Επιστολή Καθηγητών Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας στον Ομπάμα για τη Μακεδονία

18 Μαΐου, 2009
Προς τον Αξιότιμο Πρόεδρο Μπαράκ Ομπάμα

Πρόεδρο των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής

Λευκός Οίκος 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500
Αξιότιμε κύριε Πρόεδρε,
Με την παρούσα επιστολή, οι υπογράφοντες ζητούμε με κάθε σεβασμό την παρέμβασή σας για να τακτοποιηθούν συντρίμμια ιστορικής αταξίας που άφησε πίσω της στη νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη η προηγούμενη κυβέρνηση των ΗΠΑ.
Στις 4 Νοεμβρίου 2004, δύο ημέρες μετά την επανεκλογή του Προέδρου George W. Bush, η κυβέρνησή του ομόφωνα αναγνώρισε τη "Δημοκρατία της Μακεδονίας". Αυτή η πράξη όχι μόνο κατέλυσε γεωγραφικά και ιστορικά δεδομένα, αλλά και έδωσε έναυσμα να ξεσπάσει μια επικίνδυνη επιδημία ιστορικού ρεβιζιονισμού, του οποίου το πιο προφανές σύμπτωμα είναι η καταχρηστική οικειοποίηση από την κυβέρνηση των Σκοπίων του πιο διάσημου Μακεδόνα, του Μέγα Αλέξανδρου.
Πιστεύουμε ότι αυτή η ανοησία έχει ξεπεράσει κάθε όριο και ότι οι ΗΠΑ δεν έχουν καμιά δουλειά να υποστηρίζουν την παραποίηση της ιστορίας. Ας κάνουμε μια ανασκόπηση των δεδομένων. (Η τεκμηρίωση αυτών των δεδομένων [που απεικονίζονται εδώ με έντονα γράμματα] βρίσκεται συνημμένο εδώ και στο: (http://macedonia-evidence.org/documentation-gr.html)
Η εν λόγω περιοχή, με τη σύγχρονη πρωτεύουσά της τα Σκόπια, ονομαζόταν στην αρχαιότητα Παιονία. Τα όρη Βαρνούς και Όρβηλος (που σχηματίζουν σήμερα τα βόρεια σύνορα της Ελλάδας) αποτελούν ένα φυσικό όριο που χώριζε και χωρίζει τη Μακεδονία από τη βόρεια γείτονά της. Η μόνη πραγματική σύνδεση βρίσκεται κατά μήκος του Αξιού/Βαρδάρη ποταμού αλλά ακόμα και αυτή η κοιλάδα "δε σχηματίζει μία δίοδο επικοινωνίας γιατί τέμνεται από χαράδρες."
Αν και είναι αλήθεια ότι οι Παίονες υποτάχθηκαν στο Φίλιππο Β΄, πατέρα του Μέγα Αλέξανδρου, το 358 π.Χ., δεν ήταν Μακεδόνες και δεν ζούσαν στη Μακεδονία. Παρομοίως, για παράδειγμα, οι Αιγύπτιοι που κατακτήθηκαν από τον Αλέξανδρο, μπορεί μεν να κυβερνούνταν από τους Μακεδόνες, συμπεριλαμβανομένης και της γνωστής Κλεοπάτρας, αλλά δεν υπήρξαν ποτέ οι ίδιοι Μακεδόνες και η Αίγυπτος δεν ονομάστηκε ποτέ Μακεδονία.
Αντίθετα, η Μακεδονία και οι Μακεδόνες Έλληνες βρίσκονταν για τουλάχιστον 2500 χρόνια εκεί ακριβώς όπου είναι η σύγχρονη ελληνική περιφέρεια της Μακεδονίας. Ακριβώς η ίδια σχέση ισχύει για την Αττική και τους Αθηναίους Έλληνες, το Άργος και τους Αργείους Έλληνες, την Κόρινθο και τους Κορίνθιους Έλληνες κ.ο.κ.
Δεν κατανοούμε πώς οι σύγχρονοι κάτοικοι της αρχαίας Παιονίας, που μιλούν Σλάβικα—μια γλώσσα που εισήχθη στα Βαλκάνια περίπου μια χιλιετία μετά το θάνατο του Αλέξανδρου -μπορούν να διεκδικούν τον Αλέξανδρο για εθνικό τους ήρωα. Ο Μέγας Αλέξανδρος ήταν εξολοκλήρου και αδιαμφισβήτητα Έλληνας. Ο προ-προ-προπάππος του, Αλέξανδρος Α΄, αγωνίστηκε στους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες όπου η συμμετοχή επιτρεπόταν μόνο σε Έλληνες.
Ακόμα και πριν από τον Αλέξανδρο Α΄ οι Μακεδόνες τοποθετούσαν τις προγονικές τους ρίζες στο Άργος και πολλοί από τους βασιλείς τους χρησιμοποιούσαν την κεφαλή του Ηρακλή-του κατεξοχήν Έλληνα ήρωα- στα νομίσματά τους.

