The Weekly buZZ - 09 JAN 2017

Pictured above: Jeff Sessions, Trump choice for AG

THIS WEEK’SWEATHER OR NOT

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NOTE TO DIARY - TOMORROW AT7PMMT TIME

Adios, Kimosabe...

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HEARD ON THE STREET

Republicans were KO'd on Tuesday when a day of pageantry to open the 115th Congress and usher in a new period of Republican governance was overtaken by an embarrassing reversal on ethics oversight, with the GOP gripped by internal division and many lawmakers seeking to shield themselves from extensive scrutiny. Next

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PEOTUS tweeted that Chuck Schumer was a "clown" -  does that mean the Circus is coming to town? Many think so as Senate Republicans embark on a flurry of confirmation hearings this week, regardless of the fact that several of the Trump appointees have yet to complete the background checks and ethics clearances customarily required before the Senate begins to consider cabinet-level nominees.

• Richard W. Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota who served as chief ethics counsel to President George W. Bush, said he thought none of the nominees could receive a full vote on the Senate floor before the vetting was complete. Norman Eisen, Mr. Obama’s ethics counsel in his first term, said the paperwork delays were “totally unheard-of.”

• The hearings are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, with testimony from Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the nominee for attorney general, and Gen. John F. Kelly, the pick for homeland security secretary. On Wednesday, the parade of nominees is expected to include Rex W. Tillerson, the choice for secretary of state; Betsy DeVos, the pick for education secretary; and Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas, the nominee to lead the C.I.A. Later in the week, the billionaire investor Wilbur L. Ross Jr., chosen as commerce secretary, and Andrew F. Puzder, the labor secretary pick, are scheduled to come before congressional panels.

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Authorities were so concerned when Esteban Santiago visited the FBI Anchorage, Alaska, office in November that they confiscated his gun and ordered a mental health evaluation. A month later, Santiago retrieved the weapon from police headquarters. And it is likely that it was that same gun that left 5 dead and 6 wounded when Santiago opened fire in the baggage claim area of the Ft. Lauderdale airport last Friday.  Mental illness. Background checks. Anyone out there?

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Happy Birthday, Kate! Princess Kate will spend her 35th birthday today privately at her home in Norfolk, Anmer Hall, with Prince William and their children,Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

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MAD. "Mad Dog" Mattis clashing with Trump transition team over Pentagon staffing. "

The honeymoon seems to be ending between retired Gen. James N. Mattis and Donald Trump’s transition team amid an increasingly acrimonious dispute over who will get top jobs in the Defense Department — and who gets to make those decisions. With only two weeks left before Inauguration Day and days before Mattis’s Senate confirmation hearing, most major Pentagon civilian positions remain unfilled. Behind the scenes, Mattis has been rejecting large numbers of candidates offered by the transition team for several top posts, two sources close to the transition said. The dispute over personnel appointments is contributing to a tenser relationship between Mattis and the transition officials, which could set the stage for turf wars between the Pentagon and the White House in the coming Trump administration. Generally speaking, generals like to pick their top brass . Duh.

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You win some, you lose some. Sunday wasn't a great day for everyone in the NFL - and particularly not for Mr. Porter.

Here's who is left:

STUFF TO CONSIDER : WORDS

1. Use your words

Last night Meryl Streep was honoured at the Annual Foreign Press Association's GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS with the the prestigious Cecil B. Demille Award for a lifetime of notable work. During her career Streep has received 17 Academy Award nominations (and won 3 times) and 30 Golden Globe nominations (and won 8 times). In her acceptance speech (see here) the actress said "there was one performance this year that stunned me; it sank its hooks in my heart, not because it was good. There was nothing good about it." 

• Responding to the speech on Twitter today, Trump launched a scathing attack on Streep, calling her "one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood" and a "Hillary flunky who lost big."
• PEOTUS went on to clarify that he wasn't "mocking" (because he'd never do that), he "simply showed him"

Okay, showed, mocked, showed, mocked,showed, mocked....Take a look and see what you think..... 

