Bertolt Brecht's Warning About Fascism

Bertolt Brecht was a German writer, poet and play director. He was a prominent anti-Nazi, and a pro-Marxist. He left Germany right after Hitler was appointed chancellor. During the war, he wrote the play, "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" (see actual German title in photo below), a satire in which, although he used Chicago as the setting, was based upon Hitler's rise to power in Germany, which he depicted through the use of a gangster and his henchmen. The quote below, in reference to Hitler, is from that play. Brecht also helped write the script for the American produced 1943 film, "Hangmen Also Die," a movie based on the assassination of prominent Nazi and SS leader, Reinhard Heydrich in Prague, in 1942. The title came from Heydrich being known to many as, "der Henker" (literally, "the hanger"); that is, "the Hangman." Heydrich played a major role in planning the murder of millions of Europe's Jews.

We live in an era of rising fascism, so pay heed to Brecht's words, although written in the early 1940s, when he lived in the United States. 

Quote: "Do not rejoice in his defeat, you men. For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again."

Photo is of the German paperback edition by Suhrkamp Verlag (1965)

 WORD HISTORY:
Over-This common word, related to "up," and to the "ove" part of "above," goes back to the Indo  European root "upo," with the notion of "from under" or "from below," "to go over/above." This then provided the base of a comparative form, "uper." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "uber," with the meaning, "above, over." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "ofer," with the same meaning and which then became "over," the spelling of which has remained the same for many centuries. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German "über," Low German Saxon and Swedish "över," Dutch "over," West Frisian "oer" (compare the English contraction, more poetic, "o'er"), Danish and Norwegian "over," Icelandic "yfir." All have the same general meaning, "above, over," and also usually, "about," just as in English, "I was upset over (that is, "about") my lost money."   

Homemade Honey Barbecue Sauce

This is my own recipe and the sauce is dark, with the ground cloves just adding a bit of spicy flavor. It is easy to make.  

Ingredients:

3/4 cup ketchup
2/3 cup honey (see text below)
3 teaspoons molasses (I use blackstrap, but use what you have)
1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, whisking the sauce occasionally to keep it smooth. You may want to adjust the amount of honey, depending upon the tartness of the ketchup brand you use, so perhaps keep some of the honey in reserve until the sauce has cooked for awhile, then give it a taste, and add more, if needed, even using more than what I used to suit your own taste. I initially started with a half cup of honey, but the sauce was too tart, and I increased the amount of honey. 

A piece of chicken with honey barbecue sauce

WORD HISTORY:
Oregano-The ultimate origin of this word for the herb plant and its leaves is uncertain, although it possibly originated in Greek, as a compound of transliterated Greek "oros" (mountain) and "ganos" (brightness; thus, decorative), from the notion of the plant's (a type of marjoram) blossoms "brightening or decorating a mountainside." Anyway, Greek had "origanon," which was borrowed into Latin as "origanum," this was applied to marjoram, a part of the mint family. This form was used, seemingly sparingly, in English from about the 1300s. The Latin form also gave its Spanish offspring "orégano," and this later was used in the New World for various plants used for cooking and medicine. The Spanish word form provided a more widespread usage in the English of North America and of the Caribbean islands, which also was carried back to England in the latter part of the 1700s and, thus, altered the previous Latin form.

Crab Cakes

Patties made from chopped or ground meat, fish or seafood have seemingly been around since ancient times. Crab was used for such patties in the North American colonies of England, naturally more so along the Atlantic coastal regions. The Baltimore, Maryland area came to be known for these wonderful patties, where the term "crab cakes" apparently became popular in the 1900s. Way back in the early 1960s, we went to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. and visited a very close friend of my father. My dad had lived in Baltimore for five years in the 1930s. The first day, he took me to an area along Chesapeake Bay in the city, where there were fish and seafood stands, many complete with large kettles and barrels cooking crabs of various sizes. He picked out a large cooked crab, about the size of a soccer ball, if I remember right. Back in those times, he said the area had changed little from the days when he lived there, so he could easily find his way around. So we took the crab back to where we were staying with my dad's friend and his wife, who lived in a trailer. He showed me how to break open the crab and pick out the meat. Years later, I still had one of the claw shells from that crab we had eaten that day.

Crab can be quite dear, so if it strains your budget, you can use imitation crab, but try your best to give yourself a special treat and buy lump crab meat. This is my own recipe and the cakes are really "crab" cakes, not breadcrumbs with a bit of crab meat. 

Ingredients:

1 pound lump crab meat
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup green onion with some of the green, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Saute red bell pepper and onion in butter until softened, then cool the mixture somewhat. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl, then add the sauteed pepper and onion, combine. Gently mix the crab meat in, trying to keep the chunks from breaking up too much. Form patties, squeezing enough to keep them together, but not super firmly packed, place in freezer for about 10 to 12 minutes. Arrange on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Heat oven to 400 (F). Bake 15 minutes, then place the cakes under the broiler for about 3 to 4 minutes, until brown (watch carefully, so they don't burn), turn the cakes over, broil another 3 to 4 minutes, until brown on that side. Remember, you've already cooked the pepper and onion, so it is a matter of heating the cakes thoroughly, as they have egg in them, and browning them well. Serve with homemade tartar sauce. This is the link to my recipe for tartar sauce: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/09/homemade-tartar-sauce.html 

I served my crab cakes with some French fries, and tartar sauce for both.

WORD HISTORY:
Mirth-Mirth is the noun form of modern "merry," an adjective. It goes back to Indo European "mreghuz," which meant "short." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "murgjaz," which had the notion of "short (also of time), short duration." The notion of "short duration" provided the figurative meaning, "pleasant," from the idea that time passes quickly when an activity is pleasant. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "myrige," meaning, "pleasant, delightful," and this became modern "merry," and to the base was added the suffix, "th," in those times rendered as "ð" (called "eth"), and sometimes as "þ" (called "thorn");^ thus Old English "myrgð/myrgþ," meaning "merriment, joy." This then later became "mirth." Direct relatives have all died out in the other Germanic languages, but Dutch had an adjectival form also meaning "merry, pleasant," while German had a form which remained true to the original meaning, "short, brief," and a verb meaning "to cut into pieces;" that is, "shorten." 

