October 7 Notes:

1. The "NINETY NINE PERCENT movement" has been much in the press recently. it is helpful to consider the first amendment in the US constitution:

“	Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The "99% movement" fits the standard of the 1st amendment. Consider the power of the words "peaceful assembly and petition the Government to redress grievances..." These are our guaranteed liberties as Americans.

If you are interested in keeping track on the movement - visit the official web site: http://occupyparty.org/. The movement is now spreading to other American cities... Whatever your political persuasion - it is important to understand what fellow Americans are saying - these are not a wild group of anarchists - these are fellow Americans making a plea for their government to be responsive.. I urge you to read notes from those participating: Visit the "we are the 99%" website: http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/. ... also of interest: http://www.occupytogether.org/

2. After more than 90 days since the last rain, a loop of the jet stream dipped south and brought us the first rainclouds of the season. The steady light rain that fell through the night gave the air a brilliant freshness!

Rain through an Oakland High School window

Throughout today occasional thunder showers have added more until we have received an inch of rain for the storm. You must live in a dry land to appreciate what an amazing thing the first rain of the fall season is!

By all indications this is another La Nina year – but La Nina ( the little girl) has a record for fickleness – sometimes wet, sometimes dry… so we’ll see what this one brings!

2. This was a memorable week for the family as well – The marriage of our niece, Ari, to Alex Sanders took place in Las Vegas!

Wedding location & Las Vegas Mountains

Of course we were there along with almost all of the other Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and friends…from both sides of the family.

The Flory family and friends

It was a joyous wedding! – an elegant wedding! – a wedding with lots of laughter and sharing! The preparation, the ceremony, the music, the reception speeches – the dinner – and dancing…it was a great pleasure to be there.

The kiss

Ari and Alex will live in New Jersey, where Ari is completing her PhD and Alex works in soft ware development; but we hope to get them back to the West Coast when possible. CAB, Ari's brother, prepared a grand surprise for his sister - A "flash mob" was carefully planned and successfully implemented - a video was sent out well in advance to train all who wanted to participate.

The Wedding party

A special treat for us was having time with our two sons! Peter and his wife Marila came from Portland, and Andrew from Virginia. We had our own side reunion.

3. I was looking at old photos recently and I realized that until quite recently people didn’t smile when they had their photo taken…

Old family photo

When did people start smiling for photos? When did people start saying “Cheese” to make it look like they were smiling. I noticed that during the wedding photos I and others are conditioned to automatically smile – strange phenomenon…

4. I have a new favorite book to recommend to you all – “ The Big Thirst” – The book talks about "water", its science, its origins on earth, the politics of water scarcity, how our concept of free and accessible pure water has changed out health and out lives, the scarcity of water in third world countries. and how we have to adapt our water use in a coming age of water scarcity.

Pacific ocean

Also some specific case studies of cities and regions and how they have dealt with water issues. I continually quote amazing facts to Judy as I read… The book is readable and holds your interest.. I give this book an enthusiastic 5 stars *****!

Melting snow water at the leading edge of an ice field

To learn what others think - read Amazon reviews here:

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Thirst-Secret-Turbulent-Future/dp/1439102074/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317865087&sr=1-1>

5. Those of you that read my blog regularily know my political stand on national issues . I urge you to read the editorial by Robert Reich speaking on the wisdom of rebuilding our national infrastructure at this time. http://www.economonitor.com/blog/2011/09/why-this-is-exactly-the-time-to-rebuild-america’s-infrastructure/

In case you don’t remember Mr. Reich – He served in the administrations of Presidents Ford and Carter and was Secretary of Labor under Clinton from 1993 to 1997. Reich is now a Professor of Public Policy at the at the University of California at Berkeley.

5. And from the Daily Kos: "Did the USDA put salmonella in our meat? No, meat-packing corporations did. And they've got enough lawyer-and-lobbyist power to keep the USDA regulators at bay. Did the EPA dump raw oil into the Gulf of Mexico? No, BP did. They cut corners on safety and no regulator was in a position to stop them. Did the government kill the 29 miners at Upper Big Bend coal mine? No, Massey Energy did, and had enough clout to keep the mine going even after inspectors had found more than 500 safety violations."

