Archive for 2008
Pssst, Republicans: Comfortable Has No Place in Politics
I’ve stated here before that I’m a Yellow Dog Democrat.
Well, my YD status was severely tested this election season when the candidate I voted for didn’t win the Democratic primary. And neither did my second or third choices if you want to know the truth.
[By the way, click here to read more about and to sign a petition to impeach our current President and hold him and all future Presidents accountable for their actions.]
So I looked at McCain just in case I had been missing something. And once I went through the candidates issue by issue (which I encourage you to do as well), I decided to vote for Barack Obama and Scranton-scrapper (shout out to the Coal Region!) Joe Biden.
No, I’m still not completely convinced that Obama and Biden can or will turn the country around. I sure hope they do, of course, and I certainly feel the odds are a helluva lot better than if McCain, who voted with Bush 90% of the time during the past eight years and whose economic plans are strikingly similar to what Bush and his administration has been doing, took office.
I even considered not voting at all, but I simply can’t stay silent. By not voting, I feel that I would be telling the Republican Party that what they’ve done to the country is OK; that the way the world now sees us is fine; that health care isn’t a fundamental right; that the wealthiest Americans deserve more tax relief while the rest of her people struggle to keep their jobs, put gas in their cars, and put food on their tables.
Yes, I was probably going to come around to vote for Obama/Biden sooner or later anyway as my beliefs fall more in line with the Democratic platform (I *love* Biden’s insistence on a federal system in Iraq), but then the Republicans went and solidified my decision by picking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for the VP slot.
I’m sure Palin is an interesting person—I know she can tell a joke!—and I have nothing personal against her. Her decision to run for Vice President with a 5-month old special needs child at home? All hers. Her 17-year-old daughter’s decision to have the baby she is carrying and marry the 18-year-old father? May they have a lifetime full of happiness.
And I’m also, for the moment, putting aside:
(1) whether I believe Palin is qualified to be VP when she was the mayor of a small town in Alaska just a few years ago (during which time she introduced a new position to Wasilla, hiring a City Administrator to manage city affairs) and has served less than two years as governor of the 47th most-populated state;
(2) whether I think the Republican party is (offensively) pandering to women thinking Hillary Clinton supporters will vote for any candidate with ovaries;
(3) whether I find it troublesome that Palin has at the very least courted (and possibly even been a member of) the Alaska Independence Party (AIP), which wants Alaska to secede from the United States of America and whose founder Joe Vogler once said, “The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. . . . And I won’t be buried under their damn flag” (her husband, Todd, incidentally, was a registered member from 1995-2002);
(4) whether I was disgusted by her RNC speech, full of sarcasm and condescension (particularly offensive were her knocks on Obama’s community manager experience from his first few years out of college (see Obama’s response here) and the fact that the room erupted in applause when she ridiculed Obama for defending reading rights to those accused of crimes–yes even *alleged* terrorists); and
(5) heck, even whether Palin has ethical problems or has abused her power as governor or mayor, because, eh, she’s a politician. It happens, right?
But you know what is bothering me the most about this pick?
Palin will not be available for interviews until she’s “comfortable”
Not to put too fine a point on it, but are you frackin’ kidding me?
We are less than two months away from choosing the next so-called Leader of the Free World as well as the person who would step in and take over should something happen to him, and we have to wait until she’s “comfortable” to hear her formulate (or at least express without a teleprompter) her own opinions on all the important issues?
If I didn’t think McCain was playing a joke on the American people, not taking the position of VP seriously, and displaying a genuine disrespect for voters before, well, I can’t possibly avoid that conclusion now. Sarah Palin could be President in a matter of months, and we’re not even allowed to talk to her? Because it might make her uncomfortable?
Wow. Just. Wow.
The arrogance of the Republican Party just may have reached an all-time high here–no easy feat, mind you. Now they are telling us that after eight years of what they’ve done to the country, not only should we give them four more years, we should also simply trust their judgment on the second-in-command–she who would serve with a 72-year-old man with a history of serious health problems.
After all, McCain did meet Palin for fifteen minutes and then chatted her up on the phone once too. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t hire a dogsitter based on that level of contact.
Then again, maybe the decision against interviews is a good one in light of how McCain recently performed with Charles Gibson.
Well, I have to say, all this is just making me a little too *uncomfortable.*
This Yellow Dog is now barking mad, and I’ll be contributing to a political campaign for the first time in my life, financially and otherwise, and doing everything in my power to help put Obama and Biden in charge of America.
