Tom Faranda's Folly

I signed "Statement by Catholics against anti-Semitism"

Just hit the link, read the statement and easy to sign it. Thanks to EM for sending this around.

Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism

Read Our Statement of Solidarity and Action

Monday wordle

From Brigid: "How to spot American Tourists while traveling abroad."

Brigid showed me this and asked my opinion of what the  #1 thing on the list might be. I said "Americans are big tippers." Turns out that was way down the list.  It's a huge list - hit the link and work around it. Wearing hawaiian shirts is high on the list, actually #3.

Big Tips Are an American Thing Tipping culture varies from place to place and country to country. In the US, tipping is very popular and almost considered mandatory. And not only that, they are very, very high tippers (over 25% sometimes). In other countries, this is not the norm, to say the least. If you tip at all, it is a much smaller number, and it is not usually considered a requirement for each and every dinner or act of service.

 

 

Sunday wordle

Saturday wordle

YIKES! - "Feminism has left middle-aged women like me single, childless and depressed"

This was published in the Telegraph (UK) but posted on msn.com. Sad. I know a number of "middle aged women" who are single but did not adopt the sort of feminism described by this woman.

In one of those encounters that make life instructive, I met Lady Thatcher at my late father’s house, when I was 13. She had recently become prime minister and after our introduction she began to address me, as Queen Victoria once said of Gladstone, as if I was a public meeting. The gist of her address would have been greeted with hosannas by every feminist of the age; in summation, a woman’s career superseded by far her relations with the opposite sex. (Her own union might as well have been to a cipher as opposed to a husband. Indeed, when the Thatchers dined with us, Denis withdrew to the drawing room with the women.)

At my private school, St Paul’s Girls’ School, we children of Thatcher were similarly educated out of marriage and distaff pursuits. I recall an occasion when Shirley Conran attempted to upbraid us with the words, “Paulinas do not cook, they think.” This is all very well when you are young and aspire to greatness. Shakespeare says, “When beggars die, there are no comets seen; / The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” 

*********************

Feminism made the error of telling us to behave and think like men. This error was a grave one, and women like myself are paying for it, like gamblers in a casino that has been fixed. We are not men, and in living the single life, with its casual encounters, we play for much higher stakes and have more to lose. I wish I had not been taught to throw the dice so high. Even Shakespeare’s princes needed someone to look after them in their old age.

"San Francisco Welcomes Adam Schiff" - by stealing his luggage

Poetic Justice might me the term. From the Wall Street Journal.

Democrat’s campaign journey doesn’t go exactly as planned.

The Babylon Bee has been on a roll lately but the satirical website cannot claim to have invented this story, which appears to involve actual current events from the City by the Bay.

Kevin Fagan reports for the San Francisco Chronicle:

Hello to the city, goodbye to your luggage. That was Senatorial candidate Adam Schiff’s rude introduction to San Francisco’s vexing reputation for car burglaries Thursday when thieves swiped the bags from his car while it sat in a downtown parking garage.

The heist meant the Democratic congressman got stuck at a fancy dinner party in his shirt sleeves and a hiking vest while everyone else sat in suits. Not quite the look the man from Burbank was aiming for as he rose to thank powerhouse attorney Joe Cotchett for his support in his bid to replace the late Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate.

“I guess it’s ‘Welcome to San Francisco,’ ” Cotchett’s press agent Lee Houskeeper, who was at the dinner, remarked dryly.

Mr. Schiff’s congressional website says that he “has been a champion for progressive and practical criminal justice reform” but perhaps he’ll now consider other approaches.

 

Some interesting stuff on Ulysses Grant - who was born 202 years ago today.

UPDATE: I initially posted he died 202 years ago! So I don't know how to count ... Thanks to MR for straightening me out.

https://youtu.be/kg4SROilMAs?si=2ERk-0E3f8hWFTle 

 

 

Friday wordle

Another Negroni spinoff - the Negroni Sbagliato

 

Lighter but maybe more flavor? Maybe...

Although its name loosely translates to “mistaken Negroni,” the Negroni Sbagliato is the correct move when you’re craving a lower-alcohol, spritzy take on the classic. While a traditional Negroni combines equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, this lighter variation swaps the gin for prosecco or another sparkling wine.

