Random Thoughts From Marybeth

Keeping Busy

I'm still working on keeping the kids busy to cut down on bickering now that they're home all day. My success has been somewhat limited. Duct tape would be soooo much easier.

Today we went to Cave Hill Cemetery.

We stopped by the area devoted to veterans but also went to the lake. The cemetery has a small lake that is home to a variety of ducks, geese, and swans. Going to Cave Hill to feed the ducks has been something I enjoyed as a child and still enjoy with my children.

Yesterday we went to the zoo. Pictures from both days are in the extended entry.

Cave Hill

Louisville Zoo

We got there just in time to see them exercising the elephants.

I would love to have a couple of these at home. I don't know why...I just like turtles.

Remembrance

Louisville native Marine Sergeant David Neil Wimberg died Wednesday after suffering wounds from small-arms fire from enemy forces in Iraq. Sergeant Wimberg was a young man who gave of himself to his community and his country. In high school he "helped organize blood drives, Special Olympics events and the annual senior retreat". He was also a volunteer with the Lyndon Fire Department. He joined the marines in 1999 and would have come home in September.

May God bless his family and give them strength.

I've Created Some Cultures...

...behind the sink, under the bed (so, housekeeping isn't my forte).

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 63% Existentialist 50% Idealist 38% Materialist 31% Modernist 25% Fundamentalist 25% Romanticist 25% Postmodernist 25% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

(Quiz found via the Cheesemistress.)

Friday's Diversion (Mom Held Hostage By Kids: Day Two)

We went to see Madagascar today. It has some funny bits in it which was good since the story itself wasn't that great. It's more of a "wait until it's on cable or DVD" type of movie.

I did like the penguins. It also made planning dinner easier...I just had to have steak.

At least the kids didn't argue during the movie. Though sitting for 80+ minutes just rested them up so they could pester more afterwards. I think I need to think of more strenuous activities for them. Ten mile hikes would be a good start. Or maybe I should look into those team-building camps they have for businesses and see if they have family programs too. It would be a real challenge (for the instructor who has to get my kids to work together). Hey, it worked for the Simpsons (sort of).

Ballet Recital

Emma's ballet recital was last Saturday. We were asked not to take photos during the performance and the ones I took during the dress rehersal didn't turn out well.

It's traditional at her dance school for family and friends to present the dancers with flowers after the recital. Here is a picture of Emma with her roses.

School's Out

Wednesday was the last day of school for my kids. I'm not used to it yet, I keep thinking it's the weekend. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. On the plus side I get to sleep later (this is always a good thing) but being awakened by their bickering isn't all that much better.

I'm trying to think of things to do this summer to keep them busy. Their arguments seem to get worse when they're bored. Yesterday Conor, Emma and I went to a farm to pick strawberries. Trevor had spent the night at a friend's house and was going to a party in the evening so we left him at home to rest.

It's been cooler than usual this spring so there weren't as many ripe berries as we expected. We may go back in a week or two to get more. (More pictures in the extended entry.)

Riding back from the field.

Another Woman Breaks Up a Boys' Club

I took my sons to see the new Star Wars movie on opening day. I have a cold so I wasn't feeling up to sitting through a 2+ hour movie so I didn't stay with them. I was also afraid that I would have a coughing fit that would cause the fans to attack me. As if missing some of Lucas' dialog would be that great of a loss.

This is just background to explain that I can't tell if the following makes sense.

My oldest son said a friend of his compared the Jedi Council to The Beatles and Padmé to Yoko Ono. The explanation he gave of why this is so wasn't very clear. For those of you who have seen the movie, does this comparison make sense? Can you explain it to me?

Bad Taste From Pepsi CFO

Indra Nooyi's speech (.pdf) at Columbia Business School's graduation has created a stir. She compared the "major continents" of the world to fingers of the hand. North America, the U.S. in particular, was compared to the middle finger. As much as I dislike her comparison, I would really be upset if I were Australian. It was ranked the same as Antarctica - neither got a finger in her speech.

