Shreds

The War Still Rages

2012-01-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

Obama's War On Weed: White House Launches Crackdown On Medical Marijuana

Three years on, not a single Wall Street banker has been prosecuted after a financial crisis rooted in rampant fraud brought the global economy to its knees. President Obama's Department of Justice has more dangerous miscreants to worry about: medical marijuana shop owners.

The DOJ has launched an assault on medical pot dispensaries, vowing to shut down establishments licensed and regulated by state and local governments, in a reversal of an earlier policy, based on an Obama campaign promise to leave the shops alone as long as they followed state law.

And while major corporations have managed to get their federal tax bills down to zero, the IRS has determined that pot clinics can't deduct salaries, rent, the cost of bud or other operating expenses on their tax returns. If a business can't deduct those expenses, its tax bill almost always winds up exceeding even its profits.

All this, despite Barrack Obama's campaign pledge that he would not target the sick people of the nation.

As the government continues it's War On Drugs and deals daily with the overspill violence of Mexico's drug wars we get a policy that guarantees that more profits will be made from the illicit drug trade... an illicit trade that the administration made even more deadly when they ran guns across the border into the hands of criminal gangs... A policy that nobody has yet to pay a price for. (Except some Border Patrol guys, but you know... support the troops and all that.)

I'm really hoping that this becomes a seriously reported issue during this election cycle. President Obama has a lot of answering to do, and he should be held to account for it.

What Is More Fun Than A GOP Debate?

2012-01-26T21:17:00.000-08:00

Watching shit blow up in a microwave, of course.

Actually, it's a commercial for Moe's Southwest Grill. I never heard of them before, but I'm fairly certain Moe doesn't use any microwaves in his grilling.

From The Catalogue

2012-01-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

Today we have dozens of instruction manuals, television shows and movies showing us how to actually survive a zombie apocalypse. Thus, the only thing missing is the right equipment, until now.

The DoubleStar Zombie-X AK-47 is a weapon specially customized to battle zombie hordes by attaching a battery-charged chainsaw to the end of the barrel, as well as a EOTech Zombie Stopper XPS2-Z Holographic Sight which puts a biohazard symbol on your target instead of the classic red dot. DoubleStar hasn't announced when or if this will go on sale, but its less fancy DSC Zombie Slayer predecessor sells for $1,249.99, so the Zombie-X is likely to be a bit pricier.

Link

Like we learned in Boy Scouts: Be Prepared

This can have multiple uses besides zombie fighting. Take it elk hunting and that chain saw can make quick work of quartering the carcass for packing out. Or dismembering that tattooed punk with the face piercings (who was fool enough to call on your daughter) before you plant him in 'the back forty'.

I will be adding this to catalogue of "Cool Shit You Just Gotta Have."

I Am Winning

2012-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I laid down for another follow-up MRI. I need to do this every year to keep an eye on the bit tumor that still lingers in my head after the events of three-plus years ago.

First off, the Doc sternly cautioned me to not wait so long in between scans. Like I said, I'm supposed to have them every twelve months. I had the previous one in May... of 2010. Yeah, well... I got busy with other issues.
He wasn't accepting any excuses.
You see, if this thing starts to grow again, it will most likely expand northward instead of southward. Northern real estate, he didn't to remind me but did anyway, gets a lot more complicated than the already complicated enough lower region they were clearing out before.

Then he smiled and asked if I was ready for the good news.
Well, yeah...

The tumor is shrinking. Using before and after scans he showed me on the screen where it used to be, and where it now resides... in his estimation, it's shrunk by about half.

He was quite pleased. Shrinkage is not expected in the procedure I had, but it's been known to occur in rare cases.

Like I said before, I am Mister 10% through this whole set of circumstances. Usually falling into the 10% that doesn't cooperate as well as the other cases.
Given my history I wasn't completely expecting the tumor to stay exactly how they left it, but I was more or less preparing myself for future growth, not reduction.
I'll take it and be happier than I already was.

Now that my cranium has some empty space, I think I'll fill it with something. Bourbon comes to mind.
Salut!

2012-01-22T21:42:00.000-08:00

I have been named Shadowy Out Of State Operative of the MOB. I'd tell you what my duties were, but then I wouldn't be shadowy.
In the meantime, nothing here will change.
Feel free to carry on with the normal levels of utmost respect that I've grown accustomed to.

Red Tails

2012-01-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

Black History Month being just around the corner and all, I was expecting something more akin to Glory. I thought I was going to see a historical representation of the Tuskegee Airmen. You know... their struggle for recognition and respect? Maybe some good character representation? Guess again.

Set against the backdrop of Occupied Italy, we are introduced to the 332 Air Squadron. Thinking that Negro pilots lacked the necessities for front line aerial combat, the brass kept them out of the way and largely out of the papers, flying hand-me-down craft and relegated to menial tasks, like coastal patrol and attacking trains and truck caravans.

Eventually they get their big break: protecting heavy bomber squadrons and do a stellar job, earning the respect of the white pilots and... you get how it goes from there.

Much footage is placed on Aeriel maneuvers and over done explosions. The action kinda goes like this: Vroom-Vroom, boom-boom, Whoooooo!

In between all that Vroom-Boom-Whoooooo! there isn't much else that makes a great movie out of a solid idea.
The characters walk around like cardboard cutouts performing all the cliches you'd expect: the 'Nigger' slur fist fight; the maverick pilot; the guy who drinks too much; the overtly religious guy; racist Germans; romance with a local girl; the CO who smokes a pipe all the time...
It's a shame. There was a lot of talent on that screen depicting a diverse and interestingly believable collection of personalities. All of it wasted.

So what is this? A poorly done historical retelling of a first rate military unit? Or a sidetracked wham-bam-hooey intended to sell popcorn? I'm not sure. I don't think the creators are either.

Just as water and oil don't mix, neither do Top Gun and Glory. Red Tails can't make up it's mind as to just what kind of story it wants to tell, and suffers for it.

Really?

2012-01-19T22:53:00.000-08:00

Utah school nixes Cougar as mascot name

...the school board expressed concern that the word "cougar" might be offensive to some women.

I don't know what is funnier: that the school board said this with a straight face, or that they are in charge of educating kids.

2012-01-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

If you haven't voted yet, go HERE and vote for Fearless Maria, who's candidacy is cleverly disguised under the pseudonym "Mr. D".

You can vote once per day, so lets get it done.

Ghetto? No Thanks.

2012-01-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

An in-development Microsoft smart phone app designed to help drivers and pedestrians avoid unsafe neighborhoods is proving controversial among some minority rights groups that find the software potentially discriminatory. Modern technology for cell phones just gets batter, don't it? Keeping it real, is all. There are those times when one would just be better off avoiding certain parts of the city.

Of course, this can go several ways.
Maybe an app that would help you steer clear of areas where driving Asians proliferate?
Or tall bridges through Portland?
A reverse app that takes you through Laguna Beach during high bikini season?

Oh, the possibilities...

Gotta love this money quote:

“Can you imagine me not being able to go to MLK Blvd. because my GPS says that’s a dangerous crime area? I can’t even imagine that,” she said.

But the rest of us can.
That is the idea, afterall.
I can't speak for Dallas or many other parts of ghetto America, but my experience in areas I do know about tell me it's usually best to avoid certain neighborhoods, and these neighborhoods quite often have an MLK Blvd running through them.

Systematic Injustice

2012-01-17T14:12:00.001-08:00

The city of Costa Mesa will pay a six-figure settlement to a man who claimed a police officer planted drugs on him, resulting in an arrest and a guilty plea in court.

California has a "Three Strikes" law where a minor drug charge can effectively send somebody to prison for life.Though I believe that most cops are honest, I do know through personal experience that some of them have a tendency to not be. In this case, we have a clear situation where the cop was crooked.

Months after pleading guilty, the former Costa Mesa resident said he learned the substance was not cocaine after all. Timothy Slappy succeeded in having the conviction sealed and removed from his criminal record and, in March 2011, filed a lawsuit against the city, asking for $1 million.

And it seems that those who run the departments, such as District Attorneys are corrupt as well.

In the federal suit, lawyers representing Slappy claimed the officer planted the substance during the search, and that laboratory results that would have exonerated Slappy were kept hidden from him while he made his plea deal.

So, we have a D.A. who knew his evidence was fraudulent and still bullied an innocent man into a guilty plea.
Eventually, justice would prevail in this case. Who knows how many others might be living with convictions when we know how this case occurred.

It was in spring of 2010 that Slappy was called to Harbor Court in Newport Beach, where he said he was subpoenaed for a hearing regarding Harris and several complaints that had been filed against him.According to the suit, it was there that Slappy was told by Costa Mesa detectives that the evidence found on him was not rock cocaine.

Now, here is my bitch:Why was it necessary for the aggrieved to petition the courts that his conviction be expunged? Shouldn't that have been automatic? You'd think so, anyway.

The public needs to be notified as to the fate of Officer Harris, whatever punishment or discipline was administered... and to the D.A. and prosecutor as well.

No less than three people in a position of public trust need to face criminal charges in this matter, and at least two of them should be looking at serious jail time.

This story of what has happened here in Orange County and likely happens in several places across the country should be national news. In my opinion, it's more important to our notions of decency, justice and rights under the law than four Marines taking a piss.

Home Truth

2012-01-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Taken from Facebook:

"Jon Huntsman withdraws from the race. So are there any candidates left who haven't pre-agreed to bombing Iran? This is bloody insanity, you know that, don't you?

Besides Ron Paul, what may have been suspect about today's GOP in the past is largely confirmed today.

Babies Are Beautiful

2012-01-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Ben and Faith on the birth of Abigail Rose.

We Are Wizzing

2012-01-11T23:09:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Marine Corps is launching an investigation into a video that recently surfaced online showing what appears to be several Marines in uniform urinating on corpses.
War is a messy affair. I don't blame any of the soldiers for doing this, or more, to fallen bodies of enemy soldiers.
Taking a video of it? Stupid.
Posting said video online? Stupider.

All in all, this is or should be a non-story, but it won't be.

But I am left to wonder... Are we in western society the only ones who are bothered when informed of stuff like this? I think we are.
It says something about us, but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

She Aint Done Yet...

2012-01-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

So the Colorado Hootchie Cootchie submitted yet another photo for the yearbook, only to have that rejected as well. LINK!
As if to demonstrate that two hootered blonds are dumber than one, Mother and Daughter took to the Today show this morning.
Mom has come around to fully supporting her daughter's decision...

When your child is spreading her wings you just want to come alongside and...

Not the wisest choice of words if you ask me.

If a situation can scream "No father in the home!", this is it.

Greetings From Cheesecake High

2012-01-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

A Colorado teenager whose yearbook picture was rejected for being too revealing is vowing to fight the ban with her high school’s administration.

Nice photo. All it needs now is a stripper pole.
Of course it's a civil rights issue because any hootered blond can tell you about freedom of expression and stuff.

She'll get her 15 minutes, and maybe an offer from Playboy. Anything beyond that will require discipline, moxie, some intelligence, an agent and hard work.
Or a sex video.

2012-01-08T22:39:00.000-08:00

Just curious... would a proper feminist be upset that Tebow won, or happy that Rothlisberger lost?
Must have been a moral dilemma watching that game.

The Never Ending Now

2012-01-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

It was 1981. KROQ had a righteous habit of playing the music you would never hear anywhere else. They had the pop stuff mostly: The Clash, Devo, The Ramones. That is not what made them, though. It was the never-heard-anywhere-else sounds of Joy Division, The Smithereens, Echo And The Bunnymen, The Church... that defined what this station was all about.

I know...
It's a cliche, but I ain't lying when I say that this period of my life wasn't an easy one. Turmoil at home and troubles outside the home (I had managed to work myself out of allies) didn't leave many options for escape. (Where do you go when there is no where to run to?)

One glorious evening while taking a break from all the bullshit and drama at home, I did what usually seemed to work: I got stoned and went to bed, tried to drift off and was not having an easy time of it, when I heard this song for the very first time...
Instant affirmation.
Everything I was feeling and thinking was finally encapsulated and given voice. Frustration. Hopelessness. Confusion... and the notion that hidden among it all there was something to celebrate, even if I didn't know what it was.
As the song says, "You take your blessings while they're there".
(Right about now, if you're paying attention, you'll notice a connection to the title of this blog. I assure you, it was completely intentional.)

For some reason, this awesome song only made it onto the irregular rotation. It wasn't played very often, nor was the followup second release.
I'm tellin ya... if I was writing songs; if I could write lyrics, compose music and deliver a vibe THIS would have been It.
Undeterred, I fought like mad to get a copy of their album, which had to be special ordered because, like I said, irregular rotation on the irregular showtime for a station with an irregular playlist made them largely unknown. (this was before "Alternative" was synonomous with "everybody is doing it").

It didn't help that the dude at the record store had never heard of them. Sadly, they would stay that way.

The Chameleons would go on to be celebrated as The Greatest Band Ever Ignored By The Masses.

