Birchie, I keep meaning to ask you about the Murdoch telephone hacking thing. Do you think this could actually bring down Cameron's government, or are they distancing themselves from the Murdoch empire as much as possible? We have several former newspaper reporters at my office. My boss advanced quite far in the Associated Press before jumping ship, quite presciently, as it turns out. So that whole story has us riveted.
Also rivetted here. It's difficult to know how things are going to go. Cameron's been in Africa on a trade mission, cut short from five days to two when things got worse. He decided not to steam straight back as it would look like panic. I dread to think what pose he's going to strike as he arrives back in Blighty. The Murdochs were appearing before a parliamentary select committee this afternoon - interesting. I expect you'll have seen clips. And Rebekah Brookes is there now. And another select committee was interviewing two from the Met(ropolitan Police). I think the Cameron government is distancing itself from NewsCorp as much as possible, but being a bit late about doing it. The Conservative Mayor of London (Boris Johnson) has referred queries about Cameron's future to Downing Street. That sounds either a bit ominous or Boris is being a bit careful. The whole business is a dreadful mess. When added to the way other problems are being dealt with by the Government, and if the Opposition get it right, I suppose the Cameron government could be forced to go to the country (= call an election).
As an aside, AP had a great picture of Rebekah Brookes in the FT yesterday. She was looking wrecked and her blouse was gaping slightly. Astonishing that the FT ran it.
I went to Cambridge, my alma mater, a few days ago and stood in the market place looking at the old cinema. I saw 'Watergate' there. That was pretty startling at the time. The years dropped away and I was 19 again.
Jessica - a bookie in Britain is someone who takes bets for you, who keeps a book. "Nip down to the bookie, dear, and put a couple of quid on Davie Boy in the 3 o'clock at Doncaster." I'd say 'bibliomane' might be the word.
Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement about our book problem. midwife - such a great quote. Thank you. The SO and I merged our holdings a few years ago quite successfully but procreation has produced even more. The car has its difficulties, too. And Bill, there is a brilliant (and rude, of course) Winston Churchill saying about the United States which has made an reappearance in some places about the US debt crisis. I hesitate to repeat it here.
I went to the gymn this morning and have eaten fairly well all day. I have also been at work all day which has helped, despite it being fairly heavy duty stuff. Talk of drugs rings and police at the gymn so I'll be watching out. As Suzanne 3FC says, "It's always something."
Thanks for being here, everyone. It really helps.
Oh, finally, Harry Potter. I have not seen any of the films. I read one of the books quite a few years ago when the series was tipped as important (presumably JK had just signed a big contract) but decided I preferred Diana Wynne Jones if I wanted children's fantasy. I have passed platform 9 3/4 quite a few times on my way in and out of King's Cross railway station.
I just returned from a funeral. Clearly I don't know much about different customs. The widow wore white. Well, the whole family did. Is that a Catholic thing or a Filipino custom?
I've read all the posts but the funeral gave me a headache (was it the incense or the crying?) and I can't think clearly enough to respond.
Busy thread! Ducked in at my parent's house (technically it's mine now) to take another look at the downspouts and remembered there were boxes of books in the garage too. Probably been used as racoon bedding.
And yes Jenmusic our library system has decided to no longer accept books. Our hospitals don't let anyone stay long enough to get through a magazine, never mind a book, and all of our thrift stores seem to only stock clothing now.
Allison I think a number of the asian/east asian countries wear white at funerals. Anyone have any idea why we wear black? I confess I don't know - have just been going with convention though I wore dark grey at the last funeral I attended.
Silverbirch Is it Rebekah Brookes who is known as the "Witch of Wopping"? In the latest photo in our press she looks quite messed around.
michele My legs tend to cramp when I'm dehydrated or needing potassium (I eat a banana and I'm fine). Maybe something similar is happening with you?
midwife"Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend." Stephen can be a pretty funny guy (but he's severely in need of an editor who can prune his own books back)
I am going to take DH on a walk tonite (no leash though sometimes I'm tempted ) and give him cantalope chunks to snack on if he insists on watching TV. I will thin him down if I have to kill him to do it
Dagmar - the Witch of Wapping?? Crikey. It's very probably her as News International's HQ is in Wapping (part of London). It's known as Fortress Wapping. I should get out more and study the media even more than I do. Thanks for the tip-off. Crikey.
I play with it a little. I don't fry the eggplant slices -- I roast them on a cookie sheet in the oven. When assembling the thing, I add a layer of cottage cheese or ricotta mixed with basil. I may also add a layer of spinach sauteed in garlic & a bit of basil & oregano. I have also tried a layer of roasted vegetables. I have considered using veggie sausage crumbles or ground turkey but haven't remembered to do that yet. All of these variations work well as long as you do the overlapping "paving stone" thing with eggplant & polenta & use sauce as the mortar & finish with some parmesan on top.
I went to Cambridge, my alma mater, a few days ago and stood in the market place looking at the old cinema. I saw 'Watergate' there. That was pretty startling at the time. The years dropped away and I was 19 again.
Wiretapping & phone hacking ... yes ... only the technology is new.
I wonder if you mean the movie that was released in the U.S. as "All the President's Men," with Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman. Perhaps it was given a different title for the U.K. release.
When I went to school as an undergrad, every other person in my journalism classes had been influenced to some degree by that movie.
Now I think perhaps people would rather develop iPad apps.
Is anyone else tired of the heat? It's predicted to reach 98 degrees on Friday & to remain at 96 degrees on Saturday. I think this is a weekend for me to head north, into the countryside, & not to venture into the city.
