Ricotta Cheesecake, Blood Oranges, and the Real Problem Causing Climate Change

I baked a ricotta cheesecake the other day from a recipe I downloaded from the Food Network.  It's remarkably simple.  It just requires the use of my KitchenAid mixer and my Cuisinart food processor:

Ricotta Cheesecake

6	large eggs
2/3 c	sugar
2 t	vanilla extract
30 oz	whole milk ricotta cheese
2 t	grated lemon zest (I used Meyers)
	Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (I used 300). Spray the springform pan with cooking spray. Separate the eggs, placing the whites into the mixer bowl and the yolks in the work bowl of a food processor.
Add the sugar and vanilla to the work bowl of the food processor and process until thick and light yellow, about 1 minute. Add the ricotta and zest and process until smooth, another 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into the other large bowl.  I'd misread the recipe and thought it said 2 tablespoons of zest, so I'd zested two of my Meyers, which gave it a very lemony flavor!
Beat the whites on high speed with the mixer until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the ricotta mixture and scrape into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.
Bake until the cake is deep golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the pan, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Transfer to the rack to let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day. To serve, release the sides of the springform pan, dust with confectioners' sugar using the strainer, and cut into wedges/slices (I got 12 slices).

This cake puffs up greatly while baking, but don't be afraid of it spilling when you look into the oven and see it rise above the springform pan.  As I told Peter, like a soufflé, it sank into itself, like the ego of a spurned lover...

I used the zest from one large and one small Meyer lemons, and the flavor was distinctive and good.  I also did not ignore the vanilla extract, which added a balance to the flavor of the cake that I really enjoyed.

Other than that, I've been enjoying Peter, whom I fetched from the airport late in the afternoon on Friday (rush hour!).    Tonight, he flies north for meetings in the Bay Area, returning tomorrow night.  He returns to London this Saturday and will be gone for another week.

On Saturday, we attended a lunch Meetup at a restaurant called Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot and Grill.  We got the "yin-yang" bowl of broth, which was divided into two parts.  One portion of the broth had chilis and other pungent spices in it.  The other included more mild herbs and spices.  We ordered the vegetable platter and the mushroom basket, and everything came out deliciously.  We also ordered some lamb and beef slices, beef tripe, and cuttlefish balls (like meat balls, but made with cuttlefish and no breadcrumbs).  Later that afternoon, I was going to take Kat to the Anatolian Turkish Cooking Classes Meetup, but had gotten on the computer and became so engrossed that by the time Kat came to get me, it was already too late to go, so I decided to forego the cooking class, which was too bad, really, for I really enjoy the classes and like the organizer, Sue (though I'm fairly sure that is not how she spells it).

Yesterday morning, Peter and I decided, while having our morning tea, to practice hitting a racquetball at the gym on Balboa Avenue.  I mentioned, after we were already underway, that we'd had our morning tea, "but no coffee," so we stopped en route to pick up a couple cups.

Fooling around in the racquetball court was fun;  I was surprised at how quickly the ball returns from the rear wall.  Also, because the rear wall is glass, it's hard to differentiate the ball from the background, which is larger room where the gym equipment is located.  The time passed quickly. 

Afterwards, we went to Souplantation for lunch.  Upon returning to Poway, I commenced making the ricotta-orange cookies, using one of the blood oranges from our share for the zest and juice, while Peter investigated recipes for making samosas, which he intended to bring to the social hour for the San Diego Association for Rational Inquiry.  By the time I'd gotten about a dozen cookies iced and chocolate-drizzled, it was past 6, so we hurried down to Hillcrest to catch the presentation.  Turned out fine, for I think I was the only person who brought a snack.  People tried the cookies on their way out into the cool (but not cold) evening.

The president of SDARI, Tom, made a few announcements prior to the presentation, mentioning next month's symposium that is part of an ongoing series sponsored by CARTA, the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny.  He also mentioned having attended the presentation by Alan Alda at UCSD, announcing the establishment of a center for the communication of science to the public.  He told the story of how, when he was in a South American Country (I don't remember which), he suffered from intestinal anastomosis.  When the doctor came to tell him the operation he (the surgeon) was to perform (on Alda), Alda referred to it by name (which the surgeon had not used).  The surgeon was quite surprised that Alda knew the term for it, and Alda replied that he'd done many of them as "Hawkeye Pierce" on "M*A*S*H," the television program, which lasted about three times as long as the Korean War itself.

