Saturday - October 22, 2011
Time to order
This morning I went to the local farmer’s market. I’d placed an order with Jean. She’s runs a family business, a pig farm. Started off as a 4-H club project one of her kids started. For twenty years now she’s been the only person I buy pork from. She’s branched out over the years. Now she also offers chickens (free-range, of course) and eggs. Today I also noticed she’s offering turkeys. I’m betting I won’t be getting the usual Butterball turkey this year. My wife will probably go for a free-range turkey from Jean. Even if it’s more expensive. Jean is charging $3/lb, with a $20 deposit up front.
So I asked Jean, ‘You taking orders for pumpkin pies?’ Jean said sure:
Don’t think I want any pumpkin pie this year…
Posted by Christopher
on 10/22/2011 at 05:57 PM
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Permalink • Friday - October 21, 2011
War Is Over, Troops Home By Christmas
Just one day after the death of Gadaffi and at least one more of his adult sons, Obama announces this afternoon that the US has done enough in Iraq and is heading for the exit.
President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. will pull out all of its troops from Iraq by the end of December, drawing the nine-year war to a conclusion.
The announcement signals the imminent end of a war that has cost the U.S. more than $800 billion dollars and claimed the lives of 3,525 American service members.
Obama administration officials had considered extending the U.S. troop presence beyond the end of the year, leaving a force of between 3,000 and 5,000 for contingencies. The proposal was controversial, dividing administration officials. But the president’s announcement will settle the debate and spell an end to the U.S. troop presence.
Military leaders wanted to keep a presence in Iraq to serve as a training role, and a deterrent to Iranian meddling in Iraq’s affairs.
But negotiations with a divided Iraqi government foundered over the issue of whether U.S. forces should be given a measure of immunity from Iraq laws while serving in the country. The military routinely demands such protections as a condition of deploying troops abroad, but Iraqi officials balked.
Even with a full troop withdrawal, a very small number of military personnel will remain in Baghdad and at U.S. diplomatic facilities to help Iraq with matters such as purchases of American weapons systems, including Abrams tanks and F-16 fighters. But there will be no long-term military-led training program.
President Obama announced Friday that all U.S. forces will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011, saying the troops “will definitely be home for the holidays.”
The announcement, in the White House briefing room, came after the president completed a secure video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The discussion apparently finalized negotiations that have dragged on for months over what, if any, military presence the U.S. would maintain in Iraq beyond a Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline set in 2008. The president said the two are now in “full agreement” over how to move forward, and that no U.S. troops will remain.
“As promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year,” Obama said. “After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.”
There are still 40,000-45,000 U.S. troops in the country, but Obama said they would all be shipping home soon. He said the next challenge will be to ensure those troops can find work in America upon returning home.
“I respectfully disagree with President Obama. I feel all we have worked for, fought for, and sacrificed for is very much in jeopardy by today’s announcement. I hope I am wrong and the president is right, but I fear this decision has set in motion events that will come back to haunt our country,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement.
More than 4,400 American military members have been killed since the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003.
Hey, can we say “Mission Accomplished” now?
Will Kosovo and Afghanistan be checked off next on his To-Do list?
Posted by Drew458
on 10/21/2011 at 05:36 PM
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Permalink • Poor Doggies
It’s that time of year again. Halloween approaches. If you don’t have kids to dress up, and you don’t want to put on something slutty for one of those adult parties, then you can devise costumes for your pets. These pictures showed up in my inbox today.
It’s a Bengal Setter! A magnificent dye job with a whole lot of product to fluff out that tail. I hope it washes out.
No muff too tough; a bit bull wearing some extra fur becomes a mighty lion.
not too knight dear, I’ve got a headache. A tiny chihuahua becomes a great destrier.
I think Hades was thinking of something a little bigger when he came up with the idea of Cerberus.
funny and sick at the same time. New from Nabisco, BeegleSnax! Poor doogy.
