Imbolc-The Page Of Swords

Imbolc is the time to recognize and celebrate the fragile beginnings of the promise of spring, when grasses, plants, and vegetation begins to regrow, though still at an intermediate stage of development, much like the sun increases it's presence over the earth through lengthening of days. It is a time for protecting, for nurturing, the promise of tomorrow. Many light multiple candles in order to herald the increasing length of days. It is a time for optimism.

Admittedly, we don't have much to be optimistic about. We are always deluged with bad news, even during better times, because that's what sells print and advertising time, but these days the harsh news is ever more sobering, and while a recent retrograde Mars might well be adding to the harsher manifestations of pessimism on some deep level, it's only a planet. While it may have contributed to the recent horrible spate of bad winter weather, when the snow thaws, it's not going to leave behind a brighter sense of purpose and optimism.

Yet, throughout all the tragedy and turmoil afflicting us, there is always a ray of hope somewhere. Some people though are at opposite ends as to how best to achieve that hope, whether it is a liberal approach of greater government involvement in the economy and things like health care, or whether you prefer the tea-party approach of less government interference and emphasis on individual liberties over special interests or identity politics.

Although I was wary of the Tea-Party movement when they first got started, I make no secret of where I stand on the political end of the spectrum. Government is a servant of the people, ideally, but when you give that servant ever growing power and authority, it becomes a usurper. That is just the natural order of things. Even the most well-meaning and benevolent of tyrants is still, at the end of the day, a tyrant. Herod the Great was actually quite liberal for his day, while Augustus, for all his greatness in some regards, would cut throats with the best of them if he felt compelled to do so.

And that's just the case. When you give government too much power you make it too easy for them to enslave you. No matter how well-intentioned one generation of rulers might be, there is always the next, and the next, and the next. Once you have given them your authority, that is it. Your options are over. One day you have a relatively beneficent Augustus. The next thing you know, Caligula takes the throne, and you have paved the way for what comes next.

I guess that's all there is to say. You can give up your freedom and liberty any day. Once you give it up, you can't just ask for it back.

Haitian Banana Bread

I was surprised to learn how varied Haitian cuisine is. This on-line Haitian cookbook features quite a wide variety of meat, coups, salads, vegetable dishes, snacks, desserts and drinks. Here's a delicious sounding recipe for Haitian Banana Bread. Perfect for this or next Imbolc, or anytime.

* 9 Tbs. butter, softened
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/4 c. seedless Raisins
* 2 large ripe bananas (1 lb.)
* 2 c. all purpose flour
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 Tbs. baking powder
* 1/2 c. Sugar
* 1 egg
* 3/4 c. unsalted nuts(optional)
* 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg, preferably fresh

edit Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Reserve 1/4 cup of the most perfectly shaped nuts for the garnish. Chop the rest of the nuts coarsely and toss them with the Raisins and 1 Tbs. of the flour. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
3. In a small bowl, mash the bananas to a smooth puree. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
4. In a deep bowl, cream the remaining butter and the Sugar together.
5. Add the egg, and when it is well blended beat in the flour and the bananas alternately, adding about one third of each mixture at a time, and continue to beat until the batter is smooth. Gently but thoroughly stir in the chopped nuts and Raisins.
6. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and arrange the reserved nuts attractively on the top. Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out on a wire cake rack. Serve the banana bread either warm or cool.

Catcher In The Rye

Since the death of JD Salinger has been in the news, and I've learned more about his lone novel The Catcher In The Rye, I've become intrigued enough I've put it near to the top of my to do list. It might seem odd that I have written this post, having never read the book, but I feel richer for even having read about it. I can only imagine what actually reading the thing will be like.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the book or its premise, its about a young boy who feels alienated from the world. To him, most authority figures and for that matter most others are phonies. He has a number of misadventures which I won't go into, but suffice it to say, he lives in a world of his own, but which might be every bit as valid as the one through which people stumble blindly.

This book has been the focus of a lot of trouble and has functioned like a prism for a lot of alienated people. Bear in mind, this is not a children's book, it is a book about a teenager, written from the perspective of an adult who seems to have reached down deep into his own inner child in order to find the right voice with which to write it. It's a book about a boy, but written by a man who has not concealed the facts of childhood with the self-serving illusory memories most adults cloak themselves with.