Ο Ευριπίδης-που πέθανε και θάφτηκε στη Μακεδονία-έγραψε το έργο του Αρχέλαος προς τιμήν του μεγάλου θείου τού Αλέξανδρου και το έγραψε στα ελληνικά. Όσο βρισκόταν στη Μακεδονία, ο Ευριπίδης έγραψε ακόμα τις Βάκχες, επίσης στα ελληνικά. Κατά συνέπεια, το Μακεδονικό κοινό μπορούσε να καταλάβει τι έγραψε και τι άκουγαν.
Ο πατέρας του Αλέξανδρου, Φίλιππος, κέρδισε αρκετές νίκες σε ιππικούς αγώνες στην Ολυμπία και τους Δελφούς, τα δύο πιο ελληνικά από όλα τα ιερά της αρχαίας Ελλάδας, όπου δεν επιτρεπόταν σε μη-Έλληνες να αγωνιστούν. Ακόμα πιο σημαντικό, ο Φίλιππος ορίστηκε διοργανωτής των Πύθιων Αγώνων στους Δελφούς το 346 π.Χ. Με άλλα λόγια, ο πατέρας του Μέγα Αλέξανδρου και οι πρόγονοί του ήταν εξολοκλήρου Έλληνες. Η ελληνική γλώσσα ήταν η γλώσσα που χρησιμοποιούσε ο Δημοσθένης και η πρεσβεία του από την Αθήνα όταν επισκέπτονταν τον Φίλιππο επίσης το 346 π.Χ.
Ένας άλλος Έλληνας του Βορρά, ο Αριστοτέλης, πήγε να σπουδάσει για περίπου 20 χρόνια στην Ακαδημία του Πλάτωνα. Στη συνέχεια, επέστρεψε στη Μακεδονία και έγινε ο δάσκαλος του Αλέξανδρου Γ΄. Μιλούσαν Ελληνικά στην σχολή που σώζεται ακόμα και σήμερα κοντά στη Νάουσα στην Ελληνική Μακεδονία.
Ο Αλέξανδρος είχε μαζί του σε όλες του τις εκστρατείες την έκδοση του Αριστοτέλη της Ιλιάδας του Ομήρου. . Ο Αλέξανδρος διέδωσε την ελληνική γλώσσα και τον πολιτισμό σε όλη του την αυτοκρατορία, ιδρύοντας πόλεις και εγκαθιστώντας εκπαιδευτικά κέντρα. Εξ ού και βρίσκουμε επιγραφές που αφορούν χαρακτηριστικούς ελληνικούς θεσμούς όπως είναι το γυμνάσιο τόσο μακριά όσο στο Αφγανιστάν. Είναι όλες γραμμένες στα Ελληνικά.
Προκύπτουν οι εξής ερωτήσεις: Γιατί ήταν η Ελληνική γλώσσα η lingua franca σε όλη την επικράτεια του Αλέξανδρου αν αυτός ήταν ΄Μακεδόνας’; Γιατί γράφτηκε η Καινή Διαθήκη στα Ελληνικά;
Οι απαντήσεις είναι ξεκάθαρες: ο Μέγας Αλέξανδρος ήταν Έλληνας, όχι Σλάβος, και οι Σλάβοι και η γλώσσα τους δεν σχετίζονταν με τον Αλέξανδρο ή την πατρίδα του παρά 1000 χρόνια αργότερα. Αυτό μας φέρνει πίσω στη γεωγραφική περιοχή που ήταν γνωστή στην αρχαιότητα ως Παιονία. Γιατί οι άνθρωποι που κατοικούν σε αυτήν την περιοχή σήμερα αποκαλούν τους εαυτούς τους Μακεδόνες και τη χώρα τους Μακεδονία; Γιατί να κλέψουν μια απόλυτα ελληνική μορφή για εθνικό τους ήρωα;