As is almost always the case, these emails are really just snags from some web page. Here’s the link to the original site, where there are even more of these wild doggy costumes.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/21/2011 at 11:19 AM
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Permalink • Random Chance
Sorry to have not bored you to tears with my bowling blogging lately. I’ve been in a slump, but my teams have been doing Ok. Mostly.
We won all 7 on Tuesday at Greed League. The other team had an off night, and we weren’t quite so off, so we slaughtered them. Took the first game by 214, the second one by 190, and the third game by 78, which gave us the wood by more than 480 pins. Slam! My bowling was pretty awful though; all or nothing. I could not hardly make a spare to save my life, but my series total for the night was only 4 pins below average. Talk about a slump: I started the first game with 5 opens in a row. Egad. But then I threw 5 strikes in a row and a spare to finish up just a bit over average! The other team was leaving evil splits all over the place and blaming the oil patterns.
Last night at Cheap League we all bowled well but lost all 7. My ball was pretty much dead, so I had it resurfaced and run through the rejuvenator to steam the oil out. The thing was a sponge and had to go through twice to get clean. So now the ball is hooking again, and I put new fingertip inserts in so I can get some rev on the ball, and my slump is over. I threw a 575 series, which is back up where I usually bowl. Not that it did any good. The other team just flat out out-bowled us. I even came up with a 214 in the third game, which helped our team tie our opponents’ scratch score, but they had a 10 pin handicap so we lost that one by 10. We’re in 9th place on this 12 team league, but we have the highest team average. That means we’re always giving handicap points to everyone else. The whole league was having a hard time adapting to the new conditions last night. The oil pattern was pretty easy, but the alley had just sanded the approaches (finally! it’s been 3 years, and the approaches were almost as sticky as fly paper), so we were all sliding around as if we were on ice. Lucky me that I have fancy bowling shoes that have replaceable soles, so I could switch to a less slippery toe slide and a stronger heel brake.
Sometimes you can bowl poorly and win. Sometimes you can bowl quite well and lose. It almost seems like it’s random chance.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/21/2011 at 09:22 AM
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Permalink • Thursday - October 20, 2011
Why Me?
Some idiot at church found out I’m unemployed. He asked if I would tutor some church members looking to get their GED.
I said ‘sure’, thinking that if this is successful, I’ll add it to my resumé.
So, I spend an hour or two, depending on attendance, each Wednesday evening, teaching.
I am appalled!
The students I have are so deficient in math that I wonder how they even got to high school before they dropped out! They have no knowledge of basic math that I learned in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.
Okay, I’ll give one a pass, She’s dyslexic. If her mom hadn’t told me I’d’ve thought she was an idiot. Knowing that she’s dyslexic, I can teach her. I just had to know that up front.
But I’ve spent my time teaching math: basic geometry; fractions–how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide; and we still haven’t gotten to converting fractions to decimals and percentages. Stuff I learned in grade school. How did they get to high school before they dropped out?
Mind you, I’ll still add it to my resumé.
Posted by Christopher
on 10/20/2011 at 09:15 AM
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Permalink • Got Him
Updated: Thursday, 20 Oct 2011, 7:40 AM EDT
Published : Thursday, 20 Oct 2011, 7:40 AM EDTSIRTE, Libya - Libyan strongman Moamar Ghadafi has been captured, a Transitional National Council military commander said Thursday.
“He has been captured. He is badly wounded, but he is still breathing,” Mohamed Leith told AFP, adding that he saw Ghadafi himself and that he was wearing a khaki uniform and a turban.
Ghadafi was said to be wounded in both legs, according to Reuters, which said he was detained near Sirte.
Libyan TV channel Libya lil Ahrar also said that he was in custody.
However, the TNC’s UK spokesman, Mahmoud Nacua, warned that there was “not enough information” to confirm Ghadafi’s capture, and a former TNC spokesman in Britain, Guma al Gamati told Sky News that “this is not confirmed.”
