Is The Truth Out There...?

The Charnel House
Pablo Picasso
1945

The Internet can be a dangerous place, but never more so than when it distributes false and fictitious information that people take as truth and fact. "The truth is out there...?" I don't think so. Most of us are able to discern fact from fiction, and of course we always have Snopes to debunk stupid rumours.  But there are conspiracy theories that take hold, and intelligent, well-read people actually buy into them.  The conspiracy theories sound plausible, they have even been "proven" and in any case, folks love a good ghost story.  Isn't it more fun to have shadowy people out there who are actually responsible for these things?  The truth isn't sexy.  It's more fun to believe that Diana was killed by the Royal family than by a drunk driver, or that JFK was killed by the (fill in the blanks with your choice) than by a crazy sniper with a good aim.  And it's more fun to believe that the shadowy "they" were responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001, than a bunch of well-organized, well-funded, completely insane extremists who hijacked airplanes and flew them into the buildings.

The truth of what happened that day has been proven by no less than engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Albert Einstein's alma mater), and hundreds of books and papers have been published, including this one, describing exactly how the Towers fell, and what caused them to fall.  Here is one excerpt:  The claims that the jet fuel was not hot enough to melt the beams has also been disproved.  FACT: Jet fuel burns at 800° to 1500°F, not hot enough to melt steel (2750°F). However, experts agree that for the towers to collapse, their steel frames didn't need to melt, they just had to lose some of their structural strength—and that required exposure to much less heat. "Steel loses about 50 percent of its strength at 1100°F," notes senior engineer Farid Alfawak-hiri of the American Institute of Steel Construction. "And at 1800° it is probably at less than 10 percent." But jet fuel wasn't the only thing burning, notes Forman Williams, a professor of engineering at the University of California, San Diego, and one of seven structural engineers and fire experts that PM consulted. He says that while the jet fuel was the catalyst for the WTC fires, the resulting inferno was intensified by the combustible material inside the buildings, including rugs, curtains, furniture and paper. NIST reports that pockets of fire hit 1832°F. "The jet fuel was the ignition source," Williams tells PM. "It burned for maybe 10 minutes, and [the towers] were still standing in 10 minutes. It was the rest of the stuff burning afterward that was responsible for the heat transfer that eventually brought them down."

I remember the Cold War, and the fear and anxiety that it produced in everyone in my generation. Part of our school curriculum was practicing survival techniques.  The anxiety stayed with us 24/7 and it was an underlying anxiety that took years -- decades -- to go away.  The ensuing anxiety spilled over into my personal life.  I lived in fear of one government or another starting a war that would end the world.  It was horrible.  And now it seems to be starting again in this generation -- fear and paranoia of the unknown.  And it is making me bloody angry.  The only thing to be really afraid of is ignorance.  The children of this generation have the right to live in the enlightenment of knowledge, not the shadow of ignorance.  The truth is in education.  The truth is in learning the scientific facts.  The real predators of the Internet are the people who perpetuate the ignorance the children read and believe to be the truth.  People love a good ghost story, but that is all these conspiracy theories are -- ghost stories.

The truth is out there...!  We owe it to the children to tell them the truth, not some hocus pocus nonsense.

... But Long Enough To Cover The Subject ...

The Sea, Koktebel
Ivan Aivazovsky
1853

This week I have been participating in one of the most interesting yet grueling tasks I have ever done. Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed with things, I have a recurring dream that I am in a tidal wave.  I was once in a tidal wave that devastated our town, and it was loud, frightening and lasted for a very long time.  One can feel completely helpless in a situation like that, because there is no way to reason with the forces of nature.  So, with the feeling that I had to completely re-wire my brain to "think outside the box", by Wednesday I was feeling overwhelmed and the waters came rushing at me.  I dreamt I was swimming in Hawaii and suddenly the water retreated.  That's not a good sign.  And then the dark, green water came back in full force, bubbling and churning.  Thank goodness I woke up in time.  Phew!

All week long I lived in dread of having to give my presentation at the end of our week-long meetings.  My head was vibrating with acronyms and business-speak.  New paradigms, sustainability, pulling information, forward-planning.  Goodness... But, apparently my presentation was very good.  Who knew!  As my friend Russell says, a speech should be like a women's skirt -- short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the subject.  Very good advice.

