Sweet of the Week!

I hope you were all able to try the Magnolia vanilla cupcake recipe, and if not by baking it, by picking one up and enjoying at the bakery.  This week I want to suggest the chocolate cupcake recipe from Magnolia.  This one is my favorite!  I also found out that one of my classmates, Trina, wrote about her love for Magnolia on her blog, and this is her fav as well!   I'll have to make them soon and bring them in to class for a treat! 

This recipe is very similar to the vanilla ones, but be careful with chocolate, when overcooked it burns easily.  Make sure you pay attention to the time and temperature of your oven.  Also it is up to you whether you want to use vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting.  My fav is chocolate with vanilla frosting, and cream cheese frosting is also super delish!  You may just have to make them a couple times and figure out which you enjoy the most! 

Obama on Education- State of the Senate

“Dropping out of high school is no longer an option.  It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country and this country needs and values the talents of every American.”    President Obama said this during his address to congress in the State of the Nation on February 24th.   During the address, he established his agenda for the coming years.  One of the most important issues was Education.  He spoke in depth about the challenges and solutions being made to encourage and increase education in the United States and its critical impact on the Nation's economic future.     

President Obama said that in the  global economy of today, education is not an option but a prerequisite.   There are alarming high school drop out rates and school budget cuts on the local and state level.  This has created a drop in rankings internationally in math and science.  President Obama believes that the country needs to expand its promise of education for every child.  With his policies he wants to "Ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education from the day they are born to the day they begin their career."  

One of the policies helping to do so is called the "Serve America Act"  This will increase national and community service opportunities for Americans.  President Obama spoke of how the price of tuition is rising and with the state of the economy it is becoming harder and harder to make ends meet.  According to CNN.com "The cost of attending college has risen nearly three times the rate of the cost of living, according to a December 2008 report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education." 

The "Serve America Act" it encourages the youth and citizens to be involved in volunteering for their communities.  Those who are willing to volunteer in their neighborhoods, or serve the country, will be able to afford higher education.  He also stated that they will work hard to provide the support that all young Americans need to complete a college education.   He stated that  this year they will make college more affordable to 7 million more students.  

Obama created a goal that by 2020 the United States will once again have the highest proportion of  college graduates in the world.  But the emphasis to learn and embrace education should not just be in a school environment, it needs to start in the home.  Parents need to encourage reading, educational games, and homework in order to help their children do well in school and have the strive to continue on.  

 I believe that Obama's policies will help to expand both younger and higher education, which will in turn help the economic future of this country.  Parents, children, young adults, and adults who do not have higher education must take the incentive to get involved and become educated.  School is hard work, but the hard work does pay off.  This will lead to a career that can support a family and loved ones who then will have the opportunity to gain a great education and a wealth of knowledge. I believe it will work,  I just hope it works better than "No child left behind..."

"Absolutely Friggin' Ridiculous"

Sean Delonas is in the middle of a brewing controversy over his cartoon( see left) which was published in today's New York Post.   

The Cartoon is referring to the incident this week in Stamford, CT where the TV star chimp was shot by the police, after attacking the owners friend.  However,  many have suggested that the cartoon also ties to President Obama by comparing him to a deranged chimp being shot by the police.  

Rev. Al Sharpton has commented to the Associated Press that the cartoon is "troubling at best."  Also stating that Obama is the nation's first black President and throughout history African Americans have been depicted as monkeys.  He also asked "Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama and has become synonymous with him, it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?"

Needless to say the cartoon is causing quite some controversy.  However the New York Post is standing by both Delonas and the cartoon.  Delonas also states "Do you really think I'm saying Obama should be shot? I didn't see that in the cartoon. It's about the economic stimulus bill. If you're going to make that about anybody, it would be [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, which it's not."-boston globe

I try to take people for their word and although Delonas has said the allegations are "absolutely friggin' ridiculous."  I tend to think that the reference to the stimulus bill and the police shooting the monkey, which has always had racial connotations, does in fact tie to President Obama.  It would be one thing for him to defend his cartoon and say he was not meaning to be racist, but for him to say the cartoon did not have anything to do with Obama, after he has championed the stimulus bill is asking a lot. 

Sweet of the Week!

Magnolia's Vanilla Vanilla cupcakes.

If you haven't tried a magnolia cupcake yet, you really need to get on that.  They offer a variety of cupcakes such as red velvet, chocolate, lady baltimore, and their most popular is vanilla vanilla. It is much easier to just grab one in the city at one of their many locations, however, thats not as fun.  Making these cupcakes is a piece of cake ;) if you have all the right ingredients.   

You can find the recipe here and make these cupcakes as a treat!  Beware though, once you have one, its often hard to hold back from some more.  The recipe makes around 2 dozen, so wrap some up and bring to friends.  

Sweet of the week!

I figured since I love cupcakes and treats I'd pick one of my favorites and post it each week. Hope you enjoy! 

These are the cutest and just in time for valentines day!  I am so excited to make these and see how they turn out! These are a little complicated and take time.

The link is to Martha Stewart, and if you are interested the video is very helpful.

happy baking!

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=b9dccd66f1b09110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Taking the Blame..

Earlier tonight I watched the President Obama interview on Anderson Cooper 360.  Overall I think the interview was very interesting and seemed to harp on the standards and tone of the Obama administration to the American public. 

Daschle withdrew himself for consideration of Secretary of Health and Human services after being investigated for failure to pay taxes.   Obama responded and stepped up by taking the blame for the appointment of Daschle.  He stressed that "I screwed up,"  and followed by laying out what his administrations standards for such a case; "ultimately, I campaigned on changing Washington and bottom-up politics. And I don't want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards: one for powerful people and one for ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes."

This is why I like President Obama and believe change will in fact happen.  People can say I'm silly for having such hope but this change will not occur in days, or months, its going to take years, one piece at a time.  I will remain patient and supportive.   As Obama has said in the past he will remain honest, and he is proving that by being accessible and up front.  CNN reported tonight that it is rare for a President to say that they have screwed up (note: 2000-2008) . This goes to show things are already being done much differently than years past.  

 

UNITEd states?

Happy superbowl sunday!  I feel lost without my Pats in the game, but I don't even want to go there...

Anyways, after watching some political TV on CNN and FOX this morning, I decided I'm kind of disgusted with people these days.   As the economy is getting worse and more and more are unemployed, I thought people would unite.  It has been so encouraging to see our country elect a President whose beliefs are firm in removing the corruption and turning around the mess of the past 8 years.  But where is the support? Didn't the many republicans supporting McCain admit to the horrible corner Bush backed us into? Maybe I am young and naive, but last time I checked the citizens of the United States are suffering, and its only getting worse.  This is the time for those on the hill to come together and create a plan of action not widen the gap, point fingers, and get defensive.  Frank Rich wrote a great op-ed piece in the Times entitled "Herbert Hoover Lives." After reading this I realized I wasn't alone in my feelings, i suggest you read it too! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01rich.html?ref=opinion

Hope you have a happy monday!