weaselzippers.com today ran this story and I'm calling bullshit on it. My description follows, not a reprint of the article.
The French government set up a rehabilitation center to de-radicalize terrorists. It was believed that many terrorists would rather not blow themselves into a mist of blood and bone shards and that these poor creatures would be open to rehabilitation. I will pause for you to quit laughing and have a throat-soothing splash of water. This center was the first of 11 more to cost $47 million.
The first class numbered nine people. All of them decamped. The facility closed in February, but the article didn't say when it had opened which is fairly sloppy journalism.
Having failed at interesting free range terrorists, so to speak, the French government is now considering a program to "treat" the terrorists who are currently incarcerated.
Since almost anything outside of the cell is interesting to the average prisoner, great success in this program is expected.
This absolutely HAS to be "false news" - or since we are dealing with the frogs, "faux nouvelles."
No one could possibly be so stupidly misguided as to propose a program to turn terrorists into good citizens and nice people.
Monday, July 31, 2017
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Aw...
A new cookbook caught my eye at the library yesterday. The Pat Conroy Cookbook - Recipes and Stories of My Life by Pat Conroy" 283 pages $ unknown. Hidden in the bar code.
Conroy is the author of "Beach Music," The Prince of Tides" and others. Knowing that he wrote about the Low Country (Beaufort, SC) and that it is largely a seafood-based cuisine, I checked it out.
The recipes are accompanied by vignettes of old friends, local anecdotes ... not only interesting, but often funny as hell, due largely to the use of Southern colloquiums. "Pitiful" "Sorry" used in unexpected places.
Never having heard of pickled shrimp, I flipped quickly to that recipe which you'll find in Chapter 15 "Why Dying Down South Is More Fun." Conroy remarked in the very first paragraph, "In the South, you often eat as well after the burial of a family member or friend as you do on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas." Traditionally, the mourners go from graveyard to the table at the home of the deceased. Funeral guests will have brought their specialties and guests will be clamoring for them.
Conroy writes that he has a go-to dish for funerals and it is pickled shrimp. He writes, "When a good friend dies, I take two pounds of the shrimp for the mourners. When a great friend dies, I go to five pounds. When I die, I fully expect all the shrimp in Beaufort to be pickled that day."
Sadly, when I went to look him up - accomplishments, number of wives, children, I was shocked and then saddened to read that he had died, age 70, in 2016 of pancreatic cancer. He wrote the book in 2004 and presumably this is a re-issue to take advantage of his death for his heirs.
Here's a pickled shrimp for you, Mr. Conroy; I missed the funeral.
PICKLED SHRIMP
2 lbs. shrimp, cleaned and vein removed. Set aside while you mix up:
1 cup thinly-sliced yellow onion
4 crushed bay leaves
1 2-oz. bottle of capers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teas. minced garlic
1 teas. celery seeds
1 teas. red pepper flakes.
Boil the shrimp until they're pink, drain them, put them in with the sauce, marinate the dish over night, and serve the next day.
Conroy is the author of "Beach Music," The Prince of Tides" and others. Knowing that he wrote about the Low Country (Beaufort, SC) and that it is largely a seafood-based cuisine, I checked it out.
The recipes are accompanied by vignettes of old friends, local anecdotes ... not only interesting, but often funny as hell, due largely to the use of Southern colloquiums. "Pitiful" "Sorry" used in unexpected places.
Never having heard of pickled shrimp, I flipped quickly to that recipe which you'll find in Chapter 15 "Why Dying Down South Is More Fun." Conroy remarked in the very first paragraph, "In the South, you often eat as well after the burial of a family member or friend as you do on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas." Traditionally, the mourners go from graveyard to the table at the home of the deceased. Funeral guests will have brought their specialties and guests will be clamoring for them.
