Ex-Pope Benedict XVI and Maxwell's Silver Hammer

By Jack Brummet, ATIT Religion Ed.

A most fascinating facet of the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI is hearing stories of the silver hammer, and the destruction of the Papal ring.   And the awesome fact that the deliberations and voting by the Cardinals for the new Pope occur in The Sistine Chapel.  "At the deathbed of the pope the camerlengo takes a silver hammer and lightly taps on the pope's forehead three times, calling him by his Christian name. When there is no reply, he announces to those present that the pope is dead. The camerlengo also removes the Fisherman's Ring from the Pope's finger. At the first meeting of the Sacred College the ring and papal seals are broken." The camerlengo is the chamberlain of the church, who takes over the administration of the RC church in the interregnum between popes.  The expired Pope's staff are immediately shuffled out of office, powerless and out of the loop.

It was only tonight that I put two and two together and realized that this Roman Catholic ritual was [probably] what inspired The Beatles's song "Maxwell's Silver Hammer":

 ---o0o---

Drawing: "it's something in the water"

By Jack Brummet

click to enlarge

 ---o0o---

Drawing: Faces No. 368 - Chester

By Jack Brummet

---o0o---

Image: Abraham Lincoln and the Q-tip

Even a marble giant requires a Q-tip every now and then.

 ---o0o---

Cooking with Jack, No. 3 - Limoncello

By Jack Brummet, Cooking Editor

I first learned about infusions from Paul Bertolli.  Our old friend Jan Newberry was a friend of his (he was the head chef at Chez Panisse for many years), and one night we went for a special dinner at his great restaurant in Oakland.  He served us several infused wines and liqueurs paired with his fantastic food.  I was amazed at the way a handful of leaves, peels, or herbs could transform an alcoholic beverage.  He didn't serve us limoncello, but he lit the fire under me to find out more. . .

Limoncello

15 lemons, well scrubbed (organic preferred)
2 750ml 100 proof vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water


Carefully zest the lemons so there is no white pith on the peel.  place one bottle of vodka in a jar and add the peel as it is zested.

Let sit for at least ten days and, preferably forty days in a cool dark place.

Combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes until thickened. Let it cool for say an hour.

Add to the limoncello mixture along with the other bottle of vodka and allow to rest for another ten to forty days.

Strain and bottle, keeping one in the freezer for use. Your local brewing shop has lots of interesting bottles you can put it into for gifts.

It's great mixed with ice, soda, and bitters. It's fine straight up, and is nice poured over ice cream, a pudding, or even in tea.

A volume recipe (for Christmas gifts)

70  lemons
4 - 1.75 liter jugs of 100 proof vodka (7 liters total)
17 cups sugar and 21 cups water boiled into a simple syrup.

Peel the lemons & soak them in 3.5 liters of 100 proof vodka (2-1.75 L jugs).
10-45 days later, add the syrup & 3.5 more liters vodka (2-1.75 L. jugs)

10-45 days later, filter and bottle.   It should make about 12 bottles or so).

---o0o---

The Tim Eyman follies in Washington State

By Mona Goldwater, Seattle Metro Ed.

Tim Eyman once again proves that he is indisputably a class act. He has made a nice little living stirring up garbage in Washington State.

He's back in the news, having called our new Governor (and my former congressman), Jay Inslee,  “a lying whore” [“GOP: Eyman’s remark to Gov. Inslee uncalled for,” NWFriday, Feb. 22]. Is this the same Tim Eyman who lied to us back in 2002 by saying that he worked for free but he was actually paying himself handsomely from campaign donations?   Back in 2002, Eyman insisted he was doing this all for free.  We later found out he was paying himself with donated money:

In February 2002 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that Eyman paid himself $165,000 from campaign donations, while claiming to be working for free. Eyman initially denied receiving payments, but later admitted wrongdoing.  The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, the state equivalent of the Federal Elections Commission charged Eyman with diverting $233,000 from his initiative campaigns.  Eyman eventually settled with the Washington State Attorney General's office, paying $50,000 and accepting a lifetime ban on involvement in any political committee's financial accounts. Since the settlement, Eyman's co-sponsors and chairmen in his Permanent Offense political committee became more actively involved; Monte Benham of Kennewick became the head of Permanent Offense, though Eyman remained involved politically. [Wikipedia - Tim Eyman]

In 2012, Eyman sponsored 25 initiatives, only one of which--Initiative 1185--made it onto the November general ballot. Approximately 95% of the money to support the initiative is reportedly from "corporate behemoths, such as oil companies, drug companies, liquor companies," or special interest/pressure groups.

