"AND WHY NOT...?"

From an all-biretta blog titled Domus Birettarum.

About the biretta in the picture, blogger Admin says:

...a Spanish Biretta with a tree in the middle of it. This is for a Spanish Philosophy Degree, apparently, thus explaining the need for a large brush on the top and a cascading fringe effect. And why not, we ask ourselves?

Not only do the bloggers blog about birettas, they create made-to-order birettas.

We hope you enjoy the content of this Blog. It is an endeavour of love and for entertainment rather than a deeply serious endeavour. We are merely enthusiasts and creators of clerical headgear, usually the more outlandish and unusual the better.

We also aim to provide our efforts gratis for those who genuinely cannot afford them, at home or abroad. For those who can afford to pay, we can produce bespoke birettas for the price of materials and a suggested (but optional) amount to keep us going.

How kind of them! I wonder if the bloggers create birettas for les femmes d'un certain âge.

DEPRESSED OVER THE BUDGET DEAL...

...taking refuge in my stuff, my collections. I thought I'd share.

Below are "hers" and "his" hats woven of palmetto by Marie Dean, a member of the Houma Indian tribe from Dulac, a small community south of Houma. Grandpère's hat is called a planter's hat. We wear them on special occasions, not for work in the garden.




The large basket with the handle pictured below was made by Sam Harris of the Harris family from split oak strips.

The basket on the left is woven of white oak by ____ Bradley, (the given name is worn off) a Native American Cherokee, and was on display for sale at the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans. The fair was labeled a flop by the vicious local press, but it was actually quite nice. We visited several times and enjoyed ourselves immensely. The folklife area was great fun. The smear by the local newspapers and TV news, which soon spread throughout the country and the world, kept people from visiting the fair, so it ended up being a flop with respect to numbers of visitors and finally went bankrupt.

One benefit of the World's Fair was the revival of the Warehouse District in New Orleans, a mixed residential/commercial neighborhood. Many of the old warehouses, which were in a run-down condition before the fair, were converted into condominiums and offices and were followed by several fine restaurants in the area. I wouldn't mind living there myself.

The covered palmetto basket on the right is also the work of Marie Dean.



Admiring once again the fine workmanship in the hats and baskets, taking the pictures, and writing about them cheered me up quite a bit.

TELL 'EM, ALAN SIMPSON!

Yeah, another anti-depressant video for you. This one is short and sweet, sweet, sweet.

H/T to Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin.

"LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL" - SHIRLEY AND LEE

My antidote for depression over the budget deal. Yeah! Let the good times roll!

I AM SO PROUD OF MY LEGISLATORS AND MY PRESIDENT (NOT!)

From TPM:

About that budget deal...

One of the hardest hit institutions is the Environmental Protection Agency, whose power Republicans have sought to curtail in recent years through a variety of legislative means. The agency will receive $1.6 billion less in funding than current levels, a 16 percent drop....
....

In addition to programs protecting the environment, programs aimed at boosting energy efficiency for power plants and transportation also were major targets.
....

Health care funding was a heavy target for the GOP, who secured just over $1 billion in cuts to programs preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, $600 million cuts to community health care centers, and $78 million to research on health care costs. Funding for health co-ops created under the Democrats' health care law was zeroed out.
....

Nonetheless, spending on education and other social programs made up a large portion of cuts -- Labor, Health, Education and related agencies were slashed by $5.5 billion with 55 programs eliminated.
....

Science research, which President Obama has touted as crucial to American competitiveness, was on the chopping block: National Science Foundation saw a $43 million cut in its research funding from its current levels but a major $444 million cut from the President's initial request.
....

Defense was not cut from current levels, instead increasing by $5 billion. FEMA first responder funding was cut by $786 million. Contributions to the U.N. and international organizations were cut by $377 million.

Read the rest and weep. We see what their priorities are.

Just the other day I received in the mail requests for contributions from President Obama for the kick-off of his 2012 campaign for president and from the Democratic National Committee. Hey, guys, I don't think so.

