel.
    Its pastor is the Rev. Khader N. El-Yateem, a 45-year-old Palestinian who was born in the West Bank village of Beit Jala and came to New York two decades ago to minister to a growing Christian Arab diaspora.

    Some see December 25th as a day of peace.

    Iraq is one country that could use a day of peace.  Iraq Body Count notes 28 violent deaths yesterday, 766 for the month of December through yesterday and 9200 for the year so far.

    The violence continued today, December 24th, with Iraq Times reporting a Mosul attack left 2 police officers dead and a Christian bystander shot in the leg.   National Iraqi News Agency reports a Falluja mortar attack left seven Iraqi soldiers injured, 2 Bartel bombings left 2 people dead (a woman and a man) and seventeen more injured, a Tikrit suicide bomber took his own life and that of 1 police officer while leaving three more injured, a Baaj roadside bombing left four Iraqi soldiers injured, a Tuz Khurmato car bombing left three police officers injured, a Mosul armed attack left 2 police officers dead, a bomb targeting Nouri's puppet Sadoun al-Dulaimi -- we're not including his title, he doesn't have a title, only a vote by Parliament can give him that title and we're not even going to call him "acting" because since 2010 that office been vacant -- left two bodyguards injured, a Falluja roadside bombing left 1 Iraqi soldier dead and three more injured, a Shuhada attack left 1 police officer dead and another injured, an armed Mosul attack left 1 police officer and his brother dead, an Imam roadside bombing left three police injured, a Buhriz bombing left two people injured, and, on the border between Iraq and Syria, clashes left 8 people dead.

    Meanwhile, Iraqi Spring MC reports the latest attack on the press.  The governor of Anbar has terminated a satellite news channel because it had the 'nerve' to visit the square and speak to the protesters.

    The governor is Ahmed Khalaf Dheyabi.  He became the governor in August after elections were held June 20th -- elections some have called fraudulent.  The US government didn't call the election results fraudulent -- no, the State Dept's Brett McGurk praised Ahmed Khalaf Dheyabi.  Dropping back to the December 2nd snapshot:

    December 21st, the protests will have hit the one year mark -- that's twenty days away.  Today, All Iraq News reports:

    The Coordination Committees of the Sit –In yards in Ramadi city announced on Monday withdrawing their authorization for the Governor of Anbar to negotiate with the Central Government over the demands of the demonstrators.
    The demonstrators and chieftains in Anbar announced on September 3rd authorizing the Governor of Anbar Ahmed Khalaf to negotiate with the CG to implement their demands.

    They're not pleased with the talks Governor Ahmed Khalaf has had with Nouri -- which have produced no results.  But they're especially bothered by the fact that the Governor is not working for them.  Some feel he's working for the United States' government.
    Where did they get that idea?  Who knows.  But Sunday, these remarks from Brett McGurk were posted repeatedly on Arabic social media:

    In the Sunni majority provinces of Ninewa and Anbar, provincial elections had been delayed due to security concerns. We were clear from the outset that this decision was unwise, and pushed to ensure the elections took place, which they did on June 20. The outcome led to a status quo in Ninewa, with the brother of Speaker Osama Nujaifi retaining the governorship; but new leaders emerged in  Anbar, and these new leaders, with our encouragement, are engaging the central government.
    Prime Minister Maliki met the new Anbar Governor, Ahmad Khalaf al-Dulaimi, before traveling to Washington, and we expect to see additional meetings soon, with a focus on coordinating security and political efforts.

    McGurk is the US State Dept's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and, last month, he testified to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.  We covered his testimony in the November 13th "Iraq snapshot," the November 14th "Iraq snapshot" and in the November 15th  "Iraq snapshot."  And the statements that were so popular on social media yesterday are from his opening statement which you can read in full here.

    It appears the US government's puppet will use his post as governor to attempt to prevent the media from reporting on the assault on Ramadi.  That's a Nouri trick but it's one he learned from the US government which repeatedly attacked the Iraqi media in the early years of the (ongoing) occupation.

