Awww… poor Larry Craig
by V.E. on February 16th, 2008
They finally decided that he did a bad thing. Whatever will he do? Will lose his parking spot, or just his chauffeur?
In all seriousness, though, what took them so long to “admonish” Senator Craig? Was there any doubt about whether or not an abuse of power is—oh, I don’t know—an abuse of power? WTF was there to decide?
PS: He was “still not gay” as of late August last year and probably “still isn’t,” whatever the hell that means. As if, you know, being gay is a bad thing.
France and the (most recent) Holocaust uproar
by V.E. on February 16th, 2008
filed under politics, thoughts
Honestly? I think President Sarkozy (of France, for all you US-centric people out there) has the right idea. I think he’s right when he says,
It is ignorance that produces abominable situations. It is not knowledge. Let us make our children, children with open eyes who are not complacent.
But, I’m of a divided mind. I understand the viewpoint that letting/forcing/having French schoolchildren “adopt” a Holocaust survivor may be traumatizing for them when/if they identify with their “adopted” victim. I understand that some people are not happy with the apparent assertion that religion has a place in French schools. But, I get the President’s idea, too. I mean, we don’t want deal with something like this again.
It’s not really about religion, is it? The Holocaust, I mean. I guess it was for Hitler, at least at first; after all, if you’re going to run a country with any efficiency (and he was, if nothing else, efficient), you need some kind of scapegoat to pin all the crappy stuff on. For Hitler, the original scapegoat was the Jews. I say “original” because eventually he was just shipping pretty much everyone off to the death camps, unless you were all of the following: strong and in good health, fertile, blonde, blue-eyed, German, lacking any sketchy family history, an adherent of/to Mein Kampf *—and sometimes not even all that could save you.
* Link is to a PDF of an English translation, courtesy of (believe it or not) the American Nazi Party.
But it wasn’t really about religion, at least not for the oppressors. And heaven knows it was traumatizing for everyone then, maybe even including the oppressors. Psychologists and schoolteachers of today are right to say,
The emotional burden can have negative consequences for a child who is developing. One can not place on a child of 11 the responsibility for what happened back then.
However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t teach them about what happened during the Holocaust. Have you ever been to the Museum of Tolerance or the Holocaust Memorial Museum? Damn right it’s traumatizing! I cry every time I seriously think about… that stuff. I don’t want to think about it because it hurts. How could anyone do that?
I understand the knee-jerk need to protect “our children” from bad things in this world. But I think the French President is right to make this a priority. “Our children” need to know about the Holocaust. We can’t protect them forever. And it would be nice if they learned enough to avoid creating a similar tragedy in the future.
Your thoughts?
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
by V.E. on February 16th, 2008
filed under entertainment, recap/review
I’ve (finally) finished all of the main quests in Oblivion for Xbox 360 and now I feel like I can move on with my life. LOL. I’m a little obsessive, as you all know by now, when it comes to finishing things, and I’m glad this one is overwith.
That’s what I thought to myself after Emperor Martin (voiced by Sean Bean) crushed the Amulet of Kings, called forth Akatosh, and smited Lord Dagon back to Oblivion. I’d had terrible back pain since starting the main storyline of quests and, after finishing, I was able to crack my back (felt soooo much better afterwards). I was sore all over and exhausted. But what did I get for my efforts? Nothing, not even a Star Fox-esque end credits screen.
Wait… what? It’s not over? Come on.
So what did I go and do? I downloaded all the add-on stuff so now there are more quests to complete and stuff to find and crap to do. GAH. Will it never end?
Good game, though.
Time for a cooking class
by V.E. on February 16th, 2008
You know it’s time to take a cooking class when you have to look up how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. [sigh]
I’m pathetic in the kitchen.
Thai Iced Tea
by V.E. on February 16th, 2008
I love Thai Iced Tea. Recently, I learned how to make it at home (although I haven’t actually done it yet… ^_^;).
Thai Iced Tea
From True Thai by Victor Sodsook.Ingredients:
6 cups water
1 cup of Thai tea (cha Thai)
1 cup sugar
1 to 1-1/2 cups evaporated milk or half-and-halfInstructions:
Bring the water to a rolling boil in a large saucepan. Add the tea and remove the pan from the heat. Stir gently to submerge all the tea leaves in the water. Steep for about 5 minutes. The liquid should turn bright orange and have a strong, clean taste with no hint of bitterness. Pour the brew through a coffee filter or a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher. Add the sugar to the hot tea and stir to dissolve. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
At serving time, fill tall glasses with crushed ice or ice cubes. Add enough of the Thai tea to fill the glasses about three-quarters full, then float 3 to 4 tablespoons of evaporated milk over the ice in each glass. Serve with iced-tea spoons, so your guests can blend the contrasting white milk and dark tea into the inviting terra-cotta color of Thai iced tea. You can also take shortcuts, by using Thai iced tea mix or Thai iced tea syrup.
Thai Iced Tea is also known as just Thai Tea, and can also be made hot (hence leaving out the “iced” part). Thai tea comes from Thailand (big surprise there), which is a tiny, weirdly-shaped country below China. Thailand’s most famous city is Bangkok. Once known as Siam (and from where “Siamese twins” and Siamese cats originate—or at least get their respective names), Thailand is the setting of the 1956 musical The King and I and the more recent drama Anna and the King.
I’m not a purveyor per se of Thai tea, but the best I’ve ever had is at China Orchid (now known as Papaya Grill—same place and people just with a new owner, I think). Highly recommended for anyone visiting Lancaster city anytime soon. Also, they have good sushi.
Best In Show
by V.E. on February 16th, 2008
filed under entertainment, thoughts, wtf
Sooooo, the 132nd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show just finished this past weekend at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. I didn’t watch any of it; I was busy with Oblivion, which I’ll get to in a later post.
I love dogs, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t really understand the “Best in Show” thing. I mean, on the one hand, those dogs are pampered beyond belief,* so kudos to them. On the other hand, those same dogs (all purebred, of course) are forcing other, just-as-worthy dogs, from finding homes for themselves. For every purebred dog that someone buys, there are 3 or 4 pound puppies who have no home and would love their potential owners just as much. Purebred dogs (and cats, and horses, etc.) are bred to have certain characteristics (and not others)—and often that means their health is endangered before they’re even born. Think about it: the Amish are “purebred” (that is, inbred) and most have cleft palate/lip or some other rare genetic disease. Purebreeding is genetic engineering at it’s most primitive. (The photo to the right of this paragraph, by the way, is Uno, the dog that won “Best in Show” this year. More pictures here.)
* WTF? Ludicrous.
Every year USA (the TV channel, not the country) broadcasts at least part of the dog show live and has an entire sports section of their website voted to doggie goodness. That’s all well and good, but sports? That’s like saying chess is a sport; I love me a good chess game, trust me, but it’s not a sport. (And, no, I don’t want to argue with all the grandmasters in my life about whether or not chess is a sport. For the record, ballroom dancing isn’t a sport either, even though it is one of the events in the Olympic Games.) But, I digress.
I’d rather have everyone in the world care for a couple of mutts (“Purebred American Pleasure Dogs” my mom calls them) over feeding your “Best in Show” dog a steak lunch every day. Sheesh. Where’s the love?