Here's an idea: I could read a book.
ETA: Birchie, "bookie" also has that meaning in the U.S., with a vaguely disreputable whiff. It also sounds a bit archaic, like something out of Damon Runyon. We have -- well, had -- Off-Track Betting parlors that are legally sanctioned & would serve the same purpose. But people in the U.S. prefer casinos and lottery tickets to gambling on horse racing. Particularly popular in the northeast is the so-called "Indian" casino, run by Native American tribes, whose tribal lands are exempt from certain U.S. regulations. (My mother adores these places, unfortunately. They're like visiting a nice mall but she might win a little money, which she likes: Something for nothing.)
Saef-- that looks yummy-- thanks for posting!
I found a recipe that I had dd make-- it was for spicy polenta bake. It ended up being too spicy for her (I bought medium enchilada sauce and it was pretty darn spicy). I liked it though so I'll have a lot of leftovers! It was super easy too.
Dagmar-- I had thought it was potassium originally and have been eating/drinking/taking extra potassium so I know it isn't a lack of potassium. Wish it was an easy fix like that though.
Last batch of essays graded and last classes today! Tomorrow is a field trip to a local museum and then the CNN Center for a tour. None of my students seems to be interested in the phone hacking case - I can never tell, really, what current events will or won't be of interest to international students. The Casey Anthony case fascinated my students, but mostly because of the differences between our legal system and theirs. Natural disasters, politics, and war hold no appeal for discussion most of the time. Understandable in most cases, but sometimes those seem like all that's on the news!
I have never made polenta. Being from the South, it seems like blasphemy when I could just have grits. But, since we're sharing recipes, I've decided I want to try beets. I've never, to my memory, had a beet before. The deep red pickled beets on salad bars just look icky to me, but someone suggested roasting them. Does anyone have any beet suggestions? Is this even beet season?
alinell - Many Buddhists wear white for mourning, and in many parts of Asia white is the color for mourning. Once, while living in China, I brought flowers to a home I was visiting (very culturally appropriate). They were white flowers (very culturally inappropriate!). Thankfully, my cultural faux pas were regularly ignored or forgiven in China. Good thing - I messed up all the time.
michele - I know you're a librarian, at a school, right? I have to admit to a love of YA literature. Any book recommendations you have for me, I'll gladly take. I hope your road trip goes well. Do OTC pain killers help?
Jen, to roast whole beets you cut off the tops (leave a little bit of stem and leave the roots and skin), wrap them in tin foil, and bake at 375 for about an hour, depending how big your beets are. When they can be pierced easily with a fork they're done (like baked potatoes). After you let them cook a little bit the skin will come off easily and you can cut off the top and tail. You don't want to cut them off before roasting or the juice will leak out. One of my friends says she times her beets by smell. You want to roast them until you can smell them cooking, then when you realize you can't smell them anymore and have a "OMG I forgot the beets" moment, they will be perfectly done.
You can also peel raw beets, cut them into chunks, spray a pan with cooking spray, toss in the beets, spray them with cooking spray, and cook at 450 for about half an hour, depending how big your chunks are.
Or, you can make borscht! I can dig up a recipe if you need one but you can google it. I <3 borscht.
JayEll and Michele, how do you estimate/price the shipping? I have books coming out of our ears and I often think about selling them.
ETA: I'd encourage ya'll to give the HP series another try. Truly the books are far greater than the movies and the uproar. There are lovely elements and they are full of inspiration, good vs. evil, laying down one's life for others, timeless themes.
Or to quote Stephen King:
"Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend."
If you want to know about paperback swap IM me and I'll send you the info.
Thanks for the info on white being a color of mourning in Asia, Jen!
And I like beets, roasted or pickled. The one time I roasted them, I diced them first (but they're really messy) and combined them with butternut squash, carrots, Brussels sprouts and some more veggies (can't remember) and tossed it all in a little olive oil and roasted for about 20 minutes under 500 degrees. They were well received as part of my Thanksgiving dinner.
I'm proud to say I finally got off my duff and worked out this morning. Gosh, it's been such a long time! I really need to get back into the swing of things and do it routinely. I've just been so lazy.
Jessica, it is Bloodthirst, actually. Though I do also have three copies of Imzadi, one worn out, one paperback, one hardback, and two copies of Q-squared, also one worn out.
michele - I know you're a librarian, at a school, right? I have to admit to a love of YA literature. Any book recommendations you have for me, I'll gladly take. I hope your road trip goes well. Do OTC pain killers help?
Jen-- yes, I am a librarian at an elementary school. I am currently reading the Hunger Games series. I just finished book 2 of the trilogy. They are GREAT and I highly recommend them. The author is Suzanne Collins. She also wrote the Gregor the Overlander series which I haven't read but my daughter says is great as well.
I will definitely take some OTC pain killers. I may even take the anti-inflammatories that I took a few weeks ago that tore up my stomach. They helped my back immensely so I might decide to try them with food again and see what happens.
Stephen can be a pretty funny guy (but he's severely in need of an editor who can prune his own books back)
) and give him cantalope chunks to snack on if he insists on watching TV. I will thin him down if I have to kill him to do it 
But, since we're sharing recipes, I've decided I want to try beets. I've never, to my memory, had a beet before. The deep red pickled beets on salad bars just look icky to me, but someone suggested roasting them. Does anyone have any beet suggestions? Is this even beet season? 