If there was ever a perfect book to read for Imbolc, I have a strong feeling this might be it.

Salinger never wanted this book made into a movie while he lived, as he had a bad experience with Hollywood in regards to one of his more popular short stories, or novellas. However, he did express that, after he was gone, he would not be adverse to the book being adapted to film for the benefit of his family.

Personally, I almost dread the prospect. If they do it right, it could be great. Knowing Hollywood though, they'll screw it up by interjecting a lot of pc moralizing about hookers with hearts of gold who are just looking for the opportunity to break away from the chains imposed on them by a self-righteous, unforgiving and abusive culture, or gay teachers who would be great people if only they had equal rights, among other things.

They should film the screenplay from the exact perspective of the young protagonist, Holden Caulfield, as written in the book, and they should resist the urge to place it in the present day. Keep it in the late forties, the time era in which it was written. Do it right or don't do it at all.

Here is a link dedicated to the life and works of JD Salinger. Worth a look.

Killer Moon

I've been under the impression that T-Bone Burnett was a country artist, maybe even Bluegrass, but damn if this doesn't sound Lennonesque

Obama has decided to end the Ares rockets program which was to be the precursor to NASA's next stage of manned moon landings, instead charging NASA with the mission of improving their technology with an eye toward a future of greater, more far-reaching missions, to Mars and beyond. Meanwhile, he is turning the sub-orbital space programs over to the private sector, designating a six billion dollar grant to help develop the fledgling private enterprise.

I don't know how I feel about this. In a sense, it almost sounds like a worthwhile move. We've pretty much taken the space shuttle programs to the limits as far as their value to us goes, and we do need to move on, but I think ending the moon landings is a big, big mistake.

In a sense, the space program is still in it's fledgling state. Going to the moon, let's face it, was the equivalent of a human toddler walking upright for the first time, while yet holding on to something to steady his balance. We have a hella long way to go yet. We've learned and accomplished much, but there is still much more to learn and accomplish.

By the way, the following picture is of the last Wolf Moon. I never noticed this before, but look just above the wolf's snout. Damn if it doesn't look like a perfectly drawn human face in profile.

PETA Hates Children And Animals, And Everything In Between

Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, so six more weeks of bad weather, but if the folks of PETA have their way, Phil will be put out to pasture, quite literally, and replaced with a robot of some kind that might or might not look like a Groundhog. PETA needs to sticking to what they do best-appealing to the lowest common denominator of mankind through the use of naked actresses and porn stars. Phil is by most accounts treated better than most children are treated. To PETA, Phil is just another wild beast who should be let loose in the wild, or a nature preserve, where he would probably never adjust. Sometimes I don't think these people really think things through, but then again, this is a group once headed by a man who couldn't even concede it was all right to exterminate rats. Or to kill head lice. These people are nuts.

The Princess Effect

It's a general weakness of mankind that we tend to treat what we consider "beautiful" or "attractive" people better than those less fortunate, and the wider the difference in looks, the bigger the difference in the way we interact with them. A recent scientific study suggests that this has affected attractive people in unforeseeable ways, by causing them to be more aggressive. There was actually a controversy over this, not due to the actual study, but because of a misunderstanding when it was reported that blondes tend to be more violent and aggressive. This might have been a mistake, but more likely it was a way to gain attention for the article in question.

Despite the controversy, the study makes sense. At first glance, you might think the opposite would be the case, but on the other hand, we tend to treat unattractive people with more consistency. Attractive people, both male and females, get more mixed reviews. Some people love them, some people through jealousy and resentment (and this is including other attractive people) hate them, while a good many feign indifference.

It's easy to see how this could set up internal conflicts, particularly when this starts at an early age in adolescence.

Therefore, parents, let this be a lesson to you. Treat your ugly children exactly the same as you treat your attractive children. They have a right to grow up to be assholes just like the rest of us.

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A short Israeli horror film that demonstrates how when fear seeps inside your head it can transform the slightest worries into aspects of pure horror.

As if people don't have enough stupidity to contend with, there is currently a debate on-going about the benefits of circumcision. It turn out there are health benefits. It reduces the risk of penile cancer and urinary tract infections, in addition to reducing the chances of contracting some STD, such as HIV. Don't circumcise and you increase the risk of all of these diseases and other infections of the penis, and what do you have to show for it? An ugly piece of useless loose skin covering the head of your dick serving absolutely no function whatsoever.

