February 9, 2025
# 1697
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Attribution
PlainHTML
Flowers, such as red roses (pictured), are often sent on Valentine's Day.
aussiegall from sydney, Australia - Red Roses
The flower shop up the road sells all their partially opened roses for $5 a bunch, this is only part of the bunch and what’s even better is that they smell divine
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Cover and Story
Valentine's Day, celebrated on February 14, is a day dedicated to expressing love and affection. It traces back to ancient Rome, where the festival of Lupercalia was held in mid-February. Over time, it evolved into a day honoring St. Valentine, a Christian martyr associated with love.
Modern Valentine's Day is marked by exchanging cards, flowers, chocolates, and gifts with loved ones. Red roses, symbolizing deep love, are particularly popular. Couples often spend the day together, enjoying romantic dinners or special outings. It's also a time for friends and family to share their appreciation for each other.
In addition to traditional celebrations, people now use technology to send virtual greetings and messages. Schools and communities often host events, making it a day for everyone to feel cherished and connected.
Whether it's a grand gesture or a simple note, Valentine's Day is all about spreading love and joy. 💖
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Commentary
Philadelphia Eagles wordmark
Philadelphia Eagles - NFLCommunications.com
Green Bay Packers (4)
(10–6)Philadelphia Eagles (1)
(12–4)1720Head coach:
Mike ShermanHead coach:
Andy Reid
1234OTTotalGB14003017PHI07010320
DateJanuary 11, 2004StadiumLincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.FavoriteEagles by 5.5RefereeEd HochuliAttendance67,707
4th and 26 was a National Football League (NFL) game played on January 11, 2004, between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles during the 2003–04 playoffs. The Packers traveled to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a divisional playoff game after beating the Seattle Seahawks in a wild card game the week prior. After taking an early 14–0 lead, the Packers allowed the Eagles to tie the game in the fourth quarter, 14–14. After the Packers regained the lead on a late field goal, the Eagles got the ball with only a few minutes left to tie or take the lead. After a penalty and a sack pushed the Eagles back 16 yards, they faced a fourth down with 26 yards to go with just 1:12 left on the game clock. Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb completed a 28-yard pass to wide receiver Freddie Mitchell for a first down. The Eagles continued their drive with a field goal to send the game into overtime. After the Eagles intercepted Packers' quarterback Brett Favre, kicker David Akers kicked a game-winning field goal to advance the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game, which they would lose 14–3 to the Carolina Panthers. The game gained notoriety for the improbable comeback by the Eagles, with one source stating that the odds of the Eagles conversion on fourth down with 26 yards to go and subsequent game-tying field goal was 1 out of 175.
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Commentary
Boston has had its fair share of amazing athletes. Among them can be counted Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox) - one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Carl Yastrzemski (Boston Red Sox) - a legendary outfielder and one of the best all-around players, Pedro Martinez (Boston Red Sox) - dominated on the mound with his incredible pitching skills, Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) - a dominant force in the NBA, known for his intensity and skill, Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox) - a beloved second baseman and former MVP, David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox) known as "Big Papi," a clutch hitter and a key part of the Red Sox's success, Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) - on- e of the greatest defensemen in hockey history, Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) - a basketball legend known for his rivalry with Magic Johnson, Bill Russell (Boston Celtics) - a dominant center with an incredible number of championships, Tom Brady (New England Patriots) - one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and, at this moment, the J’s, playing for the Celtics. So, so many others.
Are you old enough to remember the joys all or some of these players brought to the city? The tensions? The conversations? The Sports Bars? House parties?
Amazing.
Russell defending Wilt Chamberlain in 1969
Wilt_Chamberlain_Bill_Russell.jpg: New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer derivative work: Sportingn (talk) - Wilt_Chamberlain_Bill_Russell.jpg
Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell during a basketball game
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Kat’s Gen Z Corner
This Week in Photos
Cool vibey bar that Will and I went to on Saturday to celebrate the end of his successful dry January run. Then we went home and watched Wild Robot. Working 70 hour weeks really has killed my capacity for anything cooler, but it was a fantastic film. Thanks, Tucker, for the awesome rec!
Beautiful flowers my dad and I got for our dear family friend, Cindy, for her birthday.
A new fluffy vest I treated myself to at Lululemon.
Uma meets Mango — a beautiful hypoallergenic pup almost half her weight that we might be babysitting for two weeks in March.
