Weekly Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 28 Mar 2010

From Denny: This funny polar bear says it all: Whew! Time to take it easy after a long harsh winter!

If you are a blogger like me with the Blogger platform at blogspot.com, and you haven't already heard about it since it came out a couple of weeks ago, you might want to check out this new feature from Blogger: Blogger in Draft. I spent the entire weekend playing around with the possibilities and decided to change over to this new dashboard and template offerings.

Blogger has come out with some outstanding new templates and the ability to widen margins of all your columns to imitate the old stretch template or create your own ideas of what appeals to you. Be as creative as you like! Read that as embedding videos and cartoons will now work better. Before, if you had a background from somewhere else - like I was doing - you had to reduce the width of your template down to the Minima template offered by Blogger. Then you could not run the cartoons at all as they were chopped off on the right side.

You now have many choices of how to arrange your columns just like a newspaper. There is a good variety of stunning backgrounds from which to choose - and believe me I've been choosing all this weekend for 12 blogs! :) I would like to see them expand their background choices in various colors and genre but what they have offered so far is plenty for most bloggers.

What am I still looking for from Blogger? To the folks at Blogger: I'm looking for more seasonal choices that have a sophisticated look, peaceful or spiritual, as opposed to just fun or downright cheesy. Backgrounds tailored to writing, poetry, art and literature other than the standard stack of books would be great - like beautiful calligraphy pens and parchment papers, stylized handwriting or fonts offered on the background and for the blog. You might want to consider backgrounds of America's cities like New Orleans and others for those of us with regional food blogs.

I'd also like to see the ability to post headlines and 200 word summary excerpts of up to 10 posts per page so people could easily choose what they want to read much like Wordpress already offers. Scrolling at the top of the page or at the header of the most recent posts would be cool like you see at newspaper sites online. Dreamer, that's me! So far, Blogger is on a roll so keep up the good work, guys! Oh, and if you could ever get that Google Connect or Followers Gadget to work with Google AdSense ads on the same page it would be much appreciated too.

On to the posts of the week and a few extra recipe posts from the past two weeks in case you missed anything good! :) Finally got caught up over at my science blog this weekend with some interesting stories so be sure to check out their offerings. Please bookmark this post to catch up on all the interesting news, great recipes and beautiful photography in our world! :) Enjoy...






The Social Poets:


51 Funny Political Cartoons - Sex Scandals, Rove, Obama, Health Care, Tea Party - 27 Mar 2010

Release Your Dreams and Spring into Life poem - Libations Friday 26 Mar 2010

Bullying Death Threats Against Congress Because of Health Care Law

Origins of the Funny Easter Bunny - Cheeky Quote Day 24 Mar 2010

Senate Parliamentarian Rules Against GOP to Stop Passed Health Care

Fleecing America: Political Hypocrites Drenched in Stimulus Money

Roundup of Late Night Comedy - 22 Mar 2010

The 11 Choices poem - Libations Friday 19 Mar 2010

Funny Late Night Comedy Roundup - 15 Mar 2010

41 Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 21 Mar 2010





Dennys Global Politics:


How New Health Law Affects You, Comics Review The News, Tea Party Antics - Headlines 26 Mar 2010

Health Bill Bounces Back to House for Final Push - Headlines 25 Mar 2010

More Hideous Molestation Sex Scandals - Headlines 24 Mar 2010

Sweeping Health Care Reform Signed into Law Today, Headlines 23 Mar 2010





The Soul Calendar:


Now Peru Faces Water Wars From Climate Change

Come to Iceland: Experience Living With a Volcano in Your BackYard

Moon Water: Order Up Your Cocktail Today

Check Out This Tripping New Look for the Milky Way

New Finding Under Antarctic Ice: Stinky Greenhouse Gas Ready to Go Boom

Friday Trivia: 14 Useless Random Facts






The Healing Waters:


Good News: 12 Year Old Walks to Raise Awareness About Homeless Kids

Good News: How New Health Care Law Affects You, Marines Rescue Tangled Seal

Good News: Afghan Orphanage Female Director Honored





Beautiful Illustrated Quotes:


Does Your Life Feel Like a Disaster?

