A New Conversation

What do we know about politics? We know what news organizations want us to know. We read or listen to what they think is important. We also choose news sources based on our own viewpoints. It’s time to broaden our news horizons, check out the validity of the reporting, and when possible use original sources rather than filtered information. Did you notice that most of the major carmakers did not advertise at the Super Bowl? I only saw Jeep! I can’t respect a person who doesn’t stand up for their spouse (thinking of MM, TC, SC and others), particularly in the face of bullying by a well-known or powerful person. You can only kiss the powerful, famous person’s a** so many times. Another old person’s saying, “put your money where your mouth is.” Makes sense to me.

Wild Cooking Woman 2/14/24

Happy Galentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day, depending on the state of your love life. Or, if you’ve become attached to an AI-SI, Happy Chatbot Day. Or, if you are doing you, here are some self-care hints:

  1. go for a walk
  2. give yourself a beauty treatment (a mask, pedicure, etc.)
  3. light a scented candle and enjoy a beverage
  4. listen to some music you really, really enjoy (jazz does it for me)
  5. if you have a strokable pet, pet it
  6. watch a movie that always makes you smile (Moonstruck!)
  7. take a nap
  8. make yourself something you like to eat and eat it without sharing
  9. journal
  10. enjoy a bubble bath

Back in the day, we used our purses and time to influence things. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is a positive example of using our ability to effect change by refusing to spend our money to support things we disagree with. Are the places you spend your money supporting political ideas you disagree with? How would you know? Here is a list of sites that can help you make economic decisions.

Modern Day Jonah?

ESPN’s unmarried Stephen A. Smith said if his wife danced on a halftime show like Serena Williams he’d divorce her. This is Alexis Ohanian’s (Serena’s husband) response: “I get it—you’re 57, and life didn’t turn out the way you imagined. That kind of disappointment must be exhausting. You’re the embodiment of peaked in high school, spending decades chasing validation from strangers through Likes and Digital Hugs, only to find that no amount of external approval fills the void. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Criticism only fuels your victim complex, reinforcing the comforting delusion that there’s some grand conspiracy against you and your “brave ideas”—when in reality, you’ve just got terrible takes. It’s a cycle: outrage, backlash, self-pity, repeat. This is a lonely road. There’s still time to rewrite the ending — start by working on yourself first. You’ll find that if you wake up every morning trying to be a little better, a little more curious, you won’t have time for irrational hating — you’ll be too busy winning.” -Alexis Ohanian

Chartr.co tells stories through data. If you are a visual learner, this has lots of good visuals.

From WearetheMeteor.com: Two lawmakers in Ohio—one a woman, one an impressively game man—took a cue from a Mississippi Democrat and introduced their own “Conception Begins at Erection Act,” which would make it a felony for men to “discharge semen without the intent to fertilize.” 

I know you know that you know all there is to know about African American history. If you don’t know everything, and have a free Saturday, here is an event you might enjoy.

The Atlanta Constitution-Journal is celebrating Black History Month. Read for free, or support journalism with a subscription.

Cake for 1! Chocolate Mug Cake

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons milk, whole or 2%
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking cocoa (not heaping)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (be careful, no more than this)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips (about 15) or a mixture of white and semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Spray a 16-ounce microwave-safe coffee mug with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil, and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir to combine. Pour into prepared mug, and sprinkle in chips.
  2. Microwave on high until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 2-1/2 minutes; mug will be hot. Serve immediately.

Too little, too late. It’s easy to speak truth to power when there aren’t any consequences.

Do you like pizza? What about frozen pizza? Here are some hints for making frozen pizza taste more like a freshly made pizza:

  • add extra fresh veggies (if you like veggies; I add peppers, onions and mushrooms)
  • let the pizza thaw before baking it
  • use a pizza stone or a pizza pan with holes in it to crisp the bottom
  • preheat the oven
  • don’t overbake it

From NPR.org: Americans are deeply divided about President Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigration, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll. While the poll shows growing support for stronger immigration restrictions, many of the president’s hardline policies are unpopular with large swaths of the public. 

Are you concerned about your financial future? Aren’t disciplined enough to make or follow a budget? One step to take is to stop mindless spending.

Former Sen. Bob Menendez was recently sentenced to prison on corruption charges.

Fight, flight or freeze – which one are you doing these days? Sometimes I cycle through all of them in a few minutes. Thoughts from Rainer Maria Rilke, ” Let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. As you ring, what batters you becomes your strength.” Texas is supposed to have the least expensive grocery prices in the USA. I don’t see it. At Kroger, 80% lean ground beef is about $6/lb (!!!) and broccoli is about $3/lb. Regular milk is about $2.40 for a half gallon. February, the shortest, coldest month of the year, is Black History Month. Black history is American history. The Super Bowl is coming on Sunday. Eagles or Chiefs? New posts on history page and recipes are coming. I expect to live into my late 80s. Remember old folks and their sayings? Going to hell in a handbasket was one. We know what hell is, but what is a handbasket? Kintsugi 2/6/25

According to Quartz, the 10 cheapest states for grocery prices are:

  1. Texas
  2. Michigan
  3. Mississippi
  4. Arkansas
  5. Kentucky
  6. Read the entire list here

Black/American History Month

The Black History Month 2025 theme, “African Americans and Labor,” focuses on the ways that “work and working of all kinds—free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary—intersect with the collective experiences of Black people.” (History.com)

Did you know that…

  • 90.1% of African Americans age 25 and older have a high school diploma or higher in 2022.
  • The Black or African American alone or multi-racial population in the United States in 2023 was 50,579,102.
  • The State of Texas had the largest Black alone or multi-racial population in 2023.
  • Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, is the county with the largest Black alone or multi-racial population in 2023. (not Hotlanta!)

2023 Florida history standards now teach students that some Black people benefited from slavery because it taught useful skills. The Florida State Board of Education’s new standards include controversial language about how “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” according to a 216-page document about the state’s 2023 standards in social studies, posted by the Florida Department of Education. (more)

Here are some sites for more information about black history:

Explore Our Collection of Black History Newspapers for Free Spanning over 200 years and comprising more than 2 million newspaper pages, these papers were published by or for Black Americans. They chronicled issues, including slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, and highlighted the struggles and achievements of Black Americans. Go here to explore.

Want to know how long you’ve got? Take the quiz here for a clue.

Bird flu is spreading. A variant of H5N1 bird flu has been found in dairy cattle for the first time. The strain has circulated widely in wild birds and has led to severe illness in several humans. Where is the CDC when you need it?

All ultra-processed foods are not terrible. I am trying to think of one right now. Are the foods in your shopping cart ultra-processed? Play this game to find out. I learned something!

How many people in the USA have the same education, income, work hours, and commute as you do? Check out this interesting site, FlowingData.com, for the answer to that and other burning data questions.

On January 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln rose to make a speech before the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln saw trouble coming, stemming from growing lawlessness in the country as men ignored the rule of law and imposed their will on their neighbors through violence.

Did you know that ProPublica has a tool to help you appeal denied health insurance claims? ProPublica’s Claim File Helper lets you customize a letter requesting the notes and documents your insurer used when deciding to deny you coverage. Get your claim file before submitting an appeal.

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