Sirte, Ghadafi’s hometown and the last bastion of his supporters, was the last holdout against TNC forces. The town’s capture, which both military officials and new regime political sources said was expected later Thursday, would pave the way for the TNC to officially take control of Libya and move its headquarters away from its Benghazi stronghold in the east to the capital, Tripoli.
UPDATE: Oops, He’s Dead Now
SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered on Thursday as fighters battling to complete an eight-month-old uprising against his rule overran his hometown Sirte, Libya’s interim rulers said.
His killing, which came swiftly after his capture near Sirte, is the most dramatic single development in the Arab Spring revolts that have unseated rulers in Egypt and Tunisia and threatened the grip on power of the leaders of Syria and Yemen.
“He (Gaddafi) was also hit in his head,” National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. “There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.”
Reports are conflicting. Some say he was caught in a spider hole like Saddam, and surrendered. Yet somehow managed to get shot in the legs twice, and then in the head? Other reports say he was gunned down by a NATO attack on a fleeing convoy of vehicles. And so on. No word on whether the new “battle-dozer” had anything to do with his death or capture, but it also appears that the town of Sirte has fallen. And that should be about the end of the fighting in Libya. Now, show us his body, and show us how it’s disposed of, so we infidels can learn. Betcha they throw his corpse to the dogs.
details on this armored creation here
UPDATE 2: Rat In A Drain Ditch
the drain pipe where Muammar was hiding when he was captured ... and then executed? Lyndon gives us the latest news link!
14:03 NTC spokesman Abdel Hafez Ghoga says: “We announce to the world that Kadhafi has been killed at the hands of the revolution. It is an historic moment. It is the end of tyranny and dictatorship. Kadhafi has met his fate,” he added.
14:00 PM David Cameron to give statement on reports of Gaddafi’s death imminently.
13:57 The revolutionary fighter who says he saw the capture of Gaddafi tells Sky News he hit him with his shoe (one of the worst insults in the Islamic faith). He was reportedly shot once in the head and once in each leg.
13:54 NTC spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga also now confirming the former leader’s death.
13:52 If reports are found to be true that Gaddafi was found in a hole underground in District 2 in his hometown of Sirte, the similarities to the capture of Saddam Hussein are unavoidable. The Iraqi dictator was discovered in a small, underground hole concealed next to farm buildings near the his own hometown of Tikrit. He had been hiding out for months with a handful of his most loyal aides.
Rat in a drain ditch
Caught on a limb
You know better but
I know him
14:34 Let’s recap all reports of deaths and captures. Just to be clear, none have yet been independently verified:
Muammar Gaddafi: Dead - NTC officials
Mutassim Gaddafi, Col Gaddafi’s fifth son: Dead - NTC officials
Moussa Ibrahim, Gaddafi’s spokesman: Captured - NTC officials
Abu Bakr Yunis, former defence minister: Killed in Gaddafi’s convoy - NTC officials
Ahmed Ibrahim, Gaddafi’s cousin and adviser: Captured. - Mlegta.
Mansour Daw, Gaddafi aide: Captured. - Libya TV
cellphone pic of captured Gaddafi, mostly dead
Posted by Drew458
on 10/20/2011 at 06:47 AM
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Permalink • Wednesday - October 19, 2011
He’ll be back!
I had to think awhile: is posting this being disrespectful? Then I decided he’d probably have laughed at it himself.
Posted by Christopher
on 10/19/2011 at 08:54 PM
Filed Under: • Humor • Motorvators •
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Permalink • OWS mob says NO to redistribution
Occupy Wall Street protesters said yesterday that packs of brazen
crooksentrepreneurs within their ranks have been robbing their fellow demonstrators blind,making off withredistributing pricey cameras, phones and laptops—and even a hefty bundle of donated cash and food.“
StealingRedistribution is our biggest problem at the moment,” said Nan Terrie, 18, a kitchen and legal-team volunteer from Fort Lauderdale.
