Half As Lonesome As His Sound

Last night there was a tribute to Johnny Cash on TV. TFR forgot to tell me about it, so I only caught the last half. That was disappointing enough, but then I caught the show, and it was almost as disappointing. Oh, the performances were pretty good, but they just weren't, you know, JOHNNY. I guess there's just no way around it, the Man in Black ain't coming back.

Ironically enough, the song that disappointed the most was one sung by someone who originally sang it. Kris Kristofferson performed Sunday Morning Coming Down, backed up by the Foo Fighters.

I'm sorry. I know the song launched Kristofferson's career, but they sucked last night. Kristofferson's part of the song had that "Last Karaoke of the night drunk and off tune" quality to it, while the Foo Fighters sounded unsurprisingly but still disappointingly high-pitched and whiny.

No, once Johnny himself sang the song, no one else was ever going to do it justice ever again.

Einstein and Politics: Imperial Quantum Entanglements

Thanks for the Memory to The Maximum Leader.


Talk about Spooky Action at a Distance.

Forth Eorlingas

Thanks for the Memory to the Llama Butchers.


Rohirrim


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

No surprise there, I've always been fond of the Rohirrim (Used to get that funny tingly feeling reading about Eowyn long before the movies ever came out. A babe who can handle a sword. Rowr). Noble without being sanooty, and I value loyalty highly. I didn't even try for this result.

Anyone Know a Serviceman Overseas?

TFR and I took The Lad Trick-or-Treating, becase we couldn't resist the chance to show off how darned CUTE he looked in a pumpkin costume. But he's too young to eat the candy, so we've decided to send it overseas to someone enlisted in the US military serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Trouble is, we don't KNOW any. So I'm asking my readers for help: Do you have a friend/loved one serving their country overseas, preferrably in a war zone? If so, let me know, we'd like to send them some junk food. There's enough that we could probably split it up to send to 2 or 3 service personnel, but we need an address THIS WEEK.

I'm keeping this post top of the blog until friday. Thanks.

The GOP finally Grows a Pair

Thanks for the Memory to Blogs for Bush.

It's about time!

For some time now, those of us who have all along supported the PResident's decision to invade Iraq, and who have defended him against specific claims regarding the war, have bristled when asked why he wasn't defending himself. And we began to ask the question ourself -- not because we believed, like his detractors, that he couldn't, but because we knew he could, and should, and it frustrated us that he wouldn't.

Well, now he has.

From the Blogs for Bush entry:

President Bush, in his speech earlier today, finally answered these critics directly:

While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war.

These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs. They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. Many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: 'When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security.' That's why more than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate, who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power.

The stakes in the global War on Terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our Nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory. (emphasis added)

Thank you, President Bush. We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Although, to be honest, we HAVE said it more OFTEN. It's nice to see you return to the form we so admired, have finally showed yourself to still be the man for whom we voted.

Inquisitive, not an Inquisitor

Smallholder over at Naked Villainy has been posting a series of posts on Intelligent Design and religion, specifically on those who hold to a literal translation of the bible. I made a comment on one of the threads, and he replied. I feel compelled to reply here, since this gives me a much larger space to express my thoughts.

Let me start by saying that yes, Smallholder, to answer your first question to me, I do believe in a literal translation of the Bible. I believe it is the inspired Word oof God, and that it is true in its entirety. Despite this, you may be shocked to learn that:

1. I do not advocate the burning of witches or heretics (though for Oakland Raider fans, I'll make an exception).
2. I do not believe the Earth is flat.
3. I do not reject the heliocentric Solar System.
4. I do not believe that all matter is made up of the four elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water). Though if I did, I'd argue for the existence of a fifth: Grooviness.
5. I do not hold to a view of medecine governed by the balance of bile, phlegm, vapors, Funk, or whatever. I have a rudimentary but modern grasp of biology.
6. I am not a literal 7-day creationist. I would probably best be characterized as a "Theistic Evolutionist", though even that term is fraught with all sorts of complications.
7. I bathe.
8. I am (at least semi-)literate.
9. I did not marry my cousin.
10. I don't think that other ethnicities are Mud People" or "Cursed of God".

