Meredith McClaren's Blog, page 87
December 23, 2020
Elves gonna partyDescription: A cute Christmas elf is partying...
Elves gonna party
Description: A cute Christmas elf is partying down.
Because I love you and I want you to be happy.French
Toast...
Because I love you and I want you to be happy.
French
Toast Casserole
Casserole
-scrap
bread (white, wheat, whatever you’ve got)
-4
tbsp white sugar
-1 tsp
cinnamon
-6
large eggs
-2
cups of heavy whipping cream
-1 tsp
vanilla
-¼
tsp salt
Crumble
-4
cups of flour
-4
cups of brown sugar
-1 ¼
cups of soft butter
-4
tbsp of cinnamon
1. Grease a 2 quart casserole
dish. Cut and cube the scrap bread and
place in the pan until you mostly cannot see the bottom of the dish.
2. Combine the white sugar, cinnamon,
eggs, whipping cream, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Pour this mixture over the bread, cover with
plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight.
3. When it’s time to bake, preheat
the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a large bowl, mix the flour,
brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until if forms large crumbs.
5. Here’s the deal, I subscribe to
the belief that if crumble is involved there should be enough of it to cover
the filling so completely, I can’t see anything underneath it. For some this might be too much. Make as much or as little as you like and
then sprinkle it on top of the egg filling.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until a
knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.
7. (You can touch it up with some
additional powdered sugar or maple syrup on top if you so desire. But with this version of the recipe there is
so much sugar already involved, I personally would not risk it.)
December 20, 2020
Description: A four panel comic. In the first two panels, me...
Description: A four panel comic. In the first two panels, me and my father are squinting at the night sky before I brighten and declare that ‘OH! I see it!’ In the next panel is the night sky with two stars. One bright one in the lower right center and a slightly dimmer one just above and to the left of the first one. Text reads: ‘This year, on December 21st, Jupiter and Saturn will line up, creating the ‘Christmas Star’ not seen for almost 400 years. In the days leading up to it, you can see Jupiter shine brightly, with Saturn faintly shining just above it.’ In the final panel I am closing my window and looking up at the sky. Captions read: ‘I keep looking up, finding and refinding it.’ And ‘The planets are always there, but this moment makes it all seem so fleeting.’
December 16, 2020
December 15, 2020
A tale in two parts.Description: Two three panel comics. In the...
A tale in two parts.
Description: Two three panel comics. In the first comic each panel is nearly identical with me looking down at my phone. In the first panel I remark ‘He is quite handsome.’ In the second panel I am blushing and a little heart has floated above my head. In the third panel I look up with a face of horror, realizing I have become infatuated and say ‘Oh no.’
In the second comic I am driving, looking bored in the first panel. In the second panel I have turned my head quickly with huge saucer sized eyes. Text behind me reads ‘The most beautiful girl in the world.’ In the third panel I am hunched over and clutching my heart, trying to recover.
December 11, 2020
headspace-hotel:jumpingjacktrash:
dharmagun:
cincosechzehn:
agi...
Chiune Sugihara. This man saved 6000 Jews. He was a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania. When the Nazis began rounding up Jews, Sugihara risked his life to start issuing unlawful travel visas to Jews. He hand-wrote them 18 hrs a day. The day his consulate closed and he had to evacuate, witnesses claim he was STILL writing visas and throwing from the train as he pulled away. He saved 6000 lives. The world didn’t know what he’d done until Israel honored him in 1985, the year before he died.
Why can’t we have a movie about him?
He was often called “Sempo”, an alternative reading of the characters of his first name, as that was easier for Westerners to pronounce.
His wife, Yukiko, was also a part of this; she is often credited with suggesting the plan. The Sugihara family was held in a Soviet POW camp for 18 months until the end of the war; within a year of returning home, Sugihara was asked to resign - officially due to downsizing, but most likely because the government disagreed with his actions.
He didn’t simply grant visas - he granted visas against direct orders, after attempting three times to receive permission from the Japanese Foreign Ministry and being turned down each time. He did not “misread” orders; he was in direct violation of them, with the encouragement and support of his wife.
He was honoured as Righteous Among the Nations in 1985, a year before he died in Kamakura; he and his descendants have also been granted permanent Israeli citizenship. He was also posthumously awarded the Life Saving Cross of Lithuania (1993); Commander’s Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (1996); and the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2007). Though not canonized, some Eastern Orthodox Christians recognize him as a saint.
