Administrativia

Over the last few weeks Karl Rove & his proteges have begun to help McSame craft the message that he really wants to tell: FEAR OBAMA - VOTE FOR ME. Obama has been referred as: Presumptious (read uppity black) Unpatriotic Flitting around Europe (read gay) Fussy & prone to hysterics (read gay, gay) A fancy lad (read gay, gay, gay) And, ala the Harold Ford campaign, paired with two white, sexually promiscuous celebrity bimbos to underscore how (even though is a fussy, fancy, flitting lad) he's really out to get our white women. In response to all this ridiculous but concious line of attack, Obama asks, "Is this the best you have?": “So nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,’’ Mr. Obama said Wednesday in Springfield, Mo., in remarks that he echoed throughout the day. “You know, he’s not patriotic enough. He’s got a funny name. You know, he doesn’t look like a...

According to ABC News' Political Radar : There's a bigger point -- and this initial volley, they say, lays the groundwork for it. They will be sharpening McCain's message that he, not Obama, is the true change agent, a man who's repeatedly taken unpopular stands, made the hard calls and forged bipartisan alliances. Part of the calculus now is how his VP choice will further sharpen that message. There is significant support among top McCain advisers that he make a "transformative" pick who would change the Republican Party -- someone who would appeal to moderate Republicans and Democrats. This pick would be someone who, like McCain, has taken the unpopular stands, made the hard calls and stood firm on principle. A person who fills that bill, these advisers say, is Joe Lieberman. There are plenty of Democrats that have held back from pulling out their Lieberman files because it might endanger a Senate majority (for the next few months). Can't wait to see all...

Some musing... Houston has an abundance of two things: humidity and sunshine... there ought to be a way to tap into that. I wonder if anyone has thought to use the roof-tops for city property (including the top floor of the parking garages) for banks of solar panels... or making the various park-and-ride lots around the city both covered lots and using the roof area for solar energy generation. Looking at a picture from Google Earth at downtown, there are plenty of spots that would provide acres of solar panels -- Bayou Place, Wortham Center and the George R. Brown stand out. Another thing we have is lots of traffic -- what about vertical windmills placed strategically in and around our freeway systems that could recapture some of the energy lost in transportation to wind capture. They could be both beautiful and utilitarian... and we certainly could use a different view along stretches of 59 South heading to Sugarland.

It should come as no surprise that McSame's supporters lie, dissemble and distort -- after all, that's the Rove playbook that the "straight shooter" is playing. But it's got to hurt when one of the major supporting "facts" about Obama and his visits with the troops -- one email from one Capt. Jeffrey S. Porter of Bagram Airbase, a Utah Army National Guard member assigned to the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion -- not only gets labeled " factually incorrect " by the U.S. Army: "These comments are inappropriate and factually incorrect," Bagram spokeswoman Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green told the New York Daily News. She said Obama neither played basketball nor visited the recreation facility at Bagram, but did shake hands, speak and pose for photographs with troops. Army Times e-mailed Porter to verify his authorship and request an interview but the newspaper said Porter replied by asking that the e-mail be deleted because "after ...

This Week: Buttermilk Onion Rings This recipe is from my days working at a local Dairy Queen -- as far as I know, it's not a corporate recipe, since (at that time) each DQ was independent. Nowadays, most onion rings you get are pre-prepared and frozen. This process can also be used to make chicken tenders or steak fingers, just up the amounts to compensate for more food. You will need 2 large mixing bowls, a hand strainer, 2 large platter and room in the freezer. 3-4 large yellow onions (sliced) 1 quart buttermilk 3 cups flour 3 cups cracker meal 1 tablespoon salt 3 tablespoons black pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder Sift flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder into a one mixing bowl. Put 3/4 of the buttermilk in the other bowl. Place the onion slices in the buttermilk and allow to soak for about 2-3 minutes. A few rings at a time, remove from the buttermilk and coat with flour. After coating with flour, arrange on cookie sheet or platter. Continue until completed. (Throw away any re...