Makes me proud to be an American. It’s gratifying to know that some Americans are still capable of engaging in the private redistribution of wealth. No government assistance required, or wanted.
“I had my Mac
stolenredistributed—that was like $5,500. Every night, something else isgoneredistributed. Last night, our entire [kitchen] budget for the day wasstolenredistributed, so the first thing I had to do was . . . get the message out to our supporters that we needed food!”
First of all, how dare he/she/it have a $5500 Mac. I’ve never owned a Mac that cost more than $1200. Second, if they spent more time engaging in private enterprise, like these private redistributionists, whoever they are, they wouldn’t have to beg their supporters for food.
Redistribution: the politically-correct word for ‘theft.’ 
Source: Thieves preying on fellow protesters
Posted by Christopher
on 10/19/2011 at 04:20 PM
Filed Under: • Crime • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Satire •
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Permalink • Terrorist Scouts Nabbed In Texas
Bomb Scare at Bexar County Courthouse
Police now say 5 men are under arrest after a bomb scare at the Bexar County Courthouse early Wednesday morning. The search began after authorities arrested 2 Morrocan nationals who were found inside the courthouse. Another man was arrested in a nearby RV and two more were arrested later. A sweep of the courthouse did not uncover any bombs.
Investigators have found 90-day visas, maps, cell phones and computers inside a recreational vehicle that may have been rented by five foreign nationals arrested after a break-in at a county courthouse in San Antonio.
Sheriff’s department spokesman Louis Antu (AN’-too) says local and federal authorities are investigating the early Wednesday burglary at the old Bexar (bayr) County Courthouse. Antu says the men are all in their 20s and were unarmed when they were arrested about 1:30 a.m. Three of the men were caught
inside while the other two were outside near the RV. Antu says he has no information to indicate the break-in is related to terrorism. He says federal authorities are involved because the men aren’t from the U.S. and authorities still are trying to confirm their nationalities.
DEVELOPING: The FBI and local police say they are trying to figure out why five French-Moroccan nationals tried to break into a Texas courthouse in the middle of the night.
At least five foreign nationals are in custody after the attempted break-in at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio, which triggered a bomb scare and FBI terror investigation, a source close to the case tells FoxNews.com.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the suspects are believed to be of French-Moroccan descent.
Police said two of the men climbed a fire escape and entered an unlocked door on the fourth floor of the courthouse at around 2 a.m., KHOU.com reports.
The men allegedly told investigators that they were visiting from out of town and said they were trying to get a tour of the city, according to the station.
Sheriff’s department spokesman Louis Antu told the Associated Press that there’s no information to indicate that the incident might be affiliated with terrorism. He said the case is being investigated as burglary of a building.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/19/2011 at 10:09 AM
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Permalink • Lock Your Doors Christopher!
Dozens Of Wild Animals Escape In Ohio
Ohio authorities are on the hunt for dozens of escaped wild animals.The animals, which include lions, tigers and grizzly bears, among many others, escaped their enclosures. The owner of the exotic zoo was found dead.
Authorities say they are shooting to kill and have, so far, killed about 20 or so of the 40 or more animals.
Police say they have already killed some bears and wolves. But they are still getting a flood of reports coming in from people who have spotted wild animals along nearby highways.
Staffers from the Columbus Zoo are at the scene helping to tranquilize and capture the animals rather than seeing them shot.
Area schools have been closed for safety.
Flashing signs on the highways in eastern Ohio warned motorists Wednesday: Exotic animals on the loose. Call 911.
Schools shuttered and some frightened residents said they were hunkering down in their homes as sheriff’s deputies hunted lions, tigers, leopards and grizzly bears that escaped from a preserve after the death of the owner.
Police have not yet said how Terry Thompson died, but Zanesville Mayor Howard Zwelling told CNN Wednesday that Thompson freed the animals from their pens and then shot himself.
Thompson owned 48 exotic animals. About 30 to 35 of them had been found, said Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz. Those that had escaped from their pens were put down.
