The Magic of the Holidays

Since I was a child, I have always looked forward to Christmas time. It was more than just presents and the arrival of Santa. It was the feeling that happens starting with the holidays. I try to hold on that inexpressible feeling as long as I can. For me, it doesn't end on December the 25th. I don't know that it ever really ends but it does subside a bit as the new year begins to progress especially after all the decorations come down. Still, there is magic in the decorations, and mall Santa and the lights.

From my point of view, the most ridiculous thing you can tell me about is the "war on Christmas," which is something that was entirely fabricated to divide us. Why on earth would a business want to say "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"? I don't suppose that it is because there might be other holiday events. The spirit of this time of year is one of acceptance and caring. It has little - or should have - little to do with whether we say, "Merry Christmas," or "Happy holidays," or  "Happy Hanukkah," or "Happy solstice," or "Happy Boxing Day," or "Happy Kwanzaa," or one of the other 20 plus holidays that occur in December,  some Christian and some not. In all honesty, no matter what has been said to me when I leave a store, no one has ever seemed offended by my wishing them a merry Christmas, and I've never been offended by them wishing me happy holidays.

There was a time that many businesses avoided involving their politics in their business. I know the last thing I want to do is go into a restaurant and hear how wonderful or how evil some politician or political party is. There are, in fact, several businesses that I don't go to because of this. I'm not talking about businesses that take a moral stance but ones that involve themselves in unadulterated politics. And there is a difference between the two. Standing on principles takes courage.

A while ago, I read an editorial. A good editorial is designed to make us think. Unfortunately, too often we confuse the editorials with the news. They aren't. The opinion of this particular editorial was that parents who tell children that there is a Santa Claus are creating a lie that ultimately will harm the child. The writer has missed the point. There is a magic to the holidays that I wish we could hold onto. That magic, that feeling, that is embodied by Saint Nick is the point. It is the gift, that is given to all of us at this time of year, and I don't mean toys. There is a magic in believing in someone who gives us so much just for being good. I believe. So I want to give you that gift or at least remind you of it. I hope your holidays, no matter which one you celebrate, are blessed and your life is filled with a little magic. It's not a lie to believe in the spirit of the holidays. Happy holidays.

Sorry, Cussing Does not Show Intelligence.

I've seen this on posts galore on Facebook and Twitter from friends and famous people. It seems a few news sites posted the results of a study that using swear words is a sign of intelligence. We've been through this before. A study does not mean it's true. A study must be replicated and independently verified. The research was done by Marist College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts which across three studies they did, actually indicated that people who know taboo w
ords may have a stronger vocabulary. Saying this knowledge shows intelligence is a bit of a stretch.

 Intelligence actually had nothing to do with the studies, and the studies also did not discuss using cuss words. What they studied was the relationship between vocabulary and swearing It seems that if someone can produce in one minute more swear words than average which was 9, then that person seemed to also have a larger vocabulary.

In other words, just because someone knows the words, it does not mean they use them. Also if that person only knows the average, s/he probably has an average vocabulary. In fact, it may mean that the vocabulary allows the person to avoid the use of swear words. The study did not study the actual verbal and written use. It looked at just how many taboo words vs. the number of animal words and non-swear words the subject could produce in a minute.

This, however, is something that should be approached with caution. There is a difference between knowledge of taboo words and daily use of the words. Another problem for the research is all three studies were conducted by the same researchers. So, it has not yet been independently verified. The person may be able to cuss with the best of them, s/he doesn't need to.

It is a far leap from vocabulary to intelligence.


https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-swearing-a-sign-of-a-limited-vocabulary/
https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/campuspress.yale.edu/dist/a/1215/files/2016/05/Giordano-rg5y5r.pdf

End the Electoral College

Today, Colorado passed joining of the Popular Vote Act. The idea is for states to eliminate the Electoral College by making the state's electoral votes go to the popular vote winner. In effect, if enough states do this, the Electoral College will be effectively removed from the U.S. Constitution without an amendment. Colorado is not alone in this move. The National Popular Vote bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes.  It has been enacted into law in 12 states possessing 172 electoral votes. It has been introduced in all 50 states and has been passed by at least one chamber in several more states. Colorado's passage will add 9 more votes. This means that after 89 more electoral votes are added, the bill will take effect.