I know, this may surprise those of you out there who, like Smallholder, ask, "Why is it that the most hateful Christians wrap themselves in the cloak of literal translation? And why does their literal, inerrant translation ignore the words of the Bible that aren't congruent with their hatred? "

That's a good question, and one that troubles those of us who wrap our literal translations in the cloak of love.

The best answer I can come up with is that Smallholder's "Cloak" imagery is appropriate, since what such people do is merely a disguise -- Wolves in Sheep's clothing (if it's alright for me to actually apply a biblical term). I suspect that such individuals came to the Bible already holding to certain hateful beliefs, and then cherry-picked the Bible for bits and pieces to support their prejudice. then they couched their argument as "Just following what the bible says". But This is no more being faithful to a literal translation than any over-tolerant liberal view of scriptures. This is just bad biblical scholarship. But I'll get to that later.

I'm afraid Smallholder has committed several logical errors in his assault on literal translation of the Bible.

The first error is that he's assumed that "All A are B, therefore all B are A". This does not follow. Specifically he has decided that since certain narrow-minded, bigoted, hateful, individuals who hold to certain unscientific, uneducated, archaic beliefs also claim to believe in a literal translation of the Bible, then anyone who believes in a literal translation of the bible must be a narrow-minded, bigoted, hateful, individual who holds to certain unscientific, uneducated, archaic beliefs. But as you can see from my disclaimer, that is not the case.

The second error he commits is the fallacy of False Dilemma. He tells me that I must either reject a literal translation of the bible or accept certain very absurd beliefs. This completely ignores the possibility that I might accept a literal translation of the bible, but reject said beliefs as misrepresenting what the Bible actually says. What he's done is accept that there is only one proper way to "literally" translate the bible.

Notice the similarities between the two errors. I'd submit that they both stem from the same root cause, Smallholder's final error, and the error also committed, ironically, by those with whom he takes such issue. And that error is to engage, as I've said, in poor biblical scholarship.

I'd like to take a moment first of all to address what I mean when I say I believe in a literal translation of the Bible, because that may be the source of the confusion.

Caveat Emptor: While I grew up the son of an excellent pastor, and have SOME Bible College education under my belt, I'm by no means a Theologian. I'm sure my good friend David A. Reed could address this better than I. But I'll do my best.

When I say that I interpret the Bible literally, this is what I mean: I believe that the Bible is Divinely Inspired, that it is inerrant and self-consistent, and that what it says is so, is. However, I also believe in interpreting the Bible Literarily. By that I mean that the Bible, while true, is also a piece of literature, and as such must be read as one.

Divinely Inspired means God-Breathed, not God-Dictated. God inspired the writers to write certain truths, but he allowed them to write them in their own style, while at the same time ensuring that the writer's style did not interfere with the accuracy of what they wrote. It was a partnership between the Holy Spirit and the writer that I'm sure only they understand.

But this means that the writers of the bible wrote in certain styles, used literary devices, and themes, turned certain phrases in certain ways to convey not only facts, but ideas and emotions, to evoke specific moods. The Bible is a story, or a series of intertwined stories. As C.S. Lewis once said, it's the Myth that happens to be True.

So when we interpret the Bible, in order to do so literally, all that is required is that we accept that what it says is the truth. To then go on and interpret it literarily, we must pay attention not only to WHAT truth it presents, but HOW it presents it. This means taking into account things like style, device, context, etc.

Furthermore, there are a few other important concepts to take into consideration: One of these is the idea that the Bible does not attempt to present itself as speaking authoritatively on EVERY topic, only those topics on which it DOES speak. And it's important to pay attention to what it DOESN'T say as much as what it DOES -- whether remaining silent on an entire topic, or leaving certain things unsaid about a topic it DOES address.

Let's use the scripture Smallholder uses (misuses?) as an example:

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled and spotted.

And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

Now, William Bennetta (and by his assent, Smallholder) would have you believe that the Bible is presenting this as a description of how genetics works. This just isn't so. What they are overlooking is context. It may come as some shock to Smallholder, but the Bible has quite a bit to say about Jacob prior to this passage, and after. It may also be a surprise to learn that reading the other things the Bible has to say about Jacob might reveal something (or things) about Jacob's personality and character, as well as his family history, that would shed some light on this passage.

