Thursday, January 28. 2021
A friend sent his photos of Snow Geese wintering around Lake Wyandotte in Kansas this week. They are abundant. In fact, they are accused of destroying the tundra. Last I heard, during hunting season there is no limit in many states.
Unlike Canada Geese whose feathers can bounce off birdshot at distance, Snow Geese, in the words of a friend, "go down like a prom dress."
Two more pics below the fold -
Continue reading "Snow Geese"
Except me. Well, I call them iCameras but whatever. When they refuse to recharge wirelessly, turn them off and turn back on. Then they will happily recharge. I thought my wireless rechargers were broken.
There are too many things in life that I do not know.
Wednesday, January 27. 2021
It's a Primo. A platter like that is to serve at least 2 people, maybe 4. I can be an annoying stickler about Italian food but there is a tradition to it and a logic to it too.
A big bowl of pasta is not a meal and, in fact, it would be a terribly unwholesome meal. A small plate of pasta, like the Bolognese recipe (the correct recipe) featured today is an excellent Primo preceding a meat and vegetable course (the Secondo). Bolognese is a beef-flavored sauce. Some tomato sauce flavor. Typically, less sauce than shown in the photo.
Italians seem to reserve their 4-course meals (Antipasto, Primo, Secondo, Dessert - sliced fruit usually) for special occasions. It's just too much food and puts you to sleep.
However, when we are in a food paradise like Norcia, Mrs. BD and I do their 4-course dinner (around 1 pm is dinner there) we just order one plate per course and share so we get all the tastes. Restaurants don't mind that at all.
Main rule for pasta? Dump the wet undrained pasta into the pan with the sauce with the heat on, and swirl around. Add some pasta water if a sauce is too dry or not creamy enough.
Journalists Mobilize Against Free Speech
It's an interesting development. Evil, of course by American standards, but, as the article points out, the USA is an outlier in the world when it comes to free thought and free speech. Establishments and powers hate freedom. Thus American values.
Where is Tom Paine?
Tuesday, January 26. 2021
The use of peanuts dates to the Aztecs and Incas. They supposedly made a paste out of them too. Wow. Another New World food that I missed on my list of European appropriations of native New World foods: Squash, corn (maize), all peppers, tomato, potato, sweet potato, beans, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, avocado, cashew, walnut, etc.
A twist on the venerable New England classic.
Here's a food question for the day: Where do Fluffernut Trees grow?
"A drill is combat without blood. Combat is a drill with blood."
Tom Clancy
Monday, January 25. 2021
 Bobby (Rabbie) Burns was born on January 25, 1757 near Ayr, Scotland.
Of course we will attend a Bobby Burns Birthday Party here in NYC with pipers, kilties - and the Chieftain o' the pudding race - Haggis. And whiskey to make the haggis edible.
I emailed our host that my kilt got lost at the dry cleaners, but will attend anyway.
Great Chieftain o' the puddin'-race
 How many early human species existed on Earth?
Sorry Scotland, haggis is actually English
Why ‘Just Follow the Science’ Won’t Solve All Our Problems
A government ruled by scientists would be hell
CA Gov. Newsom Hides Key Covid Data Used to Justify Endless Lockdowns, ‘Too Complex and Would Confuse the Public’
Elon Musk Now Wants To Drill For Natural Gas In Texas
Amazon Says Workers Voting To Unionize Can Only Do So In Person Because Mail-in Votes Would Be Susceptible To Cheating…
Powerline:
More or less without exception each one of the executive orders promulgated by the gentleman from Madame Tussauds on January 20 belies the principles of good government, though each one in its own distinctive way. Taking the rationale of any one of them to its logical conclusion, one can infer the others and the tyrannical dystopia they mean to hang around our necks. We’re on the road to find out...
Former Trump Adviser: Biden’s Early Priorities Uniting Country Against Him
Biden quietly embraces far-left ‘critical race theory’
Biden's brag about 1 million daily vaccines was already achieved by Trump
Taiwan Reports Second Day Of Airspace Incursions By China – Meanwhile, Biden* Sits On His Ass Doing Nothing…
China Authorizes Coastguard to Fire on Foreign Ships in Disputed Waters
Sunday, January 24. 2021
We're making a Clootie Pudding in advance for a Bobbie Burns party. These sorts of "puddings" can last a year in the closet.
We'll make a real brandy-flavored pudding to go with it.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
7:29 I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none,
7:30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions,
7:31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
Saturday, January 23. 2021
Scott did this whiteboard summing up Trump's four years
Friday, January 22. 2021
Where did I find this old ad? Barf.
Thursday, January 21. 2021
Unless you want to spend the money on custom shoes (London and Italy seem to be the places to go for that), if your feet have different sizes, as mine do, it can be a problem for dressier shoes.
Being lazy with dressing, I tend to prefer loafers to tie shoes although tie shoes are a better look. With many people getting back to regular work now, it is an issue.
For ordinary casual or outdoor shoes and boots, no issue. You manage that with socks.
Do any of our readers have this issue? I'd actually imagine that it's more of a problem for women than for men, but I don't know.
The WHO Finally Updates Its COVID-19 Testing Policy... 1 Hour After Biden's Inauguration
As I predicted, as soon as Joe Biden became president, the narrative on COVID-19 would change. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) proved me right.
What really was/is the point of COVID testing? Unless you are ill and your doctor needs to know?
I have posted several times about my Food Bank work. I'm not doing this to say "Hey look at me aren't I so giving?" After all, I'd barely done any work over the years with them, aside from donations and occasional assistance at the pantry.
I'm a firm believer in giving back in some form, and doing it quietly. In the Bible, Jesus made it clear you shouldn't promote your good works in order to promote yourself, and I believe that. My grandfather also felt this way, his donations always came from "A Friend" and no other ID was provided. I tend to do this, as well. Anonymity (or some degree of it) here helps reduce the impact of me promoting myself via 'good works'.
On the other hand, drawing attention to needs, and providing useful information about charitable works is not easily done without a reasonable voice. To a degree, I give some celebrities a pass when they promote their 'good works'. A lot depends on just how they are doing that work. If they make it about themselves and what they are doing (Ed Begley, Jr. and his incessant BS about how 'green' he is would be an example - he's wealthy, so it's easy to be 'green' and it's a means by which he can draw attention to his declining celebrity status), then I tend find their points less credible.
Continue reading "On the Nature of Charity"
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Revenge of the Nerds: