"The Age of diversity...

We often hear "celebrate your diversity" today. What makes us great is our division, our uniqueness from each other. In Albert Camus', The Plague,we find characters much like we see today.

Jean Tarrou and Dr. Rieux are atheistic existentialists, but express their existentialism in their individual unique ways. Father Paneloux presents a Christian existentialism, while the old Spaniard is a pure nihilist.

The key to our success in the United States of America lies in the "United." Though each person has a different world view, we are united for our mutual defense. Discord among our political leaders in a time of war is a dangerous position.

"All your strength is in your union,
All your danger is in discord." - Longfellow

T-Bone

Gone but not forgotten

When falls the soldier brave,
Dead at the feet of wrong,
The poet sings and guards his grave
With sentinels of song.

A. J. Ryan

Let us be kind to one another. There are many who are hurting out there. Let us remember our fallen peace officers this week.

T-Bone

"I DON"T WANT TO PLAY..."

I don't want to play in your yard,
I don't like you anymore;
You'll be sorry when you see me
Sliding down our cellar door;

You can't holler down our rain-bar'l,
You can't climb our apple-tree,
I don't want to play in your yard
If you won't be good to me. - Philip Wingate (1894)

Children across the street, are much like "children" across the way, say in the U. S. Senate. One side has lost the "yard" to the other side. In fact, most of the yard belongs to the conserative side.

The losing side has demanded the "rules of the game" be changed. "If you don't let us have liberal judges, we will end the game." In other words, " we'll take our "Vote" and go home.

The captain of the conserative team has been elected, and then re-elected by the neighborhood, but the liberal team demands - "Minority Rule!"

The neighborhood remembers when, not so long ago, the liberal majority demanded - Majority Rule!" The courts are full of liberal judges. Many are not content to judge, but insist on legislating from their bench.

The neighborhood is better informed now, thanks TO THE BLOGGS. If those who don't want to play, according to the best interest of the neighborhood,and really don't want to be in the Senate; maybe they should quit and go home.

T-Bone

"Some books are to be tasted..."

Some have tasted Bacon: some swallowed; and some few have chewed and digested.

Build your own Library. .

I lost several books in two separate floods some years back. Fortunately, Amazon has most of them. You can replace or add books to your personal library... new or used.

I know this is a large link; but I'm excited about adding to my library, and I think you might find your books here too. Some would rather READ than eat... I can't go that far. I am a voracious reader, and I know that many of you are as well. We will return to text links for Books and Bacon next time.

Who's to say we can't read while we eat. Enjoy the Best of Both Worlds.

T-Bone

"Oh that... mine adversary had written a book."

Winter is the season to write, to sing, and to snore. What if I have a cold... a stuffed nose? What happens when there is no muse, no music, even on the shore? We can always turn to that old cure all; READ, READ, READ! It is classic advice.

"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Johnson, (Boswell's Life for 1776), Biography .

To have WRITER'S BLOCK is nothing new, and we all know what to do. When we read Boswell, we may not agree with Johnson, but we admire Boswell's work of art. "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever." Endymion , Keats.

I love reading and I read for joy. This Blog is not for money, Mr. Johnson, it's for pure joy. Winter's cold can be a blessing. It drives us to fireside; hot chocolate,and a favorite book, "Return of the Muse." Ah; now we read,write,and snooze.

T-Bone

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mr. PRESIDENT..."

There's something about a birthday that cheers the heart. February 21 is set aside as President's Day. Indeed: there are three President's that stand out in our celebration; George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan.

Who shall we invite to the Party? What say ye, President Washington?

"Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company."

What do you say about entertainment at the Birthday Party, President Lincoln?

"When you have got an elephant by the hind leg, and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run."

Where do you see America headed on this Birthday Party celebration, President Reagan?

"America's best days are ahead of her," I say,"stay the course!"

There you have it dear readers; from three of America's best loved Presidents, now back to you America.

T-Bone

Saudi Morality Police:"Would you be my Valentine?

From childhood we Americans have expressed our affection, not so in Saudi. The Public show of affection is taboo. The Saudi Morality Police are on patroll. "Big Brother" comes to mind.See Google Search on this post. Click www and type in Saudi Morality Police on Google search bar. Click tiggernpal to hurry back.