The Electoral College does not exist for the reason that many of you think it does. It was originally intended as an over-ride to the national vote. It was not intended for states to control how the electors voted but for the electors to be able to weigh the outcome of an election. You see, it was created because the Founding Fathers did not trust direct democracy, so they struck up with the idea of a republic. They worried that in a direct democracy a faction could become such a majority and that the rest would fall to what Alexis de Tocqueville referred to as "the tyranny of the majority."

What occurred though was the electoral college became something of a formality instead of protecting the democracy from a majority faction who "sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens.” Alexander Hamilton believed that by having the electoral college “that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications” and that the electoral college would be controlled "by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice” (The Federalist Papers). 

Instead, the Electoral College is governed by political parties, and in 26 states the college does not reflect the popular vote of the state but instead is a winner take all proposition. This occurred because the Constitution does not stipulate how states are to use their electoral votes only that they have them and who cannot be members of the Electoral College. If you accept what was written by Hamilton, Madison and de Tocqueville, then electors were supposed to be what we now call faithless electors. They should be men and women who deliberate the qualifications of the candidate. 

I seem to recall reading this someplace. The Founding Fathers were worried about the understanding of the population at the time. They felt having an elected official voted in by a population who at the time probably had little in the way of understanding of the complexities of governing the original states. Many of the white males who voted were probably more concerned about daily survival than reading about governing needs. It may also be that the Founding Fathers were a bit arrogant in this regard especially since it is believed that by the time the Constitution was written the voting population was near 90 percent in literacy.  Nevertheless, information was probably much more slowly delivered then than it is now and counting all those votes by hand was hard.

Yes, I've seen this cartoon floating around about what would happen if it weren't for the Electoral College protecting us from those evil people in California, Texas and New York. Put aside that the cartoon is satirical in nature and has no real basis in fact. I have as much problem fathoming how these folks are evil because they live in a more populace area as I do thinking that the people in Denver or Boulder are tyrannical because they live in the most populated areas in Colorado. In propaganda terms, this is known as "the other" argument. It is a technique used to divide us. Making someone an enemy because they hold a different viewpoint or live somewhere else is wrong. IT IS WRONG! 

From a certain point of view, either we believe in one person one vote or we don't. As it stands, the Electoral College actually is the opposite of the above cartoon map, especially in the last election. It made the vote of less populated states more important than the vote of those in the more populated.  The case is not whether we suffer from the "tyranny of the majority" but are being abused by the minority. The electoral college has over-ridden the popular vote five times. John Quincy Adams (lost by 45,000) in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes (lost by 250, 000) in 1876, Benjamin Harrison (lost by 90,000) in 1888, George W. Bush (lost by 540,000) in 2000, and Donald J. Trump (lost by 2.87 million) in 2016. 

The Electoral College was never intended as a rubber stamp nor was it intended to be used, abused or manipulated by political parties to over-ride the will of the people and for the majority to fall prey to the tyranny of the minority. It was never intended to protect us from "the others" who are also United States Citizens. Like other limitations placed on direct democracy such as not allowing women to vote, counting humans as 3/5ths of human to keep slaveholders from dominating the House, or having states appoint senators, it is time for this abused constitutional doctrine to be eliminated. 

What's a Little Hoax?

Spreading an untrue hoax is not harmless. It perpetuates the idea that lies do not harm. It allows conspiracy theories to thrive. It allows people to justify supporting someone who constantly lies. Shading the truth is a lie. Look, we all tell lies to protect someone we love or ourselves. We don't really want our auntie to know that her new dress looks like she is wearing part of a circus tent. So, we tell her something to spare her feelings.

But spreading a hoax on a social medium is not the same thing. If you accept one lie and offer it to others as harmless, you make the next one and the next one and on and on easier. This is how propaganda works. It starts with something innocuous and before it is all said and done, you are believing that entire groups of people are evil. Accepting a lie to justify the next leads you and what you may believe to accept that facts are capricious. Suddenly, alternative facts and fake news are acceptable.