A mayoral forum on the Upper West Side — my neighborhood, 700 people in audience and 400 online. Brad did great.
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Tucker’s Corner
The Fire Inside
The directorial debut of cinematographer Rachel Morrison, The Fire Inside tells the true story of American boxer Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields and her journey to the 2012 Olympics. Early on, Morrison – the first woman to ever be nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar for her work on Mudbound – visually tells us everything we need to know about where Shields has come from. A bird’s eye view sees a young Claressa (Jazmin Headley) running through empty building lots and broken fences in the snow. What could be any deprived Black neighborhood in America is, in fact, Flint, Michigan, a beaten-down but resilient town where Claressa will rise from a desperate home life to become the first woman to win Olympic gold for middle-weight boxing.
There aren’t many movies about black women in sports. Films like Queen of Katwe and Akeelah And The Bee have emphasized brain over brawn, and very few have shown the physical strength of Black womanhood. With a thoughtful script written by Moonlight filmmaker Barry Jenkins, Morrison’s debut has filled that void.
Anyone who has grown up in a disadvantaged situation will recognize images from Claressa’s early life – the dilapidated houses, bare cupboards, empty fridges and a single bed shared by three siblings. She is obviously a fighter, begging trainer Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), who says he doesn’t work with girls, to take her on. Pretty soon we move from 2006 to 2011, and Claressa (now played by Ryan Destiny) is, despite a hectic family life that involves a despondent mother (Olunike Adeliyi), a top boxer with Olympic dreams.
This film, however, is not about winning gold. It asks other questions. What happens when a dream isn’t deferred but attained? What pressure is felt when the weight of a family, a community and even a race falls upon one person’s shoulders? Despite only being 16 years-old, Claressa is expected to uplift her entire family out of poverty. It’s an incredible pressure that puts her at odds with her father (Adam Clark), her coach and others. Claressa fears abandoning those obligations. The Fire Inside, nevertheless, posits that one need not sacrifice community to pursue singular desires — scenes of her neighbors coming to her aid and rooting her on are deeply touching — and says that success is not a magic wand that can wish away the realities of systemic racism.
This film also doesn’t sell an easy villain. Claressa’s absentee father, fresh out of prison, doesn’t have to explain his crime; her troubled mother is given a chance to grow and redeem herself; Jonathan and his wife become Claressa’s second family but they do not replace her primary parents. These aren’t opportunities to perpetuate flattened perceptions of urban Blackness. These are people working to survive in a systematically disadvantaged city. The film instead takes aim at the pay disparity between male and female Olympic athletes and the slimy behavior of brands not wanting a tough-as-nails Black woman as the face of their marketing campaign. As with Moonlight, Jenkins and Morrison are not here to reprint cliches – and the craft of the film follows suit.
Morrison and her cinematographer Rina Yang opt for compositions bathed in warm and vibrant hues of pinks, purples and blues. Along with editor Harry Yoon, they also trust these exceptional actors to deliver heartfelt grace notes. Henry, who never seems to misstep in any role, is exceptional here, adding layers of hurt, regret, and fatherly love to what is usually a rote character. Destiny matches Henry step for step. For scenes outside the ring, Destiny works with Jenkins’ tender script to carve moments of joy, maturity, desire, awareness and trauma within Claressa. Inside the ring, Destiny is a picture of focused fury. These are intense bouts, compactly framed physical realizations of Claressa’s love for the sport and her absolute need to win.
Most of all, this film sees Claressa as more than an athlete or a champion. It dispenses any gaze that would see her solely through her hardships, too. She falls in love and goes to prom, and finds her own sense of independence. “I don’t deserve it. I earned it,” demands Claressa. The Fire Inside, in a deceptively brilliant twist on the inspirational sports film, is a humanist story, whose every hard hitting beat and aching emotion is also truly earned.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
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Six Word Stories
Abandoned house; echoes of past lives.
The author says that even in abandonment, a domicile retains the essence of those who once called it home. It reflects themes of memory, the passage of time, and the lingering impact of past lives.
The Ruins of Holyrood Chapel (Louis Daguerre), 1824 (Google Art Project)
Louis Daguerre - YwEH1vGfMtqgXw at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level
Holyrood Abbey is located next to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, built by James IV of Scotlandin 1501,[1] which became the official residence of the Monarch of the United Kingdomsituated in Edinburgh, Scotland.[2]The Abbey started operation in 1128, with various rounds of destruction and reconstruction over the centuries. It has been used as the Parliament of Scotland, the site of coronations, royal weddings, and the location of royal tombs.[3] During a storm in 1768 the roof collapsed, leaving the abbey as it currently stands.