Οι αρχαίοι Παίονες μπορεί να ήταν ή να μην ήταν Έλληνες, πάντως σίγουρα έγιναν ελληνίζοντες, και δεν υπήρξαν ποτέ Σλάβοι. Επίσης δεν ήταν Μακεδόνες. Η αρχαία Παιονία ήταν ένα μέρος του Μακεδονικού κράτους, όπως ήταν η Ιωνία και η Συρία και η Παλαιστίνη και η Αίγυπτος και η Μεσοποταμία και η Βαβυλωνία και η Βακτρία και πολλές άλλες περιοχές. Μπορεί λοιπόν να έγιναν προσωρινά ‘Μακεδονικές’ αλλά καμιά δεν ήταν ποτέ ΄Μακεδονία΄. Η κλοπή του Φίλιππου και του Αλέξανδρου από μια χώρα που δεν ήταν ποτέ η Μακεδονία δεν μπορεί να δικαιολογηθεί.
Οι παραδόσεις της αρχαίας Παιονίας ωστόσο θα μπορούσαν να υιοθετηθούν από τους τωρινούς κατοίκους αυτής της γεωγραφικής περιοχής με αρκετά αιτιολογικά. Η επέκταση του γεωγραφικού όρου ‘ Μακεδονία’ ώστε να καλύπτει τη νότια Γιουγκοσλαβία δεν μπορεί. Ακόμα και στον ύστερο 19ο αι. αυτή η λάθος χρήση υπονοούσε μη υγιείς εδαφικές βλέψεις.
Το ίδιο κίνητρο βρίσκεται και σε σχολικούς χάρτες που δείχνουν την ψευδο-μεγάλη Μακεδονία να εκτείνεται από τα Σκόπια μέχρι τον Όλυμπο και να επιγράφεται στα Σλαβικά. Ο ίδιος χάρτης και οι διεκδικήσεις του βρίσκεται σε ημερολόγια, αυτοκόλλητα αυτοκινήτων, χαρτονομίσματα, κλπ που κυκλοφορούν στο νέο κράτος από τότε που διακήρυξε την ανεξαρτησία του από τη Γιουγκοσλαβία το 1991. Γιατί να επιχειρεί μια τέτοια ιστορική ανοησία μια φτωχή νέα χώρα, εσωτερική και περικυκλωμένη από στεριά; Γιατί να κοροϊδεύει θρασύτατα και να προκαλεί τη γείτονά της?
Όπως και να θέλει κανείς να χαρακτηρίσει μια τέτοια συμπεριφορά, σίγουρα δεν πρόκειται για πίεση για ιστορική ακρίβεια, ούτε για σταθερότητα στα Βαλκάνια. Είναι λυπηρό ότι οι ΗΠΑ έχουν ενισχύσει και ενθαρρύνει τέτοια συμπεριφορά.
Στρεφόμαστε σε Εσάς, Κύριε Πρόεδρε, για να ξεκαθαρίσετε στην κυβέρνηση των Σκοπίων ότι δεν μπορεί να εισέλθει στην οικογένεια των χωρών της ΕΕ και του ΝΑΤΟ όσο επιχειρεί να οικοδομήσει την εθνική της ταυτότητα εις βάρος της ιστορικής αλήθειας. Η κοινωνία μας από κοινού δεν μπορεί να επιβιώσει όταν η ιστορία αγνοείται, πολύ λιγότερο δε όταν η ιστορία κατασκευάζεται για να εξυπηρετήσει αμφίβολα κίνητρα.
Με εκτίμηση,
Κάντε κλικ εδώ, για να δείτε την λίστα των υπογραφόντων
Κοινοποίηση:
J. Biden, Vice President, USA
H. Clinton, Secretary of State USA
P. Gordon, Asst. Secretary-designate, European and Eurasian Affairs
H.L Berman, Chair, House Committee on Foreign Affairs
I. Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs
J. Kerry, Chair, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
R.G. Lugar, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
R. Menendez, United States Senator from New Jersey.