    In fact, a great deal of Nouri's behavior is not just US aided, it's US learned.  For example, the Guardian's Martin Chulov spoke to  Australia's ABC today and stated:

    There is, for example, an intelligence service called the Iraqi National Intelligence Service which was raised and funded by the CIA,’ he said. ‘[It’s] meant to be slightly different from the state itself but it’s been totally co-opted by Maliki who has instilled members of his Dawa Party into it. [It is] the special forces of the Iraqi military. One unit of it works directly as a Praetorian guard for Maliki.
    There’s a prison inside the Green Zone which is used to prosecute those who oppose him… I guess the tendencies are towards the same sort of totalitarianism that was ousted ten years ago.

    National Iraqi News Agency reports protesters met with the governor today:

    The source told NINA on Tuesday, Dec. 24, that the dignitaries, tribal chiefs and representatives for the protestors, as well as clergymen have agreed with the Governor of Anbar, Ahmed Khalaf al-Dulaimi, during a meeting held on Tuesday evening, at the Governorate building, on the necessity to withdraw joint forces that are besieging the sit-in squares.

    All Iraq News reports that Nouri's forces withdrew from the protest yard after the meeting.  Iraq Times notes that this was followed by an air drop of leaflets and that Nouri's forces were receiving support from the US military.  Leaflet droppings advising to protesters to leave are a lot like the 2003 pre-invasion leafleting the US government did over Iraq.

    There are fears that this is an attempt to lull the protesters into a false sense of security.  Arabic social media notes that Nouri's forces had blocked roads prior to encircling the protest yard and, after leaving the protest yard, they did not open those roads back up to traffic but continued to seal them off.

    Lastly, the International Committee of the Red Cross issued the following yesterday:

    Baghdad (ICRC) – With the security situation deteriorating, Iraqi women who have lost their husbands in connection with the armed conflicts of recent decades are struggling hard to earn a living. Because they face increasing hardship, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is stepping up its support for them.
    There are currently over a million Iraqi women in Iraq who bear the responsibility of supporting their families because their husbands were killed, arrested, disabled by war injuries, or went missing. The women are among those hardest hit by years of armed conflict. With violence against civilians on the increase, their needs are set to grow.
    "Widows in Iraq are often ill-equipped to overcome the significant challenges they face all by themselves," said Patrick Youssef, head of the ICRC delegation in Iraq. "With just a little help from us, however, they are able to take matters into their own hands, rebuild their lives and see to it that their children have enough to eat."
    The ICRC seeks out the people who most need its help, including in particular women finding themselves with little or no means when their husbands die. In 2013, the ICRC helped more than 50,000 people in Iraq, including more than 1,500 women responsible for supporting their families, find a suitable way of earning a living.
    "When my husband died I found myself alone. I was very tired, and the burden was unbearable. Everything was difficult for me, because my kids were small. They needed school. They needed clothes," said Huda Muttashar Naji, a mother of three. Financial support from the ICRC enabled her to open a beauty salon and hairdressing business in her own home in one of Baghdad’s poorest neighbourhoods. "Now I find myself stronger. My beauty salon is good, thank God, and I can cover all the expenses of the household."
    The ICRC has been in Iraq since 1980, working to ease the effects of conflict and other violence. Its assistance activities in the country focus, among other things, on helping poor farmers boost production, providing displaced people with emergency aid, and making grants to women heading households and to disabled people so they can start small businesses, generate income and live in greater dignity.

    For further information, please contact:
    Pawel Krzysiek, ICRC Baghdad, tel: +964 790 191 6927

    the new york times


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Three week diet

Book Review – Why Can’t I Lose Weight? The Real Reasons Diets Fail And What To Do About It

Every so often, I will read a book that captures my attention so completely that I hate to put it down. Then I go back to it repeatedly, long after I have finished the review. Jackie Bushell’s 116-page ebook, Why Can’t I Lose Weight? (2006 is such a book.

There are truckloads of diet books available that claim to have the “secrets” of weight loss, or the diet supplement or plan that is the long awaited magic bullet. Many are gimmicks, some are completely misleading, and others only touch on the problems but offer no real solutions. Not the case with Why Can’t I Lose Weight.

I found this ebook to be filled with practical, medically-based answers to many of my questions about weight loss, plateaus, healthy fat loss, metabolism and that all important question of why the weight so often comes back no matter how “good” I am on my diet du jour.

