Italian Pride

Did you happen to see the TV coverage of the righting of the Costa Concordia from its watery Tuscan graveyard? It was spectacular!

The remarkable event of ocean recovery was an international effort. The chief salvage master was from South Africa and his 500-men crew hailed from 26 different nations. They used a process called parbuckling (and almost $800 million) to raise the vessel. According to Florida-based Titan Salvage, the 952 foot ship will be removed and scrapped.

In January 2012, the Italian captain in charge of the cruise ship, took it off course, crashed it and abandoned ship before everyone was evacuated. Of the 4,000 passengers on board, 32 died and two are still missing. Italy suffered a certain amount of embarrassment and shame. Search teams vow to locate the two missing bodies. Every effort is being made to return recovered belongings to their owners.

This unprecedented feat of engineering has given Italy a much needed boost of pride. After two years of recession and extreme political instability, Italians cheered the rising of the beautiful ship as the world watched on live television.

How sad that the knowledge and equipment required to right a sunken vessel was not available when the Titanic went down.

Above the Law

The headline Congress Gets Insurance Deal aroused my interest. The rest of the article aroused my resentment. While the vast American public must fend for itself, Congress and their staff are to be excluded from the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The article correctly stated that an amendment to ACA did INCLUDE Congress and staff, but now another administration decision will IGNORE the law and EXCLUDE the lawmakers and their staffs. The supposed reason is that “the best and brightest might flee Capitol Hill.”

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said her staff told her “there could be a problem with brain drain.” Maybe Pelosi should have read the bill before she passed it.

Perhaps the ACA is not a law at all but just a menu of items to be laid on the public at the whim of the administration.

How can we trust the administration and Congress when their primary objective is to “take care” of themselves rather than to “take care” of the people they represent?

All things considered, perhaps a “brain drain” is needed to get our government back to representing ALL the people instead of protecting their own power and benefits.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Awash in Squash!

As summer begins a slow fade into fall, our yellow crook-neck and zucchini have shifted into high gear. They produce faster than we can gather.

Friends and family, who were thrilled to have it delivered free to their doorsteps, now close their doors and draw the blinds. They even lock the car doors. The bright green and yellow veggies, whose glow cheered me in early summer, now mock me with their abundance.

Squash is super low in calories, at just 17 per three ounces; a great source of vitamins A and C and potassium; and a terrific antioxidant. It’s one of the easiest and quickest veggies to prepare. Plus the color is cheerful and the flavor is delicate and slightly sweet. What’s not to love? We do love it, but we’ve reached the saturation point.

Just when I couldn’t face another helping of squash soufflé, or another slice of zucchini bread, the Cowgirl Chef, writing for an area newspaper, furnished enticing new recipes. I’ve learned to make Spanish tortilla with zucchini, squash and black bean tacos, and zucchini and baby spinach beignets.

Don’t be alarmed if you see a short, white-haired lady coming toward your front door carrying a casserole.

I promise it will be good for you!

Made in America

Continuing the principles of founder Sam Walton, Walmart Inc. hosted a two-day conference urging retailers, suppliers and government officials to commit to increasing manufacturing jobs in America. The event attracted representatives from 500 manufacturers, eight governors, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and officials from 36 states. All of them expressed interest in creating more jobs in the USA.

The movement could help stem the tide of jobs flowing to China and elsewhere that occurred over the last two decades. But the real impetus is pure economics: Labor costs are rising in Asia, and oil and transportation costs are high and unpredictable.

Let’s all vow to help Wally World put more Americans to work. All together now:

We pledge to check every label for the country of origin. If it doesn’t say “made in America,” we’ll put it back on the shelf.

Presidential Whiskers

Rutherford B. Hayes

I enjoy biographies and consider them an important staple of my annual reading requirements. Among my favorites are the ones written by or about American presidents. One fascinating aspect is the gentleman’s facial hair – who sported whiskers, who did not?

Four presidents had a notable mustache: Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, Chester K. Arthur and William Howard Taft. Arthur also had impressive sideburns.

Four presidents had full beards, including lip whiskers: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield and Benjamin Harrison. After 1913 our presidents have been clean shaven.

Facial hair can hide a multitude of flaws. I believe two past-presidents would have benefited from a lush growth of whiskers: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. A full beard and mustache might have helped George disguise his ill-fitting false teeth. Abe could have used them to hide his prominent moles and deep wrinkles.

Mustaches (handle-bar or trimmed), as well as Vandykes, full-face, goatees and mutton chops made our early executive officers look wise and distinguished.

