A Legacy of the Arts (Colliers)

 

John Collier's The Annunciation

I invite you to drop by and visit the new Legacy of the arts page created and dedicated to three generations of my wife's family (and my wife): Carroll Collier, John Carroll Collier & Mildred Collier, and Kimberly Erickson.  

A Legacy of the Arts

New Online Photo Gallery / Studio

 

It's been a long time coming, but I have finally put together an online place for people to browse or purchase my nature photos.  The original idea was as an aid for the homesick Pacific Northwesterner, but anyone can benefit from a nice framed photograph on the wall.

If there's a particular photo (not appearing) that you might be interested in, feel free to reach out.  

I hope to see you around!  

Pacific Northwest Photography by Karl Erickson

Reflections on Nearly Thirty Years with Kaiser Permanente

 

This isn't going to be a particulaly long post, but it occurred to me that this might be helpful to other members out there. First of all, I have got to say I am very thankful to have had health insurance always available for our family. Even when traveling out of state or country, we knew we always had options for care and treatment. Secondly, with the exception of a single orthopedic treatment issue involving my hands (concerning prior orthopedic physician and not current), health care for the last few years has been pretty good. That said, here is a sampling of the Kaiser issues we have dealt with over the years.

• Declined emergency care or triage due to one Kaiser facility's closure.  Family member removed from second facility by ambulance.
• Severe hand/arm infection misdiagnosed by doctor almost leading to serious complications due to length of time infection had been going (and the introduction of predinisone).
• Misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment for repeated sinus infections.  Evidence of doctor not thoroughly reviewing treatment challenges in past episodes.  I finally discovered the underlying cause.
• Complaint filed due to rude behavior and profanity by doctor during routine visit.
• Orthopedic issue with hands incorrectly characterized with no assistance offered to point of locking fingers.  Changed doctors, and the issue is gone.

There is a reason that HMO treatment is sometimes referred to as assembly-line medicine.  The patient is often pigeonholed into the wrong category due to first impressions that are hard to break.  What I have learned over the years is that one really has to be responsible for ensuring the quality of care is correct.  Often it seems the nurse practitioners are the ones who have provided me some of the most thorough care over the years.  One of these also remarked that it's the patient who often knows the best when a particular treatment is not working or even what may be worth trying.

Bottom line, you have to be your own advocate with Kaiser--just like any other HMO.  That may likely mean fighting for the care you deserve at times and not accepting what you're told.  It doesn't necessarily mean changing HMOs, as I believe you'e likely to encounter these issues in most of these systems.

On the plus side for Kaiser, I will say we had the best pediatrician one could ever have.  He even went to bat with us regarding a particular issue with one of the kid's schools.  He was awesome.

Facebook's Incompetence Followed by my Ambivalence

 

I have always known that God has a sense of humor.  After all, why else would an English major and all-around arts guy become a Tax Auditor (for the second time)?  Life is a mystery.  The other one I have been pondering over the last few years is when I was going to throw in the towel on Facebook.  From articles such as "Facing the Truth About Facebook" to "Is Technology Making Us Rude" and "The Connection Illusion," I have been lamenting what social media has done both to our minds (deep thought lost) and our culture (neighbors forgotten in favor of "connections").  I have repeatedly asked myself when I was going to pull the plug.  Well, that answer may have just been made for me.

A few days ago, I decided to spend just a few dollars on Facebook to promote my new photography portfolio.  Strangely, Facebook sent me a warning about one of my related posts possibly containing copyrighted images.  Well, duh, they are copyrighted, and I hold the copyrights.  Early the following morning (I think on a Saturday), I received another message.  It looked similar to the first, and it said I needed to click through the message to confirm some things about my promoted post.  Of course, that's when all the trouble started.  Being barely awake, I clicked.  Here's how I have been describing it online the past few days.

When someone announces they’re being banned from Facebook, it’s hardly front-page news.  Yawn….  I’ve decided that it might be a good idea to share my particular (brief) situation, however, mainly because I’ve noticed that precisely the same thing seems to be happening to many other users.  (See Reddit in particular.)

I fell for a phishing scam a couple mornings ago.  Fortunately, the scammer’s technology didn’t work quite right, and I asked my son for help.  My son (just graduated with a BA in Mechanical Engineering) immediately realized it was a scam.  I tried changing the passwords at once, and it seemed that things were going to be okay.  A short time later, however, I received a message that identity verification was going to be required.  I decided to hit FB's link upon returning from a planned hike on the Oregon Coast.  On the drive back, however, I was notified from a FB friend that the account had been completely removed; I was banned.

The message I received the following day shed further light on it.  FB apparently linked my account with the scammer’s Instagram—the person who briefly hijacked my Facebook. So, not only am I dealing with changing my debit card and bank passwords (checking account was breached from FB via saved debit card info), changing cell phone number, reorganizing how I use e-mail with my bills, but I’m also attempting to un-ban myself from FB.  Rather…I am deciding if I want to remain with Facebook by choice; I am presently feeling a tad ambivalent about it.  I have even written articles in the past about leaving Facebook, but being sloppily linked with a crook by some algorithm is not my idea of an ideal departure from social media—particularly if I decide to run for state office again.  If I leave, I would prefer to leave on my own terms; thank you very much.