^ The "th" suffix goes back to Old Germanic "itho," from Indo European "itah."   

Homemade Tartar Sauce

From what I've read over the years, tartar sauce is a French sauce developed from an eastern Mediterranean sauce based upon "tahini," a sauce or paste made from ground sesame seeds and oil. Tartar sauce is a common accompaniment to seafood, but it is also used as a dip for vegetables and French fries, or as a spread for sandwiches. 

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine)
3 teaspoons finely chopped sweet gherkins
1 tablespoon finely chopped mild dill pickle
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped (red or white)
1 tablespoon chopped capers
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon grainy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar (more if still too tart)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Mix the sugar with the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice to dissolve it. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and chill for at least an hour. 

WORD HISTORY:
Curry-English has other words of this spelling, but this is the one meaning, "spice mixture." It was borrowed into English in the late 1600s from the Tamil language of southern India and its word "kari." The word is also used as a verb to mean, "prepare food with a curry sauce," although it is more commonly used to describe a dish made with sauce using curry powder, and then referred to as, "curried," as in "curried lamb" or "curried vegetables." Tamil is one of the languages of the Dravidian family of languages, a separate language family from Indo European, the family to which English belongs.  

Cross of Iron, Sam Peckinpah's Tale of War

While I kept some of my original article from 2016, this is essentially a new article as of May 11, 2020.


When I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, movies and television had lots of Westerns and war stories. The production codes of those times very much limited how realistic these stories could be, and thus they were often romanticized well beyond the grim truth. Sam Peckinpah was one of the directors to break down the walls of romanticized and glamorized stories that were really horror stories. It's tough for some to get a handle on how showing graphic violence is "antiwar," but by showing how devastating, horrible and gruesome war really is, it might just give people encouragement to pressure warmongers to put the brakes on, and to keep war as a last option; although of course, the warmongers can take a gun and go off to war on their own or as part of some "merry band" and fight one another. This 1977 movie isn't really so much about Germans fighting Russians; rather, it is Peckinpah showing the soldiers of any nation who fight and often die or are wounded, versus the "higher ups," and the "medal scavengers," as he calls them in one scene of the film. I've got to believe Peckinpah saw Sergeant Steiner as himself, as Peckinpah was not one to toe the mark. Some thought the film was overkill (no pun intended ... okay, it WAS intended), but that was Peckinpah's point, the film doesn't say "war is hell," it screams, "WAR IS HELL AND NOBODY WINS!" "Cross of Iron" is one of the greatest war films ever made, but it is graphic and it should certainly dispel anyone's idea of war being some glamorous endeavor. I guess that's what makes it so great.
     
Many years ago I bought a paperback book called, "Cross of Iron," by Willi Heinrich, who was born in Heidelberg, and who was a former soldier in both Hitler's Wehrmacht and later in the West German Bundeswehr. The book, originally translated into English and published as "The Willing Flesh" in the 1950s, is a novel about a platoon of German soldiers fighting in the Soviet Union in 1943. The story is set in the Taman Peninsula in the southern part of the Soviet Union, an area where the author served during World War Two (he was wounded several times). I don't remember exactly, but I believe I hadn't had the book very long, when along came the movie by that title, "based" upon the book. The film was directed by Sam Peckinpah, who is best known for directing "The Wild Bunch," starring William Holden.

Cast (I'm using the English translation of the German military ranks and the cast is more extensive than what I'm listing here):

Corporal, then Sergeant Rolf Steiner ......................................... James Coburn
Captain Stransky ........................................................................ Maximilian Schell
Colonel Brandt ........................................................................... James Mason
Captain Kiesel ............................................................................ David Warner
Corporal Krüger ......................................................................... Klaus Löwitsch
Private Kern ............................................................................... Vadim Glowna
Lieutenant Triebig ...................................................................... Roger Fritz
Private Anselm ........................................................................... Dieter Schidor
Eva .............................................................................................. Senta Berger
Private Maag ............................................................................... Burkhard Driest
Corporal "Schnurrbart" (nickname means "Mustache") ............. Fred Stillkrauth
Lieutenant Meyer ........................................................................ Igor Galo
Zoll .............................................................................................. Arthur Brauss
Private Dietz ................................................................................ Michael Nowka

The film opens with the title, cast and credits displayed over snippets of a series of real German propaganda and military newsreel films showing children in the Hitler Youth, young people in cheering crowds, soldiers receiving medals, Hitler in various poses and soldiers fighting as bombs explode around them. In the background, the German children's song "Hänschen Klein" ("Little Hans") is playing. The first line of the song is, "Hänschen Klein ... ging allein ... in die weite Welt hinein" (Little Hans goes alone into the wide world).  