      CLICK HERE TO SEE FOOTAGE  

2. Pick your words - esp. your pronouns

Personal, possessive, reflexive - to name just a few. We were taught pronouns in elementary school. The reason there are different kinds of pronouns is because they are used for different things. Could we please make a special effort in 2017 to pay better attention to proper grammar? This isn't about being politically correct, it's simply about being correct.

3. Use your words -  they reflect who you are. It's easy to become lazy when you have auto correct and texting is your primary form of communication. The problem is when verbal communication suffers, misunderstanding is one of the casualties. Words matter.

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WHAT TO DO IN THE DUKE CITY

 2017 New Year's Resolution: Do something about it.

Or, to quote Alice Walker, "Activism is the rent we pay to live on the planet."  

So this weekend I attended:

 and it was awesome!! Martin Heinrich was there - Michelle Lujan Grisham spoke at lunch - and 5 possible ABQ mayoral candidates pitched their best ideas (DETAILS). And tons more people. There were about 450 attendees too and it was sold out two times over. People want to work for positive change!! There is so much we can do to make our state, cities, schools and communities the best they can be. I was incredibly energized and impressed with what I heard. Do one positive act each day. Integrate activism into your life. Expand your comfort zone. Get to know your neighbors. There are so many ways to get involved - here are a few websites for starters - I hope you'll check them out.

   click here

  click here

For a Better ABQ

"Think of it as New Mexico's Idea Bank.

Here’s what I mean.

Too many of our leaders today see things with the same tired eyes and offer the same tired answers. The “solutions” they come up with are really just more of the same: Business as usual, status quo thinking.

We need new ideas. New energy. New solutions and new dreams we can aspire to and achieve."

  click here

We New Mexicans Stand Up for our Land and our People.

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OUT AND ABOUT 

iPICKS

iSEE

            Q: What has 3 "L"s and 7 "G"s? 

La La Land took center stage last night at The Golden Globes and won a record-setting 7 awards. He might be "where all the nicest people are from" (to quote Meryl Streep), but when Ryan Gosling won Best Actor, I thought Denzel Washington was robbed of an award he truly deserved. 

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iHEAR

CLICK HERE

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iREAD

           is a terrific article:CLICK HERE TO READ

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    CLICK HERE

RE-READING CICERO. How the Republican presidential nominee borrows from the playbook of the greatest orator ever

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iEAT

WHAT’S COOKIN’

THE MARROW'S GINGER STOUT CAKE

This is a rich, fragrant ginger cake with a crunchy raw-sugar coating and moist crumb. The combination of grated fresh ginger root and powdered ginger, along with black pepper and cloves, gives it a particularly intense spice flavor. Make sure to use a good stout here. Since you’ll only use part of a bottle, choose one you’d be happy to finish off while the cake is in the oven (as in GUINESS!).

As with most gingerbread, this is a good keeping cake, and can be made a day or two ahead. Store it wrapped in foil at room temperature. Then serve it with cream whipped with a little crème fraiche or sour cream for tartness, which will offset all that crunchy sugar coating the cake.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 125 grams raw (Demerara) sugar (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup stout
• 1 cup molasses
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 340 grams all-purpose flour (2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 210 grams dark brown sugar, lightly packed (1 cup)
• 200 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
• ¾ cup safflower oil

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan well with the softened butter. Coat the entire pan with raw sugar so that it sticks to the butter. Turn the pan over to dump out any excess sugar.
2. Add the stout and molasses to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Carefully whisk in the baking soda and let cool to room temperature. Be careful as the stout mixture will bubble up.
3. Sift together the flour, ground spices, pepper and salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the fresh ginger, eggs, vanilla extract, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for five minutes.
5. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the oil. Mix for another 5 minutes. Slowly add the stout mixture and mix for another 5 minutes.
6. Carefully add the dry ingredients in two parts, mixing well in between each addition.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes and then flip upside down to release while still warm. Let cool completely.

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