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Monthly Archives: August 2012

Nothing New


A discussion today covered the Illinois Governor and the ongoing labor issues along with the events that affect the state in general. The governor has been loudly booed by labor unions affected by upcoming Prison closures and other budget issues. The Illinois Dupublicans are positioning themselves to attempt a take over of the Governors office and the Legislature however nothing will change as I have seen no indication of the Dupublicans making any concerted effort “fix” anything. The two parties (Scamocrats and Dupublicans) have failed to live up to the bargain made with the people and that is to represent them and insure we receive the services and assistance we pay our taxes for. The only solution is to remove as many tenured Legislators as possible regardless of party and start fresh with some one new. We need to be willing to do this every election year until we get what we need. Our goal needs to be people who are willing to make changes in the State constitution that require term limits and salary changes that reflect a parity with their constituents. The term limits I believe  make sense is a single term of 13 years and no pension beyond what they contribute to and social security like the rest of us. Their expense budget needs to be reviewed to eliminate any funds that may exceed what is absolutely necessary to get their official work done. Any other funding needs to be approved  the people. Our part in this is to stop the “me” grab of services and allow the system to take care of all us and especially the most needy.

 

Read: “The Ediot” Amazon

Food #2


I am including a recipe for a meal that stands alone or can be used as a side dish with other items. This is from Relish .com the link is at the end. This includes all of the steps and possible beverage choices to go with it. The end of the recipe has nutrition information. Last I have found that after the first time you make this, you may want to alter it to your taste for instance I added a 1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic (not garlic salt). Alter salad as you see fit. Here is the recipe:

Sweet Corn Fritters with Tomato and Feta Salad

Farm stand corn isn’t just for nibbling off the cob – transform some into these irresistible fritters.

4 servings

Accompanied by a flavor-packed tomato salad, these fritters make a lovely vegetarian lunch or a terrific side for whatever you might toss on the grill.

Ingredients

Fritters:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 large egg

1/4 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from 2 to 3 ears of corn

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions

Salad:

4 teaspoons white wine vinegar

4 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quartered

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

 

Instructions

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and cumin in a medium bowl. Whisk together egg, milk and butter in a small bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry until just blended. Cover and set aside 30 minutes.

Whisk together vinegar, oil, salt and pepper for salad in a medium bowl. Add tomatoes and shallot; toss to combine.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fold corn and scallions into batter. When oil is shimmering, add 6 (2 tablespoon) dollops of batter to skillet. Fry fritters until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and fry until second side is golden, about 3 minutes more. Transfer fritters to a paper towel-lined plate. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan (or more, as needed); repeat with remaining batter.

Add feta and basil to salad; serve with the fritters.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories 300

Fat 19g

Cholesterol 65mg

Sodium 460mg

Carbohydrates 28g

Fiber 3g

Protein 8g

Wine pairings for Sweet Corn Fritters with Tomato and Feta Salad

Rose Wines from California

These rose wines are fruity and rich, making them excellent choices for pairing with this recipe.”

Paul Masson Rose Premier 5 Crafe$7.99 and upView details and reviews »

Concannon Vineyard Rose Righteousl…$6.99 and upView details and reviews »

Core Rosão 2007$9.99 and upView details and reviews »

Sutter Home Pink Moskato$9.99 and upView details and reviews »

Livingston Cellars Red Rosé Calif…$6.99 and upView details and reviews

Read more:

http://www.relish.com/recipes/sweet-corn-fritters-with-tomato-and-feta-salad/#ixzz23jKz9KLQ

Afghanistan


The seemingly ongoing attacks on NATO and American trainers in Afghanistan has reached proportions that would indicate we need to get out now. The police and Armed forces we have been training and working alongside have in essence turned against us. If this is the trend of things and the will of the Government then we need to pack up and leave. The amount of funding we are providing is better used here at home rather than somewhere we are not wanted. Understanding that the people of Afghanistan are as in the dark as we are regarding their government so the question is who do we really need to be connecting with? We certainly have our own issues with our Government but we have enough media coverage to allow for an informed idea of what our government is doing , or do we? In the past we have allowed our Government (the Congress) to do what they felt was best for us but now we should realize that they (the Congress) has fended for themselves not so much for us . At the same time they have managed to fool us into keeping them in office for terms that exceeded their usefulness. We are now in an extended war that has had us in a foreign country with a no win situation and jumping back and forth over borders fighting an unrecognizable enemy. We must remember or recognize that no war is waged without the Ok from Congress, no taxes are levied without Congress, no laws are enacted without Congress therefore our fiscal problems should be laid at the door of Congress lest we continue to wage unwinnable wars costing money that can be better used at home. No more Korea’s, Afghanistan’s or Vietnam’s lets take care of our selves for a change.