This was the days when if it wasn't on corporate radio, you wren't supposed to know about it. Even Rolling Stone, for all their counter-culture attitude, was/is about as pop-corporate/culture as you could get. They didn't write about The Chameleons, or any other band that I was following at the time. (They didn't even give credence to the Hardcore Scene that now they decide to celebrate 25yrs after it's demise.) In short, Rollingstone is a poser magazine. Fuck them. All of them. And their writers.

The band broke up early on, by 1986 I think. Reformed around 2000. Toured a bit, and dispersed again. Throughout it all, the band mates have always hung around together. They are true life friends, but involve themselves in other projects and don't seem to connect musically very often.

The current incarnation includes the front man, Mark Burgess and the drummer, John Lever. They perform under the name Chameleons Vox. It's actually quite good, still encompassing the brooding spiritually, the darker vibe, the sweet sense of tranquility lying just beyond the turbulence. It's a cleaner, more modern sound. A little less muddied, I'd say.

Hard to imagine how a band that many other 'larger' bands (like Oasis) name as a influence could end up commercially irrelevant. Thanks to the internet, I have been able to acquire everything they've ever recorded.

They got several albums, ~~some~~ several compilations, a few DVD's... all sought after by a small and dedicated fan base. When a latest compilation carries a small notation from the front man thanking all those who continue to buy the recent reorganisation of previous recordings, you know fandom has gone crazy (but he appreciates and thanks us for the new refrigerator he bought with the proceeds),
I would say fandom has reached cult status.
It's unusual I think.

More than once I've been involved in death-match style bidding wars on ebay with some bloke in the UK or Germany.
Strange times, indeed.
Strange how often it's some German dude who keeps trying to buy the shit I want. British, I understand. But German???? Sheesh!
German 80's music must really suck if you feel the need to go all blitzkrieg for a Chameleons limited Edition CD, whose lyrics you may not understand or even pronounce properly. Is it some genetic need to conquer other people and take their shit that drives them? I don't get it.
I'm tellin ya: them Germans don't quit. I hate them.
It's like there's a little music fuhrer inside their soul that needs to dominate others' desire for obscure music. But Germans are assholes, anyway. Who knew?
There is also a noticeable following of Spaniards, a few Portuguese. They fold much too easily. Not a problem for me, really.

*
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Anyway... I'll just wrap it up saying that there has rarely been a day in my life when the Chameleons haven't been supplying the background music to the struggles playing out within my soul.

I am who I am, and no doubt I'd have made my way without them, but I've enjoyed their company and probably always will.

(If you want to take trip into my head, follow the links and don't forget those little astrixy things just a few lines abve this one. It's not a bad place to be.)

*edited... i fixed the broken * link.

Super Creepy Crawlies

2012-01-05T22:01:00.000-08:00

Scientists create freakish man-made monster ants with huge heads and jaws.

Nightmarish 'supersoldier' ants with huge heads and jaws have been created by activating ancient genes.

Scientists believe the monster ants may be a genetic throwback to an ancestor that lived millions of years ago.
Scientists say they can create the supersoldiers at will by dabbing normal ant larvae with a special hormone - the larvae then develop into supersoldiers rather than normal soldier or worker ants.

Authors Dr Rajendhran Rajakumar, from McGill University, Canada, and colleagues wrote: 'We uncovered an ancestral development potential to produce a novel supersoldier subcaste that has been retained throughout a hyperdiverse ant genus that evolved 35 to 60 million years ago.' (Sciency talk for "Hey, check this shit out!")

I'm hoping that science will find a way to create ants that stay outdoors and avoid picnic tables. Or maybe genetically modify fire ants to un-invade the south.

Nearly a Week

2012-01-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

I've have very little to say and less to blog about this past week. It's not totally my fault as my attentions were glued to the goings on in the Midwest.
I felt that I just had to wait and allow events to unfold before I was sure that I had some clue to what it was I was looking at.

What has taken place will potentially effect many of us for years to come. This I recognise.
Understanding it is something else but I'm going to offer up a word or two. I have a blog, so why not?

Here goes...

Jerry Angelo has been fired as General Manager for the Chicago Bears. I think this was a few seasons too late. The Bears should have never gone three years without an effective O-Line, or reliable receiver corps.
This is all at his feet.

Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz has 'resigned'. He was on contract through the Super Bowl (yeah, big whoop), but chose to leave his office early, citing 'philosophical differences'. Yeah, I'll say. His philosophy says the Quarterback should be getting creamed on every snap, and Lovie Smith (along with Jay Cutler) disagreed with that vision.

The Bears should have never hired this asshole two seasons ago in the first place, His shit don't work unless you have 5 future Hall Of Famers starting on offense, and that would require better drafting and personnel hiring (Jerry Angelo), as opposed to grabbing washed up veterans that used to be decent and thinking you could plug a hole.
And why, oh why... would you want to run a scheme that guarantees your QB will get brutalized? Mike Martz should never calls plays again. Anywhere.

My suggestions for next year: the Bears need to spend some money in Free Agency for wide receivers, and draft O-line in the early rounds. In the later rounds, don't look at undersized speed-receivers anymore. We need big guys who can reach up and fight for the ball.
Oh, and get a new Receivers coach while you're at it.

I won't say the future is looking brighter just yet, but a glimmer of hope as been found beyond the horizon.

From Gino's Kitchen

2011-12-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

Venison Stew With Mushrooms:
You will need:
2-3 lbs of Venison
Salt and Pepper
a few slices of crispy Bacon
2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 large Onion
2-3 Carrots
Garlic, 1-2 cloves
Flour, a really large four-finger pinch should do
2/3 cup of Sherry, or a real dry red wine
Fresh Thyme
12 oz Beef Broth
Mushrooms, maybe 3/4 lb or so
Balsamic Vinagar, just a splash

A Crockpot
A Skillet

Cook the bacon til it's nice and crispy. Remove from skillet, crumble it up and set aside for later.

Season the venison with salt and pepper, add the olive oil to the skillet with the bacon drippings.

Brown the venison a handful at a time in the oil and drippings, and transfer to the crockpot.

Slice the onion, carrots and garlic; place in the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes while stirring.

Sprinkle the flour over the skillet veggies, stir some more, and transfer it all to the crockpot.

Add the wine to the skillet, bring to a boil and cook, scraping away all the brown bits stuck to the pan (this is called deglazing). After a minute or two, pour all this into the crockpot.

Chop the Thyme, about a Tablespoon, add to the crockpot along with the beef broth.

Stir it all up. It'll look like this:

Cover and cook on low setting for a very long time. This is a good time to just walk away and go see that 2 1/2 hour Warhorse movie....

After about 5-6 hours, slice up the mushrooms and add to the pot with the crumbled bacon.

Now is good time to enjoy a couple of heavy beers and a light nap.

After about 3hrs, return to the pot and check the venison. If it's tender enough to cut with a fork, it's done.

Splash a little balsamic and stir.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.
It looks like this:

You wish you were me right now, cause that's how good it is.

Warhorse

2011-12-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

Based on a children's book, Steven Speilberg takes us on a journey through the sweeping English countryside and across war torn France following the adventures of a majestic and gifted horse.

Named 'Joey' by the English teen who trained him as a farm horse, he is soon sold to the British army at the outbreak of WWI and turned into a Warhorse.
War is a brutal and deadly undertaking, placing Joey in the hands of several different handlers (A British calvary officer, A French farmer, German artillery gunners... you get the drift), all of whom are touched by his awesomeness in some emotionally driven way.

So much of what is produced today is full of overdone digital effects that it is a treat to see a film this year that was actually filmed, and the film work was top notch.

It's a feel-good movie with a lot of feel-not-so-good moments sewn together. I enjoyed it.

My Take

2011-12-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

Whether the Broncos win or lose, God is still God, Tim Tebow will be a decent human being, and Bill Mahr will always be an asshole.

2011-12-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

Was gonna come up with a really cool Christmas posting but instead I'll just say:

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.
May the next year bring you increased joy and prosperity.

Man Cannot Live On Broth Alone

2011-12-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

Carb and calorie free pasta?

Shirataki noodles from Japan contain zero calories and zero carbs and are gaining a following amongst flab fighters around the country as a miracle alternative to traditional pasta.

I've tried these at a ramen house last fall. The is texture is gelatinous, as it says. Very similar to bean thread/glass noodles with more plasticity. I was never quite sure if my chewing had any effect on them as I pictured a pile of unbroken noodles sitting in my stomach.

Though I didn't experience their reputation for stomach brooming, I was just as hungry when I left the restaurant as I was when I entered. Imagine that... a large soup bowl of ramen that wasn't there.
A new experience for me, and a waste of money.

A Lot Of Green

2011-12-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen have a built a super green dream home. Gisele is a United Nations Ambassador for the Environment, (or something like that). This is why...

Bundchen declared she had the home built with solar energy, energy-saving lighting, rainwater recovery systems, waste reduction and recycling programs, energy-efficient appliances and sustainable building materials...

I'm sure these are good things, and environmentalists at the UN will be very pleased with their ambassador because nothing says 'conservation' quite like 22,000 square feet, a huge swimming pool, and six car garage built for a family of three.

I will never cast stones upon the privilege and excess brought on by honest success. Still, I have to wonder what it is about seemingly normal dudes who get wealthy and think they need a wine cellar in their home? Peasant farmers in Calabria have wine cellars. Wine storage does not impress me.
I'd rather install a brewery.

Off The Cuff...

2011-12-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

One-third of young U.S. adults have been arrested according to a study...

Close to one in three American teens and young adults get arrested by age 23, according to a new study that finds more of them are being booked now than in the 1960s.

Those arrests are for everything from underage drinking and petty theft to violent crime, researchers said. They added that the increase might not necessarily reflect more criminal behavior in youth, but rather a police force that's more apt to arrest young people than in the past....

...Robert Brame of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his colleagues analyzed data from a nationally-representative youth survey conducted between 1997 and 2008.

A group of more than 7,000 adolescents age 12 to 16 in the study's first year filled out the annual surveys with questions including if and when they had ever been arrested.

Back in the day, most of my crowd had been taken into custody for one thing or another, and almost all were released without charges within hours or over night.
It almost became a badge of honor, a way to establish your cred if such cred was in doubt.
At one point, there was a "Honor Roll" at my employer of the time, Domino's Pizza. It listed the employees who had been arrested while going to, from, or on the job... and included half the crew and most of the drivers. It was in jest, really. We in the shop had a good time ribbing each other over it til the proprietor took it down.

This is why I think this study is largely skewed. You can't ask teens in a questionnaire about something that they want you to believe is true about them and expect results of integrity worth publishing.

Sure, most of us had been arrested. But not every teen is running around town throughout the night. For every kid who's out in the streets, there are 4-5 at home with their parents, shut in their room listening to music, reading a book... or something else lame like that.

I know some who were never actually arrested. Instead, they were cuffed and detained while their car was rifled through, to be released after the harassment was over. Afterwards they say "Yeah, well that counts don't it?" Largely making my point above as per establishing cred.
That, and it was almost entirely a guy thing. Cops didn't arrest girls unless they had to. Even if they were dealing with a mixed group, it was more likely to involve boys cuffed and sitting to the side while the girls were left uncuffed for their interrogation.
Take out that 50% of the sample that is female and there is no way to logically reach the results of 30% the study is claiming.

Wow

2011-12-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

(taken from a friend's posting on Facebook)

*edited to add: feel free to watch this. totally SFW. not a sexy thing, but sensuality in depends on the viewer. This gal's grace and athleticism is amazing.

Much About Nothing

2011-12-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

The Keystone pipeline is in our news. At first, i thought this was some new super-grand totally bitchin thing, like the Alaska Pipeline, that was going to create a whole new economy unto itself.
To hear some of the right-wing talkers, you'd think that's what it is.
It's not.

I did some research. Not very difficult research either cause 80% of what I now know was found on Wikipedia page.

A few things:
--The Keystone is has not only been built, but most of it is already online, and has been for nearly a year. Over 1300 miles of it in the United States, delivering it's product to Oklahoma and two locations in Illinois.

--The big "Keystone" in question is an extension of the already existing system, Phase 3, delivering it's product into Texas; combined with additional pipeline capacity running the equivilant length of the already existing line from Alberta, Phase4.This is actually known as "Keystone XL", and not merely Keystone.

--The new section of pipeline runs right through the Ogallala Aquifer, a major source of groundwater for eight states. An oil spill here (like a broken gushing pipe) would be a rather inconveniently bad thing, but it can be safeguarded against without too much difficulty.

All this sets the stage for a super primo election year issue that, if played right, is sure to push a few buttons with 'right' partisans.

The GOP is trying to force Obama to 'make a decision', one in which he cannot win. The Enviros want to protect the ground water. That is a worthy cause. But the groundwater protection issue was already taken care of for the most part when they built the existing infrastructure. The know-how is there and it will be applied.

I believe many of the those who receive the monthly news letters are not aware of the fact that substantial quantities of the hated oil is already traipsing over the groundwater as these are also oil producing regions. Phase 4 should be of minor concern, and certainly not big enough to hold a presidency hostage over.

