Where? (An homage to hormones)

Where Did I Come From? was one of my favorite books growing up.

Ummm....

I think I'm becoming a New Yorker.

1) I hear someone yelling, "get out! Get out! Get out." from my widow.
2) The smell of Chinese food that made me gag when I first moved in to my apartment, now smells good.

Rocking Liberals Throw a Party for Katrina Folks

Rocking Liberally HURRICANE RELIEF CONCERT
with Second Movement (secondmovement.com)
and Katie Halper & Baratunde of Laughing Liberally.
Saturday, Sep 24 - 9-11pm
Siberia Bar - 356 West 40th, just east of 9th Ave.
Through unmarked door under red light.
FREE Admission; donations accepted.

More at Drinking Liberally

Not Funny At All

For more political t-shirts, go to America Blog. I've not perused the site too much, but I found the shirt via HuffPo at Catciao (also, not a blog I've perused much. A penchant for the word "moron".).

It's What's for Dinner. I'm Not Kidding.

I've been hiding away in the far reaches of Wisconsin this week. Let me tell you, it's a breath of fresh air. Literally.

The weather's been great. Slowly slipping from summer to fall. The leaves are changing, it seems, with every second that passes.

What I really want to tell you about, though, is what I'm having for dinner. It's amazing and one of the many reasons I love coming home. Where else can you eat like this?




These are reasons I know I'm from Minnesota:
1) 3, 2 lb. pieces of cow being cooked before 1pm
2) I like lakes

So that's all I can come up with at the moment, but it counts for something.

Here's the recipe (a.k.a. The Fate of the Cow):

This Epicurious.com recipe:
WINE-BRAISED CHUCK ROAST WITH ONIONS
has been sent to you from Peggy Weber

Peggy Weber wants you to know: The reviews have a lot of suggested changes: carrots, red wine, etc. Dad and I used more onions than called for but otherwise stuck to the recipe when we did it at the lake. I may use red wine this weekend because that's what is opened!

You can view the complete recipe online.

WINE-BRAISED CHUCK ROAST WITH ONIONS
4 lb boneless beef chuck roast
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lb onions (4 to 6 medium), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 cup water

Accompaniment: 1/2 lb egg noodles, boiled until al dente
Garnish: chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Pat beef dry and rub all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 5-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown beef on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer beef to a plate.

Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add wine and water and bring to a boil. Return beef to pot, then cover tightly and braise in oven, turning once after 1 hour, until beef is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours total.

Let beef stand, uncovered, in onion sauce about 30 minutes.

If reserving some meat for beef salad, cut off one third of roast, and, when cool enough to handle, shred and toss with 3/4 cup onion sauce. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill in an airtight container.

While shredded beef cools, preheat oven to 350°F and transfer remaining beef to a cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Season with salt and pepper and return beef to sauce. Reheat, covered, 20 minutes.

Cooks' note:
Beef can be braised, sliced, and shredded, then returned separately to sauce 5 days ahead. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered. Reheat sliced beef and onion sauce in pot, covered, or an ovenproof serving dish covered with foil in a 350°F oven about 30 minutes.

Yummy! There goes my weeks of vegetarianism. I'm more of a post-modern veggie anyway. This all fits in the scheme of things, I suppose...It all tastes good!

Mayor Bloomberg on John Roberts: Enter Logic

Subject: STATEMENT BY MAYOR BLOOMBERG ON SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE NOMINEE JOHN ROBERTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2005
No. 354
www.nyc.gov

STATEMENT BY MAYOR BLOOMBERG
ON SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE NOMINEE JOHN ROBERTS

“In July, following the nomination of Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court, I stated clearly that I wanted to hear a clear indication that Judge Roberts accepts Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. After days of testimony and intense questioning at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Americans have had a glimpse into the thinking of Judge Roberts.