Educated Voter


Talk show host Steve Allen (doing man-on-the-street interviews): If a person, seriously now,running for the presidency of the United States revealed that he was an admitted heterosexual, in all honesty, could you vote for him or her?

Woman on the street: No,no Way.

This is designed to be humorous but  there is truth in it. How many of us really understand how the political election process works? Yes we vote our choice for whatever reason we chose to use but the influence of the speeches, debates and the constant barrage of media assaults of all types are factors. The rhetoric is the biggest culprit as there are terms used that many of us have never heard before and will not again until the next elections. It seems that many people have a problem chosing without being given some mitigating words to latch on to. There are scores of people in each campaign camp whose sole job is to create speeches and talking points using words that mean one thing and possibly give the impression of another meaning. In the humorous example above: heterosexual is not the same as homosexual but the person answering has confused the two. How many times do you think this has occurred during an election season? Our processing  of the information provided by various sources is based on our perception of the facts rather than what is actually true. An educated voter is one who reads beyond the usual items in print and peeks under the skirts of the visual presentations.

 

Read :The Ediot.

Democracy


Founded on the principle that all men are created equal, this country emerged from a collection of individuals who refused to be under the rule of an authoritarian ruler. This defiance culminated in a revolution and eventual freedom from that oppression. Since that time we have endured a host of skirmishes and wars that threatened that freedom and democracy. We arrive in the 21st century as a “free” country but are we? We have in the past revolted against our Government when they were getting it wrong and it appears that we have to do it again. Our leaders have failed us again and without a war somewhere their failure to take care of us as individuals and a country  is apparent. We have many factions that decry the government as being too lenient, not lenient enough, too tough or not tough enough however the issue as I see it is that we as individuals and collectively have failed to hold them accountable for many years. During those years the Government has grown to unwieldy proportions and almost incapable of supporting itself and us. The individual states have begun to rebel in one form or another  but so many of us think that they are wrong or are they? To recall the Government means we recall the Congress as their terms of office end and select people who can do what we need. This has to be an effort that insures that we remain in control of our future. We have relied on the Government to take care of us through our taxes but Government appears to be controlled more by “big Money” than the people. Democracy by definition is: Government by the people, exercised either directly or through Elected  representatives. We have trusted our elected representatives to actually represent us and they haven’t for years. The solution is the vote which we can effectively use to change the status quo in our favor. We should not allow any pejorative feelings to prevent us from installing the right people to do the work of the Government and to look at our own needs and the relationship to what is good for all of us. The hand in the Government pocket is ours.

Women in Sports-Boxing.


There is an elitist group of men and women who believe the sport of boxing, weight lifting and other so called male sports should remain all male. As a species humans are the only ones that apparently do not recognize the strength and ability of the females of the species.This viewpoint is as ludicrous as the more popular racial stereotypes. In contrast while being the so called weaker sex, there are animals whose entire society is matriarchal with adult males being allowed in when mating is required.  Of course there are activities that are more masculine but there are activities that are unisexual and defy any specific gender identity. Human beings have the advantage of superior intellect but fall short in the area of  broad thinking on gender roles. We tend to fall short in judgment of other people, religions, ethnicities and skin tone.. This is apparent in marriages, dating behavior,  friendships and in families.  Think about the women in the so called “mens sports”, they have to prove themselves as able to perform  as women  instead of being seen as just athletes who are and could be the best in their sport. Do we allow this thinking to deprive us of some our best and brightest while  losing their skills and ability?

What Is The Congress?