If Obama approves the "XL", he will lose the support of these enviros who have already been activated by their leadership.
If he denies, he will face the charge by the GOP that he is against providing energy to the economy and be blamed for the high price of gas.

Either choice will hurt him, so he says that he will make a decision 'after the election'. This just further exposes him. From what I can see, he's already lost the issue at the ballot box.

Meanwhile, there are those politicians on the right claiming that if we don't build a pipeline from Canada, China will come along and take 'our' oil. Hey, there is a pipeline from Canada.

But it's a non-issue. The pipeline will be completed. There is too much money at stake for the right the people for it to not happen.
Yeah, it makes for good soundbites, but soundbites are normally emotion-feeding bullshit that hides facts and gets hucksters elected.

The only real question the voters need to ask, and demand an answer for, is how many politicians and their family members will benefit monetarily from it.

Can The Season Get Worse?

2011-12-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

You already have heard by now: Sam Hurd, WR for the Chicago Bears was caught in an undercover sting negotiating to buy 5-7 kilo of cocaine and 100 pounds of weed every week, intending to set up a distribution ring in the Chicago area.
(Needless to say, he's now an Ex-Chicago Bear, having been waived earlier today.)

Whatever the numbers are, that's a lot of drugs. I suspect he'll be going away for a very loooong time.

What gets me:
This dude was making over $1 million a year. He was already rich, and his future after football was most likely going to be comfortable.
Why the hell would he want to throw it all away?

The latest I've read is his attorneys denying reports of a 'double-digit' list of present NFL players he was distributing to.
There's a list. There's not a list....
I don't know if there is a list or not, but if there is, I hope it contains all Packers players. (Preferably, from the Offense first-string plus Clay Matthews. I can dream can't I?)

Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

He pissed off a lot of people with his writings, but isn't that role of an intellectual? To challenge us in our thoughtful laziness? I learned something every time I read him.
He will be missed.

Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after. His matchless prose has appeared in Vanity Fair since 1992, when he was named contributing editor.

“Cancer victimhood contains a permanent temptation to be self-centered and even solipsistic,” Hitchens wrote nearly a year ago in Vanity Fair, but his own final labors were anything but: in the last 12 months, he produced for this magazine a piece on U.S.-Pakistani relations in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, a portrait of Joan Didion, an essay on the Private Eye retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a prediction about the future of democracy in Egypt, a meditation on the legacy of progressivism in Wisconsin, and a series of frank, graceful, and exquisitely written essays in which he chronicled the physical and spiritual effects of his disease. At the end, Hitchens was more engaged, relentless, hilarious, observant, and intelligent than just about everyone else—just as he had been for the last four decades.

“My chief consolation in this year of living dyingly has been the presence of friends,” he wrote in the June 2011 issue. He died in their presence, too, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. May his 62 years of living, well, so livingly console the many of us who will miss him dearly.

LINK
Prince or street sweeper, we all dance with the Grim Reaper.
May God rest his soul.

Debate Notes

2011-12-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

I finally did it. Clenching my gut, I sat down and actually watched a GOP presidential primary debate. The whole thing. I justified it by reminding myself that Megyn Kelly would be one of the moderators, and she's hawt.

I come away with the following impressions:

Jon Huntsman: If you can listen to him, he's got some credible things to say and he appears to know what he's talking about. Unfortunately for him, his lack of stage presence overwhelms his well-crafted body language, perfect hair, nice tie and whatever it is that he just said.

Michelle Bachmann: At one point I thought she was going to leave her podium and slap Ron Paul over his "Israel" position.
Thinks she's running for the Davidic Throne. Somebody box this meshuggeneh up and ship her to Israel. No, forget that... ship her ass to the West Bank and see how she likes living with the Israeli boot on the back of her head.
If I never hear from her again, it would be too soon. Which is surprising even to me, as I've met so many fine folks in Minnesota it's hard to believe that she represents some of them.

Rick Perry: How can somebody who is actually a smart guy with an honest education combined with real world experience come off so stupidly? It's like W.2.0, and I am tired of hearing about Texas as an answer to every question.
Calling yourself "The Tebow" of the caucus' doesn't exactly endear you to us Chicago Bears fans, so Fuck You!
And dude, drop the bright red tie. It hurts the eyes.

Newt Gingrich: Did you know that he was a college professor who wrote lots of books, is an expert in military history and he's really, really smart and knows a lot shit that you don't?
He'll kick President Obama's ass in any debate, but the debates are televised, and he'll just come off as the biggest and smartest asshole in the room. A majority will not vote for an asshole.

Mitt Romney: He plays well on stage, wore the best tie and his hair is second only to Huntsman. He's the best prepared for the job he's running for than all the others who seek it. He brings a strength and know-how in economic matters that the nation desperately needs right now.

Ron Paul: He reminds me a lot of my buddy's father back when I was a teen. A high school dropout from rural South Carolina, Citadel Alumnus, and a straight shooter. He was nobody's fool, and made a fucking fortune in sales and business.
We'd sit around the bar (yes, he had a fully stocked bar in the house). We'd drink tequila. And Mr. Donohue would tell us the facts of life and take the time to explain to us how this world really worked.
We laughed and scoffed at some of his wisdomisms, only to find out later how wise he really was.
But Mr. Donohue didn't have fake eyebrows that looked like they were ready to spin a cocoon around his head any minute now.

Rick Santorum: He reminds me of the class president my senior year: The arrogant prick who's car I dumped manure on while some of my friends pissed on his door handles (there is a story there). I would have rather punched him in the face, but he was bigger than me.

Megyn Kelly: She's hawt.

This

2011-12-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Brian's recent post...

We do not need tens of thousands of troops in Europe. We do not need to prevent China's rise, but to accommodate it as prudently as possible. We do need to get out of the Middle East to the maximum extent and return our relationship with Israel to one between individual nations, with different interests and common ideals, not some divine compact between two Zions. We do need a lighter, more focused, more lethal war against Jihadism - but this cannot ever again mean occupying countries we do not understand and cannot control. I suspect every other Republican would launch a war against Iran. Paul wouldn't. That alone makes a vote for him worthwhile.

Breaking the grip of neoconservative belligerence on conservative thought and the Republican party could make space again for more reasoned and seasoned managers of foreign policy...

From Andrew Sullivan's endorsement of Ron Paul.

All-American Stupidity

2011-12-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

You've no doubt heard about it by now.

A decision by retail giant Lowe's Home Improvement to pull ads from a reality show
about American Muslims following protests from an evangelical Christian group
has sparked criticism and calls for a boycott against the chain.

The retailer stopped advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained, saying the program was "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."

It seems to me that among all that tooling, hardware and fixtures the cowardly bastards at Lowe's were unable to find a pair of steel balls.

Instead, they offer up this excuse:

"Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lightning rod for many of those views," the statement said. "As a result we did pull our advertising on this program. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance."

I wouldn't expect a consumer relations department to tell flatly tell bible waving bigots to go pound sand, but maybe a "We respect all aspects of an honest marketplace" or something like that.
Instead, they effectively told millions of American Muslims to pound sand, instead. I will be boycotting Lowe's along with my Muslim friends and neighbors. Too bad for me as I preferred Lowe's over Home Depot, and will now have to drive another 10 minutes to do my shopping in a store where I can never find what I'm looking for after dodging a phalanx of eager Mexicans asking for work.

A *friend sums it best when he wrote on Facebook...

You know, Lowe's can spend their ad budget however they like. I am frankly less bothered by the decision that they've made here than the reality that it reflects: they are more concerned about losing the business of bigots than they are about losing the business of American Muslims (and their friends and neighbors who give a shit).

Which suggests to me that there are an awful lot of bigots buying lumber and light fixtures. And not enough people who give a shit.

I hope he's wrong on the last part.

*I'll attribute when quoting from another blog. Blogs are fully public writings. Facebook is not, and I want to respect the limited audience Facebook allows those who broadcast their opinions on it.

The Bloodletting Starts

2011-12-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

Now it starts getting interesting as the GOP establishment and opinion drivers start the anti-Newt campaign.

Peggy Noonan, who is as party establishment as it gets unless she "hanging on for dear life" endorsing Barrack Obama four years ago does a pretty good job here of spelling out Newt's faults...

That's the problem with Newt Gingrich: It's all true...

...Ethically dubious? True. Intelligent and accomplished? True. Has he known breathtaking success and contributed to real reforms in government? Yes. Presided over disasters? Absolutely. Can he lead? Yes. Is he erratic and unreliable as a leader? Yes. Egomaniacal? True. Original and focused, harebrained and impulsive—all true.

Go ahead and read the rest. There is a lot there.

As if that is not enough, Anne Coulter thrusts a dagger of her own, twists it a few times and supplies this money quote...

Newt Gingrich is the "anti-Establishment" candidate only if "the Establishment" is defined as "anyone who remembers what happened the day before yesterday."

This may get to be really entertaining in the coming weeks. Pass the Jiffy Pop.

The Anaheim Curse

2011-12-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

The big splash round these parts is the recent signing of Albert Pujols by the Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim.
Team owner Art Moreno continues his quest for a World Series Championship by throwing big money into the hunt.

The deal for Pujols is unprecedented in Angels history and in a rare class for Major League Baseball. The 10-year commitment that will pay Pujols at least $250 million is approximately $70 million more than Arte Moreno paid for the franchise when he purchased the Angels from the Disney Company in 2003.

Wow. $25 million a year for ten years, for a slugger who should be hitting his downside long before the contract runs out.
To add, I think it fitting that Moreno paid so much for a last name that sounds very much like my nickname for him.

I'm calling it now: It won't work.

I placed a curse upon the Angels when Moreno decided he wanted to give the team a Los Angeles identity after taking millions of dollars from Anaheim's taxpayers in exchange for naming rights.
The Angels will be frustrated every year that they continue to be a Los Angeles team.
No more World Series titles for them until they make it right. That is my curse.
Nobody believed me then, but I make sure to remind my heart broken Angelphile friends every October.

Lastly, I hope Mr. Pujols enjoys his time in one of the best places to live on earth, but I advise him not to start counting all of his money just yet. Moreno has a record of breaking contractual obligations and getting away with it.

The Real Scandal

2011-12-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

You see that picture to the right??? What does it show?
I'll tell ya: that is the USS Arizona blowing up in Pearl Harbor.
You know who is on that ship?
1,177 American Sailors and Marines, trapped below decks, dying at the very moment this photo is taken.

These are not just servicemen. Every serviceman is more than just a disposable tool of United States foreign policy, to be 'remembered' on certain days out of a sense of respect.

Because before they were tools of disposal they were the beloved sons of parents, the beloved brothers of American sisters. They were fathers, nephews and uncles.
My grade school principal, Sister Maureen, lost a brother on the Arizona. His name is etched on the walls on the memorial. When I saw it for myself the whole thing suddenly became real... it was then that I really started to understand why our daily nun-led prayers began with a prayer for peace, first and foremost before all other things were mentioned or asked for.
These nuns saw the other side of peace and lived to teach about it, Sister Maureen especially.

This "Day of Infamy" lies large in the collective American memory, and for good reason. Very few of us 'remember Pearl Harbor'. But everyone of us remembers that we were taught to do so. So we do, because we want to be good Americans.

Anyway...
At first glance, it does seem kinda humorous how the private school the Obama Daughters attend has chosen to serve Japanese food on Pearl Harbor Day.
It's non-starter, and should not have even been written about for what somebody might want you to think it is, for there is no scandel here.

Let us look at the menu offerings:

Asian Mushroom Soup: the only time I've seen something like this was at a Chinese restaurant.
Oriental Noodle Salad: an American invention
Classic Spinach Salad: never seen this at a Jap joint either
Teriyaki Marinated Chicken Strips: ever been to Hawaii? this is about as native there as fried chicken in Georgia, and likely enjoyed regularly by our *African-born president while growing up.
Szechuan Tofu & Veggies: 'Szechuan' refers to a regional/culinary style in China. Duh.
Garlic Roasted Edamame: I ate this growing up in the All-American city of Gardena
Vegetable Fried Rice: Again, China.
Fortune Cookies: another American thing.

Looks to me like America and it's China ally are well represented on this most patriotic day of remembrance.

Now, let us pause for a moment to remember Pearl harbor, those who were sacrificed there, and in it's aftermath...
...
...
...
...
..
..
.
.
OK, the moment is over.
You done yet?
Next, I want you think long and hard about whether we need to continue in a foreign policy brain fart that makes such things required.
Are your children and grandchildren worth it?
Mine aren't.

*NO! I do not believe our president was born in Africa. It was a lame joke, ok????

2011-12-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ron Paul is running some bitchin ads in Iowa. Here's a sample.

edit: quote taken from a response thread, and spot on, too:
"Second, Newt is a smart guy, and at the same time a total hypocrite. He says all the right things a conservative would say, but doesn't really mean half of it."

Yep, just like every other Neocon who votes a loyal GOP. He's perfect for them.

Because It's Football Season

2011-12-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

And somebody just can't stand to be out of the news.