Corporal Steiner, who is later promoted to sergeant, is a highly respected, cynical, anti-authority soldier, who is well liked by the other men of his platoon. Steiner and the men are largely weary and disillusioned by the war and all the horrors they've seen and experienced; horrors that never seem to end, either in real life or in their minds, and these soldiers are gradually worn down by it all. The men are committed to each other, not to political beliefs and Nazi ideology in their struggle to stay alive against the advancing Red Army. Early on the men capture a teenage Russian soldier and bring him back to their camp, in spite of standing orders to execute Russian prisoners. Upon arrival with the Russian boy, the new company commander, Captain Stransky, orders the prisoner executed per the standing order. Steiner refuses, but one of the men speaks up and says he will do it, saying this only to deceive the captain, as they take the boy with them and hide him in their quarters. Stranksy is an aristocratic Prussian officer who pulled strings to be sent to the Russian front, as he is obsessed with winning the Iron Cross* so it can adorn his uniform and he can show it off to his family and others. He had been stationed in France, which was relatively quiet at that point in the war, as the Allied invasion didn't come until the next year; thus in 1943, there was little chance to win an Iron Cross while in France. The Iron Cross has already been won by Steiner and others; in fact, Colonel Brandt, the cynical regimental commander, offers to give one of his own medals to Stransky, so little meaning the medal has for the colonel; and further, when Stransky tells Steiner that he has been promoted to sergeant, Steiner is totally unimpressed and he stands there expressionless. So Steiner and Colonel Brandt each has a medal they see as meaningless, and Stransky wants to be awarded the same medal, a situation that is highly unlikely, as Stransky cringes every time a Russian shell explodes in or around the unit's position. Stransky knows that Steiner is a tough soldier, and that he himself can never be like Steiner, so he must win the Iron Cross in another way.

Later, in what Steiner wants to be an act of humanity, he takes the Russian teenager and releases him right near the front line, only to see the boy shot and killed by Russian soldiers as he heads toward the Russian lines. The boy's killing deeply affects Steiner. War makes humanity difficult, even when it's something seemingly as simple as releasing a prisoner. The boy's killing was by Red Army soldiers moving up to launch an attack on the German positions, which they do. German casualties mount, and one of the officers, Lieutenant Meyer, is bayoneted while rallying his men in a counterattack to throw the Russians back. As all of this happens, Stransky remains in his bunker, emerging only to shout, "We're winning, we're winning," and he then dashes back into his bunker as his forehead is scratched by flying debris. On a call with Colonel Brandt, Stransky makes sure to tell the colonel he is wounded. Steiner suffers a severe concussion and Corporal Schnurrbart is wounded and both end up in a hospital, where Steiner can't get the images of his dying men and of the Russian boy out of his head. He hallucinates at times. A general comes to the hospital to see which men he can send back to the battered front. In a tragic, but great scene, the general goes to shake the hand of one of the wounded who is in a wheelchair, but the man has lost his right hand, and the soldier then offers the general the remnants of his left arm. The general stares and defiantly the soldier sticks up his leg, if the general wants to shake it, but the general moves on and orders that 65% of the hospitalized men be sent back to duty within three days. Steiner looks on in amazement. He develops a brief relationship with his nurse, which gives him an escape from all that has gone on, but in the end, he chooses to return to his unit, instead of taking convalescent leave in Germany.

Upon return to his unit, Steiner is introduced to a Nazi, a former member of an SS Einsatzgruppe,** named Zoll, who has been placed in the platoon by Stransky. Steiner bluntly tells Zoll, "I don't care what you believe or what you've done. Your duty is to us, the platoon and me. Fulfill those duties, or you will have a bayonet up your ass. Clear?" While Steiner was in the hospital, Stransky claims HE led the attack to throw back the Russians and he is nominated for the Iron Cross. Stransky names Lieutenant Triebig and Sergeant Steiner as witnesses that he led the attack. Stransky has found out that Triebig is gay (then "homosexual" was the term used), and he blackmails Triebig for his support, with Triebig signing a statement literally lying about Stransky's role in the battle that day. With Stransky coming from the Prussian aristocracy, he's accustomed to getting his way by influence or money, and he has a talk with Steiner to get him to sign the paper. Steiner asks Stransky why "the worthless piece of metal" is so important to him, and Stransky tells him that he would not be able to face his family if he returns home without the Iron Cross. Steiner bluntly tells him he doesn't think Stransky deserves an Iron Cross. Other men in the unit testify that Lieutenant Meyer led the counterattack against the Russians and that neither Captain Stransky nor Lieutenant Triebig were seen. When Colonel Brandt questions Steiner, the sergeant says Lieutenant Meyer led the attack and that Stransky was not present. Triebig doesn't really give Colonel Brandt a direct answer about Stranky leading the attack, but rather he tries to dodge such an answer, even though he signed the paper with the statement saying Stransky led the counterattack. Colonel Brandt tells Triebig it is contemptible to steal the laurels of a man who was killed in action (Lieutenant Meyer), but that's what Stransky is willing to do for glory. Steiner, sick of the arguing and lying over medals, won't reaffirm his statement about Stransky not being seen during the battle.

The German high command for that part of the Russian front decides to pull back quickly, with no rear guard for the retreat. Stransky and Triebig do not inform Steiner and his men of the retreat, and they are left all alone, with a widening gap between the platoon and the withdrawing main German forces. The Red Army attacks the platoon, complete with tanks, and a vicious battle takes place. Steiner and several of his men are able to get away, but they must now find their way to the German lines. Meanwhile, Colonel Brandt receives orders that Stransky is to be sent to Paris within a week (presumably arranged by Stransky through his connections, now that he will get his medal), and Brandt knows that if Steiner won't speak up, Stranky will get the Iron Cross and, "strut all around Paris, the arrogant, unbloodied bastard."

As the platoon moves on to try to reach the German lines, they come upon some Red Army forces, including a women's military unit. The platoon takes several women prisoners inside a house. Steiner takes the women's uniforms to disguise some of his men so that they can get through the Russian lines by deception. Being around the women stirs the hormones of some of the men, bringing one German to shout, "This isn't a brothel; this is a war!" Steiner witnesses the death of one badly wounded young Russian woman, but he begins to reestablish some order in his men. While Steiner is outside, one of the women plays up to young Private Dietz, which allows her to get close to him, and she then stabs and kills him. Meanwhile, Zoll (the Nazi) begins roughing up one of the women and he takes her into the stable area for sex. She bites him, ah, not on the ear, and Zoll screams as blood covers his pants. Steiner runs in and then gets the other women prisoners and leaves them alone with Zoll, and they beat him to death.