And still we have politicians running for office saying they would eliminate government regulations! Our world has become so technical that it is absurd to imagine that each person could assess for his or herself whether a product or practice is safe... And how about large corporate operations that are well beyond the scope of individuals citizens to influence...?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/15/1007145/-One-Word-Turns-the-Tea-Party-Around

If you found something in this blog that you found interestesting or relevant - you can pass it on to a friend by sending them this e mail address: http://johnzlatnik.blogspot.com

Note that it is also possible to add your comments or responses to what I have written... ( or read what others have written). Just click on "comments" at the end of the blog...

Food Memories Growing Up

Taking the dogs out for a walk, I passed under the branches of a walnut tree. As the leaves crunched underfoot, that sweet pungent walnut leaf smell flooded me with nostalgic memories!

As a boy growing up on a farm in north eastern Kansas, fall had its own magic – Collecting black walnuts was an annual function – One of met favorite places to gather them was south of my Uncle Joe’s farm house, down in the pasture, down to a nice stand of walnut trees...

The pasteur below Joe and Cecile's farm - good black walnut trees

A group of family and friends would go down on a warm fall evening to fill bushel baskets with nuts (the stain from the hulls turned my hands brown for days). When the work was done we built a bonfire of fallen branches – when the fire had burned down to hot coals we roasted wieners on sticks and made hot dogs using slices of white bread (they hadn’t invented hot dog buns yet), added yellow mustard and pickle slices and we were set. (Do you remember the smell of slightly burned hot dogs roasted on a stick over an open fire?)

The rolling hills of north eastern Kansas near my childhood home

Black walnuts are wonderfully tasty but oh so much work to get from the shell – the shells must be thoroughly cracked with a hammer – then a special picking tool with a narrow sharp point is needed to work out the sweet nutmeat inside. They have way more flavor than English Walnuts and are wonderful for baking - but this is a tedious job for snowy winter nights.

"Town" Delia Kansas - was walking distance from my childhood farm

Fall was also the season for laying in a good supply of apples and pears each year. Kansas apples area crisp and juicy, tart, and they last until well past Christmas. Sometimes we bought them from George Hejtmanek’s farm a few miles east of Delia. In the early years the Hejtmanek family had been a great help to the Zlatniks when they first arrived from Europe and the families had been good friends ever since. I remember George as quite an old man, but he and his wife were friendly and kind. I especially remember his pears!

Kansas sky at sunset

In the early years it seems like gathering and processing food for winter occupied much of the summer and fall season. By the start of October, my mother had processed enough quart jars of green beans, tomatoes, spinach, beets, rhubarb, strawberries, peas, sweet corn, applesauce, plums, and asparagus....to last the winter. Each one had to be picked and processed as our garden provided it...

My Cousin Laverne's garden - the bean patch

Frequently on summer days I saw her preparing great mounds of vegetables with vats of hot steaming water and large pressure cookers hissing clouds of steam. She would often say “This will taste oh so good when the snow flies!”

The snow flying

By the end of fall, all of these jars were lined up on wooden shelves down in the cellar under the house.

Delia Country Road

We were quite self sufficient for much of our food – we had chickens that provided meat and eggs, we had Bossy the cow (a soft brown Guernsey cow) who gave us more milk, butter, and butter milk than we could use. Once a week my mother made fresh cottage cheese from the extra milk.

There was a small grocery store in Delia - Weiner's - where everyone went to buy basic foods - and we bought some things from them too. I loved going into Weiners - it always smelled good inside the old building with its variety of food stuffs. It was also kind of a general store with a variety of non food items and clothing too.

My Uncle Joe and Aunt Cecile's home

Of course we had a potato patch and grew, dug, and stored the potatoes down in the cellar too. We ate the potatoes as "new" potatoes, and later as boiled, mashed, baked, and fried! Onions were an important crop as well. Our extensive vegetable garden required no irrigation - other than the regular rainfall. We had plentiful strawberries, black berries, and fruit trees. Did you know that on a still summer night when there was no breeze you can hear corn growing? The corn stock continues to elongate even after the sun sets…and this makes a rustling sound of the leaves.

Young Kansas Corn

Once a week our house became fragrant with the richness of fresh baked loves of white bread and for special occasions white rolls ( recipe posted at end of blog ) . My mother was a great baker! This bread was truly a staff of life. No meal was without its bread! In those days there was always unlimited butter available as well...