Among the things we would learn is that his family, from his grandparents down through his parents, and including him, have a tendency to take promises God has made to them, and then take them into their own hands. In other words, They would believe God was powerful enough to accomplish things, but then decide they were clever enough to figure out HOW God would accomplish them, and take it upon themselves to accomplish things in that manner on God's behalf. They tended to get into all sorts of trouble by doing this -- see also Ishmael.

So let's take this situation. God had told Jacob he would bless him, and would increase his flocks until he was richer than his Fasther-In-Law. He DIDN'T tell him how it would happen. So Jacob decided it would happen by running a con on Laban.

HOW he did it, or THINKS, he did it, is also indicative of another family trait -- all the way back to Abraham, Jacob's family had been reticent to completely abandon their pagan, polytheistic practices. You'll notice that the passage leading up to this section never says that Jacob fashioned the funky woodwork under direct instruction fron God -- he just did it. I wasn't sure why, but a cursory Google search of bible commentaries produced this, which postulates that it was some form of superstitious practice common in the region.

That commentary makes another point that is important when interpreting scripture: Just because the Bible describes someone as engaging in a particular practice, doesn't mean the Bible is endorsing that practice.

Finally, with regards to the end result of the passage, namely, the fact that Jacob's flocks WERE increased, and Laban's decreased:

God had told Jacob that it would be so, and God keeps his word. When God acts, his actions supercede the normal laws othat govern the physical world. That's because God is not confined to the physical Universe, and thus not bound by its laws (laws that he himself put in place). Under normal circumstances, he allows those laws to run their course. But if he chooses to act outside of those laws, he is free to do so. This is the definition of a miracle. And that's what happened in this case. God's miraculous increase of Jacob's flocks intervenes in the normal process of genetics -- it does not negate those laws. To claim that God made an expection in one case is not to claim that this disproves those laws in all cases. And furthermore, God's blessing on Jacob was in disregard of Jacob's little tree-cutting escapade, not because of it. The passage is describing a sequence of events, but is not claiming causality between them:

Clyde M. Woods says:

"There seems to be no valid scientific evidence that the procedure Jacob followed would ordinarily work, although ancient peoples had confidence in such devices. later, Jacob learned that his success was due, not to his ingenious and somewhat questionable devices, but rather to God's providential care which prevented Laban from defrauding him (see Genesis 31:7.9.12)."

Let me make one more point:

In the quote Smallholder posted, Bennetta makes the following comment:

"To persons who imagine that they can learn about nature by rejecting evidence and reason in favor of ancient tribal tales, biblical genetics will certainly look like great stuff. I commend it to the fundamentalists' attention. "

I understand that these are Bennetta's words, not Smallholder's. However, I cannot beleive that anyone can characterize the Bible as merely "ancient tribal tales" without being hostile to Christianity as a faith. Why do I say that? Because Christians are, by definition, followers of Christ. And throughout the New Testament, Jesus, the man we accept as being The Christ (Messiah), presents as his credentials, his fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. After reading from Isaiah in the synagogue, he proclaims to the crowd that the words of Isaiah have been fulfilled before them that very day, meaning he was claiming to be himself the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. He said of himself that he came not to abolish the law but that through him it might be fulfilled.

John wrote of Christs crucifixion:

"When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. Let's not tear it, they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did."
John 19:23-24

Paul wrote of Christ:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NIV)

Now if Christ is claiming authority on Earth based on the teachings of the scriptures, and the scriptures are merely "ancient tribal tales", then I see no reason to grant him any greater authority or claim to my allegiance than any tribal Shaman who has ever spoken. The only reason for me to be a Christian, i.e. a Follower of Christ, is if the Scriptures are the Divinely Inspired word of God, and therefore the authority they ascribe to Jesus Christ is that of God Himself.

UPDATE:

OK, TWO points. The other:

In the comments to one of his posts, Smallholder makes the claim, "Literalists have tried to supress heliocentrism."

