Hilarious! You can't make this stuff up!

I think the copy writer who wrote these headlines on the StarTribune website tonight has a political debate going on within their own head. Check out the headline under "Latest News" on the Pawlenty story. Then, check out the headline linked to the same article under "Most Viewed" on the right.

I know that screen grab is a little hard to see without clicking on it so to simplify for you:

Under "Latest News":

Pawlenty to 'Obamacare:' Drop dead

Under "Most Viewed":

Pawlenty orders state agencies to decline "discretionary" federal health care cash

Another Wake Up Call- Will Anyone Answer?

Well the Martin Luther King, Jr memorial on the mall in Washington D.C. will be completed next year. http://www.mlkmemorial.org/

This has been a long time coming. I am proud to count myself among the many very early contributors to this project.

I remember when many talented people from around the world competed to have their design chosen. In 2000, ROMA Design Group of San Francisco was declared the winner.

Being a big proponent of "Buy American", I was happy at the time, that an American company was chosen from all the competitors to honor a truly great American. I made another donation and put the memorial on the a running list I keep simmering on the back burners in my mind of places I'm going to visit someday.

In 2006 a very talented master sculptor from China, Lei Yixin was named the "Sculptor of Record". There was a little bit of a flap at the time that an American was not the "Sculptor of Record" for a monument to a true American hero but this was nothing more than a blip on the radar as far as news goes.

Even a "Buy American" proponent like myself, reasoned that while not ideal, it was okay if a Chinese master sculptor was coming here to do this. In fact, in my mental image, I could envision Martin Luther King supporting this decision given his love and hopes for his fellow man.

Early this morning, I found out that there was a big flaw in my thinking back in
2006.

A big huge stinking flaw.

Lei Yixin, did not come here to create his masterpiece.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/17/AR2010081705340.html

The Martin Luther King, Jr monument was sculpted in China, from granite from China that then was shipped here in pieces to be erected.

That's right, we outsourced not just the challenge of sculpting this masterpiece but this memorial wasn't even made from America's own granite.

Let me be even more blunt. The corporate greed that is running/devouring this country can't even take a day off to let the hardworking (probably unemployed, since they don't live in China to collect crappy wages) American men and women of this country proudly create their own monuments, from American granite, to an American hero anymore.

While I can't be sure, I'm thinking that even Martin Luther King, Jr. himself, would be incredibly disappointed in what we've let ourselves become.

Tom Emmer Smacked Down By Mark Dayton

Republican Tom Emmer was smacked down by Democrat Mark Dayton when both appeared at Game Fair a huge show for hunters here after he asked about Dayton's previous F rating from the NRA.

Moderator Ron Schara had asked if anyone had any questions for the candidates, Tom Emmer responded, "I do! I do!" Well.. take a listen to what happened next. (I'll put the transcript below)



Tom Emmer: I do. I do. Ah, Senator Dayton you talk about deathbed conversions. Ive explained why I do the things I do. Ah, if you could just explain to me and everybody else here in the state of Minnesota, how is it that you can have an F rating from the NRA and you can sit up here and tell us that you’re gonna defend sportsmen’s rights, you’re gonna defend my right and my children’s right to hunt and fish in this state when you got an F from the NRA? Have you had one of your own ah, deathbed conversions? Well, we wont call it deathbed, but one of your own conversions that you’re sharing with us today?

Mark Dayton: Well, I had a D rating from the NRA in 1982 when I ran for the Senate. I had a two- an A rating in 2000. There were two principal votes you can look em up ah, when I was a Senator. One was ah, banning Cop Killer bullets. And, ah, one reason that I have the endorsement of the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers Association, Representative, is because I respect the law enforcement men and women. I was on a ride-along last week to, as Ive been several times with a police officer in St. Paul. And those guys wear bulletproof vests every time they go out there. Men and women. And anybody who wants to go out there and see them put their lives on the line to protect us.

And when the police chiefs and the police officers of this state and this nation send to us and say, Those bullets are made to kill us, then yeah, Ill vote to ban em. Does that prevent a law-abiding hunter or fisher, a hunter in this state from, from going out and hunting and fishing? Absolutely not.

How many of you, how many of you own Cop Killer bullets and use em against police officers? Raise your hand. How many ever fire a Cop Killer bullet against a police officer in this state? Raise your hand. Nobody’s, Representative Emmer, nobody. Nobody. And they shouldn't ever happen.

Now I'm going to a, a service, I'm sure you are too sir, next week for a sheriff, a deputy sheriff, in this state, who gave his life, a Maplewood police officer who gave his life. Men and women who die. And their children and their wives suffer for the rest of their lives And if I can prevent one police officer in this state from dying through a Cop Killer bullet I will do so as governor of this state. And I will at the same time support the right of every law-abiding Minnesotan to bear arms, to possess firearms as I do, use those for lawful purposes. And to insinuate otherwise is just, just untrue.

As always, many thanks to The Uptake for their invaluable coverage of Minnesota politics!

Shrimp Basil - It's what's for dinner tonight!

I found some Thai basil at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market this morning and here's what I did with it.