Ingredients

• • 1 ounce Campari

  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth

  • 1 ounce prosecco or other sparkling wine

  • Garnish: orange peel

Despite the drink’s name, its inception in 1967 wasn’t really a mistake, according to Stochetto’s son Maurizio, who runs the bar today. A customer ordered a Negroni, and when Stochetto realized he had grabbed a bottle of prosecco instead of gin, he didn’t return it to the back bar. “It occurred to him that the combination made some sense,” recalls the younger Stochetto. “And so he poured the sparkling wine saying, ‘Oh, today, it’s a sunny day, so let’s get something smoother.’ ” 

On the alcohol spectrum, the Negroni Sbagliato sits somewhere in between the Americano—made with soda water instead of gin—and a full-proof Negroni. It’s the perfect drink for aperitivo hour, or any time you want to sip a balanced cocktail that is, in Cooke’s words, “stunning.”

Thursday wordle

St. Mark (my confirmation name) Feast Day today

From Magnificat; the author, Mary Healy, is a noted theologian. nice background on the traditional identity of who Mark was.

Brigid gets her Mohs done

Thanks to our great buddy, Dr. PN who picked up that Brigid had a basal cell  on her face while we were having dinner together the last Wednesday in March. We owe PN and his beautiful wife DN dinner and drinks for quite awhile. Brigid had the surgery done Tuesday about noon and home by 3:15.

Here we are leaving the dermatology offices in Tarrytown. I guess when they do this job on your face, a plastic surgeon also does some work. I told Brigid that one side of her face will look like she's 35, so all pictures should be right profile.

And home in the evening - reading a book about a dog...

No need for a photo, but Wednesday morning her eye was quite bloodshot. The patch comes off Friday.

 

Wednesday wordle

Lucky. Took 90 seconds

My Congressman Mike Lawler rips into the pro Hamas supporters while speaking outside Columbia U.

I agree with Lawler, totally, 100%.

 

Columbia protestors clarify "death to amerika" only after "amerika" pays off their student loans

Amusing. Of course many/most of the demonstrators at Columbia are not students; just the usual woke / leftist protestors against anything except communism and free drugs.

 As pro-Palestine groups continued to gather on campus following the establishment of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, University protestors clarified that they only want "Death to America" after America is done paying their student loans for them. "Death to America… in like, 3 or 4 years when I graduate!" shouted one student protestor. "America truly is the ‘Great Satan' that ravages and oppresses other countries and deserves to be wiped off the face of the earth…as soon as the American taxpayers finish paying off our tuition loans!"

"But as soon as that's done, then, yeah, totally, death to America!"

The mob of angry students occupying the Gaza Solidarity Encampment agreed that this was an entirely reasonable requirement. "America owes us. You, know, for being all evil and horrible and stuff," said an apparently well-educated student at the university. "We demand loan forgiveness from America. Then it can die as soon as that's done."

*************************

At publishing time, the Columbia protestors had also called for the death of Elon Musk, but only after they get a Tesla.

 

Tuesday wordle - another miss

Bummer

Entertaining (for Yank fans): "Best John Sterling Yankee Home Run Calls"

Classic.

 

Monday wordle

2 minutes

Peekskill "Democrat Arrested for Faking Signatures of Dead People on Election Petition" (not humor or satire)

Farcical. How dumb is this guy?

“This morning, the City of Peekskill learned Councilman Rob Scott was charged by the Westchester County District Attorney with filing false documents.” “The City understands that this is a serious charge, and that information is currently developing.”

Democrat and Peekskill Common Council member and Housing Authority Board member Rob Scott, 44, has been arrested and charged with forging signatures of deceased voters on his election petition.

Scott tried to bump up his numbers to secure a spot on the ballot for the Westchester County Board of Legislators, which ultimately backfired.

The Democrat’s attempt to challenge incumbent County Legislator Colin Smith for the Democratic nomination in last year’s primary fell flat on its face when the County Board of Elections invalidated a large large portion of his petition signatures because they were not alive.

Out of the 531 signatures Scott submitted, 217 were deemed fraudulent.

Sunday wordle - took 8 minutes; another close call

Median age for men set to be ordained priests in the U.S. is 31

So 50% of men being ordained are under 31 years old.

Saturday wordle

Took three minutes.

