Locator: 48464ASHWEDNESDAY.
Tag: Department of Education
Six weeks to Easter Sunday. Easter:
- first Sunday after first full moon after spring equinox
- spring equinox, 2025: March 20;
- full moon occurs on that very day, March 20, 2025;
- so we need to wait for next full moon: April 14, 2025;
- the first Sunday after that full moon: April 20, 2025
- late Easter this year
Deep in Texas: absolutely loving the first month of Trump's presidency. Link here. For the archives.
Department of Education: executive order coming -- front page, The WSJ --
And Barack Obama called himself audacious.
Net zero and banking: link here. You have no idea how much I hate articles like this. One more reason to be happy Trump is in office. He gave the banks "top cover" to exit the net zero scam. Grist, wiki.
********************************
The Book Page
Asimov: it may be time to re-read the wiki entry for Isaac Asimov.
- an exact contemporary of my dad, born 1920 - died 1992;
- born in Russia; arrived US, 1923
- professor of biochemistry at Boston University
- American writer:
During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke.
A prolific writer, he wrote or edited more than 500 books. He also wrote an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards.
Best known for his hard science fiction, Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as popular science and other non-fiction.
Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation series, the first three books of which won the one-time Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series" in 1966.
His other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series. The Galactic Empire novels are set in the much earlier history of the same fictional universe as the Foundation series. Later, with Foundation and Earth (1986), he linked this distant future to the Robot series, creating a unified "future history" for his works.
He also wrote more than 380 short stories, including the social science fiction novelette "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted the best short science fiction story of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America.
Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.
Wow, this simply makes my day. Almost half the price that Amazon was charging -- and it's a hardcover. Amazing. I am absolutely thrilled.
Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Works of Shakespeare, Isaac Asimov, c. 1970; this Random House hardcover edition, c. 1993. Bought today, at Powell's Books, Portland, Oregon.
An example, from page 17, the beginning of chapter 2, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I've often thought about this but have not seen it expressed until now:
The title of this play sets its tone. "Midsummer" refers to the summer solstice, when the noonday sun reaches teh most elevated point in teh heavens. By our present calendar, this is June 21. (To be sure this is only the beginning of summer by modern convention and be temperature considerations.
Yes, it is interesting, "we" consider summer June, July, and August, and arrange our life as such -- "summer" means "summer vacation" from school and "summer" means "summer vacations" in general, even for those whom school is not relevant in their calendar-planning activities.
If there were but two seasons, winter and summer, summer would extend from March 20th to September 20th, and June 21st, the summer solstice, and yes, indeed, Shakespeare, again had it correct: June 21st is "midsummer."
Without question, if I were so lucky as to be able to teach a "Shakespeare" course to high school students or to first year, perhaps "remedial English," students, I would consider using this book as one of the primary texts. It would be too expensive for most of the students to afford, so I would find a way to get them the necessary texts without spending much money.
For non-students, this would be an incredibly good "beach book" except for the fact that it is way too heavy, thick. It does come in two volumes.
**************************
The Recipe Page
Steak au Poivre (peppercorn or ground black pepper).
Tag: oil oil poached potatoes creamy peppercorn sauce
This recipe calls for a rather extravagant amount of olive oil for
poaching the potatoes, but it won’t go to waste. Once you’ve removed the
cooked potatoes, let the oil cool, strain it into a sealable container
and store it at room temperature, out of direct light–ready for another
use.
Wiki.
Link to The Wall Street Journal.
As luxurious as filet mignon in a classic French au poivre sauce is,
Mitchell’s preferred steak technique makes it a realistic weeknight
dinner.
“I cook it very fast over really high heat,” he said. He lets
the meat come to room temperature before it hits the pan and waits to
season it until just before cooking.
“Salt draws out moisture, and that
prevents a good sear,” he said.
I've heard the same thing many times before, and most important, with a good cut of meat, the only seasoning one needs: salt and pepper. And neither to be used sparingly.