Most people that do get their children circumsised do so for health reasons, not religious ones, but I tend to think the motivations for discouraging circumsision are wholly anti-religious, and most notably anti-Jewish bias.

Ancient Hebrews probably discovered the health benefits millenia ago, and it became a tradition, then a law. I don't know how they made this discovery. I have some ideas, but they are irrelevant to this post, so I won't go there. The main point is, the foreskin is a useless anachronistic piece of skin whose sole purpose is probably to protect the penis in the womb from bacteria in the amniotic fluid of the mother. Once you're out of there, its served its purpose. Cut that ugly motherfucker off, if you still have one, and if your sons still have one, shame on you.

Genital mutilation? Bullshit, nothing says genital mutilation quite like getting penile cancer and having your whole fucking dick cut off.

Oh, by the way, circumcision also reduces the risk of transmission of the Papaloma virus to female sex partners, which should be enough to tell you that not only is the foreskin useless, it's fucking nasty.

Rip Torn

They say you're never too old to try new things and so, true to the spirit of Imbolc, perhaps we should nurture the budding new career of Rip Torn as a drunken would-be bank robber, but then again, maybe that's not such a good idea.

This is not Torn's first brush with the law. Here is his mug shot from a previous DUI arrest.



In the present case, he actually broke into a Connecticut bank after hours, setting off an alarm, and was arrested, dog drunk and carrying a gun. I don't know, maybe Torn will try to make the argument, when he sobers up, that he was studying for a role-not that that would make any difference, but it might sound better than the probably truth. I tend to think this might be a case of dementia at work. Maybe he was reliving an old role, or an old childhood fantasy. Maybe the alcohol brought it all out in the open. But obviously, the main thing that needs to be protected and nurtured is anybody Torn might come into contact with the next time he goes off on one of his drunken rampages.

Asiz Ansari is a hilarious up-and-coming stand-up comedian, and also a star of NBC's Parks And Recreation. Thanks to him, it is now a major goal of mine to go at least once to a ColdStone ice cream store. Not so much to buy the ice cream as to leave a tip.

Bizzaro World Fears Of The Roberts Court

Anybody that is familiar with this blog should know by now that I have no compunctions about linking to blogs that I don't agree with. I purposely looked for variety in my blog roll, actually, and in all my sidebar links. Hell, I link to LaRaza for crying out loud.

In general, though, when I do so I prefer blogs that at least use some measure of rationality in their posts and ideas or, failing that, a sense of humor.

A case in point is this post by the blog Reason Gone Mad. While I am fine with the Supreme Courts recent Citizens United decision, this blog takes a humorous look at what it considers the possible unforeseen circumstances, on down the line, with potential future rulings.

Example-

June 14, 2010 – Wrapping up its 2009-2010 term, the Roberts’ Court has ruled that Goldman Sachs, as a corporate person, is within its constitutional rights to adopt human babies. The company celebrated the ruling by holding an elaborate birthday party for its recently adopted daughter, Goldy McSachs, at which Proctor & Gamble did magic tricks and General Electric came dressed as a clown.

Check it out. If you don't feel like laughing with him, do what I do, just laugh at him.

Ten Americans were arrested for trying to take Haitian children across the border to the Dominican Republic.

I don't know what the fuck is going on here, but if these people are literally selling Haitian babies for ten thousand dollars, that's pretty fucked up, if I do say so myself. A clue here might be that many of these kids, allegedly, still have living parents and relatives. They might still honestly think they are helping the kids, but that's not their call to make. It flies in the face of human decency to not monitor closely a situation like this, where children stand to possibly be taken advantage of by human traffickers who will use these kids as slaves, either for menial labor or sexual purposes.

The fact that these are Christians, from a Baptist Church in Idaho, is no guarantee against potential abuse. When they were apprehended at the border to the Dominican Republic with more than thirty children, it was only natural under the circumstances this would raise eyebrows.

On the other hand, there is another issue that needs to be raised, and that is the propensity of Haitian officials for corruption and bribery. There have been widespread reports of needed emergency goods being held up until "fees" are paid. If they will extort money for goods meant for emergency purposes, even needed food, clothing and medicines, then it stands to reason they will do the same when it comes to somebody wanting to adopt children. In some cases, the idea that human trafficking might be involved would probably only serve to raise the going rate.

