Labor Day! I’m laboring… Lots going on, as usual. For the first time this year, fall is in the air. Nice. I grew up with Walter Cronkite on CBS. Look at what we have now. Ticks continue to be a menace. Don’t forget to support local and national NPR and PBS stations. Check out the Presidential Term Countdown Clock. 865 more days.
Wild Cooking Woman 9/7/26
RIP, Cassandra Wilson. Here is Marlon West’s playlist of her music on Spotify.
South Park won its fifth Emmy, Outstanding Animated Program, for the first time since 2013. They immediately used the moment to torment POTUS. The 80-year-old former reality star has never won an Emmy. (more) The top winner on Saturday was the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny, which captured seven awards. (more)
Education, intellectually stimulating work, and an active lifestyle help preserve cognitive abilities in adults over 65, leading to more effective verbal expression and stronger cognitive performance. (more)
Towels are important. (When was the last time you bought new ones?) Here are some tips to keep them soft and fluffy, and to prevent that mildew-ish smell after your shower.
Why is the United Methodist Church suing a thriving Texas congregation? (more)
In most states, there is no constitutional right to clean water – and no federal right at all!
Long-term melatonin use has been linked to 90% higher heart failure risk, according to sciencedaily.com. Spicy food is linked to longer life and lower heart disease risk, according to ynetnews.com.
Can you guess the real size of each country on the new world map? Take the quiz here.
CBS News published a story last week headlined “Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s deleted tweets on Sept. 11 attacks invite scrutiny of past remarks.” The article’s opening line suggested that El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, was somehow connected to the September 11 attacks. Luckily for Abdul El-Sayed, being a child at the time is a pretty solid alibi. (more)
Are you looking for a new source of news? Try Ground News. Read the news from multiple perspectives. See through media bias with reliable news from local and international sources.
POTUS is the only living President skipping the 9/11 ceremony in NYC; all four living former presidents have confirmed they will attend the ceremony in New York. (more)
Southern Corn Cake
Read through the recipe before you start. Decide if you want to use a cast iron skillet or a baking dish. If you are using the skillet, melt the butter in the skillet while pre-heating the oven. Then pour the hot melted butter into the batter, stir, pour it into the skillet, and bake. If you are using the baking pan, you can use melted butter or canola or vegetable oil, but not olive oil.
Ingredients
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- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (Gold Medal or King Arthur are my choices)
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup neutral-flavored oil or melted butter
- 2 cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- Unsalted butter for the pan plus more for eating
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350℉.
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Heavily grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter or melt 3/4 cup butter in an 8-inch cast iron skillet.
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In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.
- In a small bowl, combine milk, eggs, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
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Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture. Mix gently. Some small lumps will remain. Add the melted butter or oil.
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Pour the mixture into the greased dish or skillet.
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Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
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Serve warm with a pat of butter.
Note: I add either a can of cream-style corn and cut the milk to 1.5 cups, or scrape an ear or two of fresh corn and blend it with the eggs, milk, and vanilla, then continue with the recipe. You can also use a cornbread mix like Jiffy (which contains lard) or Krusteaz (which does not), which replaces the sugar, cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and shortening.
Avoid ticks if at all possible. Here are some ways to discourage them from visiting you. (more)
The world’s four leading cardiovascular health groups agreed to change the definition and classification system for heart attacks. They upgraded the categories for three frequently overlooked types of heart attacks more common in women. They are often caused by childbirth, exercise, and stress. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women.
Republicans control all the elected federal institutions and the Supreme Court. They generally bear the greatest responsibility for budgets, executive policy, appointments, and the legislative agenda. So why isn’t America great again yet?
Do you participate in Bible study?
“The modern white Christian nationalist movement is an ideological descendant of the Ku Klux Klan,” writes Dr. Jemar Tisby. (more)
From Cape Kennedy in 1963 to Lake America in 2026, the federal names of some of America’s best-known geographic features have changed, and some changed back again. (more)
My September reading list
- Foods of La Frontera: New Taste Frontiers and Recipes from Both Sides of the Border by Pati Jinich
- I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney
- The Blue Flame by George Pelecanos
- The Best Dog in the World edited by Alice Hoffman
- Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto
- Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart
- The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore
- Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
- Dèy: A Novel by Edwidge Danticat