Alternative facts are better known as lies, and fake news is both propaganda and a lie. Sadly, we have too many people who accept these terms as shadings of reality. They use these lies to confirm their bias. They accept lies to justify a moral choice. A moral choice using a lie to justify is immoral. If you get something born from this lie, is it not the tainted?

Acceptance of such then is the basis of power. There is then a moral consequence if you fail -- we fail to speak truth to power. Spreading of a simple, seemingly harmless hoax is but a beginning. Check that Facebook hoax before you post. It will just take a moment.  As we start a new time and examine and reflect, ask, "Have I spoke the truth or accepted a lie?"

Grandma's Popcorn Balls

These are, in my opinion, the best popcorn balls on the planet. This is not a kid-friendly activity. Like many of my candy recipes, this one comes from my grandmother, which means it’s from the South. I’ve only run across this recipe one other place and that was in a Christmas book which published mostly classic English Christmas stories and English recipes. What makes these unique is that a part of the recipe of sweet treat uses vinegar.

Ingredients: 2 cups of sugar, ½ cup of water, 4 tablespoons of vinegar, I tablespoon of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 5 quarts (approximate) of unseasoned popcorn, food coloring of your choice.

Instructions: Over low medium heat, put water, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Once the syrup begins to boil, let the syrup heat up without stirring. The syrup will need to reach hard-crack stage (295°F-300° F)

While the syrup is reaching temperature, get the popcorn ready. You will need to put it in a large bowl or if you have it, on one side of a double sink. Line the basin of the sink with parchment paper at the bottom and then foil along the bottom and sides. You will want the popcorn close to cool water so you can keep your hands wet while forming the popcorn balls.

When the syrup reaches hard-crack stage, remove from heat and add vanilla and butter stirring until the butter is dissolved. Add several drops of food coloring to the syrup to color. We usually color it red or green for the season. We did try yellow color once and discovered that for popcorn balls, yellow is not an appealing color.

Making the popcorn balls: My grandmother made these by herself. I have no idea how. It takes both my wife and me to make the balls. Be careful while pouring syrup and stirring. This syrup will blister as soon as it hits skin.

Slowly pour the syrup over the popcorn while stirring it into the popcorn. Be sure you pour evenly as you stir covering the popcorn to the edges. It works best for us to have one person do the slow pour while the other person stirs.  As soon as all the syrup is poured, start balling the popcorn into baseball to softball sized balls. We keep a small stream of water running on the other side of the sink to keep our hands wet and cool as we from the popcorn balls. We wet our hands after every ball.  You can also use the stirring spoon to mix more syrup up from the bottom if needed. You must work very quickly to make the balls. Press the popcorn tight into the ball shape. And place into a bowl or bowls. The popcorn balls will set almost immediately.

Allow to cool and you’ll have a great sweet treat. Surprisingly, if done right, they are not sticky but sweet with a slight buttery and vanilla taste. 

If you don’t want to risk making them into balls, you could probably just let the syrup cool on the popcorn and then break up the popcorn into a bowl of sweet popcorn. 

Enjoy!

      1.      Soft-Ball Stage. 235° F–240° F.

      2.      Firm-Ball Stage. 245° F–250° F.

      3.      Hard-Ball Stage. 250° F–265° F.

      4.      Soft-Crack Stage. 270° F–290° F.

      5.     Hard-Crack Stage. 300° F–310°

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, here’s a link for how to tell hard-crack stage using the water method: https://www.thespruceeats.com/making-candy-without-a-candy-thermometer-520309

Divinity: It Takes Luck

Divinity is a meringue-style candy from the South. It is a Christmas treat that does take a little bit of time to make and is a cantankerous candy since even humidity can affect it. I have made it for many a year, and even though I follow the same recipe it comes out a little different every time. I also discovered that having a good mixer to fluff the egg whites makes divinity much easier to make as will having a decent candy thermometer.

Yes, this really is my Divinity

So, this is the recipe given to me by my grandmother with one little twist that I added which seemed to help.

