The Coalition of the Swilling

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March 31, 2007

What's Cooking Thread

Well, it's Saturday, and that means I've got lots of time to putz around in the kitchen. One dish that I love that I've been meaning to give a go is feijoada (pronounced "feh-ZWA-dah"), which is the Brazilian national dish. It is a bean stew that was first concocted by the slaves out of beans and whatever meat they could cobble together, so the first thing is to set the beans a'soaking.

And now we wait a few hours.

Which gives me time to make sure I have sufficient limes and cachaça on hand for the caipirinhas that are required to be consumed with feijoada. Really...they're required.

Okay, so a couple of hours have gone by, during the course of which I've changed the water on the beans 3 times as they've expanded and to clean them. Now I've covered them with a few inches of clean water and turned the heat on to bring them to a boil, after which I'll add a bay leaf and then turn the heat down and let them simmer for a few hours. Now we must turn our attention to the swine.

Big chunks of smokey bacon!

Big chunks of choriço!

Some pork ribs

And what's left of the pork tenderloin we had for dinner last night

Put all that porcine perfection in a separate large pot and cover with water

and bring to a boil

and then reduce this to a simmer as well. You want to let this gurble along for a few hours to cook everything and to de-salt the meat.

I'll be back later!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 04:26 PM | Comments (3)

Coffee Pørn

I have a horrible, hideous confession to make. I spent $200 on a coffee maker. And no, it's not some Italian espresso maker, because I frankly don't like espresso. I spent $200 on a drip coffee maker, A Dutch drip (why does that sound like some STD?) coffee maker, that you can only get from one place here in the states.

And it makes the best damned coffee I've ever had.

Behold, my friends, gleaming stainless-steelitude that is

the Technivorm MoccaMaster

I mean, when you say that in your best Ahnold voice it just sounds too cool. And as I said the coffee is fantastic; why is described here, but suffice it to say that with the consistent proper temperature that this maintains during the brew cycle it makes the smoothest, fullest-flavored pot of coffee you'll ever have. As an added bonus, this sucker is fast. It makes a full pot in under 5 minutes, which leaves our old Krups machine that you see cowering in the backround of the top picture in its dust. And the carafe keeps the coffee quite tasty for a long time.

If you love drip coffee, and if you really don't want to make a mortgage payment this month, get one.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:55 AM | Comments (12)

What I Drank Wednesday Night

Bottles in the middle of the week are a bad idea, especially when you have to get up at 4:30 like I do. But sometimes you and your Bride have such stressful days that you need to declare a Wednesday to be, in fact a Saturday so that the consumption is okay.

Such was the case this week. And I chose the Torbreck 2005 Woodcutter's Shiraz

as our "Saturday" night bottle. It runs about $21, and it has a 93 rating from Parker. Now the first thing you notice is that this wine will never be corky in the glass, never:

Some folks aren't comfortable with screwtops, but not me. I've had too many bottles of wine that were only a few years old but were ruined by bad leaky corks. And since I consume the weightier part of the wine I buy within 5 years of it's vintage the longterm aging advantages of cork really aren't an issue for me. Sure, you miss the 'pop' of the cork pulling free when you first open the bottle, and that truly is one of the happiest sounds that God in his wisdom has blessed us with, but you also 'miss' on the sounds of cursing that you hear/make when you discover whilst out on your picnic that you've left the corkscrew home...

Really, what matters in a wine is right here

And I can see why Parker likes this wine so much: it is very full bodied and loaded with fruit, big heavy cplummy fruit. Yum yum. It is, sadly, slightly out of sorts on the finish, however; there's just a discordant note struck by the tannins and high alcohol content as it slides off your palate (and this may in fact mellow out in two or three years), but all in all it is a very nice wine that's worth having a few about the house of.

There was also one hell of a discordant note struck when my alarm went off all too soon the next morning, as well...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:15 AM | Comments (3)

I Thought Gorebal Warmering...

was supposed to make the oceans rise

I've never seen the tide as low as it was last week.

Where's all that glacial melt when we need it?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:07 AM

What I Drank Last Weekend

Sorry for the delay. I had a couple nice bottles. The first was the Peter Lehman 2001 "The Barossa" Shiraz

At around $15 it's not bad. Decent fruit but just a touch too many tannins on the finish. But that was just a prelude to one of the nicest wines I've ever had: The Ridge 2003 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel

I made the Ronery Steak au Poive for my Bride when she returned (there was no avoiding it after she read the posts) and Major Dad had been very clear that this was a wine not to be missed so after a bit of looking I was able to find a bottle at Vingo in Eatontown.

