I need another newspaper

Does anyone else notice the change in the last year since the Wall Street Journal sold it's soul to the Fox News Empire? In Friday's paper, first section, front page, was an article on... get this: Cilantro. I read it to see if it was going to mention the business of farming or relate it to other vegetable issues, foreign cultivation, or CO2 usage of resulting effects of flying veges across the continent. NO. The article was all about how there are some people who love and many vocal folks who hate cilantro so much they've created an on-line presence.

WTF?!

Not to be overlooked was the opinion article by Carl Rove last week on how he basically isn't to blame for an future problems with the economy. It reminded me a lot of Cheney's last interview - see John Stewart comments via this episode: (around minute 9:, you can also copy&paste: http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=217691 )

I was also a little confused by the article titled, "New Grid for Renewable Energy Could Be Costly" last week. It sure made a lot of pronouncements I would expect more from an 'opinion' article and showed very little research. It didn't even begin to explore the fact that renewable energy isn't necessarily 'extra' energy but perhaps 'instead of' energy currently generated by coal burning.

Did anyone notice last spring when the front page snipits talked about 'the chemical that contaminates milk'? Why couldn't that writer (or the editor?!) say: 'melamine'? At that writing, most readers of the WSJ and most people in the world were very informed about melamine and how it was being used all too often in China.

I understand that a new owner would want to make changes. I don't completely dislike all the color photos all over each section, but is it increasing readership? ..or simply justifying the extra pages I already feel guilty for loving reading a daily PAPER product, needed for all the extra advertising that didn't exist before? I could do with less advertising.


I'm dumbfounded and really disgraced by my WSJ. Who else reads the Journal? What other papers do you recommend that offer (relatively) unbiased news, less fluff, and good writing? What's my alternative? What papers do you read and why?

cookies

I decided to make cookies for myself and combined these wonderful ingredients to make quasi-macaroons. In hind sight I should have followed a recipe.

Because it would have been easier to eat them from the bowl.

pretty mornings

Inspiring views.

happy Valentine's day

Remember those little notes in highschool that were passed to you during class or on the sligh while you were standing at your locker? You know the ones with the boxes at the bottom you had to check?

This made me smile today.. especially because it's Valentine's.. and especially because of which box is checked.

Happy Valentine's Day.

frozen blueberries

I just learned how to make jam in my bread machine last summer. It's so easy. I've made lots of both blueberry and peach jam this year from all the fruit we picked around town. Jam is one of my favorite things to add to my yogurt and since spying the four quarts of blueberries lying dormant in my freezer, I decided to make some winter jam with my summer blueberries from the midwest and the summer plums from Chile* I picked up at Alde's last week which are just starting to ripen. *We'll talk about this excessive use of carbon at another time.

Am I the only one with blueberries left from last summer? Maybe I should have kept this to myself..

why does it look..

.. like there's a hurricane forming over the midwest?

Monday's weather map:

Tuesday's weather map:
map later Tuesday afternoon.. twin swirling weather masses:

Doesn't it seem odd to you too? Is it 80 degree balmy weather from the Gulf that we're experiencing now funneled in through the swirling cloud-weather-system mass?

Doesn't it seem odd that in early February it's 60 degrees here while it's snowing in Seattle?

ok, ok, how about 6 words?

So Powell's books beat me to this, only they one-up'd me by setting the limit to telling your life story in only 6 words. This is going to take more thought. Interesting how less words = more thought.. kind of in the same way listening > talking.

I'd love to hear your six word life story here and it can also be entered on Powell's website to enter their contest.

Try it..

in 10 more words..

describe your current life.. it doesn't have to rhyme nor create a sentence. The 'and-s' and 'to-s' just use up your words. Perhaps you will delurk for this one?

My first try:

optimistic insecure outreaching adventure creativity romance introspection generous with myself

in 10 words..

Describe your dysfunctional family in 10 words. Only ten.

First go:

Alone insecure anger frustration unwanted regretted pushed away not speaking

Second go:

Unwanted pregnancy forced marriage regret shame insecurity blame critical words

ok, now you try:

(sure, sure, we'll do an uplifting exercise next week.. try go with me on this one)

the edge of the world

I visited the edge of the world again yesterday.. many times in the last week actually as my boyfriend has decided it's pretty cool to go. I dig this, because it's one of my favorite things and I love to have him suggest it.

What you see is mostly snow over ice on the lake. We walked around on the bergs. Do we look warm enough? It was at least 18F with a colder windchill.