Whirligigs

I have a small collection of colorful whirligigs in the window boxes and hanging baskets outside my computer room window. They are the simple, wind driven, pinwheel type used as lawn ornaments and in gardens to repel birds. Several are double layered.

Placed to catch the breezes from different directions, they spin at different speeds, some going 90 to nothin' and others slowly revolving when a soft breeze floats by.

I enjoy gazing at them. Its amazing that such simple items can be so amusing. I often wonder how far back in human history the concept was discovered. Dutch windmills are famous, and some type of a sailing ship seems to have always been with us. The other day I went to the web to find out, and read on Wikipedia some interesting facts about whirligigs that had never crossed my mind.

A version called a bamboo-copter, dated 400BC was found in China. In 700BC the Sasanian Empire, (Persian) used windmills to lift water. Sumerians in 1600-1800BC used them as weather-vanes. The first known representation of a European whirligig is a medieval tapestry depicting children playing with a hobby horse at one end of a stick, a 4 blade propeller at the other end.

William Shakespeare used a whirligig as a metaphor, “what goes around, comes around” in Twelfth Night. Museums collect them. Value of early folk art whirligigs vary. In 2000, one of Uncle Sam with Saw, sold for $12,650, another folk art creation sold for $10,025. An oil painting by Hieronymus Bosch, Christ Child with a Walking Frame, contains a clear illustration of a string powered whirligig. A painting by Jan Provost (late 16th century) “Virgin and Child in a Landscape” shows the Christ child holding a whirligig.

The simplest is pinwheel, but configurations vary. Among modern makers, the most famous is Vollis Simpson (1919-May 31, 2013) who was profiled on PBS in a photo essay at Minnesota Museum of Science. One of his stands in front of American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. He was named the 2012 Arts and Culture winner of Southern Living Heroes of the New South Awards. Some of his creations reached 50 feet in height.

Vollis Simpson whirligigs

Food Crazes

My latest food craze is guacamole sandwiches.

I don't make the guacamole, although its very easy to make. Instead, I buy it from a woman who makes it at a small stand inside the grocery store that I patronize. I have been using it as a dip, and only recently discovered that it is delicious as a sandwich.

Whenever I buy avocados, it reminds me of lunching with a friend in Acapulco, Mexico. It was common for street vendors to enter sidewalk cafes and offer to sell oranges or avocados to the patrons. During our lunch, a vendor selling avocados came to our table. My friend purchased several to take home, remarking that avocados were known as “Mexican butter”.

I never bothered to try them as butter, only using them in salads, until I the other day when I wanted some guacamole, only to find I was out of chips.

What to do, Percy? What to do?

I slathered a couple of slices of whole grain bread with guacamole, slapped them together in a sandwich and discovered 'paradiso!

So that I can indulge myself with my latest food craze, I'll start making my own guacamole to assure a ready supply!

Mantequilla de pobre (Spanish for: poor-man's butter) is a mixture of avocado, tomato, oil, and citrus juice. Despite its name, it predates the arrival of dairy cattle in the Americas, and thus was not originally made as a butter substitute.

Guacamole Butter

Guacamole

The Recipe Box: Boiled Eggs

Boiled Eggs

From the recipe box of MrsB

My brother Charles taught me how to boil eggs this way.

Use a pan that allows only one layer of eggs.

• I cover them with cold tap water, but just enough water to generously cover them.
• If you add too much water, it will throw the timing off.

Set a water timer for the boiling water.

• Wait for the water to boil before starting the egg timer.
• It may depend on the temp of your tap water, but for me it takes about 8-10 minutes for the water to begin boiling.
• I try to see exactly when the water begins to boil, but if I miss it by a few seconds or even a minute, I don't panic.

Set a water timer for the boiling water, 8 min

Turn down the flame and start the egg timer when it boils.

• I turn the flame down but keep the eggs gently simmering, not a hard boil. Its important to time the eggs at this point.
• If you over boil, the white gets rubbery and you get a green coating around the yolk.

For small eggs, 10 mins

large eggs 12 mins

jumbo eggs 14-15 mins

Drain and cool the eggs.

• At this point, quickly drain the hot water and run cold tap water over the eggs because they keep cooking as long as they are hot.

Egg Tips

• If the eggs are at least a week old, it will be easy to peal them as you hold them under a slow stream of cold tap water.
• Do not add salt to the water when you boil them.
• Its best to use eggs that are at least 3 or 4 days old , a week or more is even better.

Custard Tips

You can find many recipes for custard on the net and baking instructions, but this is the way I bake it. It does take a much longer time but I never get watery custard and never get bubbles in the custard from too much heat.

When I make egg custard, I'm very particular about the oven heat. I do not preheat the oven and only turn it on when the custard is ready for the oven.

I use a bit less of the sugar called for in the recipe and I use powdered milk. The vanilla gives it enough flavor that I never miss the whole milk.

• Do not preheat the oven and only turn it on when the custard is ready for the oven.
• Bake the custard in a Bain Marie, which means placing the dish with the custard mixture into a larger pan and add cold tap water so that it comes about inch up the sides of the dish.
• You will know when its done when the center still jiggles a bit.
• Remove the custard from the pan of water and let it cool.
• It will continue to cook enough to get firm.

Options

• use less sugar
• use powdered milk

Boiled Eggs

Large Eggs at least 3-4 days old.