House Speaker Mike Johnson does the right thing

House Approves Long-Stalled Ukraine Aid Over Angry GOP Objections. The $95 billion measure includes funding for Israel and Taiwan, as well as TikTok ban; now heads to Senate

The House passed a $95 billion foreign-aid package Saturday that included long-stalled funding and weapons for Ukraine, after House Speaker Mike Johnson put his political career on the line to push the measure past intense Republican opposition.

Lawmakers approved separate measures for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and another bill that would force the sale of TikTok by its Chinese-controlled owner. The vote on Ukraine—the most contentious of the four—passed 311 to 112 with all Democrats in support and more than half of Republicans opposed with one GOP lawmaker voting present.

The other votes Saturday passed with majorities of both parties. The measure on TikTok and sanctions related to Iran and Russia passed 360-58, and aid for Taiwan passed 385 to 34, with one Democrat voting present. Israel aid was approved 366 to 58, despite objections from some Democrats over how Israel has handled the war in Gaza and a bloc of Republicans opposed to foreign spending.

The measures will be bundled together and sent to the Senate, which will begin consideration of the bill on Tuesday and is expected to quickly approve the measures.

Great baseball discussion: Why the massive increase in MLB pitcher elbow injuries

John Smoltz is in the Hall of Fame - great pitcher. I'm sure he's right.

Friday wordle

Another close call.

Juan Soto. Whew. Yanks better sign him for the long term.

Here he is this evening. That is a LONG homer. He's on a one year $31 million deal. He's 25 and has had an phenomenal first 20 games with the Yankees. $31 million. 25 years old....

 

Friday cocktails - Dirty martini - a clean variation

Not my personal favorite martini variation but I know people who adore them.

The Dirty Martini features gin or vodka, dry vermouth, and olive brine. It's is one of the most popular savory cocktails ever created, and though it may feel like a modern creation, the drink has been a go-to Martini variation for over a hundred years.

As the Dirty Martini has grown in popularity, bartenders have increasingly begun to tailor the drink, improving the it with better technique and higher quality ingredients. That includes fresh vermouth and artisan olive juice.

Most frequently comprised of just gin or vodka and dry vermouth, the classic Martini creates an incredibly versatile and flexible template to experiment with. The classic Dry Martini is the standard bearer, but countless riffs take the drink in new directions, from the 50/50 Martini, which combines equals parts gin and dry vermouth, to the Perfect Martini, which includes both sweet and dry vermouth.

Each of these variations essentially revolves around changing the weight of the cocktail to place the focus on a different aspect of the drink. A Dry Martini favors the spirit, only using a minute amount of vermouth to add nose to the cocktail without softening the gin or vodka excessively. A Wet Martini or 50/50 shifts toward vermouth, creating a more aromatically complex drink with heavier body.

The Dirty Martini uses brine in much the same way we use salt in cooking, to accentuate both the sweet and savory components of vermouth while tamping down any bitterness. As the brine takes on natural oils from the olives, this also allows it to create mouthfeel and body in the Martini, without increasing the total volume of vermouth.

Here are the ingredients but vary the ratios to taste.

Ingredients

• • 2 1/2 ounces gin or vodka

  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth

  • 1/2 ounce olive brine

  • Garnish: 2 to 4 olives

 

Thursday wordle

Hmmm, looks like a close call but at the end FACET was the only option.

"LGBTQ Chappaqua student sues over suspension after off-campus use of anti-gay slurs in rap"

He uses bad language and gets suspended? Schools would be pretty empty if they suspended everyone who uses bad language while singing a rap song. This is so absurd. The school will lose.

A junior at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua has sued the school district over its decision to issue him a three-day suspension for his use of an anti-gay slur in rap music recorded off campus, arguing that the school's sanction violated his First Amendment rights.

The 17-year-old student, who says he is a member of the LGBTQ community, "occasionally freestyles rap lyrics with his friends." He devised the lyrics to his composition at a friend's house one night in 2022.

His freestyle rap contained the words "f***ot" and "twink," which the lawsuit defines as “a gay man who is young, slim, and looks like a boy," citing the Cambridge Dictionary.

After the friend posted their rap on SoundCloud, apparently without the student's knowledge, Horace Greeley received two anonymous complaints. ...

In his lawsuit, the student argues that his use of the slur was ironic and was meant to "reclaim a word that has been used as a slur against him and the LGBTQ community in general."