I don't trust anybody when it comes to stories like this.

Mancrunch-Your Ad Sucks

The Super Bowl is a group oriented event. It's a time for friends and family. Fathers and sons, and more often anymore females of the family, get together to watch the game and root for their chosen team. I probably won't watch it, because I'm sick of it. It's turned into a spectacle. At halftime some asshat gets out to promote his latest CD, complete with dancers, jugglers, and fire-eaters, and if most people are like me, they take this opportunity to fix sandwiches for the second half.

But even the game has gotten monotonous. No one plays football anymore, it's a race to see who can score the most points, period. A real football game is the opposite, an attempt to prevent your opponent from scoring. That sounds like a distinction without a difference, but it is more pronounced than it sounds. The best games in history usually involve a total of less than twenty points scored by both sides in the entirety of the game.

Now, if a player just holds the ball over the goal line, it's a touchdown, even if his body otherwise never gets near the goal line. This is supposed to increase the excitement level, but all it does is detract from the intended spirit of the game, which is supposed to be more of a blend of offense and defense than is the standard of today.

For mainly this reason, although I'll be rooting for New Orleans in their first Super Bowl appearance, I probably won't be watching. Many others will, however, and advertisers will shell out massive amounts of money for a premium advertising spot. Many others will try, but there will not be enough space for all of them, so many will be turned away. Such as the following one-



Naturally, CBS is receiving complaints for their decision to not accept this ad, and even more for accepting an ad starring college football player Tim Tebow and his mother in a spot from Focus On The Family which is pro-life, or anti-abortion, in orientation. The gist of the ad is that Tebow's mom was strongly advised by doctors to abort Tebow, but she refused to do so. He went on to become a two-time Heissmann Trophy winner. No mean feat, that.

Bear in mind, this is not an ad that is advocating for the outlaw of abortion. This is simply a public service spot urging people to make their own private decisions on behalf of life, to not terminate a pregnancy, with young Tebow presented as an example of why, in their opinion, all life is sacred and important, possibly more than we can know.

The challenge for the pro-abortion rights crowd then becomes simple and obvious. Make an ad that encourages expectant mothers to get abortions, for their own financial and emotional well-being perhaps. Don't advocate for more laws, just follow the Tebow model, encourage abortion as a matter of private choice and initiative. After all, how many babies are going to grow up to be Tim Tebow? He is the exception to the rule. When a doctor advises a woman to terminate a pregnancy, it is far more often than not for sound medical reasons, and listening to any other kind of advice can actually be ill-advised in the vast majority of cases. You can even make the case that the Tebow ad is actually quite irresponsible, as his case is such a rarity.

If you do it in a tasteful manner, maybe you can one day sponsor your own Super Bowl ad. But the minute you bring a political, or for that matter a commercial aspect to the ad, you're almost certainly guaranteeing a rejection.

Again, this is a family oriented event, at least so far as its place on broadcast television goes. No one wants to see political advocacy here, and the programmers at CBS realize this.

The above ad I linked is just silly, and comes across more as an in-your-face stunt than it does a serious advertisement. It wouldn't bother me, but surely these people can understand why most wouldn't want to have to deal with something like this in front of their children during the Super Bowl. Or maybe they just don't care. If they did, they would have presented a tasteful ad with a reasonable appeal to the homosexual community to utilize Mancrunch as a gay dating service, much the way standard dating sites do. How many times do you see these on-line dating sites utilizing advertising that portrays heavy make-out sessions among their clients? You don't. You probably never will, because one, they know it would be offensive and two, they want to be taken seriously.

CBS has the right to make what they consider the proper business decision with their projected audience in mind. Anybody that wants to play in that league should understand the ground rules going in and be willing to abide by them. Otherwise, they really have no grounds for complaint.

A Day To Remember

Seems fitting to remember this event that happened the day before Imbolc, fifty years ago today, February 1st, when four black college students in Greenboro North Carolina refused to not be served at the whites only lunch counter at Woolworth's.

Good thing Obama wasn't in this group, he probably would have bowed to the waiter.

He still would.

If At First You Ram Your Fool Head Against A Wall Of Solid Ice

I used to hate people that said when you fall of a bike you have to dust yourself off and get right back on. I still do. Then along comes Shaun White, and I'm thinking, well what's a fucking bike crash.