Shocked...

2011-12-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

...that shit like this is still possible today.

A small Kentucky church has chosen to ban marriages and even some worship services for interracial couples. The Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church, located in Pike County, made the vote in response to a longtime member who is engaged to a man whose birthplace is in Zimbabwe.

Have they never heard of bad press before?

Kirkland Small Batch

2011-12-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

What? Costco is making bourbon? Not hardly. From the info on the bottle, I guessed it is relabeled Jim Beam product, since Beam is the only distiller located in Clermont, Kentucky and 'Clear Spring Distilling Company' is what they often use when masking themselves.

But just what product could it be? Calling itself Small Batch and Aged 7 years I was thinking Knob Creek. I'm not familiar with Knob Creek (yet), but I've heard some good things about it. Knob Creek is 8yr bourbon, so it can't be a straight rebranding, and why would Beam undercut one of their better products this way?
I'm guessing it may be some of the Knob Creek product that wasn't aging to expectations, and decided to offer it up to the big box retailer at a steep discount.

One thing can be said about Costco's house branding: they always deliver good value. Not necessarily the finest quality, but always much better quality than you can normally get for the price. Knowing this, I took a bottle home.

The pour: Alcohol content is readily present in the nose. This stuff is pretty strong at 103 proof. It takes a while to sense some caramel, vanilla and a little bit of clove in the background.

Fairly smooth across the tongue, leaving traces of vanilla, corn and oak, a little burnt sugar and a strong annoying burn in the back.

Happily, the burn doesn't linger.

Like Jim Beam's flagship label, it reminds me of southern iced tea. I am not a fan of southern-style iced tea.

Overall, not a bad bottle of bourbon, but it's missing the complex subtleties I expect from a pricier offering: the way the tingle, sweet, heat and burn meet to a complimentary experience.

I would place this one just a little above standard Jim Beam, though, and at a great price: $19.99 for 1 litre.
Yeah, that's right. It's one full litre as opposed to the standard 750ml for bourbons. This is where Kirkland delivers its value, because it's not in the product this time around. It's good enough.

An Outrage

2011-11-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

Muslims outraged by claim of fake halal meat

Last week, the Orange County D.A.'s office announced that it had obtained a $527,000 settlement against Anaheim Super King Market, at 10500 Magnolia Ave., after investigators determined that the market was incorrectly advertising and selling generic meat and mixed meats as halal.

Located just a few blocks from where I was living, I had shopped at Super King several times, but I had never bought meat there. Their meat counter more closely resembled a Mexican meat counter, and I generally do not trust carnecerias for cleanliness and quality. The immediate neighborhood was mostly Mexican anyway, and there appeared to a lot of catering to that ethnic segment of the realm as well...

I much preferred to buy my beef, chicken and occasional lamb at a specialised Halal butcher located a neighborhood over, in the center of the Little Gaza district. The place was clean and looked it, the meat fine quality, and Mohamed was always happy to see me. You'll pay a little more for halal, but it's worth it.

And that is what was different about Super King: the prices were not proper Halal prices. It still costs more than the standard meats, but not as much as I was expecting. My assumption was that the meat was maybe not as fresh or something like that, which kept the pricing a little below scale. It never occurred to me that this merchant would be dastardly enough to screw his Muslim base. (the merchant, I was told long ago, was an Armenian ethnic, not a Muslim, and had long ties to the hood through other Middle Eastern grocery markets.)

Calling meat halal indicates that it was slaughtered in a specific way, in accordance with Islamic Law.
"I'm shocked by it. My whole family is very disappointed," said Sam Chouche, 23, of Anaheim who shopped at the store. "It specifies in the Quran that you must eat meat in a certain way, that you shouldn't eat meat killed inhumanely. It's our faith."

It's not wise to piss off your Muslim base. I recon Super King will be out of business before long, and rightfully so.

"We just cannot believe this," said Shakeel Ahmed of Anaheim. "It's very disgusting, and all (of my) family is very upset – so upset that we throw up and cry."

This is a typical Muslim response when they've discovered they have unknowingly eaten something unclean. I know Muslims who are so emotionally conditioned that they become physically sickened at the thought, and are prone to uncontrollable vomiting. I've seen this myself.

The settlement money doesn't go to individual victims, because it would be too difficult to determine who exactly was victimized, a D.A.'s spokeswoman has said. Instead, the money goes into a fund to help prosecute fraud cases.

I am damn glad that they popped this asshole of a merchant, but I disagree with the D.A. here. We may not know the names of every individual victim in this case, but we don't need to because this is not merely a crime against individuals, but an assault upon an entire ethnic community. And a pleasantly valuable community at that, one that has kept a entire business district of the county humming along nicely with few crime and social issues.

We don't need their names because we already know where they hang out: at any one of half a dozen mosques in the area. I think justice would be better served if that $527,000 were divided up among them, right there, where they worship and pray.

2011-11-29T11:38:00.000-08:00

What will happen when the Euro finally collapses and those with Euros in their pocket or bank, which by that moment will be just the working classes, find out that they have nothing?

Fantastical Bullshit

2011-11-26T19:25:00.001-08:00

I finally received the statement I had been waiting for.

One day plus a few hours totals up to $53,628. This is just the bill from the hospital.

There are a few other smaller ones from The Lab Guy (less than $200) and the Anesthesia Guy ($2700).

I don't normally recieve an actual itemized statement.

I imagine that I have the right to them if I requested it, which I think I will do, if for no other reason than my personal amusement.

There are some questions:
Why am I being charged for Intensive Care. I was never in Intensive Care (not this time, anyway? Three years ago I was ICU for seven days.)

What drugs did I take that costed $3,070? I don't remember shooting up that many times.

I was in the Recovery Room for several hours. This was not my issue but theirs because they didn't have a regular room available yet. Am I being charged for all of that time?

The big kick in the ass: Operating Room... $29,900. I was in O.R. for about 4 hours. I would really like to know how they came up with this figure.

There was a team of about seven people (that I can remember) when they wheeled me in and put me to sleep. At least two of those were the Anesthesia Guy (who billed separately) and his sidekick (and I made both of them promise not to call their girlfreinds while they were supposed to be watching my monitor.)

Even more puzzling... why the 90% discount, negotiated by CIGNA. I can see insurers negotiating discounts with service providers of say maybe 10% or so.

But shit... 90%? I ain't buyin into that.

No way.

There is a shell game going on here.

I don't know what it is, but it's plain to see to any thoughtful observer how the medical industry in this country is fucked-up crooked by a simple reading of what is being admitted to.

The Torch Is Passed

2011-11-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

or, on loan for a while...

Here's hoping that Jay Cutler heals up quick enough to put the screws to Green Bay on Christmas Day.

In the meantime... it's going to be hard rooting for the Lions tomorrow knowing that we need them to lose.
Maybe I'll be cheering Green Bay.
Can't believe I said that....

Johnny Drum

2011-11-21T22:39:00.000-08:00

My eyes have been attracted to the old school labeling for some time. This time i decided to grab a bottle.

Try as I might, I can't seem to pull any aroma out of it. Shaking it up, swirl in the glass... it took some work and I finally got a whiff of vanilla. Not much else.

Light and watery in the mouth, weak taste of vanilla on the tongue. This is real smooth, delivering just a tickle of spiciness up front and a wimpy burn toward the back.

And then it's gone.

Pretty slim stuff.
And I wasted close to $20 on this bottle. This is bullshit.
I would expect something like this if I paid maybe 9-10 bucks, but damn... these bastards putting themselves on the same monetary plane as Wild Turkey or Jim Beam, et al should be a criminal offense.

I've been taken, and I don't like that one bit.

Four Days...

2011-11-20T20:54:00.001-08:00

And I got nothing.

Go ahead, ask me anything.

In Other News...

2011-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Women are psychotic.

Who knew?

Why Cats Rock

2011-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

You'll never see a dog that can do this.

I Speak

2011-11-14T21:59:00.000-08:00

So it's been five days of steady speaking and I'm starting to get used to feel of it. The Wife says the voice sounds just a shade deeper than the one I used to have. I kinda like that. The hoarseness, I'm fairly certain, is here to stay. To be expected, as certain tissues and muscles will remain paralysed.

All in all, I've been receiving rave reviews, and some wide-eyed expressions, from those I've spoken to, so it's kinda exciting for me while I also try to temper my urge to speak too much.
Today I made a business call that requires voice prompts. And it worked. Hooyah!
It did require a more conscious effort to vocalise properly, but I imagine time and practice will make speaking easier, and flow more naturally.

Another benefit: the closing of the airway greatly reduces choking on everything I try to swallow. This has reopened the doors to exciting new foods like soup, corn flakes, and any thing else floating in liquid that's difficult to control.

I don't want to jump too hard into extensive conversation just yet.
These muscles need a chance to rebuild themselves and I'm afraid that too much too soon may create some regression.
In the meantime, I'll continue to run through my phone list a couple a day, re-introducing myself to everybody, keeping it short and sweet.
Life is better when you talk to people, and I'm liking it.

Is That The Best You Got?

2011-11-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

Romney, Gingrich at GOP debate: We'd go to war to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons

Romney said that if "crippling sanctions" and other strategies fail, military action would be on the table because it is "unacceptable" for Iran to become a nuclear power.

Gingrich agreed, saying that if "maximum covert operations" and other strategies failed there would be no other choice. First, though, the United States consider "taking out their scientists," and "breaking up their systems, all of it covertly, all of it deniable," Gingrich said. (watch at left)

"If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if you elect Mitt Romney, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," said Romney.

Let's get something understood: We don't have the money, the resources or the manpower to wage a war against a nation such as Iran.

We cannot afford it at any level, and such an effort would be doomed to failure even if we could.

I don't know if this is Gingrich's and Romney's idea of pandering to the Judeophiles who infect their party or if they are seriously considering the option.
Either way, I cannot imagine that I would be voting for any ticket that places one of them at the top.

Residual Remains

2011-11-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

Let's remember Veterans Day with a different kind of heartbreak, shall we?Sorry, I can't seem to find the original article, but this follow up piece should suffice.

(The original headline gave the impression that soldier's bodies were being dumped in a landfill. That is not entirely true, but still, the thought of it is enough to bring shudders.)

Schwartz addressed another controversial practice, since abandoned, at Thursday's hearing: body parts of war dead had been cremated, incinerated and then dumped in a landfill until 2008. That happened in cases where residual remains were found after families received the bodies of their loved ones.

An Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that families had granted the military authorization to deal with any residual remains, but acknowledged they had not been made aware those remains would end up in a landfill.

According to the previous article, the remains under question constitute residual remains that had been identified after the body had been returned to families. I'm assuming these mainly constituted small parts, fingers or chunks of flesh and bone that were scooped up after an explosive death.

The families, as quoted, granted the military authorization to deal with residual remains, but what is missing is how that authorization was granted:
Was it included in a form, or series of forms, that a family signs when receiving a body, buried somewhere in the fine print, embellished with legalese?
Or was it more explicit, as in... Hey, we found a a pinky finger that we've identified as belonging to your loved one who was interred two months ago? You want that back, or should we respectfully handle that for you.

The context of the 'authorization' matters here, and it matters a whole lot.

However it was done, what amazes me is that somebody in the process dared to assume that a landfill is an appropriate and respectful depository for any human remains, let alone those who died while in service to their nation.

What is wrong with these people? It never occurred to her/him to simply scatter them over Arlington National Cemetery?
Was it that hard to figure out?

Henry McKenna Single Barrel

2011-11-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

For a whiskey to be "bottled in bond" meant that the whiskey must be produced in the same distilling season by the same distiller at the same distillery.
Originally, it was seen a guarantee of quality. The idea was to create a set of criteria that only the most upstanding, highest-quality distillers could meet.

Few meet this requirement today, but that is not really much of an issue. There are few, if any, fly-by-night corner-cutting distillers out there, and the big boys on the block (that would be all of them) swap and trade barrels, or farm out distilling/aging operations among themselves without losing any of their quality controls.
Others distill in multiple locations, then bring the barrels to different sites for bottling/aging/co mingling.

"Single Barrel" means what it says: all the whiskey in this bottle came from the same single barrel, and fetch a premium price

In my hand is a bottle of Henry McKenna, Single Barrel, Bottled In Bond, aged 10 years, produced by Heaven Hill Distillery. The same people who also produced Fighting Cock from a couple months back.

Ten years is a long time to age, and you'd think I paid a premium for this, but I didn't. On sale with the BevMo card for about $25. On the label is listed the barrel number (#612) and barreling date (8/25/00). I have no idea if this is reliable, but it's an effective marketing gimmick.

Emanating a quick whiff of butterscotch the moment the cap released was a signal of a heavy corn character, but not so fast...
Pine, cedar and oak waft from the glass after it's poured, with an hint of fresh cut alfalfa. Fresh and earthy, it smells like Kentucky looks. A splash of water and some airing brings out the corn. The scent typical of a 100 proof bourbon stays hidden.