Tried filing a BBB complaint yesterday, but I'm not holding my breath.  Been doing releases of a sort to a couple consumer protection related media outlets in case they might be interested.  Hoping for a call back perhaps from one particular nationally syndicated radio show.  I’ve also tried jumping through FB's little hoops (such as appeal@fb.com and abuse@fb.com), but there's not even a rudimentary acknowledgment of e-mails.  (As a guy who used to be a real hearings representative, it's a little amusing.) Today, I attempted to write Nicholas Clegg, but not sure any of the e-mail permutations were successful in reaching their desired target.  

Bottom line…this is less about me, and more about the fact that this seems to be an increasingly regular way that FB conducts itself.  No one should be guilty until proven innocent—even in the deceptively antiseptic blue and white halls of Meta.  

For a little insight into the location of these Nigerian scammers, here is their physical trail.  Apparently this kind of tracking is a bridge too far for Facebook's tech folks; it's bewildering.  I mean...what do they do?

A Review of Cabrini: The Very Good, the Really Good, & the Not so Good

Double-click for trailer.

In case you missed it, there's a new movie released this month.  It's worth your time. Cabrini tells the true story of Saint Frances Cabrini who worked tirelessly for those poor and forgotten souls the city had forgotten.  Cabrini, an immigrant from Italy, arrived in New York on March 3, 1889 along with six of her fellow nuns.  Their intent was to simply start an orphanage with the blessing of Pope Leo XIII, but she ended up accomplishing so much more--from orphanages to modern hospitals.

Some have argued that this movie is dark or that it glorifies feminism.  I can understand the dark critique, but its subject matter is one of the darkness of the inner city, of inhumanity to man.  I avoid movies that are dark in tone without a larger purpose, but movies that contain dark imagery to underscore hard-fought battles won or for other legitimate purposes can serve a positive purpose in bringing us knowledge and understanding of those who have done good (or ill) for others under extraordinarily difficult circumstances--such as Cabrini.  Yes, if it's a Batman movie where you can hardly make out the characters due to the scenes being continually so dark simply for a glorification of violence, count me out, but this is something quite different.

Sculpture by my father-in-law of Cabrini.

 Another criticism of the movie is that it promotes feminism.  I think this is patently untrue.  Catholic tradition--and Italian culture in particular-- are full of strong women of faith.  Just because women can't be priests, of course, doesn't mean that they can't have other powerful and meaningful roles within the Church and their families.  Catholic teaching, after all, does contain a certain woman we think pretty highly of: Mary.  Mary wasn't afraid of saying yes to God and risk stoning for being with child before her marriage to Joseph.  She and Joseph further risked life and limb in their travels to Egypt.  Even being present at the foot of the holy cross may have placed her at risk--in addition to the agony of anguish.  God often calls incredibly strong and brave women, and this doesn't mean that we are arguing for feminism in some way.

I'm not always a fan of Angel Studios, however.  It's true that I think that Director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde hit this one out of the park, but I do think Angel Studios could improve their practices in a few ways.  First, the previews before the movie are repeated pleadings for advanced ticket sales for their upcoming motion pictures.  The movies featured immediately convey everything that is wrong with Christian film: stereotyped characters, overly sentimental scenes, preachy and political undertones, over the top plots, etc.  By showing the trashy stuff before a long film like Cabrini (almost 2 and a half hours), it lowers audience expectations and disrespects the audience as well.  As it was, for instance, one of our party had to leave just before the ending out of concern for an old pet in her home; it was l-o-n-g.  Add to this, Angel Studios is selling all manner of knock-offs from the movie on their site.  From tacky jewelry to other assorted nicknacks; it's tacky.  I love this movie, but it's like the production company needs to grow up a bit and stop behaving like a spoiled brat.

Double-click to go to a Cabrini photo site,

Karl's Pacific Northwest Clam Chowder and Famous Pretzels

If there's one dish I enjoy, it's a good bowl of clam chowder. We've sampled clam chowder in fine restaurants from Victoria to Monteray, and I really can honestly say that our recipe is hard to beat. That said, my recipe owes a debt of gratitude to my own family. In fact, perhaps I should call it Eastern Washington Clam Chowder? No, I guess not.

Besides never scalding the milk, the central thing to bear in mind for this recipe is to keep experimenting and perfecting it. That's one aspect I enjoy--that each batch is slightly different than before. I usually add a one or two of a rotating list of seafood together with the clams: shrimp, crab, scallops, smoked salmon, etc. (Freshly caught seafood is particularly good, but make sure you have selected the right kind of clams if you've dug them yourself. Sadly...the Ericksons are not the best clam diggers; we buy them canned now.)

I also recommend making it correctly the first couple times before trying to concoct a healthy version. After all, this isn't a side dish, it's the meal. We almost never use real cream, for instance, but it does greatly improve the texture and flavor. You may notice I use the word about a number of times in the recipe. This is because either I have misplaced the precise measurements or I am encouraging some brave experimentation. (I'll let you decide which is the case.)