R.I.P. DEAN EMERITUS DONALD WEBSTER

The Very Rev. Donald Webster served at The Cathedral Church of St Luke in Portland, Maine.

If anybody gets a moment to say a prayer or two for Father Webster I'd appreciate it. St. Luke's has been Welcoming/Affirming for over 40 years, dating back to before there were words for describing the practice.

The first time Victor and I attended Mass at St. Luke's we enjoyed a thought provoking sermon by this curmudgeonly Priest. He shook our hands on the way out, and I was surprised at his reply when I asked if the Parish welcomed gay couples. As was typical of Father Webster it was short and to the point.

"I should hope so!"

We've been at home here ever since.

--Wade

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Donald. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DEFICIT

From Media Matters:

STEVE DOOCY: And the thing about it that was audacious was the fact that he [Sen. Harry Reid] was talking about Planned Parenthood being this great provider where women can get blood pressure checks, and pap smears, and breast --

BRIAN KILMEADE: Which you can get at Walgreens.

DOOCY: --examinations. Exactly right.

Where does Walgreen's do the paps and breast exams? Under the counter? In a back room? Right in the open on the floor of the store?

Who does the exams? The pharmacist? The manager? The clerk at checkout? The person who restocks the shelves?

But wait!

"Neither Walgreens, nor its in-store healthcare clinics, Take Care Clinics, offer pap smears or breast exams," Take Care Clinic spokeswoman Lauren Nestler told Media Matters after being emailed the segment.

The clinics, which are a subsidiary of Walgreens, offer health services like flu vaccines and blood pressure screening at 350 Walgreens stores.

What is your response to these lies?

a) Kill me now.
b) I'm leaving the country
c) I'm deeply depressed
d) Other

H/T to Atrios, who says this:

Nothing that's going on in Washington has anything to do with the deficit. People concerned with the deficit would be concerned with jobs. Also, too, nobody cares about the deficit.

And this:

It appears all the serious people believe the unemployment situation has been solved.

I suspect they're wrong.

And ain't that two mouthsful of truth?

THE LATEST (OR EARLIEST?) ECCLESIASTICAL ATTIRE FOR CARDINALS

What can I say? I asked my expert consultant on ecclesiastical vestments if the objects on either side of the Cardinal Raymond Burke's hat were pom-poms, and he replied that they were "the tassels that hang down the side of a cardinal's hat, apparently sutured into place on top of the hat". There you have it.

Thanks to Lapin for the picture.

UPDATE: The cardinal's hat may be a galero.

THE GAY PASSION OF CHRIST CONTINUES...

3. Jesus Drives Out the Money Changers (from The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision) by Douglas Blanchard

“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” -- Matthew 21:13 (RSV)

Jesus acted up when he saw something wrong. Nothing made him angrier than religious hypocrisy blocking the way to God....

Part 2 and Part 3 of of the Passion of Christ series are now posted at the Jesus in Love Blog. The combination of Doug Blanchard's paintings and Kittredge Cherry's words, along with passages from Scripture is powerful, indeed. The series will run daily throughout the Lenten season. Check it out.

AILEEN - GOOD NEWS! - PLEASE PRAY FOR LOU ANN

From Sally Boyd --- good news

Begin forwarded message:

From her husband, Mike: (Saturday, April 9,2011, 5 p.m.)

Aileen is no longer taking steps forward, she is absolutely sprinting! The trach tube has been reduced in size and she is now able to speak quietly but with relative ease. Other than some large holes in her memory, she very much seems herself: funny, witty, caring, all the wonderful things that make her who she is. One slight hiccup and now we can't transfer back to Rapid until next Thur or Fri. But that's ok.

Pray that Aileen continues to recover and for strength and courage for Aileen, Mike, and all who love her and care for her.

From Ann Fontaine:

also will you pray for my friend and colleague Lou Ann -- her neck fusion operation is not fusing like it is supposed to - pray for fusion.

Thanks