"Arrangement in Gray and Black Fur," popularly known as "Little Kitteh" by Sissy Willis. Digital image. Click here for full size.
"Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1," popularly known as "Whistler's Mother" by James McNeill Whistler. Oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris
"The Republicans have Sarah and Michele. They'll clean up Nancy's mess soon enough," we wrote in the comments to Ann Althouse's graphic answer to the question "How do we really feel about Nancy Pelosi?" wherein Althouse enlists her "resident animator Chip Ahoy" to photoshop a picture of Pelosi in her final agony glory "with a teabag dangling down her mouth," at a reader's request. Above photographic image of a stump also gets into the act. Althouse pronounces the final result "a landmark in the journey toward equality for women." Unsafe for work or play.
"The health care battle wasn't Obama's Waterloo, but it may yet be his Bunker Hill," write the Washington Examiner's editors in one of many clear-eyed, we're-gonna-win-this-thing articles, blogposts and tweets out there this morning beckoning us back to the battlefront:
By the time American patriots there ran out of ammo and succumbed to the Redcoats in 1775, they had exacted a terrible toll, leading British Gen. Sir Henry Clinton to remark that "it was a dear-bought victory, another such would have ruined us." Likewise, Obama won on health care, but he lost public opinion. Most Americans believe his signature legislation will either do nothing to help them or will actually worsen their health coverage and drive up costs. The health care debate united more Americans in bipartisan opposition to Obama's government takeover.
But Democrats can still make this November's election significantly worse. Pressing on with the same obsessively partisan agenda Obama began last year will do the trick.
Dana Loesch has facts and figures in a rousing call to arms that's rightfully gone viral, "The socialists won a battle; now it's our turn":
Last night the Democrat party died as it drove a spear through the torso of the Constitution and passed legislation that the majority of Americans overwhelmingly opposed. Nancy Pelosi sauntered into the capitol surrounded by fellow socialists, carrying the gavel used in 1965 to pass the now-bankrupt Medicare.
It was Loesch herself who was one of the early instigators of the Brown Revolution in Massachusetts, when she wrote late December:
As I mentioned on air last week, this could be even bigger than Scozzafava with the right amount of support. While Scozzafava was a stand against the establishment within the GOP, this is a fight against national socialism flown under the guise of health care.
Back to the moment at hand,"forget about flagging pessimists on our side of the debate like Charles Krauthammer," we wrote in the comments at neo's, where our good friend is admonishing her readers to "Stop the whining about 'it can't be repealed.'" As we wrote there:
The powers that be may be slow to catch on, but the Tea Party movement — today’s sons and daughters of liberty! — is not going away. Scott Brown was just an opening shot across the bow of at-sea political elites who would impose their unwanted statist utopia upon us.
Look, instead, to Bill Kristol. He was among the first to suggest Scott Brown run as 41st vote to stop Obamacare. Dems overrode that with dirty tricks, but give us time. Kristol's latest is a rousing call to battle:
"Repeal: a one word agenda for Republicans."
A taste of Kristol's savory mindfeast, and then head over and treat yourself to the whole thing:
And even on this issue, the message will have to be not just repeal but also replace — replace Obamacare with sensible reforms. What’s more, working out exactly how to repeal and replace the parts of the legislation that will already be in effect is an important task, one to which I know Paul Ryan has already given some thought.
But the details of the replacing and reforming are secondary. Repeal is the heart of the matter. It should be the heart of the message. Think of it this way: This year Obama has handed Republicans a one-item Contract with America, an item a majority of the public supports — opposition to, and therefore repeal of, Obamacare.
Update: "Repeal may be a convenient political rallying point," writes Dan Riehl, with a link, a Thomas Sowell warning and a caveat of his own:
Whether it's an effective solution remains to, hopefully, be seen. John Hawkins has another idea involving de-funding this power grab by a now purely Leftist federal government that effectively abandoned democracy and the Constitution right in front of the news media's cameras, which couldn't have cared less. So, don't look to the media as impartial, let alone an ally. We're on our own, now.
Bill Whittle, you may have put the nation on the road to recovery of the Founders' enlightened vision of freedom singlehandedly. Longhandedly, that is, as in writing out the Declaration of Independence longhand. We've completed the first part (three 8 1/2 x 11 sheets, above) and found the exercise a revelation. Two examples: 1. it was the united (l.c. "u") States of America (emphasis on individual states), not the United States. 2. The goal was to "effect" rather than "affect" the people's "Safety and Happiness," a positive intention rather than a vague hope (yes you, Hopenchangers). Also, bonus revelation, we can still write longhand!
"Bill Whittle has given me a new idea for an art project for my sixth graders," writes blogbuddy and art teacher extraordinaire Laura Lee in the comments to our previous post. "I've just ordered new calligraphy pens and paper":
OBJECTIVE: The students will recover, evaluate, analyze and create an artwork by writing in longhand, with calligraphy pens, the Declaration of Independence.