"I hate and I love. Perhaps you ask why I do so. I do not know, but I feel it, and I am in torment."-- Catullus. The words of a Roman poet are in vogue today.

"Would you be mine?", written in white on little heart shaped candy, do you remember? The exchange of Valentines was so exciting back then.

Pure affection from the hearts of boys and girls. Where has it gone adults? We live in a day of NEGATIVE NEWS. We have exchanged LOVE for LUST, and REASON for TRUTH.

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"-That is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know,"said Grecian Urn (a.k.a. KEATS).

Make this the BESTEST Valentine's Day you ever had.

T-Bone

"Some eat to live...

Tis the season to eat and entertain. We may treat our family, and friends to The French Laundry(The French Laundry); say we don't. Who's to say we can't be happy in our own Happy Valley; if not in Napa valley...

I say you there; yes you the homemaker, apartment dweller, cave dweller , whereever... tis the season to be jolly. Invite humans to your abode. Allow me to help you: Quick & Easy!!

CATCH : (may be hard part) 1 # shrimp (20-25 count)
CLEAN : rinse,peel,devein(black strip on back), pat dry with paper towels
MARINATE : room temp. shrimp in 4 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 tsp salt,dash cayenne(red pepper)and 4 Tbs olive oil for a few minutes.

Meanwhile; back at the stove we melt 6 Tbs butter over medium heat in large saute' pan.

SAUTE': shrimp and marinate , 2 minutes each side, slightly brown.

ADD: 4tsp chopped parsley, 4 tsp white cooking wine, continue saute' 10 seconds.

SERVE: Arrange and pour juice from pan over shrimp. Garnish with lemon wedges & parsley.

ENJOY !!!

T-Bone

"Well Search me..."

Tiggernpal proudly presents GOOGLE SEARCH and AMAZON BOOKS all right here for your browsing pleasure. Research is necessary for some, and just plain FUN for the rest of us. Most of the people I know spend several hours per week on the Web.

It is easier than going to the library. We still go to check out books, but most research for term papers, can be done here.I am studying Russia at the present time.It is the setting for a novel. Can't go there now; but I can visit on WWW.

This is the month for PRESIDENTS. Remember cutting out George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln as children? We traced the outlines of their faces on black construction paper. Cut them out, and taped them to our class windows.

I liked Lincoln best. His beard and hat were fun to draw. For fun; I typed him in the goggle Search box, and researched him. He was a rail splitter. No biographer mentioned him as being a homosexual. That is today's sensationalism. Nothing more.

February is a special month in other ways. Do you have a VALENTINE? (Valentine) I hope so.

T-Bone

Browsing authors A to Z...

Let's face it, you and I are browsers. Those who read this Blog are readers of Literature and Fiction. We also like to keep up on the latest news.

Gnu - News
It is the hope of this Blog that we can do that with a minimal effort. We have installed Search engines for your browsing pleasure. They may come from time to time in various forms. Google has TEXT ADDS that are taken from the text of the post. HYPERLINKS from Amazon direct us to items mentioned in the post.

Today we are featuring a search for EVERY author; new and old. We find them easily by clicking GNU - NEWS, then click the first letter of the author's name. Can't find your author's Name on the list - no problem; type author's name in search engine box, and click :GO.

GOOGLE SEARCH is still the number one search engine on the net. More next time.

T-Bone

"IN THE BEGINNING..."

The,Universe Next Door
opens our understanding to the world view of others, and our own world view. Everyone has a world view, even if we don’t know how to express it. Everyone has a world view, even if we don't know we have a world view.

So says James W. Sire, in this excellent introductory World View Catalog. The basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism, and new age are all here. If you haven’t read it, let me recommend it to you. It will help you.

This year I plan to write a novel. The story has been on the “back burner” for five years. All the characters are clamoring, “This is the year.” I trust they are right.

Like us; each character sees issues in a different light, however slight. The trick is to let each one express their world view without judging them through our world view. This is where James Sire’s book can help us.

Ernest Hemingway’s novella,The Old Man and The Sea
,is naturalism at its best; yet it has dramatic scenes of theism at the end.Blue Road to Atlantis
, by Jay Nussbaum, is Hemingway’s story from the huge marlin’s underwater world view.