Why have whiskers been ignored and unfashionable for one hundred years?

Student Loans ….continued

Three cheers for President Obama – at least one cheer! He has pledged to make college more affordable by reshaping the way Americans pay for higher education.

The average tuition at four-year colleges has tripled over the past three decades. Mr. Obama estimates that students who take out loans are left, on average, with $26,000. of debt. Students of my personal acquaintance incurred an average of $40,000. One brand-new attorney reports $100,000. owed on college loans.

Obama proposes a new government rating system for colleges that would judge schools on their affordability and might be used to allocate financial aid. The proposal causes worry among college leaders who fear that the rankings could cost their institutions millions of dollars. Ya think?

Some congressmen are wary of deepening the government’s role in higher education. But the President argues that with the economy shaky and students facing global competition, making college affordable is “an economic imperative.”

“Higher education cannot be a luxury”, Obama said.

Wow! Did he read my blog?

Feds Sue Texas

In addition to big boots, big hair and big hearts, Texas has a new distinction – defendant in a law suit filed by the Justice Department.

Texas plans to implement a strict voter law that requires adults to present government-issued identification before voting. We have millions of foreign visitors to our state. We question their right to help determine our policies.

We know that the Constitution guarantees people the right to vote. But an ID is required to buy a car, board a plane, get a credit card or receive a driver’s license – surely voting is of greater importance than these transactions.

The Voting Right Acts, which still exists in a weakened form, requires Justice Department approval for nine states, including Texas, to receive pre-clearance before they can change any voting practice. It can cover anything from buying new voter machines to shifting district boundaries. Is this discrimination?

Attorney General Eric Holder says, “We will keep fighting aggressively to prevent voter disenfranchisement.”

Governor Rick Perry dismisses the federal action as “endless litigation in an effort to obstruct the will of the people of Texas.”

The Feds view the Texas voter law as discriminatory. Texans see it as good common sense.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac

My friend, Betty, and I are eager to receive our copies of the Old Farmer’s Almanac 2013 issue. We want to know if the winter will be severe or mild. Will we need heavy coats and long johns, or just light jackets for the Super Bowl?

The Almanac, released in September of every year since 1792, is a reference book that contains weather forecasts, tide tables, planting charts, astronomical data, recipes and articles on gardening, sports, and farming. The book features anecdotes and predicts trends in fashion, food, home décor, technology and living for the coming year. It is the oldest continuously published periodical in North America.

As children of farm families, we are accustomed to consulting the Almanac to learn when to plant crops and various garden vegetables. (Root vegetables should not be planted in conjunction with those produced above ground.) This book told our parents and grandparents when to butcher hogs, plan a trip or set a date for a wedding. They consulted the moon signs to see when to pull a tooth or have surgery.

Never discount the value of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. In World War II, a German spy was apprehended with a copy of the 1942 Almanac in his pocket. He believed the USA would stockpile munitions and schedule military movements according to the Almanac’s advice. He hoped to break the code.

Abiding by the references of the Almanac can save us from big mistakes and costly disasters. In 220 years it has seldom been wrong.

Every home should have a copy.

Madame President

Hillary Clinton recently described what it would mean for America to elect its first female president and her hope to see this happen. She stopped short of recommending anyone.

I, too, would like to see this happen but I’m not optimistic. Any qualified woman from either party would be met with strong criticism.

Other countries in the world have had outstanding women leaders, i.e. Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi. But in our country there is a strong bias against women in leadership positions. This is true in religion and the private sector as well as government.

A church I recently attended was assigned a lady minister. One quarter of its members immediately moved to another church. Female associate pastors seem to have greater acceptance in this supportive role.

Currently there are only eight U.S. women governors. The number of lady mayors has risen in recent years, but you won’t find many female bank presidents.

Women seem to fare better in education. A lot of female principals, superintendants and school board presidents are in place.

But the trend may be changing. The Federal Reserve Board, that august bastion of maleness, currently has a woman in the number two position – Janet Yellen. She and Larry Summers are the two most likely candidates to succeed Ben Bernanke as leader of the Fed when his second four-year term expires January 31. An economist, Summers has held several important positions, but he has never worked in the Fed. Many in the banking community believe Yellen has the edge. If she is chosen, we will have a female in the second most important job in the nation.

Perhaps now Americans can get past the attitude that “the little woman should stay in the kitchen and the nursery” and choose candidates based on qualifications not gender.