3 Quotes About Facing Tough Times





Food Blogs:


Louisiana Crawfish Etouffee From Lafittes Landing

Kid Chefs Offer Tasty Recipes 4 Sandwiches Adults Will Like

New Orleans Recipes: Crawfish Etouffee, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Jambalaya, Sazerac Cocktail

Super Bowl Food: Jumbo Shrimp and Gouda Grits

Chef Sandra Lees Quick Baby Back Ribs

7 Easy Recipes for Relaxed Weekend Food

5 Super Easy Chocolate Desserts: Only 5 Ingredients

Gorgeous Whiskey Chocolate Brownies

Moistest Low Cal Chocolate Cake, Pesto Veggie Lasagna, Quick Salad

Spring Food: Chef Kellers Marinated Skirt Steak, Ice Cream Sandwiches

Easy Rich Yellow Loaf Cake with Chocolate Ganache





Photo blog:


Dennys Photo Gallery: Beautiful Blues in Our World

Photo History: 1st Lady Gowns, Michelle Obama Donates Hers

Photography, Beautiful Metaphor for Life: 17 Boats

Only White Theme: 26 Photos

16 Beautiful Creative Angel Photos

10 Make You Think Fantasy Photos

30 Funny Creative Animal Ads





Humor Blogs:


Funny Comics Review The News - 26 Mar 2010

Outrageous Dog: Chews Car Bumper Off Police Car

Funny Rules of Chocolates, Origins of the Funny Easter Bunny

Funny Video: Movie Trailer 4 Death at a Funeral

Friday Trivia: 14 Useless Random Facts

Funny Sarcastic Sayings 4 Any Day

Funny News: Italys World Slow Day

Weird News: Watching Porn in Church

7 Funny Quips 10 Mar 2010

8 Funny Quips






*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

41 Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 21 Mar 2010

From Denny: Catch up on posts at all of Denny's blogs. Lots of choices from news, political humor, political opinion, science news, poetry, motivational quotes and spiritual thoughts, great recipes and humor. And hey, if you would like to bookmark this on your fav social site, it sure would make my day! :)


The Social Poets:

Health Care Reform Resistance, Funny Political Cartoons - 20 Mar 2010

The 11 Choices poem - Libations Friday 19 Mar 2010

Fleecing America: Political Hypocrites Drenched in Stimulus Money

Funny Sarcastic Sayings for St. Patricks Day - Cheeky Quote Day 17 Mar 2010

2 Months Later: Haiti Still Suffers Yet Has Faith

Funny Late Night Comedy Roundup - 15 Mar 2010

29 Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs 14 Mar 2010



Dennys Global Politics:


Health Care Vote and What You Get, Iraq War Anniversary - News Roundup 21 Mar 2010

Latest on Health Care Bill - Headlines Roundup 19 Mar 2010

News Headlines Roundup 16 Mar 2010 - Religious Sex Scandals, Scientology Abuses, Lost Shakespeare Found

News Headlines Roundup 15 Mar 2010 - CEO Bonuses, Life in Antarctica, Old Europe

News Headlines Roundup 12 Mar 2010 - W.H. Press Sec and Canada Bet, American Adooption, Americas Yellow Journalism

News Headlines Roundup 10 Mar 2010 - Rep. Patrick Kennedy outburst in House

Funny Colbert Interviews Erickson, Head of Conservative RedState.com



Beautiful Illustrated Quotes:


Does Your Life Feel Like a Disaster?

3 Quotes About Facing Tough Times




Food blogs:


Moistest Low Cal Chocolate Cake, Pesto Veggie Lasagna, Quick Salad

Gorgeous Whiskey Chocolate Brownies

5 Super Easy Chocolate Desserts: Only 5 Ingredients

4 Star Food on a Budget: Pecan Chicken, Salad, Orzo, Sweet Cheese Tarts

Martha Stewarts 4 Fast Spring Recipes

New Orleans Recipes: Crawfish Etouffee, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Jambalaya, Sazerac Cocktail

Stop That Cold in Its Tracks: Illness Fighting Foods

Check Out Statistics 4 Real Cost of Fast Food vs. Whole

Chef Mario Batalis 3 Saltimbocca Recipe Variations

Olympics Seafood Dish: Pan Roasted Black Cod, Sunchokes, Lentils and Mushrooms



Science @ The Soul Calendar:

Check Out This Tripping New Look for the Milky Way

New Finding Under Antarctic Ice: Stinky Greenhouse Gas Ready to Go Boom

Friday Trivia: 14 Useless Random Facts

Comics Point of View: Our Weird Politicians



Humor Blogs:

