Live vicariously through the Wit & Wisdom from the depths of my Soul_Partners in Crime:Tea & Wine,A Book Enthusiast,A Foodie Extraordinaire,Movies,Art,World Music & Travel,Quintessentially Me..that's how I ROLL!
Yep! Part Deux Rant on my favorite FOOD...Fish! This RANT would NOT have happened...BUT for watching the documentary_ "The Cove".
Now, if you were a kid watching the "Flipper TV Show" from 1964-1967_ you'll remember this show.
In the 1960s, it was Ric O'Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation "Flipper." One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast. But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and "Keep Out" signs, lies a dark reality.....NOT FOR THE FAINT AT HEART! I learned an awful TRUTH while watching that documentary.
Minamata disease sometimes referred to as Chisso-Minamata disease, is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning.Symptoms include ataxia,numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness,narrowing of the field of vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms. A congenital form of the disease can also affects fetus in the womb.
Minamata disease was first discovered in Minamata, Japan in 1956.It was caused by the release of methylmercury in the industrial waste water from the Chisso Corporation's chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968. This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea,which, when eaten by the local populace, resulted in mercury poisoning. While cat, dog, pig, and human deaths continued for 36 years, the government and company did little to prevent the pollution. The animal effects were severe enough in cats that they came to be called "dancing cat fever." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease
Louis Psihoyos (the Director & Photographer) tried to get more information from the government Researchers_to no avail. So, he took them off premise to a "Sushi Bar" for Dinner. He noticed that no one ordered Sushi. They kinda laughed when he asked why...their response was "We don't eat Sushi,far tooo much mercury_(laughing) as he said he ate TUNA and other fish all the time. Their response..."You should get your blood tested"! Returning back to the States,Psihoyos had his mercury levels checked by his Doctor in Colorado...his Mercury levels was that of the victims of the Minamata Epidemic of 1956.Needless to say he does not eat certain kinds of fish now!
The Story...NOT FOR THE FAINT AT HEART!
So, what's a Fish Lover to do...
Take a look at this MAP of Mercury Poisoning cases...
Not to many Southerners turn their back on a "Platter of Seafood" w/ a bottle of Tabasco ...and a side of Hushpuppy's! I don't eat "catfish"(bottom-feeder)_but I love most fish, my favorite being Tilapia,Tuna(ALBACORE),Wild Pacific Salmon and Shrimp!
No doubt,some of the ingredients in Sushi can present health risks. Large marine predators like Tuna(especially bluefin) can harbor high levels of methylmercury,which can lead to mercury poisoning when consumed in large quantity or when consumed by certain higher-risk groups including women who might get pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children.
I'm still eating my Fish!!!!!....Albacore not so often...as with everything in Life ...
That is Correct...I need to Rant! Ranting is cool every now and then_ But I read some Blog Post that RANT everyday about something,someone, etc. This is NOT about a boyfriend done me wrong (I'm happily married 18 years),or some fashion statement on some Celebrity that does not interest me, or some new born baby's name(AppleBlueNorth.,) or TS Boyfriend hate song, Politics, Tea Party Movements, (Guns, Groceries, Guitars or Gas Stores), etc... Nope, this is about the choices I have for FOOD WITHOUT ADDITIVES...slim pickings, Folks!
Mono-Meat
Mono-Fish
Arsenic -Laced Chicken Feed
Insecticide-Laced Vegetable Spray...check the dude's clothing!
He's Juiced -Up and Ready to Go! Which ends up here:
AND...My REAL PET-PEEVE is "Brominated Vegetable Oil"! Found in Drinks like:
I had a "personal" experience with this bad boy! In the 90s,I'd down at least three 20 oz bottles of Mountain Dew a day. Went in for a yearly checkup, my thyroid levels were off...ended up having a Thyroidectomy because of a benign tumor on the lower left lobe of the thyroid gland, right above my aortic arch, Seriously!
Recently, I learned _from several sources_that the "BROMINATED VEGETABLE OIL"(BVO) that is in Mountain Dew & other citrus drinks(7-up,Sprite,etc. & Gatorade)... "Competes for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine. If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will not hold on to the iodine that it needs. And iodine affects every tissue in your body, not just your thyroid."