This week: Champagne Chicken & Mushrooms 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 2 cups white button mushrooms (cleaned & stems cut) 3 cups brut champagne or sparkling white wine 2 cups half & half 1 stick butter 1/2 cup chopped green onion 1 cup chopped white onion 3 tablespoons minced garlic 2 teaspoons pepper 2 teaspoons salt Sea salt (to taste) In a 2 quart saute pan, melt butter and lightly saute onions and garlic on medium high heat. Add chicken and brown both sides. Reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms, pepper and salt. Carefully pour 2 cups champagne over chicken -- stirring butter, onions and mushrooms to mix evenly in the pan. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining champagne, green onions and stir so that chicken is evenly coated and basted in champagne & butter. Add half & half, stirring in pan to mix evenly. Continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes to reduce. (If needed, add up t...

Impressive speech by Obama in Berlin . But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us - what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores - is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please. These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of these aspirations that the airlift began. It is be...

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says (and I paraphrase) that the Universe is so large -- so incredibly big, I mean really big, that is to say mind-blowingly huge beyond comprehension -- that is to say it's so completely vast that if you were to take the measure of it and divide the population of the universe by it, you would get a number so incredibly small as to be statistically insignificant -- that is to say, for all practical purposes: zero. So statistically, the Universe has a population of zero -- which doesn't really affect those that live there, but there you have it. Now, much angst has been spent over the past summer months on the lack of edible tomatoes -- that is to say, ones not purportedly teeming with salmonella or e-coli... so much so, that much energy has been put into finding out why some 100 or so people have gotten sick. And it turns out that tomatoes may not have been the problem -- now the lidless eye of the FDA has turned to: peppers... or mayb...

This week: Parslied Rice Casserole 2 cups 2% or skim milk 4 Tbsp. butter 4 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 tsp. celery salt 3 cups cooked long-grain white rice 1 cup grated low-fat Gruyere cheese 1 cup chopped parsley (fresh is best!) 1/2 cup finely chopped chives In a large bowl, mix well milk, butter, flour, salt, Worcestershire sauce and celery salt and pepper. Add rice, parsley, cheese and chives. Fold into lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes. Serves 6-8 Calories per serving: 190 - 245

The prada-wearing pontiff "commiserating" with Australians this week on the world's economic woes got me thinking... then a post on the Houston Chronicle's Beliefnet spurred a little more. Read the research from http://www.unchristian.com/ and see if there's more than a little truth to the sign. As the saying goes, "Lord Save Me (from Your Followers)"

One of the talking points from the GOP and McSame camp about the upcoming Obama tour is that it's risky and he really needs to have this be "perfect" -- no gaffs, no flubs, no snubs... Amazingly, that same level of scrutiny escapes the MSM applies that logic to McSame. Lest we forget, the man had to have JoeMentum Lieberman to correct him several times on his recent forays -- and his statements are often in direct contradiction to the "folks on the ground" that he berates Obama about "not listening to".

This week: Impossible Cheeseburger Pie 1 pound very lean ground beef 1 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 1/2 cup 2% or skim milk 3/4 cup Bisquick 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tomatoes, sliced 1 cup low-fat grated cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons non-fat sour cream Heat oven to 400° F. Grease a 10" pie plate. In a skillet, brown beef and onion over medium heat. Drain thoroughly and spread in pie plate. In a mixing bowl, beat milk, sour cream, Bisquick, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth (about 20 seconds in a food processor or 1 minute with a hand mixer). Pour over beef in pie plate. Bake 25 minutes. Top with tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese. Continue to bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean (about 5-8 minutes). Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. 6-8 servings. Calories per serving = 350

First he says he's against gays adopting... then his campaign says, well, not so much in a "clarification". At which point, gay GOP apologist Dale Carpenter does the usual LCR tantric twist to make noise about this " welcome development ". The problem is: McSame has not made the statement himself . Whenever a campaign makes a so-called "clarification" -- it usually means they want to blur the picture from what is the candidate's actual views. The MSM (and certain bloggers) are all-too-willing to dutifully report said press release as if it truly came from the candidate's mouth -- and in the case of McSame, there is a pattern within the press to never hold him accountable for ANYTHING he actually says. As Dan Savage points out, McSame's real views are apparent to anyone who actually looks at both his statements and his record. Let me repeat this for all those that think McSame is a centrist: He is against reproductive choice (including c...