Conroy writes that he has a go-to dish for funerals and it is pickled shrimp. He writes, "When a good friend dies, I take two pounds of the shrimp for the mourners. When a great friend dies, I go to five pounds. When I die, I fully expect all the shrimp in Beaufort to be pickled that day."
Sadly, when I went to look him up - accomplishments, number of wives, children, I was shocked and then saddened to read that he had died, age 70, in 2016 of pancreatic cancer. He wrote the book in 2004 and presumably this is a re-issue to take advantage of his death for his heirs.
Here's a pickled shrimp for you, Mr. Conroy; I missed the funeral.
PICKLED SHRIMP
2 lbs. shrimp, cleaned and vein removed. Set aside while you mix up:
1 cup thinly-sliced yellow onion
4 crushed bay leaves
1 2-oz. bottle of capers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teas. minced garlic
1 teas. celery seeds
1 teas. red pepper flakes.
Boil the shrimp until they're pink, drain them, put them in with the sauce, marinate the dish over night, and serve the next day.
Friday, July 28, 2017
New For the Tastebuds
Hop Saint, (previously reviewed) on 190th Street, Torrance, has two items that were new to us.
When asked by our server if we would like a drink to kick off the meal, we, of course, said "Yes." (For the record, we have never said, "No.")
I had studied their beer menu at home and knew that I wanted an OB Blonde Kenobi which is described as being a mead-beer hybrid with "an insane amount of orange blossom honey and 13 pounds of hand-harvested fresh orange blossoms." The menu added that it was 7.6 per cent alcohol and a pint was $7. "Did it taste like an Orange Julius?" you ask? No, it had a light-ish beer front and a faint orange back taste. It was quite refreshing. I forget which beer Himself ordered. Clearly though, he liked it.
In the past we've gotten either the deviled eggs or cornbread skillet to go with our pre-dinner libation, but this time we tried the Bacon Belly Bites, billed as pork belly with caramelized onion, bleu cheese and cane syrup. The four bacon pieces (about 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.) were presented nesting in a cup of one leaf of butter lettuce. The bacon looked like little rafts with indeterminate smears across the top of the other ingredients. $8
I had never eaten pork belly before and I have mixed feelings about it. The lean part of the bacon was thick and extremely chewy. The fat went "crunch" in my mouth and then "soft" which was ... semi-unpleasant somehow. I was very much aware that I had just crunched into OMG Fat!
Richie ordered the time sensitive (only served on Thursdays) Barbecue Plate which consisted of: andouille sausage, brisket slices, chicken, sliced pickles, onion, and jalapenos $11.
My pulled pork po'boy was garnished with pickled radish slices and fennel, roasted red pepper chipotle and served with house slaw. $14. Very generous portions - dinner tonight is already settled and it's 9:43 a.m.
Altogether, plus a glass of wine each with dinner, the tab came to $80.85 plus a $16 tip. But figure four tasty dinners for $20 per meal - not too bad. But it's still a really noisy room. They had 17 customers at 5:50 p.m. but 15 of the 17 were yelling.
When asked by our server if we would like a drink to kick off the meal, we, of course, said "Yes." (For the record, we have never said, "No.")
I had studied their beer menu at home and knew that I wanted an OB Blonde Kenobi which is described as being a mead-beer hybrid with "an insane amount of orange blossom honey and 13 pounds of hand-harvested fresh orange blossoms." The menu added that it was 7.6 per cent alcohol and a pint was $7. "Did it taste like an Orange Julius?" you ask? No, it had a light-ish beer front and a faint orange back taste. It was quite refreshing. I forget which beer Himself ordered. Clearly though, he liked it.
In the past we've gotten either the deviled eggs or cornbread skillet to go with our pre-dinner libation, but this time we tried the Bacon Belly Bites, billed as pork belly with caramelized onion, bleu cheese and cane syrup. The four bacon pieces (about 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.) were presented nesting in a cup of one leaf of butter lettuce. The bacon looked like little rafts with indeterminate smears across the top of the other ingredients. $8
I had never eaten pork belly before and I have mixed feelings about it. The lean part of the bacon was thick and extremely chewy. The fat went "crunch" in my mouth and then "soft" which was ... semi-unpleasant somehow. I was very much aware that I had just crunched into OMG Fat!