Ingredients: 2 cups of sugar, ½ cup corn syrup, ½ cup of water, 2 egg whites, 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla, ¾ cup of chopped nuts (I use walnuts or pecans) Optional ¾ cup of candied cherries.

Instructions: In a saucepan mix the following: sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring to a slow boil over low medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Once the syrup begins to boil, do not stir. If you bring the syrup to a boil too quickly, it will burn.

While the syrup reaches temperature, in mixing bowl, whip egg whites until stiff (egg whites will form peaks). Coat a pie pan with butter. I prefer to use a ceramic or Pyrex pie pan. It will make the release easier.

Now for the twist that grandma didn’t tell me, dividing the syrup:

Once the syrup reaches between soft-ball (235° F) and hard-ball (250° F) stage pour approximately ½ of the syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites and continue to mix.

Return the remaining syrup to the stove and continue heating until it reaches soft-crack stage (265-270° F).

Pour the remaining syrup into the mixer. Mix until smooth. Last, add vanilla and the chopped nuts or optional candied cherries (maraschino cherries will cause the divinity to turn pink and may add to drying time).

Let it dry: Pour/scrape the divinity into the pie pan and allow to cool at room temperature. Once the divinity sets usually several hours, you can cut into squares and place on wax paper to dry. To store, put into a sealed container in the fridge separating layers with wax paper. Keeping the divinity sealed and cool will help prevent it from becoming too hard.

You can also put the divinity in mini-baking cups instead of the pie pan.

Something I have not tried is the drop method which I might try next time I make divinity. According to one recipe I found is in the final stage mix the candy until it reaches the point that it can be dropped by the spoonful to create small divinity pieces.

To determine when to do this, the recipe recommends two tests to tell when the divinity is done. “The first test is by just turning off your mixer and lifting the beaters.  If the candy falls back into the bowl in ribbons that immediately merge back into themselves, the divinity is not done and you need to keep beating.  Eventually, the divinity will lose its glossiness and sheen and stop being so sticky, which means it’s ready.

“The second test is even easier, I think, because all you do, if you are having a hard time telling whether the divinity is still glossy in the first test, is to go ahead and stop the mixer, drop a teaspoonful of candy onto wax paper, and check whether the candy will hold its shape.  If it puddles, the divinity isn’t ready, but if it holds a peak and stays in a nice mound, you are good to go.” (https://houseofnasheats.com/old-fashioned-divinity-candy-recipe/)

 If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can use the cold water method. My grandmother and mom used it for years. Here's a link to a site on how to do it. 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/making-candy-without-a-candy-thermometer-520309

      1.      Soft-Ball Stage. 235° F–240° F.

      2.      Firm-Ball Stage. 245° F–250° F.

      3.      Hard-Ball Stage. 250° F–265° F.

      4.      Soft-Crack Stage. 270° F–290° F.

      5.     Hard-Crack Stage. 300° F–310°

Labor Day: Means More than Firing Up the Grill

The first Labor Day Parade was held in lower Manhattan in 1882. The first state to recognize Labor Day as a holiday was Oregon in February 1887. During that same year, the holiday was recognized by four more states: Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.

There is some debate as to whom first proposed the holiday, but it is agreed that it was the result of early leaders of Unions. They were Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and/or Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, NJ. It is not clear who first suggested the celebration.

It was the hard-fought protection of laborers which culminated in a bloody, almost "a revolution" of railroad workers who went on strike in sympathy when the Pullman Car Company cut wages by 25%. Nearly 125,000 railroad workers quit rather than handle Pullman cars. The strike culminated in a violent and deadly end on July 7th, when the National Guard shot into a crowd of 6000, killing as many as 30 people.

A short time later in 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed the Labor Day Law making the first Monday of September a Federal holiday, possibly in hopes of trying to make peace following his ordering of the National Guard into Chicago. The law is just 83 words long and was rushed through Congress following the end of the strike on July 20th.

So just to remind you, Labor Day has not always been the official end of summer vacation or a day just to barbeque on. Labor Day was created through the labor movement to recognize the importance and accomplishments of labor and the American worker.