Unfortunately, last evening's presenter was not only not as entertaining as Alda, but he gave a rather dry presentation on social anxiety and depression that nearly put me to sleep.  I had trouble paying much attention after he initially misidentified a physical condition related to the TMJ, or Temporomandibular Joint, as a byproduct of stress and emotional ill-being.  I spoke up and corrected him, saying that TMJ, which is correctable with surgery, is different from lockjaw (which is caused by the disease known as tetanus).

Peter roused me before I fell out of my chair...

Afterward, we shared a snack/dinner at one of the restaurants in the same development as the Joyce Beers Community Center (to which references made irritate me by introducing an apostrophe into its name, as if the Community Center belonged to someone named Joyce Beer, as opposed to being named after someone named Joyce Beers).

This morning, Peter and I discussed the problem that activists (including many in San Diego 350.org, an organization with which I take part in some political actions) have in trying to address Climate Change by changing people's diets (into a vegan one).  Even if the entire human population were to become vegan, it is still unlikely that there will be enough food produced to feed the billions and billions.  The real problem is overpopulation of the human race.  I've discussed this issue before so I won't go into it again.  You know where I stand on the burgeoning human population already.

BTW, I have asked Dr Charles Kimmel if I could post the lecture slides he'd used in a series of informational lectures on Climate Change at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.  If he responds in the positive, I will post them on the SD350.org website as long as I clear it with the organizers at SD350.org.

Another Day, Another Batch of Cookies into the Jar

This evening, after a dinner of homemade vegetable soup made with vegetable broth, half of a head of white cabbage, mashed butternut squash, and onion, I decided to bake a batch of cookies.  Seeing what I had in the pantry, I came up with this cookie:

Soft Cocoa-Cherry Cookies

1 ½ c.	whole wheat flour (approx.)
1 c.	yellow corn meal (approx.)
2 T.	flaxseed meal
2 large	eggs, beaten
½ c. each	butter, melted, and brown sugar
¾ c.	applesauce, unsweetened
1 T.	cinnamon
½ c.	unsweetened cocoa (powder)
2 t.	baking powder
½ c.	coconut powder (coarser than flour;  found in Asian-Indian grocery stores)
¾ t.	salt

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Measure the flour, corn meal, baking powder, flaxseed meal, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, combine applesauce and butter, stirring until the butter cools a bit and mixes with the applesauce. Add eggs and beat together thoroughly. Mix in sugar, breaking up any lumps.  Add coconut powder to the wet ingredients and mis thoroughly, allowing the coconut to absorb some of the moisture from the other ingredients before adding the dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients in three turns, mixing well with each addition.

Scoop in one tablespoon measures onto a silicone-lined baking sheet. You can pack them in pretty closely to one another, as they do not really spread.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool, on the sheet, for one minute, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.

Kat and I ate several as they baked.  I counted about sixty cookies after snacking...

Cherry-Chocolate Cookies

Today, I prepared two batches of what I call "Lemon Whip."  It is related to a standard lemon curd, but omits the butter, so that there are only three ingredients:  lemons, eggs, and sugar:

Citrus Whip

7  ripe but firm lemons, limes, key limes (use three to replace every one of another type), Meyer lemons
500 g  granulated sugar
6 large eggs, beaten

Grate the rinds all of the citrus fruits into a double boiler (zest and some of the pith).  Measure and pour sugar over the zest;  stir to combine.  Beat eggs with the juice squeezed and reamed from all of the fruit (at least one cup but up to 1 1/2 cups, depending on the size of the fruits).
Pour over the sugar/zest.  Whisk together, then proceed to turn the heat on under the double boiler. Stir the mixture as it thickens, adding more boiling water if necessary.  Keep whisking the Whip for at least 20 minutes after it begins to thicken. This will ensure that the eggs are fully cooked.

Pour the Whip into a clean, dry glass jar and seal.  Place sealed jar in canning bath and bring the canning pot to a boil.  Allow the water to boil for at least twenty minutes, adding more if necessary.
Turn off the heat and allow the pot and jar(s) of Whip to cool.
The canned whip will keep, unrefrigerated, almost indefinitely until opened.  Once opened, it is best eaten within one week.
It tastes really delicious on buttered toast, plain yoghurt, and fresh strawberries.

