Barack Hussein Obama & Osama

I was talking to one of my dullard friends this afternoon and he made the observation that has been made by millions, that similarity between our new President's last name and the last name of America's Public Enemy #1 Osama Bin Laden.

As I sort of dozed off to my own thoughts, as the dullard droned on, my thoughts went back to 2001, the days after 9/11.

If back in those days, that really do not seem all that long ago, if back then, someone had told me that George W. Bush would be President til 2009, that America would occupy both Afghanistan and Iraq in 2009, that America would help bring about the execution of Saddam Hussein, that in 2009 the new American President would be named Barack Hussein Obama and that the new President would be African-American, this would have struck me as being an unlikely scenario.

Well, I don't think many of us Americans, back in 2001, would have been able to imagine a scenario that would have us having a new President, a man few of us had heard of in 2001, last named Obama, middle named Hussein, African-American, a scenario that has the vast majority of us quite excited to have Barack Hussein Obama becoming our new President. With most of the World also on board, looking forward with positive anticipation to the New America that is about to reach out to the World in a way much different than the past 8 pitiful years.

I'm looking forward to Tuesday. I watched neither of the Bush inauguration festivities. Previous to Bush I watched every inauguration day in my living memory. Bush is the first President, in my memory, who I don't believe I watched a single news conference. I did watch his State of the Unions. In pain.

US Airways Hudson River Landing

If you'd seen it in a movie, you would have thought it a real stretch in the believability department. I don't recollect the last event that caused me to think it was some sort of miracle, but this crash of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River, after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, then running into a flock of geese that killed the engines, forcing the emergency landing in the water, with no one killed, is definitely a miracle.

And, apparently, the miracle came about in no small part due to the pilot's calm skill, in addition to the flight crew's, equally calm skill, at doing their jobs to perfection.

But, what crossed my mind when I read about how the passengers remained calm, for the most part, how they made an orderly exit from the slowly sinking plane, was this....

Now, I may be going, once again, into totally politically incorrect territory here, but what if one or two of the passengers had been of the hugely obese sort? Would we have had such a happy ending? What if there had been a hugely obese person onboard, and that person happened to be out at the end of a wing, upon getting out of the plane, causing the plane to tip, like a teeter totter?

I really think it is time to have a universal ban on oversized people getting on a plane. It is not fair to the other passengers, both for safety and for comfort sake. I know I would not want to be seated next to someone who oozed into my seat. I believe if that happened I would make a fuss and ask to be moved.

It may sound harsh, but I believe if a person allows themself to get into a fat state of bloatedness, due to self indulgent overeating, that they should expect not to be allowed to do some things. Like sit on certain pieces of furniture. Or use certain types of public transportation.

The rights of the majority, with the majority of us not being hugely overweight, outweigh the rights of those who's sloth has put their own health at risk, to endanger us who have not. It's that simple.

A Message from the Children of Carter Avenue

Are you kidding?

16" gas pipelines?

Under our front yards where we live and play?

Please help us have a safe place to live and play.

PLEASE don't let Chesapeake Energy pass gas under Carter Avenue!

---

At the kid's request, this message was delivered to FWCanDo and then forwarded here. The photo is by Steve Deoung who lives on Carter Avenue in Fort Worth and who spent this morning in a Fort Worth courtroom, trying to protect his kids, his house and his neighborhood. You can email Steve Deoung here.

The Battle Of Carter Avenue: In Court Today In Fort Worth

Incoming Call For Action From Don Young:

What would you do if Chesapeake Energy tried to force you to sign a document that would allow a 16" (or larger) natural gas pipeline to be bored under your home or front yard?

A Tony Soprano kind of offer that you better not refuse?

Your property marketability would instantly disappear. The safety of your family would be greatly diminished. Your homeowners insurance might go way up or be canceled.

What if they sent heavy-handed reps to your workplace to get you to sign? Pretend, for a moment, that you are a low income person who may not have a firm grip on the English language. Is your job in jeopardy if you don't sign? This has happened to at least one Carter Avenue resident.

