The Huffington Post goes too far in covering stories where there are none. Yeah, it’s just a headline at the center of which sits Beck and Murdoch, but the Huffington Post’s own conservative sensibilities are what lies beneath. The comments from readers who responded to the original front page headliner were a reflections of the Huffington Post’s intent. Sadly, they are guessing it’s what we want to hear, and they are right. Their actions and inactions in regards to the truth are both premeditated and forsworn. People may never see this comment, and that’s okay. I think I’m all done humoring this periodical.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

America should be ashamed of itself. In humoring this moron and placing her on a pedestal, we have revealed to the world our true, unflattering, selves.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

~ The Problem ~

By:

Della Jeanette Harris

Sally had a problem; she could not read. Everybody else could read. Sally really wanted to read but no one would teach Sally how to read, so Sally went to the public library and asked Mrs. Thompson if  she could teach Sally how to read.  After some thinking Mrs. Thompson  agreed, and they began.

Sally had been reading with Mrs. Thompson for two months. Sally never told her parents about this until the day came when Sally had to read her speech in front of the whole, entire, school.  ” She’ll never be able to say it out loud in front of the whole school”  said her  mom and dad, but they were surprised . Sally was so happy she could read that she went to the library every day and read for two hours at least. So that’s the story of how Sally learned how to read.

~ The End ~

Daughters… I have to say that I actually fail to stop and really look at them sometimes. Foolish, but true. Della is the one on the left and Halen is on the right. In this picture Della is 10 and Halen is 8.  What great ages. What great stages. What Divine opportunity has been given to me to be a father to not one but two extraordinary young ladies. They actually like being with me, which is a huge cosmic act of mercy – really. My daughters actually want to just hang out with their parents.  I am a notorious wet blanket – a Mr. Serious, but they bring out the devil in me. I’m constantly teasing them. I try really hard to listen to them. (It may be just me but I find it takes a concerted effort to give a child my undivided attention. I can actually feel my brain exhale afterwards.) And reading to them? Reading is the one thing I do consistently well with my girls, or “The Ladies” as I often call them. This term of endearment took on a whole new meaning when we read Peter and the Star Catchers together for the first time. The villain of the story has a special set of sails he calls “the Ladies.” The girls and I never laughed so joyously and harmoniously as when we read that book together. It is a prequel to Peter Pan. It is written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and is a worthwhile and memorable read. Best of all the two writers follow it up with two great sequels.

Anyway, the ladies and I love to read together.  They like for me to read aloud because I – the wet blanket – do all of the voices. We just finished reading City of Ember and People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau. Next comes the third book in the series: The Prophet of Yonwood, but I informed the family that I needed to take a break from DuPrau. We are now reading Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. So, obviously we place some importance on literature. Really though, it is the time together. When they were smaller we would cuddle up on the bottom bunk and bask in the peace and tranquility of story time. Heaven itself would be hard pressed to replace this sacred hour of meditation. Our all time favorite picture book is The Last Resort by Roberto Innocenti. We would often end the day with this beautifully written piece of imaginative, romantic fiction/poetry. It’s voices are a  joy to read.

Still, our time together is not always sweet. It is sometimes very bitter, but not because of them, but because of myself. As an adult There are times when I fail to find the patience and understanding I require, and so I find myself raising my voice and barking at them, or just being ultra critical of them.  We recover from this because I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong, but mostly because they love me. I of course love them, but I find the love of a child is often purer and freer of conditions, and so I learn from them. When I consider their love I describe it thus: Light is the quietest force in the universe, yet in silence it warms, nourishes, gives life, fights back the darkness and brings hope to each dawning as a living symbol – a force for hope. Such is our  love to me.

