Ultranormal

Author: Kevin Lawver

  • Is It Worth It?

    60,497

    That’s a big number. It’s not a million, and it’s not a billion, but it’s big. It was almost the population of Pittsylvania County, VA in the last census (61,745). What is it? That’s the conservative end of the estimate for the number of people, civilian and military, that have been wounded and killed in Iraq.

    That number’s going to stick with me for a while. The next time I see those cool pictures of explosions on TV and think of all the damage we’re doing to those terrorists and rooting out the “evildoers”, I’ll remember that 60,497 have been wounded and killed in this adventure, most of them civilians who will never get a moment of silence during the nightly news, who we’ll never mourn because they aren’t “like us” and don’t come from here.

    The next time a President says, “We gotta go get the bad guys.”, I’ll think of that number, of that little boy who lost all but one of his limbs, of all the pictures of corpses, of the list of soldiers I see on the news, all of those sonless mothers and brotherless brothers left to mourn, those pictures of amputees learning to walk all over again with a leg that’s not their own.

    Is it worth it? Are we bringing “freedom” to anyone with this war? Are we winning the war on terrorism? Does it matter?

    note: I used the lower of all estimates given, and got the numbers here.

  • New Policy

    Yeah, so, how are you?

    Me? I’ve decided to institute a “don’t blog angry” policy here, which means you may not hear from me a whole lot.

  • How To Buy Sushi

    You’re Google is my command. So, I’m on the first page of yet another weird query at Google. This time, it’s “how to buy sushi“. Since I aim to please, I’m going answer this one. Not because I’m an expert with sushi. I’m not. I’m a pale chubby American, like I assume the person who ran the query that brought them to this page on my site (which really had nothing to do with buying, but with NOT buying sushi). Since that post didn’t help anyone, maybe this one will.

    Kevin’s Suggestions for Buying Sushi

    • For your first sushi experience, go to a Japanese restaurant, better yet, go to a sushi restaurant. I know, if you live in Vicksburg, Mississippi, this may take some travelling. It’s worth it. Anything you buy in Piggly-Wiggly will be a real crappy first sushi experience (if it can be called “sushi”).

    • For your first pieces, stick with rolls (they’re the ones with the seaweed wrapped around them). Start with a California roll, or some variation on it. They usually contain cooked fish or crab and are a good place to start.

    • Go really easy on the wasabi (the green stuff). That little bowl that came with your sushi is to mix a healthy amount of soy sauce with a little bit of wasabi. And make sure you mix it in well. You don’t want an errant chunk searing your nostrils closed.

    • If you dig the rolls (and you will), move on the tuna and salmon. I love tuna sashimi. I love salmon sashimi. You will to. Remember, dip in soy/wasabi mix and pop the whole thing in your mouth.

    • After you’ve conquered your fear of raw fish, you should check out red snapper and yellowtail. If you’re still up for an adventure, try octopus and eel (I personally don’t like octopus – it’s like eating a big pink eraser).

    You will find fairly early on that sushi is surprisingly filling. It’s all the rice. Trust me, you won’t need a lot to make your belly happy. OK, I hope that helps the next person that comes looking for tips on buying sushi. My work here is done.

    UPDATE: To address Tim’s comment, you can get sushi that contains fully cooked fish!! A lost of the rolls, and other pieces use cooked fish. If you’re concerned about it, ask at the restaurant. They usually have a whole section of the menu for you chickens.

  • Why Not France, Indeed!

    Why not vacation in France? I couldn’t agree more! I suggest the south of France, especially Mandelieu-La Napoule. It’s small, not as touristy as Cannes (although it’s a five minute train ride away), and the restaurants are to die for. You won’t see a McDonalds or Burger King around, and you’ll be surrounded by the sea, the mountains and lots of really friendly French people. I highly recommend the hotel I stayed in on my trip, L’Ermitage du Riou. The hotel’s restaurant is world class, and extremely reasonable considering the quality of the food and service.

    While you’re there, you should definitely take the tour at the Chateau La Napoule, and walk around the town. It’s gorgeous.

  • Told You So

    Now do you believe me?

  • A Rebuke From The Past

    I’ve been haunted by an image this week. I read somewhere (unfortunately, I can’t remember where exactly) a comparison between our invasion of Iraq and the Spanish-American War. The author said that both were launched on fauly evidence (some say outright lies), and quoted some famous Americans who were against the Spanish-American War. There was one passage from an article written by Mark Twain that’s stuck with me, that I’m unable to forget or leave behind.

    And our flag — another pride of ours, our chiefest! We have worshipped it so; and when we have seen it in far lands — glimpsing it unexpectedly in that strange sky, waving its welcome and benediction to us — we have caught our breath, and uncovered our heads, and couldn’t speak, for a moment, for the thought of what it was to us and the great ideals it stood for…

    And as for a flag for the Philippine Province, it is easily managed. We can have a special one — our States do it: we can have just our usual flag, with the white stripes painted black and the stars replaced by the skull and cross-bones.