Wikipedia takes a look at Eyman's track record:  

Initiative	Year	Purpose	Result
I-200	1998	Prohibit affirmative action in public employment, education and contracting.[2]	Passed by voters with 58%.
I-695	1999	Cut the state motor vehicle excise tax (the yearly car tabs) and required voter approval for all tax increases.[3]	Passed by voters with 56% but declared unconstitutional.
I-722	2000	Cut state and local property taxes, which fund public services.[4]	Passed by voters but declared unconstitutional.
I-745	2000	Required 90% of transportation funding to be spent on road building.[5]	Defeated by voters with 59% opposing it.[6]
I-747	2001	Cut state and local property taxes.[7]	Passed by voters but declared unconstitutional in Superior Court and Supreme Court;[8]
I-776	2002	Cut local motor vehicle excise taxes.[9]	Passed by voters.
I-267	2002	Divert money from the general fund for road building.[10]	Failed to qualify for ballot.
I-807	2003	Require a supermajority vote for all tax increases.[11]	Failed to qualify for ballot.
I-864	2003	Cut property taxes by 25%.[12]	Failed to qualify for ballot.
I-18	2003	Reduce size of King County Council from 13 to 9 members	Passed by voters.
I-892	2004	Legalize slot machines.[13]	Defeated by voters with 62% opposed.[14]
I-900	2004	Give state auditor ability to conduct performance audits.[15]	Passed by voters.
Referendum 65	2006	Repeal ESHB 2661, legalizing discrimination based on sexual orientation.[16]	Failed to qualify for ballot.
I-917	2006	Cap motor vehicle registration charge at $30 a year.[17]	Failed to qualify for ballot.
I-960	2007	Require a 2/3 majority in state Legislature to raise taxes and fees.[18]	Passed by voters. Overridden/Repealed by legislature in 2010. (The legislature may repeal an initiative after two years with a simple majority vote.)
I-985	2008	Attempts to reduce vehicular traffic congestion through the elimination of car-pool lanes and mandatory signal timing across the entire state, among other means.[19]	Defeated by voters with 60% opposed.[20]
I-1033	2009	Applies a inflation and population tied cap to tax revenue.[21]	Defeated by voters with 55% opposed.[22]
I-1053	2010	Reinstates 2/3 Legislature majority requirement set by I-960 (which was overridden in early 2010).[23]	Passed by voters but declared unconstitutional. [24]
I-1125	2011	Restricts toll rate increases and the means by which toll revenue is spent.[25]	Defeated by voters with 53% opposed.[26]
I-1185	2012	Reinstates 2/3 statutory requirement for new or increased fees.[27] ---o0o---	Passed by voters with 64%.[28]

Three paintings by Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower

by Jack Brummet, Studio Arts Ed.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a painter (as we have also recently discovered about former President George W. Bush - click here to see his paintings).

Ike in the studio

---o0o---

Drawing: The Jury

By Jack Brummet

[scratchboard]

 ---o0o---

Faces No. 367 - The latest E-Harmony success story

Drawing by Jack Brummet

 ---o0o---

Faces No. 366 - a 24 second no-lift sketch: I didn't really need that final whiskey

By Jack Brummet

I try these sketches every once in a whiile--the idea is you draw rapidly, and never lift your pen from the paper. . .

---o0o---

Happy birthday Johnny Cash

Happy birthday Johnny Cash. We miss you.

 ---o0o---

Drawing: Scratchboard Monsters

By Jack Brummet

---o0o---

Drawing: Faces No. 365 - Operations Manager

By Jack Brummet

---o0o---

Poem: A touch of evil

By Jack Brummet

Darkness, having been eliminated,

furtively obtrudes again.

Does the wind blow over the earth
or does it blow under heaven?
                 ---o0o---

U.S. and Nepalese regulations on Sasquatch hunts

By Jack Brummet, Unexplained Phenomena Ed.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Everest, and reported seeing large tracks. In 1954, the Daily Mail (UK) funded a sixteen-week “Snowman Expedition” to Everest to look for clues.   The mid-fifties were when the search for the Abominable Snowman a/k/a Bigfoot a/k/a Sasquatch a/k/a Yeti cranked up to a fever pitch.  

Enough Yeti expeditions were launched that the Nepalese and U.S. Governments issued a set of regulations for Bigfoot hunters and researchers.  “Regulations Governing Mountain Climbing Expeditions in Nepal—Relating to Yeti,” was issued from the American Embassy in Kathmandu on November 30, 1959.

From The U.S. National Archives:

click to enlarge

Regulations Governing Mountain Climbing Expeditions in Nepal - Relating to Yeti"; UD-WW, 1454, , Box 252, Accession #64-9-0814, folder 5.1 Political Situation - General, File ended Dec 31, 1959; Records of the Agency for International Development; Record Group 286; National Archives.

---o0o---