“While I am impressed with the deep intellect and understanding of the law that Judge Roberts has shown and believe him to be a man of integrity, I am unconvinced that Judge Roberts accepts the landmark Roe v. Waderuling as settled law. What I was waiting for, as were many Americans, was a clear affirmation that the life-altering decision as to whether or not to have a child must be a woman’s decision. Unfortunately, Judge Roberts’ response did not indicate a commitment to protect a woman’s right to choose.

“At the hearings, Judge Roberts spoke with clarity and, of course, correctly, that he agreed with the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. And this most important decision, which ended the evil practice of segregation, is now considered settled law.

“What I was hoping to hear was the same simple affirmation of Roe v. Wade, a decision which has had a long-lasting, profound impact in improving women’s health and lives. There can be no turning back and for that reason I oppose the nomination of Judge Roberts as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.”

Contact: Edward Skyler/Jordan Barowitz (212) 788-2958, JBarowitz@cityhall.nyc.gov]

Like Razors, But Easier To Prosecute (and insert)

I have to say, I very much like the idea of digging fish hook like things in the penis of a rapist. All the better if it's during the act. Sonette Ehlers of South Africa has developed just the thing.

AFP/file photo

This article explains more about the device which needs to be surgically removed, thusly forcing the rapist to seek help at a hospital.

An interesting spin could be putting a unique identifier on the device so that the victim could be easily identifiable and then checked in with/up on/relatives notified.

One thing that came up in a discussion was that this would lead to the rape victims' chances of being murdered shooting through the roof. While I don't disagree, I think the asshole attacker might not be able to think while having fish hook like things stuck in his penis. What do you think?

Regardless, great invention.

Do we need weapons to be "equals"? This is like a preemptive attack, sort of. Will this just raise the stakes for rapists? How are women who use these going to be labled/viewed?

I AM Biased!

Why you ask? Visual representations, all from Yahoo News!

Wha? Who me? Paying attention? To what? I think I may have to....

I did have to...Remember that scene from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? Steve Martin says: May I go to the bathroom? Someone else says: Yes. 10 seconds pass, then Steve says: Thank you. (This note is from Bush to Condi during the UN talks today)

Well, at least Bush has nominated someone smarter than himself for US Supreme Court Chief Justice

Hahahaha! Just kidding! He's as big of a wimp/freak/jerk as the president! (These are J.G. Robert's eyes whilst listenting to a question from Senator Biden (D-DE) (Also a Presidential hopeful, by most accounts))

To leave you on a happier note:

Damn that dog is CUTE! He might even fit in my wee apartment...

HA *ahem*

Q. What's George Bush's position on Roe v. Wade?

A. He doesn't really care how people get out of New Orleans.

My Uterus, Your Laws

I have been passionate about women's rights for ages. I was, after all, born a female and realized early on that a lot of folks, including women, were not on the side of women when it comes to rights, and espeically when it comes to reproductive rights.


We've heard a lot about cronyism in Bush's administration these days in light of the hurricane, Katrina. It doesn't stop there. Read what The Chron of Higher Ed says about the FDA; then read what Paul Krugman has to say about Bush's choices of apointees in All the President's Friends (reposted here in its entirety after the FDA piece since we're going to have to start paying for NYT "special features")

from The Chronicle of Higher Education:

A glance at the September 22 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine: Political interference at the FDA?
The Food and Drug Administration's refusal to allow over-the-counter sales of an emergency contraceptive known as Plan B represents "a sad day for American women and for the FDA," three medical experts write in an essay in a forthcoming issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

In December 2003, an FDA advisory committee voted to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, which is not the same as the controversial abortion pill known as RU-486. Five months later, however, the agency rejected the committee's recommendation, citing concerns about the effect that easy access to Plan B could have on teenage sexual activity. The FDA is now considering a proposal that would allow minors to buy the drug with a prescription, and adults with proof of age to buy it without one. According to the essay's authors -- Michael F. Greene, an associate editor of the journal; Jeffrey M. Drazen, the journal's editor in chief; and Alastair J.J. Wood, a professor at Vanderbilt University's School of Medicine in Nashville -- the FDA's hesitation in this case stems from a failure to resist "political pressure to reflect a particular social policy or ideology" rather than a legitimate concern for the efficacy or safety of the drug.