Then again, perhaps that's better than getting the finger.

Pepsi has posted a message of apology on their website.

Lake Disappears

Just imagine if the U.S. had the power and technology that some people believe we do.

At least no one is blaming global warming. Yet.

****

We're having thunderstorm warnings where I live and there are tornado warnings elsewhere in Kentucky. Will someone please call Karl Rove and tell him the weather machine needs adjusting?

Idiocy at 340.29 m / s

British rock band Coldplay played Manhattan to promote its highly anticipated new album and band members said they're uncomfortable that they sell so many albums they can move a major corporation's stock price.

(The CNN Money article follows this blurb with the statement "EMI Group Plc (unchanged at $16.12...)" Only it is wrong and links to the wrong company. Actual info is here.)

Lead singer Chris Martin (Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow, father of Apple) also said "fans should respond by downloading the band's music for free from unauthorized file-sharing websites. (They charge for downloads on the Coldplay site.)

Except the shared files aren't actually on websites and are shared directly from computer to computer. No matter. I wonder if he bought into the hype from the record companies that the effort to stop file sharing was for the benefit of the artists. Any good company (one worth investing in) will be looking out for itself and its shareholders, trying to protect their profits. I didn't agree with how the record companies went after file sharers but I'm not on any of their boards nor am I a shareholder so as far as that goes what I think is irrelevant. I voice my opinion by buying fewer CDs than I used to. (Mostly replacements for vinyl albums, I don't buy much by new artists now that my opportunities for trying out new songs has been, um, limited.)

If there is one thing that can stop me from being irritated at the way record companies went after file sharers it's Martin's statements. The band is "uncomfortable" that their album sales can cause a change in the stock price but then say, "We'll sink the whole company (EMI) if we have to."

Someone needs to send him a copy of Shut Up and Sing.

I signed up for membership on Coldplay's site a while back. I wonder if this post will get me banned.

Guest Blogging

David Greenberg wrote a NYT article about guest blogging. A couple of responses are here and here.

In the article he said guest blogging was "the online equivalent of what David Brenner used to do for Johnny Carson". From the reader/viewer point of view, he's right. When Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show he would have a guest host when he was on vacation - no reruns. David Brenner wasn't the only guest host but he was a fairly regular one. He did a good job - he was funny and he handled the talks with the evening's guests fairly well. But it didn't matter if he did as well as Carson would have, he wasn't Johnny.

It's the same with blogs and guest bloggers. Even if the guest has the same political philosophy as the regular blogger (and I gather in this case he doesn't), I feel a sense of disappointment that has nothing to do with the quality of the posts.

I think Greenberg made a couple of mistakes. First he assumed blogging was easy. It's not, at least it isn't when you want the type of reader interaction he was hoping for. Second, he assumed it was hard. It is, but not in the way he seems to think. Doing it well does require some dedication and is challenging but the challenges are different from someone producing their own blog than the challenges for someone who is a substitute blogger.

The only way to know how well you'll do as a blogger is to start your own. For me "doing well" means enjoying it. If you begin by setting goals of x-number of comments or x-number of visitors it will just become another chore and who needs that?

59th District State House Special Election

Kentucky is holding a special election on Tuesday, May 24th to fill the seat vacated by Republican State Representative Tim Feeley who accepted a Judicial Appointment by Governor Ernie Fletcher.

This evening a woman came to my door to ask me to vote for Jody Curry because "as we know, we need more women in Frankfort." I was trying to listen politely but I have to admit I rolled my eyes at that statement. As a woman, I like to see women succeed in politics but I don't consider it a reason to vote for a female candidate any more than I would vote for a man just because he's male. Just tell me your candidate's qualifications and his or her positions on issues.

