Lots of changes in politics. Grace under pressure. The Yale Hillbilly vs. whomever. Biden has Covid, again. Bob Menendez convicted. Joe Manchin mulls his chances. Kamala Harris may replace Joe Biden on the ticket! The prosecutor vs the felon. Good books on my table. Reviews below. More hackers stealing our personal information. Simone Biles. Electricity back on in Houston. Temps stay in the hell-in-a-handbasket zone. Birthdays coming. About 100 days until Election Day. Get ready to vote. Yummy food. Other 411. Stay with us this summer and spread the word.
Wild Cooking Woman 7/22/24

It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
President Joe Biden

We’re too busy watching what you’re doin’ to hear what you’re saying.
Kamala Harris

Who is J D Vance?

411…

Why is it still necessary to identify one’s sexuality in the public square, Jason Mraz? Are we secretly sharing sex partners? If not, I don’t care what you are.

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has been found guilty of 16 felony counts including bribery, corruption, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt.

Joe Manchin, the 76-year-old current senator from West Virginia, dropped out of the Democratic party and registered as an independent. He’s been flirting with taking a run at the presidency. He wouldn’t run against Biden, but maybe he thinks that now’s his chance!

Twenty-two-year-old intern Monica Lewenski paid a high price for giving at least one blow job to 49-year-old Bill Clinton. She is still trying to remake her life. He went on to a second term as president.

Last Pass was hacked, and had info stolen – and now used. Change those passwords regularly and use two-factor authentication to protect yourself. Here are some alternatives.

Everyone needs to start their day healthily.

Planning on traveling out of the USA? These countries are changing visa requirements for U.S. travelers in 2024.

In 1968, incumbent President Lyndon Johnson decided not to run for president, and his Vice President Hubert Humphrey ran for president instead (he lost). Richard Nixon, who would later resign after the Watergate scandal, won in a landslide. (How do criminal-minded folks win?) What else happened in 1968?

How Many Of These 10 Vanished Food Brands Do You Recognize? (I scored 2)

Wonder if your SO is on the up and up? How to Catch a Cheater

Should you shut your computer off when you’re not using it? It depends.

Bernice Johnson Reagon, 81, one of the founders of Sweet Honey in the Rock, died. Dr. Johnson Reagon was a voice of the civil rights movement. RIP, BJR. RIP.

The last of the original Four Tops, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, 88, has died. He made great harmonies. RIP.

Sheila Jackson Lee, the congresswoman from Houston, died from pancreatic cancer. RIP, and thank you for all you’ve done for us.

It’s gotten more difficult to get into top colleges over the years. You might say that the schools grew more selective, but it’s not because these schools take fewer students. There are just far more applicants now, and admissions don’t increase at the same rate. check your alma mater on this interactive site.

There are changes afoot at our post office: higher stamp prices, new procedures, and more.

Raw and real. Honest and powerful. Funny, at times. Darrin Bell brings us into his world through his evocative words and drawings. The Talk – every parent of a black child should know what it is – is the skeleton on which Bell hangs his work. He chronicles his evolution from being a naive 6-year-old to being the father of a 6-year-old. The idea that he couldn’t have a more realistic water pistol because police wouldn’t see him as a little boy but as something else; an adult thug, a criminal, someone to be stopped, harassed, even assaulted resonated with me. I remember Bobbi Wilson, the 9-year-old who was spraying lanternflies and had the police called on her. Her white neighbor who called the police said, “There’s a little Black woman walking, spraying stuff on the sidewalks and trees on Elizabeth and Florence,” Lawshe told the dispatcher, according to October 2022 audio obtained by outlets. “I don’t know what the hell she’s doing. Scares me, though.” She was 9. Nine. I am buying copies for my younger friends and grands.

Patricia Raybon’s Annalee Spain mystery series is well done. A young Christian professor at a Chicago Bible college, she decides to get to the bottom of her father’s untimely death in 1920s Klan-controlled Colorado. I’ve read the first book [All That is Secret], and am halfway through the second [Double the Lies]. I need to stop and eat. I can wait until I finish this chapter; I’m not that hungry.

Here is a primer on kinds of cocoa powder: natural and Dutch process, or a link to a video:

Chocolate Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE:

3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
Cooking spray or butter, for coating the pans
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder( or substitute expresso as below)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup boiling water or 1/2 cup expresso

FOR THE FROSTING:

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup natural cocoa powder
1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk, plus more as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE CAKE:

Place 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and 2 large eggs in a medium bowl and let sit until room temperature. Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray or butter, then line the bottom of each with a parchment paper round.
Add 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the sour cream mixture and whisk until smooth.
Place 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 2 teaspoons baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric hand mixer). Beat with the whisk attachment on low speed until combined. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream mixture and beat until combined, about 1 minute 15 seconds. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup boiling water and beat until just smooth, about 40 seconds.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans (3 cups or about 21 ounces per pan). Bake until firm but a finger leaves an impression in the crust (a toothpick inserted into the center should still have a few crumbs), 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and dry the mixer bowl. Place 3 sticks unsalted butter in the bowl and let sit at room temperature until softened.
When the cakes are ready, place on a wire rack and let cool completely in the pans, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the frosting when the butter is ready.

MAKE THE FROSTING:

Beat the butter with the paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup natural cocoa powder, 1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Do not over-whip. Beat in more cream or milk a tablespoon at a time as needed if the frosting is too thick.
Run a knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen, remove the cakes from the pans, and discard the parchment. Place a dollop of frosting on the middle of a cake stand or platter and top with one of the cake layers. Dollop 1/3 of the frosting (about 1 1/2 cups) onto the cake and spread into an even layer, going all the way to the edges. Top with the second cake layer bottom facing up. Press down gently to adhere. Spread the remaining frosting onto the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing to help set the shape.

RECIPE NOTES

Make ahead: The cakes and frosting can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store the cakes tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature, and the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let the frosting come to room temperature before assembling the cake.

Alternatively, the cake can be assembled and decorated up to 1 day before serving. Refrigerate uncovered and let the cake come to room temperature before serving.

Storage: Leftover cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.

My favorite Elton John hit.

Five Teachings of the Dalai Lama I Try to Live By

Serve others rather than expect to be served.
Smile authentically—no half smiles, no Mona Lisa–style ambiguity.
If someone is bothering you, think deeply about their troubles.
Manage our negative emotions—so that they don’t manage us.
Not reacting to the bad behavior of others.

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Maps That Show How The World Really Is.

What happens when pregnant people travel to states with mandatory pregnancy laws.

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