Yet Another_food that is a favorite with ISSUES...TUNA.I like Albacore specifically_
It has "Pyrophosphate"(wait a minute, last four alphabets spells HATE) an additive ,...um for shelf-life, saltier than salt..my first thought was (PYRO=Fire, as in Pyrotechnics on July 4th fireworks).Other "stuff", mercury, BPA, nitrates, soybean oil..Soooo,I've found an untreated brand of fresh Tuna at my local Grocer...I poach it with various spices, cool ,flake and make Tuna Salad, Yea!
WHY? Do I need Yellow Dye #5 or 6 in my PICKLES? Why is SUSHI loaded with preservatives?Why is my Wild Salmon coated in carbon monoxide? And all you folks that like rare Steaks....hate to tell you this _but they already have "MAKEUP"on w/ a pinky glow!
When I think of Carbon Monoxide_ I think of fire/carbon monoxide alarms installed in our homes..
We are aware of...
Every now & then we might need one of these :
When we encounter this_ in the field, office, elevator, etc...
But, heck...What are we suppose to eat these days that's free of extra junk? I don't care for carbon monoxide in my food or any other stuff. I demand "CLEAN FOOD"!!!! I've been for some time a "Food Police" in the Grocery store....if it has ingredients that I can't pronounce(not buying it),plus if it has any ingredients that is on my "JUST SAY NO LIST"...no can buy! We don't drink soda(18 years for me).We don't eat Red Meat...so that's not a problem...found this product for Tilapia...good one_ w/o carbon monoxide or other stuff...
Southern Lingo....for getting a "spanking", frosting your fanny",whupping, etc...so image my "Ah Ha Moment" when watching an episode of the "Antiques Roadshow"_when a Lakota descendant shared her grandmother's " 19th Century Lakota Hide Tanning Kit" for appraisal! So,that's where that saying came from...my creative forces took over_ and I'm sharing with you some thoughts/laughs on the term : "Tanning Your Hide"! Come to find out there's lots of ways to express that term:
"No Child Left Behind"
Tanning Newsmaker
And "The List" goes on!!
"Old Fashion Switch"
Ah,Love this! But,I remember as a kid_ when your parents said "I'm gonna tan your hide" or "Go get me a switch"_ God forbide if they said to braid the switch!_ you'd better get your act together or else! My Dad....just gave us "The Look"_ we were cool with that! Mom on the other hand....
"Assume The Position"
Nowadays in schools "corporal punishment" is considered child abuse.
"The punishment is usually administered either across the buttocks or on the hands, with an implement specially kept for the purpose such as a rattan cane, wooden paddle, slipper, leather strap or a wooden yardstick.Less commonly, it could also include spanking or smacking the student in a deliberate manner on a specific part of the body with the open hand, especially at the elementary school level." The first country in the world to prohibit corporal punishment was Poland, in 1783. ~United States Policy~ Individual US states have the power to ban corporal punishment in their schools. Currently, it is banned in public schools in 31 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. In two of these states, New Jersey and Iowa, it is illegal in private schools as well. The 19 states that have not banned it are mostly in the South (Go Figure that one)!!! It is still used to a significant (though declining) degree in some public schools in....... (Alabama,Arkansas,Georgia,Louisiana,Mississippi,Oklahoma,Tennessee and Texas).
But, I think we turned out pretty good_ well at least from my neck of the woods...East Texas! I do understand that some people "past and present" took the "tan your hide" to another level. Child Abuseshould Never, E-V-E-R happen!EVER!!!!!!! PERIOD.DOT!!!
The "Art of Tanning Hides"_ was and still is a cultural custom among Native Americans. The Lakota which means "feeling affection", friendly and united....lived in the Great Plains of North America. Tanningis the process of treating skins of animals to produce leather, which is more durable and less susceptible to decomposition. Early Native Americans tanned animal hides for use as coverings for shelter, blankets, and garments. Painting on hides was very popular as well.
The Tanning Tools on Antique Roadshow were awesome! They were valued at $4000 to $8000 in 2012(this was a rerun show).
Indeed, I enjoyed the smile this episode gave me and the memories behind that phrase "tanning your hide". Here's one for all you "MAN OF STEEL" movie Fans...to think even Superman_
But,this sums it all up...
A Little Texas Humor...hehehehe! See Y'all next time!