My father, Anton, with a swarm of bees (about to be placed in hive)

Then there was the making of marmalade and jam, canned grape juice, and apple butter… The smells alone were intoxicating! The jam always resulted in a little foam that had to be carefully removed before covering with hot paraffin wax to preserve them. For days after jam making we had “froth” with our butter and bread …

The Kansa tall grassland near our home

The large crocks of sauerkraut required shredding the cabbage - pounding it into the crocks, adding salt, and then sealing they up to ferment. If you know the smell of making sauerkraut you will never forget it! Ultimately the sauerkraut too would be canned and preserved.

We did not do it often - but I remember the slaughter of a pig and the huge amounts of meat to process, liver sausage, lard, cooked organs… It was a time of feasting!

My mother, later in life, with my sister Helen

Winter salads were usually cabbage or carrots ( book of which could be stored for long time ) ...or pickled beets or other canned items.

Most every meal included a sweet desert – usually a pudding, canned fruit, fruit jello, sweet bread with spices and nuts, or perhaps fresh cooked sauce made from apples or rhubarb.

Also most every Saturday my Mother made a special cake to have on hand just in case visitors came to call. (it was common to go visiting on Sunday afternoon).

February in Kansas

All this cooking my mother did over a cast iron stove that burned large corn cobs for fuel. We had a grain elevator down the road from us and they had an unlimited supply of the cobs available – they burned hot and clean … and one of my chores as a small boy was to bring in bushel baskets of cobs from the cob shed so that they were available for cooking and heating…Water had to be hauled by the bucket full from the pump that stood some distance out from the house.

And to think that walking the dogs under a walnut tree triggered all these memories and associations…

-----

Have you been introduced to Jim Hightower?http://www.jimhightower.com/

He is a populist news commentator from Texas that posts a short daily commentary on the world and events in Washington... Here is a sample:

The privileged v. the poor

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 | Posted by Jim Hightower

At last, Republicans in Washington have recognized that class war is ravaging poor and middle-class families all across our land.

Oh, wait – my mistake. GOP Congress critters are not expressing outrage at the plight of those folks, but at the plight of corporate chieftains and Wall Street barons. Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and other top Repubs have gotten up on their hind legs to screech "class war" at Barack Obama. That dastardly Democrat offended the fragile sensibilities of privileged plutocrats at the uppermost tip of our economy by suggesting they should pay a bit more in taxes. So Republican leaders grabbed pitchforks and torches to save the billionaires from Obama's reckless tax talk.

Does being a top Republican official require you to be both stupid and ridiculous?

In the same week that McConnell, Boehner & Company rallied 'round the rich elite, sobering reality about America's true class war was published by the Census Bureau. The 2007 economic crash, caused by Wall Street greed and exacerbated ever since by corporate-induced joblessness, has knocked down the typical household's income, tossed nine million more of our people into poverty, and rapidly made the poor much poorer. More than 46 million Americans now live in poverty – 20 million of them in deep poverty – with some of the sharpest increases coming in suburbs. Young families with children have been especially hard hit – 37 percent of them dwell in poverty, the highest rate on record.

Meanwhile, to protect the super-wealthy from any tax hike at all or any cut in the subsidies they get for things like vacation homes and yachts, Republican leaders are demanding cuts in food stamps, head start, job training, and other essential tools for getting out of poverty. This is not merely stupid and ridiculous – it's shameful.

"Poor Are Still Getting Poorer, but Downturn's Punch Varies, Census Data Show," The New York Times, September 15, 2011.

"Poor Young Families Soared in '10, Data Show," The New York Times, September 20, 2011.

"The Impoverished States of America," The New York Times, September 18, 2011.

"Income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States: 2007," www.census.gov, August 2008.

-----

ZLATNIK YEAST ROLLS

2 and 1/2 cups milk

8 T butter

4 T sugar

1 t salt

2 T dry yeast

2 Eggs

7 Cups flour

Combine: Butter, sugar, salt, milk, dry yeast

add beaten eggs

Stir to mix

Add to flour

Mix well

Knead until smooth and elastic

Let rise double

Oil baking pans

Form into 48 rolls, ( rolls should be about 4 times longer than wide )

Allow to double in bulk

Bake at 380 degrees for about 20-30 min.

until golden brown on top and bottom

Best to serve soon after baking...

"What kind of a nation are we becoming…"?

“…We are on the path toward becoming the Sparta of the 21^st century, armed to the teeth and without the capacity to care for our own people.”