I was enjoying being in the kitchen, so I baked a batch of Cherry-Chocolate Cookies, as well:

Cherry-Chocolate Cookies

3/4 c. dried cherries, chopped
3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate chips, chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao)

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg

2 t. vanilla extract
2 t. almond extract
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

After chopping the cherries and chocolate, set them aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and add the chopped cherries and chocolate, stirring to coat.
Pour the applesauce over the measured coconut oil in a large bowl, and stir to combine, breaking up the coconut oil as much as possible if it is solid.  Add sugar and extracts, and continue breaking up the coconut oil, distributing it as much as possible. Finally, add the egg and mix all the wet ingredients until well-combined.  Add the dry ingredients in three turns, mixing each addition thoroughly each time.

Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between cookies.  Bake for 10 minutes, then allow to cool on the baking sheet for one minute before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for as long as they last (which won't be terribly long).

Lunch with a Classmate

Friday, I had lunch with a woman whom I had first met in college.  We were in the same initial architecture studios at MIT as cross-enrolled students while at Wellesley.  We'd actually graduated in the same year, 1993.

Katy is now a practicing architect, working primarily as an interpreter (of sorts) between the engineers in her firm and architects and builders with whom they work.  Her firm specializes in the design of energy- and resource efficient building systems.  She is currently working part-time in order to spend time with her son, who just turned two years old this week.  She said that she's looking at daycare for him because he's at an age at which he's ready to interact with more people, and Katy and her husband are, in a word, workaholics, in the sense that they love what they do, and they are good at their jobs.  Her husband, whose name is Dirk (I think), works part-time as a bartender at an establishment in North Park at the corner of 30th and Upas.

We actually did quite a bit of introducing ourselves because we had not known each other very well as college students.  The studios we were in had a fair number of attendees (probably about 40-50 per class).  I asked her if she remembered Liz, and she said didn't remember.  So it might have seemed atypical for me to have remembered her by her name, perhaps.

I learned that Katy is a fourth-generation Wellesley grad, and that her (and mine, if I'd attended) 15th reunion was the 70th or 75th reunion for her grandmother, whom she escorted, with her mother, to the gathering.  

She told me a little about the end of her first marriage, finding someone with whom to have a child, and entering into her second marriage.  It all sounded very logical to me.  I suppose if, somewhere along the line of courtship, one finds out that one's partner does not share a life goal (like having children), it becomes impossible to compromise on that.  I think it must have been a difficult decision, indeed.  

At any rate, she is happily married now and has the role of mother-to-a-toddler, which is distinct from mother-of-an-infant, a role which she is leaving and building upon.  She and her husband believe that at this age, the boy is able to have what for lack of a better term is a social life, or at least interacting with (or playing adjacent to) other children.  She often needs to remind herself that she needs to pay attention to her relationship with Dirk, as well as that with the child.  I told her that Kat's father lives on the East Coast now, in the "Triangle" of North Carolina made up of Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, and that she sees him thrice annually.  I told her a little bit about Peter.

Katy has three siblings:  an older sister, who is also a Wellesley graduate, and two younger brothers. Unfortunately, her sister is the one who lives nearest (also in California), but has yet to see Katy's son.  Very strange.  She is probably so involved in her own life, I assume, that she gives very little thought to keeping up with her birth family, especially now that she has her own nuclear family unit. Katy told me that her sister "found god" (was he lost under a sofa cushion?), and that she's homeschooling her children.  I cringed, voicing my concern about christians who homeschool. Katy reassured me by saying that her sister is teaching her children evolution. I made reference to Christopher Hitchens, and she asked me, quite innocently, who he was.  I replied that he was a writer and perhaps editor, I'd thought, for The New Yorker (I later learned that he was not;  he was a writer and editor at Vanity Fair).  I described both Hitchens and Richard Dawkins as "outspoken atheists," both well-known for their views on religions and their effect on Society.  Katy said that she is agnostic. Her parents are both mildly religious (their family went to church regularly on Sundays while she was growing up).

I asked Katy about her work, and she said that she essentially "translates" between the engineers in her firm and the architects and builders with whom they work.  She keeps touch with the office on the days when she's not in, and is always on call if something should come up.  She'd spent the first ten years after graduating college working on her career.  She said that at first, she felt strange about going to college reunions with a baby in tow, but then met another alumna who was pregnant, so there was (yes!) another older mother, thankfully.

