Sunday Morning Coming Down

Driving around on Thursday listening to the coverage of Supreme Court rulings on the radio I was struck by something I never thought would have been possible. A wedding cake baker was being sued for refusing to bake a cake for a same sex couple based on religious beliefs.  I'm not sure if it was the two men(or women) on the top of the cake, or the image of the couple giving each other a little bit of cake at the reception that sent the baker around the bend or something much bigger. I'm so jaded these days that I figured that capitalist nature of society these days would view this as a new market and a new opportunity to make a buck.  Listening to one cake baker being so upset about being asked to bake a cake to celebrate a wedding he does not have to attend and getting in a legal situation because of his beliefs is dumbfounding to me. There are other options and other vendors willing to provide this service.  Or at least you would think so....

How to Preserve Friendship Go you must. No guest shall stay in one place for ever Love will be lost if you sit too long at a friend's fire. A Home is a Castle Better a humble house than none. A man is a master at home. A pair of goats and a patched roof are better than begging. Caution Never walk away from home ahead of your axe or sword. You can't feel a battle in your bones or foresee a fight. Sayings of the Vikings.  Scholars are not sure where they were written, possibly Norway, Iceland, or England, but it is generally agreed that they were compiled 700-900AD.

Forty two years in Florida and the Blackhawks have won two Stanley Cups, The Chicago Bulls almost too many championships to count, the White Sox have hit the board in spite of Ozzie and da Bears have a Super Bowl.  In Miami, the Dolphins, Hurricanes, Marlins, and the Heat have all won championships.  Yesterday, Miami had a parade for the Miami Heat to celebrate a win in the NBA Playoffs.  Locally it was a big deal.  Personally, it was the end of great season and I was as much relieved as I was happy that they won. Last night, the Blackhawks in seventeen seconds won a championship and capped off a remarkable season that started with a streak of 24 games without a loss and a team record 11 game winning streak. The Miami Heat won 27 games in a row from February 1until the end of March when they were beaten by the Bulls.  In spite of this streak, the Heat were within five seconds and a desperate three pointer by Ray Allen and a couple of missed fre...

Maybe I'm just becoming a fuddy duddy, but what has happened to traditional summer jobs?

Unitarian Universalists are always trying to figure out the correct way of saying something so that is less offensive or divisive most of the time. Hymns and theological views have had their words changed to meet with concerns about being too Christian, sexist, or discriminatory in the way they are presented.  Most of the time this is for the better and lots of times even realizing that there may be a more politically correct way of expressing yourself keeps you from saying something really stupid or offensive or both. Road rage brings out the worst in my vocabulary and I am fortunate that most of the time I am alone in my car.  Driving in Miami can send almost anyone around the bend into a blue streak and gestures that is understandable and righteous, as long as you realize you might be a crappy driver sometime down the road.  I guess this is a rationalization but it is mine and I will own it as long as I drive. A lawyer acquaintance of my mine is very op...

You would think that a bill that had something for everyone would be able pass through the congress easily. There were subsidies for both agribusiness and small farmers in the bill, but the largest part of the bill was to support the food stamp and nutrition programs.  Generally I like the idea of cheaper food and making sure that farmers continue to farm.  I'm at least two generations away from living off the land The Senate has passed its version of the bill, but the House who thought it had a deal on its bill, watched that deal go up in smoke.  Both sides were supposed to hold their noses while they voted for the bill and then it would go to conference. I did receive food stamps for three months while at ISU in 1970, $28.00 per month.  A room mate applied for them and he qualified not only himself but his room mates as head of the household.  A home visit subsequently corrected the error and in retrospect we probably should repaid the government for ...

For some, I think, basketball is as close to religion as they are going to get.  The game could be something polytheistic with shooting, rebounding, passing, and defending gods and somewhat human like the Greek Gods of old with their own quirks and foibles The Miami Herald headline, Heat Fans, Hoping, Praying. Rosa Guizens will be praying the rosary for the Heat. Other fans will be ginning up their rituals, special foods, gear and jerseys, lucky shrines, faux Birdman tattoo sleeves. I can only imagine the secret private Masonic type rituals the players have.  I haven't seen the powder toss during the playoffs from Lebron James.  He may be saving it for game seven, but it's clear the Heat need to win game six first. I do like pizza out of the oven, consumed at half time with cold Bud Lite Lime.  If the NSA is reading this, they are barking up the wrong tree.  I wish the Heat could find something at the local Botanica to counter Danny Green and his 3 ...