Back at the German lines, the Red Army is pounding the German forces, and Colonel Brandt arranges to have the more intellectual Captain Kiesel evacuated. Kiesel is Brandt's adjutant and he doesn't want to leave, even as he and Brandt discuss his evacuation as shells explode, machine guns rattle and men fall dead all over. Brandt tells him, "For many of us Germans, the exterminator is long overdue, but I've decided you are worth saving." While Kiesel says there are better people than himself, Colonel Brandt explains that when Germany is defeated, the "new" Germany that develops will need men like him. Kiesel goes to be evacuated.

When Steiner and his men get to the Russian lines, he has those dressed in Red Army uniforms hold guns on those still in German uniforms, as if they are marching German prisoners off. Corporal Krüger, one of those in Russian uniform, is fluent in Russian and he speaks to a small party of Russian troops who stops them. All goes well at first, but the Russians see those dressed in Red Army uniforms are wearing German boots. A firefight breaks out and the Germans kill the Red Army soldiers. Steiner and his men make it to the front line, and Steiner has a radio message sent to the German front line telling them he will be coming in with several Russian prisoners, so there should be no shooting. He will use the password "demarcation." Stransky and Triebig are informed of the message, and both men see their chance to be rid of Steiner. Stransky tells Triebig that no one could ever question him if he fired on a number of men dressed in Russian uniforms in the early morning light. He then orders Triebig to "take care of it," and he reminds Triebig that his connections could get Triebig transferred to quiet Biarritz in southwestern France. Triebig goes to the front line, but he doesn't tell the men stationed there about the message or password. Steiner and his men begin to approach the German positions with those in Red Army uniforms with hands behind their heads. The men shout "demarcation" and "Steiner is coming in." Russian artillery fire picks up and Russian troops can be seen, which only confuses the situation even more, as the German troops at the defensive position believe a trick is afoot. The German troops open fire on Steiner's men, and the desperate cries of the men cannot be heard over all of the firing. Triebig urges the troops to keep firing as he shouts, "It's a trick!" Finally Steiner can be seen and the German troops know there has been a terrible mistake that has taken the lives of all but two of Steiner's men. Triebig tries to get away, but Steiner follows after him and shoots him repeatedly, and when Triebig still shows life, Steiner pumps more bullets into him.

The Red Army attacks as Steiner sets off to find Stransky, who is panicked by the German collapse as he tries to get out per the order for him to be transferred to Paris. As Steiner makes his way to Stransky's office, Red Army men are breaking through everywhere and artillery shells are crashing all over. He finds Stransky putting on his coat and he gets a gun and hands it to Stransky. At first Stransky aims it at Steiner's back, but he then says he'll go with Steiner, and show him "how a Prussian officer can fight." Steiner answers, "Then I'll show you where the Iron Crosses grow." When they go outside the German troops have broken and are fleeing. Colonel Brandt comes out with a gun and tries to halt the rout, leading the German troops to stand their ground as the intense shelling continues. Once again the German children's song "Hänschen Klein" begins playing in the background as Steiner and Stransky try to get away from the advancing Red Army soldiers. Stransky stops to reload, as Steiner calls to him to get going, but Stransky is unnerved and is unfamiliar with how to even reload his gun. Steiner begins to laugh hysterically, which continues until real still photos of Germans killing civilians pop onto the screen, followed by a still photo from Vietnam, then what "appears" to be a photo from the Middle East and one from Africa (remember this film is from 1977, when the Vietnam War was still fresh in the minds of many and when tensions in the Middle East were very high, and areas of Africa were engaged in warfare. Steiner's laughter starts again and a real photo of children behind barbed wire is shown. Steiner's laughter stops with him saying, "Oh shit," but what it means is unclear. Is it just exasperation? Is he looking at Red Army troops closing in on him and he's about to die? German writer Bertolt Brecht's quote comes onto the screen as the final touch, "Don't rejoice in his defeat, you men. For though the world stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again." 

As I mentioned earlier, in my opinion, this is one of the greatest war films ever made, but I say that from the "big picture" viewpoint, as the main plot is not really believable to me. The idea that a colonel in any army couldn't use testimony from numerous men in a military unit, and the spoken testimony of someone like Steiner against Stransky's lying claim of leading an attack, just doesn't hold water with me. Likewise with Triebig's lying to help Stransky. Later too, near the end, as Stransky is hurrying to get out so he can head to Paris, Colonel Brandt tells him on the telephone that the situation is bad and he needs him to stay, but Stransky, a captain, says he has his orders to leave for Paris. Again, this just doesn't fit; however, I forgive the movie its shortcomings. Also the ending has gotten criticism, as Steiner kills Triebig, Stransky's underling, but he allows Stransky to live, although we don't know for certain what happens to either Stransky or Steiner. Maybe those down the chain pay the price, while those above don't necessarily pay? I don't know.    

* The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) was a decoration awarded for some special military action, including bravery, or in very rare cases, for some special non combat service to the German military. It was awarded in second class and in first class.

** The Einsatzgruppen (plural), literally "action groups," were execution units that followed behind the German forces in the Soviet Union, killing Russian Jews and other civilians. They were murderers! There were other such units earlier in the war too. 

The photo is of the Hen's Tooth DVD

 WORD HISTORY:
Medal-This word, distantly related to "mid" and "middle," and more closely related to "medial" and "medium," goes back to Indo European "medhyos," which had the notion, "amidst, in the middle, between two points." This gave Latin "medius," meaning, "middle," which then produced "medialis," meaning "in or of the middle;" thus also, "average," and this produced "medialia," one of its plural forms, which meant "halves, small halves." This then became "medalia," which meant "half the amount of a denarius" (a Roman coin), and this was rendered in Italian as "medaglia," and then borrowed by French as "médaille." English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1500s. The verb form, meaning "to manufacture medals," developed in the mid 1800s in English, and the verb form, meaning "to win a medal in an event, often in the Olympics," developed in the 20th Century.