Further, the tawdry themes in the freestyle rap were "intentionally over-the top parodies of rap music’s obsession with violence, crime, and sexuality."

The lawsuit additionally invokes a new legal precedent granting greater free speech protections to student conduct off-campus. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. that schools have a considerably narrower interest in regulating student speech that occurs off-campus.

There's a bit more if you hit the link.

 

Wednesday wordle

Unlocked vehicle overnight thefts in Croton.

18 incidents two nights ago in Croton. This is from the Croton PD.  First point pretty obvious.

Surge in Thefts from Unlocked Vehicles Reported in Croton-on-Hudson

 

 

Tuesday wordle

"10 Crimes You Can Be Executed For In Texas"

The strong arm of the law works a little differently in the Lone Star State, where asking for mild salsa is grounds for arrest (and for a good whuppin'). Here are ten crimes that you can actually be executed for in the great State of Texas

1. Forgetting The Alamo: Straight to the electric chair.
2. Saying "you all" instead of "y'all": Texans don't take kindly to such commie nonsense.
3. Stopping for gas anywhere other than Buc-ee's: The legal definition in Texas of criminal insanity.
4. Owning a vehicle with no truck bed and no dog in truck bed: Also, if the dog is one of those small, yappy dogs.
5. Driving carefully in the rain: Right to death row.
6. Failing to bow your head when a George Strait song comes on the radio: Show some respect!
7. Saying, "No thanks, I don't feel like tacos tonight": Firing squad, immediately.
8. Forgetting the lyrics to "Deep In The Heart Of Texas": No trial necessary.
9. Refusing to acknowledge the superiority of Whataburger over all other fine-dining establishments: No Michelin chef can compete with a Double Meat Whataburger with cheese!
10. Messing with Texas: You can't say you weren't warned.

There you have it - the law of the land in the greatest state/nation on earth. God bless Texas!

Monday wordle

OMG! This took me 50 minutes to get - took me two sessions. Always tricky with three vowels.

NY Yankees Legend announcer John Sterling has retired

Wow. Not a health reason and effective immediately. He will be honored by the Yankees this Saturday.

 

And here's his sidekick Suzyn Waldman, who lives in Croton.

"Man Sentenced Over Firebombing Of Wisconsin Pro-Life Building"

7 and a half years. Meanwhile nine prolife demonstrators in jail now for walking into two abortion clinics, sitting on the floor and praying the rosary / singing hymns. That's all - no molotov cocktails or even otherwise talking. Their sentence - one year for violating the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act and 10 more years for "Conspiracy to Deny Civil Rights". In the 160 plus page indictment is mentioned that even having a bumper sticker could be construed as part of a conspiracy. I am biased though - my family knows one of the "conspirators" - Joan Andrews Bell - quite well.

Here's the story of the bomb thrower.   

Hridindu Roychowdhury was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on Wednesday after he pled guilty in December 2023 to throwing two Molotov cocktails through the windows of a Wisconsin Family Action building in Madison. The attack came just a week after an early draft of a Supreme Court majority opinion leaked that indicated Roe v. Wade would be struck down. The phrase “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either,” was also graffitied outside the building.

Federal Judge William William Conley, an Obama appointee, who sentenced Roychowdhury, could have given him up to 20 years in prison. Roychowdhury was arrested in Boston as he was attempting to fly out of the country. 

“Roychowdhury’s arson was an act of domestic terrorism,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin. “Domestic terrorism is cowardly and profoundly undemocratic. It is not speech; it is not an exchange of ideas; instead, it is an attempt to harm or frighten one’s fellow citizens, thus driving Americans apart and weakening the fabric of our democratic society.”

 

Sunday wordle

"Video Evidence Shows Several Iranian Cruise Missiles Scored Direct Hits"

This is off a funky website named Zero Hedge which has a fairly large following - not a whacko site.

If interested you have to hit the link to see what they are saying -

However, a few videos are widely circulating which appear to offer proof that at least some of Iran's ballistic missiles found their way to a ground target, contradicting Israel's optimistic narrative of almost "all" drones and missiles intercepted. The videos purport to show several missiles scoring direct hits on two key Israeli military bases in the south of the country: Nevatim Airbase and Ramon Airbase (locations on map above). First, the Nevatim Air Base, which is one of Israel's largest. The below footage appears to show clusters of munitions raining down above the base - possibly decoy bomblets, before several ballistic missiles make impact on the ground.

