Thank you Smintheus for sharing the Huffington Post article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... about George Washington and his strong stance against the torture of prisoners during the Revolutionary War. Without Washington's leadership I might not be alive today. So take a break from candidate diaries and celebrate Presidents Day with me.
(This is a re-release in honor of Presidents Day. I originally published it late on Friday so I don't think that too many people got to read it.)
Thank you Smintheus for sharing the Huffington Post article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... about George Washington and his strong stance against the torture of prisoners during the Revolutionary War. Without Washington's leadership I might not be alive today. So take a break from candidate diaries and celebrate Presidents Day with me.
(I published this over the weekend, kindof late and not many people read it. I added a bit to it and am republishing it today in the hope that more people get to read it.)
Hello fellow Obama supporters. My apologies for asking this in a diary, but I heard from my boss that Obama was appearing in Baltimore City tomorrow, Feb. 7, but I can't find any reference to it online.
The Baltimore Sun has an interesting article on the front page today about how 350 stories of military heroism written in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past six years are not available to the public.
At my local thrift store, I recently picked up a book entitled, "Warrior Women, An Archaeologist's Search for Histories Hidden Heroines," by Jeannine Davis-Kimball, Ph.D. It tells the tale of the author's research into Iron Age burial mounds in the steppes of Russia, Kazakstan and Mongolia. Into the kurgan (burial mound) dear kossacks so I can continue this tale.
Pork, aka earmarks, those lovely tidbits that lawmakers tuck into spending bills and send home to their constituents like tokens of affection from a distant lover. It is a topic that returns year after year to annoy us; a veritable fiscal heartburn if you will.
It's late and no one will probably read this, but I think it's time to figure out a way to remove some of the fat from this bacon. Follow me into the smokehouse dear readers.
The great State of Maryland currently boats an unemployment rate of 3.8%. Wow, 3.8%. That should give you the warm and fuzzies shouldn't it. Follow me and I will tell you another not so pleasant tale.
While it has definitely been taking alot longer to sell homes in Maryland, with our proximity to DC we have been spared alot of the pain in the housing market. But like many areas we have plenty of subprime loans. WMAR, the abc affiliate here in Baltimore has been doing alot of research and reporting on the issue. They have even been mapping the foreclosure hotspots and studying the demographics of the issue. It is not pretty.
Hello everyone, given the fact that most of the political news lately has been about scandal and lies and all of the negative crap that can go on in politics today, I thought I would bring to you a local ray of hope. Follow me below the fold please.
Although I swore I would never do it, I sat down and watched a few minutes of Katie Couric interviewing the Preznit. Now I have not watched Katie since before 9/11 as I find her to be of little intelligence and even less wit (it's the wit part that really bugs me). So, there she is, dressed like my mother back in the 50's (who's fucking idea was that)? On top of that, she walks hunched over, her body language screaming that she knows she is in over her head. But this is all window dressing. The really awful part is below the fold, follow me.
If you will bear with me on this, several random events have happened recently that have lead to this diary. Thoughts on language and this issue that some call race.
I was hanging out at home tonight desperate for a book to read while soaking in some suds. Sadly, with the exception of two huge cookbooks and some back copies of the AQHA Journal there is not a printed word in this house that I haven't read. Oh, don't feel sorry for me, I own lots of books, but my spare dough for the past six months has all gone into my house and things like reciprocating saws and sandpaper, etc. Library you say; sure, as soon as I get two more rooms painted. More below the fold.
Okay, it's a slow chilly day in central Maryland and here I sit at lunchtime shopping for a Christmas gift for one of my sisters. She is a rabid fiberholic. For those of you who don't know what a fiberholic is, in my sisters case she knits and spins her own yarns and felts fabric and weaves sometimes too.
In shopping for her gift, I saw a bunch of interesting fiber-artist blogs.
James Webb has a new book out, Born Fighting: How the Scots Irish Shaped America. In it he details the important social and political contributions that this oftentimes overlooked group has made to America. Many people do not know that the term Scots Irish refers to Scots who went to Northern Ireland and then eventually came to America, settling in Appalachia directly. More below the fold.
Ah, the Land's End Catalog and the memories of the pre-teen years. I can remember the catalog arriving at the house and being allowed to pick out something wonderful for Christmas. Just one item Chillin, so make it good. For days I would imagine wearing the blazers from England or the shoes from Italy. There were wool sweaters from Scandinavia or Peru and the wonderful cover stories about the journeys that the buyers would make in search of these rare treasures. Weavers, shepherds, cobblers, they have all been featured on a cover and interviewed for an in-depth story inside the issue. I have always been drawn to items that are hand-crafted or otherwise uniquely made so this catalog really spoke to me. Along with the items made in foreign lands, many of the items were made in the good old US of A. Yet another piece of my childhood that is no more.