Studies have shown, the authors say, that making the drug readily available would not increase the sexual activity among adolescents. Moreover, it is as safe for them as it is for adults, and even safer than other nonprescription drugs on the market -- like aspirin. And making women prove their age, the authors write, would be not only intimidating but "humiliating."

"American women should not have to explain their need for such a product in public, in front of their neighbors and friends, in such a painful, frightening, and vulnerable time," they write.

By failing to permit over-the-counter sales of the drug, the authors add, FDA leaders "have made a mockery of the process of evaluating scientific evidence, disillusioned many of the participating scientists both inside and outside the agency, squandered the public trust, and tarnished the agency's image. American women and the dedicated professionals at the FDA deserve better."

The essay, "A Sad Day for Science at the FDA," is available online at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/NEJMp058222v1.pdf

This article is spot on in my eyes.

I remember one day, when I was 16, my dad took me to the pharmacy to pick up my birth control prescription. Between my father and me, we were just picking up "a prescription," to this day neither of us admit that I'm not a virgin-I mean, because I am...ahem. There we encountered one of his lawyer-like colleagues. My father introduced me to his colleague, then the pharmacist's assistant said to me, "here's your birth control prescription." EXCUSE ME? Did you really just say that to me? I'm 16, with my FATHER, and just met his COLLEAGUE. What dumb smack did you do for breakfast?! I was mortified. I actually apologized to my father later, saying I hope I hadn't embarassed him. To which he cooly replied, "eh, Ed's a worldly kind of guy." Thanks Dad. No thanks to you, smack pharmacist assistant.

It's not only the unabashed mockery of women's rights to determine their reproductive future, it's the nonchalantness the assertion of "checking a woman's age" before she receives the prescription. Does an 80 year old man need a note from his 80 year old wife that she actually WANTS to continue fornicating with him before he gets his Viagra prescription? Neither should any impregnated woman have to be any age before she has access to birth control, the morning after pill or an abortion. If they have a right to an erection, I have a right to prevent and to terminate pregnancy.

If the FDA really wanted to stay away from politics they would approve drugs based on their scientific merits and their effectiveness. Not on whether they require the FDA to dabble in politics.

Moving on.

Krugman's piece:

September 12, 2005
All the President's Friends

By PAUL KRUGMAN
The lethally inept response to Hurricane Katrina revealed to everyone that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which earned universal praise during the Clinton years, is a shell of its former self. The hapless Michael Brown - who is no longer overseeing relief efforts but still heads the agency - has become a symbol of cronyism.

But what we really should be asking is whether FEMA's decline and fall is unique, or part of a larger pattern. What other government functions have been crippled by politicization, cronyism and/or the departure of experienced professionals? How many FEMA's are there?

Unfortunately, it's easy to find other agencies suffering from some version of the FEMA syndrome.

The first example won't surprise you: the Environmental Protection Agency, which has a key role to play in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, but which has seen a major exodus of experienced officials over the past few years. In particular, senior officials have left in protest over what they say is the Bush administration's unwillingness to enforce environmental law.

Yesterday The Independent, the British newspaper, published an interview about the environmental aftermath of Katrina with Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst in the agency's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, whom one suspects is planning to join the exodus. "The budget has been cut," he said, "and inept political hacks have been put in key positions." That sounds familiar, and given what we've learned over the last two weeks there's no reason to doubt that characterization - or to disregard his warning of an environmental cover-up in progress.

What about the Food and Drug Administration? Serious questions have been raised about the agency's coziness with drug companies, and the agency's top official in charge of women's health issues resigned over the delay in approving Plan B, the morning-after pill, accusing the agency's head of overruling the professional staff on political grounds.

Then there's the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, whose Republican chairman hired a consultant to identify liberal bias in its programs. The consultant apparently considered any criticism of the administration a sign of liberalism, even if it came from conservatives.