I was in the middle of cooking dinner so I didn't ask questions, I just listened to what she had to say and then thanked her for reminding me of the upcoming election. I had gotten a phone call from someone working for David Osborn last week but had forgotten the date of the election so I really did appreciate the reminder.

More about the candidates here.

Like Yelling "Fire" in a Crowded Theater

From Newsweek's comment on their article about Guantanamo Bay:

Their information came from a knowledgeable U.S. government source, and before deciding whether to publish it we approached two separate Defense Department officials for comment. One declined to give us a response; the other challenged another aspect of the story but did not dispute the Qur'an charge.

The reaction to the story wasn't their fault. The real problem was caused "by extremists and unhappiness over the economy."

I must have missed the story about unemployed clerics. That has to be the problem right? They were the ones calling for a holy war and most of the rest of the people had been living with a poor economy for the past century. An economy that has been poor for many decades is not going to be cured by one free election. Being self-governing and being responsible for its own success is only the first step. Dropping the medieval mindset and joining the 21st century would be a good second step.

Penn and Teller Said It Best*

Michelle Malking posted a link to the Peta Kills Animals site. I didn't see anything there that I hadn't heard or read before but I did wonder who the non-profit organization (Center for Consumer Freedom) that runs the site is.

It turns out that "CCF is a non-profit coalition of restaurants, food companies and individuals working to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices." Pretty much what I had assumed...someone with a motivation to try to counter PETA's claims, but I would have been more impressed with them if they had mentioned their relationship to the food industry on their About Us page. Knowing that it's business people who are knowledgable about the food industry, even if they have a vested interest in the debate, makes the site more credible to me than if I'm left wondering if it was created by someone who just dislikes PETA.

Not that I hold PETA in high regard.

One of their latest plans is to follow Queen Elizabeth around Canada protesting the use of bearskin hats by her guards. Canada issues 20,000 licenses for the killing of bears each year. The British use fewer than 100 each year for the hats. The small percentage doesn't matter, they go where they get the most publicity. Besides, where the Queen may have the good grace to ignore their obnoxious behavior the hunters may get annoyed with PETA's intrusion into their business.

PETA is also protesting the Shrine Circus in Sault Sainte Marie, Red Deer, Iron Mountain, Oswego, and other cities. (The PETA press releases are basically the same, only the locations are changed.) Tthey complain about injuries to people but don't be fooled, that's only to point out how the animals are reacting to "abuse". Their claim "Shrine Circuses raise funds for the temples’ administrative costs, not for the Shriners children’s hospitals" is misleading. The "administrative costs" includes getting children who need their services to the hospitals.

I just wonder why they left out a Shriner/Mason/Illumiati reference.

* Penn And Teller page for their PETA show.

Terrorist Attacks

In the AP report of recent terrorist attacks on Iraqi citizens:

Qadir said 30 people were killed and 35 were wounded, including about 15 who were in critical condition.

Like many other such recruitment centers in Iraq, Hawija's is located in a building surrounded by cement walls topped with barbed wire in an effort to prevent attacks by car bombs. Men often line up outside such centers early in the morning to apply for jobs at a time of high unemployment in Iraq.

Just so you don't get the idea that the men were standing in line to become police officers or soldiers because they want to do what they can to end the terrorism in their country.

Wikipes

A Wiki for recipes.

Good Dog, Bad People

I make fun of PETA and others who have the "four legs good, two legs bad" mindset but I also am willing to admit that there are some animals that are far superior to some people. This dog is certainly better than the person/people responsible for this.

Zelda

The alpha cat, Zelda the Queen of Grumpiness.

Carnival of the Recipes #38

I'm a few days late posting the link to the Carnival of the Recipes (again). My excuse is that last weekend was Derby weekend...not that I went to the track or any parties. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary but it doesn't matter. When you live in Louisville, the Derby is a valid reason for not getting anything done during the weekend. Actually, with all the pre-Derby activities it can be an excuse not to get anything done for almost a month. Considering how much slacking off I could have been doing almost makes me seem like an over achiever by comparison.

