President's Day Post Rerun

             

  [THIS IS A REPEAT OF A POST I WROTE BACK IN APRIL. YOU MAY ALSO RECOGNIZE THE PHOTO FROM LAST JULY. THESE ARE NOT LEFTOVERS. THEY ARE ENCORE PRESENTATIONS ....]




Ok, so maybe not everyone is a fan of President Obama, but I feel someone's gotta come to his defense.

The guy's been in office little more than two years, and what a mountain of (let's just say) issues he's had to tackle! 

He inherits a global financial crisis that plunged the country into its worst economic recession ever, with effects that kept on rippling:

A banking crisis that threatened to bankrupt the middle class

Housing foreclosures at a never-seen-before high

Surge in unemployment.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

 The largest oil spill in history

 Spreading rebellions in the Arab world

Catastrophic natural disasters in Haiti and Japan.


... Have I overlooked anything?


...  Meanwhile, he has to deal with the 9/11 defendants at Gitmo, make good on a campaign promise of universal health care, overhaul immigration policy, parry with China, and somehow formulate an energy policy that will keep taxpayers happy.


All of the above is in addition to the usual political cycle of budgets, foreign visits (gotta go accept that Nobel Peace Prize), appointing Supreme Court justices, campaigning, fundraisers, speeches after shooting massacres ....

Did I mention a re-election campaign?

Global warming?


All in two years!


He's been insulted on live Tv by a member of Congress, and needed stitches on his mouth after being  elbowed during a basketball game with staff (flagrant foul, IMO).

Furthermore, no other president has had to deal with lingering questions regarding his citizenship, and whether or not he is really a Christian.


Like, give the guy a break!


Whether or not you're a supporter of President Obama, you gotta admit his term so far has been dealing with some serious events and problems. The poor guy's more beleaguered than a youth athletic association  .... Yet he's been undeniably productive as chief executive of a country with 310 million inhabitants. Plus, the guy has a family with young daughters and a dog .... I manage a household of five and can barely drag myself to the grocery store.  I don't know how he accomplishes all he does, and I gotta give him a lotta credit for working so hard and so long. I doubt he gets to spend anywhere near as much time on Facebook as I do.



It's too late for this year, but starting in 2012 I'd like to see Presidents' Day transformed into Give The President A Break Day. It could be a moratorium on criticizing whoever's the current president. Just for a day. One day. Twenty-four hours. Rush Limbaugh and Bill O 'Reilly could have music if they couldn't trust themselves on the air, like the national anthem sung by Christina Aguilera .... Maybe FLOTUS can send the president an edible arrangement, and everyone in the room gets to say something nice about him. I guarantee he will return to solving the Crisis of the Month with a much lighter heart.


Give The President A Break Day. Now, I could have managed that with George W. Bush for a day. One day. Twenty-four hours. So you can too, Glenn, Sarah, Michele, Donald, Mitt, Mike, John and Newt, et al. You have 10 months to plan what you are NOT going to say about President Obama next February 20.

So get on it!


... And also on that day I think it would be really great if the president's Secret Service team would all dress like gangsta types or hip hop posses.  ... Or that could be for Halloween; it really doesn't matter when it is, but it'd be wicked cool ....







Pass it along, and remember, It's all (c)opyrighted(c)2012(c)

Ready for St. Valentine's Day?

No plants were harmed during the photographic process for this blog post.

Here's some 411 on St. V. to impress your beloved in case you forget the flowers and candy etc. .... By the way, I like to call him by his Saint title, since no doubt he earned it .... 

Historians and theologians have differing opinions about the identity of St. Valentine. According to catholic.org and Wikipedia, he might have been a Christian martyred in the time of Claudius II. He might have been a priest jailed and later executed for marrying Christian couples. He may be a composite of many worthy Christians or priests -- valens is Latin for worthy, strong and powerful, an inscription found on more than one Roman tomb.

February 14 may mark the day of St. Valentine's execution. Or, it may be the date chosen by Pope Gelasius in 496 to commemorate his martyrdom. I think he is the patron saint of florists .....

BTW,  chocolate -- the darker the better -- is a good choice on Feb. 14 since its flavonols simulate the feelings of love. Or pleasure. New research indicates dark chocolate also improves blood flow which could be important later on.

Remember those little red cinnamon hearts? Turns out, cinnamon is as good an aphrodisiac as any, so stock up on those little suckers, or else bake an apple pie or rolls, buns or toast.

Come to think of it, cooking anything at all for your significant other is likely to score points. I hate going to restaurants on St. Valentine's Day because they are so crowded I feel like I'm in a meal factory. If I wanted that vibe I'd stay at home, which I do, but at least it's cheaper and I don't feel guilty later about sneaking out with the table flowers.

Red being the color of passion you should wear red underwear on St. Valentine's Day. I believe that's also because St. Valentine wore red underwear ....

You can include some Catmint (Nepeta grandiflora) in your  floral arrangement. It has a cinnamon aroma to it, as do certain varieties of geraniums (not that I would recommend giving geraniums to someone on Feb. 14). Also for good measure, according to about.flowers.com, there are varieties of cosmos, daisies, and of course the chocolate plant, among others, which have a chocolate aroma.

Come to think of it, St. Valentine may be the patron saint of chocolate ....

You can also wear a spicy fragrance, or light an apple-pie-smelling candle or whatever. But don't overdo any of this. You don't want to appear desperate ....

After dinner, proceed to massaging your partner's hands with some lotion, ideally one that smells like cinnamon or chocolate. Afterwards, see if your partner will do the same for you, since if you're like me you need a hand massage after giving one .....

So to review, be prepared with a minimum of dark chocolates. Kick the kids and the dog out and cook a nice meal that includes a cinnamon dessert and a chocolate one like mousse or ganache for good measure. Wear red and a spicy fragrance or light a cinnamon candle or light bulb or whatever. Or chocolate-scented, for good measure.

Finally, tell your partner how much you love them and how much they have enriched your life. Kind of like chocolate.

The rest is up to you .....



Happy St. Valentine's Day!










Pass it on and remember, It's all (c)opyrighted(c)2012(c)(c)