Based on the long-term research and study from an impressive list of health and medical reference sources, Bushell writes about the changing theories of diet and exercise, addresses diet hype, fads, trends and introduces solid information based in biochemistry and documented scientific facts. Her goal is to start with facts and toss out misleading and misinterpreted data, along with outdated beliefs. In her book, she introduces her readers to current, relevant and proven facts about low calorie, low fat, low carb, and low glycemic diets. This book, written in an easy to read manner, helps clear the fog of myths and unsupported claims and shine a logical, detailed light on diet and healthy weight loss facts.

This straightforward and honest statement from her conclusion sums up the philosophy, tone and mission of her book: “Getting your body fit for weight loss is about making your body healthy in general, and that takes time and patience. Getting healthy is not about quick fixes, and nor is successful weight loss…. Making sure you lose the right kind of weight and in the right way is key to ensuring that when the weight comes off, it stays off.”

There are 15 chapters and three appendices that include topics and detailed “secrets” about:

  • Famine syndrome and the set point
  • The blood sugar/insulin connection
  • Metabolic rate
  • Stress
  • Food allergies/sensitivities
  • Candida/yeast overgrowth
  • Fluid retention
  • Malnutrition
  • Toxic overload
  • Genetic inheritance
  • Exercise
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Prescription medicines
  • Compulsive eating and cravings
  • Diet “politics” and how overweight perceptions can cause overlooked medical issues
  • Thermogenic & fat burning supplements
  • A Personal Action Plan for Weight Loss Success

Author Jackie Bushell is dedicated to the message in her book. As she stated at the close, “So what I hope to have achieved with this book is to bring together all of the most important knowledge and new ideas related specifically to weight loss problems, screening out the many ideas that are unsupported by science.” Personally, I think she has accomplished this.

As I read her ebook, I was struck at the dedication and depth of research she put into the project. There is no doubt that she is very knowledgeable and passionate about this subject, and her list of resources backs up her work. Why Can’t I Lose Weight? contains a lot of common sense and medically supported nutritional information that is applicable to a great many frustrated dieters, just like myself. I experienced many “ah-ha!” moments while reading through the pages.

I recommend this book for anyone who has questions about healthy weight loss, curiosity about diet hype and trends, interest in nutritional weight loss, or anyone wanting to know the truth about the “low carb” diet phenomenon. But I especially recommend this book to anyone who suspects there could be an underlying health issue causing them to be resistant to weight loss. Why Can’t I Lose Weight? could answer many of your questions. It sure did for me.

Why Can’t I Lose Weight? is a downloadable PDF ebook, available at

The 3 Week Diet

Source by Cherie Davidson

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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Amanda's wedding

This past Saturday was Amanda's wedding.  She is my friend and past roommate from college at MSU!  Her wedding was the whole reason that we were heading down to Kentucky.  Both Alyssa and Malachi stood up and did a great job!  Warning:  Lots of Pictures!

Pre-wedding snack

My little ham!

Sweet little boy!

Getting some energy out before the wedding

Da-da and the boy

Doing their jobs

Beautiful bride and her father

Wedding snack

Silly #1

Silly #2

kids and beautiful bride

family picture

about 5 minutes after we left the reception

It was a good wedding and the kids were so tired from our trip they pretty much slept almost half the way home (6.5 hour trip!)

  1. Cute, cute pics! The kids look adorable in their finery :)
    Did you see Danielle is having another swap? I'm thinking about joining...

  2. thanks for sharing your whole family with us for the big day :) We loved having you there, and it was great to see you (albeit briefly) and really appreciate you coming all the way :)


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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Sister's Bridal Shower

This past weekend was my sister Jessica's bridal shower.  Her wedding is in September and I am the Matron of Honor.  Her future MIL and I planned the shower and I think that it was a success! The theme Jessica requested was "pink and white country" and she wanted her shower to match her wedding colors.

This is the cow cake that I made for the shower.  It turned out so cute and everyone loved it!

Cow cake on the cake table

Cupcakes and Cake on the cake table

Center pieces

Head Table

Tissue paper flowers, crepe paper and tulle

Dollar store boot decorations and diy chalkboards

Photo Boards

Fabulous future bride and groom

My adorable daughter (and flower girl!) with a cow tail and mini bouquet.  The woman
who made the centerpieces whipped up the bouquet with the extra flowers that
she had leftover and brought with her to the shower.  She also made the cute
bows on Alyssa's shoes.