Homemade Clam Dip

Clam dip was once quite popular, and there was even a commercial brand or two, and maybe that is still the case, but I haven't seen it for quite a number of years, and it tasted "commercial," in my opinion. It is very easy to make, so don't worry about a store brand. I've made this super easy by using onion and garlic powder, but you could use fresh onion and garlic, but be aware, clams are relatively mild tasting, and strong flavors, including too much Worcestershire sauce, can cover up their flavor, which is the whole reason for the dip. 

Ingredients:

1 6 1/2 ounce can chopped clams, drained, but add back one tablespoon of liquid, reserve rest of  liquid
1  8 ounce package cream cheese, softened (reduced fat type is fine) 
1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 Mix all ingredients together. If too thick, add some of the reserved clam liquid, a teaspoon at a time, stirring well, until desired thickness is reached. Best if chilled for an hour or two before serving. "If" you have any dip left over, cover and refrigerate, and you can add a little of the juice to thin it slightly when ready to use, so keep the juice refrigerated too.

I used my clam dip with potato chips and pretzel thins. 

WORD HISTORY:
Clam-The ultimate origin of this word, closely related to "clamp," is uncertain, but the meaning of its Old Germanic ancestor, "klamm," was "press/clamp together." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the noun "clamm," meaning, "a grasp, a bond, a band (a band that ties or secures something), a fetter." This then became "clam," and the idea of "holding, grasping, binding" continued, with the meanings, "clamp, pincers, clasp." Later the word was paired with "shell," as "clam shell," in Scotland, but then was shortened to just "clam" for the "hard-shelled creature that lives in water, whose shells clamp shut." This meaning spread into English, in general, during the early 1500s. The verb, meaning "to dig for clams in the sand," seems to have developed in the North American colonies about a hundred years later. The American usage for "dollars" (the term is almost always used in the plural), "may" have come from "clams" being used for barter, with the term then extending to money. The verbal usage "clam up," meaning, "to keep quiet," is obviously from the notion, "close the lips tightly like clam shells, so as not to be able to speak." Containers in modern times, often used for food, are also called "clamshells," because they can open and close on a hinge. Forms of "clam" in the other Germanic languages did not develop the modern sense of their English cousin, but rather many still have the meaning, "clasp, clamp," in the noun form, and "to clamp, to clamp shut," in verb forms. I will do the history of "clamp" soon, and I will then put the related Germanic language words. Just a little note also: "clam" MAY be related to "climb," and also to, "clay."

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Nine

What I learned over time, was that my friend had created something of a false "basic" profile of himself online (he's certainly not the only one who has done that), but unlike some people, it was at least based upon a real person. I'm sort of a suspicious person to begin with, but I didn't really pick up on much of the phoniness at first, but gradually I noticed some discrepancies. He was hiding, and at times it showed. I eventually communicated with four people who "claimed" they knew him in real life, although two of those I communicated with only online. By that time, he and I had become very "close" in terms of daily communication and we had shared information about ourselves, although he still stuck to the basic phony info, but as I noted in a much earlier segment, I'm not sure that once he lays out something, that he can ever draw back, and just say like, "Hey, I made up some things, because I didn't know the people I would be chatting with and possibly be meeting, but you and I get along real well,* and here's the scoop." Now here too, all of us can have a hard time "fessing up" to such things, but it seems to be especially tough for him. In this way, he seems to be something on the order of Donald Trump, without the power or the hairdo.

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane Featured Real Contempt

If you have never seen this movie, PLEASE do so! The basic story is about a former childhood star from the Vaudeville era, Jane Hudson, played by Bette Davis, and known to the audiences of those days as "Baby Jane." As a child she received all of the accolades and attention because of her onstage act. Her sister, Blanche, played by Joan Crawford, was relegated to the shadows in those times. When the two became adults, Blanche got the roles in movies, and Jane struggled to remain in show business, as her talents as a child did not work for her as an adult. After a party one night, there was an accident, and Blanche ended up confined to a wheelchair. The story fast forwards to many years later, and the two sisters still live together, with Jane having to take care of her invalid sister. Still, people see Blanche's movies, by then shown on television, and they send her flowers and cards expressing their admiration for her performances, a thing which eats away at Jane, whose act was a live act, never to be seen on television. Jane is further embittered by the fact that she's no longer in the limelight and many people have difficulty recalling who she is, or those who recall the name "Baby Jane," are prone to ask what became of her (thus, the title). Her bitterness and mental instability grows with each day, and she decides to essentially revive the act from her childhood days (there is security in the past). In the meantime, she goes about terrorizing her invalid sister, who has to rely upon Jane for her care.

I won't go further here, so as not to spoil the movie for those who may not have seen it, or perhaps even for those who saw it, but who may not recall everything. It's a very suspenseful movie, well played by the two antagonistic actresses, and by the supporting cast, including Victor Buono, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Edwin Flagg, a forlorn musician hired by Jane to play piano in the revival of her act.

The movie, filmed in black and white, was released in the early 1960s and directed by Robert Aldrich, who captured the real life contempt held by the two stars for each other. The feud between Crawford and Davis had gone on for years, seemingly dating back to Crawford's early Hollywood success, while Davis, who was just a few years younger, struggled in those times to make it in the movies. What started out as something of a rivalry, however, developed into an intense dislike, and even hatred, fostered by slights and shenanigans, and outright nastiness toward each other (Davis supposedly called Crawford the "c" word .... ah, "c--t"). They also had some shared love interests, especially over actor Franchot Tone, who ended up marrying Crawford, which really set the match to the gunpowder. The filming of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" brought difficulties, as the two reportedly complained to producer/director Robert Aldrich about each other on pretty much a daily basis. The whole thing remained at a simmer until the Academy Awards, where Davis, who had received the nomination for best actress for her performance as Jane, lost to Anne Bancroft for her role in, "The Miracle Worker." The thing was, Bancroft did not attend the award ceremony, but she had arranged for a friend to accept the award on her behalf if she won; that friend was JOAN CRAWFORD! 