Funny Sarcastic Sayings 4 Any Day

Funny News: Italys World Slow Day

Weird News: Watching Porn in Church

7 Funny Quips 10 Mar 2010

8 Funny Quips



Visual Insights:

Photography, Beautiful Metaphor for Life: 17 Boats

Only White Theme: 26 Photos

Photo History: 1st Lady Gowns, Michelle Obama Donates Hers

16 Beautiful Creative Angel Photos

10 Make You Think Fantasy Photos

30 Funny Creative Animal Ads


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

29 Post Roundup at Dennys Blogs 14 Mar 2010

From Denny: Remember me? You know, the woman who was pining away, waiting for Winter to leave and Spring to come? Yeah, well, the past two weeks here in south Louisiana the tree pollen blast has forced me to practically buy stock in the Kleenex brand of nose tissues. :)

With all the fun Spring has sprung on my immune system I had to dial it back and was not able to write as many posts. You know that amusing but true proverbial saying of "Politics is so ugly; it's like making sausage"? Writing this past week has not been much prettier. Lucky you that you don't have blogger video cam! :)

I started keeping up with the news headlines over at Dennys Global Politics, partly to go back and write an opinion piece, partly just to see what's out there across the media spectrum. There are mainstream stories along with the obscure you might not have noticed. The stories are excerpted yet provided with links so you can read in more detail if you prefer.

There are many awesome recipes to enjoy, along with the food video tutorials. There are a few poems and spiritual thoughts to consider. There is a science post about just how much the Chilean earthquake affected the planet, pretty scary stuff. And, of course, my total favorites: lots of rocking good humor posts with funny videos I find while checking in with my social sites. What would life be without friends?



Cartoonists Cajun Whoop A$$ on Everyone - 40 Funny Political Cartoons - 13 Mar 2010

Dennys Popular Poems Roundup 12 Mar 2010

Photo History: 1st Lady Gowns, Michelle Obama Donates Hers

St. Patricks Day Funnies and History - Cheeky Quote Day 10 Mar 2010

Photography: 16 Beautiful Creative Angel Photos

Funny Late Night Comedy Roundup - 8 March 2010

48 Post Roundup: Dennys Blogs 7 Mar 2010




Chilean Earthquake Shortened Earths Day

Step Out into the Unknown with Ease

Shoes in Church poem

A Poem to Think About When You Dream

30 Funny Creative Animal Ads




5 Super Easy Chocolate Desserts: Only 5 Ingredients

Warm Gooey Cheese Fondue 4 Cold Nights

Martha Stewarts 4 Fast Spring Recipes

Unusual Outrageous New Food: Breast Milk Cheese

Chef Mario Batalis Easy 3 Pork Saltimbocca Recipes

Check Out Statistics 4 Real Cost of Fast Food vs. Whole

Chef Jamie Oliver Discovers American Kids Dont Know Veggies



Some of my choices from the day's news, excerpted and with links to full stories, some video clips:

News Headlines Roundup 12 Mar 2010

News Headlines Roundup 11 Mar 2010

News Headlines Roundup 10 Mar 2010

News Headlines Roundup 9 Mar 2010

News Headlines Roundup 8 Mar 2010





7 Funny Quips 10 Mar 2010

13 Funny Quips 9 Mar 2010

Funny Music Video: Hilarious Organized Mayhem

Funny Video: Look, Ma! Eating with No Paws But Real Hands!

Outrageous Funny Video: Procrastination



*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Dennys Popular Poems Roundup 12 Mar 2010

From Denny: One of the greatest things about blogging is you can throw it "out there" to see if it fizzles or flashes with people. Do they like it or not? Do they identify with the write? Do they stop and think deeper? Do they benefit in some way? After all, what's the point of writing if people find nothing useful in it for themselves, right?

What's been fun this past year as I've figured out how to market these poems and other posts, is to discover what resonates with people. Every week it seems to be a surprise. Remember, fellow poets, if you don't market your poems how will people even know you wrote something worth reading? You can't always judge the write by yourself or even run it by a writing group. Writing groups seem to swing one way or the other: too much hollow praise or jealous condemnation - never quality critique that is actually useful. Throw it out there for anyone to read and see what happens.

