Post for December 11, 2022
# 1584
______________________________________
Opening Picture
Man with a Hoe
Jean-François Millet
6wFIwRQax4YxXg at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level
____________________________________
Commentary
Biden’s blame for our continuing high employment despite fascism’s best efforts to spread unease among working Americans.
Biden’s blame for the imminent creation of tens of thousands additional high-paying jobs in the fields of climate control and technology.
Biden’s blame for shielding the well-being of America’s working class from the ravages of inflation.
Biden’s blame for the elevation of working Americans higher on the ladder of success.
Everyone remembers Millet’s painting, “Man with a Hoe” and Markham’s brilliant eponymous poem and the opening lines:
Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans
Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground,
The emptiness of ages in his face,
And on his back the burden of the world.
If these words do not apply to America’s workers, Biden’s to blame.
And as his punishment for being a labor stalwart, he should be re-elected.
Pic: joe biden
Biden speaking at the campaign's kickoff event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Michael Stokes - Biden9
Former Vice President Joe Biden's kickoff rally for his 2020 Presidential campaign
As his punishment for supporting working Americans, let’s re-elect him.
______________________________________
Writing
This past week I spent all of my writing time working out the menu and the calendar of events necessary to accomplish the annual dinner party with the children of my siblings.
Dinner Party
A formal dinner party as sketched in 1920 by reporter-artist Marguerite Martyn
Marguerite Martyn - Original publication: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 16, 1920, Women's Page, Daily Magazine (Microfilm No. 29) Immediate source: https://stltoday.newspapers.com/image/137699760/?terms=Marguerite%2BMartyn
Imaginative sketch by Marguerite Martyn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shows a formal dinner party, with exact place settings. Guests are being served by a butler. Two men and two women are pictured.
______________________________________
Dr. Mike shares:
Gun-related fatalities hit 28-year high in 2021
The Wall Street Journal (11/29, Mosbergen, Subscription Publication) reports the rate of gun-related deaths in the U.S. in 2021 hit a 28-year high, with a total of 48,953 deaths, according to researchers who evaluated CDC data from 1990 to 2021. The results published in JAMA Network Open show more than 1.1 million have died in firearm-related incidents since 1990.
The AP (11/29, Stobbe) reports researchers found both homicide and suicide rates “rose 8% last year, each hitting levels not seen since the early 1990s.” The researchers also found that “gun deaths began to steadily increase in 2005, but the rise accelerated recently, with a 20% jump from 2019 to 2021.”
CNN (11/29, McPhillips) reports, “The researchers found that firearm homicides were highest among Black men, and firearm suicide rates were highest among senior White men.”
Gun SIG Pro semi-automatic pistol
Augustas Didžgalvis - Own work
SIG Prosemi-automatic pistol (SP 2022 variant)
______________________________________
Chuckles and Thoughts
It is a scientific fact that your body will not absorb cholesterol if you take it from another person's plate.
~Dave Barry
Pic: joke Boris Yeltsin and Bill
Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton enjoying a joke
Kremlin.ru
WASHINGTON. At a press conference with American President Bill Clinton.
_____________________________________
Understanding Ageing
For the last two years I have often felt physically spent, emotionally desultory. But suddenly, for the last month, I have felt strong and energetic. My efforts on the weight machines bear out this resurgence.
As to why this should be so?
I have no idea.
Except.
I never caught covid.
But maybe I did and didn’t know it. Maybe the fatigue I felt was due to covid.
But really, for so long, like a year, off and on?
Doesn’t seem likely.
I don’t know.
Pic: Covid symptoms
ikael Häggström, M.D. Author info - Reusing images - Conflicts of interest: None Mikael Häggström, M.D. - Own work
Symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease seen in the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak, and is caused by the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It reflects the symptoms given at Coronavirus disease 2019 (§ Signs and symptoms), with references given there.
_____________________________________
Social Life
A major event in my year is the second annual dinner party in which I host my children and the children of my sisters. I have no brothers. The parameters for invitations to the event are rigid. Nine attendees in total.