Yes we can.
Some of my favorite links on this topic:
- Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP Convention (AP report)
- Gloria Steinem’s View on the Palin Pick: wrong woman, wrong message
- The Daily Show on Hypocrisy of Republicans Regarding Palin
- The Palin Trap by Leighton Woodhouse
- Mudflats: Tiptoeing through the muck of Alaskan politics
Keep an eye on electoral projections at:
P.S. No, I’m not turning this into a political blog, and if you’re interested in why I felt like I had to write about the election, read my response to Vita’s thoughtful comment here.
crucified frogs, disabling church bells and two contests!
Yes, I know there’s a little something political happening in the US right now. I haven’t written about it yet, probably will soon, but in the meantime, if you’re interested in my opinions on the subject, make me a friend on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. I haven’t been shy elsewhere on the Interwebs about my political leanings.
Oh and remember to check out my Guarda! column at Italy Mag this week: The Feast of the Madonna of the Sick in Misterbianco, Sicily.
Now, speaking of Italy, here’s a bit of what’s been happening in the Bel Paese:
(1) Pope Benedict XVI declared blasphemous the artwork (pictured at left) by late German artist Martin Kippenberger called Zuerst die Füsse (Feet First).
And so, the governing board of the Museion Museum in the northern Italian city Bolzano met to discuss the fate of said amphibian art.
In short, the board told il Papa to go frog himself.
I’m paraphrasing.
(2) Ding dong, my hearing’s dead (again with the paraphrasing), said a woman in Lavagna, near Genoa, who blamed the bells of the church next to her house for causing her “moral and physical harm” for 23 years.
An Italian court agreed, awarded her €59,000 ($85,000), restricted the bells’ ringing to Christmas and Easter services (only for twenty seconds at a time!), and also ordered that bells of a nearby church be lowered in volume.
Tough times for the Catholic Church in Italy, I tell you.
But now I’m thinking…our church bells (two houses over from me) ring every fifteen minutes to mark the time and several times a day for Mass, noon, etc. Hmm….
(3) And finally, we have two contests from Italy-based bloggers.
Check out Cherrye’s Southern Italian nickname contest here and Alex’s La Cucina Italiana contest here. I’ll be talking more about the latter soon as I’m also participating as one of the taste-testers!
So, what’s going on in your neck of the woods?
Buon weekend!
love thursday: remnants of a wedding
Weddings are normally a big affair in southern Italy–think several *hundred* people invited–but sometimes couples choose to get married just in the comune in a simple ceremony. In mid-August, we had one of those here in the village, and this is what was left afterwards.
Lots of (heart-shaped) confetti:
Candy on the street:
And one little girl doing her part to clean the place up:
Yes, she’s using her skirt to hold the candies:
How cute is she?!
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
what’s cooking wednesday: almond joy
No I’m not making candy bars (but I do love Almond Joys if you’re wondering).
For this What’s Cooking Wednesday, I want to tell you a little more about another of southern Italy’s major crops, the glorious mandorla, or as we know it, the almond.
History of Almonds
Almonds have been around quite a long time, making guest appearances in the Bible and Greek mythology among other ancient texts. One of the most popular uses of the almond in ancient times was to prevent intoxication, which is why they were often eaten throughout meals during Plutarch’s day.
Almond trees are native to the Mediterranean region from the Middle East on over; here in southern Italy, almond trees are all over the place, so it’s not surprising that we love and use the almond early and often.
Health Benefits of Almonds
Almonds are one of the healthiest foods around as they can lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol as well as the risks of diabetes and heart and cardiovascular diseases. They may also help you lose and maintain a healthy weight, increase your energy level, and prevent gallstones. Read more about the health benefits of almonds at The World’s Healthiest Foods.
The Almond in Calabria
A common drink in Calabria and southern Italy throughout the summer is latte di mandorla or almond milk; almonds release their oils when crushed, and when mixed with milk, make a lovely, refreshing beverage. Many people also add sugar.
You will also find that many southern Italian dolci, sweets and desserts, contain almonds–my favorite are amaretti; and if you’re the drinking kind, how about some Amaretto Disaranno Originale? Yum!
And of course we all know of the tradition of giving sugared-coated almonds at weddings and other celebrations.
Not convinced of our passion for the almond yet?
We love the seed of the fruit of the almond tree so much around here, there is even a Calabrese song called Facci de n’ammendula mundata that sings its praises; the singer insists that if offered a pile of gold that weighs more than the almond, he would choose the almond because although the gold will eventually be spent, the beauty of the almond will stay with him forever.