Today, the sun is shining through the clouds, the dreadful cold, snowy weather of the past week has gone, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with two very special little people -- well, not so little anymore -- who always make me laugh.

Tidal wave averted ... for now ...

Happy Thanksgiving...!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. I hope you have a wonderful day -- eat lots of turkey and pumpkin pie, watch lots of football, and just enjoy your day.

Cheers!

Jo

The Dark Side Of The Moon...

The Moon Woman
Jackson Pollock
1942

I have been on the dark side of the moon for the past few days, and will continue to be here for the rest of the week while I am involved in a project at work.  I'm not ignoring you, I just haven't had a chance to visit all of my favourite blogs in the last little while.  But, I am improving the world, one step at a time...  well, perhaps... and perhaps not.

See you soon.

Cheers,
Jo

That's One Billion (With A "B")

Princess Patricia
1886 – 1974
Granddaughter of Queen Victoria
Colonel-in-Chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

With all the news lately of Prince William's engagement to Kate Middleton, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not the royalty is relevant any longer.  Personally, I would not like to see it dismantled, because it is a system that has worked for centuries, and who knows what we could get in its place.  If it ain't broke...  But more than that, it is a thread through time that connects all of us to our past.  How many of us can trace our lineage like that?  But in an odd way, we can.  Royalty has given us the Elizabethan era, the Victorian era, the Edwardian era, for example, each with its own achievements and culture.  And to give credit where it's due, some of these folks were amazing people, Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, specifically.  Queen Elizabeth II is decades past the age when most people retire, and she still works relentlessly in public service.

If royalty did not exist, we would invent them.  The Kennedys, anyone?Observe what happened to Russia when the Bolsheviks assassinated the Romanovs and Russia became a communist country.  It didn't work;  in fact, it failed horribly.  However, the Commonwealth of Nations does seem to work.  It consists of 53 countries, and 1.7 billion (that is billion with a "b") people.  That's almost one-third of the world's population. The land area of the Commonwealth of Nations is approximately one-quarter of the earth's land mass.  It is a democratic and free association, of which the British Monarch is the symbolic Head of the Commonwealth, and a very active member.

When William becomes king, as monarch, he will inherit Windsor Castle which is 484,000 square feet and has 1000 rooms, Buckingham Palace which is 828,818 square feet and has 600 rooms, as well as Sandringham Castle, Balmoral Castle, Hollyrood House, Kensington Palace, St. James Palace, Clarence House, amongst other private homes. He will also inherit a huge responsibility, and he has no choice but to accept it.  When he gets married, his wedding will generate $1 billion dollars (that is billion with a "b") revenue towards the British economy.  His coronation will generate even more. And revenue generated by tax on royal properties and by Crown estates this year was $261 million dollars, so they are worth far more to the country than they cost it. The country receives around $4 million in tax per year from Prince Charles' Duchy of Cornwall.  Prince Charles was considered "dotty" 20 years ago when he converted the Duchy of Cornwall to an organic farm. Who knew he had been an environmentalist for decades and was ahead of his time?

Personally, I rather like the British royalty.  They're colourful, interesting, and often unpredictable.  Most of us are people-watchers by nature.  We love to gossip about celebrities.  So, I shudder to think who we would get in place of the royal family -- Sarah Palin and her two vacant daughters?  I'll keep Charlie and his two handsome sons, thank you very much.

Men And Women ... Vive la Différence

Morning News
Helen M. Turner
1915

Time Magazine recently issued its list of the most powerful women of the past century.  If you scan the list, you will see that most of them started out from modest backgrounds, and whatever field of interest they developed, they all had the same intelligence, intellectual curiosity, strength and tenacity.

It has always been a misconception that women are the weaker sex.  They are not.  They are equal to men, just different -- and vive la différence.  We love men just the way they are.  For the most part, men are masculine and women are feminine, and we hope that never changes.  It's that difference that makes it all ... interesting.  But femininity does not equal to weakness.  Quite the opposite.  I work mostly with women, and in my experience women are extremely tough -- much more so than men.  Also in my experience there are two types of men -- those who respect women and love them, and those who are threatened by women, and try to demean them.  All women have experienced both these types of men.  In my opinion, there is nothing more masculine than a gentle man -- a gentleman. And there is nothing more feminine than a strong woman who knows her strengths, but still loves to be feminine. Coco Chanel, anyone?