The dense, deep heat in the mouth is not at all discomforting. Strong rye spiciness accompanies a bit of cinnamon burn up front, with an oily balanced transitioning toward corn sweetness.

Vanilla and caramel smooths out the finish with another tickle of cinnamon, leaving soothing sweetness in it's wake.

Not bad at all, I like this one.
A few minutes, I'm feeling warm all over. It's not often that a couple ounces can make me sweat like this.
Excuse me while I step outside to cool off.

Credibility Requires Details

2011-11-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

"It's gonna take more than that, Sweetheart."
As the woman was attempting to manhandle (pun intended) a stack of boxes that had gotten hung up a conveyor, the supervisor called another crew member over to lend a hand and the three of them pushed and shoved, eventually getting the job done.

The next morning, 'Sweetheart' filed sexual harassment charges against the supervisor; a very old, usually kind, southern gentleman type (old school, the kind that doesn't use profanity within earshot of a lady... out of respect) who casually addressed most all of his charges as 'Son', 'Honey'... etc. Especially new hires, who were normally a generation or three younger than he was.

The rest of us on the floor laughed our asses off for a few days following.
But it was no laughing matter as the charge worked it's way to corporate.
Alas, within eight months, 'Sweetheart' was promoted to a supervisory position after spending less than 10 months on the job.

The years following the Clarence Thomas sideshow did much to blur the lines of communication and how co-workers address/interact with each other in the workplace.
Many well meaning people learned the hard way that the rules were changing. What sucks: in the case of this supervisor, who had never, ever been hostile or unfair toward anyone in the plant, had this mark of shame on his record.

This is why I gave little to zero credibility to the reports of Herman Cain being accused of sexual harassment many years ago. The term "Sexual Harassment" means nothing to me in and of itself.

Can a crime or offense that need only exist in the eyes of the accuser in order to be deemed legitimate be all much to get hyped about? My answer is "No."

Tit Vs Tat

2011-11-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

If the the latest accusations against Herman Cain do not disqualify him from The Presidency in the eyes of Republicans, then why did similar accusations disqualify Bill Clinton?

If all of the sexual impropriety charged against Bill Clinton (Paula Jones, Juanita Broderick, Kathleen Willey, and several others) did not disqualify him for The Presidency in the eyes of Democrats, then what's the big deal with Herman Cain?

I'm particularly interested in hearing the stammering from both sides as they justify themselves.

Back To The Stone Age, Not.

2011-11-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

We've talked about the Caveman Diet before.
Now we have a restaurateur offering paleolithic cuisine for all those trendy hipsters in Berlin:

Proudly announcing a 'Real Food Revolution - Paleolithic cuisine!', there is no cheese, bread or sugar available, only fare accessible to our hunter-gatherer ancestors more than two million years ago.

The menu includes salads with olives, capers and pine nuts; gluten-free bread with nut-based butter or olive tapenades; smoked salmon with herb dressing; and other various meat and fish dishes.
Gluten- and sugar-free cakes, like a spicy pumpkin pie, are available for those Stone Age diners who don't want to skip desert.

Because caveman was all about baked goods with spread and cured fruit...

Not buying it.
A real caveman restaurant would be offering up sun-rotted meat, yard clippings, offal, raw eggs of indeterminate origin and maybe have live crickets and lizards walking around, self serve. Dessert, if it existed, would be whatever fruit was growing wild that month.

Not sure if the trendies would pay money for that menu, though. Claiming to go paleo just isn't as cool as being paleo.

Grappling With The Groper

2011-11-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

This is good:
Couple asleep find man hiding, touching wife

ANAHEIM – A parolee is accused of sneaking into a couple's home on Halloween night and touching a woman in bed as she slept next to her husband, authorities said Tuesday.

Officials said a violent fight erupted inside the bedroom as the husband tried to subdue the intruder...

"There was a pretty good fight in there until he subdued the subject," said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department. "This had to have been a frightening experience."

I like to think that if I were in the this husband's place the suspect would look a lot different for his mug shot after I went all Bear Jew on him.

Claiming A Hometown

2011-11-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

August, 1998. I moved to Anaheim. I wasn't intending to stay long. Ex-Wife and I were having some issues and it was decided to dump the house and move closer to our jobs (as opposed to being 70 miles out) and try to work on things. Short story: shit wasn't working and the second shoe dropped within a year.

I ended up staying in the neighborhood and got a flat close to work for the time being. Life happened as it does, and I stayed in Anaheim for ten years, until September of 2008, when I grabbed Wife #2 by the hair and drug her with me back out to 'the sticks'.
I'm not sure when it happened, but I got to the point where the question of "Where you from?" was usually answered with "Anaheim" or "Orange County", with Anaheim eventually taking primacy as a source of regional identity.
I still say it. Anaheim. It's where I'm from, and where I feel like I'm from.
I like it there. I like being from there.
Unlike rea l hometowners, I have no memory of what Anaheim used to be. Despite it's history as a white working class suburb of Los Angeles refugees, it just isn't that way anymore.
Nowadays, much of the city is just this side of barrio and the primary language of it's failing school system is Spanish.
Yet, the business community is fairly diverse. I think this is the aspect that saves Anaheim from becoming like it's neighbor, Santa Ana, which is more a political province of Mexico than an ethnic enclave of the United States.

For the most part, life in Anaheim is fairly decent. The cops don't harass the citizens, taxes are low, the city maintains itself, lots of killer-cool ethnic eateries you can't find concentrated anywhere else, and I've never hesitated to walk alone at night, even past the barrio sections.

It takes all walks to create the world, and Anaheim is a world to itself if your perspective is right.
From this man's perspective: the loopy tourists, gang members, strip clubs, Little Gaza and the Mexican weddings provide more entertainment to the observer than any real fear. I think that's why I like it.
Last month, cops responded to a 911 call in an empty parking lot (not two blocks from my last apartment) to find five Mexicans in a car with serious stab wounds ... and not one of them knew how they got that way!
Not one of them knew how they got that way!
That's some pretty funny stuff, right there.
I laughed for fifteen minutes.
I'm from Anaheim, and I like it.

What Did The Dormouse Say?

2011-11-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, Doctor sent me home with a vicodin prescription: a whole bottle, maybe a pint, of purple syrup. Heavenly stuff that took effect soon after injection. With refill!

I can't say enough how good that stuff was. I was no longer in any real pain type of pain, but still sore, having a lot of trouble just getting some simple rest. I was easily agitated, cranky, couldn't sleep and frustrated to the point of tears.
This is where the vicodin came in handy.
I would load up the syringe, inject, and go lay down. Within ten minutes I would feel my whole body relax all at once, as if somebody let the air out. Muscles dissolved and bones turned to jello, eyes closed in bliss I'd float away...
It was how I got some needed rest.

This time I was given a bottle of hydrocodone w/ acetaminophen. Supposedly, it's in the same family of narcotics, I think. Only this stuff is somehow different.
Instead of a complete and total physical relaxation, I get some loosening up before I drift off slowly...
And then the show starts.

Not sure if maybe I'm not sleeping soundly enough or what, but I've been having very realistic and vivid dreams.
Dreams so real that I find myself waking up where I am not, unawares that I am at home, in my own bed. It takes a several minutes to reaclimate.

This morning I woke up in the wrong part of Gardena and couldn't find my car.

No more of this hydrocodone shit for me.
Gonna give it a day to wear off and break out the stuff I can handle, like bourbon.

Post Op

2011-10-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Surgery went as expected. I lay down, they cut me, I woke a few hours later all woozy and painful.
I asked for more meds and they dished on command. What's not to like about that?

What was scheduled was a three-part procedure:
Artynoid Adduction: to twist the laryngeal cartilage, putting tension on the paralysed vocal cord and moving it to the center of the voice box.
Laryngoplasty: another shim/implant, to replace the previous from last December, inserted into the cord to lock it in place.
Reinervation: connect a nerve from the other side of the neck that would eventually 'take' and create vibration in the paralysed cord.

Doctor came around later and informed me that things had not gone as smoothly as hoped. Too much scare tissue had prevented the reinervation from taking place.
This was disappointing, but not a total wash. If the rest works, I should still have plenty of voice to alter my life for the better. The reinervation was more of an 'icing on the cake' so to speak.

He explained how my 'stuff' is not in the best physical position. The previous big project (three years ago) had left things rather messy, and proper positioning of the implant was frustrating (his word). This was expected.
The downside... the previous implant had disintegrated.
We already knew something hadn't gone well with the previous surgery but now we know why.
Seems my body doesn't want to cooperate as it should. But we already knew that when all of the variuos injections that were supposed to last 3-5 years were fading away after about a week.
There is very good chance this implant may disintegrate as well.

Doctor is hopeful, but cautions me to be realistic concerning my body's history of noncompliance.

Time will tell, I guess.
In the meantime, I'll remain hopeful.
It's all I got.
Well, that and a really cool scar to show off.

For the next two weeks I am on vocal restriction: I am not to speak. At all. I need all the healing I can get if I am to help make this thing work. The wife is grateful for that.

Four Roses And An Update

2011-10-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

As the story goes...Paul Jones, Jr. had a case of lust for this particular southern chick. She responded to his proposal by wearing a bunch of roses to their next hook-up as a sign of her acceptance.

Jones later went on to name his bourbon "Four Roses" as a symbol of his love for her.

It's kinda stupid and sappy if you ask me... but whatever. It's likely bullshit anyway.

Smelling clean and sweet immediately on the pour, like Juicy Fruit gum to the nose. Pleasant and fruity, with that hint of citrus that stimulates the olfactory, providing good compliment to the oak and corn defaults that become vanilla/caramel as it opens. Closed, it's unique unto itself. Let it open, and it's just like any other. Keep it closed.

Let this one sit in the mouth for a bit... A mild rye spiciness up front blends easily toward toffee/caramel with hints of pear, apple and banana underneath. A mild burn you may not much notice.

Finishing long and sweet, like a buttered caramel apple, this is pretty good stuff. Perfect for after dinner, maybe having a smoke, relaxing with friends.

Normally about $23 or so at BevMo, but I got a $5 discount with my BevMo card.(Yes, I have a BevMo card, you can't be surprised by that.) Do the math you unfortunate Seattle dwellers... I got a nice bottle of good liquor for $17.
HaHaHaHaHaHa.......

Meanwhile on the medical front:
The Surgery is tomorrow at 8am.
I'll be in the hospital for a few days, might be back Sunday, maybe Saturday... who knows for sure.
I already know this one won't be as pleasant as my visit last December.
Doc advised that I would "experience considerably more discomfort" than last time.
That's Doctor Speak for "this shit's gonna hurt".
Che sarà, sarà.

See ya in a few.

Attention Whoring Much?

2011-10-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

TSA Agent Leaves Lewd Message In Flier’s Luggage After Finding Sex Toy

Not satisfied with fumbling through Americans’ private possessions, one TSA screener saw fit to make a humiliating joke about the contents, writing a personal message on a TSA inspection note after finding a sex toy in writer Jill Filipovic’s luggage.

After arriving at her hotel, Filipovic was unpacking when she discovered her bag had been individually searched by a TSA screener who, having seen the “personal item,” saw fit to comment, writing “GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL” on the reverse side of an inspection notice.

“Total violation of privacy, wildly inappropriate and clearly not ok, but I also just died laughing in my hotel room,” wrote Filipovic.

I get a little unnerved when I open my bag after traveling to find a little note from TSA explaining that they had rifled through my stuff.
I imagine anybody would, but what you gonna do about it?

What I can't imagine is anybody declaring "Total violation of privacy" as they run to the media regarding somebody's comment toward their possession of a sex toy.
Unless, of course, they didn't have much dignity to begin with.

Tech 3 Update: A Call To Arms

2011-10-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

I couldn't find the Tech 3 razor at Target, yet Target has some Schick items that Wal*Mart did not, so I came home and did some Google stuff.

Seems there is a message board/blog or several dedicated to shaving products and performance. Who knew?
Amongst my newly acquired knowledge bits:
--I was reminded that Wilkinson Sword is parent of Schick. I knew that long ago.
--Gillette has done very well in it's marketing and kicking Schick's ass for years now.
--In response, Wilkinson Sword seems to have reached the point of going guerrilla, to chip away at Gillette by any means necessary.
--Wal*Mart seems to have struck a deal with Wilkinson Sword to re-brand the slower moving Schick Products under an economy line, in this case "Wilkinson Sword", as it has largely disappeared from the American marketplace, yet still harkens a 'oh yeah, I know them' from some of the older generations.
--By partnering with Wal*Mart, W/S can get their economy brand before as many consumers as possible and the upside for Wal*Mart is giving it's budget-minded consumers one more reason to eschew Target.
--I'm all for eschewing target, by any means necessary.
--Tech 3 blade cartridges are made in the USA, unlike their competitors.

This move could have larger ramifications for the personal grooming industry in the long run.
IF Wilkinson Sword succeeds enough in this latest Battle Of The Whisker Busters, downward pressure would be applied to the costly Gillette products (mainly, the Mach 3).
Should this scenario take place, I expect Gillette to launch a new marketing campaign stressing hi technology processes or something else like that to justify the higher price in the consumer's mind...that they will move first to protect the profit margin before engaging in price reduction. Or maybe a combination of both.
Either way, Gillette won't take this hit in the breadbasket laying down.
Keep your eyes open. This could get interesting.