I have a large copy of the Declaration hanging in a place of honor in my art room.
Detail of one of Laura Lee's student artworks. It looks to be a technique we remember from our own enchanted childhood, where you make a drawing with waxy crayons and then overwash with poster paint. The layered result evokes a pentimento, revealing something of the artist's thinking as the work progressed.
At her own blog in a must-read call to arms infused with the tea party spirit, Laura Lee expands on the theme of what's the matter with education today (see Gramscian march through the institutions) and her lonely fight to foster a richly-textured understanding and appreciation of the Shining City Upon a Hill that is at the heart of American exceptionalism:
Forget the NCAA tournament, the Iditarod, and the Academy Awards, it’s Art Season for me. Three art competitions in recent weeks have had me working day and night to prepare my “players” for their chance to shine.
"A must view" we wrote in our post Too Late to Apologize: Music video as history lesson. "Rousing music, sublime production values and compelling performances blend 18th- and 21st-century perspectives into the perfect historically-aware antidote to the 'ideas' of clueless North Carolina education 'leaders' who are proposing to revamp the state's 11th-grade curriculum by skipping the Revolution and Civil War and covering U.S.history only from 1877 onward.'"
"Why do I do it when most of the Arts establishment discourage competition in art? (and other areas)," she asks rhetorically:
The art establishment discourages competition in art just as educational elites frown upon any kind of competition in schools. Children are not being encouraged to compete or to strive to achieve in many schools in America, unfortunately.
Talent is the great equalizer; I’ve taught in high socio-economic schools as well as the low socio-economic school where I am teaching presently. I much prefer schools in poor neighborhoods. The children aren’t as distracted by ipods, video games and other prizes of the well off. Many of my students are immigrants and appreciate the education that our school is providing. Many, of course, not all, of the students who I taught who came from richer neighborhoods did not have aspirations to achieve.
"When life comes easy, achievements are few," observes Laura Lee:
What does the national art educational establishment consider important? Not achievement, nor excellence but social justice."
See what you've started, Bill Whittle? And while we're on the subject of re-enlightening that Shining City:
A "Call to action! March 16th, 2010 — Stop Obamacare 2.0" from Tabitha Hale of FreedomWorks:
We are calling everyone that is able to come to Washington, DC on March 16th, 2010 for one last push against Obamacare. We will meet at the Cannon building at 9 am and speak with as many representatives as possible, encouraging them to vote NO on this version of health care reform.
Hey, Heather J. You'll be in the area. How's about representing the clan for us? Field reports sought. You take pictures, we'll post 'em here.
"Now, that’s what I call a real Happy Meal!" says Elisson, who knows what a hungry eye wants:
Yes, but it's those very artfully placed cockeyed raisins that transform the objet trouvé into a work of art. Plus, like all great art, it contains layers of meaning, sending the mind's eye of the beholder on flights of fancy and self-revelation. For example, give his breakfast a quarter turn, and you're in EXTRA Happy Meal territory:
Continuing to read into Elisson's original "statement," try turning it 180, and we're talkin' Eric Cartman of "South Park":
According to Wikipedia, South Park creators "Stone and Parker have said that … Cartman is largely inspired by All in the Family patriarch Archie Bunker, and creating him as a 'little eight-year-old fat kid' made it easier for the two to portray a Bunker-like character after the introduction of political correctness to late-20th-century television."
What can you read into our own artful edible, Mr. Grapefruit, a regular on the Sunday Breakfast circuit?
Update: New layers of meaning, with religious overtones, emerge from a midmorning imail conversation:
She: I always thought that :-D was a snide thing, not a happy thing, and have been using it inappropriately for YEARS.
We : LOL. Spreading extra happiness unbeknownst to you.
The Lord does move in mysterious ways.
The "SUE Lamp," a one-of-a-kind keeper from the Tuckman's shop for our sis, in three easy steps:
2. With a few skillful turns of band saw, drill press and dremel tool, remove everything that doesn't look like "sue" and drill diagonally up from the bottom and vertically down from the top of the "u" to provide a channel for the cord. In the base, drill halfway down from top and then halfway in from the back to complete the channel. Fine tune with rasps and files.
3. Finish things off with 3 coats of Gesso, wet-sanded, followed by countless coats of water-based high-gloss enamel by Krylon. Total cost of materials: c. $30 (wood was available "free" from shop inventory of leftovers). Total labor: 40 hours. A little gem of a thing.
"Awww. You shouldn't have."