Translated by Leda Kostaki and Yannis Lolos.
Μετάφραση Λήδα Κωστάκη και Γιάννης Λώλος.

Letter to President Obama
On May 18th, 2009,200 Classical Scholars from around the world, sent a letter to the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
On June 22nd, 2009,an update with 332 signatures was sent.
Since then, the list of cosigners has grown to 356, see Addenda.


Macedonian coin, stating in Greek: "ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ" (in English: "ALEXANDER'S")

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Cauliflower Gratin with Queso Cotija

Picking up where I left off in sharing our Regional Thankgiving celebration with friends, I also highlighted food inspired by the southwest. This dish was one I found online and really liked how it used cauliflower. Guests at my party raved about this dish so I know this particular recipe is one many are waiting for.

A twist on the usual cheddar cheese, this recipe calls for a Mexican grating cheese, queso cotija. You can find it at any latin/spanish market. If you can't find it, another alternative is using quesadilla cheese or even queso fresco, a Mexican crumbling cheese.

The recipe says to layer the ingrediens in a baking dish but you can also just combine the cauliflower, seasoned cream and peppers in a bowl then place in a dish, topped with the cheese before baking. Either way, it's delicious and it was very easy to prepare, even days in advance!

2 Days Before: Roast the poblano peppers, peel, seed and cut into strips. Cut up cauliflower to prep for boiling.

1 Day Before: Boil cauliflower florets, drain and cool. Assemble dish, cover and chill.

Day Of: Bake in oven and serve.

Cauliflower Gratin with Queso Cotija

recipe adapted from MyRecipes

2 heads cauliflower (3 lb. total), rinsed
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and fresh-ground pepper
1 pound fresh poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips
12 ounces cotija cheese, shredded


In a 6- to 8-quart pan over high heat, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Meanwhile, trim and discard leaves from cauliflower; separate heads into florets. Slice florets 1/4 inch thick. Add sliced cauliflower to boiling water and cook until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well.

In a glass measure, stir together cream and cayenne. Line bottom of a shallow 3 1/2- to 4-quart baking dish with a fourth of the cauliflower slices. Drizzle a fourth of the cream mixture over cauliflower. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and top evenly with a fourth of the poblano chile strips and cotija cheese. Repeat three times to layer gratin, ending with cheese.

Bake in a 450° oven until cheese is browned and cauliflower is tender when pierced, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

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FOOD BLOGGER CONNECT 09

FOOD FOR THOUGHT, SOMETHING TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO

Who among us wasn’t both nervous and excited? Scared to finally be revealing ourselves, exposing ourselves naked in front of others, wondering if our real up-close-and-personal self was the same as our internet persona. Nervous to be meeting those food bloggers whom we so admire, the friends we tease and laugh with, those talented cooks and writers who share information and tips with us, who leave us drooling in front of jaw-dropping stunning food photos, wondering if our ideal image of whom they are and what they are like will be shattered into a million shards, fragile like a crystal decanter. Yet so excited! Sure in our hearts that the friends we’ve made, those distant friends, will be all that we have expected and waited for, that meeting them face to face will simply confirm the ideas we have formed in our heads and solidify an already strong connection.

I finally got to hug my twin sistah Deeba!

And then it happened. Tumbling into it head first, I found myself standing in the middle of the London City Airport Hall, blue party hat perched jauntily on my head, and Mowie appeared, the first meeting. Both nervous and happy, hesitant at first, but only for a split second, then chattering like magpies, out of control, catching up a lifetime of information in the shortest possible time! After dumping suitcases at his place and meeting “The B”, off we trotted, neither of us able to contain our excitement, to our first meeting point, the “Great Meet Up”, under the Eros statue at Piccadilly Circus. Alessio, then Deeba and Pam, Beth then Hilda, screaming and screeching, arms flailing and arms thrown around necks, it was love at first sight, an absolute electrical current of immediate connection, a lifetime of friendship, and we were off and running!

I couldn’t have been more thrilled or honored to have been involved in the organization of the first Food Blogger Connect with Beth, Hilda, Mowie and Meeta, along with Jeanne and Kang. As the days drew us closer and closer to the magical event, the number of e-mails sent frantically back and forth escalated, morning, afternoon and night, speeches were recited nervously while brushing teeth, ironing, showering or preparing dinner, fingers flying over keyboards clackity clack or pens scratching furiously across the printed version towards that dreamed-of perfection that would sweep our listeners off their feet. As the days rolled forward, spouses slipped by us in hallways, avoiding all eye contact, not wanting to be sucked into the whirlpool of Food Blogger Connect Mania that was washing over us, out of control, as we dashed out in the cold and drizzle to buy that one last gift, as we checked and double-checked hotel and airline reservations, meeting spots and last-minute thoughts and ideas. Suitcases were packed, unpacked and reorganized to fit in those last minute buys, no more space left for clothes. Twitter was ablaze with FBC09, the excitement tangible, contagious. And then, all of a sudden the great weekend was upon us!

