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Race to power

October 27, 2008 2 Comments Filed Under: Uncategorized

Just back from another fascinating evening at the Astrological Lodge, London.  A talk about Hellenic astrology by a 23 year old American astrological prodigy for the first half. I mentioned to him that I am studying Horary astrology, he declared it “the gateway drug for traditional astrology”. Tertiary progressions explained after half-time tea n’ biscuits. 

Next week, we will be looking at, on the eve of the U.S. elections, the progressed charts of John McCain and Barack Obama. This has been a hard election to call for astrologers, because all of the parties involved have been reluctant to release accurate birth data. Obama’s birth certificate was only obtained a couple of months ago and McCain’s just last week.
In the pub afterwards, contrary to the optimistic predictions of the media and most of my friends, my elegant astrologer pal Bethea and I call the election for McCain. I do not think Obama’s race is the real problem. If Colin Powell were running, he’d walk it. 
But it occurred to me that Oscar-winning black actress/singer Jennifer Hudson’s tragedy, as sad news emerged that her missing nephew is likely dead, alongside the brutal murders of her mother and brother, will not help Obama’s cause, reinforcing stereotypes about black people even when they are affluent and successful. I’m sticking my neck out and saying McCain will win.

Bethea noted, during this credit crunch, that it is now ‘Thatcherism’s ‘ Saturn return, 28 years on. Hard lessons to be learnt. Milton Friedman’s economic lunacy reassessed.

There is debate as to whether Thatcher will get a state funeral (see link), the first civilian since Winston Churchill. I remember watching his funeral on black and white TV. It seemed to last for days. I became obsessed with death for months after that, pestering my parents and anybody else who would listen with questions: “So are you going to die? Am I going to die? Are you sure?”. I found the whole concept extraordinary.
Christopher Hitchins-love this guy.
Bethea noted, during this credit crunch, that it is now ‘Thatcherism’s ‘ Saturn return, 28 years on. Hard lessons to be learnt. Milton Friedman’s economic lunacy reassessed.

There is debate as to whether Thatcher will get a state funeral (see link), the first civilian since Winston Churchill. I remember watching his funeral on black and white TV. It seemed to last for days. I became obsessed with death for months after that, pestering my parents and anybody else who would listen with questions: “So are you going to die? Am I going to die? Are you sure?”. I found the whole concept extraordinary.

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  1. corbin

    October 29, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    McCain ? president ?
    we are all gonna die !

    Reply
  2. marmitelover

    November 9, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    Well I fucked up on this one. But it's one time I'm rather glad that my pessimism didn't win out, although I never thought McCain/Palin is as bad as Bush/Cheney.
    McCain's speech on losing was very touching and he nailed it for me:

    "But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.
    A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.
    America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States."

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

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msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Apple rose blossom tarts with rose jam. Rose Appl Apple rose blossom tarts with rose jam.  Rose Apple Blossom Tarts

Serves 8

Equipment: 
Microwave
Cupcake or muffin tin

I use a red-skinned apple to make these, to get a hint of blush at the edges of the ‘petals’.

Ingredients:
4 Pink Lady or Royal Gala apples, cored, cut into quarters, sliced thinly into half moons
1 lemon, squeezed
1 pack all butter readymade puff pastry 320g, on a roll, cut into 8 strips about 6 cms long
100g of melted butter
1/2 jar of rose jam
1 or 2 tbsp cinnamon or cardamom, ground 
Pinch maldon salt
2 or 3 tbsp icing sugar

Instructions

Prepare a bowl of acidulated water (cold water with lemon juice) to prevent browning.
Core the apples, and cut them in quarters. Slice thinly into half-moons (a mandolin is useful for this). 
Put them into a large bowl of cold water with the lemon.
Microwave the bowl of sliced apples for 5 minutes until soft enough to bend slightly but not cook them.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Roll out the puff pastry. Divide into 8 sections by cutting the roll into quarters then halving each quarter. You will end up with 8 approximately 6cm strips.
Brush the strip with melted butter then paint with a layer of rose jam. You can then dust with either ground cinnamon or cardamom.
Lay the apple slices along the top of the pastry strip, overlapping them. Fold up the bottom half of the pastry strip to make an pleat with the skin side of the apple half moon poking over the top.
Roll up the folded pastry strips until they look like a rose made of apple at the top
Place ‘rose’ side up, in a buttered cupcake tin
Repeat until all are done and bake for 20 -30 minutes.
Using a tea strainer or small sieve, sprinkle with icing sugar.
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