Setting... Victorian Era, Dickensian London ,Pickpockets, Beggar's, Night Rat Collectors, Mudlarks, Guttersnipes, Filth, Night Soil Collectors, Pearled Gloves....And Erotic Forbidden Love of a Fingersmith and A Victorian Lady...WOW!
What have I gotten myself into this time??????? Well, saw this movie on Netflix, had an interesting title_ "Fingersmith"..never heard that word before_so I decided to rent it! Boy, my curiosity always gets me in trouble or NOT. It's always a "Learnt Experience"_ of sorts.
Then I remembered another movie with "Sarah Waters" handle on it...of which I blogged about here (near the bottom of Post): http://sagebookwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/09/this-weeksermg-moments_21.html I said "Self"...This is gonna be interesting! ErMG!! another Sarah Waters Sapphist Story! I kept repeating...
So, the movie has Two Episodes which shed insight on the daily lives of these two main women characters. KEEP UP or you'll get entangled with which life is which and so forth & so on.... First Episode...goes like this_
The first is told from the perspective of the"Fingersmith"_Sue! She grew up in the dismal surrounding of a London slum_ taken in by her adoptive mother (or so she thought)_Mrs Sucksby. Mrs S. runs a prosperous business_ "A DEN OF THIEVES". Think Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist"!
Sue is sent to helpRichard 'Gentleman' Rivers seduce a wealthy heiress.Note:Gentleman is NOT really interested in women per se, unless he can get their money. Posing as a maid, Sue is to gain the trust of the lady, Maud and eventually persuade her to elope with Gentleman. Once they are married, Gentleman plans to commit Maud to a madhouse and claim her fortune for himself.
Second Episode....Enter "The Gloved One", Maud!
Maud takes over the narrative. She describes her early life being raised by the nurses in the mental asylum where her mother died, and the sudden appearance of her uncle when she was eleven, who arrives to take her to Briar (his country home) to be his secretary...where he painstakingly writes and illustrates his many books of Erotic Literature!! Very popular during that time as it is now...50 Shades Madness: http://sagebookwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/06/50-shades-of-greyscandalousmaybereallyn.html Her induction into his rigid way of life is brutal; Maud is made to wear gloves constantly to preserve the surfaces of the books she is working on, and is denied food when she tires of labouring with her uncle in his library. We're good right? Now, this is where it gets interesting!
Let me explain what the title means. A fingersmith is a petty thief. The novel/movie protagonist, Sue, makes a living as a fingersmith in London. "Fingersmith" may also refer to someone who has mastered a skill involving the use of his or her fingers_ that would be Maud & Sue_in more ways than one. It is also clearly an allusion to female masturbation and sex between women, in a similar vein to the use of the erotic term in the title_"Tipping The Velvet". Mmm,Sarah likes these quirky Victorian words & meanings alot...just sayin'...
I'm thinking at this stage_ Sarah Waters_reaallllyy,likes this subject matter very much, indeed! Waters attended university, and earned degrees in English literature. She received a BA from the University of Kent, an MA from Lancaster University and a PhD from Queen Mary,University of London. Her PhD thesis, entitled Wolfskins and togas : lesbian and gay historical fictions, 1870 to the present, served as inspiration and material for future books. http://www.sarahwaters.com/
Whoa! I was only intrigued by the word Fingersmith(it's meaning) & Historical Fiction(a favorite genre of mine). But,Waters on the other hand is in waaaay too"deep" for a"light" Friday Afternoon movie for the kid! I'm bound to see what happens....PAUSE...another glass of Petite Sirah. Historically, while Queen Victoria, accepted homosexuality in men,it is said she was not able to believe lesbians existed. The movie/book defies that notion as it swiftly places one into the teeming life that thrived underneath the various repressions of the Victorian era.
And, with it's various "Twist & Turns"_Watch and Listen carefully_ I guarantee you'll be very surprised at the ending...awesome! So, should you choose to watch the movie or read the book...
aka.. Sarah's: "Victoria's Secret" As a result of this movie (haven't read the book)_I've become interested in reading about the Victorian Underworld...found this on Amazon.com.
Here we go...I'll probably share some stuff with y'all on the subject matter. Anyway...so much for my "Friday Afternoon" Movie Day.A combination of _ Pearls,Gloves & Ladies
PLUS...
The Delicate Art of Love Fingers I'm re-naming that Movie_
"Love In The Time Of FingerSmithing" Here's a Peek_