Katy asked if I attended Wellesley alumnae functions, and I said that I'd attended a couple of them, though not recently (I'd missed the Christmas tea, which I almost regretted).  She said that she will be more likely to go to future events, especially if she knew I would be in attendance.  We agreed to meet again for lunch (or something else) in the future.  I told her that since she's the one who has a job, it is more likely that we will need to find a way to carve some time out of her work schedule.

We said goodbye just outside the Veggie Grill.  Katy left through Macy's, having parked her car on the other side, and I walked through the mall and parking lot to the bus stop at Genesee and La Jolla Village Drive.  I was able to catch one of the Rapid buses, the 237, to Miramar College.  From there, I caught the 20 heading southward so that I was dropped off at the intersection where my condominium is located.  I hurried home and started preparing dinner:

Simple and Fast Coconut Curry

1 1/2-2 c. coconut milk
10 curry leaves
2 cu. inches fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
1 t fish sauce
1 t shrimp paste
2 stalks lemongrass, cleaned and sliced
1 T. grapeseed oil

10 oz. shiitakes, sliced 1/4" thick
2 Anaheim chilis, sliced about 1/4" thick
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 green onions, sliced

1 1/2 c. brown rice
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1 c. water

Heat the oil in a wok or similarly-rounded bottomed pan, swirling to coat.  Add ginger root and lemongrass.  Cook until fragrant, then add curry leaves.  Cook for one minute, then add mushrooms and carrots.  Cover and allow to cook for about 2 minutes.  Add onions, chilis, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and stir to coat everything.  Lower temperature to cook through while the rice is prepared.
Put rice, coconut milk, and water in a pan.  Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer until rice has absorbed all the liquid and can be fluffed up prior to being dressed with the curry.

Scientists as Human Beings

Yesterday, Kat and I went to a see two movies that were both excellent. It was about 9:30a, and I was looking at the movie times for the La Jolla Village Cinema at the kitchen/dining table. Kat said that she wouldn't mind seeing “The Theory of Everything” again, so we went to the matinee showing at 10:10. It took us long enough to drive there because it was all local streets, though we were on Miramar Road and that's a pretty fast road except for some of the lights, which appear to be not programmed, but run using sensors, so that some of the lights were changing to red though the previous one (heading west) had just turned green. There was very little traffic before 10a, so we made good time and arrived early enough to find two aisle seats on one side of the single-aisle theatre. There were previews for some interesting movies, including a short film fest of the Oscar-nominated shorts for 2014, which included one animated short which we had seen during an animation festival a few years ago, and two longer films.

One film is titled “Leviathon” and is about a family who lives on what appears to be a lake shore in a village. A wealthy politico wants the land for his own purposes, so tries to leverage his political influence within the government to get his hands on it. It ends up being a David-and-Goliath-type struggle for the villagers, who rally to the cause of keeping their village a village rather than an estate for the fat man.

The other feature-length film is titled “Two Days, One Night,” and is about a married woman with small children, who works at a job which has been threatened due to something, a budget cut possibly. There will be an in-office vote as to whether she can stay or go. If she stays, each employee must take a pay cut in order to make her salary. The movie is, presumably, about the weekend over which she needs to convince her coworkers to vote for her to stay, subsequently voting for their own pay cut. The trailers were the same for both “The Theory of Everything” and “The Imitation Game.”

“The Theory of Everything” is about Stephen Hawking, his courtship of Jane Wilde, the development of their relationship as he's becoming well-known for as an astrophysicist, and, eventually, the signal of the end of their union. Since he was originally given about two years to live after his diagnosis, Jane probably was expecting something shorter, though just as sweet as they could manage.

Hawking's disease (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease) became apparent while he was a student at Oxford, and the movie depicts his thesis defense with all three judges congratulating him on his achievement and theory of black holes. It was a really good movie to start the day.

We had a half hour to kill before “The Imitation Game” started, so we walked up to a Peet's and got a couple of mochas and shared a blueberry scone, which reminded me that I'd like to make scones sometime.  Upon returning to the cinema, we saw that we'd arrived merely ten minutes prior to showtime. The fellow at the ticket counter welcomed us back, recognizing us as two of the few people who'd come in for a matinee show earlier. This time, though, my ticket was more expensive, at the adult rate, whereas Kat's was still relatively inexpensive at the student rate. The previews, as I said above, were all the same, and we agreed to learn about when “Leviathon” would be showing so that we could come back to see it. Its run will begin, I think, on 6 February. I'll want to keep that in mind in a few weeks.