We look forward to reading and writing with our Writer’s Guild this year. Have a blessed day. Enjoy yourself, it’s later than think. Find, then “swim with the current.”

T-Bone

NEW YEAR - NEW BLOG

"Out with the old, in with the new...

In many ways, 2004 was a rough year at home in America and abroad. Still there were many good events, and many reasons to be thankful.

I am thankful for this blog. As a newbe, it has been an ongoing experience. We are trying new things, so please excuse the construction.

We added Amazon for the convience of our readers , then Google Adsence for everything else. Now to restore the look, and increase the value to our visitors, by providing better content.

We do not know the direction 2005 will take. We hope to continue, and even expand the variety of this blog. CURRENT EVENTS - COOKING - COMMENTS on items of interest.
WE also would like to thank those who visited "Bloglogger - Gnu News" in 2004. Thanks for all the off-line comments and encouragement.

T-Bone

BLOGGING ALL THE WAY

Oh what fun it is to say what you want to say;in a funny way. "To make somebody laugh you've entertained, to make them smile, you've made a friend." That is the hope of this Blog.

Something old and something new, always something good for you.Be it from the BLOGGER, the BOOKSTORE, or from the KITCHEN - It's PALATABLE. Good family, friends, and feast.

One of my treasured Christmas gifts is "I Never Promised You an Apple Orchard" The Collected Writings of Snoopy, by Charles M. Schultz, 1976. I laughed, I cried, I nearly died.

As an aspiring writer, I see the magic of being inside and outside, empathizing and criticizing. Schultz is a ledgend. I love reading. Not just for fun; but for meditation. So much for the old.

Another author has become a ledgend in her own time. She has captured the young, and the young at heart. Many people had departed from reading. J.K. Rowling has brought them back.
There is a newHarry Potter. You can pre-order and save now. It is the 6th in the series.

For the DVD fans, there is a RED HOT DVD SALE, going on now. Red Hot DVD sale, type it in with a grin - click Go. BLOGGING is amazeing. Watching something old, or reading something new - take time between Christmas and the New Year to enjoy yourself. Happy New Year.

T-Bone

" SAY CHEESE...."

Some sing high, some sing low..... if you've ever sung, I don't know. "Song sung blue..."

Your minds photographer is poised to take the picture,you try to think happy foods, nothing. All you can think is; what and how will I beat last year's party.

A desire; a picture perfect party has been in your mind for weeks. You have something different every year. Something simple; yet memorable - year to year. I need a theme.

You see five friends as they arrive for the annual Christmas party. Everyone dressed up a little. The tree is trimmed and in full view. Perhaps your gang drew names secretly for gifts. A festive mood is in the air ..." Hail, hail the gangs all here," someone sings off key.

Then it hits you like a bolt out of the blue; every year they count, and all say "CHEESE !" This year we will have what we all love CHEESE.

Its Christmas - we'll have a CHEESE & FRUIT TREE. May I help you?

The base of the "TREE" will be a large serving tray. Mine is jade. It has a large flower vase. Perfect; turned upside down, the large foot will be the top flat surface. Alternate a pear, bunch of white grapes, an apple, bunch of red grapes until we peak at the top.

For the base we go wild with CHEESE:

Stuffed Edam * - Sliced fruit cake * Sliced Brie wedges * Grapes * Assorted crackers*
Sliced Sharp Cheddar * Apple * Laughing Cow Swiss * Limburger * Dark bread * Pretzels

Stuffed Edam : one round Edam at room temperature. Cut a five or six point star from heavy paper. Pin star to top of Edam; cut deep around the star outline. Use spoone to remove cheese.
Use electric beater to whip warm cheese with a little light cream to make soft spread. Heap spread high in red cheese shell.

Now for the surprise that you are noted for: Excuse yourself from you guests.
These ingredients are measured and at room temperature.

3/4 pound of Gruyere(groo yar) cheese, cut into julienne strips
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic - halved
1 1/4 cups cooking sauterne ( + 1/4 cup) separate
* * * * *
Dash fresh ground pepper
Dash nutmeg
3 Tbs cooking sherry
French bread cut in squares with some crust

Toss cheese with flower
Rub vigorously inside open cooker with garlic
Pour in sauterne; warm until bubbles start, stir with wooden fork
Add a handful of cheese, stir constantly, until all melts
Add another handful, stir until all cheese is melted, thin if needed, with little sauterne

Cheese is all melted and bubbling gently, now add sherry and seasonings
Have a cube of bread speared on each long handled fork.