Zwelling said he received calls from people who were concerned that the animals had been killed. He said authorities were trying to use tranquilizers whenever possible to save their lives.
Thompson had his run-ins with the law. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal charges of possessing illegal firearms, including five fully automatic firearms, and had just been released from prison.
In nearby Licking County, Sheriff Randy Thorp said he has activated the county SWAT team “who will be equipped with night vision and the necessary weapons to deal with any encounters with such animals.”
The menagerie of about 48 animals on the loose also includes wolves, giraffes and camels. Commuters reported seeing bears and wolves along Interstate 70.
For their sake I hope the SWAT team has something a whole lot more powerful than little M16s. Bull giraffes can weigh a couple of tons, and adults grizzlies are pretty good sized bears. But any rifle is better than no rifle at all, and the little 5.56 round will probably do for close up head shots.
The fences had been left unsecured at the Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville, in east-central Ohio, and the animals’ cages were open, police said. They wouldn’t say what animals escaped but said the preserve had lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears.
More info here with pictures. Drat, once again the UK newspapers give better coverage to a story in the US than our own papers do!
Posted by Drew458
on 10/19/2011 at 09:08 AM
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Permalink • Hang Them Harder
The “House of Horrors” story continues to evolve. It seems like every 4 hours there’s a new piece of news; the depravity gets worse and worse.
Tuesday 10:23pm
PHILADELPHIA - Fox 29 has learned six children are in protective custody in the Philadelphia house of horrors case, and there may be more houses in the case.The children were taken into custody by police on Monday night, and they are children of the suspects and one of the victims found in a dungeon basement last Saturday.
Two of the children belong to Tamara Breeden, who was found in the dungeon basement.
Also, the niece of one of Linda Weston, the alleged ring leader in the case, was found living in squalid conditions in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. The niece is 19 years old, appeared to be beaten and malnourished.
Philadelphia police now have an SUV used to move around the group of mentally challenged people found locked up in a squalid basement, and they are looking for a larger van.
Police are digging deep into Weston’s past. They’re looking at her post office boxes, bank accounts and any properties she may be tied to. They hope is to find clues that lead them to any other victims out there.
Philadelphia police Commissioner Charles Ramsey says that from the depths of a basement dungeon has sprung a wide-sweeping investigation that now has him concerned about the welfare of 50 more potential victims.
Ramsey plans to form a new task force to track down each and every potential victim linked to Weston.
“Could there be victims who are no longer with us? I don’t know and I don’t want to alarm anyone who may have a relative that could be a part of this,” Ramsey said.
Commissioner Ramsey is also looking into another report from Weston’s own son who says he reported another possible kidnapping by his mother two years ago.
Wednesday 8:46am
PHILADELPHIA - More victims have been found in connection with that “house of horrors” case.Police now say six children and four young adults, ranging in age from 2 to 19, are in protective custody, FOX 29’s Steve Keeley reported live Wednesday morning from police headquarters.
“It’s a very complicated case. It continues to unfold. This is another major step,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said Tuesday night.
The 10 young people all have ties to the case. Two of the children were born to Tamara Breeden, who is one of the four victims found locked inside the basement of an apartment building in Tacony.
...
Police also found the niece of alleged ringleader Linda Ann Weston inside a home in Frankford. She had been reported missing since 2009.“She is 19 years old. She appears to be severely malnourished. She looks like she’s been beaten a large part of her life,” Ramsey said.
Three of the children were taken from the same Longshore Avenue apartment building in Tacony where the four developmentally-disabled adults from a sub-basement “dungeon.”
Weston had a daughter and son living in the building. The daughter and two children, believed to be hers, were taken into custody.
Police aren’t even sure yet whether the daughter is a victim or a perpetrator at this point.
Walking into work Wednesday morning, Ramsey said, “When I left last night, that decision had not been made. But we hade DAs present at the time. So, they will determine whether or not there’s anything that she could be charged with, or she’s just a victim herself.”
