Great books...movies and a move toward domesticity for Miss Emily :)

Sir Tucker and The Lady Emily

A step towards domesticity for my favourite local feral.  Give her a few more months and she, too, will be sporting a fancy red collar- perhaps.

She, who has already taken over the Throne.

Woke yesterday to see her sitting up like a small penguin by my patio door...wanting in. Other than a momentary panic when she realized she was actually inside...she did rather well. Ate, bathed and curled up in a small purring ball in my lap. Tucker is fond of her, as well. If she decides to stay...she will become part of the family. I always was a sucker for a black and white cat. Her clipped ear signifies she has already been picked up by FACE and spayed. So I've dubbed her "Emily" and am hoping she decides to stick around. Relax. Two well groomed/well fed Tuxedo cats doesn't make anyone a crazy-cat lady!  Well...maybe a little...

The Virtual Parisian Adventure very enjoyable, thus-far. I am making progress on the sauces...and have learned to make Ratatouille, Chicken Marsala, Creme Brulee, and Crepes (both sweet and savory), Authentic French Onion Soup, Crusty Baguettes, and the very best Quiche Lorraine.  Checking out La Maison Du Chocolat today and going to purchase some of their wares before the week is out...and learn to make creamy chocolate truffles rolled in unsweetened cocoa. 

Started the year out with Oprah Winfrey's small book: What I Know For Sure.  It is an outstanding and motivational read, and I will be returning this copy to the local library and purchasing a copy to add to my personal library. A must read!

Also saw Selma this week. Sometimes, there really are no words. As someone who lived through this period of unrest and upheaval as a child...and remember seeing (televised) the actual march from Selma to Montgomery. This may end up being the Motion Picture of the Year. An unvarnished look at the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta King. An authentic documentary of black Americans struggle to get one of their most basic rights as citizens of this nation. The right to vote. When they came to the end of the March and actual footage was used from 1965...there were tears in my eyes. Absolutely- a must see!

Even more impressive was the fact that Amelia Robinson (103 years old now) The human face of Bloody Sunday...is alive and was able to have a private viewing of Selma with her family. And voice her thought after viewing it.

www.cnn.com/2015/01/09/us/selma-civil-rights-matriarch

From being beaten and left for dead marching for the right to vote in 1965, to a black man holding the office of President of The United States in 2015.  
Yes, Mr. King-  It seems, indeed:

"We Overcame" 

And for the record...Non...non...Je suis ne pas Charlie. 

Charbonnier, you see, made the decision to mock something that he knew would endanger not only his life, but also endanger the lives of those around him (co-workers) and as it turned out other innocents as well. It was not done for a noble cause. Only for entertainment, money and the sake of mocking. In my opinion, that is not bravery. 

That is stupidity. 




(...today in the news)

A co-founder of Charlie Hebdo disagreed with the French magazine's decision to publish cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed and says he is upset with the magazine's slain editor, Stephane Charbonnier.

Henri Roussel, now 80, wrote a letter with his views in the wake of the terrorist attack at the magazine's office in Paris. Twelve people were killed, including Charbonnier, known as "Charb."

Roussel called Charbonnier "brilliant" but "stubborn." He said he thought the magazine went too far with its provocative images, particularly after the 2011 firebombing of the office. That incident came at the same time the magazine published a cover image depicting the prophet.
"What made him feel the need to drag the team into overdoing it?" Roussel asked, according to an English translation of his letter in the French-language magazine Nouvel Obs. 

"I'm upset at you, Charb," he added. 



Apparently, I am not alone in my assessment of the situation.