 

A situation at Farandaville!

Saturday wordle

Incident at Croton-Harmon RR station

No injuries luckily. Thanks to MC for sending me this.

"Father Jumps To Help Son After Fall At Croton-Harmon Station"

The incident happened on Friday, April 12 around 10:30 a.m., when a person fell from the platform at Croton-Harmon Station onto electrified tracks, according to the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department.

After the fall, the person's father immediately jumped to help his son and put himself in harm's way in the process, according to the department. 

Soon after this, first responders arrived and brought the person back up to the platform and to awaiting EMS crews. Both the father and son were taken to a local hospital to be evaluated. 

According to firefighters, quick actions from MTA employees to stop power and rail traffic played an important part in making the rescue a success. 

Friday wordle

                                               

On trusting the government

This was forwarded to me.

White negroni !?

But the ingredients may be just a little off the beaten path for Farandaville!

The three-part Negroni is a classic cocktail dating back to the early 20th century, when it was supposedly invented by the Italian Count Camillo Negroni in Florence, Italy. It’s come a long way since then. Today, the Negroni transcends time and place, having become a ubiquitous fixture at bars and in drinkers’ hearts.

The White Negroni was invented in 2001 by British bartender Wayne Collins at VinExpo, a beverage trade show in Bordeaux, France. He wanted to create a Negroni riff that featured gin but not Campari or sweet vermouth. To replace those two stalwarts, he reached for a couple of French ingredients: Suze, a bittersweet gentian liqueur and Lillet Blanc, a wine-based aperitif. The former plays the role of bittering agent, similar to Campari, while the latter does the work of the vermouth.

Collins’ cocktail was a hit. Bartenders took note, and the White Negroni made its way to bars around the globe, perhaps most notably to Pegu Club in New York, where it earned a spot on the bar’s menu. This placement was a gold star for street cred and helped introduce the cocktail to countless drinkers. The White Negroni then made its way to other notable bars, including PDT, the acclaimed speakeasy, and Dante, which pours an entire roster of Negronis.

Originally mixed with equal parts of each ingredient, just like the classic Negroni, the common recipe today ups the gin and dials back the Suze. The result is a drink that is bitter and bracing, just like you want your Negroni to be. But it’s also light and floral, with a hint of sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces gin

• 1 ounce Lillet blanc

• 1/2 ounce Suze gentian liqueur

• Garnish: lemon twist

Thursday Worlde - another miss!

I'm really losing my touch.

"NFL Refs prep for season by staring at eclipse" (Read it!)

Oh boy!

The officials said they wanted to be in top form when the season begins this fall, which meant staring intently at the harmful, unfiltered solar rays as they bombarded their eyes and caused irreversible damage.

"Don't look away… don't look away," official Don Herman was heard muttering as he doggedly glared at the dangerous solar phenomenon. "If I'm going to perform at my best this coming season, I need to cause as much harm to my vision as possible. Man, this just feels wrong, but that means I'm doing it right. Ouch."

The National Football League, which has maintained a proud tradition of featuring hopelessly blind referees for over a century, expressed approval of the officials' initiative. "This is the offseason, so they could be relaxing," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "Instead, they're putting in the work and showing how committed they are to their jobs by doing everything they can to impair their eyesight. This tells me we're in for another great NFL season in the fall."

The referees said the eclipse provided them with a rare opportunity. "Usually we have to spend the offseason poking ourselves in the eyes and spraying bleach in our faces," Herman said. "The eclipse is much more efficient."

At publishing time, Herman confirmed that the eclipse had done its job by driving on the wrong side of the road on his way home.

Wednesday wordle

Took one minute.

HNM Friday 7PM Memorial service for former Pastor Michael Keane

Sent around by Holy Name office.

Our parish will hold a Memorial Mass for our dear former pastor, Fr. Mike, this Friday, April 12, at 7:00 PM in the main Church. Please open the link below as we are requesting an RSVP to a social gathering in celebration of Fr. Mike's life following the Mass. The link provides you the opportunity to volunteer your assistance for the reception and/or to provide refreshments so it is important that you read it in full.  

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849A5A82EA6F85-48986389event -gathering

We posted about Fr. Mike here. Fr. Michael Keane

 

Tuesday wordle