This week: Spinach noodles in sour cream 1 egg 4 cups spinach noodles 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 cup non-fat sour cream Prepare spinach noodles according to package directions. Drain well. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg then add in sour cream and parmesan cheese. Fold in cooked noodles. Keep warm over double boiler until ready to serve. (Serves 4) Calories per serving = 364

Improv Everywhere... Frozen Grand Central Human Mirror

Okay, apparently Senator Christopher Dodd is now being vetted as a possible VP choice for Obama. Nothing wrong with that, except I don't think he brings much to the ticket in the way of electoral oomph... not to mention the phonetics of an Obama/Dodd ticket. Say it fast: Obama-Dodd Uma / Oprah / Uma / Oprah

I get tired of hearing from the fawning third estate of how "good John McCain is on the stump" and in a town hall setting... The fact is, he's awkward, doddering and embarassing -- whether joking about killing civilian Iranians (with bombs or cigarettes) or lying about his voting record on veterans issues.

1/2 cup chopped onion 1 teaspoon salt 1 pound extra lean ground beef 1 teaspoon papkrika 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (98% reduced fat) 1 cup non-fat sour cream 1/2 cup water 1 cup long-grain rice Brown ground beef, onion and salt over medium heat in a medium sauce pan. Add soup and water and simmer for 5 minutes until bubbly. Fold in sour cream and rice and continue to simmer covered for 15 - 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve when rice is well cooked. Calories per serving (about 1 cup): ~625

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/09/preston.mccain/index.html Okay, let's start with the teaser headline -- which pretty much tells you what's going to happen in this "analysis": "Analysis: McCain is No Bush, Campaign Says" Then we get the so-called "analysis", which is nothing more than a regurgitation of the talking points from the McSame campaign folks -- which, in a nutshell lies about McSame's "breaks" with the Bushes -- which were never that much of a break: tax cuts (hated 'em before I embraced them); torture (hated it until I needed to embrace it)... just watch him debate himself ! I guess my biggest problem with this so-called "analysis" is that it's tied to the final paragraph: And, of course, McCain will take the time to speak directly to the scrum of reporters on his bus and plane, who he hopes will help him amplify his message in the closing months of the campaign. Wonder if Preston will get to sit in...

Even after McSame endorsed the amendment to strip gay couples of marriage rights in California... even after 8 continuous years of gay-bashing by the GOP... and countless years of fear-mongering by the christianist right... What is it with Log Cabin Republicans? (Or gays that vote republican?) And why on earth would you go to work for someone that considers you (and your family) second-class? Could they please let us know what their " safe word " is? And to what degree of humiliation or punishment it will take for these cultural bottoms to use it?

This Week: Scallop Potatoes Au Gratin 4 small potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese 1/4 cup grated extra sharp cheddar 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced very thin 1 cup low fat butter milk Salt & pepper In a small saucepan, carmelize onions in olive oil then set aside. In a casserole dish, layer potato slices, salt and pepper (to taste), onions and cheese (reserve some for the topping). Heat buttermilk to a simmer. Gently pour over potatoes and dust with salt and pepper. Top with remaining cheese. Bake about 45 minutes at 350F until potatoes are tender and cheese is bubbly. Calories per serving = 230

I was browsing CNN when one of the recommended stories caught my eye: "Bush Lowers Expectations for G8 Summit"... I did a Google search on the first of those three words and found more than 200,000 results. Obviously not a truly scientific survey, since I don't have access to Lexis-Nexis, but I think it's safe to say that "Bush Lowers Expectations" is probably one of the most apt thematic description of this failure of a presidency. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Bush+Lowers+Expectations

In honor of the 4th, today's recipes will be of a patriotic theme -- and not low calorie! Traditional Apple Pie Start by making the "perfect pie crust" (from the Methodist Women's Cookbook): 2 cups flour 2/3 cup shortening 1 teaspoon salt Ice water Cut shortening into flour and salt mixture until crumbs are course and granular. Add 3 - 6 tablespoons ice water, a little at a time. Mix quickly and evenly through the flour until the dough just holds together. Roll half the dough to about 1/8" thickness. Lift edge of pastry cloth and roll crust onto rolling pin. Line the pie pan, allowing 1/2" inch crust to extend over edge. Filling: 3 tablespoons butter (cubed) 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste 7 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 1 lemon, zested and juiced Egg wash (for brushing) 2 tablespoons sugar (for sprinkling) Mix together the brown sug...