Recipe list:

Leg of Lamb
Cider Brine (for ribs)
Beef Stroganoff
Andouille Habenero Chili
Ethiopian chicken stew (doro wat)
Yebeg Wa't
Braised Pork with Green Chili sauce
Refried Bean Soup
Whipped Sweet Potato with Apples
Chicken Paprika
Chicken Broccoli Au Gratin
Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken Gumbo
Gumbo Van Horn
Shrimp with Snow Peas
Zwieback Crisprolls with Chile
Honey Flax Bread
Avgolemono Soup
Homemade Mint Ice Cream
Lasagana Rolls
Grapes of Wrath (appetizer with grapes, nuts, and blue cheese)
Sangria
Cranberry Revolution
Chocolate Brittle
Javascript Cookies
Super-Duper Healthy No-Guilt Peanut Oat (and chocolate) No-bake Cookies
Overnight Cookies
Damnest Pie Ever Made
Pecan Pie
Very Berry Cherry Cobbler
Cream of Coconut Cake
Salisbury Salsa
Apple a Day

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day and day three of a three-day weekend. Kids around here get Oaks day off from school. (The Oaks is a race for fillies run the day before the Kentucky Derby.) I don't know why they get off for a horse race, all I know is that the it means an extra day for them to clutter up the house. Not that any rational person would call my house neat at any time, it's just now there's an extra layer of clutter over the normal stuff.

When I got up (late morning) I mentioned that it would have been nice if they had cleaned up some for a Mother's Day present to me. My husband pointed out that it's Mother's Day, not Miracle Day. Really. What was I thinking?

Kentucky Derby Post Positions

The post positions for Saturday's Kentucky Derby are (with the jockey and current odds):

Sort It Out (Brice Blanc, 50-1)
Andromeda's Hero (Rafael Bejarano, 50-1)
Sun King (Edgar Prado, 15-1)
Noble Causeway (Gary Stevens, 12-1)
Coin Silver (Patrick Valenzuela, 12-1)
High Limit (Ramon Dominguez, 12-1); Flower Alley (Jorge Chavez, 20-1)
Greater Good (John McKee, 20-1)
Greeley's Galaxy (Kent Desormeaux, 15-1)
Giacomo (Mike Smith, 50-1)
High Fly (Jerry Bailey, 8-1)
Afleet Alex (Jeremy Rose, 9-2)
Spanish Chestnut (Joe Bravo, 50-1)
Wilko (Corey Nakatani, 20-1)
Bandini (John Velazquez, 6-1)
Bellamy Road (Javier Castellano, 5-2)
Don't Get Mad (Tyler Baze, 30-1)
Closing Argument (Cornelio Velasquez, 30-1)
Going Wild (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 50-1)
Buzzards Bay (Mark Guidry, 20-1).

Trivia bits:

Two horses were sired by previous Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus (2000) - Andromeda's Hero and Bandini.

Bellamy Road is owned by George Steinbrenner. He was the winner of the Wood Memorial and is a favorite in the Run for the Roses.

Trainer Nick Zito has five horses running - Bellamy Road, High Fly, Noble Causeway, Sun King, and Andromeda's Hero.

Afleet Alex won the Arkansas Derby. Part of his earnings go to a children's cancer charity.

Science and Faith

I like science. I enjoy the technological advances, the things that make work easier and play more varied. I enjoy reading about the hows and whys things are as they are and feel sadness for those who dismiss scientific study because they feel it threatens their beliefs. I feel even sorrier for those who can only see the mechanics of life and the workings of the universe and are unable to to credit its glories and intricacies to the hand of God.

Superiority Complex

Michael White, political editor for The Guardian, was talking about the upcoming election during a radio interview. But before he began discussing the election he was talking about UK newspapers and their readers. Thanks to the valuable information he gave I now know there are a couple of good papers who cater to intelligent, thinking people. The other papers are for blue collar workers who support the military and don't have complex thinking.