All the bridesmaids and fabulous bride-to-be!

My sister loved the shower (especially all the pink! - her favorite color) and received many great gifts!  I think that everyone had a good time.

  1. It was awesome and FABULOUS!!!! :)

    - Jess

  2. sweet cake! (no pun intended) ... :)

  3. Do you have a layout of how you cut the cow cake pieces that you could post?


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Sunday, February 12, 2017

Retreat! Professional Development for Writers with Linda Sands

Today we are visiting with award winning author Linda Sands.

Linda you've been a professional writer for a while now, tell us about what you write and what it's like wearing the crown of Georgia Writer of the Year.

Lately, I've been broadly categorized as a mystery novelist. My work runs the gamut from historical fiction with my book Not Waving, Drowning, to legal thriller with Simple Intent to contemporary noir/ PI with 3 Women Walk into a Bar

Prior to the novels, I concentrated on personal essays, literary short stories and very off-the-wall flash fiction. Being named Georgia Author of the Year for Mystery has made me realize the mystery/thriller/crime fiction genre may be my preferred wheelhouse. Though I won't stop writing all the stories that speak to me, regardless of categorization.

In this article you're going to be sharing about different conferences you've attended and their flavor. But let's start with your retreat. You are planning a new writer's retreat in April. WHOOP! Why is a writer's retreat, in your opinion, important to writers. Tell me what writers could expect at your retreat (Hey, everyone I'll be there as a presenter and to help you Write it Right! Bring your questions!)

Yes! Write by the Water was born of necessity. I NEEDED a beach house. LOL. But seriously, I have always felt at home at the ocean, The soothing sound of the surf, the vastness of the ocean, the renewing of the coast with every tide and the possibilities of what might float to shore... damn. That's writing to me.

At Write by the Water, I had the idea of a communal house of creatives that would come together to lift each other. Not just story writers or novelists, but poets, painters, photographers, songwriters and musicians. We've had all of those! You would be surprised how much work you accomplish when you hear someone else typing away. I love that we can share our work at the end of the day and bounce ideas off one another. More than a "workshop" experience, this retreat is geared to allowing one to focus on the work at hand without the distractions of work/home life. This April, we will be- as always- listening to the needs and desires of our attendee and trying our best to fill them.

5 day retreat April 5-9
or the weekend retreat April 7-9

We know. You’ve had a rough year. The kids were all over you. The house needed attention. The dog died. The spouse spent too much time nagging/golfing/not cooking. Worst of all…the word count was slacking. And now? You have needs.

We understand. Writers…write. Even when we aren’t anywhere near a pen or laptop, we’re still writing, conjuring up scenes, asking for solutions, listening to the voices of characters we spawned. For most of us, those creative moments come in quiet places, in shower stalls, empty cars, or during long solo walks.

Write By The Water can give you all of those moments. And more.
  • Writing prompts every morning
  • Discussions every evening
  • Classes geared to individual needs
  • Skype call with a NY editor or agent
  • Networking and marketing opportunities
  • A spoken word event where you will share your work

Additional options include yoga classes and outdoor activities such as paddle boarding, fishing, biking and horseback riding. We’ll provide breakfast, unlimited coffee, happy hour cocktail, semi-private and private rooms, and lots of desks and writing areas. Create or re-create on the beach or from your bed. Maybe you’ll write best at the corner desk with music playing or basking in the sun on the 360° rooftop terrace.

Join us in Blue Mountain Beach where muses and mermaids play and let your creativity flow. If you’ve got more questions, we’ve got the answers— right here.

Now that you know what a writing retreat is, it sounds great, right? Come on over here, let’s talk.

Linda, you and I met each other when we became Kindle Scout winners, but we've also met in person at Bouchercon. You do quite a few writers' conferences. Which conferences do you like to attend and what do you get out that conference?