How would you feel if the City of Fort Worth aided and abetted Chesapeake to pave the way for such a pipeline? Reportedly, the city owns 4 lots on Carter Ave. and has signed the pipeline right of way agreements on those properties. Would that make you feel that it must be safe or the city would not have done so?

These are some of scenarios playing out on Carter Avenue in east Fort Worth. They come to a new head Friday morning, January 16, 2009.

Carter Avenue resident and homeowner, Steve Deoung, one of the last holdouts to signing, refuses to be intimidated by Chesapeake into signing an agreement that would threaten the safety of his and other neighborhood children and put the value of their homes at serious risk.

His court hearing tomorrow morning in Judge Vince Sprinkle's Tarrant County Court #3 will decide his motion to dismiss the case due to improper filings by Chesapeake.

Click here to go the court's webpage

Mr. Deoung is trying to buy time to keep this legalized crime from happening. He needs your help. Please show him your support by appearing at the hearing and/or sending a pledge of financial support.

Click to Email Steve

The children of Carter Avenue need to know you care.

George W. Bush Final Primetime TV Interruption

In less than an hour, America's Primetime Television airwaves will be interrupted for the final time by George W. Bush. I may watch. I may not. I may forget.

This week's FW Weekly has an interesting article about George and his legacy. That's the cover of this week's FW Weekly on the left, with George in a cowboy hat. You probably could have figured that out for yourself.

Go here to read the FW Weekly article. It'll likely only be readable for a week, replaced next week by next week's feature article. So, if you are reading this past January 21, you likely won't be seeing this particular article about George W.

George W. Bush. I remember back in 1998, in the month of May, coming to Texas to see if there was any remote chance I wanted to move here. We'd been to the Stockyards, came back, the TV was on. An ad came on. There was the Governor of Texas, seeming smarmy, about what, I do not remember.

When the chatter started up about George W. running for President I did not take it serious. I remember saying, "there is no way he can be the Republican candidate, all the Democrats would have to do is show the rest of America all the bad stuff in Texas and proclaim, do you really want George W. Bush to do to all of America what he's done to Texas."

Little did I know how prophetic my words were.

Some time back I remember reading someone somewhere write that Texas is to America what America has become to the rest of the World. In that a lot of the world sees America as too full of itself, too cowboy, too loud, too sure of itself, too cocky, too unaware that there are other parts of the world where freedom rings, where people live well, where proud cultures thrive. Where they know the American Way is not the only way.

Before George W. Bush tarnished America in the World's eyes we were seen by the vast majority of the World as the World's brightest light. America dominates the World as no culture before has. Before George W., this domination was in a good way.

Today, not so much.

Beginning in about 5 days, I suspect America will be back being the America the World, for the most part, loves. Daring to go where no other nation has gone before. America using its power for good, to make the World a better place. America with a leader the World looks to with hope and admiration and awe.

It's been a long long long 8 years.

In all my decades on the planet this is the first time I've found myself totally discounting and despising my President. George W. is a man who should never have had the keys to the Oval Office. That is obvious now. It will be obvious 20 years from now.

It pleases me, that it is likely George W. will live long enough to realize that his hope that history will treat him better than the current times, turned out to be erroneous. Like pretty much everything else he thought to be true.

2009 Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo & Parade

This coming Saturday, January 17, the Fort Worth Stock Show starts up with the biggest non-motorized parade in the world. That means it is a no vehicle parade, everything moves by foot or hoof.

We are very cold here in Fort Worth today and tomorrow, but it is supposed to warm up a bit by parade day with a high of 62 on Saturday. I don't remember if it was last year, or the year before that, that the Stock Show Parade was cancelled due to below freezing temperatures. And ice.

I've only been to the Stock Show Parade twice. I liked it both times. Texas puts on very good parades. I've actually never seen a parade in Texas that I did not like. I've seen two good ones in Granbury, those being General Granbury's Birthday Parade and the Granbury 4th of July Parade. I've seen the Arlington 4th of July Parade twice. I think it's the biggest in Texas, which likely makes it the biggest in America. I really liked the Ennis Polka Festival Parade. It was so good it was as if some Hollywood script writer was making it up.

