1. Tuesday's edition of our local newspaper, the Shoshone News Press, introduced a monthly feature, "Foodie". News Press publisher, Keri Alexander, invited our sister Carol to write the feature's first piece, accompanied with pictures and recipes, describing our weekly family dinners.
Carol put the word out on Monday evening that her feature would be in Tuesday's paper. We don't subscribe, so this morning I strolled down to the Gondolier's convenience store and bought one.
Carol did a great job describing how we all came to live in Kellogg, how our family dinners got started, how we go about making the dinners happen, and the kinds of meals we've prepared for one another.
If you'd like to read the story and see the pictures, here's a link to a document that includes these, but not the recipes. (I hope this works!): Go here.
2. For as long as I've been a thinking person, I've thought, read, and watched movies and documentaries about how union organizing and working for justice in the world of labor is an uphill effort. I have about 100 pages left to read in The Cold Millions. So far, Jess Walter's story has reaffirmed how and why labor organizing is difficult and, in this story, dangerous. Consistent with the other reading I've done and films I've watched, this book portrays how the business/company owners have great power at their disposal. They own the police, for starters, and the police are uninhibited and unchecked in their use of intimidation, physical force, disruption, and violence. They have deep pockets for hiring men called "detectives", violent men who work their way inside the labor movement and often serve as hit men, carrying out orders to kill not only organizers, but to kill or maim law enforcers and make it look like the crime was committed by the labor side. The daily newspapers side with the company/business owners. So do the courts.
As I close in on finishing this historical novel, I don't know what's going to happen to the story's central individual characters. I do know, however, that I am experiencing this story as a study of entrenched power and influence and the lengths those with power and influence go to preserve and expand their control over the labor market and the governing of the places they live -- in this case, the city of Spokane.
3. I set everything aside around 3:30 this afternoon to watch four teams from my favorite conference, the Big East. First, I watched Xavier and Providence. Xavier has developed a bad habit of getting off to slow starts in their games and they did it again today, trailing Providence at halftime, 35-29 after having fallen behind by as many as 14 points in the second half. Xavier pushed back hard against Providence in the second half and with 54 seconds left in the game, seized the lead 62-60 on a Paul Scruggs trey. Al Durham sank two free throws for Providence to tie the game with 36 seconds remaining. Xavier called a time out, ran the clock down to 12 seconds and Paul Scruggs shot a short contested jumper from within 10 feet of the hoop, but it was a little strong and Providence snagged the rebound. Providence was out of time outs and hustled the ball up court. Jared Bynum, from just behind the three point line, faked a jumper. The Xavier defenders went by him. Bynum calmly took one dribble to the left, rose up, and nailed a trey with two ticks on the clock. Xavier's second half effort was valiant. Providence's cool at the game's end was impressive. It was a superb game.
Next up, Marquette extended its win streak to seven games by running Seton Hall off the court. Yes, Seton Hall made a couple of come backs, but overall Marquette's hustling, swarming, hassling defense combined with the stellar play of their remarkable forward, Justin Lewis (33 points), prevailed and Marquette won this game, 73-63.
Endnote: If you are at all interested in watching talented college basketball players, I recommend that you try to catch the Marquette Golden Eagles on television a couple or three times and watch Justin Lewis play. He's a complete player. He's strong, a fierce defender and rebounder. On offense, he's quick, capable of imaginative and powerful moves to the basket and a remarkably accurate shooter from outside. His range extends beyond the 3-point line. He's a joy and a pleasure to watch.
Here's a limerick by Stu:
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