If Wilkinson Sword can sell the re-branded Schick blades at a substantial price reduction and still do it profitably enough to be worth while... why cant Gillette stop gouging us with Mach 3 blades made in China?

Lather up and join the fight, fellas.
Gillette's been jewing us for years. I'm fed up and throwing in with Wilkinson Sword.
Tech 3 forever!
Go to Wal*Mart and get yours today.

Official Gear

2011-10-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

As a rule, razors and cream are not something I tend to skimp on.
If you've been cursed with thick and heavy whiskers like I have, then you already appreciate a smooth and easy shave and just accept that such a thing can't normally be had with cheap razors.

I get maybe 3-4 shaves from my usual blade, and by judging according to the offerings at Wal*Mart or Target, my usual blade is the same as everybody else's usual blade as the Mach 3 from Gillette controls about 90% of the shelf space.

I can see why it's popular.
It gets the job done, although something tells me such an effective piece of hardware is either wasted on most men, or they use them over and over. Maybe it's just my own experience, but I can't imagine using the same cartridge repeatedly for weeks. Do people do that?

Anyway... out of blades, I found myself back in the 'razors and cream' aisle when I saw something new. New to me anyway: the Tech 3, from Wilkinson Sword. For five bucks I bought the razor handle with two cartridges, noticing the replacement blades were only $5 a for a pack of four, half the cost of the Mach 3.
It was worth a try.

It's been a week and four shaves with the same cartridge, just as smooth as the Mach 3.

Besides the price difference, the Tech 3 appears to do a better job around the jaw line with fewer misses and skips. I attribute this to the flexible head the Gillette lacks.
The only minus: it's just a smidge lighter in the hand. I feel as if I get more control with the heavier handle, but in this case the results don't really bear that out.

Give the Wilkinison Tech 3 a try if you can find it. You'll save a lot of money.

Obamageddon Comes For Sick People

2011-10-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Cannabis patients demand reopening of pot shops

Michael Hawkins, an Army veteran stricken with a double-fist-sized brain tumor, pleaded with the City Council to reconsider its stance toward the medical marijuana dispensaries that operated in Lake Forest
"The tumor decimated my marriage and what I spent my life building," the 60-year-old said, adding that marijuana reduced his pain. "Look into the eyes of the people who need medical cannabis, If that day ever comes for you, I'll stand with you. Please stand with me."

Obama's henchmen are making good on their threats to close down dispensaries up and down California.
Unfortunately, the city of Lake Forest can't be lamed or what is going on and these people need to take their fight to the White House.

Federal agents Saturday delivered asset-forfeiture summonses to some of the dispensaries, including the Independent Collective of Orange County and Cannabis Permanente...

For the record, medical marijuana dispensaries in California operate on a non-profit basis, and pay millions in taxes.

I know that much of the fear concerning legalised pot is that non-sick people will use suspect doctor's prescriptions just to get high legally. And it happens all the time. The pot-heads probably get the most benefit, I'll admit that. Tell how that justifies forcing sick people to suffer?

The Bush administration did what I think was an effective job in this area. Yeah, the law says one thing, and we can't have a lawless society but part of maintaining respect for the law is the ability to show some discretion in it's enforcement.

The Bush administration did a lot of huffing and puffing, closed down or prosecuted a few dealers, but for the most part let Medical Marijuana serve it's rightful place.
The message I got from them was: keep it on the down low and we'll forget what's going on.
Nobody legitimate was denied access through Bush policies.

This current administration is different. Obama seems determined to let everybody know who's the boss and doesn't give a shit about cancer patients.

Maybe that's why he sold those guns to the drug lords? To help them in their business just like he is helping to expand the illicit pot trade right now.

Whatever is driving the administration, it cant be righteousness.

Alcohol Taxes

2011-10-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

Taxes on alcohol in California:
Wine: $0.20 per gallon
Beer: $0.30 per gallon
Liquor: $3.30 per gallon

I may be getting my stuff cheap in comparison to other states, but this is just an illusion. For the purpose of discussion, I'll limit my comparison to the two places I am most familiar with, tax-wise, and where I've recently spent the most money across the board: Washington and Oregon.

Washington charges a sales tax of 6.5%
Oregon has zero sales tax.
California sales tax is officially 7.75%, but is actually higher in most counties, up to 9.25% in some areas. I'm living in a right-wing cowboy county that routinely votes down tax increases, so my usual sales tax rate is the minimum 7.75%.

Gasoline taxes:
California: $0.465
Oregon: $0.25
Washington: $0.375

Don't know about the others, but California adds sales tax to gasoline, while Washington has no income tax.

Generally... I buy a bottle of bourbon every week, and about 25 gallons of gas.
My weekly Bulleit ($19.99+tax at Trader Joe's) would cost me about $30.00 in WA and OR, a little higher in WA after I pay the sales tax and a higher excise tax.

It looks like the $10 I'm not giving to The Man for bourbon I end up giving to him when I fill my tank. A guy can't win.

Reference link: The Tax Foundation

Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve

2011-10-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Wild Turkey 101 is a good serviceable bourbon for drinking straight up, on the rocks, as a mixer... whatever your preference.
This time, I'm drinking the small batch, 10yr Russell's Reserve. It's the same recipe as the standard offering, or so I've been led to believe.
Only difference is that it's been sitting around in those charred oak barrels a whole lot longer. Like about... six years longer.

The difference is readily noticeable upon purchase. About $6 bucks noticeable. Doing the easy math, I'm reckoning that the rent space for one barrel of bourbon comes to about $250 per year, plus tax.

Hmm... I think I've just brainstormed a solution for the crisis of upside-down mortgages. Let's convert these homes to bourbon warehouses and in a few short years, all these properties would be paid for. It's freakin genius!

Anyway, on to the pour:
A deeper amber hue due to the longer aging, and like the original starts to open up with an ice cube, bringing forth scents of vanilla, caramel and oak. It's sweeter by comparison, not as leathery.

The same balanced attack, transitioning smoothly along the tongue with pepper, spice, caramel, hot cinnamon... culminating with a pleasing burn that doesn't overwhelm as the sweetness fades away. Maybe due to the lower proof (90 v 101?)

Surprisingly or not, just like the original, but smoother and more refined.
Those six extra years do pay off.

Yeah, you could still use it for a mixer because it retains the same character but that would be a waste of a good bourbon that was intended to stand alone.

About $25 round these parts.

Where's It All Go?

2011-10-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

My medical plan is an 80/20 type thing with $1,000 deductible and an $8,000 out of pocket maximum.

As it stands currently, I have outstanding bills of $6,000 for the calender year in which nothing has been done... yet.
You got that? Nothing.
How the hell does Nothing cost over $7,000?
And I am near my $8,000 maximum.

Soon, I expect to have this damned surgery they keep promising me. I know it will cost, but it's nice knowing that I've nearly hit my 'out of pocket' and therefore, this whole rest of the thing is 'on them', so to speak.
I think I'll request the golden bedpan and lot's of $50 aspirins.

The medical industrial complex in this country is fucked beyond comprehension. I don't know what the answer is, but I sure do have a lot of confusing questions.

Flea Baggers Calling For Blood

2011-10-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Democrats and the Obama Administration would be better served if they backed off their wink and nod approval of this Flea Party movement.

Saul Alinsky-ites might be the cool crowd to hang with when your in Harvard, but eventually you'll need to grow up and realise that when the shooting starts it will be real people getting killed; real people bleeding real blood after getting their fashionable Che T-shirts perforated with real bullets.

I don't think these guys can handle that.

Jim Beam Devil's Cut

2011-10-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

As whiskey ages in oak barrels a small amount is lost to evaporation. This is called the Angel's Share. That which is trapped within the barrel wood is what Jim Beam is calling the Devil's Cut.
(Normally, Angel's Share applies to all the whiskey lost during aging through evaporation and absorption, but hey... Beam has a new gimmick and isn't beyond redefining age-old words to suit it's marketing endeavors.)

According the the web site, this trapped product is extracted from the wood through some process or another (it's not really that important 'how', is it?) and blended with 6yr bourbon.
So, what Beam is marketing amounts to bourbon flavored with... yeah, you guessed it! Bourbon.
It's all too gimmicky for me, and I suspect it's mostly a bullshit way to sell $15 bourbon for $25.

Enough talk from me, let's get to the pour shall we?

More rusty in color than usual Beam, with scents of oak, nuts and cinnamon/nutmeg.

Sits lightly on the tongue, remotely tickles with cinnamon and spice, buttery yet not overly sweet. Heavy oak influence (which I like) but not as heavy as I was expecting.
Strong pepper and spice burn front and back with some scraping/stabbing rear heat as it goes down. Woeful lack of regional transition.

Finish is easy enough, mellow and warm, not overly impressive. Compared to the initial introduction I expected a longer, stronger, more masculine finish.

I actually like it better than standard Jim Beam, but I never liked standard Jim Beam (it reminds me of iced tea, southern style, which I don't like anyway) so what's that tell you?

Overall: Disappointing. It's manly enough at first glance, but don't take it to the rodeo.

Bear Thoughts

2011-10-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

Enough can't be said about Jay Cutler's performance tonite after having kept the Bears in it for four quarters. It's not easy staying upright and completing passes without protection or recievers.
I don't care what others say. Jay is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league today.

Props to the Lions. From here, it looks like the long slog from hinterlands is paying off with good draft picks and a team that won't give up after they've been beat, which is why they haven't yet been beat.

Meanwhile, it's gonna be a long rest of the season for us Bears fans.
Maybe we can win seven games this year?
Hopefully, the off season will bring some different minds to top management, but I won't hold my breath.

2011-10-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Bike and Mrs. Bubba on the arrival of Benjamin Bubba.
Adorable baby pic at the link.

2011-10-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

Firearms dealers in states that allow medical marijuana can't sell guns or ammunition to registered users of the drug...

Federal law already makes it illegal for someone to possess a gun if he or she is "an unlawful user of, or addicted to" marijuana or other controlled substances.

I see. If you are a rancher or lifelong hunter who's fighting cancer and chemotherapy you are an existential felon under federal law.

But, if you are a drug cartel from Mexico, the Feds will sell you lot of military style weapons.

Glad I got that cleared up.

California Vs Obama

2011-10-06T21:51:00.001-07:00

Fifteen years ago, California approved the medical use of marijuana. For the most part, it's been working well. It provides sick people with their medication of choice, is heavily regulated as to sales, adds to the economy, and is taxed up the wazzooo.

Back then it was seen as a thumb in the eye of the federal government and a blow for State's Right. I was on board with the idea.

Throughout the Bush administration the pot users of California were facing the threat of the justice department which made it's disapproval clear. It was just a matter of time, I assumed, before we would have the showdown.
I thought the bullet had been dodged with the election of the supposedly more progressive Obama administration.

It looks like I was wrong.

Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on some pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state's 15-year-old medical marijuana law.

There have always been threats, maybe an isolated action here and there, but for the most part medical marijuana has become accepted institution.

"Under United States law, a dispensary's operations involving sales and distribution of marijuana are illegal and subject to criminal prosecution and civil enforcement actions," according to the letters signed by U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in San Diego. "Real and personal property involved in such operations are subject to seizure by and forfeiture to the United States ... regardless of the purported purpose of the dispensary."

The move comes a little more than two months after the Obama administration toughened its stand on medical marijuana. For two years before that, federal officials had indicated they would not move aggressively against dispensaries in compliance with laws in the 16 states where pot is legal for people with doctors' recommendations.

Looks like we have a justice department that will sell weapons to Mexican drug smugglers while taking action to remove valid medicine from cancer patients requiring further smuggling and increased profiteering for violent cartels.

Going after property owners is not a new tactic though, Hermes said. Five years ago, the Department of Justice under President George W. Bush made similar threats to about 300 Los Angeles-area landlords who were renting space to medical marijuana outlets, some of whom were eventually evicted or closed their doors voluntarily, he said.

"It did have an impact. However, the federal government never acted on its threats, never prosecuted anybody, never even went to court to begin prosecutions," Hermes said. "By and large, they were empty threats, but they relied on them and the cost of postage to shut down as many facilities as they could without having to engage in criminal enforcement activity."

(Emphasis mine)

The one thing that surprises me about the Obama Administration is that it continues to surprise me at all levels.
I guess none of this should surprise me anymore.

Observations

2011-10-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Trying to avoid paying too close attention to the race, this is my take:

Mitt Romney: the most potential president on the stage, but he still reminds me of Darrin Stephens.

Newt Gingerich: Politically brilliant 89% of the time, an ass 11% of the time.

Rick Santorum: needs a few gay friends and fewer Jewish ones.

Herman Cain: the GOP equivalent of the coolest black guy in the room.

Michele Bachmann: 'better prepared than Palin' does not a Thatcher make.