Shrimp Basil

1 lb medium tiger shrimp
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 stalk lemon grass sliced fine and chopped very fine (tender part only)
1 inch grated ginger
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 Serrano chilies
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1 ½ Tsp sugar
1 medium white onion – sliced really, really thin
1 cup Thai basil– chopped
2 tbsp oil

Mix the soy sauce,water,fish sauce,lemon grass and sugar in a medium bowl.

Add shrimp and let marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in wok, add the onion and stir fry 2 minutes.

Add ginger,garlic and peppers- fry 30 seconds

Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in the wok stir fry 3 minutes.

Add remaining marinade and cook another 30 seconds

Remove from the wok and stir in the basil.

Serve over Jasmine rice.

Enjoy!!!

*** This dish is spicy. If you want less heat use fewer or milder chilies ***

Weird Connections Just Happen Sometimes

A friend of mine has a hour long radio show called The Matt McNeil Show on http://www.am950ktnf.com/ the local progressive radio station, every evening, covering topics of both local and national interest. Here is a link to his archived shows if you are interested : http://tinyurl.com/34bodw3

Tonight, my friend was on fire.

He gave a passionate, rousing, oration about the seriousness of the worsening global warming and the effect it is having on the earth.

He made the point that one of the greatest causes of global warming is the greed of oil, coal and other corporations. These corporations are determined to make as much money as they can right now because they know that in the near future, the damage will be so extensive that their current practices will be outlawed. They will be forced to change how they do business, and by extension, global warming deniers will be forced see the truth of the harm we have all done.

Now usually, when I'm listening in real time, because it's radio, I'm usually doing something else at the same time. Sometimes it making supper and other times it can be a simple as perusing the morning newspaper to unwind from whatever kept me from reading it in the morning to begin with.

Tonight I was working the "cryptoquip" which is printed on one of the comic pages in the paper.

As I was listening to the show, I found myself getting more riled up with each point he ticked off.

As what little concentration I had slipped away, I realized that today the "cryptoquip" was going to remain unfinished.

I began skimming the funnies, not really feeling like laughing but just trying to balance out the sadness and anger that is always simmering below my surface but tonight was starting to boil as I thought about how fast and easily America has become a corpocracy, instead of the democracy that I believe our founders intended.

Looking at the comics was a mistake. A big one. I really wasn't expecting to feel worse.

But then I saw this:

Seriously?

Hitler has become a punchline on the funny pages?

What the HELL is wrong with us that not only are we willing to destroy our planet but we find humor in one of the worst atrocities ever committed against mankind?

What have we let ourselves become?

We should be ashamed of ourselves....

and then we better wake the fuck (excuse my language) up.

Quick or it really will be too late.

Spider Takes Down Web

On one hand, spiders really creep me out, no doubt the result of one too many horror movies when I was a kid. Wherever there were spiders and spiderwebs, you just knew there was a mad scientist or monster nearby.

On the other hand, spiderwebs fascinate me because they are so intricate and it's impressive that a single spider can spin a web of such beauty so quickly.

This morning, like every other morning, I got up before the sunrise to see my husband off to work. This morning unlike every other morning, when I waved to him out the window, and instead of looking at his handsome face, my eyes were drawn to this...



Any remnants of sleepiness were driven out by irrational fear.

That was a big spider! Much bigger than it looks in that picture and it was sitting on a web that seemed to be just hanging in midair.

What's a big hot mess who just got up to do?

I grabbed my camera and headed outside, where I found a good size web that had clearly been good to this spider last night as far as trapping food flying by goes...



At this moment, the sun was an orange ball just cracking the horizon so I decided that if I waited a few minutes, I could get a couple of nice shots of some drops of sunshine glistening off the web.

Seemed like a good plan except the spider had other ideas. She started to dismantle the web in lightning fast time. (I apologize for the quality of the first picture, it literally took this spider about 10 seconds to take the web down)...





and off into the tree she went....



It will be interesting to see if she rebuilds in the same spot later today.

My Springer Spaniel Actually Caught a Bunny Rabbit Today

After taking this picture, I went in to get some chicken in the hopes that it would be more enticing.

When I came out the bunny was gone.

I'm not 100% positive, and won't be until after a couple days of poop checking, but I believe the bunny rabbit lived to feast in my garden for the rest of the summer, since there was not a trace of fur or anything else in the grass. Unless of course, my springer spaniel just swallowed it whole....

She sure looks pleased with herself doesn't she?

****Update****

I'm happy to report the baby bunny is doing fine!

After posting this on Thursday, I didn't see the bunny for the rest of the day.

Yesterday, when I put the dog out in the yard, much to my surprise, the little bunny hopped out to greet her. After picking her up (again, like a kitten) the dog and the little bunny laid down in the grass together.

While they were laying there, a crow flew in and perched on the garage. The dog, sensing that the crow might be considering making a meal of her new friend, roughly picked up the bunny and ran and stood with her in the hostas, keeping a very watchful eye on the crow until it flew away about 5 minutes later.



It would appear we have a little "Are you my Mawwwwwwmm", Babe action going on here.

Rest in Peace Bobby Hebb