Sunday morning food walk: the rain didn't dampen our high spirits! And joined by Papoose!

The Food Blogger Event heard round the world! Indeed, I don’t need to add to the details, evoke the exotic tastes of the Lebanese cuisine, the warm, rich atmosphere or the wonder in the air. I don’t need to recount in detail the amazing speeches, Meeta and Kang, Jeanne and myself and how it all came together, how well we worked as a team to share our ideas, experience, passion and knowledge to a roomful of nodding heads and smiling faces who would later, in turn, teach us their tricks and share their own knowledge and exude their own passion for food blogging; or the energy and vivacity of Beth and Mowie, their talent for energizing and pulling us together towards action, or Hilda’s calming words, reassuring us and making us laugh just when nerves started to rattle, and always with that promise of a peek at Papoose. Nor do I need to repeat the stories others are telling of the time spent finally putting faces to names and blogs, completing the vision of each, the joyous “Oh it’s you!!”s, one after the other, more hugs and laughing, all packed in around the front desk, not daring to move, anxiously awaiting all the others, not wanting to miss one.

Kerrin, Solange & Beth, meetin' and greetin'

First, we ate!

Beth, Queen of the Ball

Meeta

Jeanne & Jamie (not our piece of meat)

Kang

Lucky Ozoz was there to make me laugh! No more nerves!

I don’t need to repeat, as others have described, the pure pleasure, the joy as we discovered the common passion behind each and every food blogger who attended, the passion that binds us together as one. Yes, we realized that we all do indeed share so much beyond that passion for food, the uncontrollable exhilaration we feel as we write about it, the giddiness that makes our head spin as we finally snap that one perfect photograph of the plated dish, the thrill that shoots and shivers up our spine whenever we step over the threshold of a new restaurant. Food Blogger Connect allowed us to realize that each and every one of us who attended the conference shared a wild sense of humor, an interest in everything around us, and as different as we all are as individuals, we meet in the center, this crazy je ne sais quoi pulling us together like a strange, inexplicable magnetism that strengthened our friendships, our commitment to excellence in blogging and a determination to continue along this shared path and better ourselves, better our blogs, drawing not only on everything that we learned from each other in this compressed space and time but on all the encouragement and support that we walked away with, the knowing that we are no longer alone, floating lonely and silent around the foodblogosphere, that this incredible, generous group of bloggers who gathered in London from all over Europe and beyond are truly one huge family and that they are always with us, watching over us, sending out virtual hugs and encouragement along with real-life advice over the waves.

Sexy Culinary Bond Girls ready for action: Jeanne & Jamie & Meeta

Saturday night post-FBC dinner among friends!

Deeba, Nicola, Davina & Sunita at Levant

Alessio, Deeba & Jamie Friday night

Next year’s Food Blogger Connect is going to be even bigger and better, spread out over 2 or 3 days to allow more time for workshops and round tables, talking and sharing. And eating. Have a hop around the blogosphere where you’ll find more write ups on Food Blogger Connect 09 and visit our Food Blogger Connect website for all the news, pictures, videos of the great event as well as all the information about Food Blogger Connect 10, now already in the making. Bigger and better! Onward and upward! Truly something that you will not want to miss! We may even offer a workshop for the spouses: “How to Live With a Food Blogger”!

FBC 10 Planning Committee!

I learned so much from the other bloggers and my fellow speakers that you may see changes, more or less subtle, in my blog over the next few weeks, so don’t be surprised. And if you, too, want and need to know more about optimizing your blog, improving your food styling and photography, finding your ideal writing voice, cleaning up your space and presenting your brightest self to the food blogging world as well as increasing your visibility and maybe even getting published, then keep your eyes open, follow the #FBC10 hash tag on twitter (follow me @lifesafeast) and visit the Food Blogger Connect website for all information and updates and mark your calendar! Be on the alert because spaces will be limited (and coveted)! Can’t wait to see you there!

Nicola, Davina, Sunita

Jeanne, Deeba & Pam

Lovely Mowie & Alessio

Also a quick shout out to Aoife, Ozoz, Sarka, Claire, Kerrin, Davina, Sunita, Sarah and Nic, special ladies along with my great friends who I grew even closer to!