Ron Paul: 90% spot-on, 10% delusional. But it's the 90% that confuses the others.

Rick Parry: Guns + Jesus = Texas 2.0

Jon Huntsman: the other Mormon.

Gary Johnson: who?

Moneyball

2011-10-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Based upon a book by the same name, Moneyball is the story of one man's (Billy Beane) attempt to rethink the game and restructure a small market team (in this case, the Oakland Athletics) that could compete with larger economic powerhouses such as the Yankees.

Defying the collective wisdom of baseball's best minds, Beane takes a more analytical approach to player recruitment relying on a different set of stats in order to find undervalued players.
Anybody who follows baseball already knows of the eventual success of the new paradigm.

If you're looking for dramatic story telling, go elsewhere. This is about baseball, not broken hearts, vengeance, romance, comic books or any of that other stuff movies are usually made of.
Instead, it's just an excellent baseball movie.
Check it out.

If you really, really like baseball, see it twice.

2011-09-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Would it be a redundancy to post that I've received a call from my doctor today per this Monday's surgery, and it has been postponed again, this time to October 25th?

There goes this year's hunting season, the bastards.

Picking Up Speed?

2011-09-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

Another glorious road trip has come to an end and I think I've caught up on my sleep now (after spending most of the day in bed). Determined not to get stuck in Portland's sucky morning traffic jam, I left Seattle at 2:30. That worked well, giving me time to dawdle a bit before providing full day light by the time I hit Springfield. It's also easier to get unlost in Portland's uncrowded side streets as I attempt to avoid those long tall bridges that freak me out.
Avoidance is easier now that I've figured it out: get off at Rosa Parks; turn right; left on Interstate... following Interstate and the passenger rail tracks to the lower and friendlier Steele Bridge; cross the water and look for the 405 south.
Yeah, it's so easy it took me a few times to get it. Downtown Portland seems to have few escape routes and will keep you traveling in circles. It does to me, anyway.

After climbing I-5, I took a couple hours in Yreka to relax, grab some lunch, beer and a nap. It's a cute little city of about 7,000 stuck amidst of the most beautiful geography I know. Too bad the populace doesn't much approach the quality of their surroundings. It appears neighborly, quaint and all that, but I would prefer to see fewer meth-heads and tattoo freaks walking about.

During the last leg of my journey, Sacramento to home, I came to the realization that I probably shouldn't be pushing so hard with the night driving. The last 5 hours were rough as I was having trouble focusing my eyes on the road far ahead. I am pushing 50 yrs old after all, and my eyes are not what they used to be, I guess. I've been in bi-focal denial for a few years as it is.
Maybe I'm starting to lose some of my night vision?

Or fatigue. I'm hoping it was fatigue.
When I look in the mirror, I don't see an impending AARPer staring back. My kids' friends always say I'm one of the 'youngest' Dads they know.
I'm not old, yet.
Or am I?

Seeking Overcast Skies

2011-09-21T16:36:00.001-07:00

Had another pre-op visit with my doctor this morning. Had to do this pre-op because the previous pre-op became more of a postpone-op (or maybe I'll call it a tease-op?), necessitating updated paperwork, EKG, chest x-ray. They didn't need new blood work, so that was nice.

The doctor explained the hold up: There is this new device thingie that makes it easier to plant the implant into the proper implant spot in a way that is also less invasive.
'Everyplace' else has them, and is using them, even overseas (my Doc practiced/interned/studied in Europe for a while, as well as the United States, so he knows this).
My medical center has never used them. They are behind the times I guess, having farmed patients in need to other facilities. (Truth: my vocal paralysis/breathing issues don't come around very often.)
It takes a while for the directors of the facility to approve new-to-them equipment. This has been the hold up. I understand that, and why it is that way.

In the meantime, I'm off to see the great Northwest again. Gonna meet some friends and Daughter has a brewery tour scheduled for us. Plus, I'll be watching the Bears/Packers game from a rockin (so I've heard) Chicago Bears centered sports bar.

Straw Dogs

2011-09-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I'd seen the original and tell you the truth, I forgot about most of it, only being reminded through flashbackish deja vu as this version of Straw Dogs played itself out.
There are some differences in the story line: In the original, the protagonist is a nerdy American mathematician who accompanies his Lolita-ish wife to her home village in England.
In this version, he is a trendy Hollywood screen writer accompanying his television-star wife to her hometown: a rural backwater in Mississippi.

The psycho-thriller tension starts from the beginning as David Sumner(James Marsden) and Amy(Kate Bosworth) arrive in town to reclaim the gorgeous southern homestead that belonged to her daddy. The locals, one of whom is Amy's former boyfriend, immediately treat David with suspicion and disrespect. David responds with attempts to suck up and fit in where he could.

For the most part, David is a big weenie who lacks the balls to stand up to the local jerks who taunt and ogle his wife, much to Amy's dismay. One day they lure him out on a hunting trip and leave him stranded in the woods, taking advantage of the situation to rape Amy.

The rest of the story largely follows the original in reliable detail, and the wussy excuse for a husband eventually finds himself in the situation where he has to man up and fight for his and Amy's life.
Much carnage takes place, and it's pretty cool stuff.

I recommend this movie to anyone who:

Is interested in proper remakes of classic films.

Enjoys watching brutish redneck bullies get theirs.

Appreciates graphic and angry violence.

Likes seeing Kate Bosworth's slender and sexy legs dance before their eyes.

Appreciates watching Kate Bosworth's braless and pokie boobies bounce across the screen.

One major bitch on my part...
If you want to portray southern white tail deer hunting, hire somebody who has the first clue about it. If this movie is any guide, the uninitiated would would leave the theater believing that that rural Mississippi is chock full of Boone And Crockett class bucks the size of elk, and absolutely nothing else.

Milestones

2011-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

The House Of Shreds extends hearty congratulations and wishes all the best in life to Amanda and Robert for their recent nuptials and to Foxfier who recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

Yes, the blog roll has been very busy the last week or two.

Damn It To Hell

2011-09-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

I'm going to go crazy here.
Got another call from the Doctor's office this morning. Surgery for Monday has been canceled (bastards!), unless I want to go to a different hospital. Seems my hospital doesn't have all the stuff, something about material for the next implant, but the hi-tech, state-of-the-art equipment I've been waiting on is now here. Somebody goofed, maybe?

Well, the alternate hospital is a two hour plus drive away, at least. My regular hospital is already an hour away, but the extra additional hour-plus is a deal breaker. I don't want to put the wife through the extra distance and I've got jitters enough as it is to want to attempt a different facility (though a most excellent one) when I'm fairly comfortable with the whizz-bang staff at my regular shop.

So I asked, why not just drive to the other place, pick up the material, and bring it to my hospital. I'm informed that not that easy.
OK, fine... then I will drive there tomorrow and do it for us. How's that? Nope, still cant do.
Well, what is your issue then?
It's way more complicated than that. She says I'll just have to take her word on it. Nothing is simple when it comes to inter-facility activity, I guess.

Alright... seems I'll just sit on this for another two weeks.
It's not all that bad, economically. I'm actually taking home more cash being on disability during the traditionally slow season for my plant than if I had been going to work every day.
I planned it that way, actually. Just as I timed the previous two absences to coincide with the slow season.
Well, that first one from three years ago wasn't as planned, but it timed perfectly and lasted about nine months longer than expected... but those are complications (and posts) from a long time ago... history behind me now, and I prefer it that way.

The Wife suggests that maybe I just might desire to make the most of this downtime. She's right.
Thinking of cruising it northward again to visit my little girl for few days. The drive and scenery might do my attitude some good.

Things That Make Me Go "Hmmmm..."

2011-09-14T22:06:00.001-07:00

It was hunting season, when I usually like to mix it up a little. Climb a tree in the morning; maybe spend the afternoon sitting behind some bushes... where ever my strategy or whim took me...

Several years ago I had carried an empty 5-gallon bucket out to the pasture. There was a tangled clump of small trees out in the middle offering a nearly 360 degree field of vision with a comfortable center void to hid within.

It was a productive location, and that bucket sat there for maybe 4 or 5 five seasons, never moving or being moved, waiting patiently every fall for one of us to return and make use of it's services once again...

Til two years ago when it wasn't there for me anymore. Nobody seemed to know anything about it, where it went, or had seen any signs of it.
It was just gone.

The other day I saw this picture of a deer captured with a trail camera. That's not exactly my bucket (mine didn't have yellow paint dripped down the sides), but the similarities to it are striking none the less.

FromOutdoor Life magazine, online edition.

Tip A Few More And I'll Feel Better

2011-09-14T20:41:00.001-07:00

Finally, after weeks of delay I got the call today that my surgery is definately going forward come this Monday morning, after six weeks of delays. The original date was August 8th.

I'm feeling a little apprehensive though I've wanted this for a long time.
Truth: I am tired of being tired all the time. I want to know what it feels like to feel good again cause I haven't really felt 'good', as in strong and healthy, in three years; to be able to climb the stairs in my own house without panting before I reach the top.
But something inside wants to back way and I don't know why.
I guess it's just the jitters.

I'll just trust that I'll be OK, and if not I'll deal with that when it happens.

Warrior

2011-09-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

Joel Edgarton and Tom Hardy star as two feuding brothers who haven't seen each other in years. Nick Nolte stars as their father with a long history of violent drunkeness. He's been clean and sober for a few years but is still paying the price for all he's done to his family. Nolte is brilliant here. One of the best performances I've seen from him.

Set within the Mized-Martial arts scene, the two brothers compete for a large purse in a kind of tough man competition, combined with a strong dose of family drama fueled with testosterone. Edgarton and Hardy turn in strong performances and really look the parts of MMA fighters: lean, muscular and freakishly ripped.

It's a good movie, even if the story is a little far fetched. The fights are beautifully done, leading up to the great master battle that pits the two brothers against each other.

I was expecting more of a feel good ending on par with Rocky or something like that. It doesn't deliver in that respect, but maybe it wasn't supposed to.
Overall, it's good theater, richly done, that lacks any emotional staying power.

Stock People?

2011-09-10T16:50:00.001-07:00

Should corporations be allowed access to the political process through campaign donations and other forms of bribery by another name?

Not too long ago, this query was posed to Mitt Romney in Iowa. Mitt offered up a reasonable sounding defense that goes something like this: Corporations are composed of people, there for they are people, so of course it would be unfair to not allow them a voice in democracy.
Like I said, it sounded good at the moment.
Since then, I have had a few extra moments in which to consider it and came up with a a few points for discussion:

The "voice" within our democracy in question is the ability to steer legislation, impact policy, and reap money. We need to take that into account. Good governance, the common welfare and the over all health of the republic are not at the top of the list.

We generally assume that the franchise of democratic action is assigned to those who will be living with it's outcome. Seems fair enough if you ask me.
Corporations, especially large multi-national ones, have the option a citizenry does not... the option to seek other shores. They haven't bought in to the concept of citizenship. They just hope to capitalize on somebody else's.

Another angle... Most corporations are comprised of millions of stockholders who may or may not be citizens or residents of the nation. They have no stake in our process beyond what cash they can squeeze out for themselves. Non-citizens cannot vote, nor should they. Foreigners off shore even more so.

And in most cases, millions of stockholders are represented by the very few who control the board of directors, who use their collective resources to make political decisions without their input.
If Mitt Romney and his kind are seriously concerned for the voices of shareholders they would divvy up the political cash and send each a corresponding check for donation to the political cause of their choice.

Corporations are business entities. Business entities are not persons.

Not enough hairspray can cover the smell of Mitt Romneys's bullshit on this issue.

How Vulnerable We Are

2011-09-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

Southern California gets clobbered with a major power outage.

This happened yesterday afternoon, shortly after 3pm. According to sources, a single maintenance worker at electrical station tripping a major line or something like that.

A friend of who drives a delivery truck was stranded two hours from home for the night due to gas pumps not working.
Nobody had A/C, TV, Internet, nothing... total 1850's going on from south Orange County on down for something like 7 million people, for about 12hrs on into the night.
Serious stuff: the airport was shutdown. ATM's didn't work. No traffic lights during rush hour... Clusterfuckville, all the way through.

I'm thinking.. if that were me,... if I were that maintenance worker who just ended modern civilization for a large portion of the country (if only for a night), I'd be pretty damn proud of myself.

Let's hope Al Queida doesn't get a hold of this idea.

There They Go Again...

2011-09-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

Mankind faces extinction, the Prince of Wales has warned, unless humans transform our lifestyles to stop mass consumption.

He referred to a “sustainability revolution” that would force people to change their lifestyles so they consume less petrol, food and other resources.

We should listen to Charles. If anybody knows the evils of conspicuous consumption, it would be him.

Bulleit

2011-09-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

Claiming itself 'Frontier Whiskey', packaged in a medicine bottle with cork stopper...

My mind flashes to William Munny (from Unforgiven, and if you're cool like me you don't need the movie reference) liquoring up before his killing spree.