Here is Time Magazine's list of most influential woman of the past century, and I wholeheartedly agree with the choices.

• Jane Addams (1860-1935)
• Corazon Aquino (1933-2009)
• Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
• Coco Chanel (1883-1971)
• Julia Child (1912-2004)
• Hillary Clinton (1947-Present)
• Marie Curie (1867-1934)
• Aretha Franklin (1942-Present)
• Indira Gandhi (1917-1984)
• Estée Lauder (1908-2004)
• Madonna (1958-Present)
• Margaret Mead (1901-1978)
• Golda Meir (1898-1978)
• Angela Merkel (1954-Present)
• Sandra Day O'Connor (1930-Present)
• Rosa Parks (1913-2005)
• Jiang Qing (1914-1991)
• Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
• Margaret Sanger (1879-1966)
• Gloria Steinem (1934-Present)
• Martha Stewart (1941-Present)
• Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
• Margaret Thatcher (1925-Present)
• Oprah Winfrey (1954-Present)
• Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Best Of Luck To Wills and Kate...

Now that Kate has landed her prince, I think there will be the inevitable comparisons to Diana. The world was enamored of Diana from the moment she stepped into the spotlight. She was a superstar and she eclipsed everyone else in the royal family. But she was equally as fragile, and didn't know how to handle her celebrity. By the time she was 23 years old, she was the Princess of Wales - the wife of the future King - and the mother of two princes. That would be too much for any 23 year-old girl.  Kate, on the other hand, is well-educated and more mature.

I predict Wills and Kate will get married on July 1, 2011, the date which would have been Diana's 50th birthday. And do you realize that, when she and William get married, Kate will be only seven years younger than Diana was when she died? Imagine that.

They appear to be a nice young couple, and I wish them the best of luck.

Marilyn Monroe ... Chef...?

Who would ever have guessed that Norma Jean Baker was an accomplished chef? Well, in fact, Norma Jean was accomplished at many things including painting, writing poetry, cooking, acting, and inventing the persona, or alter ego, of Marilyn Monroe. In many ways, Marilyn Monroe was Norma Jean's undoing. If Norma Jean were on the scene today, she would eclipse almost everyone else out there.  She was amazing.  In 1999 two cookbooks in her personal effects sold through Christie's Auction House, one was “The New Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” and the other was the 1953 edition of “Joy of Cooking”.  Both books were filled with her own recipes, including notations in the margins.

This is a photo of Marilyn's kitchen, circa 1961.  Who wouldn't love this kitchen today.  I love the copper range hood, and the well-used cutting board.  Look at the copper pots.  Those are the pots of a serious chef.  If you look above the range hood, you can see a pottery tea pot, identical to one you would find in everyone's home today.

There has recently been a new book published called "Fragments", and on page 180, in Marilyn's own handwriting, is a recipe for turkey stuffing. The writers for the New York Times described it: When we gingerly tossed everything together in our largest bowl (the recipe yielded more than 20 cups), we were amazed to discover one of the most handsome stuffings we’ve encountered. The odd elements, like the profusion of raisins and the chopped egg, suddenly made sense, becoming pleasant color contrasts. Moreover, the mixture was delicious, a nice balance of vegetables, meats and bold seasonings, just faintly, tonically sweet from the raisins. Even the texture was superior, a fluffy, damp blend that packed well into a chicken cavity and emerged loosely gelled. So ... with the Holiday Season coming up -- Thanksgiving in the U.S., and Christmas -- here is Marilyn Monroe's recipe for turkey stuffing.