Photo is from the 2006 Warner Brothers Entertainment 2 disc DVD set

WORD HISTORY:
Rival-This word goes back to Indo European "reywos," which had the notion of "a flow, moving in a stream." This gave Latin "rivus," which meant "stream." This then produced "rivalis," the literal meaning of which was, "one using the same stream as someone else," and the idea of "competitiveness" seems to come from sort of "water rights;" thus, "competing for the use of a stream;" thus then, "neighbors competing," an idea that then broadened into the more general, "competitors." English borrowed the word in the second half of the 1500s. 

"Party of Lincoln?"

Strange how many Democrats truly admire Abraham Lincoln and how many in the modern Republican Party, "the party of Lincoln," seem indifferent, if not not openly hostile, to the first Republican president, or hostile to what he stood for. Maybe "some" Republicans would feel more comfortable being labeled, "the party of Jefferson Davis?"

WORD HISTORY:
Yore-This word, closely related to "year," goes back to variant Indo European bases "yer" (long "e") and "yor" (long "o"), which meant "year," but also "season of the year." The Old Germanic offshoot was "jaeram," meaning "year." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "gear" ("year"), which had the genitive plural form "geara," which meant, "of years" (no "of" needed with the English grammar in those times), then also to mean, "of years long past." The word then came to be spelled "yore," with the very similar meaning, "a period of time long ago."  

English Beans

I have simplified this recipe by using canned (already cooked) beans, but you could certainly use dried navy beans, soaking or partially cooking them before proceeding with the recipe. In England and much of Britain, beans are served as part of breakfast, and very much so for an "English Breakfast," * although not exclusively so, and serving beans on toast is popular. There are many recipes for English beans, but I've seen perhaps as many as 20 recipes, and with one exception, the one common thing was, no meat was included. In the United States, it is rare to see beans fixed without meat, usually bacon, salt pork or ham, and even the commercial canned versions have meat, although you may need to use a magnifying glass to find it. In Britain, to save time, Heinz canned beans are highly common. These are not the same as the Heinz versions in the U.S., but rather a meatless, mixed sweet and tangy, tomato-y dish, which sell quite well throughout Britain, and "seem" to be sort of a standard by which breakfast beans are judged by many there. When I've had the Heinz variety, ** I've only seen the tomato sauce, no bits of onion or any other ingredient, and while I read where one person mentioned vinegar in the Heinz version, the ingredient list does not mention it, nor is there really any taste of vinegar; at least, not that I could tell. Anyway, this is my version of "English beans," with very tomato-y sauce.

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can navy beans
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons canola oil
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar, you may need more or less sugar, depending upon the tartness of the tomato sauce you use)

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil and then saute the onion over medium low heat. After about one minute, add the garlic, cooking the two ingredients until softened. Add the tomato sauce, the thyme, and the blackstrap molasses, stirring to mix everything. Let the sauce simmer lightly for about 20 minutes or more, putting the lid on askew, to keep the sauce from spattering all over your stove, but also allowing the sauce to cook down somewhat. Taste the sauce to see how tangy it is, then add the brown sugar accordingly, stirring well. Let the sauce reduce to thicken it, before adding the beans. After adding the beans, let everything simmer an additional 10 to 15 minutes. The sauce should be well thickened and somewhat sweetened, but not too sweet. It should have a slight tang.

* This is the link to my "English Breakfast" article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/09/an-english-breakfast.html 

** You can often find them in supermarkets nowadays, in the international section, and they have a different label (sort of blue-green? aqua? and the Heinz logo) and the can will have, "Product of the United Kingdom," somewhere on it.    

I put my English beans on toast

WORD HISTORY:
Molasses-This word for, "the syrupy product made from refining sugar," and distantly related to the "mil" part of the word "mildew," goes back to Indo European "melit/melid," which meant "honey." This gave its Latin offspring, "mel," with the same meaning, but also the more general, "sweetness." This then gave Latin, "mellaceus," which meant, "sweet like honey." This gave the Latin-based languages in the Iberian Peninsula forms like, Spanish "melaza," Catalan "melassa," and Galician and Portuguese "melaço," all of which were applied to the refined sugar product originally made in the West Indies from sugar cane there and used to make rum. English borrowed the word from Portuguese probably in the mid 1500s, although the word did not become more common until the late 1500s.

Cubano, Cuban Sandwich

The Cuban sandwich, also known as a "Cubano," is a pressed grilled ham, pork and cheese sandwich. The sandwiches are common in Florida, especially in Miami and Tampa, and in the latter, they add Genoa salami. I'm not claiming this is totally "authentic," mainly because Cuban bread, which has lard in it, is used in the real thing. Further, a sandwich press, which also heats the sandwich, is often used to toast and compress the sandwich.

Ingredients:

6 inch hoagie rolls
honey ham, thinly sliced
pork roast, thinly sliced (preferably some leftovers from a homemade roast, but store bought is fine)
Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
mild dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise 
yellow mustard
butter for outside of the rolls

For each sandwich, split a hoagie roll, then spread some mustard (to taste) on both the upper and lower parts. Layer some ham onto the bottom part (I used four folded slices for a 6 inch roll). Next, add a layer of the pork roast in slices (I again used four slices), then add the Swiss cheese, and finally the pickle slices. Press the sandwich down along its entire length, then butter the outside on both parts. A cast iron skillet is great for this, but use whatever skillet you have. Heat the skillet on medium low, then add the sandwich. Cover the top of the sandwich with parchment paper, then add a pan filled with water (for weight) or another heavy object to weigh down and compress the sandwich. After a few minutes, turn the sandwich over to the other side and repeat the process. The roll should be toasted to a light brown and the cheese should be melted. Cut the sandwich on the diagonal.   