I've been to the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo one time, my first year in Texas. It was interesting, but I don't think I'm much of a rodeo fan.

I've been to the Stock Show, itself, only one time. It is like a state fair. Not as big and busy as the State Fair of Texas, but it is still a good fair. The weather can be the most vexing part of the Stock Show, it being winter. But I prefer dressing up to stay warm to dressing down to stay cool, like you have to do at the Dallas fair on a hot fall day. It's easier to stay warm when it's cold than it is to stay cool when it's hot.

I may try and make an effort to go to the Stock Show Parade on Saturday. If I do, I'll take my video camera along.

Go here for more information about the Fort Worth Stock Show.

Texas Lemon Curd From Arizona Meyer Lemons

My one reader may remember me mentioning that last week my Mom & Dad delivered a half ton, or more, of various citrus to me when they were visiting. They pretty much have an orchard in their Arizona yard, growing grapefruits, oranges and lemons.

The lemons are Meyers, those being a cross-breed, combining oranges and lemons, thus making a sweeter lemon.

The oranges and grapefruits seem to be doing fine, but the lemons seem to be getting to the point that they need to be used.

When I first got these Meyer lemons I did not realize they were lemons. They look sort of like a distorted orange that isn't ripe yet. Mistaking one for being an orange, and peeling it and trying to eat it, was when it was discovered these were lemons.

So, this morning I Googled for info about what I could make out of these lemons. Most recipes appeared to be beyond my skill level, things like lemon meringue pie. But, I came upon one recipe that looked like it was something I could do.

Lemon Curd.

Microwaveable Lemon Curd.

I needed a cup of lemon juice, the zest from the lemons, a cup of sugar, a 1/4 cup of butter and 3 eggs.

First thing I had to figure out was what zest was and then how to get it off the lemons. My cheese grater seemed to work.

Then I had to figure out how to get the juice. My hand seemed to work just fine as a lemon squeezer.

After I'd squeezed a cup of lemon juice I strained out the seeds. I didn't have butter and didn't like the idea of using that much butter if I did have it. So, I figured olive oil might work. It's a healthier option than butter.

So, I stirred the ingredients til they seemed well mixed. Then put it in the microwave to cook at 1 minute intervals. During the first minute I started this blogging. I had 6 interruptions before the Lemon Curd had reached the prescribed texture where it stuck to the back of a metal spoon.

It's in the fridge chilling now. It seems to taste like the lemon part of lemon meringue pie, only more lemony. The lack of butter and use of olive oil seems to have done no harm.

Now, the recipe did not say what it is one uses Lemon Curd for. Can anyone help me with that?

Happy One Thousandth Durango Texas Blog Posting

I did not realize, til minutes ago, that today I passed the number of 1000 of postings to this blog.

I think I am at number 1002 with this current one.

Appalling. I've pretty much written a couple totally incoherent books, if you put all the accumulated words into that type venue, since I started this very salubrious and enjoyable spewing a bit over a year ago.

When I started doing the blogging thing, I figured the novelty would wear off in a couple months.

My new estimate is I will likely tire of it within a couple years. Maybe.

In the meantime, I'm having a party tonight to celebrate that #1000 thing.

Tragic Tandy Hills Photographic Calamity

When last we spoke I said I was heading out to get in some aerobic stimulation. Late afternoon, temperatures in the 60s, I figured I'd go to the Tandy Hills, again, maybe getting a good picture or two of the Fracking (or Fraccing) being done by Chesapeake Energy to the formerly, sort of, pristine Tandy Hills.

But no Fracking was heard as I exited my vehicle. It was quiet, no wind, birds chirping, beautiful. I walked along, holding my camera bag in my left hand, my arms swaying back and forth, like arms do when walking fast.

I had not made it off the cement sidewalk entry to the Tandy Hill trails when, suddenly, my camera went flying out of its bag and landed hard on the cement. I picked it up. Turned it on. It did not respond. Tried again. I got a sign of life. The motor began to whir, the lens popped out, but there was a grinding noise. The display lit up for a second. Then went away. I pushed the shutter button. Nothing.