I'd like to point out to him that that's not the case. Or at least, not the kind of literalist I claim to be. Specifically, those who tried in the past to supress heliocentrism were the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. You'll note that the RCC believes that Church Traditions and other extrabiblical teachings hold as much weight as doctrine as does the bible itself. And it is based on these doctrinal sources, I would argue, that they opposed heliocentrism. But most post-reformation non-RCC Christians, especially modern evangelicals, like myself, hold to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, or Scripture Alone. Any other teaching, tradition, etc. is subject to Scripture, and should be used only to expound upon it. And if you take that view, and apply the principles of Biblical Interpretation I mentioned above, you'll see that it is quite possible to be a literalist and still recognize that the Earth orbits the Sun.

Lies About Lies

Thanks for the Memory to The Llama Butchers.

I commend to you Norm Podhoretz' excellent essay on the lies about WMD's and who's really telling them.

Quote of the Week

"France, and the whole of Europe have a great culture.... I'm afraid that the American culture is a disaster. "

- Monsieur Johnny Depp

A firefighter looks at a fire in a burning car in Gentilly, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Thanks for the Memories to Beautiful Atrocities.

UPDATE:

As a rebuttal, I'd say that picture's worth MORE than a thousand words, but for those who need it spelled out, here ya go.

Thanks for THAT Memory to Gary the Ex-Donk via The Llama Butchers.

Amore

Back when I lived in San Diego, before I met The Feared Redhead, I had a favorite Italian Restaurant, a place called All Italiana in La Mesa. It was my favorite for several reasons. It had great food -- the owner, Davide, learned to cook working at his family's restaurant on the adriatic coast of Italy. It served a Lambrusco I favored (my taste in wine in those days ran WAY over to the sweet side). I knew the owner personally (we had mutual friends, and occasionally got together to play cards). Best of all, it was not very well-known or advertised. There is nothing more pleasurable in a good restaurant dining experience than knowing it's a secret. Eventually, Davide's little restaurant became more to me than just a favorite restaurant. It became a place I took friends to let them in on my little secret, an act of gourmand intimacy.

When Davide needed to update his menu, I cut him a deal -- I would do the graphic work on my computer, if he would let me make a special custom version of his menu, which I used to propose to The Feared Redhead on October 19, 2000. Her menu was different from all the other menus in the restaurant that evening in that it listed my love for her as an entree. The head waitress, Davide's sister, snapped pictures of the proposal, and our meal that night was comp'ed.

One of our favorite dishes at All Italiana was not an entree, it was Davide's tomato basil zuppa. It was delicious. Since then, we've tried many, but none have come close. Until last night. Experimenting (ok, putzing around), I came up with a recipe that, while not quite as magical as Davide's, was darned good:

Almost Davide's Tomato Basil Zuppa

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Bunch fresh basil
1/4 Cup red wine
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Can Trader Joe's Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 Can (15 Oz) Tomato Puree
1/4 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tsp salt
pepper

For garnish: extra virgin olive oil, dried basil, fresh basil leaves, grated Parmesan cheese

Prep: In a blender on puree (low speed), blend whole tomatoes until only very small chunks are left.

in a soup pot, heat 2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic, sautee until onions are transparent. Julienne 4-5 medium or larger fresh basil leaves, add to pot, continue to sautee until the basil is wilted. Deglaze with 1/4 cup red wine. Add the blended whole tomatoes and the can of tomato puree, use the puree can to add 15 oz. of water. stir in 1 tbsp dried basil, 1/4 cup whole milk, 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste. bring slowly to just below a boil, reduce head, stir in 1 tbsp of grated parmesan, simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serving:

Rim soup bowls with extra virgin olive oil, then with dried basil. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf, sprinkle with grated parmesan and chopped fresh basil.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time:15-20 minutes
Serves 4

Raising More Than Spirits

Just got a letter from the family of Jacqui Propst, the little girl I've been encouraging my local Oregon readers to support:

Thanks for the prayers and for the support : ) The pizza fundraiser brought in just over $1000 and although we don't have solid numbers yet, the silent auction and dinner last night raised over $5000. With a few other donations and fundraisers that haven't cleared the fund yet, it looks like we will hit our fundraising goal just before we leave. Thanks so much for your help in getting Jacqui to New York!

I don't know, nor do I NEED to know, how many of my readers gave, or how much. But assuming the answer is more than zero, a big thanks to everyone!

One More Reason to Homeschool

And no, I'm not talking about childhood illnesses.