WORD HISTORY:
Pork-This word, distantly related to English "farrow" (young pig), goes back to Indo European "porko," which meant "swine, young swine." This gave Latin "porcus," which meant "swine, farm raised swine." This was rendered in Old French, a Latin-based language, as "porc," with the same meaning, but also, "meat from a swine." This was carried to England by the Normans and it was later borrowed into English in the latter part of the 1200s, along with the "meat from a swine" meaning.

A Super Salami Sub

"Submarine sandwiches," also known as "sub sandwiches," but also known as "hoagies" and "grinders," are very popular, with literally tens of thousands of "sub shops" in the United States alone, and many others located worldwide. While the sandwiches often have an "Italian theme," this version of my own, continues that theme to some degree, but with some variations, including honey French dressing.

Ingredients:

six inch hoagie/sausage rolls
mayonnaise
honey French dressing (store bought or homemade*)
red onion
red sweet pepper slices
mild dill pickle slices (lengthwise)
pitted kalamata olives (far better than the canned black ripe olives, which are bland, in my opinion)
Roma tomato slices (lengthwise)
Pecorino Romano, thin slices or shavings
American cheese slices
fresh rosemary leaves
white pepper (or black)
hard salami slices
cotto salami slices
(optional) fresh chili peppers (jalapeno, serrano or habanero; I don't always use them, but I prefer fresh to the chili peppers in jars, which aren't necessarily bad, but they do generally have a vinegary taste)

For each sandwich: spread one half of a roll with mayonnaise and the other half with honey French dressing. Layer the other ingredients onto the sandwich, leaving the rosemary (about 8 leaves) and white pepper (1/4 teaspoon) until last. I press down on the sandwich; and in fact, I often, but not always, wrap the sandwiches and put them in the refrigerator with a heavy object on top to compress them for an hour or two. I use one layer each for most ingredients (onion, sweet pepper slices, pickle slices, tomato slices, Pecorino slices or shavings, American cheese slices, olives), but I use four folded slices of cotto salami (round slices with peppercorns and about 4 1/2 inch diameter) and 8 slices hard salami (round and about 3 1/2 inch diameter).** 

* For homemade honey French dressing, here is the link to my article: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/08/homemade-honey-french-dressing.html

** Cotto salami is cooked, while hard salami typically is cured and air dried.

Photo is before I pressed down much on the sandwich to compress it.

WORD HISTORY:
Salami-This word goes back to Indo European "salh," which meant "salt." This gave its Latin offspring "sal(e)," with the same meaning. This then gave Latin the verb "salare," meaning "to use salt on something, to put salt something." This then produced Latin "salamen," meaning, "salt cured meat," and then Italian "salame," with the meaning, "cured and seasoned ground meat product," and its plural form, "salami," was borrowed by English from Italian in the mid 1800s, although in English the word is used as both singular and plural, although salamis is also used as a plural.  

An English Breakfast (Fry Up)

February 15, 2019, edited slightly to include a link to my article about English beans, as that article was originally published after this article about an English breakfast.
 

This really isn't a recipe in the true sense, but rather the components of an English Breakfast, although these components are not all used by everyone, and other components, like fried mushrooms, blood sausage (black pudding), and/or "white pudding" (no blood, but ground meat with grain, often oats, as a filler), are included, or replace some of those listed. It is commonly known as a "Fry Up" in England and other parts of Britain.

So, an English breakfast, or fry up, typically includes: eggs (fried or scrambled), bacon (which is meatier than American bacon in England, as it includes more from the loin, and only a small part of the fat from the 'belly' used in American bacon, and it is called "back bacon"), baked beans in tomato sauce, which most often are not really "baked," and they aren't really quite the same as American baked beans,* fried ripe tomato (tomato halves typically fried in the bacon fat), fried potatoes, fried bread (fried in butter or in the bacon fat) and sausages.

* For homemade English beans, here is the link to the article:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/09/english-beans.html

From the top: bacon, fried ripe tomato half, fried potatoes, fried bread, Heinz English-style beans, fried sausages and scrambled eggs.

WORD HISTORY:
Fast-This word, closely related to the verb "fasten," "seems" to go back to Indo European "pehst," which had the notion, "firm, solid, fixed in place." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "fastuz," with the same meanings; thus also, "secure." This gave Old English "fæst," meaning: "steadfast, secure, firm, strong." This then became "fast," and it has remained such for many centuries. While the original meaning has remained, the further meaning of "quick" began to develop in the 1200s and 1300s, "perhaps" from use of "fast" with words of motion (fast runner, fast horse, fast wagon), but it didn't fully develop until the 1500s. Generally the word is pronounced "fahst" in British English, but with the more nasalized "a" in American English. The meaning, "not to eat for a period of time," comes from the notion of "holding 'fast' to a diet for some observance," not just to lose weight. And its use in the compound "breakfast" means just that, "break the overnight fast." Common in the other Germanic languages, all with the same or similar meaning to their English cousin, but none with the further meaning "quick," which only developed in English: German has "fest" (the German noun "Festung," means "fortress;" that is, "secure/strong place"), Low German Saxon "fest," West Frisian "fêst," Dutch "vast" (the 'v' is pronounced as an 'f'), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian "fast," Icelandic "fastur" (somewhat more limited modern meaning "solid, tight").     

Spicy Seasoned Shoestring Potatoes

These can make a great side dish or snack.

1 pound of fresh or frozen shoestring potatoes
oil for frying
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder

Heat the deep fryer or skillet with about an inch of oil. In the meantime, mix the spices together in dish with a lid (or even in a plastic zip-lock bag). Fry the potatoes until they begin to turn golden brown. Remove and drain the potatoes on paper towels. Put the potatoes into the spice container (or bag) and shake until they are coated with the spice mixture. Remove and shake off excess spices. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Twin-This word, related to several other words, including "twine" (string, thread), goes back to Indo European "dwoh/dwah/duwo," which meant "two." From this developed "dwinho,"  which had the notion of "two of the same, double." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "twinjaz," which had the similar notion of "by twos, double." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "twinn" (twin, double) and also "getwinn" (twins, doubles). This then became "twynne," before the modern form. Forms in the other Germanic languages: German "Zwilling" (meaning "twin;" lost the "n," as the root was previously spelled "zwine/zwini"), ^ Low German Saxon "Twilling" (twin), Dutch "tweeling" (twin), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian "tvilling" (twin) and Icelandic "tvenna" (pair). I could not find a form in modern Frisian, but it once had "twine" (the ending "e" was pronounced "eh").  

