respublica

Freedom from Religion-How far will they go

The Freedom from Religion Foundation is irate with the U.S. Postal Service for issuing a stamp honoring Mother Teresa known for her work with the sick and the poor in India.

How far will this atheist group go to stop a stamp?  To stamp out a woman who lived among the same poor and sick in order to bring them aid and comfort?

"The Freedom from Religion Foundation is urging its supporters to boycott the stamp — and also to engage in a letter-writing campaign to spread the word about what it calls the “darker side” of Mother Teresa."

They plan to smear her name. 

This group must be desperate if they must go after someone like Mother Teresa. 

It's so offal

If you pay attention to food talk in the various media you know the latest trendy menu offering is 'offal' the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal.

Supposedly major chefs are plating these organs because they are saving money by purchasing a whole animal instead of parts.

Consider this restaurant review by Todd Kliman of Washingtonian Magazine after being presented with a pre-dinner "small bite' of soft-cooked pork heart.

"The heart had been cooked in sous-vide for 24 hours in duck fat and topped with crushed turnips and brandied cherries."  "Chicken fried tongue was even better, with a meltingly soft inside reminiscent of rendered pork belly."

I guess if you're going to be serving all the entrails and internal organs, you've got to heap all kinds of strong flavors on top of it in order to make it palatable.  But that's just me.

When I read the word 'offal', I immediately think:  Awful.

Watch the Collinsville Wal Mart come down

A YouTube video from Ahlvers Photo shows the demolition from start to finish.

Ferdie-One year later

A year ago today we took Ferdie home from Dirk's Fund Golden Retriever Rescue.  What a year it has been with this energetic, curious, playful and yet calm, dog.

Here's a look at his first day at our house, January 30, 2009.

Ferdie was found alone on a cold day/night last January, sitting by the curb in a Collinsville subdivision after having been abandoned by his owner.  He was finally captured by local residents living nearby after he made several attempts to break free to go back to that curb.  Thanks Tracy!  He was taken to the Billhartz Animal Shelter in Collinsville where he remained for about ten days.  This is where I first saw him.  I had been going round to many metro animal shelters and humane societies and rescue organizations looking for a dog.  How ironic that I'd find the one I wanted back in Collinsville.  However, I was told he most likely wouldn't be put up for adoption, he was too good a dog and surely his owner would come for him.  They would keep him for 7 days and if no one claimed him, then he'd be adoptable.

I pretty much gave up after that.  He'd be claimed for sure.  The next week as I was looking at online animal adoptions I saw Ferdie.  This time he was up for adoption at Collinsville.  Dale and I raced over there only to be told that someone from Dirk's Fund beat us to him.

In the end, we got him after he went through neutering and such at Dirk's. 

At first he was sort of manic, moving fast, looking at everything, trying to figure out where he was and why.  Some of the neighbors came by that first day with their dogs for a walk around the campus.  He delighted in that and has ever since. 

While at home he followed me everywhere.  I couldn't even stand up from a chair but that he was on his feet too.  Room to room he followed.  For months he wouldn't sit anywhere he couldn't see us.  He would not get in the car.  It is still a battle to get him in the car, which I guess is not surprising since last January everytime he got in a car bad things happened.  Abandoned, taken to a shelter, taken to another shelter, taken to be neutered, then back to a shelter. 

He became extremely nervous and upset when he took him over to Collinsville.  He paced and cried and paced.  Back and forth, back and forth.  It has only been recently that Collinsville does not bring on these panic attacks.

But, he's a terrific dog.  Everyone on the Concordia Seminary campus knows him by name.  "Hi Ferdie", he hears all day long.  He is gentle and kind with tiny kids and babies, let's them climb on him, touch his face and ears.

He loves his daily playtime with neighbor dogs, he lives for this.  He's shocked when someone new walks by with a dog and doesn't want to play. 

He is not a night owl, by 7 in the evening, he's done, curled up sound asleep. 

He is most especially drawn to men.  He likes everyone, but any man is given a full body greeting which makes us believe his original owner was a man who really did love him, but for whatever reason, couldn't keep him and just let him out of his car and drove off.

We love Ferdie. 

Here's a link to a video I took of him yesterday playing with Volpi and Ogie.  Ferdie's the one who keeps squeaking the ball.

His official Seminary portrait for this year with the president.  

If he could talk, I know Ferdie would thank everyone who has been a part of his life this past year, the Collinsville people who corralled him, the seminary community, the dog walking neighbors, friends and family.

Concordia Seminary basketball team sings the National Anthem

Before each game, members of Concordia Seminary's basketball team and their coaches, sing the National Anthem.  Here is tonight's anthem.

A fond farewell

Thank goodness.  It's finally good-bye to the old Wal Mart store in Collinsville and hello to Kohl's.

That empty building will not be missed.  Let's hope the new construction moves along at a fast pace.

Jon Stewart rips Chris Matthews

And deservedly so.

After the end of the State of the Union, MSNBC pundits were deconstructing the speech.  Chris Matthews said, "You know, I was trying to think about who he was tonight, and it's interesting: He is post-racial by all appearances."

He then amazingly added, "You know, I forgot he was black tonight for an hour."

Jon Stewart responded last night:  "You know what else you might have forgotten? You're miked!"  ""I swear to God, this guy's one scotch away from being Ron Burgundy."

The Matthews bit begins at about the 3:50 mark on the video.

Everyone wants Cornell

A higher ed mystery.

Applications to the Cornell University law school are up 52%. 

With the most common number of law school applications at 20%, college observers are wondering, "Why Cornell?"

What does Cornell have that they don't have that they'd like to have? 

Even in these tough times when life after law school is pretty dismal.

J.D. Salinger dies

The author of Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger passed away at his home in Cornish N.H. today at the age of 91.

He also wrote:  Raise High the  Roof Beam, Carpenters, Franny and Zooey, and Nine Stories a collection of short stories.

I read them all and I read them again and again.  Catcher in the Rye was never as intriguing as the others, however.  Nine stories I carried with me wherever I moved, Franny and Zooey contained some of the more interesting and funny conversations between characters I've come across.

Salinger became a recluse, shunning the public and publicity, refused to publish any of the additional works he claimed to have locked in his house. 

I hope his heirs will reconsider the no publish edict.

I think I'll dig those books out this afternoon...unless my kids have them.

The most popular dogs Nationally and by city

The AKC has released its list of the most popular dog breeds. 

Nationally the top five breeds are:  Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Yorkshire Terrier, Golden Retriever and Beagle.  The list is much longer than five.

In St. Louis:  Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Boxer, Golder Retriever, and Rottweiler.

In Chicago:  Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Bulldog, Yorkshire Terrier, and Golden Retriever.

In New York City:  Yorkshire Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Dachshund, Shih Tzu, German Shepherd.

How about out west?

San Diego:  Labrador Retriever, Bulldog, Golden Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier, German Shepherd.

Denver:  Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Bulldog, Boxer.

The South?

Miami:  German Shepherd, Yorkshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Labrador Retriever and Bulldog.