Thanks for the Memory to The Loft.

In a recent ruling, the 9th US Circuit Court ruled against parental rights. In a case involving material used in a Sex Education class, the court ruled that:

"There is no fundamental right of parents to be the exclusive provider of information regarding sexual matters to their children. … Parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students."

Is that so? Well, then, I guess my child won't be enrolling as a student in a public school. It may take a village to raise a child, but it's going to take a hell of a lot more than that to tell me HOW to raise him.

DeFazio: DeFoe of DeFree Speech

Thanks for the Memory to the Gay Patriot via Darth Apathy.

The U.S. House has defeated a bill that would exempt blogs from McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform.

That means that the law remains as it stands, and blog entries are now considered political contributions, which must be reported under McCain Feingold.

Here's the part that burns me: Guess who voted against it?

Vic has it covered regarding the fact that the Democrats in general were opposed to a bill that would have protected our right to free speech. the part that angers me, but doesn't surprise me, is the presence of one particular name in the Nay column:

Peter DeFazio (S-OR)

Oregon's long-standing socialist weasel, of course, would oppose this. Over the last year I have seen the number of conservative bloggers in Oregon explode. Wouldn want us raising our voices to actually disagree with you, now would we, Pete?

With Enemies Like These, Who Needs Friends?

Thanks for the Memories (and, as always, for their service) to the men at Camp Katrina.

They've written an excellent article on the latest shennanigans by the Democrats in the Senate, and how it relates to the behavior of the left in general.

Anyone who read my blog back during the days leading up to the election will recall that for me, a major theme was the ugliness displayed by many on the left in their opposition to the President and to the GOP. It was my assertion that far beyond their ends no longer justifying their means, that often these people were engaging in means that detracted from their ends.

The Katrina Campers agree.

Go give it a read, it's good stuff, and it's first-hand, too.

Update:

Case in Point.

Thanks for the Memory to Vulture Six.

The Ears Have It

Thanks for all the prayers on Tuesday for The Lad.

Turns out it isn't RSV, he just has an ear infection. Which is unpleasant enough -- he was awake all night Tuesday night, kept both of us up, and I had to miss work yesterday to help care for him.

He's feeling better today, which means I'm back at work, despite the fact that now MY throat and nose are bothering me.

So once again, thanks for the prayers.

Prayer Request

TFR called. She has made a doctor's appointment for The Lad, who has a bad cold. Not usually a big deal, kids get them all the time, but as a preemie he's succeptible to RSV.

Please keep us in your prayers.

I'm a Frayed Knot

Thanks for the Memory to Vulture Six.

It looks like the case against Tom DeLay is unraveling further. The judge presiding over his case is being removed from the case for conflict of interest after it was revealed he's a contributor to political groups like MoveOn.org.

Let's see:

One indictment for an activity that was not illegal at the time it occurred.

A second indictment for "laundering" funds, despite the fact that the funds were raised by the activities in indictment #1, and if the activity wasn't illegal, the money by definition can't be laundered.

A third indictment rejected by the Grand Jury.

And now they've lost their sympathetic judge for a (hopefully) more impartial one.

Ronnie Earle and his allies must be grinding their teeth.

Democrats Take Government Hostage

Senate Meeting Behind Closed Doors.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate prepared to go into closed session Tuesday after Democrats enacted a rare parliamentary rule forcing the shut down of the Senate so senators could speak in a classified session about the lead-up to the war in Iraq.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid demanded the chamber be closed so they could hold a secret session that they say was prompted by "misinformation and disinformation" given by President Bush and his administration prior to entry into the war in Iraq.

Oh, for Pete's Sake! The claims of misinformation regarding the war are highly debated at best, and in some cases clearly debunked.

It is becoming clear that the Democrats are desperate to damage the administration in any way they can, and it's even clearer that their influence in Congress is in full wane. With the resurgence of Conservative influence in stopping the Miers nomination, and with the likelihood that the left will be all but powerless to stop Alito, they're grasping at straws. But here's the part that really burns me:

During a closed session, the chamber is shut to cameras, a security sweep is performed, and then Reid introduces a resolution calling for the launch of "phase two" of the intelligence committee's investigation.