Richie ordered the time sensitive (only served on Thursdays) Barbecue Plate which consisted of: andouille sausage, brisket slices, chicken, sliced pickles, onion, and jalapenos $11.
My pulled pork po'boy was garnished with pickled radish slices and fennel, roasted red pepper chipotle and served with house slaw. $14. Very generous portions - dinner tonight is already settled and it's 9:43 a.m.
Altogether, plus a glass of wine each with dinner, the tab came to $80.85 plus a $16 tip. But figure four tasty dinners for $20 per meal - not too bad. But it's still a really noisy room. They had 17 customers at 5:50 p.m. but 15 of the 17 were yelling.
Russian Update
I wrote Sheila that 22 people had read her column. She wrote back "The Russian Tourist Bureau will only pay me when I can show that somebody went to Russia. A good friend is flying to Moscow and boarding a cruise ship to St. Petersburg and spending two days there before flying home on your friend Aeroflot."
I snorted and wrote back, "In aviation circles here, Aeroflot is called "AeroFLOP."
I snorted and wrote back, "In aviation circles here, Aeroflot is called "AeroFLOP."
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Despite Finishing Last, Lady Bug Won for Redondo Beach and Herself
This is a heartwarming tale and it goes like this - a dachshund developed paralysis of her hind legs and the shelter feared she would not be adopted. Then Dachshund Rescue of Los Angeles heard of her plight and swooped in. Deanna O'Neil, the vet who treated her saw something in the little dog and persuaded the hospital to treat the dog gratis. Lady Bug lives in Redondo Beach.
After surgery and two months of extensive therapy (underwater treadmill included) the dog was well enough to consider entering her in the Weinerschnitzel dachshund races. Reports say that she started strongly, but faded, coming in dead last in a time of one minute. The winning time was 7 seconds.
It is a lovely story and Lady Bug's grit is inspiring. But her story is useful for other dachshunds because the article warned dachshund owners not to let their dog jump off of a sofa or a curb; not to rough house with them or let them play with bigger dogs or pick them the wrong way (the right way was not specified) because doing any of the above can cause a slipped disc and ensuing paralysis. The average cost to treat these dosg is around $10,000.
If you want to read all about it - Daily Breeze "Long Shot Ends Race A Wiener"
After surgery and two months of extensive therapy (underwater treadmill included) the dog was well enough to consider entering her in the Weinerschnitzel dachshund races. Reports say that she started strongly, but faded, coming in dead last in a time of one minute. The winning time was 7 seconds.
It is a lovely story and Lady Bug's grit is inspiring. But her story is useful for other dachshunds because the article warned dachshund owners not to let their dog jump off of a sofa or a curb; not to rough house with them or let them play with bigger dogs or pick them the wrong way (the right way was not specified) because doing any of the above can cause a slipped disc and ensuing paralysis. The average cost to treat these dosg is around $10,000.
If you want to read all about it - Daily Breeze "Long Shot Ends Race A Wiener"
Tidbits
Living On Is the Best Revenge.
Frank Sinatra's first wife Nancy Sinatra is 100 this year. Sinatra's 4th wife, Barbara, recently died age 90. Ava Gardner, second wife, has been gone for quite awhile. Mia Farrow is 72 and at that age is clearly a finalist in the Last Wife Standing competition.
Military Transgenders
As of 2009, the US military numbered 1,174,563. Today's estimates of transgenders now serving is 75,000 to 150,000 or, based on 2009, 0.06 per cent (75,000) and 0.12 per cent (150,000.)
Tail wags dog.
