This song is dedicated to the phoniest hypocrit in southwest Louisiana, Beverly J.


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Somebody call George Will

This picture of the Beaufort Sea almost free of ice was kept secret by the Bush regime. I'm sure they thought it might send the wrong message to America's enemies.

Ow! The Stupid, it Hurts

"Of course Canada has longer life expectancy than the U.S. -- we have 10 times more people." - Bill O'Reilly, in response to a caller commenting on the longer life expectancy of Canadians to Americans. Bill O'Reilly, taking stupid to an entirely new level.

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3060320&ref=fpblg

Music I'm Listening To

I hope Amy Winehouse doesn't fly so close to the sun that she burns out. I'm spending the evening alone, on purpose, listening to Amy Winehouse's album, Frank. I find it -- and her -- incredible. Take a few moments and listen to this incredible woman sing the blues. She's a wordsmith, too, so as much as you can, pay attention to the words. If you can't understand them, do a Google search and then follow along. Here's a link to her singing Come Fuck Me Pumps. Amy Winehouse doesn't do elevator or background music. You either listen to her or you don't hear her. Plain and simple.

How Stupid is Texas?

Well, Texas is an inanimate object incapable of being smart or stupid, so rephrasing: how stupid are Texans? If their governor is any measure, Texans are setting new marks for stupid. Texas Governor Hair Do, aka Rick Perry, hates the U.S. Federal government ever since his BFW, George "Dubya" Bush quit being President. First, he threatens that Texas will secede if forced to use any of that dirty ol' federal stimulus money if it goes to ordinary folks instead of his friends' pockets.

"Moreover, Perry’s “state sovereignty” cries don’t carry much credibility. In March, he rejected $555 million in federal stimulus funds to expand unemployment benefits, arguing that accepting the money would burden Texans with “higher taxes and xpanded obligations.” However, just this month, Perry was forced to ask the federal government for a $170 million loan to cover unemployment insurance and the state is expected to request a total of $650 million, around $100 million more than Perry originally rejected." - Ben Armbruster at Think Progress

Next, he says he'll invoke the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution to keep Texans from benefiting from any type of health care reform forced upon it by the United States Congress. Oh, and he doesn't acknowledge Congress' roll in the reform, preferring instead to refer to it as "Obama Care."

Says Perry: “It really is a state issue, and if there was ever an argument for the 10th Amendment and for letting the states find a solution to their problems, this may be at the top of the class,” Perry said. “A government-run healthcare system is financially unstable. It’s not the solution.” How's Texas doing at finding a solution to their health care problem? Not very well, if numbers mean anything. According to U.S. Census Bureau report, nearly 25 percent of all
Texans lack medical insurance. To Texas Republicans this is not a problem because it's mostly Mexicans, Blacks, and White trash that don't have insurance. None of those groups is important.

Ben Armbruster, writing for Think Progress, gives Gov. Perry all the rope he needs to hang himself. Read the entire article.

Frank McCourt died.

"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood."

Rest in peace, Frank. Damn you, rest in peace.

Talk About Good!

I was invited to a 4th of July Barbeque at my friends, Rich and Jerry. Jerry barbequed ribs and chicken, Rich made an outrageous potato salad, Ray made some dynamite macaroni and cheese, and I made sweet corn & toasted walnut risotto.

Now, I loves me some good risotto, and this was just about as good as I've ever had. This serves anywhere from six to eight people.

Sweet Corn & Toasted Walnut Risotto

1/2 to 1 cup of chopped walnuts
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup white wine
3 cans chicken broth, heated
5 ears of sweet corn
1-1/2 sticks butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped tarragon

You begin my toasting about 1 cup of walnuts. Toasting them really does bring out the flavor. Put them aside until you finish the dish. They're the last thing you add.

Next, cut the corn off the cob and scrape the juice out of the cob. Not put the corn to one side.

In a large skillet, melt one stick of butter on low heat so you don't burn it, and then turn the heat up and add the chopped onion. Cook for five to ten minutes and then add the chopped garlic and shallot. Cook for another five minutes. Add the rice and cook with the onion and garlic for about five minutes. Now add the white wine and cook until most of it is absorbed.

Begin to add the hot chicken broth, one can at a time, slowly, letting most of it be absorbed by the rice. This should take about 15 minutes. After adding the last can of broth, add the corn and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the last of the butter and the parmesan cheese and when well well absorbed, turn off the fire and add the walnuts. The chopped parsley, the green onions and the tarragon are sprinkled over the top before serving.

Talk about good!