Climate change, morbid facts, Mrs. Fields' Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Jon's sent us a couple of links on climate change: he hope that climate change won't be constrained to a partisan issue, so discussion is always a good thing. Unlike certain other things I've been linked to this week (AHEM, backwards male!), this WILL go here!

Brian McLaren (depending on who you read) is either a perceptive commentator on the church and culture, or the Antichrist.
Bill McKibben has been writing about the environment for what seems like ages now, and he's well-respected.


Today's Nude Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A relative discovered a 23-year-old man dead in the front seat of a car Friday, February 24, still embracing a dead 17-year-old girl. Their nude bodies were inside a closed garage in the front seat of a 1978 Cutlass. They had apparently been having sex when they were overcome by carbon monoxide. The medical examiner said the deaths appear accidental. The two were not found for nearly a day. The man's mother became worried because she could not reach him on his cell phone Friday morning. "She called his cousin, who lived nearby, to help her track him down. He's the one who looked inside the garage and found the bodies," WISN 12 News reporter Nick Bohr said. "Carbon monoxide can accumulate very rapidly. It's just something you don't want to take a chance with," said Dr. Ken Schellhase, of the Medical College of Wisconsin. Schellhase said warming up a car in a closed garage is one of the most dangerous things you can do, much less staying in the car as it idles. He said the symptoms can be hard to recognize. "The symptoms are pretty non-specific. It can include things like headache, dizziness, a general sense of ill ease," Schellhase said. Sleepiness is also a symptom. "Those are often the most tragic circumstances where people fall asleep, and there's a carbon monoxide leak of some sort. The dose is overwhelming," Schellhase said. Schellhase said it is unusual for someone to be overcome so quickly, but it's not clear how long they may have been in the car prior to having sex. According to the medical examiner's report, the carbon monoxide levels in the garage got so intense at some point that the car itself choked off for lack of oxygen. The car still had one-quarter of a tank of gas.

Culled from: The Milwaukee Channel
Generously submitted by: kelshubert

**********************************************************************

I suspect it says something rather ominous about the state of my mind to admit to you that the song Wake Up, Little Susie started playing in my mind as I read this...

I told your mama that you'd be in by ten.
Well, Susie baby, looks like we goofed again.

And how!

*******

March Contest - Ruthless Rhymes!

For the last few days, I've been sharing some of my favorite little morbid poems from Ruthless Rhymes For Heartless Homes. I thought that it might be fun to do a creative writing contest this month, where I invite you to write your own "Ruthless Rhyme." I will do some Googling to make sure that the poem is truly yours, so no plagiarism! The poem should be short (10 -14 lines maximum) and morbid - but other than that, feel free to use your creative license. The winner, as chosen by the Comtesse, will receive a MFDJ "Desensitize Yourself" T-shirt as shown on A Plethora Of Viscera.

Send your entries to ruthless@asylumeclectica.com. Contest closes March 23rd. Good luck!

*******

Morbid Mirth Du Jour!

What crawls and goes 'clank clank clank'?

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

A baby in a bear trap.

Thanks to gsteinma for this one.

*******

Ghastly!

Here's a nice collection of vintage post-mortem photographs. Thanks to newfers for the link.


Mrs. Fields' Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Categories: Cookies, Mimi
Yield: 48 servings

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 cup Quick oats (not instant)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cloves
2 teaspoons Grated lemon zest
1 cup Dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup Butter
1 large Egg
1/2 cup Unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup Honey
1 cup Fresh apple, peeled and
Finely chopped (1 med apple)
1 cup Raisins (6 oz)
Topping:
1/2 cup Quick oats


Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium bowl... combine flour, oats, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon zest. Mix well and set aside. Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Add egg, applesauce, and honey and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture, fresh apple, and raisins... blend at low speed until just combined. Dough will be quite soft. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. If you wish, sprinkle cookies with oats. Bake 23-25 minutes, or until bottoms are golden.