Preparation

1. 1 layer eggs covered in tap cold water.
2. 8 minute water timer for boiling water. Start egg timer when the water actually starts to boil.
3. 12 minute egg timer for large eggs. Reduce heat to slow simmer.
4. Drain and run under cold water.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Tigranes' Messenger by KimB

There are those that will stand and tell the truth. They take the Risk of the Messenger. Edward Snowden is one of those to take the Risk of the Messenger.

While King Tigranes killed the first messenger and many feared to bring news of the battle to him, eventually one did tell him and was recognized for his courage.

The wrath of the US and World leaders against Edward Snowden cannot be denied. But Edward Snowden is not the only messenger, there have been others. Those others gave up lives, careers, freedom and held to their ideals and took the Risk of the Messenger too. Each in turn was slain by Tigranes the Public.

The public is often mislead about the actions and implementations of provisions by governments world wide to control their movements, ideas, knowledge and every aspect of their lives: the new form of electronic serfdom.

But like Tigranes the Great, we can recognize the bravery of those who take the Risk of the Messenger and acknowledge them for their courage. Tigranes the Great did wake up; he transcended many difficulties and outlived the majority of his rivals and those that betrayed him were punished: exiled or imprisoned.

Politics is always fluid but there are indications that Tigranes the Public is waking up to the war around them.

Eventually Mithrobazanes, one of Tigranes generals, told Tigranes of the Roman approach. Tigranes was so impressed by Mithrobazanes' courage that he appointed Mithrobazanes to command an army...

Killing the Messenger

On the evening of Wednesday, May 28, 2014, NBC television aired Brian Williams interview with Edward Snowden who publicized NSA's global surveillance of phone and Internet communications. The National Security Agency of the United States collects this data on the premise that we are being protected from 'terrorism'.

NBC invited watchers of the interview to vote on Twitter whether Snowden is a Patriot or Traitor. The result, after the time allowed for voting ended, was 61% for being a Patriot against 39% being a Traitor.

Snowden Twitter Graph
White = Patriot / Blue = Traitor

Using the Twitter approval graph as a guide, I expected panel discussions on TV about the legality of data collection by NSA, but instead, I heard only criticisms of Snowden as a law breaker.

History has examples of killing messengers; in Plutarch's Lives, Tigranes, Emperor of Armenia, decapitated the messenger bringing news of a surprise attack by Lucullus, a commander of the Roman Republic.

One doesn't have to reach back in history to know messengers live in peril. We have a recent example of how derision and scornful criticism can lead to the death of a messenger.

Gary Stephen Webb, (Aug 31, 1955 – Dec 10, 2004) was an American investigative reporter. He authored the 1996 series of articles called “Dark Alliance” for the San Jose Mercury News. In a 20,000 word, three part series, he documented the CIA's knowledge that Nicaraguan drug traffickers sold and distributed large shipments of crack cocaine in Los Angels during the 1980's and that the profits were used to fund CIA supported Nicaraguan Contras. He charged the Reagan administration with shielding inner-city drug dealers from prosecution in order to raise money for the Contras after Congress passed the Boland Amendment prohibiting direct Contra funding.

“Dark Alliance” gained national attention and was the most talked about journalism in 1996. Immediate denials emerged. Backlash against Webb and his story came from media manipulation by the government thru the largest newspapers, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, The Washington Post, and later, by the papers editors. Further details concerning publication, documentation, retractions and denials can be read on numerous internet sites and on Wikipedia pages.

Because of the controversy, San Jose Mercury News backed away from the story, ending Webb's career as a mainstream media journalist. Continued denunciation and harsh critical attacks resulted in Webb's inability to financially support his family. He committed suicide December 10, 2004.

Webb's story, his work and talent has been vindicated by researchers resulting in retractions by the same newspapers that had criticized him. In recognition of his talent, a movie, “Kill the Messenger”, a Peter Landesman screenplay, based on the “Dark Alliance” series, directed by Michael Cuesta, starring Jeremy Renner, is due to open in October 2014.

Is it possible that we Americans would rather kill a messenger than deal with the content of the information that Snowden brought us?

"The first messenger that gave notice of Lucullus' coming was so far from pleasing Tigranes that he had his head cut off for his pains; and no man daring to bring further information, without any intelligence at all, Tigranes sat while war was already blazing around him, giving ear only to those who flattered him...".

Plutarch's Lives

Propaganda

Propaganda

Noun: Propaganda is the systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.

Noun: Material disseminated by the advocates or proponents of a cause or doctrine.

Propaganda is a form of communication used to influence attitudes of a population towards a cause or position. Propaganda appeals to emotion, not intellect. Propaganda is used by governments in public campaigns using the same techniques applied to advertising and public relations to sell a point of view or product.

By using images and words, classical conditioning is achieved by appealing to fear. The impartial message may lie by omission. If the message is outside the bounds of acceptance, the technique of exposing a more extreme position may lead to a moderating of reluctance and partial acceptance of the message, thus, allowing the population to slowly drift into full compliance and acceptance.

The continuance of data collection by the NSA, which violates the privacy of American citizens and is unconstitutional and is explained by the U S government's assertion that we are being protected from 'terrorism'.

How does that equate with the belief that an American citizen's personal privacy is sacrosanct?

"See in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

President George W. Bush May 24, 2005