Slave life in Stagville

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Michael Twitty has a link up to epicurean’s post on the slaves and their food preparation and diet.   I love learning the stuff outside of the “normal” history (wars, wars, land grabs, oil, wars).

It’s interesting the note on slaves using herbs for medicinal purposes because they had no medical care..  I think perhaps that was the best medicine…if you compare it to the number of staggering deaths related to pharmaceuticals.

I was hoping that Michael was going to tell us that Paula Deen took him up on his offer to come visit and begin the conversation and healing…but alas…

When is a public forum not a public forum?

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When it involves ag committees who don’t allow the public to speak, but allow a corporate representative to spew their biased views.

Note how the Monsanto rep said she wanted a discussion but opponents to GMO’s were not allowed to speak.  They were characterized as “emotional”….now, how can they preemptively dismiss them if there has been no discussion?    From what I saw on the video, these folks were being respectful.  There were no reports of them disrupting the meeting, or interfering with the Monsanto toadie, so where do they come off saying these folks were emotional?

…and what, exactly, does “emotional” mean?  A definition, please…

Education News

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Nancy Carlsson-Paige has a guide for parents who wish to advocate for their kids and schools.  Note in the comments section how they are requiring a kindergartner to know the value of money, and won’t let them into kindergarten without that knowledge.

Are you kidding me??  A child that young has no need to know the value of money.  They are not likely to be in a store buying items requiring them to know correct change–so why is this something they need to know when they’re 5 or 6?  Absurd.

Next, we have the New York Times reporting on how “loud” Diane Ravitch is…how can one be LOUD on a computer keyboard?  And where are the facts to back up their claim of Ravitch’s name-calling?  And again with the “personal attacks”?  What personal attacks?  Attacking someone on their record is NOT a personal attack.  She pumps out “hundreds of barbed words” in her blog? Really? Well, if Motoko Rich considers Diane’s blog full of barbed words….she would surely find my blog worse than that.   haha.

So…Tony Bennett is in the news yet again.  This time for using State time for political activities….against State employee ethical guidelines.   It is drilled into you that you cannot use your job for political activities or accept anything of value from political campaigns.  (hat tip Diane Ravitch)

Lastly, Tennessee Superintendents speaking out against Kevin Huffman, former husband of Michelle Rhee.  One of the commenters stated that Rhee was now married to a pedophile.  I went looking for information and found this.  Wow. So…not only does Michelle Rhee put tape over young children’s mouths and then laugh when they peel the skin off removing it, she defends a sexual harasser.  Good God.

Pope Francis

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John Amato has a post up on the likeability of Pope Francis.  He does seem to follow Jesus’ example, which is rather refreshing.

The Church has been resistant to change, however, so he will meet with a lot of resistance.   I’m of the wait-and-see position.

I would like to see them bring the disservice done to Mary Magdalene, who was labeled a prostitute by the Church, more out in the open.  Some, including this writer, did not know of the smear to her until I read it in non-Catholic books.  If she was Jesus’ companion, and he trusted her as a confidant, she should play an important role in religion.  The Church, however, made a statement on it many years ago, but did it quietly.  Many still do not know she was not a prostitute.

And lastly, I am jealous that the Pope has  stick shift.  I love stick shifts, but unfortunately, the Green Hornet is automatic.

PBS’ Frontline on the Wall St meltdown

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Just in case you missed the link in the Center for Media Democracy article yesterday, I wanted to highlight it here:

http://video.pbs.org/video/1302794657/

It’s really important to revisit what happened and who was responsible….so it doesn’t happen again.  We are STILL paying for Greenspan’s idolatry of Ayn Rand…

Bluntly, bankers can’t be trusted to tell the truth.  They cannot be trusted to regulate themselves.  Ain’t gonna happen.  By nature, bankers are greedy and see everything in dollar signs, and as this piece illustrates, if they think they can get away with something, they won’t let ethics or concerns for democracy get in the way.

The subtext to this story is how Brooksley Born was ignored.  A woman not taken seriously….a narrative of sexism.  It’s interesting that she refused to talk about her meeting with Bill Clinton…makes me wonder if he tried to get in her pants and then called her ‘boring” because she refused…or perhaps he was intimidated because she was not only intelligent but principled, as well.  Bill probably doesn’t “get” principled people…sharks only understand other sharks….

 

This on Phil Gramm, who….wait for it….joined a banking firm after aiding the financial meltdown.   And afterward, calling us “a nation of whiners”…um-hmmm….