Police did not divulge exactly where the other young people were found, including whether they were at one or more houses. They also were not commenting on what the conditions were like.
A special task force has been created to follow-up on numerous leads that are coming in from across the country.
Philadelphia police seized a Ford expedition with a Florida license plate found Tuesday in the city. Investigators believe this is the vehicle Weston allegedly used to haul the adults victims across the country from Texas to Florida, and then here to Philadelphia.
Records also indicate that Weston spent time in Virginia and North Carolina.
Police allege that all of this is part of a Social Security check-cashing scheme in which the suspects, including Weston, who is a convicted felon, can aquire checks for other people with no identification and cash them for years and years.
Asked if the case highlights flaws in the system, Ramsey said, “Well, yeah, I mean obviously I think it shouldn’t have been allowed to happen. She used her own name in many instances.”
Wednesday 9:23am
PHILADELPHIA - Sources tell Fox 29 that Tamara Breeden, a woman allegedly held captive in a Philadelphia basement, gave birth to two children after she went missing.
...
On Wednesday, Philadelphia police also charged a fourth suspect in the case.Jean McIntosh is being charge as a co-conspirator to the kidnapping of all four victims. She is the daughter of Linda Weston, who is believed to be the ring leader in the case.
Weston and McIntosh are also being investigated with the abuse and kidnapping of a family member, Beatrice Weston. Beatrice Weston, 19, is still being interviewed but has significant facial bruising and scarring.
Who knows how many more members of this psycho family will be arrested by noon, or how many more victims will be found, or what will turn up when the investigation gets rolling in Texas and Florida, and now Virginia and North Carolina. It’s looking like this gang had several vehicles, perhaps a small fleet, and moved from place to place with their flock of prisoners. I hate to say it, but at some point the bodies will start being found; I’m certain that murder or “accidental death” was part of this as well ... and will explain the whereabouts of some of those 50 others.
Another part that rather stuns me is how welfare, Social Security, etc continued to issue checks for all these missing people for years, and nobody anywhere in any law enforcement group ever found this information. Don’t forget that this entire case came in out of the blue when the first building’s landlord investigated a strange noise in the basement. (and you’d think the aroma would have tipped him off a bit too, yes?) The cops and the feds DID NOT HAVE A CLUE that any of this was going on, yet the government has all sorts of interconnected databases, and in theory a new edict (Patriot Act) of cooperation. Hey authority figures: how about running the Missing Persons database against the Welfare Checks database and the Social Security Checks database? You might just find that vast numbers of these lost people aren’t really so lost after all. They’re “merely” prisoners held by depraved psychopaths. I am really starting to worry that this group of three four - um, what time is it, maybe it’s a dozen by now? - is just the tip of the iceberg and that a whole network of dungeons exists across the country. That’s a really scary thought.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/19/2011 at 08:28 AM
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Permalink • Tuesday - October 18, 2011
Unpaid Product Endorsement
Oh happy day, the mailman delivered our stuff. My wife bought a Kindle, one of the cheaper models, and she’s been antsy for a week waiting for it to be delivered, checking it’s progress several times online. It’s here, so I’d better get busy and reactivate the wireless router before she gets home.
I’ve written before about the Keurig coffee machine we picked up for free. It’s very convenient, but the little coffee pills it uses - called K-cups - can only be considered inexpensive if you usually buy your coffee at Starbuck’s or Dunkin’ Donuts. Lucky for us that her sister works for an office supply company, so we’ve been able to get the K-cups in bulk at a better price than you’ll find at Staples or Walmart. But they still aren’t close to cheap, so shortly after I revived the “broken” Keurig machine she bought one of those My K-Cup devices. This lets you put your own coffee in a washable holder, and gets the price down to pennies a cup where it ought to be. The $15 they charge you for a couple little bits of plastic and some steel mesh quickly pay for themselves, and you’re in the black in less than a month. The problem with the device is that it can’t brew a large strong cup of coffee. Maybe that’s my problem, because most folks don’t drink coffee strong enough to be NASA grade rocket fuel. I do. Ever since we took a trip to St. Kitts more than a decade ago, I’ve been hooked on the Caribe brand coffee. It’s a Caribbean style espresso, which means it’s damn strong regular coffee but pretty weak and lightly roasted as far as real espresso is concerned. It’s also the cheapest coffee available in the stores, which pleases my inner Scotsman.
