Tuesday Open Thread ~ Necessities Not Luxuries
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive." ~ Dalai Lama
Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday's Open Thread! I'm working on some deadlines and doing a little creative work today so I don't have much time, but while I'm here, I'm going to leave you with a little poetry courtesy of Mary Standing Otter. A poet who is also the founder of an organization called Sisters In Circles, where she runs workshops for women suffering from trauma. Sent to me by my wonderful creative writing teacher, Esther Bradley-DeTally, as soon as I finished reading Mary's piece I knew I wanted to share this beautiful message with as many people as I could. Because we are bombarded with such bad news all the time, and the doings of the rapaciously greedy, I thought it might be a nice change of pace if we were reminded there are a lot of other people out there in this great big world who care about their fellow human beings. So, in keeping with the idea of giving, my gift to you today is the best kind of uplifting message; remembering there are a lot more of us then there are of them.
Right now there are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.
Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.
Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.
Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.
A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."
Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you.
Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favorite food is, and treat you to a movie.
Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you — for free.
Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.
The next great song is being rehearsed.
Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.
Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.
Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. From where they are, they just can't see it .
Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to arrive, will get precisely what they want — and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."
Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche — this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.
Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.
Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe.
Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.
Someone is regaining their sanity.
Someone is coming back from the dead.
Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable.
Someone is curing the incurable.
You. Me. Some. One. Now.
~ Mary Standing Otter
Comments
Morning anja
Tjis just came by on our local climate listserve.
The Surprising Connection Between Food and Fracking
https://www.motherjones.com/food/2013/01/foodfracking-connection-youve-n...
From the listserve post
Be well and take good care, all.
Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation
Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook
Hola magi. Clover cover crop. Just braodcast white clover
seeds and turn the plants under when the time comes. I just peeked at an article that listed a bunch of nitrogen fixing plants, but 1) plenty are invasive and not identified as such 2) some, like trees and shrubs, aren't really good cover crops because they are permanent and who knows how far the N spreads below ground. That said: https://www.ruralsprout.com/nitrogen-fixing-plants/. Seasonal P-nut rotation sounds good but it needs seriously good soil in that the plant tips must be easily able to penetrate it from above. CA clay soils will generally not retain that property for more than a couple of months, in my experience.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Fava beans
here in ca are possible and you can eat them.
Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation
Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook
Good morning.
Thanks for that wonderful list. I especially like the idea that; " Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way".
I just read an article about online teaching and what a challenge it is to make it work. Some teachers are making that effort and I think it is eminently possible to make online teaching awesome. This article presents a few ideas and innovations that some teachers are trying in this regard. For the very young students I like the online invitation and instruction on how to build something independently at home. How cool is that for the kids?
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v13/130
I know there is a lot of criticism of online teaching but if our society really wanted to, we could make it work.
Thanks for the inspiring essay...good stuff.
Well...
My own experience with online learning at Brookhaven College in 2013, was a total joke. I had to write a letter to my professor about how bad it was and let him know I would not use it ever again and if it affected my grade, I would sue him for using a corporate propaganda device to falsely "educate" students, especially about Bahrain being some kind of "democracy". It was absurd!
We worked out a process so that I could continue learning, but not be required to use the online learning software.
Oh and just fyi - None of the students in my class even knew where Bahrain is located. They thought I was nutz! It was depressing.
YMMV
C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote
I had good experience with it in graduate school
My employer, International Harvester, encouraged it, paid for it, and gave us work time to attend "class". But we were studying electrical engineering, a very precise subject with little room for opinion. Social sciences are different. I can see that class participation is necessary for it to be more than just propaganda for the professor's opinion.
Distance learning is a disaster here, but the teacher's union is pushing it. Kid's are being passed in social promotion who have never logged on> Of course, those same kids were probably not paying attention in class anyway.
The one good thing that occurred was the change to Chicago's school lunch program. They began sending the free lunch (touch-less delivery) to all family members. Maybe with a full belly there will be less child abuse.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Yeah, I agree
The social sciences do need more participation and active discussions. And I can understand where engineering is a more precise field and would make more sense for online learning. One can't really say there is a variety of possible "right" answers for equation of 1 + 1.
But how one phrases a sentence to describe something, using proper grammar, has a variety of possibilities, which are all correct. But when the online learning software only recognizes one, and gives you a "wrong" answer for an actual correct one, that's not learning, at least to me.
Every single test / course / assignment, I took online had to be reviewed, and changed manually, by my professor to insure I was not being penalized for the software's mistake, of not recognizing possible correct answers. It was so bad, it got to the point every time I took an online test, I had to bring several screen shots of each instance where I had an "issue" with their software. 9 out of 10 had to be changed.
C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote
History is another subject with nuance
One of the on-line courses I took was "Micro-programming". I think IH thought it was about programming micro-computers, but it was about what goes on in the guts of a CPU at the gate level. Many if not most of the early CPU's were hard-wired with fixed gates. But some were microprogrammed. An actual program was run internally to do complex instructions. that's why they took more than one clock cycle. we studied how they worked, clock by clock. There were even nano-programmed computers where the internal program logic was run by even simpler internal nano-CPU's. Fun stuff.
The professor toyed with having a class project to design a Z-80 replacement using TTL bit-slices. we were hot for it, but it didn't happen. I suppose it's hard to have a lab component to distance learning.
See, we all have different ideas of fun. Engineers prefer tracing circuits or modifying machinery to getting stoned. I think we get stoned on our own endorphins. The first time you fire up that engine you built or close the switch on a circuit you designed. There was a book, "The Soul Of a New Machine."
EDIT:
Quote from a colleague - "And they pay us!, I'd do it for free if I had to!"