Congress:” a formal assembly or meeting for the discussion of problems” as defined the American heritage Dictionary. We all know that this has not happened for years but it did not become really evident until Mr. Obama was elected. there are many people who will not vote for Mr. Obama and many who will not vote for him the second time. The reasons will vary from his seeming inability to get the things done as he promised to the Affordable Health Care act which has been misrepresented by its detractors and that same Congress who probably never read the entire act. These are valid points but uninformed, first we need to understand that a President can only propose and devise ways to move the country forward with help of the Congress. There are some areas where he can bypass the Congress but not in a significant way to move his agenda forward and not without a fight. Without the approval and assistance of Congress nothing worthwhile is ever done. To make the point: consider the fact that most of the current Congress has been in office through several Presidents and with that tenure has seen and done nothing about the current economic situation. Now that we have a non white President the Congress has become extremely vocal about the economy but still has done nothing to help as dictated by their positions in the Government. It appears to me that they (Congress) are so intent on castigating the “Outsider” that they have forgotten what their jobs are. You can vote or not vote for Mr. Obama but do it for the right reason, if the reason is Race then just say it and be done with it, if not take a look at the 500 plus people who have been in office through several administrations.

rant


I read and viewed a short clip on a rant about the Government. What keeps me from  inserting that clip here in the language, it has as many expletives as ordinary words.  The gist of the message was the Government  cannot balance their check book.  This is apparently true since our fiscal state is dire. Our  self serving Scamocrats and Dupublicans have spent more time politicking than earning the money they usurp from the public coffers under the guise of public service. These “representatives”  have used  irrelevant and immaterial issues to avoid doing what they need to do. It seems to be  normal procedure to cloud the issues by attacking one another rather than expending any effort to collaborate on some viable solutions. The party system is irreparably broken and is no longer a means of getting government work done. I propose no more party’s, a 13 year term limit and a salary adjusted to what an average middle class American has to live on. To further improve this position, no per diem for overtime, no more free postage, no pension other than social security  (when eligible). No more free lunch for Congress. They should not be allowed to cross over to the Lobbyist side after serving for 10 years. The only way for this to happen is when we the voters start voting them out and demanding these changes , especially the term limit.

Where Are The Retail Managers?


After spending many years in retail as an  equipment salesman, equipment cleaner, and rental agent for photographic equipment. Continuing on as a flooring and wall covering salesman and installer, I have found that managers who have not had the basic frontline experience in retail cannot properly manage a retail operation.  The things that make a retail operation successful are customer service (no service ,no customers), having the product in stock and proper pricing. The ancillary items are a clean store (especially bathrooms). The  important thing then is customer service which involves all of the above along with a friendly face to assist in the purchase if needed.  Apparently many companies have forgotten this concept and have lost market share. A couple of examples are     HD and SHC which both were and are being managed by  people whose retail knowledge is limited to maybe their making a purchase somewhere but not recognizing the process of the sale at the time. The mantra seems to be : “you are a manager and have ultimate responsibility for success”. This does account for the support people who have no hands on retail experience  yet are responsible for store setup and product line up on the shelves. With the computer age arrived the desk bound retailers who design layouts and shelf spacing without ever having worked in a store. This leads to continual changes in the set up and shelf spacing aside from the normal seasonal changes. This is disruptive to the workers and the customers, the workers spend more than average amounts of time moving merchandise around instead of maintaining stock levels on the shelves. The customers spend more time seeking  a product they purchased before and cannot readily find it since the area was reset. At this point some leave the store without making a purchase or seeking assistance. That is dollars on the hoof going somewhere else perhaps never to return.

The Coffee Conundrum


I started drinking  flavored coffee while delivering newspapers, I would stop for coffee at one of several White Hen convenience shops. These are open 24 hours daily, but fresh coffee is usually done about 3:30 to 4AM. The coffee while not considered gourmet, it was good and properly brewed (not watery). That was when I discovered the assorted flavored coffees as  they brewed several and I was able to try them. My initial favorite was Irish Cream (I am sure it was the aroma that got me) but I was quickly wooed away by Hazelnut and stuck with that until the past year. My favorite way of drinking it was with about a teaspoon of  sugar. I then began to use one of the flavored creams since the Black coffee stained my teeth. Of these assorted creamers Hazel nut became the favorite. The combination of the flavored coffee and the flavored creamers was too sweet but it took  a while for me to figure this out and only after a mention by my daughter about the combination and her comment that the duo was too sweet. Once I began to use  an unflavored coffee with the flavored creamers the results were much better and my enjoyment of coffee has grown, an occasional tip of the Irish adds variety.