Chowder Ingredients


about five pounds of cut and peeled potatoes
about two cups of chicken broth
4-6 small cans of clams or 1 of the large can
3/4 to 1 stick of real butter
2 diced onions
1 diced stalk of celery
about a quart of whipping creme or half and half
four cups of whole milk
2-3 tbsp corn starch (optional)
half a carrot (optional)


Seasoning (to taste)

salt
cracked pepper
dried parsley
basil (fresh preferred)
oregano
Be creative!


At the same time you're boiling the potatoes in the chicken broth, begin to sauté the cut onions in a skillet with some butter or good olive oil. Once the potatoes are sufficiently tender, remove from the heat. Cook the onions until they begin to become translucent. Just before removing from the heat, add the celery. If the potatoes are too big, cut to smaller pieces. (You can cut them within the pot and save a little time.) Add sautéed onions to potatoes, followed by the rest of the seafood and any other desired ingredients. Don't add the milk or whipping creme yet!

Once everything has come to a gentle boil, add the milk and whipping creme last. Keep stirring and lower the heat. This prevents the milk from scalding. As the consistency will likely not be thick enough, withdraw half a cup of the liquid from the chowder and add two or three tablespoons of corn starch. Mix well before adding to the chowder. Bring to a boil again, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve hot.  (The corn starch thickening step is not always necessary.)

Everyone (except me) in my household likes ice cold peas dropped atop top the chowder to help cool it down at serving time. I still believe that this is a great affront to the chowder gods. Consequently, you will not see peas in my chowder--unless, of course, my wife Kimberly has prepared it. :)


Suggested toppings: crumbled pepper bacon or oyster crackers.

Bonus--Karl's Famous Pretzels





I’ve been perfecting this recipe for several years now, and I think you'll enjoy it--unless you're on a no gluten diet. One word of advice is not to skip the quick immersion in the boiling water! This step makes all the difference in their final texture, creating pretzels that are moist yet crisp. I don't go into a lot of detail here about forming the pretzels, but just do your best. It takes a little practice. Even if they look odd, they should still taste great!


Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/4 cup water or beer (1/4 cup of warm water for the yeast)
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
about 1 1/2 tsp of dry yeast
2 tbsp softened butter (optional)
1-4 tbsp of sourdough sponge

1 egg (optional)

1 or two beaten eggs
course salt
sesame seeds
1/2 stick of butter


Activate the yeast separately by adding it to the water and sugar. If you have a bread machine, try using this to prepare and knead the dough. (It helps if you add the water first.) If it’s too large a batch for the machine, try cutting the recipe in half. Otherwise, prepare the dough as you would for an ordinary loaf of homemade bread.

Neither the butter nor the sourdough is a required ingredient, but I think both help make a better finished product. The sourdough enhances the depth and richness of flavor. The butter not only improves both the texture and flavor, but it also might help slightly when it comes time to form the pretzels. (You may also want to try adding one tablespoon corn meal and letting the bread "rest" before rising. Also, cooking sprays work well on one's hands.). Update: I think olive oil in the dough works better than anything else I have tried to help make the forming of the pretzels a little less messy.

Watch the dough’s progress in the bread machine (or food processor) carefully. It often requires a little fine-tuning with additional water and/or flour in order to achieve a proper ball of dough. You will want the dough to rise for several hours, and, depending on the size and habits of your bread machine, you may decide to transfer before long to a bread pan inside a barely heated oven and cover with a moist towel. (I pre-heat to a couple hundred degrees, put the bread in, then turn off the oven.) As an alternative, you may also want to form the pretzels now, then place in the oven under the towel to rise.

HINTS: Another alternative, recommended by my daughter, is to roll the dough into eight-inch ropes and let those rise before later forming the pretzels. You may also find it helpful to roll the pretzels on a floured cutting board.

When it looks like it’s done rising, it’s time to get everything else ready. Beat your eggs for the wash and set aside. Get a deep pan and fill it halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Begin forming the pretzels by making eight-inch ropes. Once they're formed into their classic shape, carefully pick each up and dip in the boiling water for ten seconds, or so, before returning to the greased baking sheet.

When this step is complete and they’ve all had their hot bath, then brush the egg wash over each and season with the course salt and sesame seeds. Bake until lightly browned for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Enjoy with melted butter.



Some Quick Pretzel History

Pretzels are said to have had their origin in Europe in the 600s, and were used by monks to reward children for memorizing their prayers and studies. The History of Science and Technology, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, describe their invention by a monk "...as a reward to children who learn their prayers. He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' ("little rewards")". Pretzels were also used as a teaching tool for the mysterious three-in-one nature of the Holy Trinity.

New YouTube video of me endeavoring to cook...

A History of Israel at a Glance

A relative put this valuable and interesting resource together, and it was recently updated.   I've decided to share it "as is." It's an illuminating resource.  Note that Palestine did not even enter the picture until 135 AD.  Paul Johnson is a great source.  Modern Times is another excellent title of Mr. Johnson's.