Some people vote the same way every time: Rs for Rs, Ds for Ds. Then you have the wildcards.  The wave. The pendulum. The moody middle swayed by who knows what -- "Dancing with the Stars" perhaps or McDonald's dollar menu? Who knows... I don't... Ask the people at Pew.

Anyhow, if I had to venture a guess, I would bet that some fussy pendulum-riders were already skittish about health care reform (i.e. they fear change -- they can't love the outrageous health care bills that are bankrupting them and their families) and they got a few too many e-mail forwards from wackadoo friends about Obama trying to take over private businesses (I guess we should just funnel tax payer money to big business to save them and not takeover?) and then the White House got pissy about Fox News and then somebody got too meddlesome in gubernatorial elections (when there's a country to be running) and there are a fair number of folks throughout the country who arent sure about whether that dude in the White House is Muslim/born in the U.S. -and/or- just they're just plain racist/ignorant/fill-in-the-blank and there you have it...

[extended run-on sentence for your reading pleasure... I hope it helps someone's superiority complex. Maybe I should make this post public to infuriate the masses. You're welcome.]

You can't ask for more than that, can you?

Especially in private messages from strangers...

New spam pm

Butternut squashy garlicky cassoulet

Note to self: give this a whirl --- maybe this weekend or next

From Cooking Light

Our variation on the classic French wintertime dish uses meaty squash for body, rendering it much more healthful than the original. Though not as traditional as a turkey, ham, or roast, this is a great main course for a smaller holiday gathering or intimate dinner party.

8 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  whole garlic head
• 4  ounces  pancetta, chopped
• 2  cups  vertically sliced onion
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  white wine vinegar
• 4 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2  cup  organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 4  (16-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  (1-ounce) slices white bread
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2  teaspoon  olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap garlic head in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Set half of garlic pulp aside; reserve remaining garlic pulp for another use. Discard skins.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove pancetta from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Add onion and 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 25 minutes or until onion is very tender and browned, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Add garlic pulp, pancetta, squash, and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf) to onion mixture, stirring well. Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure about 1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; sprinkle evenly over squash mixture. Cover and bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until squash is tender. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until topping is browned. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

259 (27% from fat)

Fat:

7.7g (sat 2.6g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.4g)

Protein:

9.5g

Carbohydrate:

38.8g

Fiber:

8g

Cholesterol:

11mg

Iron:

3mg

Sodium:

679mg

Calcium:

131mg

Charity Ferreira, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006

What’s your favorite quick, easy, and healthy recipe?
Presented by Intel, Sponsors of Tomorrow.

I was going to share something but it really varies by the week/month/season... the important thing is to be prepared with the basics: good oils, vinegars, salt, pepper, herbs, and whatever fresh produce you can grow or keep on hand... having other stuff like canned beans and tuna, olives and cheeses in the fridge, frozen veggies and pasta can be a lifesaver too.  I think that having that stuff around and being creative is half the battle -- the other half?  Knowledge and willpower -- good luck there!

... to see how many will actually appear here...

I kid you not. 

There's a dozen or two there right now on the main Vox Group Explore page.

For some reason, they don't seem to be attracting many "members."

K has a good response to a fear-mongering e-mail about Obama, broaching that ever tricky subject of generational issues. (Boomers get snarly with me when I bring this up - anyone else have that problem? Of course, I may not be the most diplomatic about it.)  Here's a taste:

Xers and Y's want a resurgence of the middle class and a standard of living that is at least half as good as that of our parents.  We've never had any delusions that Social Security would be there for us; we recognized that you mortgaged our future during the Regan era.  X'ers and Y's don't want to take away Social Security from you, or your Medicare, or any other benefits you may acquire merely for living longer.  We do want what you had an opportunity to have when you were our age.  WE have suffered as Boomers have cut X and Y benefits at work while keeping them for themselves, we have suffered as Boomers have held on to top middle- and upper-management jobs when their predecessors had long since retired and given way, we have suffered the ramifications of your investment drive and the "everything for the shareholder" mentality.  We are sick of it.  The Obama vote was about being through marching to the Boomer drumbeat and addressing the  concerns of the shrinking middle class and the poor of the US.  It is about giving a damn about the rest of the population of this little planet...

I love the playful, lighthearted, retro feel to this video.  The videography itself leaves something to be desired but there is a sweetness to the steps.  Enjoy.