I quickly came to terms with the fact that I had killed my 8 year old Olympus camera at the Tandy Hills. A fitting place for a sad demise.

My camera was already on its last legs and I was already looking for a replacement. I've got my choices narrowed down to the Olympus Stylus Tough-8000, you see above, and the Canon PowerShot SD880 you see on the right. I like the specs of the Olympus camera. It can survive almost a 7 foot drop. I can take it 33 feet underwater. It can handle being way below freezing. And it is crush proof.

The Canon is top rated for the quality of its pictures, color-wise. And its speed of processing. Neither of which is a huge issue to me. I've been perfectly happy with my, now dead, antique Olympus. I'm thinking getting a new Olympus, that would not die from an untimely death drop, is the way to go.

It's like an omen. Old camera killed by being dropped. Get a new one that can survive such a calamity.

Revenge Of The Life Changing Events

I can be easily amused. I can be entertained by observing screwy oddball behavior. I know a hot-blooded Latina with the stereotypical Latin bad temper, a person of the sort, usually, I would have put long ago into the reject pile. But, for some reason I find it funny to watch, like it's performance art and I'm just watching, I'm not really there in the room.

I used to know this real oddball who would repeat the same behaviors over and over again, with no self-awareness that she was doing so. Time and again this person would claim to have had a Life Changing Moment. It could be a book, a movie, a TV show, a new person she met who is like the brother, sister, cousin, whatever she never had. Just about anything could be a Life Changing Moment.

What made it funny was this particular person's life never noticeably changed, not in the improving sort of way. The Life Changing Moments never seemed to put the brakes on increasing the level of morbid obesity, ending the personal slovenliness, including living like a pig in a sty.

The series of Life Changing Events brought this person from a reasonably healthy weight, living in a nice house, to being so big she has to go in sideways to squeeze into that pigsty I already mentioned.

Now that I'm thinking about it, this same person, with all the Life Changing Events, happening to a life that's a living train wreck, also has an interesting method of getting revenge, when she perceives, via her drug-addled, distorted thinking, that someone has somehow done her wrong. She erupts into a big nonsensical, neurotic, angry upset, which causes the object of her insanity to have no choice but to reject her. She then goes through a series of followup behaviors that are as predictable as the sun, including saying that, "The best revenge is a life well lived."

Which leads the object of the "revenge" to be amused and ponder how a hugely obese, horribly homely person, who lives like a slob, in clutter and filth, who has all sorts of legal problems hanging overhead like a Sword of Damocles that can come cutting down at any random time, how can such a person be so cluelessly self-unaware as to say their best revenge is to live a good life?

That's just funny. If that's a good life, please don't let me ever see what a bad life looks like.

It's like this same person can casually say something or someone is ugly, can comment on someone else's looks in the rudest of manners, directly to the object of her rudeness. And yet this person has to have steel reinforced mirrors, so they don't crack when she looks in them. Dogs barks, children cry, men shrivel, when the hulking behemoth comes into view.

It's like on the old Mary Tyler Moore Show, at one point Murray said something was stupid. Ted Baxter bristled and said something like, "I don't know what it is, but there is something I don't like about that word, stupid."

Ted sort of knew he was stupid. He knew that was not a safe word for him to be using, lest it cause him to be the brunt of a joke. Which is what makes it perplexing as to why a rather homely, ugly type person would so easily use the "ugly" word.

Now, please understand, I generally do not comment on someone's looks. Or say someone is ugly. But if that person does not subscribe to the same good manners, they are fair game. So, if you are ugly, talking about other people or things being ugly. Well, I'm likely somehow gonna mention that you are not one to talk about ugly, if the situation arises where it seems appropriate. Particularly if the person is even uglier inside than out. Then they really are fair game.

Now, I've gotta haul my fat ugly carcass out of this pigpen and go do something aerobic on steep hills, now that it has warmed up to being in the 60s. Going to be in the low 20s tonight. Not happy about that.