    Mark Twain — To The Person Sitting in Darkness

    The image of that flag, red and black stripes, with the skull & cross-bones in place of the stars. It’s chilling, and I can’t help thinking how unfortunately appropriate it is. Iraq is a mess, because we didn’t go in with a plan for getting out. Our soldiers have committed atrocities in our names, under our flag (and apparently under orders from the commanding officer in the region and possibly civilian leaders in the Pentagon, all of it vetted by the Justice Department). We’ve killed thousands of non-combatants, lost several hundred good young soldiers to combat and terrorism, allowed the few treasures of the country to be plundered and looted, and changed course more times than a ship lost in a gale. All of this done in the name of bringing “freedom” to the Middle East.

    I don’t know what the Administration’s true reason was for going into Iraq. I don’t know why the insisted on lying (or continue to keep lying, only to have a member of your own Administration contradict you) about Saddam’s connection to Al Qaeda. I don’t know why they relied on intelligence they knew was faulty… And now, with the abuse, we’ve given an excuse to every madman we go up against in the future to torture our soldiers the way we’ve tortured the Iraqis (most of who were either covered by the Geneva Conventions or later proven innocent). Our government even lied to us about the war on terror, and now has to “concede it made an error“. How does this happen? How did we get here?

    It’s time to drop partisanship and look deep down into our hearts. What has happened is wrong. There should be a Congressional investigation into the torture memos, see where they lead, and punish those responsible for ordering it – no matter how high it goes. Today, it looks like our government is guilty of war crimes. Are we going to do anything about it? Are we going to stand by and let this be carried out in our name, under our flag? I’m disgusted by my government. This has gone on long enough, and it’s time for the few honest people left in the Administration and in Congress to put a stop to it.

  • Must Try… HORCHATA!!!

    I love Horchata. That recipe will be attempted toute suite!!!

  • Redesign Commencing

    Redesign in progress… not done, still going. Colors may change (especially the green… looks good in the palette, not so sure on the site). Beware falling fonts.

    There, let’s try that for a little while and see what happens. I’m not sure about the fonts, but I think I can live with the colors for now. Sorry to all you folks who use newsreaders. Hopefully there will be no more rebuilds to muck with the feeds.

  • Like A Whole Other Country

    I knew Texas was like “A Whole Other Country”, but they’re running your’s. That’s why this is so chilling. The Texas Republicans are in charge of half the Legislative branch (Tom DeLay), the Executive Branch, and if W wins in November, have a real good chance of taking over the Judicial.

    I just don’t get it. This is the leadership of the Republican party, people. If you think centrists like John McCain, John Warner, Chuck Hagel and Olympia Snowe have any power, watch the Republican platform at the convention. I doubt highly that it will differ a whole lot from this.

    The separation of Church and State is there for a reason. It’s the same reason we have two houses in Congress. It’s the same reason we have checks and balances defined in the Constitution. The will of the many should never violate the rights of the few. If Christianity (and radical fundamentalist Christianity at that) becomes the basis for government, I fear for our country. This is not a platform based on faith, hope or charity. It’s a platform based on hate, fear and ignorance.

    If you vote for George W. Bush in November, you’re voting for it too. Oh, I know, that sounds crazy. It’s not. Let’s get the press to ask him to disavow the platform. Will he?

  • The Gardening Geek

    It all started so innocently. I took Max to the Farmer’s Market last summer, and I bought a basil plant (because every three year-old needs to learn about death, right?). We took it home, put it in a pot on the window sill, watered it religiously, and watched it grow. It lasted the rest of the summer and most of the fall. I decided my black thumb curse was over… It was actually kind of fun watching it grow and using it in my cooking. So, I started a little window sill garden, just a couple plants. Max and I bought a cilantro plant, an oregano plant and a sage plant (that met an untimely death while I was in France). We had an extra pot, and Max and I took some crushed red pepper seeds, a couple snap peas, some peppercorns and (I think) a couple others I don’t remember and planted them. Surprisingly, two plants sprouted!! I have no idea what they are, but they’re both getting a little unruly and I had to replant them. Of course, I was out of pots. So, off to Lowe’s for more pots…

    Now, it’s June, and I think I’ve officially gone over the cliff. I planted some roma tomato plants about a month ago, some new basil (the old one got old and feeble) and recently some rosemary and chives. I also moved our two gigantic plants and the tomatos to a big window box that’s still not outside. I even built a trellice… see for yourself:

    the left side...

    and the right

    Max helps me water them, and we check on them every day. Like I said, it all started so innocently.