So, I’m writing this post because the ladies are growing so fast. We are celebrating Della’s 11th birthday this next weekend. But, I am not afraid. I once was,  for every parent warned me to enjoy them – the innocent years – while they lasted because they would be over soon, and you know what comes next: the teens! Well, my answer to this warning is this: When I consider the future and what it may hold for my daughters I wrestle with the endless worrisome possibilities like any parent, and sometimes they get the better of Mr. Serious, and my blanket becomes very wet indeed. However, I find the more I practice the exercize of giving my girls my undivided attention: looking at them, listening to them and holding them until nothing else exist but the idea of us, the surer their steps become, and so I can look into the dark unknown and know it will not survive the dawning, and  my soul exhales.

Onions, onions, onions…

Many of us approach them with some caution. We advise our cooks to go light on them, and when we are cooking we – either for fear of spoiling a dinner for a guest or loved one, or just because of our own prejudice – are very careful not to go too  far when it comes to the onion. That was me when I first made french onion soup. I couldn’t believe the amount of onions the recipe called for. In the end however I was happy with the result. Here is my version of an old invention born of necessity; the best recipes always are.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 tbls of salted or unsalted butter (Go with your taste)
• 1 small red onion: sliced thin
• 1 small yellow onion: sliced thin
  
• 3 large, white onions: sliced thin
• 1 clove of finely chopped garlic
• 3 tbls of all purpose flower
• 1 cup of white wine (A good pinot grigio will do)
• 6 cups of beef stock or water (Go with the water – the stock is a shortcut that will turn this extroidinary soup into an ordinary one. If you want it to taste like Lipton then just save yourself the trouble and go buy the packet)
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1-2 tbls of sherry (or to taste)

The Bread:

• French Baguette bread cut into slices about an inch thick
• 2 cups of grated gruyere cheese (Don’t be tempted by cheaper cheeses that you are more familiar with. There is no substitute for gruyere. Trust the French; they know what they are doing.)
  

Lastly:

• Candle light                       

THE STEPS:

1. Melt your butter in a large pot over medium heat. (I prefer a dutch oven.) Then add all of your onions and cook for about 30 minutes. Stir the contents constantly until your onions are carmelized and golden brown. Stir in your garlic and flour and cook another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add white wine and stir until the flour has blended in smoothly. Slowly bring to boil while stirring perpetually. Stir in your water or stock, and bouquet garni. Season with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. If necessary, skim the surface of any excess fat – though I doubt you will need to. Add your sherry now, not sooner with the wine. If you add it sooner you will not enjoy the sweet warmth that makes this recipe so special.
3. Broil your slices of baguette untill golden brown on both sides.
4. Ladle soup into broiler proof bowls and float 1-2 slices of bread upon each one. Sprinkle each bowl with gruyere cheese, covering the surface area completely – Be generous! Place your bowls in a preheated broiler and cook until the cheese becomes golden brown in color.  Serve at once!

Enjoy!

LOOKING BACK: Five onions will seem like a lot, but what at first appears to be overkill turns out to be just right as you watch them melt into the buttery heat. Be careful with the sherry. It is much more pronounced than the wine and can easily overpower your soup. Still, that can be okay it it is what you want. DON’T be afraid of overcooking the onions. Depending on the type of pan you use or the type of heat, it can sometimes take a while for them to carmelize. But it is critical that they do carmelize. The more golden brown and sweet they become, the richer the flavor and texture of your soup. This is an excellent date soup that should almost always be served on a cold day or night by candle light.

This is our dog Jake when he was just a wayward pup in need of a home. I should have known he would be trouble for he has proven to be an armful. Still we love him. He loves to chew on tap shoes, anything that belongs to mom (whatever gets him in the most trouble), Dogzilla chew toys, and king size rawhide bones – which last about 30 minutes. He has since grown into his ears