“The Imitation Game” is about Alan Turing, his recruit by MI6, the computer he designed and built in order to decode German communications, and his tragic death (he committed suicide after being prosecuted for being homosexual). It was well-told, but very, very depressing for any audience that empathizes at all with the protagonist, who is portrayed as an eccentric, lonely genius.

I think it's interesting that these two movies should come out at this time, when Science is under attack from those on the so-called “Right” (which emphasizes the difference between "right" and "correct").  I was glad that the scientists were portrayed as whole beings. Perhaps Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, whose publication I remember (1988), will enjoy a second turn on Bestsellers Lists. We need, so badly, to foster an interest in science and engineering, for there are so many problems that require knowledge in these fields to solve.

Unfortunately, being stupid, apparently, is popular, with politicians openly giving their idiotic, mostly religiously-based, opinions by prefacing them with the phrase “I'm no scientist, but...” I am hopeful for a resurgence of interest in science and the vital role it has played and needs to continue to play in Society. I hope that the release of “The Theory of Everything” and “The Imitation Game” is a beginning, not a fluke.

The Year is a Week Old

It's been 2015 for just over a week now.  One week ago at this time, I was on my way to Heathrow, where I'd hang out in the BA Lounge before taking the long flight back to Las Vegas.  From there, Peter and I boarded the last flight of the day that Southwest runs from Last Vegas to San Diego.  It was a very full flight.  In fact, I think it was completely full.  I was glad that Peter was able to claim enough space in the overhead compartment for my suitcase, as he is one of their regular business flyers and boards first on every flight.  I was one of the last on the plane, with perhaps five or six people behind me, because I had not checked into the flight by phoning the day ahead. I'd forgotten about the phone check-in system they use.  I just happened to get lucky.

Today, I am 44 years old. Last night, I stopped into Target to buy shampoo and conditioner for Kat. When I attended the weekly meeting of the San Diego Boardgames Group at Fuddrucker's, I told my friends that I was marking another year's existence. One friend asked me if I dyed the grey hair I found recently. I said no, it's about time I looked my age, especially since I have a teenage daughter; I should probably look like the parent of a teen, whatever that means...

Played card games, starting with Crazy Rummy (progressive Rummy game, with a different “meld” for each hand), which took a while, then Oh Hell, a trick-taking game, which was fun, even though I didn't come terribly close to Rich, the scorekeeper, who won, of course!  Missed Theresa, who recently took a second shift job at a telemarketing firm. I think it's in a building I've seen, located on the route of a bus that I take to go downtown.

This morning, I baked a small batch (6) of whole wheat/flax/coconut muffins for breakfast. Kat chopped a couple handfuls of dried cherries to mix into the batter. We used the clotted cream, which I'd brought back from the BA lounge in London and had been keeping in the fridge, to top the muffins. I read how to make clotted cream, and it sounds like it would not be terribly hard to accomplish. Just takes time...

I just checked the cookie jar and there's still about a dozen cookies left, so I don't actually need to do any baking today; I'm just in a baking mood. I'm sure I'll get more inspiration when I pick up this week's CSA share.

I will go to Liz's flat to make Meyer lemon curd ice cream this afternoon. I'm really excited. She'd baked a pound cake to go with the ice cream, as well, so I'll have a “proper” birthday, I guess.

Curried Carrot Soup for a Cool Winter's Night

I just made soup, whose recipe comes via the Food Network, and it's quite good:

Curried Carrot Soup (I've deviated from the original recipe)

1 1/2 lb   carrots (sliced to thicknesses from 1/16" to 1/4")
6 c.         vegetable or chicken stock
1-2 T       blend of cumin, turmeric, salt, paprika (ground)
1 med.    onion (I used a red onion), sliced and separated into rings
1 T          butter
2 T          EVOO
               Sour cream, for serving

Saute onion and carrots in butter and oil until fragrant and onions soften.  Add stock and spices, and turn heat to high, bringing mixture to boil.  Allow to boil for several minutes until carrots soften.  Instead of pouring the soup into a blender, I used a wand blender to make the soup creamy, allowing some small lumps to remain.  After blending the soup, I allowed the soup to return to a boil until it thickened slightly.  Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream.  The sour cream helps to cool the soup sufficiently to eat immediately.

