Memorial Day was once a sacred day with solemn speeches, patriotic parades, and grateful citizens who decorated the graves of fallen heroes with flags and flowers. Over the years, it's special meaning has been obscured by the frivolity of picnics, fireworks, department store sales, and the celebration of summer’s bloom.
Originally called Decoration Day, the commemoration began in 1866 to honor soldiers who lost their lives during the Civil War. Evolving over the next 100 years, the holiday (declared National by Congress in 1971) now honors those who died defending our country in all wars.
Flags fly on every grave at Arlington National Cemetery and a wreath is laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I've had the opportunity to visit both these places and mourn the loss of brave young men who have given their lives to benefit me.
I've also had the chance to visit Normandy in France and the memorial monuments and cemetary located there. After seeing just how impossibly dangerous it was to land on the beach at Normandy, I had an even greater appreciation for the men who gave their lives for us during World War II, and it was impossible not to be moved to tears when I walked among the graves of those young soldiers.
Today our soldiers are risking their lives on two fronts. They are fighting in terrible terrains, extreme weather conditions, and with enemies that come in multiple and unclear forms. They are young men and women seeing and doing things that young people should never have to see or do, and they are doing all this to protect us. They deserve our honor and gratitude.
For those who have paid the ultimate price to ensure our freedoms, we must be especially vigilant. Their deaths will not be in vain so long as we remember the magnitude of their sacrifice and are truly grateful.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Et Tu Brute
I teach the short story by Shirley Jackson called The Lottery to point out the savagery with which people can treat each other. Though in civilized societies, we don't stone each other to death any more, people who consider themselves enlightened can and do, figuratively, still kill off others, sometimes in the ugliest and most awful ways.
I discuss the story with students to address the problem of bullying--the quintessential example of going after the most vulnerable in their society, but, heaven knows, my students are no more guilty of this than the adults who guide them.
The story also teaches that instilling the fear of being ostracized or punished by the control group also keeps people in line. I have just recently lost a valued colleague because she did not ingratiate herself to those who controlled the environment before she came on board. The control group devised a covert plan to undermine, attack and finally ambush someone who was too innocent to see it coming.
But killing off others is sadly not confined just to the work place. We see it in the family situation too. There is nothing as ugly as a family member who deliberately sets out to minimize or exclude another family member. There is nothing so injurious to a relationship as creating distance instead closeness, coldness instead of warmth, and superficiality instead of truth, and generally it happens because one person is so self-centered that all they think about is themself and not the consequences to the relationship. Sometimes it is because the offending member is so out of control of their own circumstance that they must try to dictate how every relationship will go, and if that doesn't work, they set out to punish.
Whether at work or at home, control is the issue. Control through intimidation and fear; control through withholding love and warmth, and control through threat of punishment.
If we want our kids not to bully, we need to stop being bullies ourselves. We need to give up the reins because running the show is not more important than loving our neighbor.
I discuss the story with students to address the problem of bullying--the quintessential example of going after the most vulnerable in their society, but, heaven knows, my students are no more guilty of this than the adults who guide them.
The story also teaches that instilling the fear of being ostracized or punished by the control group also keeps people in line. I have just recently lost a valued colleague because she did not ingratiate herself to those who controlled the environment before she came on board. The control group devised a covert plan to undermine, attack and finally ambush someone who was too innocent to see it coming.
But killing off others is sadly not confined just to the work place. We see it in the family situation too. There is nothing as ugly as a family member who deliberately sets out to minimize or exclude another family member. There is nothing so injurious to a relationship as creating distance instead closeness, coldness instead of warmth, and superficiality instead of truth, and generally it happens because one person is so self-centered that all they think about is themself and not the consequences to the relationship. Sometimes it is because the offending member is so out of control of their own circumstance that they must try to dictate how every relationship will go, and if that doesn't work, they set out to punish.
Whether at work or at home, control is the issue. Control through intimidation and fear; control through withholding love and warmth, and control through threat of punishment.
If we want our kids not to bully, we need to stop being bullies ourselves. We need to give up the reins because running the show is not more important than loving our neighbor.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
A Whole Wheat Pasta Convert
It has been over four decades since I've eaten white bread. Many of you might remember when it was the bread of choice by our moms, but we soon found out just how worthless it was, and I never served it to my own family.
I also made the leap to whole grain cereals and steel cut oatmeal, and I even use whole wheat flour in numerous recipes, but I have resisted whole wheat pasta. Brown noodles turned me off so much, I never even tried them in a recipe, and I'm a pretty adventerous cook.
For some reason, I had a box in the pantry and that was good because my daughter was home and had to avoid eating anything with white flour, so I had the reason to try it, and boy am I glad I did.
I found the pasta to have a lovely nutty flavor, and it was much heartier than any white pasta dish I have made. I used it in a mushroom dish I created, and it was fabulous.
I am a happy convert not just because whole wheat anything is better for us than white flour dishes, but also because it is really delicious. Try my mushroom recipe below and see what you think.
Ingredients
4 cups mushrooms
1/2 stick butter
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 package whole wheat pasta
Directions
1. Wash mushrooms thoroughly and slice.
2. Add 1 cup mushrooms to a pan with 1 cup water, salt, pepper and garlic salt and steam until mushrooms are tender and water is brown.
