Pete Seeger - "Forever Young"

Legendary Pete Seeger recites Forever Young with a chorus of kids and great music backing him up. Such spirit and love emanating from him to the children and by extension to us. His banjo's quotation reads, "This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender": more peaceful than Woody Guthrie's guitar. This video is thanks to Amnesty International. From "Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International". http://amnestyusa.org/chimes

Aaron's Last Wish 43 - Bank 253 and Hillbilly Days in Pikeville

Great how the blue grass music/dancing begins this episode of Aaron's Last Wish then the closeup on the stressed out server and the remarkable change wrought, thanks to the spirit of the late Aaron Collins and his brother Seth Collins, closing with the music/dancing: very uplifting for anyone with a real heart. Watch and smile and spread Aaron's legacy. You don't need $500 for your generous tip or gesture, just do what you can to spread good will. For more information, see the Facebook Page and/or read Tina Rae Collin's Aaron Collins Did That and/or AaronCollins.org.

Fluffy Egg Dumplings

When in the mood for noodly carbs I will make a half batch of these on top of vegetable bouillon and deliberately undercook them. I will even re-heat the leftovers in the microwave. Cook them as directed and they are beautifully fluffy.

1-1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt

1 egg well beaten
2 T salad oil
1 C milk

Whisk or sift flour with baking powder and salt in medium bowl.

In small bowl, beat egg then add oil and milk. Pour all at once into flour mixture and mix only until moistened.

Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto gently bowling stew or bouillon. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover tightly for 10 minutes.

Possible additives to flour: 1/2 t curry OR 1/2 t sage, OR 2 T chopped parsley or chives, OR 1 t caraway seeds.

07/06/13 UPDATE: I added some fresh rosemary and some corn just off the cob. Yum.

(For recipes like these, I keep my old stained McCall's Cookbook.)

John Fugelsang: 'I stand with Rand — but not all of his plan'

The Seuss-ified gospel according to John Fugelsang re Rand Paul and his somewhat hypocritical filabuster.

Van Jones Reacts to Keystone XL Report

MUST WATCH -- "The Obama Tar Sands Pipeline should not be the legacy of a President who gave that speech," says Van Jones. Canadians have blocked the dirty corrosive tar sands route west. A Canadian company wants to threaten US environment offering a few temporary jobs so they can sell the oil to China. Meanwhile the State Dept. lies about the possible impact. This is so wrong!! ~ h/t to Toni DiPego of Proligarchy.com blog for link.

Ban Fracking NOW, Gov. Cuomo

Ban Fracking NOW, Gov. Cuomo
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

A hundred people protested in sleety weather in front of Governor Andrew Cuomo's NYC office: Ban Fracking NOW! This was our activist lunch hour, Fri., Feb. 8, 2013. For more info, see Food and Water Watch.

Homemade Cocoa

Homemade cocoa goes down way too fast -- and I even doubled my recipe and moved from my usual small 8 oz mug: for that a heaping teaspoon of cocoa to a Tablespoon of sugar, dash of salt and mix together; add a T of milk and mix more, add a 1/4 t of real vanilla and 6 oz or so of milk. Heat in microwave a minute or so: delicious! Comforting.

The Soul of America

In America today, we have the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country on earth, and more inequality than at any time period since 1928. The top 1 percent owns 42 percent of the financial wealth of the nation, while, incredibly, the bottom 60 percent own only 2.3 percent. One family, the Walton family of Wal-Mart, owns more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of Americans. In terms of income distribution in 2010, the last study done on this issue, the top 1 percent earned 93 percent of all new income while the bottom 99 percent shared the remaining 7 percent.
~ Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie wants things to be more fair. So do I. Lets all talk to our Congressmembers and say this is NOT the American dream. We need an economy that works for all or at least most of us. Speak up. Please.
(For the whole article, see The Soul of America on CommonDreams.org.)

A must see: Les Misérables. My brother David said the Broadway musical pushed all the right buttons and certainly this film clip does too, with the haunting "I Dreamed a Dream" [sung by Anne Hathaway] and those great cinema angles.

Open Letter to Hallmark Cards

Dear Hallmark --

What has happened to your Made in America / Made in the U.S.A. box cards? I find very few available for purchase at my neighborhood Hallmark Gold Crown store and that is one of the major reasons I choose to buy more expensive Hallmark cards. I want my purchases to benefit American workers not merely investors. I am ready to start sending holiday letters and/or handmade cards in lieu of Made in China cards. Why don't you make at least some American-made box cards for people who believe in America and American workers and want their Hallmark Cards to say Made in the USA?

Thank you.

Respectfully, Kate Anne <--blogging this and also posting this on Facebook Message left at http://hallmark.custhelp.com/app/ask
Write yourself, and/or call 1-800-HALLMARK (1-800-425-5627)