Oh yes, I have attended many, many writing seminars, workshops, conferences and conventions since 2002. Some don't even exist anymore! I can't list in order of favorites, so I'll just throw it out there with a brief description and my comments.
  • AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) This annual conference is very "collegiate." Lots of professors and university presses and literary mags and MFA students. Lots of partying and lots of networking, but a distinct break in the crowd of the accomplished and the wanna-bes. On an unrelated note, I noticed that I was always one of the tallest attendees- and I'm only 5'8.
  • Key West Literary Seminar - Great location. Brings in big names, as it's held in winter, and who doesn't want to go to Key West? Lots of sponsorship so great food and drinks and parties. Easy to hang with the big guns without feeling like a stalker. Relaxed conference and the separate writing workshops held pre- or post conference are fantastic. Themes change every year, so when they apply or interest me, I am there. Also, they offer all types of scholarships.
  • Sleuthfest in Boca Raton is associated with the Florida Mystery Writers of America group. I had a great experience here, as that's where I found my agent! Great area for a winter escape, draws good authors, agents and editors. I haven't been in a long time, but they look like they have ramped things up even more- in the best way. Like the name, very PI/mystery oriented.
  • Southampton Writers Conference, Stonybrook Campus, Southampton, NY. This is a fantastic conference in which you feel like a student staying on the college campus. Lots of parties and free time/writing time and amazing instructors. I was able to work under Amy Hempel one year. Being so near to NYC means they can pull all sorts of talent. No snobbery here. Best networking, and some of the nicest people I've ever met.
  • Killer Nashville, Nashville, TN. I love this conference. It's like an intimate gathering of mystery/thriller/sleuth book-loving readers and writers, but don't let intimate fool you, this conference books major talent and by keeping things smaller you really get to canoodle. Awards and scholarships are growing every year and the location is such fun.
  • Bouchercon. Location changes every year, and every year they have new "leaders." This is very much a volunteer run conference, and fan-based. You aren't going to get the kind of writing workshops/ tutorials/ lectures like at KWLS or SWC, but you will get to see and hear the big guns and the up and comers. Always feels a little elitist at first, and can be intimidating if you're a new writer. Expect lines of readers and collectors at the bookstore and signing area. The more you attend, the more friends you will make. Networking = drinks at the bar.
  • Southern Festival of Books, Nashville TN. This is a celebration of the book, the story. Some readings and lectures. Very family-oriented. Seems to draw big names, but in my opinion, it lacks the organization it needs to draw in the writing crowd. I noticed huge draw for YA authors last year.
Here are the Georgia area conferences and festivals that I attend:
  •  Decatur Book Festival -The largest independent book festival in the world, this is a whole town of creative energy. They have it all from children's authors entertaining their crowd to cookbook authors doing live demos to poets reading at the coffee house to panels held in churches, courthouses and gazebos covering eight tracks of interest. And IT IS FREE. The shops and restaurants in Decatur are some of the best. Everyone here ( the authors from all walks- Pulitzer prize winners to debut) are accessible and you're a Marta ride away from downtown Atlanta if you want or need more. It happens every Labor Day weekend, which happens to coincide with DragonCon in Atlanta. Much fun.
  • Dahlonega Literary Festival, in the mountains, sort of. I will be a featured author here in March, debuting Grand Theft Cargo, the first book in my new series. I haven't been part of this festival since I won a prize for a short story that they put in an anthology, so this will be fun. One year, I attended just to hear the readings and ended up partying with Cassandra King-- before I knew who she was. Very cute downtown area, much to do and the panels are well planned and organized. Also, free to the public
  • Milton Literary Festival, Milton GA. A new book festival on the small- but growing side. Very reader oriented with fun ideas to engage the audience. Local support makes it free to attend.
  • Atlanta Writers Conference, Atlanta GA. Happens twice a year and is a great way to query agents and editors. Wonderful workshop offerings, a perfect fit for the newbie writer, or the author who 's looking to query NYC people without traveling north.
The other conferences I would recommend to a crime writer would be Thrillerfest, Malice Domestic and Left Coast Crime

Thanks, Linda for sharing all of that juicy gossip!

And ThrillWriters - we have just a couple more spaces available. Let us know if you can make it this year, if not? We'll have next year's retreat dates coming soon.

And happy writing.

