Power To The People

People living under repressive regimes will soon be able to access the web using the internet connection of friends in censorship-free countries

If The Humanities Were Still About The Humanities, There Wouldn't Be A Problem

NYT: As Interest Fades in the Humanities, Colleges Worry

Plus a comment from a related source:
"There’s nothing wrong with the humanities, when pursued with rigor; the world needs more people who can read, write, and think critically. But the currency has been diluted for years, and consumers are finally catching on. And if you think that the problem is that “inequality and climate change” aren’t being addressed in the English departments, then you’re part of the problem."

Going into hock to student loans for the rest of one's life just to listen to four years of recycled and often half-accurate ideology from a tenured puffin with little real knowledge of anything useful does seem to be a questionable investment.  This is a pity, as once upon a time I would have argued that a humanities degree, as in my case, enabled a lifetime of employment and personal enrichment.  Now all one has to do is agree with the professor, claim to vote in the appropriate way, ensure that you know and hate the latest incarnation of Emmanuel Goldstein, and fork over six figures worth of borrowed money. 

I mentioned to an ordained colleague that I was glad that I majored in English as the degree has served me well during the years, whether I was a teacher, administrator, corporate buyer, educational consultant, business owner, or struggling musician.  Also, since clergy have to, essentially, write for a living, it has been invaluable in that regard.

She responded, "Well, I majored in Accounting and I can write."  I didn't say, and now wish I had, "Yes.  You write like an accountant."

At 18, The Govt Can Tell You To Kill, Die, Or Be Maimed At Its Command

You can also vote for said government.  You just can't be trusted to buy cigarettes.

New York City passes new smoking rules, raising minimum age to buy cigarettes to 21

Trick Or Treat

Thursday's Biblical Recipe: Roast Quail with Apricots and Pecans

1 lb. ground meat sausage (any kind)
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup flavored bread crumbs
2 sprigs fresh thyme, cut in pieces
1 cup chopped, roasted pecans
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 cup celery, chopped
½ cup spring onions, chopped
4 ripe apricots, chopped (without pits)
6 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
6 semi-boneless quail
salt and pepper to taste
handful of paprika
1 tsp. ground dried ginger flour coating
1 cup sunflower oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper chopped parsley cherry tomatoes


Preheat oven to 325°F.

Fry the sausage and set it aside; reserve the drippings. Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, buttermilk, eggs, bread crumbs, thyme, and sausage drippings together, along with half of the pecans, carrots, celery, and onions, and spoon into a small loaf pan. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool completely.

Place a few large spoonfuls of the baked bread crumb mixture in a large bowl, and mix it well, mashing if necessary, with the sausage, the apricots, and the remaining pecans. Add half the Balsamic vinegar and stir well.

Wash the quail thoroughly and pat dry, inside and out. Season the inside of each quail cavity with salt and pepper; then stuff a few spoonfuls of the bread crumb mixture inside each bird. Season the outside of the bird with a little paprika mixed with ginger and tie the legs together with some twine or unflavored dental floss.

Mix a handful of flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl as a coating for each quail and see to it that they are well covered on both sides. Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet and sear the quail, turning occasionally, until the entire bird has a golden tinge to its skin. Remove the quail from the skillet and transfer to a large, deep, ovenproof pan. Add the remaining vinegar to the pan drippings and bring to a boil; then spoon over the quail. Raise the oven temperature to 350° and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve over the remaining baked bread crumb mixture, surrounded by chopped parsley and cherry tomatoes.

Oh-Oh. Controversy In The World Of Big Wave Surfing

Big-wave icon Laird Hamilton calls into question Carlos Burle's ride and Maya Gabeira's skills

Wednesday's Art: "Jesus Christ, Seed of Woman" by Marc Lawrence

Yeah, I don't get this one, either, but what the heck.

Hey, I Rode A Fifteen-Footer Once; Just Sayin'

Surfer rides "biggest wave of all time".

An Unlikely Couple

Lou Reed, the rock "icon" who died this past weekend, shared an unlikely friendship with Jane Scott, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's long-time music critic.  I wrote of Ms. Scott last year, as she had as much to do with my musical appreciation as did George Szell.  This article is from today's Plain Dealer and might surprise folks in the New York music scene, but seems rather natural for those of us who knew her.

Lou Reed and former Plain Dealer rock critic Jane Scott: A rock and roll love story

Tuesday's Wave

"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite." -G.K. Chesterton

The best encryption devices: 1. A pen. 2. Paper.

— Nein. (@NeinQuarterly) October 28, 2013

Relax, Let The Police Handle The Guns. Oh, And The Dogs.

Police dog bites fifth grader when cops conduct mock classroom drug raid

Why Is Everyone Avoiding Me Now That I’m A Widow?

Because people have an atavistic fear that bad luck is catching, and because they feel awkward and don’t know what to say. In prior eras, institutionalized mourning rituals — and the sheer commonness of premature death — made this somewhat less pronounced. Now such things are unusual, and people have no template on how to act.

The Wedge, Newport Beach

My first time wrestling this beast I was 49 years old and, well, let's just say I was not yet a triathlete. Man, did I get knocked about.  It was great.

It's Time To Play "Guess The State"

Thieves steal hearse with body but leave note so corpse could be found

and

Students Find Man Secretly Living In Basement Behind Locked Door

and

Squirrel traps family in their home

That Pope Francis Has Some Style, Doesn't He?

German 'Bishop of Bling's multimillion euro mansion to be used to serve needy

That's showin' him.

Bishop Michael Curry's Convention Sermon

Lou Reed, influential rock songwriter and guitarist, dies at 71

Getting Ready For Halloween

International News

Italian police bust ring of corrupt morticians