A poem the author loves is often one others don't relate to - or have the time to break down the symbolism to mine the richness. Another poem the author may think is not that noteworthy and, yet, people buzz around it like bees and bears to honey. Who knew? Never try to predict what people will enjoy. The important thing is to offer up the best you can, as often as you can. Besides, in the end, the more you write the more accomplished you get at it.

No matter how good you think you are when you start daily blogging, you will improve. I certainly have and am delighted with my progress back from a three year long journey healing from a car accident. When I started these blogs, and poetry in particular, it was to jog my healing brain back into thinking faster, pushing it to get back to the level it once was. That, and I was concerned my brain just might shut down again like it did after the accident, where I lived in an odd limbo between two worlds for the first nine months after injury, never fully awake. I didn't write at all - or do much artwork for over two years. Definitely not a lot of fun.

But what I did mine from that experience was a lot more spiritual development I found intriguing. After all, if you are unable to function fully in this world, you end up praying and meditating - a lot, mainly as a way to witness what is going on inside as you observe the healing process. It was fascinating watching the brain at work, combing through each body system to make small or large corrections here and there.

That time was also useful to help a lot of people that I may not have had time to assist in their soul journey had I been rocking along with a regular life. No matter the trials, it ends up as all good when you take the time to look over your shoulder to make sense of the journey.

When the car accident happened I chose not to be resentful towards the elderly guy who caused it. Am I terribly wonderful? Not really. Pragmatic spirituality is the name of my living corner. When we hold resentment, grief, sorrow, anger and nurse it for too long, we end up dividing our focus. Sure, worse illnesses can result if negative emotions are held too long and not fully cleared out of your system. That's a given fact. We all know they can cause heart disease and cancer.

The decision I made not to be resentment toward him was to clear the deck of holding negative energy. There was enough on my personal plate and the smart thing was to move ahead and place all my focus upon healing. I even healed of the severe nerve pain doctors told me was not possible. Yeah? Guess who proved them wrong? :) OK, so it's the annoying part of my personality that I enjoy proving naysayers to be wrong. The word "impossible" just does not exist in my thought life and I've never identified with it.

Because I've lived in so many hard places on so many levels, roughed up by many hard life tests, there has been a staggering amount of knowledge and understanding gained. None of us enjoy going through difficult times but I have to admit it sure is nice a lot later down the road when you can clearly view all the benefits!

To that goal, I started encoding my poetry with spiritual truths and understanding for those interested in the same. I try to remember to write on a concrete level at the same time, so others who are not yet ready or have absolutely no interest at all, can still relate to the poem. Sometimes, I win on that front and sometimes I fail miserably. So, I just write yet another poem until I get it right. :)

Here are many of the poems you have enjoyed on The Social Poets. Thank you for all your support! It sure surpassed my expectations!

Oh, and one more thing: To my fellow poets - if you have any of your poems that are written about the same subjects, feel free to send me the web address link to your poem. I'll be glad to add your links to my poems where they are in the same genre, two links per poem. That's my idea of an open-invitation-no-time-limit Blog Carnival. You can email me: warriorspearl@gmail.com. Glad to hear from you!





A year of poetry reviewed to see where I traveled this year, done in poem form:

Life is About Everything



honoring ourselves and finding worth


Honoring Ourselves

The Mystics Arrive


We Are All Sleeping Beauties

Oyez

An Audience of One

It Isnt In Me

Soul Journey

People Trees

Keeping The Peace

What Do You Like to Write? Talk to We! - learning to write from the deepest level of yourself

You Are Worthy Every Day!

Why I Write




orphans and neglected or abandoned children


Angels Left Behind: Orphans of the World



Seasons:

Winter

Snowing The Perfect Balance

Summer

Louisiana Summer Sigh



suicide and depression


Three Endings and One Beginning




survival and disaster

I Wait, poem for Haiti

Weeping Freedom


worry, waiting and praying

Swirling Thoughts

Poetry of Life

The Art of Waiting


memoir writing

Those Funny Memories

Michael Jackson: Talk About My Life



finding balance in your life and creating peace

New Years Reflection: Wine Glass Abyss

Gifts From The Heart, A Christmas Poem

Hunting Our Home

Primordial Dragon



being in love

A Man in Love

Opposites in Love: Night and Day

Loving You


Bitter Romance in the Garden - funny

The Interesting Man - funny




death and grieving

Reflections of That Moment

Rock, My Children




our emotions

They Pull at Your Heartstrings

Eyeing Think Time




angels in our lives

Angel Diaries: Samuel

When The Angels Cry For Us

Angels Bridge

Flinging Dirt

The Long Road



*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel free to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

48 Post Roundup: Dennys Blogs 7 Mar 2010

From Denny: Here are the best links from the blogs this past week to help get you caught up, enjoy. OK, get ready... start grinning! :) By the way, have revamped the look of most of the blogs. Spring is in the air and change is good.