Frank Sinatra's first wife Nancy Sinatra is 100 this year. Sinatra's 4th wife, Barbara, recently died age 90. Ava Gardner, second wife, has been gone for quite awhile. Mia Farrow is 72 and at that age is clearly a finalist in the Last Wife Standing competition.
Military Transgenders
As of 2009, the US military numbered 1,174,563. Today's estimates of transgenders now serving is 75,000 to 150,000 or, based on 2009, 0.06 per cent (75,000) and 0.12 per cent (150,000.)
Tail wags dog.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
In the News
Every morning, Richie goes out to our driveway and brings in the newspapers. There are two reasons he goes out for the papers - I refuse to be seen outside the house without full make-up and two it is a male thing to want to make sure his street is sill okay - no sinkholes, fallen electric poles - guy stuff.
This morning he dumped the LA Times on the dining room table and said, "Barbara Sinatra died, age 90" and I, thumbing through the front section of the Daily Breeze, said, "Serves her right."
As my grandmother would have said, "No better than she should be." Using Frank's money, she established herself as a major charitable donations person in Palm Springs. She knew PS well, having spent most of her marriage with second husband Zeppo Marx there.
A former beauty queen and drum majorette in an annual parade at the Springs, she spent 13 years chasing Frank Sinatra. Once she divorced Zeppo and bagged Frank, she wheedled for Frank to adopt her son Bobby from her first marriage. More of an inheritance that way ...(Sinatra refused.)
She kept Frank out on the road far longer than he should have been solely for the money and was quoted once as telling him that she needed money for such-and-such charity so go out on the road and do some concerts and she would get half of the money. She was a pip all right.
But I think her most egregarious insult was titling her biography "Lady Blue Eyes." Elevating herself to ladyhood when the title should have been gold digger ... didn't go down well with me. "Lady" my sweet patootie.
I was cheered though, deep in the Letters section to read this:
End of Gov. Brown's term can't come soon enough *
Professional politician Gov. Jerry Brown, 79, has been in politics for 48 years less a six-year hiatus during which he studied Buddhism in Japan and helped out at one of Mother Teresa's hospitals.
Forty-two years of government funding, housing and perks. Maybe it's someone else's turn at the trough.
Nina Murphy, Redondo Beach
* Letters to the Editor are always given a title by an editor at the newspaper. I did not write that headline although I must say I agree with it wholeheartedly.
This morning he dumped the LA Times on the dining room table and said, "Barbara Sinatra died, age 90" and I, thumbing through the front section of the Daily Breeze, said, "Serves her right."
As my grandmother would have said, "No better than she should be." Using Frank's money, she established herself as a major charitable donations person in Palm Springs. She knew PS well, having spent most of her marriage with second husband Zeppo Marx there.
A former beauty queen and drum majorette in an annual parade at the Springs, she spent 13 years chasing Frank Sinatra. Once she divorced Zeppo and bagged Frank, she wheedled for Frank to adopt her son Bobby from her first marriage. More of an inheritance that way ...(Sinatra refused.)
She kept Frank out on the road far longer than he should have been solely for the money and was quoted once as telling him that she needed money for such-and-such charity so go out on the road and do some concerts and she would get half of the money. She was a pip all right.
But I think her most egregarious insult was titling her biography "Lady Blue Eyes." Elevating herself to ladyhood when the title should have been gold digger ... didn't go down well with me. "Lady" my sweet patootie.
I was cheered though, deep in the Letters section to read this:
End of Gov. Brown's term can't come soon enough *
Professional politician Gov. Jerry Brown, 79, has been in politics for 48 years less a six-year hiatus during which he studied Buddhism in Japan and helped out at one of Mother Teresa's hospitals.
Forty-two years of government funding, housing and perks. Maybe it's someone else's turn at the trough.
Nina Murphy, Redondo Beach
* Letters to the Editor are always given a title by an editor at the newspaper. I did not write that headline although I must say I agree with it wholeheartedly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