We had provided technical assistance utilizing LinoType's online "Font Finder" and "Create sample" features, scrolling through the "Sans Serif" category to find a face that matched Tuck's original back-of-the-napkin sketch (above). We hit the jackpot with two members of the "Neue Helvetica® Font Family," "85 Heavy" and "86 Heavy Italic," using italic for the "s" and "e" and regular for the "u" to get a nice distribution of positive and negative spaces and the solid vertical upright that would hold the Home Depot lamp hardware and K-Mart lampshade. We got the sample into Photoshop for a little cutting and pasting and size adjustment, and the finished product was astonishingly close to Tuck's second sketch (upper right).
The wrapping paper itself, printouts of the logo in various colors on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets, provided documentation and a witty commentary on the design process. Tuck used his paper shredder to get the reference to the lampshade's fringe along the bottom, and Tiny, sitting atop the printer behind the gift package in the countdown to supper the other afternoon, lent the necessary surrealistic air of mystery to the proceedings.
Tuck looks on with proprietary satisfaction at Saturday presentation ceremonies for the belated Xmas gift Down East, where family members gathered for a Valentine's/Mummy's Birthday luncheon of comfort foods featuring Fanny Farmer's classic Beef Stew with Vegetables — the Bourguignonesque version slow-cooked on the stovetop with red wine and beef stock — freshly baked Pillsbury Italian and vanilla ice cream with addictive Butterscotch Sauce [Mummy's signature Sunday treat way back when]. We made our dessert sauce the old-fashioned way — following the superbly written and illustrated "How to Make Butterscotch" at Simply Recipes: No more corn syrup!
The "card" was a copy of Tuck's working drawings, suitable for framing.
We love the playfulness of the beaded fringe that hangs from the pale ivory lampshade. Let there be light!
"The Obama spending bill would stimulate the government, not the economy," writes Mitt Romney in an enlightening must-read "Special to CNN" commentary that breaks through the murkiness of Obama & Company's wobbly, defensive warnings of gloom and doom predicting the end of the world as we know it if Republicans don't get behind the Democrats' "recovery" plan. We loved Jules Crittenden's take-off of the Con Man in Chief's "sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress," quoting from an Obama Wa Po op ed:
Ha ha, just kidding. He didn’t really say that last bit. I made that up. Sounds good, though.
Wicked good.
Despite our profound admiration and respect for our former Taxachusetts Gov, we weren't a huge Romney fan during the primaries — long-shot candidate Fred Thompson was our man back then — and had to bite the bullet to get behind John McCain when he became our party's candidate, but Romney and McCain are lookin' pretty good about now.
Even court jester and VP Joe Biden ain't lookin' so bad these days, having unwittingly told it like it is — sorta — when he addressed House Democrats at their posh retreat at Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg, VA to discuss future strategery, "If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there's still a 30 percent chance we'll get it wrong." We might quibble with the percent, but right on, Mr. Vice President!
Update: Maggie's links.
Scenes from a Birthday Party. Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, a bottle of cognac and a gentleman's portable umbrella were among the gifts for Tuck's 68th, frosting on the cake of a Cold Turkey Cookbook Birthday Eleganza computerside last evening. First course (not pictured), a Tucker favorite we hadn't served in years, steamed artichokes with butter dip.
Checking in at the California Artichoke Advisory Board website for how long to steam the 'chokes — 25-45 minutes, till center petal pulls out easily — we came upon this showstopper, Artichoke Benedict. Look to the animals, and look to the plants.
First among equals, most exclaimed-over gift of the night was The Daily Carrot. We present a carrot to our hubby each afternoon before supper, trying to outdo ourselves from day to day by surprising him with ever more creative contexts. One memorable presentation involved laying the carrot in the arms of the SpongeBob atop his computer. Another had the carrot hidden in plain sight amidst the finger foods of a Friday Puzzle Date doib plate. This time we raised the bar, setting the bright orange taproot — as one would a precious jewel — inside an acetate teabox, wrapped and ribboned to blend in with the other gifts, most of which he knew about ahead of time, having helped us pick them out. "Do I know what this is?" he asked. "Not really," we began, adding after a pregnant pause "Well, you SHOULD know." The lightbulb went off, a moment of pure pleasure as he realized he'd been fooled again.
Second course: French Onion Soup. We melted some butter and sweated down the sliced onions an hour in our fave old-fashioned Revere Ware stainless steel pan — a faithful servant of decades when fancier, trendier pans came and went — turning them occasionally till they turned "dark mahogany." Then you add white vermouth to the pan, turn up the heat and reduce liquid to a "syrup consistency." Add broth and cider and simmer 15 minutes. Full recipe here. Note: We made Pillsbury French bread, used Gruyere cheese and followed the Food Network's suggestion of an "optional" splash of cognac. Tuck said it was the best soup ever. 'Wish we'd taken more pictures, but we were too busy savoring the moment.