New York City-Top Of The Heap

New York City official stats suggest their crime rate is as low as it's been since the late nineteen sixties. You know, back in the days it was the most dangerous city in the US. Bear in mind this is a city that has lost a great deal of its population. Okay, so granted that, officially, the stats are down, though I find it suspicious that these stats were released just a couple of weeks or so before the big New Year's bash.

Back in the old days, many urban areas were suspected of inflating crime stats, and others, in order to qualify for more federal funds. Now you have to wonder if some cities, like New York, don't go the opposite route to attract more tourism and business.

Then again, maybe there is some merit to the claims of lowered crime, seeing as how if you defend yourself from assault, you might well be charged with a crime yourself. If you defend yourself with a gun, you might as well hang it up. You're toast.

Add to this the very real possibility that if you "rat out" some thug for assault, you very likely risk further recriminations in the city that never sleeps. Who could sleep easy under those conditions.

A post from Rob Taylor of Red Alerts details the story of Cyan Brown, who killed a thug-a former rapist and gang member-with a knife, and was for her trouble charged with manslaughter. Now I don't know, maybe, just maybe, the charge was justified. On the other hand, this is a sixteen year old girl who just happened to tab a guy after she bumped into him and he and his friends objected. After the stabbing, his friends left him to die and gave pursuit of Cyan and his friends.

Some crimes just can't be swept under the rug, but thanks to Mayor Bloomberg's "get tough" policy, maybe this will make sixteen year old girls think twice about protecting themselves from known rapists. They should just suck it up and take the abuse. Don't ask, don't tell. New York needs all the good press it can get.

By the way, did you ever wonder exactly how many actual native New Yorkers make it down to the big New Year's bash. I'm thinking not many.

Dealing With Bullies

Hey kids, this is the truth-fighting solves NOTHING! If you are having trouble with a bully, the following video shows exactly the best way to deal with them-laugh at them. Mercilessly. Brutally. And publicly. Make other people laugh at them. Make them laugh at themselves, or make them cry.

Then hope they don't kick your ass.

Damn Lies (And Delicious Thighs)

Howard Zinn recently died. In case you weren't aware, Zinn was a historian of sorts who wrote a book titled The People's History of The United States. It is really a simple concept. Deciding that the vast majority of the history taught to impressionable young schoolchildren was damned lies, he decided to redress the balance by writing a book of more damned lies from the opposite end of the spectrum. A current series on The History Channel chronicles this book, and is produced by another great lover of history, truth, and justice-Matt Damon.

Zinn hated Columbus, and in this article he rips him a new one for the way he treated the American Indians with whom he came in contact during his initial overseas voyages.

That Columbus was a real ass. Before he came along, the Indians of Hispaniola lived idyllic lives, noble savages all, running naked, communing with nature, castrating young males of other Indian tribes to fatten them up for the harvest-that sort of thing. Then along came Columbus and ruined all that.

After the embarrassing fiasco of the East Anglia e-mail scandal, many of us felt the Global Climate Change movement was certainly dead. But, not so fast. It seems like the proponents of Global Warming have a new advocate, who will surely get things back on track.

Osama Bin Laden must be under the mistaken impression that he is widely hated by the American and European Left, but he is trying to make amends by jumping on the Global Warming Bandwagon, stating that the developed nations of the world are responsible for the crises. Citing America as the chief offender, his stated remedy for the situation is to grind the American economy to a standstill. Nations should, he declares, cease trading in the dollar.

Now that Bin Laden has become a de facto member of the Democratic Party, he has his work cut out for him. After all, it's a well-known fact that the Himalayan glaciers are melting at such a rate they will be gone by 2035, according to a report from the United Nations IPCC, which drew their scientific conclusions from in-depth studies of a popular magazine for climbers citing interviews with mountaineers, and a college dissertation by a geography student which interviewed Swiss mountain guides.

The IPCC, along with Al Gore, Lindsey Graham, Barak Obama, etc., and now Osama Bin Laden, certainly have their work cut out for them. If they fail to come up with a solution to this Global Climate Change crisis, how are they ever going to face up to the challenge of the planet devouring menace Galactus in the increasingly likely event he returns to our hapless world. Here he is during his last visit to our quadrant of the galaxy, as captured on film for the documentary Fantastic Four-Rise Of The Silver Surfer.