A special thanks to Deeba, Mowie, Sunita, Hilda and Sarah for sharing their pictures!

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Autism Is A Blessing? Give Thanks That My Son Has A Disorder? Not A Chance

As parents of children with autism spectrum disorders we all have to learn how to come to grips with the realities of our children's autism disorders. Some do the best they can to raise their child to the best of their ability to prepare the child to live the fullest life possible. Some become fierce advocates for services, treatments, research and cures for their child and others with autism disorders. I respect most parent's approaches. One approach that I do not respect, and have never pretended to respect, is to look at my son's autism disorder as a blessing.

I have on several occasions criticized, even ridiculed, Estee Klar, author of the Joy of Autism blog, for promoting autism as a joy or blessing. Yesterday Easter Seals, an organization active in autism advocacy, re-published the views of Barbara Gaither, mother of an autistic child who, like Ms Klar, views her child's autism disorder as a blessing for which she is thankful:

"As the years passed since that initial diagnosis in 2002, I’ve grown more and more thankful for him and his diagnosis. Many would think that I’m crazy — and maybe I am a bit, but he is such a tremendous joy to me and our entire family. He has taught me not to take the little things in life for granted — and by watching him grow and learn, I have learned so very much.

It’s simply amazing. Sometimes, I wonder what life without him would be like, or even life without him being autistic and I cannot imagine it. At this point I don’t even want to. I wouldn’t change a thing about him even if I could."

Ms Gaither is entitled to her own views. Easter Seals, in a democracy, is also entitled to promote her views. Personally I find repugnant the idea of taking joy in, or giving thanks for the fact that my son has a disorder. I can not accept the idea of being thankful that your own child lacks all the abilities to function in the real world, to live a full and complete life as possible, just because it makes a parent feel better to think that way.

I love my son Conor dearly. I regularly feature picture sets of him with he and I enjoying the outdoors and the natural beauty of the city of Fredericton. I love being with him every chance I get and I can not begin to describe how much fun it is to hang out with him or what a great sense of humor he has.

Conor has an Autistic Disorder diagnosis, assessed with profound developmental delays. He has, particularly in the past bitten himself. He has punched holes in glass windows and cut his hands. I can not give thanks for a disorder which results in injury to my son.

At 13 it is clear he will never live an independent life. I have, as an active autism advocate here in New Brunswick, Canada visited institutions where some autistic adults have lived. While I respect the people in those institutions for doing the best they can for the autistic adults in their care it is not a future that I wish for my son. It is not a future, for my son, that I would celebrate as a blessing for which I should be thankful.

I want to see Conor live the fullest, happiest life possible. I want him to have the opportunity of treatment for his autism disorder. If the "it's gotta be genetic" approach to autism research ever truly loses its sway and cures are sought and found I would want Conor to receive real blessings ... treatments or cures which help him live a fuller life when I am gone.

I do not lose sight of the fact that Conor's autism is a ... disorder. One that will continue to restrict his life long after I can care for him, long after I have finished my tour of this planet.

Love my son and be thankful for every minute I am with him? Absolutely.

Give thanks that my son has a serious autism disorder? Never.

autism

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12 Days of Cookies – A bon appetit cookie extravaganza! Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies with Orange Buttercream

This wonderful event, in it’s second year, is the brain child of Andrea of Andrea's Recipes, but this year is being organized and ran by Sandy of At the Baker's Bench.

How I got asked to be involved with this incredible group is beyond me but all the thanks goes to Kelly of Sass & Veracity and after last year I sure earned my way in the hard way! There are 10 of us that have decided to do The 12 Days of Cookies – A bon appétit cookie extravaganza. We will be choosing, baking, tasting, blogging and sharing with you a cookie a day for the first 12 days of December.
These cookies are coming from bon appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Slideshow.

These are my partners in crime. We will all be choosing different cookies and surprising each other. How fun is that???? Be sure to check out their selections for the day!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dogs
RJ of Flamingo Musings
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project

Day 2 of the 12 Days of Cookies was a HUGE success!  I loved these cookies and could sit down and eat a whole bath of them!  Lucky for me the batches are really small…

Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies with Orange Buttercream (bonappetit.com)

The orange juice and grated peel in the icing between these gorgeous crispy pecan lace sandwich cookies makes them an ideal accompaniment to any holiday dessert spread.

