The Beautiful Flight Paths of Fireflies

The Beautiful Flight Paths of Fireflies | Smithsonian.

Amazing beautiful photos of fireflies. I wish I could see this!

We do get them here but not that many. I’ve never seen any large groups of them. This guy is so lucky to be able to see and do what he does.

Check out the link!

The NSA Speech: Obama Accepts the Logic of Staying Terrorized

The NSA Speech: Obama Accepts the Logic of Staying Terrorized | Laissez-Faire Bookstore.

SSDD. (Same Shit Different Day). That’s about all I can say for Obama and his ‘promise’ to correct the abuses of the NSA (and the rest of the total surveillance state we live in today). 😦

Anyone out there who seriously thinks Obama is really going to fix anything or rein in these people to their Constitutional limits, read this again…

1. The phone metadata still exists.

2. It will be kept, at least in the short-term, by the government until Congress figures out what to do with it. (And don’t think the telecom lobby won’t play a role in that.)

3. It will be searched.

4. Searches will be approved by a court with a record of being friendly to the government, one without a new privacy advocate.

5. National security letters can still be issued by the FBI without a court order.

6. Much of this activity will remain secret.

Can anyone really believe that ‘our’ government needs to keep track of ALL of your (personal) information? That any kind of freedom can survive this kind of all out attack? That society will really be better off if we are forced to live under these conditions? That YOUR life will be better?

That they are doing all of this for your safety, rather than their sense of power and CONTROL?

Does anyone seriously believe that they REALLY need to know about (and store forever) every single phone call you make? every single website you visit? everything you’ve ever said online? every single thing you buy (unless you use cash)? every single place you go? every single detail of your medical history?

I’m sure that last paragraph doesn’t cover the half of it. I’m only mentioning what I KNOW they are presently collecting (and keeping).

We are already in a state SO much worse than George Orwell ever imagined! Maybe we don’t have ‘Big Brother’ watching us through our TV sets yet.

But we DO have ‘our’ government watching us through our computers. We DO have them following every move we make through our cell phones (and soon enough directly through our cars). We DO have them watching everything else through financial tracking and the countless cameras invading every public space.

We have TSA agents to violate our RIGHT to travel freely (along with our dignity) every time we travel. We have a ‘Constitution Free zone” extending 100 MILES from every border (which covers about 65% of the American population)!

We have the PC thought police to harass us anytime someone gets a little upset with something we say.

We have the FDA to fine us or throw us in prison if they object to the food we choose to eat or the medicines we prefer to take.

We even have Obamacare to (eventually) imprison us if we refuse to allow un-elected government bureaucrats to control our most personal decisions. We can no longer choose how to manage our own BODIES! (How is this different from slavery? oh yeah, WE have to pay for our own abuse!)

I keep hoping that one day soon I’ll wake up from this nightmare. Or rather, that the rest of the American people will finally wake up and come to their senses!

That they will realize that there is something horribly WRONG with what has been going on here lately (intensely ramped up since 9-11). That they need to put a stop to it before it actually hurts THEM (instead of just that “other guy who must’ve done something to deserve it”).

Here’s hoping that day comes soon.

Lemon-Raspberry Whipped Cream Pie

I’ve put a few recipes on here before. Things I saw online and thought they were worth sharing. So far, I haven’t personally made or eaten any of those. This is my first recipe post that I actually HAVE made (and eaten) myself. 🙂

I actually do like to cook. When I have the time and I’m not in a rush. I haven’t been able to do much lately. It seems I’m always too busy.

I did have a little time this time home so I decided to make this pie. It’s one of my all time favorite desserts. It’s so fast and easy, and it’s SO good! 🙂

Sweet and creamy, with just the right amount of tangy lemon and raspberries.

It only takes a few minutes to make and it only has a few ingredients. It’s not my original recipe. I got it out of a magazine a long time ago. I think it might have been Womens Day.

Doesn’t this look delicious?

Lemon-Raspberry Whipped Cream Pie

Here’s the recipe I use…

1 tub (12 oz) frozen whipped topping (thawed)

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed)

12 oz fresh raspberries (about 3 cups)

1 6-oz ready to fill graham cracker pie crust

options: 1/4 tsp liquid yellow food color, lemon twist and mint leaves for garnish

1. Spoon 1/2 cup whipped topping into a decorating bag fitted with a star tip. Fold top of bag over and seal with a paper clip or tape. Refrigerate til needed. (I just used a plain old ziplock baggie with a corner cut off. It’ll look fancier if you do use the star tip (or spend more time fiddling with it). I didn’t really feel like bothering with all that. 😉
2. Filling: Put condensed milk, food color (if using), and lemonade in a large bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula til completely blended. Add a large spoonful of whipped topping; stir until well combined. Fold in remaining topping.
3. Set aside about 1 cup berries for garnish; gently fold remaining berries into the filling. Spoon into crust, smooth top, mounding filling slightly in the middle. Cover loosely with foil or a pot (or the plastic top that comes with the pie crust) and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
4. Up to 1 hour before serving: Using topping reserved in bag, pipe a border about 1 inch from edge of filling and a dot in the middle. Garnish, as shown, with reserved berries. Lemon and mint go in the middle (if using).

All that’s easy enough. I never wait to add the garnish. I just put the berries and whipped cream on top as soon as I put it in the pie crust. I think next time I’ll make it even easier (and save a few calories too). Skip the pie crust altogether. I usually have a little extra and put it in any old lidded container. It might not look as pretty, but it tastes just as good. 🙂 

I’m pretty sure it would be just as good with some other ingredients, like trade the raspberries for blueberries? or maybe use limeade instead of lemonade with the berries? I think it would be easy and fun to experiment with this one. I have noticed that it is very forgiving (I have made it a few times without following the recipe exactly).