3. Pour mushrooms with water into a processor and pulverize.
4. Saute the remainer of mushrooms in 1/2 the butter and remove from the pan.
5. Add the remainder of the butter to the pan and melt. Add the half and half and then the parmesan cheese and cook until smooth and thickened.
6. Add the pulverized mushrooms to the mix and cook until thickened.
7. Add the sauted mushrooms.
8. Cook pasta in salted water with just a spoon of oil so it won't stick.
9. Drain pasta and dish. Pour mushroom sauce over pasta and serve.
Enjoy without having to feel too guilty about eating pasta. It's got protein and lots of fiber and pairing it with mushrooms makes it healthy!
I also made the leap to whole grain cereals and steel cut oatmeal, and I even use whole wheat flour in numerous recipes, but I have resisted whole wheat pasta. Brown noodles turned me off so much, I never even tried them in a recipe, and I'm a pretty adventerous cook.
For some reason, I had a box in the pantry and that was good because my daughter was home and had to avoid eating anything with white flour, so I had the reason to try it, and boy am I glad I did.
I found the pasta to have a lovely nutty flavor, and it was much heartier than any white pasta dish I have made. I used it in a mushroom dish I created, and it was fabulous.
I am a happy convert not just because whole wheat anything is better for us than white flour dishes, but also because it is really delicious. Try my mushroom recipe below and see what you think.
Ingredients
4 cups mushrooms
1/2 stick butter
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 package whole wheat pasta
Directions
1. Wash mushrooms thoroughly and slice.
2. Add 1 cup mushrooms to a pan with 1 cup water, salt, pepper and garlic salt and steam until mushrooms are tender and water is brown.
3. Pour mushrooms with water into a processor and pulverize.
4. Saute the remainer of mushrooms in 1/2 the butter and remove from the pan.
5. Add the remainder of the butter to the pan and melt. Add the half and half and then the parmesan cheese and cook until smooth and thickened.
6. Add the pulverized mushrooms to the mix and cook until thickened.
7. Add the sauted mushrooms.
8. Cook pasta in salted water with just a spoon of oil so it won't stick.
9. Drain pasta and dish. Pour mushroom sauce over pasta and serve.
Enjoy without having to feel too guilty about eating pasta. It's got protein and lots of fiber and pairing it with mushrooms makes it healthy!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Horrified
The members of Congress have sent 20 billion dollars to Pakistan over the last year. 20 billion dollars of ours to a country that is mourning tbe death of our number one enemy, that routinely expresses anti-American sentiment, and whose predominant religion not only considers us infidels but targets for destruction.
Money to these countries does not ingratiate them, does not ensure their help (as evidenced by Bin Laden living under their noses for 10 years), and does not create loyalty of any sort. We think here in America that if we make a deal, that others will abide by its provisions. These people do not think as we do. They are not interested in supporting or protecting us in any way, yet despite the evidence that proves that so clearly, we continue to divert funds to these maniacs that we should be using to take care of our own.
Our government does not allocate enough money to educate our children, the hope for our future. It is contemplating minimizing social security, a fund into which all workers pay and the government has mishandled, and it is considering getting rid of medicare, ensuring even further the poverty of the aged in this country.
I have traveled the world, and I know that we are still, without a doubt the greatest country, but we are jepoardizing that daily with the foolish decisions made by a Congress that is no longer concerned about our residents first.
Americans are screaming the answers and though they may seem simplestic, sometimes the correct answers are the ones that are most obvious.
We are at war. Stop considering what is politically correct or polite. Close the borders (America already has too many people to take care of well.), revoke VISAs, expel non-citizens, and stop funding the terrorists with our tax dollars. Use the hard-earned money that we Americans give and entrust to you to take care of our needs or we are destined to become like the rest of these countries we are trying so desperately to change--non-productive, impoverised morally and monetarily, with no strong middle class to keep those in power in check.
Money to these countries does not ingratiate them, does not ensure their help (as evidenced by Bin Laden living under their noses for 10 years), and does not create loyalty of any sort. We think here in America that if we make a deal, that others will abide by its provisions. These people do not think as we do. They are not interested in supporting or protecting us in any way, yet despite the evidence that proves that so clearly, we continue to divert funds to these maniacs that we should be using to take care of our own.
Our government does not allocate enough money to educate our children, the hope for our future. It is contemplating minimizing social security, a fund into which all workers pay and the government has mishandled, and it is considering getting rid of medicare, ensuring even further the poverty of the aged in this country.
I have traveled the world, and I know that we are still, without a doubt the greatest country, but we are jepoardizing that daily with the foolish decisions made by a Congress that is no longer concerned about our residents first.
Americans are screaming the answers and though they may seem simplestic, sometimes the correct answers are the ones that are most obvious.
We are at war. Stop considering what is politically correct or polite. Close the borders (America already has too many people to take care of well.), revoke VISAs, expel non-citizens, and stop funding the terrorists with our tax dollars. Use the hard-earned money that we Americans give and entrust to you to take care of our needs or we are destined to become like the rest of these countries we are trying so desperately to change--non-productive, impoverised morally and monetarily, with no strong middle class to keep those in power in check.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