Makes about 18 (I only got 12 out of this)

Ingredients

COOKIES

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup coarsely ground pecans (about 4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FILLING

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 3/4 teaspoon grated orange peel

Preparation

COOKIES

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir butter, sugar, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Add nuts and vanilla; stir to combine.

• Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until bubbling and lightly browned, about 11 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

FILLING

• Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread 1 teaspoon filling onto bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down, pressing lightly to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature.

Would I make these again? Oh yes, but I am not sure what for.  I guess if I made them smaller they would be good for a cookie platter but otherwise they are really a stand alone cookie and would really steal the show!

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This Week's Foodie Freebie: Pyrex 5 Piece Bakeware Set

Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed the time to be with friends, family and surrounded by delicious food! I'm a day late in announcing this week's Foodie Freebie Friday due to a little medical scare yesterday that kept me away. Thankfully everything is okay now and I can breathe a little sigh of relief.

Since today marks the start of December, I immediately correlate the month of December with baking... and lots of it! So this week, a lucky reader will be enjoying a Pyrex 5 Piece Bakeware Set to put to use for holiday baking this month! I love Pyrex products because they are extremely durable and are great to use from oven to table as well. The only thing to note is that when using Pyrex or glass bakeware, you'll need to adjust the oven temperature down 25 degrees from the regular temp. This will prevent over baking or burning since baking in glass is much different than baking in metal or stoneware.

Clear, nonporous Pyrex glass won't stain or absorb odors and is saf efor oven, microwave, freezer, and dishwasher with a 2-year warrant. A reader will receive:

• Pie plate
• 2-cup measuring cup
• Loaf pan
• 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan
• 9-by-12-by-2-inch lasagna pan

Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States - my apologies to my international readers!
- You must check back on my blog on Friday to see if you've won so you can claim your prize!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:

- What's your favorite this to bake during the holidays?


Deadline: Thursday, December 5, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

ONE WINNER will be randomly chosen by Random. Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, December 6, 2009. Good luck!

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Ontario's Brutal Autism Reality, For Autistic Children It's Not A Place to Stand and Grow

Give us a place to stand And a place to grow

And call this land Ontario.
A place to live
For you and me
With hopes as high
As the tallest tree.
Give us a land of lakes
and a land of snow
And we will build Ontario A place to stand, a place to grow
Ontari-ari-ari-o !

From western hills,
To northern shores.
To Niagara Falls,
Where the waters roar.
Give us a land of peace,
Where the free winds blow.
And we will build Ontario A place to stand, a place to grow
Ontari-ari-ari-o

Dolores Claman and Richard Morris, A Place to Stand

If they think of autism in Ontario the three anti ABA amigos, Morton Ann Gernsbacher, Michelle Dawson and Dr. Laurent Mottron. must be very, very happy. In the province where I attended high school (General Panet High School, Petawawa), and worked for several years (Ottawa, Toronto), ABA services for autistic children are in such a state that many autistic children miss out on the chance for optimum development in the preschool years. Barry Hudson, a well informed father of an autistic child active in autism advocacy, described in a recent comment to me the situation in the province which was once, but is no longer for autistic children, a place to stand and a place to grow:

"In terms of how things are for services in Ontario they have actually gotten worse since your last post about Ontario. I have seen letters newly diagnosed parents have received from the Ministry responsible for ASD therapy funding (post diagnosis) and they are being told now that funding for therapy can be 3 – 4 years, add the wait for diagnosis (usually one year) and the quickest Ontario funds therapy is 4 years (we waited just shy of 3). The reality of Ontario is that most will not see funding until 5 years. The government does not even bother to pretend to care now since they have the economic excuse, last time I had any communication with my MPP I was flatly told to not bother to make any contact on this issue – the government intends to do nothing more than what is being done now.

As you have written many times - the parents are largely left to their own and no government is serious about aiding the vulnerable. In Ontario it is very trendy for politicians to make grand statements to support helping the truly vulnerable but when delivery is needed the vulnerable are getting “all we can afford”. The recent spending scandal here for a billion dollars blown [it will likely tally to over $1.7 billion when the dust settles] on an eHealth system that did not get delivered shows me that it is more important for the pigs to be at the troth than anything else."

Forty-two years after Ontario's unofficial anthem took to the airwaves the government of Ontari-ari-ari-o is simply not helping it's autistic children to stand and grow.

autism

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