"It is within the power of the majority to close down the closed session. They can do it by majority vote to return to the legislative calendar," Durbin said. "We're serving notice on them at this moment: be prepared for this motion every day until you face the reality. The Senate Intelligence Committee has a responsibility."

In other words, they're going to hold the U.S. Senate hostage until they get what they want. How long does the "security sweep" take? How long does it take to call for and vote on a return to the legislative calendar? How much of EVERY FREAKING DAY is going to be wasted by this childish little tantrum on the part of the Democrats?

Apparently, the Democratic Party is determined to see to it that the ship (of state) goes down with THEM!

UPDATE:

I. Scooped. Ace! (Not that he's much for being the latest breaking news, but hey, you take what you can get)

Groggy Breakfast

It's been a while since I invented a new recipe, and as you can see, my carnivalless stats have suffered for it.

But this weekend, I was inspired. I had made Bananas Foster a few nights earlier, and was in a "Cooking with Rum" mood. TFR had made mention that she hadn't had raisin bread French toast in a while (which is a hint), so I decided to combine the two:

Rum Raisin French Toast

3 large grade AA eggs
1/4 cup rum*
1/2 pint half and half
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon
4-8 slices raisin bread

crack eggs into a wide, shallow bowl (a Corelle 9x9 glass baking crock works perfectly). Beat until light and foamy. Whisk in vanilla, rum, half and half, and cinammon. place raisin bread slices in mixture 2 at a time and turn over once, soaking for approxomately 5-10 seconds a side. Place in a lightly oiled skillet or griddle, cook over medium heat until golden brown, truning over once.

Preferences for serving French toast vary, so go with what you prefer -- syrup, whipped cream, whatever. Personally, I like a little bit of unsalted butter and a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar.

*When cooking with rum, I prefer it to be as dark as possible. My favorite for this is Cruzan Black Strap Naval Tradition, a rum so dark it makes Myers seem like Bacardi Gold -- it tastes, as I've mentioned before, like spiked molasses.

Three Men They Went A-Hunting

Ever since my exhaustion- and elation-addled brain led me to sing "Whisky in the Jar" to The Lad the day he was born, it has become a tradtion that my lullabies for him are folk and drinking songs. I know, not exactly the most elegant of traditions, but he has really taken to them. So far, my repertoire has expanded to include Danny Boy, Finnegan's Wake, The Minstrel Boy, and one other song. It was a song my father taught me as a boy, and he learned it from his father. Doing a Google search, I discovered other variants of it, but this is the version he sang to me:

Three men they went a-hunting, to see what they could find.
They came across a haystack, and that they left behind,
The Englishman says, "It's a haystack",
The Scotsman he says "Nay",
The Irishman says "It's a Schoolhouse with its windows all blown away".

Chorus:
And so they rambled,
They rambled,
They rabled all around.
In and out the town and still they rambled,
They rambled 'till the butchers cut 'em down.

Three men they went a-hunting, to see what they could find.
They came across a steamboat, and that they left behind,
The Englishman says, "It's a steamboat",
The Scotsman he says "Nay",
The Irishman says "It's a locomotive taking a bath in the bay".

Chorus

Three men they went a-hunting, to see what they could find.
They came across a bullfrog, and that they left behind,
The Englishman says, "It's a bullfrog",
The Scotsman he says "Nay",
The Irishman says "It's a canary bird with its feathers all blown away".

Chorus

Three men they went a-hunting, to see what they could find.
They came across a tollgate, and that they left behind,
The Englishman says, "It's a tollgate",
The Irishman he says "Nay",
The Scotsman says "It's the end of the road, so we'll go the other way".

Chorus

Hammer Time

Thanks for the Memory to Vinny, blogging over at Blogfather Rusty's.

Vinny links to an excellent column reminiding us this All Hallow's Eve why we have a German-speaking Frenchman to thank for the freedom to observe Halloween, All Saint's Day, Christmas, Hannukah, or any other non-Muslim holy day we choose.

It was at this time of year, October, in the Year of Our Lord 732, that Charles "The Hammer" Martel defeated a Muslim army at the battle of Tours, in Southern France, thus halting the Islamic invasion of Europe.

The article goes on to expound on the effects this had on the future of European and, by inheritance, American, culture. It's a good read.