Something my blue collar father never understood. He could run a lathe and such but never experienced the joy. it was just drudgery. I'm sad that he never felt that high.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
If I had kids in school
, I wouldn't let them do anything but online classes right now. If I was a teacher, I wouldn't be conducting in-person classes.
That's why I was interested in the article I linked. It was just examples of several instructors who were trying to adapt their curriculum as best they could to online teaching. I think we could possibly achieve some creative and effective teaching online but it will take instructors figuring out how to make that happen.
The way we are handling this pandemic, it looks like there is no end in sight. As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem that we have any other option than to hold online classes.
Sorry you had a bad experience with your classes. Good on you for standing up for yourself and getting what you needed.
Good morning, Anja ~~
What a beautiful list of what is happening in our world. Yes, I could identify with a few of those - that are happening to me. Gives me hope.
Enjoy the day!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Good morning
Nice list of positives today. Hope you all have a good day!
Good Timber
By Douglas Malloch
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning, Anja!
The intersection of love and compassion often turns out to be "food", at least for my wife and I. Food is an incredible and beautiful expression of both. We can celebrate it every day, and the enormity and joy of it never gets old.
Since we're coming into Thanksgiving season, here are a couple of favorites, from our kitchen to yours. Take what you like, and enjoy it as some unexpected love and compassion from folks you've never met...
Instant Pot Buttermilk-Leek Mashed Potatoes
(on edit- I originally pasted the wrong mash recipe!)
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thoroughly rinsed and sliced into thin rings
3 cloves of garlic, minced (or more!)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons, plus more for garnish (optional, but is it really?)
1/4 cup dry white wine (plus more for the chef, of course)
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into six pieces each (I leave mine unpeeled, but you can peel depending on your personal preference)
3/4 cup chicken broth (you can substitute vegetable)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons (heaping) kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 handful finely chopped chives or scallions for garnish (optional)
Set your IP to the sauté setting. Once it’s hot, sauté the garlic and leeks in 1 tablespoon of butter until they begin to get translucent, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the wine, and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and broth and give everything a stir. Cover and set to pressure cook on high for 9 minutes.
Once the pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally for a few minutes before utilizing the instant release function.
When the pressure is released, uncover and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Begin to mash the potatoes in the pot. As you do, drizzle in the buttermilk and cream, then mix in the salt and pepper. Mash to your desired smoothness. Adjust seasoning to taste. To serve, garnish with more butter and chopped herbs if using.
Green Beans With Bacon-Walnut Dressing
8 slices bacon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic -- minced
salt & pepper
1/3 cup walnuts -- toasted and chopped
1 1/2 pounds green beans
1/2 red onion -- thinly sliced
3 mushroom -- sliced
Directions:
Cook bacon in heavy medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Drain bacon on paper towels. Cool slightly and crumble into bowl. Stir both oils, vinegar and garlic into bacon drippings in skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over bacon. Mix in chopped nuts. Let dressing stand 1 hour.
Cook beans in large saucepan of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well. Place beans in serving bowl. Pour dressing over and toss thoroughly. Garnish with onion and mushrooms.
Blast Furnace Roasted Turkey
12 lbs. turkey
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh parsley -- chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives -- minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme -- minced
2 tablespoons fresh sage -- minced
2 tablespoons shallots -- minced
1 teaspoon ground pepper
8 cups rock salt (one box of mortons rock salt-the box is red and white)
1 disposable roasting pan (trust me!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey under cold water, and pat dry. Trim excess fat from turkey. First, take off your rings! Then, starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting one hand palm side down. Gently push hand beneath the skin and against the meat to loosen skin.
Combine 1 tablespoon salt, and next six ingredients (salt through pepper) in a bowl. Stir well.
Rub herb mixture on breast and drumsticks beneath the skin. Tie ends of legs together with cord. Lift wing tips up and over back, and tuck them under turkey.
Dump the box of rock salt in the disposable roasting pan. Level out the rock salt in the pan, then place the turkey, breast side up, on rock salt. Insert meat thermometer in meaty part of thigh, making sure it does not touch bone.
Bake at 500 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Cover turkey loosely with aluminum foil; let stand 15 minutes. If the skin is charred (imagine that...), discard it before serving. Definitely discard the roasting pan after serving: it has done its duty...
I hang on to any excess fat trimmings, and stuff them under the skin on the breasts with the seasoning mix to add additional fat to whatever renders off the skin. The magic of the recipe is that the bird self-bastes as the fat renders, and then the high heat seals the meat under the skin so that it stays moist and tender. The skin chars, but the meat underneath just gets a nice caramelization. You wouldn't think it just from reading the recipe, though!
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Thanks for the beautiful list of positive actions
What a great list to carry me through the day. My daily word today is world peace so I have some peaceful visions and thoughts to carry me through today!
Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.
This ain't no dress rehearsal!
Good morning Anja, thanks for the column and the
inspiring poem. Somehow it hits the spot today, and is definitely needed in these times. As a return gift I will refrain from posting Deterioata.
PS - They tell me that the markets are down, but eggs and veggies aren't, so what's with that?
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Hello Everyone!
Sorry for stopping by so late. Been in Zoom meetings all day and my eyes are glazing over. Need to step away from the computer screen but wanted to pop in and thank everyone for their comments, recipes, poem, and general bonhomie.
We sure need it these days.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Good list
Trash guys came by today. Check.
Mail lady got here before dark. Check.
I can hear the Union Pacific freight about two blocks away at full power. Check.
We do seem generally safe. Check ...well, kinda, but close enough.