The Keurig machine that came to us is one of the deluxe models, and it produces 3 cup sizes of coffee. Too small, small, and one standard mugful. While the “extra bold” real k-cups can produce a robust “small” cup (the Newman’s brand tastes the best), none of them can produce a rich mug’s worth. Nor can the My K-cup, no matter how much Caribe I pack into it. I looked into getting a French Press coffee pot, but while those things will make the most flavorful cup of Joe, they’re kind of a mess to use and the glass ones are very fragile. And they require you to buy your coffee as whole beans and grind your own. I’m not a coffee snob, nor a coffee junkie, so that’s too much effort for me. Just give me a way to make my morning cups nice and strong. Better yet, give me a method that’s repeatable and reliable that I can handle before the brain cells start firing.
A bit more online research showed me another DIY k-cup replacement gizmo called the Solofill. $15 online plus $5 shipping, or buy 2 and the shipping is free. Or visit your local Bed Bath and Beyond and get them for $12.99 plus tax. I ordered a pair online, and they came today. Open the box, give the thing a quick wash and a rinse, load it up and let it brew. Unlike the My K-cup, the Solofill fits in the regular K-cup holder on the machine. Filled up with Caribe it takes nearly twice as long to brew a mug as a commercial k-cup does, and the output flow tends to be a little bit splashy. So just lift your cup up and hold it close until the brew is half done. After that it flowed smoothly.
It took just one mug to convince me that the Solofill is a superior product. I filled it up to the Max line, dropped it in the machine and pressed the “giant travel mug” button. And it gave me a 12oz mug full of really strong coffee. Strong enough so that I’m almost buzzing here at 4:30 in the afternoon. It uses less coffee than a My K-cup and the coffee comes out far stronger. What’s not to love? Oh, and the pissy part (which may have been caused by either the thing being brand new or by my filling it to the brim with espresso) can be easily cured, because the Solofill gizmo fits neatly into the My K-cup holder (don’t use the lid) and gives things enough room so that the output flows nice and smooth. I am a happy camper. A happy speeding camper.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/18/2011 at 02:54 PM
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Neat Inventions •
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Permalink • Effortlessly Adorable
Just in case you didn’t follow all the links in my previous post. The show rocks, but it’s all I can do not to squeal like a 12 year old girl when she’s on. She’s that cute. OMFG. And her character is a total sweetie too.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/18/2011 at 02:47 PM
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •
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Permalink • Rice and Beans
If you have the HBO channel, I hope you’re watching the Boardwalk Empire series. It’s a fantastic show about political corruption and the rise of gangsterism, set in Atlantic City at the beginning of Prohibition. As a period piece and a costume drama it’s visually amazing; the cloths, the cars, and the architecture are phenomenal. The storylines are just as impressive, as alliances change and the characters all try to get ahead in what was a very rough world. If you’re new to the show and you can’t find the first season’s episodes On Demand, I’d suggest getting the DVDs and watching, because the characters are quite detailed and quite subtle in many ways. It’s a breakout role for actor Steve Buscemi, cast as city treasurer Nucky Thompson. With executive producer Martin Scorsese it’s as good a series as any that HBO has ever done, and that’s saying a lot. Ok, it has some lefty slant, what on television doesn’t? The corrupt politicians are all Republicans, as were the real life people the story was based on. That doesn’t make much difference overall. If you have HBO now is the time to get on board the Empire Express, because things are about to explode and it will be one heck of a ride this season.