From The Social Poets:

Strike Outs: Bunning, Health Care, Chile, Toyota: 44 Funny Political Cartoons, 6 Feb 2010

Honoring Ourselves poem - Libations Friday 5 Mar 2010

Students Now Stand 4 Famous Math Teacher in Stand and Deliver Movie

Funny Psychic Groundhog Phil Blessed Us With More Winter - Cheeky Quote Day 3 Mar 2010

Republican Senator Flips Off Middle Finger to Families: Takes Food Off Kids Plates

Dick Cheney Fakes Heart Attacks, Glenn Beck Lies on Stage, CPAC Hate Mongering, Colorado 
Gunslingers - Funny Roundup of Late Night Comedy 1 March 2010



From Dennys Global Politics:

Hissy Fit Over Controversial Armenian Genocide Vote

Speaker Pelosi Grades the Republicans on Lack of Governing

Update: Republican Senator Flips Off Middle Finger to Families: Takes Food Off Kids Plates



From The Soul Calendar:

Chilean Earthquake Shortened Earths Day

8.8 Chilean Earthquake 500 Times More Powerful than Haiti



From the food blogs:

From Comfort Food From Louisiana:

Enjoy Louisiana Culture: Love Those Eggplant Recipes

Chef Jamie Oliver Discovers American Kids Dont Know Veggies

Cold Weather: Real Deal Hearty Beef Stroganoff, Beef Ribs, Pineapple Cake


From Romancing The Chocolate:

7 Easy Recipes for Relaxed Weekend Food

Tasty Creative Oyster Stew Recipes

Warm Soups 4 Cold Rainy or Snowy Days

Stop That Cold in Its Tracks: Illness Fighting Foods

Does it Get Any Better? Funny Curtis Stones Healthy Pasta, Chocolate Recipes



From Unusual 2 Tasty:

Ming Tsai’s Chinese New Year Feast: Year of the Tiger

Olympics Seafood Dish: Pan Roasted Black Cod, Sunchokes, Lentils and Mushrooms

Vancouver Olympics Indian Veggies Recipe, Coconut and Curry

Try Vancouver Olympics Food at Home



From Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:

Uplifting Soul Quote: What is Your Power in the World?

Spiritual Energy: Can Simple Words Add to Our Quality of Life?

Where is the Best Place to Rivet Our Focus?

What Are Your Impediments to Success?

Do You Know Your Failures as Your Best Successes?

Do You Treat Your Ideas Like Beautiful Magic?

How is Your Dream Vision Impacted by Life Challenges

What One Attitude is the Pivotal Point of Achieving Success?

Evidence of the Afterlife: New Book Offers Proof

7 Greatest Peace Quotes Ever

What Was Your Epiphany Moment?



From The Healing Waters:

7 Quick Tips to Happiness: Banish Late Winter Blues

90 Second Health Boost Tips

8 Funny Advice Quotes About Sleeping

Are You Sleep Deprived? Smart Tips 4 Sound Sleep

Unlocking Foods Healing Powers

6 Good Friends You Need to Live a Long Life

Cinderella Makeup Artist Lauren Luke Goes Viral

Springs New Ruffle Loose and Sophisticated: 4 Ways to Wear It



From the humor and photo blogs:


Outrageous Funny Video: Procrastination

30 Funny Creative Animal Ads

Funny Talented Dancing Traffic Cop

16 Funny Blissful Sleepers Photos

10 Make You Think Fantasy Photos

Check Out Funny Fat Tuesday Afterglow Photos and Quotes


And a couple more that published while I was putting together this post that took two hours. Read that as I forgot... :)

Check Out Statistics 4 Real Cost of Fast Food vs. Whole

Funny Tutorial Video: The Busy Desk of the Animator


Photo by d u y q u @ flickr

*** THANKS for visiting the blogs this year and for your support, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinon, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!