Frank Partnoy, a law professor at the University of San Diego and an expert on derivatives, said, “No one, including regulators, could get an accurate picture of this market. The consequences of that is that it left us in the dark for the last eight years.” And, he added, “Bad things happen when it’s dark.”

In 2002, Mr. Gramm left Congress, joining UBS as a senior investment banker and head of the company’s lobbying operation.

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Another subtext is the intimidation by those involved.  They created derivatives to be confusing on purpose…and counted on the others to be too embarrassed to ask the question “what does this mean”? Here we have a law professor who understands derivatives, and HE was in the dark about them.

People are intimidated and don’t want to say “I don’t understand”.  I used to be that way, but no more.  Ask away, folks.  Ask away.  And if someone makes you feel stupid by being condescending, then call them on it.  There are some really smart people out there, but nobody knows everything.   And you aren’t going to learn (and understand) anything if you don’t ask questions. If more people had asked questions and raised concerns like Brooksley Born, the financial collapse would have been averted.

More on the ethics of Gramm here.

And here.

Grow your own groceries…

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Link.

This is recommended by organic consumers, but I can’t say that I’ve tried it firsthand.  Margery Wildcraft is a master gardener, however, and it does come with a 60 day money back guarantee, so I feel comfortable putting it up here.

One of the things that folks had during the Great Depression was the ability to grow their own food.  With this un-Depression, folks aren’t as likely to either know how or have the space…to which container gardening or empty city lots come in handy.    I think it is a great idea in that you know your food is grown without chemicals.  It’s local, which they say is better because it doesn’t cost $$ to transport AND there is some evidence that in geographic areas, the food has unique qualities that are beneficial.

 

Walker Backs Down

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Gov. Scott Walker has rescinded a $500,000 grant to the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin.

You know, for folks who are so dead set against government in their lives, via taxation and regulation, they sure to go out of their way to get those tax dollars while trying to circumvent the democratic process.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the grant was slipped into the budget bill by outgoing Majority Leader Scott Suder with terms that excluded most sporting groups in the state. The grant was not properly advertised, conveniently leaving United Sportsmen as the sole applicant.

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More Wisconsin news here. 

You’re telling me that citizens throwing pop cans and shouting obscenities requires the use of armed guards?  Talk about overreaction.  Yes, it was wrong for the one demonstrator to destroy the camera, no doubt, but having armed guards with assault rifles is just soo over the top.

What I don’t understand is why  they are allowed in the forest at all.  Why are they destroying what little we have left?  People seem to think that climate change is this thingy down the road….hello, it’s happening now and destroying the forests is one of the reasons.    Why are they not valued as much as the mining operations?  Why aren’t the environmental impacts on the land and water considered as important?

The primary cause of this lasting pollution is acid mine drainage. Mining exposes sulfide-bearing ore that generates sulfuric acid and mixes with water. This outflow of acidic water, otherwise known as acid mine drainage, contaminates drinking water aquifers, lakes, and streams, agricultural lands, and prime fish and wildlife habitat. Because acid mine drainage can’t be stopped, once started it must be treated until the acid generating material runs out. As acknowledged in government mining permits, this can take hundreds or thousands of years.

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Texas’ Freedom of Information Foundation is aiding CMD in obtaining public records that members of ALEC are trying to keep in the dark.

The Fight for Fifteen in Wisconsin.  I think $15 per hour is reasonable and would put us back to where we would have been had our wages not stagnated over the last twenty or so years…

There is just something terribly wrong when a CEO can make millions in income while employees are forced on food stamps or food banks to feed themselves and their families.

Finally, in non-Wisconsin news, CMD has this up on the paper trail of Larry Summers.   I haven’t begun to read all the information here, so I’m off to read the links. …note, however, the link to education “reform”–he’s on the board of the Eli Broad Foundation.  Not only that, but Andy Stern is also on the board–he was head of the Service Employees Union…wow….a union supporter on the board of an organization trying to destroy teacher’s unions and public education.  Just wow.

 

 

Details of violent history of George Zimmerman

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Center for Media and Democracy has this up on the details of Zimmerman’s history of violence against women and interfering with a friend’s arrest.  I know the legal reasons for not putting Zimmerman’s past history up–the law wants to prosecute for the offense at hand, not for past offenses.  I think it comes from two ideas–one being you can’t be prosecuted for the same crime twice (double jeopardy) and two, the country has the view that everyone should get a second chance to change their ways…and a person should be viewed with a clean slate.

However, if they are going to bring up Trayvon’s past, it would seem the fair thing to do would to allow for Zimmerman’s past to be explored, as well.  There needs to be balance.