Kat did not have any, since she finished off a noodle soup that she'd had for lunch the other day while out with her grandparents (my folks).  They'd picked her up at the airport (since she was returning a day earlier than planned - her father cannot seem to keep to an agreed-upon schedule for his visitations).  The flight Peter and I took from Las Vegas landed later, at night (of New Year's Day).  It appears that in addition to limiting the cost sharing of K's care, Mark wants to maximize inconvenience to me (and therefore my family).  I am fortunate to have parents located near enough to cover for me at times like this.

Kat stayed with my folks in Murrieta while Peter and I camped out overnight in my until-then-unheated flat.  We managed to sleep with the help of my comfortable duvet which is at least five years older than Kat.  In the morning, I baked some savory muffins (cheddar and ricotta with red onion) for breakfast.  I then left Peter's house to go to Murrieta to visit with my sister and her husband.

We had a pleasant visit, and I was impressed with the activities she'd invented to introduce girls to electrical circuits.  After lunch, we talked for a little longer, then it was time to get on each of our ways.  Kat came with me and I drove back to Peter's, using his little car.

When we returned, I gave Peter his car keys, and he took his car to fetch his new reading glasses while I finished preparing the Rustic Rosemary Tart whose recipe I found online:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/rustic-rosemary-tarts.aspx

Unfortunately, I'd made the rough puff pastry with too much water, so the pastry flattened underneath the filling and was a bit heavy along the edges, not completely separating into its intended fine layers.  I was impatient with the pastry, but now I know that for next time, which will not be long in coming, I'm sure, as there are other pastries that I'd like to create.

I'm looking forward to fetching this week's share from Be Wise, as there may be avocado as well as citrus, carrots, kale, onions, and radishes.  Yum.

Bin Laden's Long Reach, or The Terrorists Have Won

Ever since the 9/11 attacks, airport security has been "heightened" to ridiculous extents. Why can I not take a bottle of facial lotion in my carry-on because the container it's in (not the actual amount of the liquid itself) can contain more than 3 ounces?

It has happened to me and, I'm sure, countless other folks who fly.  Vacationers used to be able, with nary a thought, to just get on the plane, fly to one's destination, and step off the plane...

Things have changed. Since the 9/11 terrorists, security (through the auspices of the TSA) at airports, domestic and international, has been restructured in such a ridiculous way that could still be easily defeated if one really had a mind to do it...

I'm not going to detail how this can be accomplished, but I do mean to talk about how it has become a true pain in the ass experience for everyone I've ever known who flies.  Peter's remained relatively unscathed by the TSA, merely annoyed and delayed by their so-called “thoroughness” though they are, in my opinion still an incompetent agency).

The young man who searched through my underwear and toiletries picked out a few items that he bagged separately (like I'm going to need them that way?), and others that he tagged for removal (toothpaste, facial lotion, though there was less than half of the 6 ounces of toothpaste left in the tube and less than 3 ounces in the facial lotion bottle). I ought to have insisted that he weigh the items to verify that they were greater than 3 ounces, oughtn't I?  However, I was too flabbergasted to say very much. Peter's carry-on was chosen for a random search, and I joked with him that TSA did that so that he wouldn't just be standing there, bored, waiting for me to get my luggage searched...

It wouldn't have happened had I just checked my bag. I complained to Peter that I could have, probably should have, checked my bag, but he worried that we'll miss our connecting flight from Las Vegas to San Diego because our layover will only two hours, and Las Vegas airport is big...

So I'm pissed. I'm pissed at the TSA for handing the terrorists victory:   it is now impossible for civilians (I cannot speak to military personnel) to travel without facing major inconveniences. Inconvenience: that's their phrase for harassing and delaying all passengers.

Nothing, in my experience, that is good has EVER come to light via religious faith. Religious fervor breeds contempt for the Other (everyone who does not share their specifically distorted, completely nonsensical, strict views that are completely based on their interpretation of some “holy scripture” they find unassailable). Do they not understand that they are imperfect humans as well? Imperfect beings who can make mistakes? The holier-than-thou sentiment becomes the blindness that is religious faith.

Although Islam is the currently favored flavor for terrorists at this time, Christians (Catholics) have had their share of wielding power in the service of self-serving doctrine (think: the Crusades). Muslims are currently on their own religious crusade to either convert or kill all non-Muslims. I don't buy the excuse that terrorists are somehow removed and different from everyday Muslims, because by identifying themselves with a religion that advocates hate and violence, Muslims have not a leg to stand on in any moral debate.