Monday's Brain: All the Caffeine, None of the Sugar

[elfs]

Labor Market Deterioration

This graph represents total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of all civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers

Peace is for Losers

The big meme going around the right-wing blogosphere is that since Sadr called for a ceasefire, he must have been losing. However he was the one that the Iraqi army attacked. He was not the aggressor, and only the aggressor can call a ceasefire and make it stick. For Sadr's ceasefire to have authority, he must have been inflicting heavy losses on his attackers.

Nevertherless, John McCain thinks peace offers are for losers.

Representative tries to put fear of God in atheist.

This would be funny if it didn't seem so darn pervasive. Atheist activist Rob Sherman was testifying against a proposal that the state of Illinois give a chuch $1 million to rebuild after it burned down. Apparently, the church lacked insurance and cannot raise the funds independently, so some dull spark decided that taxpayers should be asked to sacrifice some. Lawmaker Monique Davis (D-Chicago) apparently had enough at one point:

I'm trying to understand the philosophy that you want to spread in the state of Illinois. This is the Land of Lincoln. This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God, where people believe in protecting their children. What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous, it's dangerous-- it's dangerous to the progression of this state. And it's dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! Now you will go to court to fight kids to have the opportunity to be quiet for a minute. But damn if you'll go to court to fight for them to keep guns out of their hands. I am fed up! Get out of that seat! You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.

"You believe in destroying!" "Ma'am, what part of Bwahahahaha! did you not understand?"

Baby Blues

Today (and today only, because the flamin' comic syndicates have absolutely no concept of archives, history, or even survival in the era of the webcomic) Baby Blues mananges to capture Kouryou-chan absolutely perfectly.

Farro Soup with Beans

The kids won't eat it, but I so want to try this recipe. To eat like the Legions!

Comments

[taerin.livejournal.com]

Did you notice that the recipe claims to serve 4, when it contains 7 ounces of farro and 4 cans of beans? Good heavens, how big are these servings? o_O

The soup does look really tasty, and might want a bit of parmesan or grana padano shredded over the top (if they wouldn't conflict strangely with the cinnamon.)

[omahas.livejournal.com]

Representative tries to put fear of God in atheist.

Did you notice that no one put their name to the Chicago Tribune article? Sigh.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

It was reporter Eric Zorn (http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/04/rep-monique-dav.html).

[omahas.livejournal.com]

Wow! Did you read the comments to this? I'm feeling a little better today. :)

Tomatoes in farro soup?

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

Don't those strike you as just a tad non-Legionary? I like the idea of emmer wheat(the name under which I first encountered farro) and beans together) but the tomatoes just don't seem right.

Re: Tomatoes in farro soup?

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Given that the tomato is a native of Peru and was unknown in Europe until Columbus' time, you're probably right.

[lisakit.livejournal.com]

You can experiment on me with the farro. Sounds good!