( Dennis Kucinich )

-----

The 9/17/11 issue of the Daily Kos included a feature editorial by Joan McCarter. The full article relates to a recent piece by Ian Millhiser (Center for American Progress: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/09/tea_party_constitution.html

" While the House of Representatives pushes Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) plan to phase out Medicare, numerous members of Congress, a least one Supreme Court justice, and the governor of America’s second-largest state now proudly declare that most of the progress of the last century violates the Constitution.

It is difficult to count how many essential laws would simply cease to exist if the Tea Party won its battle to reshape our founding document, but a short list includes:

Small business in California - Sunol CA

1. Social Security and Medicare

2. Medicaid, children's health insurance, and other health care programs

Street graffiti Oakland California - Death figure

3. All federal education programs

4. All federal antipoverty programs

High unemployment, low income, diminished hope for the future... N.Calif. city street

5. Federal disaster relief

6. Federal food safety inspections and other food safety programs

Development of Alternative Power is dependent on Federal support - Altamont Pass, N. California

7. Child labor laws, the minimum wage, overtime, and other labor protections

8. Federal civil rights laws

9. Many state lawmakers even embrace a discredited constitutional doctrine that threatens the union itself.

It's a radical agenda, and just a glimpse into why the tea party continues to plummet in polling.

Protection of our wilderness areas is dependent on Federal government oversight, Red Rock Canyon Nevada

But what's important to recognize when looking at this extremist movement is that it's not really just the tea party we're talking about—it's the Republican party. Sure, not every Republican is going to talk about Social Security and Medicare as unconstitutional programs, but they are just as committed to seeing those programs end as any "crazy" in a tricorn hat.

Much of the US infrastructure was constructed in the 1940s and 1950's with Federal subsidies - but now we need repairs and maintenance - Federal spending is required - Railroad and auto bridge, Portland Oregon

"Establishment" Republicans can't be let off the hook for their own extremism by applying the label "tea party" to other Republicans, when the only distinction between the two groups is that the tea party faction is willing to say the crazy stuff Republicans believe out loud.”

-----

It is a puzzle to me how the tea party folks (and many Republicans) think these changes would make for a stronger, better America.

The wealthy would gain a great deal – The large financial and business interests dream of a world without controls and restrictions, removal of worker protection laws, and greatly reduced corporate taxes.. it would be a return to the economy at the times of Charles Dickens –

Homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk in San Francisco -

where those without, starved or died for lack of medical care… Quality education would be for the elite and the poor could do without. A vast pool of hungry workers would struggle to accept any wage.

Unions and the middle class would diminish to the point of vanishing.

Pawnshop in East Oakland, CA

Another of my difficulties in understanding the Tea Bag movement (and the Republican position) Is why they are so resistant to raising taxes – (our founding fathers certainly recognized the need for taxes to pay for a well run government. ) Most people that I speak with would willingly pay more taxes to support a government "of the people - by the people - and for the people". What do we gain by becoming a self impoverished nation? Nothing but benefits for the wealthy few...

Federal stimulus money at work in construction of a public hospital: Benefits? Construction jobs, Workers in the hospital, More accessible health care = Better productivity // Oakland CA

What the conservatives do not know or don’t want to tell us is that, higher taxes cause businesses to re-invest most of their profits into the corporation. US Congressman Flemming last week was complaining that he only had four hundred thousand dollars left over after using two hundred thousand to feed his family. If he buys another building to expand his business, or buys a new stove for his restaurant, that 400k is no longer taxable!

His reinvestment, creates more jobs. It directly creates construction jobs, or jobs for the people that make stoves, etc.

Restaurants are dependent on customers, Customers are dependent on having an income, An income is dependent on having a job - Making Pizza - Mission District San Francisco

What conservatives never tell you is the only reason a business hires a person to make sandwiches or to work in a UPS store is if there are customers. If there aren’t any customers, he doesn’t hire, and if his business realizes a drop in customers he may even get rid of some of his employees.

America the beautiful - lets keep it that way - Put Americans back to work! - Point Reyes CA

So my friends... it is time to get off the side lines - Please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/jobsact#overview.

The "job's bill" is essential at this time in our history - the majority of American people support it. Contact your congressional leaders. contribute money, it's time to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk" if we want to help get our national "mojo" back... Please don't put it off...