Invite guest in: "Yes - Its fondue ! Let the dipping and swirling begin."
If you have the old Continetal Fondue Cooker - Excellent - if not;(Chafing Dish) buy it here.

T Bone

This Blog "is like a box of chocolates..."

You never know what you'll find on this Blog; I don't, and I think that's just fine. Something old, something new...

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", and some are still looking for presents. On our imaginary cruise, we read some favorite poems, now there's an idea.

"The Poems of Emily Dickinson"(The Poems by Emily Dickison), edited by R.W. Franklin is an absolute treasure for me. Don't get it for me, I have it. This could be the very present you are looking for, for----------.
The Poems are old; or are they, 1,789 poems can come to life for that special someone.


Do you enjoy Shrimp Scampi? Look and Read Blog. Quick & Easy. Another idea......
"The French Laundry"(The French Laundry) by the owner - Thomas Keller, is much more than a cook book.
It is a work of art. This masterpiece is not for the shelf. Put it on the coffee table. For the serious
chef; this is inside one of the top five restaurants in America. This book is worth twice the price.

One more idea for the last minute shopper, and it's later than you think. The top book that has gone to the movies: "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" for a youngster and little older(The Lord of The Rings)
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

Just when you had given up hope, this site saved you. Click on Amazon here and save .

T-Bone

"MERRY CHRISTMAS"... well almost

This just in for my late shopper friends....

There is still time to get almost anything before Christmas ...

Try a good book, a DVD, or even a dutch oven for a lifetime of good food and fellowship.
Need some mouthwatering shrimp; Google has it my friend.

I can see you out there; the joy is in "last minute shopping", here are some items that can't miss, and nobody has to know that it was - well, "last minute."

Would I let you down; noooo. Have a good day.

T-Bone

"It is more blessed to give..."

Sleigh bells ring, are you listning...

Sights and sounds are all around; deep within, a child smiles. The spirit of giving is awakened in him... "It is more blessed to give than to receive."


He was allowed to purchase one gift, with his own money. It had to be special.A perfect gift for a very special lady.The woman who raised him. Oh how he loved her.

It took two trips up town before a gift was bought. He spent a nickel, all he had. A fortune.


Funny; how memories stay with you. He can't remember a single gift he recieved that year.

Stooped over by the Christmas tree, a twinkle in her eye, she slipped the wrinkled tissue from his gift to her. Her smile turned to laughter when she saw his doubt. Then the most wonderful thing happened. She hugged him so tight. She always smelled like fresh baked bread.

A pink powder puff. Merry Christmas; I love you Mamaw.

T-Bone

"There is no frigate like a book"

In this poem, by Emily Dickinson, we feel the power of a book or a poem to carry us away from our normal setting. We sense the "prancing poetry"; see the horse and sleigh of her day.

The mind's eye brings distant and different lands to our memory. Yes, there is a glimpse of yesterday's Currier & Ives print. Children dressed like Eskimos. Christmas past.

But what of today? This Christmas I want to -----------, let my imagination fill in the blank. I can see myself on a Caribbean cruise; eyes closed to the bright sun, a gentle sea breeze. Sitting in a deck chair, soaking in the joy of Emily's book of poems.

For you there may be a first mate, or your own little Eskimos in swim suites. But this is your quite time. The re-creation of your soul. Take the time.


T-Bone

There is no place like home...

"There is no place like home..."

Home for the holidays means catching up on"all the latest." On our last post: we discovered there were at least three gnus in the news. There was Roger, and Dan - then a surprise visit, like a ghost from Christmas past, Gary.

Yes,that Gary, in living color. A TEST pattern. Who gnu?

Christmas present brings personnel changes. A swan song in March, tick, tick, tick, a step down from a line at night across town.... Brother Roger, off the record, said," Gary is the least trusted gnu in America."

Thanksgiving is past: our gloves are hung by the oven with care; with hopes another ham or turkey will soon be there, as you like it. Black Friday is football for some, shopping for others. Something to be thankfull for - for sisters and brothers.

Soon; the immortal words, "God bless us every one!", will warm many a home.

T-Bone

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