Later, Gator

I'm taking a break.

 

Back in a bit.



Hey Muslim Brotherhood, Who Got the Role of Leading Lady?

Islamic women (Photo credit: See Wah)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday as I watched events unfold in Egypt courtesy of CHCH TV

the camera flashed on a group of protesters. 

They were pro President Morsi/Muslim Brotherhood.

The only thing unusual about it was that a woman stood in the middle

of the crowd of men. 

She was dressed in a black robe, wore a niqab and was veiled.

As far as visual impact went she might as well have been wearing

a Santa Claus suit.

And to further draw your attention she was vigorously jumping up and

down, thrusting her fist in the air and (presumably) shouting.

"What the frick is this?"  I thought.

But by the time what I'd seen registered in my tiny little brain the

camera had moved on.

Now I have seen groups of veiled Muslim women protesters before but

never one woman who stood alone in a crowd of Egyptian men.

Some days I am SO cynical. 

 

Sooooooo cynical.

 

 

It was, in my opinion, a message for western viewers:

Muslim Brotherhood = Democracy and freedom for women.

 

And I wondered which democratic brother drew the short straw

and had to be the woman.

Guess Who

What a great day. 

I got to unmask another blogger!


BWA HA HA!

Have you guessed who it is yet?

Hint:  She came all the way to Niagara from Kingston, Ontario!

That's right!  It was my blogging buddy Martha from Plowing Through Life! 

It is a long way from Kingston so she didn't get down last month to meet with me and Edmonton blogger Debra, (She Who Seeks), and Hamilton blogger Lois, (http://midlifefibres.blogspot.ca/) and we missed her!


Fortunately I was able to meet up with her in Niagara-on-the-Lake today.

We had a great time.

I hope I didn't talk too much, Martha!

 

 

I also got to meet her husband.

 

She has always said he is wonderful and I have to say it is absolutely 100% true!  

 

 

Hope you had a safe trip home, Martha.

 

So pleased you came to Niagara.

 

It was a wonderful visit!

 

:)

 



The Balls of Yahweh; Sunday Thoughts

Birth of a Middle-aged Woman  
The Goddess birthing the new woman. 
Pencil and pencil crayon.  I did this about 20 years ago
when I read, "When God was a Woman."

If you haven't been touched by the re-emergence of the Goddess

you will be.

And the more who are drawn to Her the stronger She gets.

But does the Goddess need a man-god to keep her company?

Does She need surly old testosterone driven Yahweh sniffing

at Her skirts?

I think she does.

 

We need the birthing of the Creatrix and the balls of Yahweh

in equal parts in this post-modern, post-church era if we are to

heal the planet and survive as a species.

The new woman is born spitting pearls, i.e., speaking her mind. 
 

 

 

But it can't happen within any of the existing churches.

 

Christians who think they can keep a foot in both camps

are delusional.

 

Sooner or later The Church will silence them.

Praise The Lord and Pass the Ammo - or Not

Atheist Manifesto (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our atheist soldiers are asking for counselling by other atheists

rather than by Christians according to the national pulse taker,

Rex Murphy (CBC, National Post).

Rex, by the way, finds the idea less than Rapturous.

However one of our local  newspaper columnists, Grant LaFleche,

(St. Catharines Standard), holds the belief that Rex is hellishly wrong.

 He said so in a most entertaining article tonight, (no link available).

And I have to say I agree with Grant.

If an atheist is willing to put his/her life on the line to protect us

he/she deserves to have an atheist counsellor.

Amen!

 

Oops, blush, blush ... I meant

Anyway.

 

Anyway, I've been thinking of adding an atheist blogger to my sidebar.

But the problem is that most atheists I've come across are annoying.

 If Jehovah's Witnesses didn't already have a patent on the door knocking

thing I'm sure atheists would be ringing our doorbells day and night with

'The Only Logical Truth'.

 

My friends, I'm going to be looking for an atheist blogger who will help me

see daily life through his or her eyes but who doesn't judge or proselytize.

Hey! 

 

Maybe I should just write to the Canadian Army.

Emancipation Day

Slavery was officially abolished in the British Empire on August 1, 1833.

 
I was invited to The Griffin House in Ancaster, Ontario, (Hamilton), to help celebrate the life of an amazing man named Eneralis Griffin.

He was born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia and somehow managed to arrive in Canada in 1827 as a free man.  

He was able to read and write AND able to save enough money to buy this house in 1834.

 
 He must have been a very unusual man.

This a view of the back of the house. 
 
It stayed in his family's hands for 150 years and is now a designated Federal Historic Site.

There is a cradle just under the window.

Two children's toys circa 1834.

 I can't tell you how airy and comfortable this little house was.

The plight of Black people in Canada hasn't always been great but this is a happy house and I have a feeling that Eneralis Griffin must have been a happy man living in such a wonderful home.


A strange twist to the story is that when his descendants sold this property to the local conservation authority twenty years ago they didn't know about their black heritage.

It was a large turn out.
 

And it was a beautiful day to celebrate such a momentous event in the struggle for human rights.

How many Arrowroots Had to Die?

Whenever I read a new vegan gluten free

recipe I hear the sound track from The Mission 

in my head.

I mean it all just sounds so untainted, so chaste

and Godly.

 

The recipes appeal to my inner cloistered nun I suppose.

 

 

Anyway.

The only problem is that sometimes I've never

heard of the food I'm supposed to buy and

being basically a lazy, uncurious-about-things-

botanical type person, I substitute.

 

With a varying amount of success.

 

This is one of those recipes where I substituted

and because it turned out anyway I decided to

post.

 (I really, really  hope I never actually meet Laurie Sadowski in person.

I'll have to remind her that vegans are a peace loving people.)

 

 

First the recipe calls for coconut oil.

Coconut oil? 

Isn't that the stuff gross body builders and women with fake

boobs slather on their bodies when they go out in the sun???

Yuckies!

First substitute: Extra virgin olive oil for coconut oil.

 

Then there was the arrowroot flour.

What the heck are arrowroots anyway?

They don't sound very Canadian.

Second substitute: Whole wheat flour

from Saskatchewan  for arrowroot. 

I'm not afraid of glutens (whatever they are).

 

Third substitute: frying pan on the stove for the BBQ.




Laurie Sadowski's Black Bean Burgers

These burgers are great cold but your kids can also heat them up at school. They are perfect without a bun, alongside a little container of mustard or salsa for dipping. The chips are open to possibilities, but the Mexican flavour of the burgers complements the lime flavour perfectly.

2 teaspoons coconut oil, divided
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 can (14 oz) unsalted black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown basmati rice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Heat one teaspoon of oil in a skillet and sauté the pepper and onion together, just until they start to soften. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, use your hands to mash the black beans — it’s the most effective way — then add the peppers and onions. Mix well, then add the remaining ingredients, combining well. Let mixture sit for half an hour or more — this step can be made in advance.

Heat the grill to medium. Use your hands to form patties. Put the patties on the grill and cook for about five minutes until fragrant with grill marks, then turn once, cooking through on the other side. Serve on a bun with your favourite condiments.

 

 

***

 

It made about 6 burgers. 

 

They were great warm with fresh Niagara beans, fancy dancey bread with a funny name and organic butter.  (I support our dairy farmers.

 

 

And I positively stink with the aroma

of the righteous!