Sugihara was born in Gifu on the first day of 1900, January 1. He achieved top marks in his schooling; his father wanted him to become a physician, but Sugihara wished to pursue learning English. He deliberately failed the exam by writing only his name and then entered Waseda, where he majored in English. He joined the Foreign Ministry after graduation and worked in the Manchurian Foreign Office in Harbin (where he learned Russian and German; he also converted to the Eastern Orthodox Church during this time). He resigned his post in protest over how the Japanese government treated the local Chinese citizens. He eventually married Yukiko Kikuchi, who would suggest and encourage his acts in Lithuania; they had four sons together. Chiune Sugihara passed away July 31, 1986, at the age of 86. Until her own passing in 2008, Yukiko continued as an ambassador of his legacy.
It is estimated that the Sugiharas saved between 6,000-10,000 Lithuanian and Polish Jewish people.
It’s a tragedy that the Sugiharas aren’t household names. They are among the greatest heroes of WWII. Is it because they were from an Axis Power? Is it because they aren’t European? I don’t know. But I’ve decided to always reblog them when they come across my dash. If I had the money, I would finance a movie about them.
He told an interviewer:
You want to know about my motivation, don’t you? Well. It is the kind of sentiments anyone would have when he actually sees refugees face to face, begging with tears in their eyes. He just cannot help but sympathize with them. Among the refugees were the elderly and women. They were so desperate that they went so far as to kiss my shoes, Yes, I actually witnessed such scenes with my own eyes. Also, I felt at that time, that the Japanese government did not have any uniform opinion in Tokyo. Some Japanese military leaders were just scared because of the pressure from the Nazis; while other officials in the Home Ministry were simply ambivalent.
People in Tokyo were not united. I felt it silly to deal with them. So, I made up my mind not to wait for their reply. I knew that somebody would surely complain about me in the future. But, I myself thought this would be the right thing to do. There is nothing wrong in saving many people’s lives….The spirit of humanity, philanthropy…neighborly friendship…with this spirit, I ventured to do what I did, confronting this most difficult situation—and because of this reason, I went ahead with redoubled courage.
He died in nearly complete obscurity in Japan. His neighbors were shocked when people from all over, including Israeli diplomatic personnel, showed up at quiet little Mr. Sugihara’s funeral.
I will forever reblog this, I wish more people would know about them!
I liked this before when it had way less information. Thank you, history-sharers.
Tucked away in a corner in L.A.’s Little Tokyo is a life-sized statue of Chiune, seated on a bench and smiling gently as he holds out a visa.
The stone next to him bears a quote from the Talmud; “He who saves one life, saves the entire world.”
I had no idea it existed until a few weeks ago, but it’s since become one of my favorite pieces of public art.
Chiune Sugihara. Original antifa.
PBS made a documentary about Chiune Sugihara in 2005. If you’re interested in him, it’s definitely worth checking out. (The PBS link above even has some interactive information to go along with the film.) Ask your local library if they have a copy/can order you one from another library. You won’t be disappointed!
kate beaton wasn’t kidding when she said look him up
i am going to find this and take him a present
always reblog mr sugihara
“He who saves one life, saves the entire world.”
Is it weird that I’m crying now
Hoping to use this nightmare child in a future...
Hoping to use this nightmare child in a future project.
Description: A ghastly ghostly pale child with black eyes and hair floating upside down and bending backwards to smile at you.
December 9, 2020
Did you miss your chance to snag a copy? No worries! Next...
Did you miss your chance to snag a copy? No worries! Next Wednesday I’ll be launching a campaign for a reprint. All the recipes from the first book, plus a couple more.
^_^
December 3, 2020
I'm curious why you always add descriptions to all your art and comic strips. I didn't understand what the point of them were but I recently read someone thanking you for always adding them. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone but can you explain
I started so to help folks that have a harder time seeing and use text readers to have the scene described to them! ^_^
December 2, 2020
Description: A two panel comic. In the first panel we see all...
Description: A two panel comic. In the first panel we see all of my foster kittens being cute and chilling on their cat bed. In the second panel we see that I tried, and failed, to get a picture of them in their adorable glory. They have all jumped out of frame before I could snap a photo. I exclaim ‘damn!’ in defeat.
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