The rest of the menu, served in classic Cold Turkey "Petit Fours" mindful-eating style:
Baked Stuffed Potatoes (Recipe to come)
"Broccoli Moose" (Recipe to come)
Candied Carrot Coins (Recipe to come)
Great presents, great food, great company. An evening to remember, and infinitely more soul-nourishing than tuning in to Red-Diaper Baby Barry Obama's "Sally Struthers of our national conscience" infomercial, the one that delayed the start of the World Series broadcast last night.
The great unwashed laundry catches the light fantastic early morning.
Beauty in unexpected places rewards the watchful eye.
A come-hither whisper from within a "Beggar's Purse" of wax paper, where one of our Corny Cornbread Mini Muffins poses provocatively atop the dining room table. To make your own: Use the recipe at "Extremely corny and very moist," substituting a cup of thawed, puréed frozen corn if you don't have fresh steamed. Then dollop the batter into a Pam-sprayed mini-muffin pan and bake 15 minutes at 350˚. Yield: 12 minis. See below for how to make wrapper. It's a piece of cake.
"I have just invented the most adorable bit of packaging," we wrote our imail correspondent this morning:
'Was trying to find a cute container for a batch of Corny Cornbread Minis to present as a hostess gift this evening. 'Didn't have any containers or cute boxes of the right size. 'Was about to just put 'em into a reclosable food storage bag when inspiration struck: Wax paper!
She: TELL ALL!!!
We: You place a mini in the center of a six-inch square (half the roll width) of wax paper, draw together opposite corners over the top of the mini and give the thing a twist.
She: AWESOME!! They're called Beggar's Purses, I think, in regard to wrapping little things in dough.
We: I must try it in DOUGH sometime. I LOVE the term, and it fits perfectly with how I stumbled upon it. I do LOVE the look and feel of wax paper. Very sensuous, dreamy … WAXY!
She: LOL. You know whose mother necessity is.
We: Beauty in unexpected places.
The structural memory of wax paper is such that the twist held, creating a swirling array that reminded us of the spiraling armies of dancers in the totally awesome opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, masterwork of former dissident movie director Zhang Yimou, now dissed by critics as "a kind of Chinese Leni Riefenstahl, creating beautiful backdrops for iron-fisted rulers." We caught some of the stagecraft and pyrotechnics — Busby Berkeley on steroids — in the wee hours this morning on NBC. George and Laura were there, bravely soldiering on as the world teeters on the edge.
"How cute is THAT???" wrote our sis when we imailed the top photo:
She: I think you can do for waxed paper what you did for lard.
We: LOL. May I quote you?
She: Well, just two old-time things that people have kind of forgotten about.
So much good stuff that people have kind of forgotten about, so little time.
How to add accents (Voilà!) and trademarks (Bush's Fault™) and symbols of love (
) to the text of your blogposts? Being allergic to reading how-to manuals, we'd always relied on the hunt-and-peck method -- google an instance of the symbol, then cut and paste it into the editing window, or in the case of hearts, screengrab, edit in Photoshop and then upload as a JPEG image. But no more, thanks to Dr. Mercury's Miracle Cure, featured in today's installment of the good doctor's weekly-plus "Computer Corner" at Maggie's Farm:
Bonjour, garçon! Here ees my résumé!
I mean, if you're going to act cosmopolitan … at least look cosmopolitan! …
Okay, this is slick and easy.
Go to Start Menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, "Character Map."
The Doc's excellent instructions were meant for Windows, of course, which got our workaround, problem-solving juices flowing. Apple's "Character Palette" is instantly accessible in a drop-down menu from a little flag symbol along the top right of our iMac screen. [The flag has been there all along, but we never thought to check it out before. So much for intellectual curiosity.] Instead of Windows' five steps from Start Menu to "Character Map," it's only two clicks for us from flag symbol to "Character Palette." As we said in the comments at Maggie's, "L'État, c'est Mac!"
Update for non-bloggers, from an imail chat this afternoon:
Goomp: I read "Voilà!" but I am not sophisticated enough to understand it.
We: It's just a technical trick that makes it easy to insert foreign punctuation marks and other symbols into blog posts.
Goomp: I am sure other bloggers will find it helpful. It sounds like a time saver.
We: Plus the fun of acquiring a new skill.
Goomp: After you expained it, I get the idea. I think those who will use it probably understand.
Not to mention the undercurrent of Mac-vs-PC-flame-war innuendo in Dr. Merc's and our own dueling comments at Maggie's.
Garrett Dash Nelson
Dem Apples
Dem Apples doesn’t have to be a mere repository of apostrophic debates about liberalism and ironically amusing comments by slightly off-kilter cat women
Patricia Baker
Pat's Pond
One more nose-bite to you, Blogmother.
Pat Santy
Dr. Sanity
Sissy Willis at sisu puts on her psychological hat in this excellent post.
Recent Comments