-----

"Must Read Editorial" of the Week: http://www.pissedonpolitics.com/?p=4108

----If you agree with the need to get America back to work by supporting President Obama's jobs bill please forward my blog to others... Cut and paste this address and send this blog to others: http://johnzlatnik.blogspot.com/

Notes from Mid September

1. Next week is the time of equinox ( Sept. 23 ) –the sun will appear directly overhead the equator for one day - and we in out northern latitude see it rise in the true East and set in the true West. Sunrise will be, for that day, 6AM and sunset 6PM (adjusting for daylight savings). Ancient people the world over recognized it as a auspicious day - often making it a special ritual day…

First Light

For us in Northern California seasonal changes are subtle – With the light coming later each day, and night comes a bit more quickly … there is noticeably less warmth in our mornings – At dawn today, our hills were wreathed in clouds hanging at 1000 ft. But by midday the sun was back in full glory.

Morning over Quarry Lakes

And it is dry – so dry – 88 days since any rain– The soil turns to powder when I dig . But this is the normal way of things. Life here has adapted over eons of time– Natural selection has equipped some plants with deep tap roots, other plants have thick resinous sap that can attract a bit of moisture from dry soil (enough to stay alive). But most plants simply dry up and hang on to the next generation in the form of their seeds.

Garin Park -Late summer

A nice little shower will not be enough to stimulate germination in most seeds. For that we need a good soaking rain – and even then each plant variety has its own requirements.

With fall the permanent summer high pressure system that sits off the N. California shore will dissipate – and this will open up California for the parade of storms that come to us when Cold Alaska air sweeps in and encounters moist Tropical air sweeping up from the Southwest Pacific…

Quarry Lakes - "Walking the dogs" view

So the shifting sun, the changing light, the reduced heat - all of these will eventually contribute to the return of our rain!

It no longer feels like summer - In the last hours before darkness I walked the dogs. The air was cool. A flock of geese flew over my head - so close I could hear the wind "swish" in their feathers. There is great beauty in the dryness - the golden fields of wild oats on the hill sides. Even now some plants are blooming and forming seeds...

2. Have you ever seen an old Charley Chaplain movie where someone steps on a rake and it flies up and whacks him in the head? The audience always loves it! Everyone has a good laugh…

Charlie Chaplain -Google Images

I want to tell you there is nothing funny about getting whacked in the head – I was putting away my garden tools – and dummy me I stepped wrong on a garden tool and wham – I got it!. I had a prize winning marble shaped “owwie” form immediately an inch outside my eye.

(Are you up-to-date on your first aid? http://firstaid.about.com/c/ec/9.htmI )

After it stopped bleeding (head wounds really bleed!) I visited the Kaiser drop-in clinic to see in I needed stitches – they glued me back together with something like superglue. Then I went looking for my glasses in the tool shed where it happened (where they fell when I got the bump) – the ear pieces had gotten really tweaked and so today I had to take them in for repairs.

While the woman fixed my glasses I told her the story of being in the Maasai village last summer. We were examining livestock – mostly camels and goats.

"Don't eat my hat!" -North Central Tanzania

Afterward the village cooked a young goat for us over a brush fire and the people gathered –clapping, singing, and started their famous jumping games – they jump straight up in the air – the higher the better… and of course they drug me over to join in – so here I was jumping up and down along with the others –

Maasai jumping

I was on my way up when this Maasai guy next to me was coming down – he brushed off by glasses and landed right on them. (He was of course very concerned.) Here I was in the middle of nowhere with my best glasses broken – One of the village people said “ Oh that’s no trouble – we can fix that – so we went over to a nearby hut and a woman came out and we explained the problem –

Maasai village hut entrance

she entered her hut and returned with some very fine steel wire and sharp needle nose pliers used for making elaborate jewelry – Sure enough she very dexterously wired my glasses back together – ‘Good as new” – and the lenses weren’t even scratched.

Maasai men

By this time my Kaiser technician was finished with my glasses – fully functional – all with a few adjustment with her pliers. Why is it every time I try to adjust my own glasses I make matters worse – but Maasai women and Kaiser technicians just need good pliers?

US Capital - Washington DC

3. I want to direct your attention to an open letter published by the The Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance that examines the responses of Texas under Rick Perry in light of the requirements stated in the Bible: http://dacpa.blogspot.com/p/open-letter-to-gov-rick-perry-august-6.html

Supreme Court - Washington DC