at my side stands a father

who saw something special

in the broken shadow standing before him

searching for the fragments of shattered dreams

daring to return to the kingdom of youth

where dreams are merely choices

made by the blissfully ignorant

seen by the painfully aware

believing each day would be my last

each night I lay in disbelief

beneath legions of knowing stars

winking at tomorrow

where i would run from the dawn

to the sound of his cadence

running with me – stride for stride

and so beyond my belief

in my former self

i could have spanned the world

one step at a time

to the sound of his cadence

shaking the ground

from my unlikely beginnngs

to a circle once closed

where my heart sang

with a newly found strength

a restored belief

running stride for stride

across a world adventured from flat to round

into the shape of a dream

Tagged: cops, family, graduation, law enforcement, photography, poems, poetry, police, police academy, Random Thoughts, success, thoughts, writing ]]> http://rimofheaven.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/dreamer/feed/ 0 Pietro dad copy-of-100_3792 http://rimofheaven.wordpress.com/2008/12/19/hello/ http://rimofheaven.wordpress.com/2008/12/19/hello/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:36:52 +0000 rimofheaven http://rimofheaven.wordpress.com/?p=251 ]]>

Hello to anyone who reads this blog. I’m sorry I haven’t written anything at all in months. I’ve been away since August at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. I graduate  tomorrow on December 19th. I have worked very hard and have overcome many obstacles; facing challenges I was once afraid to face. I’ve learned a lot about the character of police work, it’s calling, and it’s dedication. Many of my peers, friends, and family did not think a small framed guy like me, at the age of 41 could get into the academy, let alone graduate from it. But, here I am, and I’m very proud to have made it this far. I’ve been given the honor of singing the National Anthem on graduation day in front of 800 people with cameras, recorders, and tv crews. I hope I don’t ralph or something because during rehearsal I was shaking like a leaf.

I hope now to get back to writing, and just creating. I have so much on my heart that I’m struggling to find a way to express. My life has been changed forever, and I hope my entries reflect this.

Take care until my next entry.

Sincerely,

Peter

Okay, I own four macs: One Imac g4, two Imac g3’s, and an Ibook. At work I use a pc every day, and I also use a panasonic toughbook laptop. At home I use my Imac, so I get to compare them daily. I like using my pc and my toughbook because they are compatible with almost every add on, update, download, gaming software, and the oh so many other empowering software creations out there. This is a nice perk – never having to check compatibility before downloading or purchasing. Also, pc’s seem to come with all the little extras at no extra cost: solitaire, mine sweeper, etc. Also, every add on, every piece of software, is simply cheaper on the pc. My mac is the absolute opposite of this. Compatibility and cost are always issues; I mean when I go into Walmart and look at their gaming software, I can never find a single game that is compatible with my mac. This is supremely aggravating, especially when Walmart always has about 20 $10.00 games on display (great bargains), and I can’t enjoy a single one of them. So, how come at the end of the day I’m always happy to come home to my mac? One: At work we have had to deal with viruses and spyware, and at home we have never had to concern ourselves with such issues. Two: I don’t see anything personal about using a pc. It is just very ordinary somehow, while my mac seems to be more of an extension of myself. Three: Compatibility aside, my mac just isn’t a squeaky wheel. It just serenely moves along, while the pc’s at work perform like drama queens. It’s funny, I’m writing this blog in favor of mac on a pc. Sorry pc, my mac is just cooler. Anyway, that is my take on PC vs MAC.

This makes me afraid. Does it you? A knot grows right in the pit of my being when watching this video. Why: The protesters are justified, and I never thought such a protest could ever be so right about the country we love. Dissent is only expressed like this in counties like China, Zimbabwe, pre-occupied Iraq, right? Also, the reaction it drew from the our president and his supporters was terrifyingly similar to the ignorant baying of sheep. What will come next, peaceful protest quelled by bullets? Where are we going to? Do we have to go there? Is it too late to change our course, or are we about to implode like every great empire before us?

I’m sorry, but this is pretty funny. Then again, my sense of humor is a little warped. Anyway, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Perhaps the most powerful short film you will ever see. Most of the time our petty, racial, wars keep us divided, whether it be Jew and Arab, white and black. What will it take to put things in true perspective for us. Whites and blacks in America have been feuding for generations over the same old issues that seem to play over and over again like a looped tape, especially when race pertains to politics and the pursuit of power. What will it take for them to realize that the eye of terror does not discriminate?

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;”

William Shakespeare

The perspective offered in this video left me speechless.