Usually called the doctor. Or the caretaker.

Tomato-butter sauce, link from greyhame. Haven't made it yet, but it looks lovely.

Dinner tonight is in progress.

1 leek, chopped (about 2 c?)
2 ribs celery, sliced (also about 2 c?)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
half a dozen mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
half a dozen small potatoes, washed and cut into spoon-size pieces
generous drizzle of olive oil
salt
black pepper
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs oregano
2 c duck stock
2 c water

That's it so far...put the olive oil in the pan, when it's warm add the garlic then the leek. Stir around a lot, give the leek a head start and then add the celery, salt, pepper, and herbs. Let it cook for a while and then add the mushrooms, the stock and water, and then the potatoes. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and let it simmer till the potatoes are tender and it's reduced some (but not too far--keep a lid on it most of the time).

The plan is to taste it in a bit and adjust the seasoning if necessary, and then add some milk and cook it some more. Then I'll serve it with a sprinkle of grated cheddar and some bread.

From silk_noir:

Patrick Stewart on the legacy of domestic violence.

Everyone should read this.

Most abusers seem perfectly nice to strangers. Many of them have admirable qualities that leave their families at sea--how do you respect and emulate the good qualities while still holding them accountable for the fact that they are hurting the people they ought to protect?

How do you deal in later life with the fact that as a child, the examples you were given for adult behaviour were inappropriate or even twisted?

And how do you deal with the fact that in many cases, the default position of the people around you--except the people who've been there, the fellowship of the broken--is that you should focus on the happy memories, or that violence and abuse are private matters that shouldn't be spoken of?

I am really glad that Patrick Stewart has spoken out, and so eloquently. No shame. But most of all, no silence.

On 24 July, President Obama celebrated the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by announcing his plan to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Randy would have been so pleased.

Thanks to leastconcern for the pointer.

Via nellorat, a great post about stereotypes and fat.

I really recommend reading it.

I'd also like to add to her discussion that, if you object to fat-demonising on the part of others, you are instantly construed as being fat--or do I mean constructed?--and your opinion doesn't count because you're obviously fat. After all, only a fatty would object to fat-demonising. If you engage in fat-demonising and you are fat, your opinion clearly matters more because you are fat. (Cf. "My black friend uses the n-word"; "My gay friend says fag"; I think we can safely add "My fat friend makes fun of Rush Limbaugh" to this.)

It's a really brutal catch-22.

I used to be irritated when fat allies said "Even though I'm skinny" to preface their remarks. Then I realised why they were doing it, when I said "I don't think it's okay to make fun of Rush Limbaugh for being fat. Especially when there are about a million things about him that are both mockable and to the point, like his hypocrisy." and someone told me that he didn't care if I was fat, but... Uh, wow. I am torn: do I disavow fatness when I tell people to shut up so as to make myself seem more authoritative and less self-interested or defensive, or do I not mention it because it doesn't matter and be discounted because I'm clearly personally involved in the issue and defensive about my fatness?

I don't have a good answer for this.

ETA: and the flip side of stereotyping fat women...let's have a bit less of the "skinny bitch" rhetoric eh? Also, quoting Guy Ritchie on how Madonna was in bed to support how awesome you are about accepting women who aren't sticks? Just makes you look like a twit, okay?

Colour-changing cuttlefish inspire new display technology.

The Taming of the Cat. It took place earlier and in a more restricted location than was once presumed. This is an interesting article that incorporates genomic study, archaeological evidence, and ancient art to support a timeline of domestication for the housecat that varies greatly from what was previously believed. Cats have been living with humans for 10,000 years, yet they remain, with a few physiological exceptions, fundamentally unchanged from their wild ancestor: Felis silvestris libyca, the Libyan wildcat. Interestingly, their domestication is incomplete to this day: the housecat is as a species only feral at best, tolerating and accepting human cohabitation and interference, but by and large housecats are still perfectly able to function in the wild.

Turning away from science and to pop culture, this essay at Tigerbeatdown on the movie Observe and Report and its rape scene is quite astute.

ldragoon, go look at this: a collection of pictures of churches displaying anti-torture banners.

From supergee.

Marzipan-covered cake.
Homemade orgeat.

I really want to try making orgeat. :)

Friday is Blog Anti-Torture Day, and I decided that rather than just blogging anti-torture on the day, I would post every day this week about torture.



Today, instead of my own weighty discussion of torture (I hear the sighs of relief), I'm going to link you to a Fresh Air segment from October 11, 2007,in which Terri Gross speaks with TV producer Adam Fierro, intelligence expert Col. Stuart Herrington and human rights advocate David Danzig about depictions of torture in TV and the movies. It is about 25 minutes long, and very worth the time to listen.