Now that’s love.
Our Almonds
We happen to have an almond tree in our giardino–remember that P brings me the first almond blossom every year?
Well a few weeks ago when we were down in the garden with the pooches, P picked some almonds fresh off the tree, still in the green furry casings as seen above.
Throughout this post, you can see the process of shelling a fresh almond; after the above photo, P peeled the outer, yellow casing:
And here is the final result in my waiting hand:
Biting into a fresh almond reminded me a lot of crunching a water chestnut: crisp and clean. But then came the gentle flavor of almond and a slightly stronger aftertaste–a lovely, sweet reminder that I had just eaten something fresh, pure, and straight from our tree. Nothing bitter about it.
So what are you going to do with your almonds? I suggest:
- Banana Coconut Almond Bread from Susan at Food Blogga
- Easy Almond Brioche from Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy
- Polenta Olive Oil Almond Cake with Peaches in Honey-Basil Syrup from Jenn at The Left Over Queen
And by the way, all of these would go great with a Caffè Shakerato alla Cherrye!
Do you like almonds? What’s your favorite way to enjoy them?
what and how do you write?
Over the past couple years, quite a few readers have asked me to talk, er, write more upon my writing process.
There’s really nothing magical about it, I don’t think, but I do promise that I’ll write something more in-depth sometime soon to give you an idea of how I work on both freelancing assignments as well as budding novels.
In the meantime, though, I’ve filled in this writing style meme from Janie’s Colloqium, and if you’re so inspired, please do the same, and let me know you did so in the comments!
1. Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Or both?
Non-fiction to pay the bills right now, but I dabble in fiction on the side. Remember NaNoWriMo? I’ll be doing it again this year. Paul of Crazy Like Whoa has jumped the starting gun by a few months, but won’t you join me in November?
2. Do you keep a journal or a writing notebook?
I have many journals from over the years, dating back to when I was, oh, probably 14 years old or so. I don’t write in my journal nearly as much as I should though.
As for a notebook, I keep a little one in my bag at all times just in case things strike my fancy, but in all honestly, I’m a scrap of paper kind of gal. Mostly backs of bus tickets. Have tons of them. All over the place.
I do, though, use regular-sized notebooks to write down all my research for nonfiction projects–I don’t rip anything out to file it, so I have several notebooks full of research for assignments over the years. Kind of a professional journal, I guess.
3. If you write fiction, do you know your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing? Do you find books on plotting useful or harmful?
I would say I know some of those things some of the time, but never all of those things. I usually have a basic plot in mind, but, as happens with many fiction writers, my characters often surprise me. I find plotting ahead of the time can be helpful, but not necessary and definitely changeable.
4. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?
Ooh, I’d have to say procrastinator considering that I’ve started a few novels now and haven’t finished any. Lots of ideas though! In my head, on paper, everywhere but, you know, in the computer.
With my work assignments, I’m much more disciplined. Thank goodness.
5. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time?
Both have happened, and both are lovely and well-received.
6. Are you a morning or afternoon writer?
I’m much more productive in the morning than in the afternoon, which is why I hate when I have to run errands in the morning. It’s *very* difficult for me to get my concentration back after going “in giro” all morning.
I’m also great later in the evening, from 9 pm on, but since that’s when P and I have time to hang out, I don’t usually write then unless he’s out with the boys or extra tired.
7. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate?
I usually have the TV or music on, but I can work just as well in silence. Idle chatter, though, annoys me, and I’m not sure I could write in a cafe. I used to have a horrible time trying to study among people in college and law school, if that was any indication.
8. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?)
Mostly, nearly all computer, but if I’m out and about and the mood strikes, I’ll longhand it.
9. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One? Or do you let the story evolve as you write?
So far I haven’t known any of the endings, and perhaps that’s part of my problem….
10. Does what’s selling in the market influence how and what you write?
In my nonfiction writing, of course, because I do a lot of topical stuff. For fiction, I write what I feel like and I figure I’ll let my (as yet to be found) agent sort it all out.
11. Editing/Revision – love it or hate it?
Honestly? Kind of love it. I rather enjoy perfecting things in general, so it’s not surprising to me how much I enjoy perfecting my words. I find it challenging, exhilarating even, to pinpoint exactly the way I want to express what I’m trying to say. The pleasure I find in finding the right word is really indescribable. How’s that for irony?
So, what and how do you write?
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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