... It needs to awaken for a minute or two before complex scents of vanilla-nutmeg and fruited-leather come through. Successive pourings bring forth butter and corn, some oak.
Initial experience is rough. Abrasive and obnoxious. Not for boys. The rear burn and peppery tingle up front overwhelms whatever is sitting on the tongue, going down with a boot kick to the throat...
...smoothing out into a pleasant finish; now you want another pour. Chest hair is getting thicker and your testes have dropped an additional 1/2 inch.
Again, you want yet another pour 'cause it's tasting reeeeaaaaal good.

It grows on you. After several pours, I'm liking it very much and feeling every bit of that.
$20 at Trader Joe's.
Add some strut to yer swagger, 'cause this shit's for real.
(as I stagger my swagger to the sofa for a nap...)

Colombiana

2011-09-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

After Femme Nikita and Leon, writer Luc Besson adds to his list of 'Chicks You Don't Want To Fuck With', while Zoe Saldana headlines Columbiana into an epic fail.

The basic story: Celeya is a young Columbian girl who witnesses her parents' murder by some criminal gang/cartel and vows vengeance. She find her way to Chicago to be raised by an uncle who trains her for a life as a contract killer.

And she'd be pretty bad ass about it too, if she was believable. Something about a skinny little Saldana (who can't weigh more than 110) incapacitating large muscular men with roundhouse kicks, blasting away with heavy machine guns (that should be shaking her bones from their sockets), with a tendency to do her best fighting in a leotard is just a whole lot of too much for me to accept.

Zoe Saldana is one of the most graceful actresses on the screen today, moving with a smooth fluidity to match her ballet background. She's got the skills for this kind of action-chick role. No doubt, it's hard to take your eyes off of her. But if anybody is in dire straights for a bacon double-cheeseburger, fries and a shake it is her. And shame on the lame-ass director (Olivier Megaton) for casting her without fattening her ass up first.
Or any previous director idiot. This isn't Saldana's first action role as she's become the go-to terminatrix for a few directors lately. Well, I'm not buying into it anymore.
Mark it: This day forward, before I pay to see Zoe fight bad guys I need to see some proof that she's capable of attacking a pizza.
This is getting ridiculous.

That's not all. The script has massive holes it. Weired shit happens without explanation. Dots don't connect. Too much is assumed. Little is explained. Characters are shallow. Special effects are overbearing. It's not even fun to watch.

What could have been a great movie with a terrific plot and the right imagery is little more than a massive wad of crap.

Love Is A Bitch

2011-09-03T00:14:00.000-07:00

I'm in love.
The last time this emotion hit me, it was several years ago and I flipped (opened the checkbook on impulse) a grand without so much as a second thought.

I had something known as 'Disposable Income' back then.

Maybe it's the hunter's lament: I always have my eye out for the that one tool that will do what I want to do and never need replacing. The gun of a lifetime. The one that twenty years from now will still be my trusted companion.

Yup... hatin' life right about now...just hatin' life... all I gotta say.

2011-09-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Remember when?

The Help

2011-09-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

It's the early 60's, where every home in the upper-crust society of Jackson, Mississippi is staffed with a black maid. A budding writer, Skeeter (Emma Stone) has just returned from college and among the drama decides to write a book based upon the experiences of The Help. A look through their eyes, and what it's like to raise the white woman's child and care for her home while living a life second class citizenship.

What can work better than a movie based in the Jim Crow South among the backdrop of race and the struggle for civil rights? In some ways, we've seen all this shit before. We've heard all the stories, usually followed by some moral finger-wagging toward white people. This story spares us finger wagging while presenting us with a cross-section of humanity from the time.

Skeeter: as the writer, she finds herself at odds with the racial attitudes held by most of her peers.
Aibileen (Viola Davis): a middle-aged maid who is the first to risk sharing her thoughts for Skeeter's book.
Minny (Octavia Jackson): close friend of Aibileen who's penchant for sass talk means she has trouble keeping a job.
Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard): a snobbish alpha bitch who's "Home Help Sanitation Initiative" will mandate segregated restrooms within private residences who hire black Help. Her facilities fetish provides the spark that ingnites the story.
Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain): social outcast from the wrong part of town, employs Minny when nobody else will work for her. She has issues fitting in and can't seem to learn the 'divide' tween white boss and black help, viewing Minny not as employee but as friend and confidant.

It is mostly Viola Davis' Aibileen who carries the story while Octavia Jackson's Minny steals every scene as the action see-saws from serious to comedic. I guess in the end what we've really got is a funny drama or a dramatic comedy. Take your pick.
It's a very good movie;, good enough that I expect it's makers will be hearing from the academy come Oscar time.

Some Thoughts On The Global Warming Debate

2011-08-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

Let me be a little more expansive in my thoughts and opinions on all this global warming hype and hooey...

My points:
*For starters... I think it is an absurdity to suggest that mankind could deposit the level of pollution into the atmosphere so as to have a global impact on climate. The forces of nature are just too big, too powerful, too vast to be affected by people driving cars or herding cattle. I could be wrong, but the burden of proof is one somebody else.

*Since I was a kid i remember being taught about earlier ice ages and what not, and how the Midwest was once covered by seas, and another time with glaciers and...

*In more recent readings, I've learned about climatic changes in Europe recorded within the last couple hundred years. It's been made clear to me that the only constant when it comes to climate is the lack of one.

*I believe that I have a reasonable duty to take reasonable care of the creation that God has bestowed for my use. As a result, good stewardship is a matter of faith and practice. It is why on trash day usually finds my recycle bin fuller than my refuse bin. That's just how I am.

*Other people (I will call them Hippies here) may have as strong a spiritual connection to the 'earth' (or whatever) as I do to Christ. That is fine. They can do as they will. But I don't appreciate them forcing their morality upon me any more than they want my morality forced upon them.

*Seems whenever some politician brings up 'climate change' (they had to give up the term 'global warming' when it stopped warming, I guess), the next breath spoken is an attack on my earnings, my savings, or my (humble) lifestyle.

*Seems whenever some Hippie mentions 'climate change', his solution usually requires an attack upon my earnings, my savings, or my (humble) lifestyle.

*Many politicians and their cronies are making bank off of tax payer funded initiatives designed to fight ~~global warming~~ climate change.

*As for climate researchers and scientists: aren't these some of the same people who told me about glaciers and seas in the Midwest who now warn me that shit is changing again, but this time it's all my fault?

*Why won't the pope of ~~global warming~~ climate change accept a debate on the issue in which he claims infallibility?

*Why does the faith community he leads allow him to live the lifestyle of hypocrisy that he does? Maybe they don't really believe in it themselves, but see an opportunity to force their own Hippie morality upon the rest of us.

*If real science is taking place, and I believe it often is, then why do I read about restrictions on peer review?

*Nobody has yet been able to tell me what is the proper climate, or been able to demonstrate how lowering my living standards will achieve it.

Yes, I am a skeptic. What is wrong with that?

2011-08-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

One day climate change skeptics will be seen in the same negative light as racists, or so says former Vice President Al Gore.

With his several mansions, a fleet of SUV's, at least two house boats, private jet travel and who knows how many wide screen televisions in support of his lavish lifestyle... Al Gore will be known for operating a fleet of slave ships.

A New Delicacy

2011-08-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

It sounds like an urban legend: giant mutant-looking rats roaming a city housing project.

Only there's a picture.

A photo making the rounds shows Housing Authority worker Jose Rivera minutes after he speared the humongous rodent with a pitchfork at the Marcy Houses.

According to the article, this is a Zambian Pouched Rat, an invasive species. Further reading informs me that these things can cause severe environmental damage if allowed to spread... a very real possibility.

Let's open a season on them, like Florida has already done with another invasive nuisance species.

At 4lbs or better, one Zambian Pouched Rat could produce enough meat to provide dinner to a ghetto family of four. Maybe stewed? Quartered and fried? Use some imagination.

Hold it!
I know what yer thinkin'..,
But if some rural folks can make a delicacy from possum, another rat-like species, then why not these? Just publish a few recipes to get the notion started and turn the project dwellers loose.

Old Forester

2011-08-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Sweet vanilla scent combines with oak. Around the edges, a little nutmeg. It's rather inviting.
Smooth and creamy, brown sugar and caramel on the tongue. Pepper and spice is strong up front, with a very mild burn in back where I prefer a little more balance. A dry easy finish, if short, a little more of the oak comes through.
It's even smoother with an ice cube.

Can't remember what I paid... somewhere tween $10-13 at BevMo. It's actually a good bourbon for the price. Definitely more subtle and complex than Evan Williams, which is in the same budget category.
I like it.

I'm come to fully believe that marketing has more to do with the price of a bourbon than it's taste and quality, just like with beer and coffee. If you can convince enough consumers that your product is a cut above, they will pay the extra $5-10 a bottle 'cause 98% of them wouldn't know the difference anyway.
That said... for me, Wild Turkey is still the baseline standard that all others are compared to.

Being off work for a while has left a lot more time for sleeping it off, so I'll be back at the liquor store more often. Come to think of it, I see another pilgrimage in the very near future... like tomorrow.

Disabled Or Less Abled?

2011-08-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

As I've stated before, should this next procedure to address my breathing issues does not succeed I will facing the very real probability of applying for an early disability retirement. Seriously, it's not that bad of an option, and is probably a preferable one given the alternative of working for the same level of income that I would receive from not working.

The main issue with my health is that I cannot perform some of the more strenuous work my employer may occasionally call upon me to perform. My standard job position is actually fairly laid back. I got it easy most of the time. There are many things I can do without issue, and they are all a part of my regular duties.
The issue with my employer is their requirement that I be 100% capable of working where they need me at any time, and not just where I'm regularly scheduled. Fair enough, really. The choice is clear: get fixed, or get lost.

This brings me to the Social Security Disability issue. If you have not heard, the program is going broke really fast. It seems kinda not right that somebody who's been in the mill for 20-30-40 years can retire with a full benefit for what really only amounts to a partial disability. And I'm not talking about just myself. There have been a string of co-workers 'forced' onto disability when they are perfectly able to do less demanding tasks. The most common ailment is a bad back or something else equally easy to acquire with age. (I think I would be the first case of Laryngeal Paralysis H.R. had ever seen.)

To the best of my knowledge, SSDI doesn't have a semi-retirement status. There is nothing physically preventing me, or many others, from taking less demanding work at a lower rate of pay if SSDI only offered a partial benefit. Think of the money that would be saved.

And think: why should a normally healthy, if limited, worker be paid the same benefit as one who had a terrible accident and ended up in a wheel chair?

As for me, should I become eligible, I'm taking all the money they'll give me, and using my remaining abilities to earn cash money on the side... It would be stupid not too.

Conan The Barbarian

2011-08-21T14:13:00.001-07:00

Remembering the original, I was looking forward to this remake. I wasn't expecting perfection, but I was hoping that they wouldn't over do it with FX and other digital bullshit. Maybe a remake on par with True Grit 2011? That would have been a beautiful, beautiful thing indeed.

Instead, we are given something much more faithful to the original character that Robert E. Howard created a very, very long time ago...
Yeah, that's right. It's not the same Conan The Barbarian movie. Not even near the ballpark, and you are informed of such with the opening scene presenting the birth of Conan on a battlefield as his warrior mother lays dying from her wounds. This was a wince-ful scene that could have been produced better. Instead, it comes off as digital-tech moshed with claymation tech, and badly presented as reality.

In praise, I don't think it's possible to better cast the role of Conan than the choice of Jason Momoa. He was perfect, doing a much better 'Conan' than Arnold Schwartzeneggar ever could. (Sorry, Brian.)

From there, Conan begins his legendary life of warrior awesomeness, killing everything that moves; mythical, magical or otherwise. Much of it while accompanied by his roving band of warrior Rastafarians.
And therein lies my first bitch: All the enemy clans look borrowed from other successful movies. They got Last of The Mohicans, Excalibur, Gladiator, Braveheart, Clash Of The Titans... and then a slave tribe of topless white girls, all of whom possess lithe bodies graced with firm breasts of impeccable proportion (OK, I didn't really mind that part too much).
The lack of creativity doesn't end there. Before long this project gets all Lord-Of-The-Rings on us, with overly sensational imaginary cities that become unbelievably destroyed. It's all too fantastic for my preference, and I was ready for it to be over about 1/2 hour before it was.

All in all, this one tries too hard to do too much, and fails convincingly.

Evocations: Last Of The Mohicans, Krull, Excalibur, Gladiator, Flesh And Blood, Lord Of The Rings, Braveheart, Clash Of The Titans

2011-08-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting there in the theater, watching a remake I had been anticipating, hoping to God 'they' didn't fuck it up...
When every scene reminds me of another scene from any one of several movies I'd seen before...
But not once am I reminded of the uber-classic original.

Is it me, is the times, or is it just the current trend?

I think I'm going to start tacking 'reminder notes' at the bottom of every movie posting.

Things That Make Me Go "Hmmm...?"

2011-08-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but this post has received hundreds of google hits from every Muslim country from Morocco to Indonesia. Even Sri lanka, and I didn't know they had the internet there.