My guests grew up together and shared the foibles and flaws of my family as well as their friendships for each other.
But this night is not only for reminiscences but is also a memorable event in its own right. I spend three days preparing and lots of time communicating with the guests. I want things to go perfectly as I hope to continue this event for many years to come.
Each of the last three summers the children have hosted an all-family buffet-style barbecue that has always been a major success. I love adding a stereo effect, summer v winter, walking around v sitting down.
Most importantly, these two events contribute mightily to my social health.
A September 1945 street party in Selborne Road, Margate, celebrating victory in the Second World War
Brian Attree
Selborne Road - Victory Street Party Sep 1, 1945
Permission details
Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0
___________________________________
Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts, including links.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
I sent out eight invitations to the event. I got all eight responses. They were all positive, often accompanied with offers to help.
Blog meister responds: I could use a bit of help in the last hour before the time of the meal and a little bit more during the meals. Thank you.
Needless to say I got all the help I needed.
If you want to see the worksheet I developed for the dinner party try my first attempt at a hyperlink:
Cousins Party 12 04 2022.docx
____________________________________
Travel
My planning for my trip to Tuscany in 2023 was on hold for a few days as I prepared for the dinner party on December 2022.
A stop sign in Australia
Bidgee - Own work
STOP sign in Australia.
__________________________________
Short Essay*
"The Man with the Hoe" is a poem by the American poet Edwin Markham, inspired by Jean-François Millet's painting L'homme à la houe, a painting interpreted as a socialist protest about the peasant's plight.
The poem was first presented as a public poetry reading at a New Year's Eve party in 1898.
It was soon published in the San Francisco Examiner in January 1899 after its editor heard it at the same party.
The poem was also reprinted in other newspapers across the United States due to a chorus of acclaim.
It was used as the opening poem in Markham's 1902 collection The Man with a Hoe and Other Poems.
The poem portrays the labor of much of humanity using the symbolism of a laborer leaning upon his hoe, burdened by his work, but receiving little rest or reward.
"The Man with a Hoe" has been called "the battle-cry of the next thousand years".
It has been translated into 37 languages, earning Markham about $250,000 over 33 years.
After its publication, the poem's content, form, and language has captured the feelings and thoughts of people, drawing attention to social issues such as labor exploitation while helping causes such as the revitalization of efforts pursuing labor reform.
The poem also helped Markham's career.
The poet became a much sought-after public speaker and his first book of poetry was immediately published to take advantage of the opportunities that became available after the poem established him as one of the American modern poets.
Portrait of American poet w:Edwin Markham
Horner, John B. (for book in which the image is contained); - Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature. Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Aboutmovies using CommonsHelper.
_____________________________________
Here’s a pictorial of my dinner party.
The night before the dinner my son Mino took me out for dinner and permitted me to take his picture.
We ate at Enza, an Italian restaurant in Harvard Square and had a great time. We shared an artichoke, lasagna, roasted chicken, and a great chocolate dessert. The food and service were great. Just what the doctor ordered.
My son Chris couldn’t make it but my son Dom was in attendance. He’s lovely.
On the left is my niece Marlo, son Mino in the center, and niece Lisa on the right. Then the party got going and I forgot to take pictures of the others.
A few days before the party I washed all my glasses and then the china and began to set the table.
During those last few days before I took all my time getting things done as I thought of them. I enjoyed the process.
Baked sweet potatoes, fried finger peppers, and roasted asparagus were prepared first.
I kept preparing, kept cooking, and gradually the counter top filled up. Missing from here is the dry-aged Rib Roast that was the main course and the chocolate cupcakes and the cheeseboard…
Here are two more views of the same setup.
Here are the Croustades before the toasting. What was special about these was the paste that I made with olive oil, anchovy paste, black pepper, basil, and oregano. Then I brushed the Croustades with the paste. Yummy.
Delicious Lobster in Truffle butter with Cacio e Pepe sauce. An assertive take on Lobster, Mac and Cheese.
*The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Community Pictures with Captions are sent in by our followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!