The Ruins of Holyrood Chapel is an oil on canvas painting of the Holyrood Abbey completed around 1824 by the French artist Louis Daguerre. The painting measures 211 × 256.3 cm (83.1 × 100.9 in), and is exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, England. The museum acquired it in 1864.[1]
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Roast Goose
Goose is the fattiest poultry. It’s even fattier than beef. Look carefully at the photo below and you can see the moist slices. The flavor is amazing.
PREPARATION, miscellaneous
Heat oven to 200*
Rinse the goose and pat it dry.
Holding the fork horizontally, prick the goose skin all over
SEASON GOOSE, exterior and cavity
2 TB Salt and 1TB freshly ground pepper
Thyme/rosemary/parsley, fresh
2 or 3 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic
1TB Lemon juice
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the seasonings together
Using your hands, generously rub the seasoning all over the goose, esp the cavity
BEDDING for ROASTING PAN
2 or 3 carrots cut into chunks
2 or 3 celery stalks into chunks
Leftover orange& onion chunks from the stuffing
Put the leftover stuffing and the carrots and celery into the roasting pan
Cover the vegetable bed with a cup or 2 of chicken stock
STUFF the GOOSE
First season the cavity
After the cavity is seasoned, section two oranges and one onion and stuff them into the cavity
ROAST
Set the stuffed goose, breast side up, onto a poultry rack.
Set the rack and goose on top of the vegetable bed in the roasting pan.
@ 200* the goose will need 1.2 hours per pound to cook.
When the goose is finished with the slow roast, crank the heat to 500* and leave goose for 15 minutes more.
Once the goose is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest on the cutting board for about 20-30 minutes before carving.
GRAVY
After removing the goose to the carving board, use tongs to remove the vegetables, reserving them for serving at dinnertime.
Let the roasting pan cool slightly.
Add a bit of stock, wine, or water to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits.
Pour the scrapings and drippings into a saucepan.
Add ¼ cup duck or chicken gravy to the sauce pan, stirring well to combine with the deglazed drippings.
Allow the mixture to simmer gently for a few minutes to meld the flavors together and to intensify.
Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. You might find that the goose drippings add enough richness, but you can always add a touch more salt, pepper, or herbs to taste.
Carving
Carve the goose and serve with your favorite sides.
German roast goose
Romi - pixabay archive copy at the Wayback Machine
Roasted goose
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In the Mail
This from our dear friend,
Sally C: Dear Dom,
Regarding “Hot Stuff,” I am reminded of an old tune called “Hot Stuff” that dates to the mid-18th Century. Supposedly it was written to “commemoriate” the invasion of a convent by British soldiers fighting the French in Quebec during the French and Indian War. It’s a fun little tune that my fife and drum corps plays occasionally, but I doubt those afflicted nuns would consider it lightly. (I am not aware if any lyrics were written when the tune was composed.)
Go well, my friend!
Sally
BRASS CASTLE ARTS
Literary Services to Polish Your Gem
Wordsmith | Author | Editor
Sally M. Chetwynd
PO Box 1916, Wakefield, MA 01880
781-548-9519 c
brasscastlearts@gmail.com
https://www.brasscastlearts.com
[Please: Avoid texting or messaging.]
AUTHOR OF: Bead of Sand and The Sturgeon’s Dance
Editor: And I, my friend, am reminded of Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff offering:
Sittin' here eatin' my heart out waitin'
Waitin' for some lover to call
Dialed about a thousand numbers lately
Almost rang the phone off the wall
Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'
I need some hot stuff baby tonight
I want some hot stuff baby this evenin'
Gotta have some hot stuff
Gotta have some love tonight (hot stuff)
I need hot stuff.
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Last Comment
The Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day provide us with strong distractions from this cold, cold winter. And. for me, when I wake on 2/15, my first thought will be, “The days are getting longer.” And so they are, noticeably, for me. For me, because what makes each of us feel fine must vary with the individual. For me, winter is over when I can put my warm, heavy Canada Goose winter coat away for good. For me, Punxsutawney Phil holds no interest: it’s my lighter winter coat that tells me what to expect, and, for me, that coat/jacket is assurance that winter is over, or nearly. For me.
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