1 comment:

  1. I couldn't agree more with how important fellowship is to development. And, I think, retreats and conferences weed out some of the negative elements we pick up in the pursuit of publication. ThrillerFest was SO helpful in my journey. Kathleen Antrim and Jon Land really took time with me and helped me develop my "pitch" voice. It's been a few years and I cannot wait to go again. Thanks, for sharing. You're aces, Sis.


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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Presidential Game {Schoolhouse Crew Review}

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I've mentioned a few times before how much I enjoy playing games with my children. It's a bonus if we find a game that's both educational and fun. Recently, we've been playing The Presidential Game, and it's catapulted its way into our "favorites" list.

 photo GameImage_zps8848e8d7.jpgThe basic premise of The Presidential Game is that two teams (Republicans and Democrats) are each running their election campaigns. At the end of the election season, votes are tallied and the team with the most electoral votes is declared the new President. (And, in our house, the winner cleans up the game.)

The game is fairly easy to play, but we found ourselves really analyzing the situation and trying to figure out the best strategy to win votes.

On each turn, the team chooses whether to fundraise or to campaign. In either case, they roll the dice, receive that number of vote tokens, and then distribute them among the states. On a fundraising turn, at least half the votes must go in the chosen fundraising state (one out of four on the board). On a campaign turn, the voting chips are divided among three states. As we played, we experimented with various strategies -- putting most of our chips in larger states, trying to win a large number of the smaller states, or finding the right balance between large and small states.

The game comes with a pad of paper to keep a running score or you can use an online scorekeeper. We tried using the paper tracker and found it to be a bit more math intensive than what we wanted. (We were too busy thinking about election strategy to tally electoral votes.) It was much easier to keep up with the score when we used the online scorekeeper, which worked equally well on a laptop computer and on an iPad.

The biggest lesson my kids learned was an understanding of how the electoral college works. It was not necessarily the team with the greatest number of voting chips that won, and it also wasn't necessarily the team that had won the greatest number of states. It all came down to the all-important electoral votes.

In one of our games, it came down to the last week of the election campaign. Brennan (the Republicans) had been winning for most of the game. Addison and I were playing as the Democrats and had just taken over the state of California. Brennan had a chance to win back California and clinch the election.

Alas, his roll in the thirtieth week of the campaign was not large enough to allow him to take over the lead in the state of California. Addison and I won the election.

The Presidential Game suggests playing for a 30-week election campaign (each team has thirty moves). It took us a full two hours to play a game that long, and we were all growing tired and a bit less enthusiastic towards the end. We typically set a shorter length for the campaigns based on our apparently short attention spans.

According to the box, this game is suitable for ages 11 and up. We promptly ignored that suggestion and let Lauren (age 7) play along with us. There's a reason for the higher age recommendation. I knew Lauren wouldn't completely grasp the political concepts, but I underestimated how quickly she'd become bored. We also had several instances where she accidentally bumped the board and made all the voting chips shift out of place. We now only play this game after her bedtime.

The Presidential Game gets two big thumbs up from my big kids and extra praises from a parent who loves finding educational games. It's a perfect addition to any American Government study and is a "must-play" game for any presidential election season.

It is available to purchase at The Presidential Game online store for $35.

©2009-2013 Through the Calm and Through the Storm. All rights reserved. Photos and content may not be reproduced. http://throughthecalmandthroughthestorm.blogspot.com

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Thunderbird Cares

Thunderbird and you, together helping our community!

Every quarter, Thunderbird Supply Co. and it's employees band together to help a local and National Charity.
Veterans Helping Veterans are trying to raise funds to place an 80 foot pole and a 20 x 30 foot US flag on the hill behind the Community Hall (Bingo Hall) and the Community Pantry on Hasler Valley Road. We need about $14,000.00 to do this CIVIC PROJECT.
This FLAG will compliment the New US Federal/NM State Veterans Cemetery on Hasler Valley Road, The Congressional Medal Honor Hiroshi Miyamura overpass and the Bataan Veterans Street.
This will help keep Gallup, New Mexico as the MOST PATRIOTIC SMALL TOWN IN AMERICA.
For the past few months, our loyal customers and staff helped raised $5,500 for our local Veterans Helping Veterans!!! Thank you to all who contributed, we would not have done this without you.