^ As with German, many of the Germanic languages lost the "n." The "ling" ending is a common Germanic ending, sometimes, but not always, used as a diminutive (making something small or dear). Examples: as a diminutive in "darling," but non diminutive in "sprawling." 

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Eight

A troubling sign for me about my friend was an answer he gave when I asked him how he felt towards his mother. His answer came back, "I'd beat the f--- out of her if I could." This was sort of a red flag, especially because of how it tied in with other things he had mentioned previously about his contentious relationship with his mother. Now, I suppose all of us, at one time or another in our lives, have wanted to strangle a parent, or both parents, over some matter that seemed important at the time. Perhaps later, we saw things much differently, and perhaps even as silly, given the perspective of age. After all, as a child, going to some school event is important, and if our parents stopped us from participating, for some reason, that was likely to cause conflict and ill feeling toward the parents. Perhaps too, later, the parents may have felt they acted improperly, but they may also have seen their action as proper. I'm not saying we always look back and regret our decisions. What has caused my friend's intense, constant, rather than temporary, contentiousness with his mother, I don't know, as he is a middle aged man, and he lives close to his parents, although I have one or two suspicions, but I'll keep them for another segment.

For a little perspective, see Part Seven at this link:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-friend-in-west-virginia-part-seven.html

WORD HISTORY:
Wake-I've covered other forms of this word elsewhere, but this is the noun meaning "aftermath of waves and turbulence from a ship or a boat." ^ This word "seems" to have been borrowed from close cousin Low German "wake" (likely pronounced "vahkeh") in the mid 1500s. Low German apparently borrowed it from Old Norse (another Germanic language) "vaka," a form of "vök," ^^ which meant, "a break or hole in the ice." Where Old Norse got the word is unknown, but Icelandic still has "vök," with the same meaning. The English meaning likely comes from the notion of a ship or boat "breaking or cutting through the ice," then extended to "cutting through the water," which causes waves.  

^ Also in more modern times, "air turbulence as the aftermath of an airplane;" plus the figurative sense, "aftermath of an event;" for example, "In the wake of the house fire, the city closed the street, until further notice."

^^ Old Norse is from the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages, and it, or its most prominent descendants: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, influenced, and was/were influenced by Low German, Frisian and English. 

Traditional Republicans, Here's Your Chance to Reclaim Your Party

If the public opinion polls and many pundits are right, Republicans, or at least Donald Trump, will lose BIG in November. For traditional Republicans, some (many?) of whom have expressed the wish for just such an election outcome, this is now your chance to retake your party from those you allowed in; a group of fanatical right wing bigots, racists and outright fascists, along with religious fanatics, at least those 'claiming' religion, most often, Christianity, but they, like the fanatical elements of Islam, have perverted the religion to their own purposes, especially a longing for the distant past, and that longing's support for bigotry, racism and hatred. At times some within this collective group of haters have expressed their discontent with the Republican Party, essentially admitting they only use your party as a vehicle for their agenda. * They have used YOUR party to cloak themselves in the guise of mainstream ideas, and while you too often have been complicit and ENABLERS of these extremists, you now have the chance to cleanse yourself of this terrible cancer on your party, the once proud party of  Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. If the election indeed proves to be a large scale loss for the GOP, don't let such a loss go without telling these fanatics that they need to seek asylum (some need a real "asylum") elsewhere, and that their presence within your party is no longer welcome, nor desired. You got yourselves into this mess, and you can now begin to undo the damage.

We need a responsible right of center political party in this country, but the key word is "responsible," not the obstructionist, hate filled, "I want to live in a past century," collection of malcontents, acting to bring down the government and drag down everyone along with them. A bunch of conspiracy mongers that have taken over the Republican Party, along with their megaphone blaring, indoctrinating propagandists Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, et al.

* There was an Ohio primary ad with a woman saying she's, "not really a Republican, but rather, I am  a conservative," and she would not support the traditional GOP candidate in the primary, only the hard-line conservative.

WORD HISTORY:
Wake- English has another noun "wake" (meaning, "aftermath waves and water turbulence of a ship or boat"), but the form here is the verb for, "to awaken, to wake up, to be awake," and then the verb's derived noun, with the meaning "a celebration of a deceased person's life, a vigil for a corpse." The history of the basic word is complex, as you'll see, because it is so closely related to "watch," ^ but also because of the long time presence in English of the related words, "awake" and "awaken," which will require separate word histories themselves, lest we all get totally confused by all of these entangled words, so similar in spellings and meanings. Both the verb and the noun are closely related to "watch," in its verb and noun forms. It goes back to Indo European "weg/wek," which had the notion of "be active, lively." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "wakojana(n)/wakjana(n), with the meaning, "to wake up, to awaken, to be awake," as well as the extended meaning "be awake for the purpose of guarding." This gave Old English the verbs "wacian" and "wacan," with "wacian" meaning, "to be awake, to not be asleep, to keep watch;" and, "wacan" meaning, "to awaken, to rise from sleep." The two verb forms eventually melded to become "waken," before the modern form. The noun form was derived from the Old English verb "wacian," with the noun rendered as "wacu," but it was initially used in compounds with the meaning "watch, watch duty," before it became a stand alone word meaning, "a vigil ("a watch") for a corpse."

^ Indeed, the family name "Wakeman," is really an old form meaning "watchman."