You could say that these are all cases in which the Bush administration hasn't worried about degrading the quality of a government agency because it doesn't really believe in the agency's mission. But you can't say that about my other two examples.

Even a conservative government needs an effective Treasury Department. Yet Treasury, which had high prestige and morale during the Clinton years, has fallen from grace.

The public symbol of that fall is the fact that John Snow, who was obviously picked for his loyalty rather than his qualifications, is still Treasury secretary. Less obvious to the public is the hollowing out of the department's expertise. Many experienced staff members have left since 2000, and a number of key positions are either empty or filled only on an acting basis. "There is no policy," an economist who was leaving the department after 22 years told The Washington Post, back in 2002. "If there are no pipes, why do you need a plumber?" So the best and brightest have been leaving.

And finally, what about the department of Homeland Security itself? FEMA was neglected, some people say, because it was folded into a large agency that was focused on terrorist threats, not natural disasters. But what, exactly, is the department doing to protect us from terrorists?

In 2004 Reuters reported a "steady exodus" of counterterrorism officials, who believed that the war in Iraq had taken precedence over the real terrorist threat. Why, then, should we believe that Homeland Security is being well run?

Let's not forget that the administration's first choice to head the department was Bernard Kerik, a crony of Rudy Giuliani. And Mr. Kerik's nomination would have gone through if enterprising reporters hadn't turned up problems in his background that the F.B.I. somehow missed, just as it somehow didn't turn up the little problems in Michael Brown's résumé. How many lesser Keriks made it into other positions?

The point is that Katrina should serve as a wakeup call, not just about FEMA, but about the executive branch as a whole. Everything I know suggests that it's in a sorry state - that an administration which doesn't treat governing seriously has created two, three, many FEMA's.

America. Free Delivery. (Where were those helicopters again?)

A Picture With The Right Words Is Priceless

From: here

Addition: "My N.O. Experience"

Olberman/Friedman

Olbermann Rant You'll need sound (so don't play it at work if you don't have headphones/flexi bosses). Hat tip to Seth (my best tipster).

Similar sentiments from Thomas Friedman. So good to have him back on the side of rational.

Heart, love and agnostic prayers to LA and MI...the world and the rest of our country too.

Darius + Downey: We're on it

More cool art that does one of my favorite things: making the mundane of every day life that much more fun. (Like those Heinz ketchup bottles from ages ago-that said things like: "Quiet Please. Tomoatoes In Meeting" and "Sunscreen For French Fries")

Thanks to Japes (J.P.) for the lead.

The exhibition will be on view at jen bekman gallery at 6 Spring Street, New York, NY, from September 7 through October 22, 2005.

the gallery is located @ 6 spring st., between elizabeth st. and bowery.
convenient subway stations include:
6 @ spring st.
n/r @ prince st.
f @ broadway/lafayette

Katrina....

A poem by Robert Frost illustrates quite well our/the situation today.

The Flood

by Robert Lee Frost

Blood has been harder to dam back than water.
Just when we think we have it impounded safe
Behind new barrier walls (and let it chafe!),
It breaks away in some new kind of slaughter.
We choose to say it is let loose by the devil;
But power of blood itself releases blood.
It goes by might of being such a flood
Held high at so unnatural a level.
It will have outlet, brave and not so brave.
weapons of war and implements of peace
Are but the points at which it finds release.
And now it is once more the tidal wave
That when it has swept by leaves summits stained.
Oh, blood will out. It cannot be contained.

Race: 1st, 2nd, 3rd world?

I like this blog. He raises good points.

Terrorism

Art at the World Trade Center site on September 11th may be offensive to some people. But I'd venture a guess that those people don't know shit.

September 11th is an incredibly important date in the world's history. It was the advent of pervasive American fear and pervasive fear in the rest of the world: were they going to be attacked? And if they were in the middle east: would the US attack them?

Question authority; make people uncomfortable and mad at you. That's what art is about. That's what dissent is for. And that's what wars like Iraq inspire. Oh, did I mention that

Question. Act. Art.