This is the sort of dance done in the big houses back then. Everyone would know just about everyone. The servants would play these tunes at their barn dances, too. Maybe the dancing would be a bit more raucus.
"I believe I’m on record as noting that, in America, the indiscriminate killing of family dogs is probably the most expedient route by which law enforcement can lose the public trust". --Troy Senik, on Ricochet.com
Mashed White Beans with Spinach, Garlic, and Lemon
10 minutes to pure bliss. This deceptively simple dish comes together uber quickly. And though it might not be much to look at, trust me. It tastes utterly divine.
Yield: 2
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling over the top
- 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 medium garlic cloves)
- 1 lemon (medium size will do), zested and halved
- 2 cups cooked cannellini beans (or 1 15-ounce can, drained)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the spinach, garlic, and lemon zest. Saute, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add the beans, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and a couple turns of freshly ground black pepper. Mash beans with a fork until the consistency of (very) lumpy mashed potatoes.
- Divide between two bowls (or just pile them into one bowl and keep them all to yourself). Squeeze a lemon half over each serving, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once.
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From Jeffrey Kacirk's Forgotten English calendar, we learn of an old word: "ratt-rime." Formerly, "ratt-rime" was verse used in charming rats. Later it came to mean doggerel.
("Rime" here is broader than in modern usage and included chants and spells and suchlike.)
"Rhime them to death, as they do Irish rats / In drumming tunes." --Ben Jonson
Now, rats are pursued with guns and poisons and cats aplenty. Perhaps the Irish practice of drumming out the rats had to do with music and merry making?
One wonders what was their explanation for the effectiveness of the chanting? Did they think the rats became enchanted? Or did they simply accept the premise that rats could be charmed to death as given fact?
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"If there were no doctors, there would be nothing stupider than teachers." --Athanaeus
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Fast forward. Watch OKCupid's sophistsry in a less charged area. Are the two cases related> Not necessarily. OKC may by ethically correct in one case but not the other. Or both. Or neither.
But at least they should show some humility and leave their neighbors, especially those of good will, alone.
But at least they should show some humility and leave their neighbors, especially those of good will, alone.
Tech Culture
OKCupid plays with our hearts without worry
The dating site conducted an experiment that falsified compatibility matches without telling users. When the results were published, OKCupid's co-founder said only two users complained. CNET's Bridget Carey explains the test and why it matters. / Watch Video
My registration needed to be renewed this month. I sent the form and fee to my Insurance Agent, who verified my having insurance and sent the paperwork on to the Registry of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Transportation. In due time I received my new registration certificate, but not the decal for the license plate. My agent informed me I would have to call the Registry.
I did. The phone voice told me I could hold for over an our or make an appointment for a call-back. The earliest time available was two days later. Being impatient, I tried just waiting on hold, but the music and my impatience got the better of me, so I made an appointment for a call back two days hence.
I sat by the phone in fear of missing the call and in anxiety about whether I would be called at all. Promptly on time the phone rang. I verified that I was on the line. I was then placed on HOLD for a few minutes. At last, a pleasant person took my call, took down my license plate number, and promised to mail the decal. I should have it in three days.
There the matter rests.
Having had to call large private firms for help recently (Garmin, my 401K vendor, Netflix) I find the contrast in service pronounced.
Having had to call large private firms for help recently (Garmin, my 401K vendor, Netflix) I find the contrast in service pronounced.
The problem is that the government has (and quite properly too) the monopoly on violence. This puts the citizen already in the inferior position in any confrontation or interchange. In this case, the RMV has a rational system for handling incoming calls but one which differs from the norm, which is to answer the phone within a reasonable time and begin the process right then. Instead, the RMV makes the caller wait on the RMV to call. Put simply, "That Sucks."
And of course, you cannot take your custom elsewhere. So you end up feeling the way you do whenever you deal with officialdom.
And some folks what this in every aspect of their lives? Their food and housing and health care and love making and thinking and praying? No thanks. I'll take the free market, within limits, any day.
And some folks what this in every aspect of their lives? Their food and housing and health care and love making and thinking and praying? No thanks. I'll take the free market, within limits, any day.
They call this a preliminary, but it might be all you need if repeated enough.
Look closely at this driver's line of sight. How is this a good thing?
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