Friday, February 25, 2011

You really have to ask?

Teabagger/Taliban

New lawsuit filed against Pope Palpatine


Pope Being Sued For Crimes Against Humanity

The case is going to have plenty of challenges, but the basis of the accusations is not wrong. The behavior of the church has been immoral and irresponsible with its response to the global AIDS crisis as well as the child rape problems inside the church.
Their charges concern “three worldwide crimes which until now have not been denounced . . . (as) the traditional reverence toward ‘ecclesiastical authority’ has clouded the sense of right and wrong”.

They claim the Pope “is responsible for the preservation and leadership of a worldwide totalitarian regime of coercion which subjugates its members with terrifying and health-endangering threats”.

They allege he is also responsible for “the adherence to a fatal forbiddance of the use of condoms, even when the danger of HIV-Aids infection exists” and for “the establishment and maintenance of a worldwide system of cover-up of the sexual crimes committed by Catholic priests and their preferential treatment, which aids and abets ever new crimes”.
Note from Joe: Sounds like all those Catholic leaders in America who've been obsessing about same-sex marriage should start worrying about the crimes committed by their boss. And, instead of spending money to fight marriage in states like California, Maine and Maryland, they better start collecting for the Pope's Legal Defense Fund.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Why am I fat?

Perhaps...

The Shrimp and Ham Cake …with a cherry on top. Found in Arvika, Sweden


Or this: 
The Meat Parfait

Served at the Illinois State Fair for $7. You get barbecued pork layered with mashed potatoes in a plastic cup, finished with a dollop of potatoes, a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a “cherry” tomato. You could also alternate layers of barbecued pork with barbecued brisket.

Sign Bombing CNN


Priceless!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Department of Justice to drop support of Defense of Marriage Act

This is really huge. The right-wing Christofascists are going to explode over this! 

From the Washington Post:

WASHINGTON -- In a major policy reversal, the Obama administration said Wednesday it will no longer defend the constitutionality of a federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage.
Attorney General Eric Holder said President Barack Obama has concluded that the administration cannot defend the federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. He noted that the congressional debate during passage of the Defense of Marriage Act "contains numerous expressions reflecting moral disapproval of gays and lesbians and their intimate and family relationships - precisely the kind of stereotype-based thinking and animus the (Constitution's)Equal Protection Clause is designed to guard against."
The Justice Department had defended the act in court until now.
The move quickly drew praise from some Democrats in Congress but a sharp response from the spokesman for Republican John Boehner, the House Speaker.
"While Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, the president will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation," said Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel

This statement from Speaker Boner would have a lot more plausibility if the GOP-majority in the House had put forward one bill in the House that had anything to do with creating jobs. But what is it that they have been focusing on? Stripping funding from Planned Parenthood, dismantling the Affordable Care Act, etc. 

What a hypocrite!

Monday, February 21, 2011

I need your assistance

This weekend I was out shopping with Sally Tomatoes and we got to talking about a new place that opened up in South Yarmouth. It is supposed to be an Italian market that sells bread, pizza, groceries (Italian),  salumi, formaggi, and pastries. We went in there and decided that they have a long way to go before we will shop there. Growing up in Providence I have been exposed to the neatest markets such as Antonelli's Poultry, Tony's Colonial Market, and the Providence Cheese company to name a few, so I must say that I was disappointed in this place that just opened. I hope they get their act together soon. 

The outcome of this visit is that Sal and I were talking about the pastries that they were selling in this place (nasty looking). The zeppoli and sfogliatelle were just awful looking but they reminded me of the zeppoli we used to get when we were kids in Providence. I remember that Scialo Brothers Bakery on "The Hill" made a good one as did the Lasalle Bakery on Smith Street. But the best ones were the ones from DeLuise Bakery on Chalkstone Avenue. They had a delicious custard filling and a radioactive red cherry on top and were they wonderful. That got Sally and me thinking that as San Giuseppe Day was on a Saturday (March 19th) this year that we would head into Providence in search of zeppoli. What we need are opinions as to the best Italian bakery in Providence (or its environs) from our friends who live or shop in the Providence area and can recommend a great place for us to go. Put your suggestion in the comment section and I'll post the one that gets the best reviews. 

Thanks!

A sign of good fortune?

I've never really had a green thumb. There. I've said it. I hate to admit it because I sometimes have luck growing things and most times I don't but I do like to try. See an earlier post about "easy to grow" Topsy-Turvy Tomatoes for an example. When I left my job 3 years ago I started working with some folks in March which is also when my birthday is, and they gave me a lovely phalaeonopsis orchid as a birthday gift. It bloomed beautifully (no thanks to me) and then it sat around looking wilted and dejected. Not wanting to just throw it out with the rubbish I watered it when it looked really dry and ignored it when I could. 

Phalaeonopsis Vulgaris var. "Frenchy"
Recently I was in the super market and they were selling what they called "Ice Orchids"; the idea being that you only needed to add 3 ice cubes a week to the pot for it to thrive. It sounded easy enough so I decided to try it out on my orchid at home. Every Sunday I added three ice cubes to the pot and sure enough I started to get some new leaves that weren't all wrinkled and dry looking. Also a spike grew out of the side of the plant too announcing  that perhaps it would bloom too. Sure enough I got some buds on the plant and this weekend one of the buds bloomed! This was also my first week back at the job I left when the orchid was given to me 3 years ago. Kismet? Perhaps this is a sign that I have made a good decision by returning to "the fold". We'll see but in the meantime my orchid is beautiful and I am quite pleased.