He didn't explain how being against something is more complex than being for something.

Springsteen

There's a column in Slate about Bruce Springsteen (found via INDC.) I don't consider myself a Springsteen fan but I was watching him on VH1's Storytellers.

My teenage son walked into the room and his only comment was, "This guy can't sing." Trevor likes classic rock - mostly from the second [wave of the first*] British invasion - so that's his standard for good music. It's a good thing he didn't stick around long enough to hear Springsteen talk politics or I would still be getting questioned about why I was listening to that liberal stuff. I don't know if I would have an answer. I guess I just hoped that he would have some songs that are fun and fast and rock instead of sounding like a whiney dirge.

*Inserted this to make my meaning clear. The world (or at least Wiki) and I have a different view of what constitutes a second wave.

Teaching About Relationships

Regardless of your opinion on teaching diversity/multiculturalism in school, teaching 5-year-olds in kindergarten about "same-sex couples raising children" raising children doesn't make sense.

It has nothing to do with whether such relationships are "good" or "bad". It's that to a 5-year-old, those relationships don't matter. Young children first begin to recognize how others are related to them (family, friend, teacher...). At kindergarten age they relate to other children as "someone like me" and view the realtionships the other children have in the same way - how the people in that other child's life are related to that child. How those people are related to each other isn't an issue yet. For example, a friend's brother is thought of only as a brother, not as another child of that child's parents. Parents are parents, period. It's not that the child is totally unaware that parents may also be husband and wife or whatever their relationship or lack of relationship is to each other, it's that their primary identification label in his mind is "friend's mom", "friend's dad" (or "friend's other mom"), "friend's grandmother", or "friend's whatever-you-want-to-call-the-person-who-takes-care-of-him". At this age, adults and other household members relationships with each other isn't as important as their relationship with the child or his friends.

For a child who is dependent upon the adults in his life, their relationship with him is what is most important. Funny how some adults seem to have lost sight of this.

I don't believe it's the place of the schools to teach about family relationships. I'll teach my children what they need to know about that when they need to know (when they begin asking questions.) The schools should trust me to do this just as I trust them to teach literature, math, and science (in spite of the fact that one science poster I saw in a classroom said "energy causes light" and another teacher said that touching mercury will burn your skin.)

What some parents teach their children may not be what the educational powers that be think is "right". If the schools spent more time teaching the basics and teaching critical thinking then this wouldn't be a problem. Teach a child to think critically and find the truth for himself and eventually it won't matter if his parents have taught him that anyone different is wrong or to be hated. Life experience and his critical reasoning skills will help him find the truth. Spoonfeed him the ideas that you believe are right and he won't learn anything other than to believe the voices that he hears the loudest.

Carnival of the Recipes #37

This week's Carnival of the Recipes is up at Not Exactly Rocket Science.

Recipe list:

Coconut-Hazelnut Smoothie
Substitute A1 sauce
Queen's Spaghetti Sauce
Split Pea Soup
Bean soup with Hambone
Tortilla Soup
Bachelor Salad
Portobello and Bow Tie Pasta
Gehockteh Leber
Stuffed Zucchini
Beef Tamales
Stuffed Salmon
Pizza (everything from tips to a dough recipe)
Crawfish Etoufee (easy and hard methods)
Fava Beans with Sausage
Pepper Vodka Chicken
Italian Omelets
Landlocked Mussels
Grillade Penne with Tomato Gravy
Sweet Haggis (no intestines, no liver)
Fudge Cake with Whipped Amaretto Icing
Orange Refrigerator Cookies
Fruit Pizza
Key Lime Cream Cheese Pie
Mud Cookies
Crackling Cookies
Doctor Bird Cake
Conor's Birthday Cheesecake
Dinner in a Bowl
Avgolemono Soup