“I’ve been craving me some Hoppin’ John since the moon were blue.”
While Nucky runs the show in the main part of the city, over in darktown his counterpart is Albert “Chalky” White. Superbly played by Michael Kenneth Williams, Chalky is one tough hombre who came up the hard way, but he also has his insecurities and shortcomings, and is more than a bit haunted by his past, growing up dirt poor in the deep south and suffering the racism of the era. Having found success and a modest fortune through his semi-criminal activities and his many connections to the community, at home Chalky is merely Albert. He has married far above his station to a “high yellow” woman, and she’s raising the children to be part of her high class world. Chalky doesn’t fit in there with his “field hand” background, and it angers him that his wife and children seem to patronize his “lowness” while living well off of the money he brings home. In last week’s episode, Chalky spent a week in jail. His wife visited, and brought Albert a copy of Great Expectations to read to help pass the time behind bars. Chalky is illiterate. Diss!
This week’s episode had the White family inviting his daughter’s beau over for dinner so they could meet him. Having had a bit too much to drink after a bad day when the whole world was against him, at dinner Albert is cranky that the fine meal with all the trimmings doesn’t include the bowl of Hoppin’ John he was hoping for. This is some subtle stuff going on. The frission within the black community between those of varying complexion - Chalky is very dark, and his wife and children very light; “passin”, or almost “bein” white folks, and certainly acting like them - was an issue then even more than it’s an issue now, and it is almost never even alluded to on TV or in film. About the only time I ever saw or heard anything that dealt with it directly (other than one or two lines concerning field hands vs house labor in Gone With The Wind) was an art house film Gullah biopic called Daughters of the Dust from two decades ago. But those attitudes are probably still with us today, which could partially explain why such light toned black singers and actresses are held up as beauty icons, while the MSM’s push to get people to believe that Michelle Obama is the new Jackie Kennedy seems so false. I think that’s a healing effort attempt by the media; she’s very dark and she’s built like a field hand. I can’t see anything wrong with expanding the concept of beauty, especially if it mitigates a lot of preconceptions that mistakenly associate attractiveness with paleness. I just think the media could have found a better female icon. Fox New’s Harris Faulkner, the actress Jasika Nicole who plays Agent Astrid Farnsworth on the TV show Fringe, or even Lenora Crichlow who plays the adorable ghost Annie on the BBC import Being Human are all really attractive. Who am I kidding? All three of them are cuter than hell. I guess they’re just not black enough. So we can expect the media to push Herman Cain as the new tall dark and handsome? Not on your life. Politics trumps color every time. No matter how dark Cain is, he will soon have his Negro Card revoked.
But I digress. Back on Boardwalk, Albert is having his fine family dinner, but inside him Chalky wants some soul food, 45 years before “soul food” existed as such or had any cultural respect. And there ain’t no damn Hoppin’ John to be had. His passin’ family won’t be serving no field nigga slave food. This is never said out loud, but the message is loud and clear with just a few glances from his wife and kids. Pretty subtle.
What is it? “Hoppin’ John” is a patois corruption of “pois de pigeons” (pigeon peas). pwah-d -pijahnz becomes poppin johns becomes hoppin’ john. Black-eyed peas and rice with a little hot pepper thrown in, slow cooked and flavored with some leftover smoked fatty pork. Tasty, filling, and dirt cheap, it’s a side dish that’s a meal all by itself, made better by tossing in herbs, celery, and some field greens if you’ve got any.
You can find recipes for it online, but the best recipes are the traditional ones that take hours to stew. Start with a pound of dried beans and soak them overnight. Use a real ham hock instead of a ham steak. Cook up a big mess of bacon and don’t throw out the fat; add it to the collards along with a ham bone while they boil. Forget the fancy herbs and spices; a stalk of celery and a few sprigs of fresh thyme are enough. Just don’t forget the hot sauce when you serve it.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/18/2011 at 12:39 PM
Filed Under: • Fine-Dining • Television •
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