Time: 2 hours
(No garlic)
A 10-ounce loaf sourdough bread
1/2 pound chicken or turkey livers or hearts
1/2 pound ground round or other beef
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped curly parsley
2 eggs, hard boiled, chopped
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts, pine nuts or roasted chestnuts, or a combination
2 teaspoons dried crushed rosemary
2 teaspoons dried crushed oregano
2 teaspoons dried crushed thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt-free, garlic-free poultry seasoning (or 1 teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon pepper.
1. Split the bread loaf in half and soak it in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. Wring out excess water over a colander and shred into pieces.
2. Boil the livers or hearts for 8 minutes in salted water, then chop until no piece is larger than a coffee bean.
3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef in the oil, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat, so no piece is larger than a pistachio.
4. In your largest mixing bowl, combine the sourdough, livers, ground beef, celery, onion, parsley, eggs, raisins, Parmesan and nuts, tossing gently with your hands to combine.
Whisk the rosemary, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper together in a bowl, scatter over the stuffing and toss again with your hands. Taste and adjust for salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use as a stuffing or to bake separately as dressing.

Yield: 20 cups, enough for one large turkey, 2 to 3 geese or 8 chickens.

The $69 Million Dollar Vase...

This vase sold at auction today for $69 million dollars. A brother and sister who were clearing out their parents home in North London discovered the vase, had it evaluated, and put it up for auction with Bainbridge Auction House in London. Helen Porter, of Bainbridges auctioneers, said: "They had no idea what they had. They were hopeful but they didn't dare believe until the hammer went down.  When it did, the sister had to go out of the room and have a breath of fresh air." Apparently the vase had been in their family since the 1930s. According to the experts at Bainbridge, it was fired in the imperials kilns of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty. The vase has delicate perforations on the outside which reveals another vase inside, and is decorated in the humorous fish motif. The buyers have remained anonymous, but they describe the cause as "the most beautiful thing they had seen outside China in decades".

Do you ever wonder what treasures you may have hidden inside your house? I bought this exquisite beautiful rather pretty vase at a garage sale on Vine Street for 57 cents.  I'm rather partial to it because it has a sunny, Van Gogh-ish look to it, don't you think?  Could it be...?  Ever hopeful, I checked the pottery stamp on the bottom, and there is a little crown with the words "Finest China.  Made in Japan".  If anyone recognizes that stamp, I would be willing to negotiate.  I know a crown on the pottery stamp indicates "royal".  Could it be an antique Japanese vase from the Muromachi dynasty?  Or perhaps Kamakura? Just think of the possibilities. And I'm willing to part with it for only ... oh ... $5.70.  Well, maybe not.  I actually rather like it.

The Secret Lives Of Others...

Bus Passengers
George Segal

Have you ever sat on a bus, or in an airport waiting room or a restaurant and looked around at the other people and wondered what they were thinking?  Everyone seems to be staring off into middle space, and I sometimes wonder what secret lives are going on behind their vacant stares.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to listen in? We all have rich interior lives, and perhaps only a small percentage of what we are actually thinking makes it to the outside world.  In that way, we never really know each other.  We are our own best-kept secrets.

Rush Hour
George Segal

We have all experienced the elevator syndrome.  Elevators are small, confined spaces, holding sometimes 15 people or more, everyone intruding on each other's personal space. Conversation is kept at a minimum because the enclosed space gives a feeling of personal intimacy that makes us feel uncomfortable. We don't wish to talk to the stranger who is standing three inches away. So instead, we look at the floor numbers, hoping the elevator will get to our destination quickly. What are we thinking about, and what is the stranger next to us thinking about? Perhaps they're remembering a book they read the night before, or wondering if they remembered to turn the stove off before they left home. Or maybe they're late for work, and they're wishing they could tell the boss to take the job and ...

Street Crossing
George Segal

One of my favorite things to do is to sit and have a coffee somewhere, and try to guess what folks are thinking. Sometimes I will see a couple having a conversation, and I will imagine what they are saying.  There was a wonderful scene in "Date Night" where Steve Carrell and Tina Fey were having dinner together.  They were choosing random couples in the restaurant and inventing what their conversations might be.  I laughed because I didn't realize other folks did that too.

Usually the secret lives of other people are much more interesting than their exterior lives.  I work with a woman who is the epitome of grace, good manners, refined deportment ... and yet quite frequently she comes out with some particularly sarcastic and offensive comments that completely bushwhack the people they're directed at.  I hear the comments, and I wonder who is the real person living behind the pleasant facade this woman shows the world.  What is the secret life going on inside that causes her to be this way, and which of these personalities is the real person?  We never really know, do we?

Do you have a secret life?