It runs about $32 I think, and

Oh

My

God

is it worth every penny. Simply massive amounts of cassis and plum fruity jamminess jumps and swirls all around in your mouth as you swill it. It is mostly Zinfandel but contains 6% Alicante Bouchet and 4% Petite Sirah. It is simply a stunningly yummy wine, and do not hesitate to buy it if you are lucky enough to see a bottle in a store.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:51 AM

March 29, 2007

I Am Stuffing Ding Dongs Into My Gaping MAW

...as I post this.

Marine Reservists Involuntarily Recalled

The Marine Corps is recalling 1,800 reservists to active duty, citing a shortage of volunteers to fill some jobs in Iraq.

Members of the branch's Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) will get letters this week notifying them of plans to mobilize them involuntarily for a year, said Lt. Col. Jeff Riehl of Marine manpower and reserve affairs.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week approved the action, under which reservists would report for duty in October and deploy to Iraq early next year, Riehl said.

From the 1,800 called, officials hope to get 1,200 Marines for aviation maintenance, logistics support, combat arms and several other skills needed for the early 2008 rotation into Iraq.

Oy.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:18 PM | Comments (9)

Lesbos In Les Burqas

At least I'll give them credit for being aware of the irony here

Arab lesbians hold rare public meeting in Israel Women quietly gather in Haifa; homosexuality strictly forbidden in Islam HAIFA, Israel - Arab lesbians quietly defied Islamist protesters and a social taboo to gather at a rare public event Wednesday in a northern Israeli city.

Many of the attendees said they were sad that the only place safe enough to hold a conference for gay Arab women was in a Jewish area of Haifa, which has a mixed Arab-Jewish population. Israel's Jewish majority is generally tolerant of homosexuality.

Gosh, I thought the RoP was accepting and loving? Why don't they hold their convention in, oh, say Saudi Arabia? It's so delicious that the only place they could safely meet was Israel.

Driven deep underground for the most part, only 10 to 20 Arab lesbians attended the conference, organizers said.

"Driven deep underground for the most part..."

Yeah, like 6 feet under in whatever countries they're from.

And will Israel get any good Arab press for helping out these poor ladies, for being the nearest free and open society where they can gather?

Ha!

And will the RoP get any bad press for being so repressive of all women?

Ha!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:51 AM | Comments (8)

A Zen Moment

...in the comments at Hot Air.

Could you imagine an independent Thompson/Lieberman ticket?

Well, yes...yes I can. I can imagine quite a bit.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:39 AM | Comments (4)

grumblegrumblegrumble

Oh, very nice, I'm sure.

Use them you will, yes, if letter you will mail
Postal service announces release of Star Wars stamp set in May

Not begrudging them their R2D2 and Imperial Storm trooper peel-and-stickies, but when it practically took an act of Congress to get a Marine Corps stamp?

Pffft.

And of course I"m gonna get me some.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:19 AM | Comments (3)

In This Fractured, Dangerous World, I Can Think of Only Two Words

Daniel Craig

Oooh, no, wait! There's a third...

GAH-rrrowwlllllll

That is all.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:43 AM | Comments (7)

Memo From The Mother Superior

Mother Superior called all the nuns together and said to them, "I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent."

"Thank God," said an elderly nun at the back. "I'm so tired of chardonnay."

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:26 AM | Comments (3)

Britain Must Admit "Mistake"

Somehow I don't think so

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that Britain must admit that its 15 sailors and marines entered Iranian waters in order to resolve a standoff over their capture by the Mideast nation.

Like hell. Britain's only mistake was not asking for the keys to the Enola Gay last week.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:53 AM | Comments (4)

March 28, 2007

Can We Please Have A Blockade...

On Iran now?

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The lone female British sailor, detained with 14 male sailors and marines by Iran last week, has written a letter to her parents "admitting" that her crew entered into Iranian waters, according to a letter released by the Iranian government Wednesday.

An Iranian television station also broadcast the first video of Faye Turney, in which she smoked a cigarette as she spoke with someone off camera. She wore a black scarf covering her head.

These bastards are only going to get bolder and bolder unless they are smacked down.

And hard.

*link corrected; thanks Mike!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:24 PM | Comments (6)

Words Can Not Describe

How vile this 'person' is.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:01 PM | Comments (6)

A Salute To Humble Aspirations

As expressed by this neighbor of Billy Bob Peep

“All I want is to be able to sit on my front porch and not smell sheep poop,” said Angie Fowler, who lives across the street.

Just across the street from here:

APEX, N.C. - About 30 sheep being kept at a suburban home were euthanized Tuesday after some of the flock were found grazing on floral arrangements in a cemetery, authorities said. Animal cruelty charges were pending against the owner.

David Watts kept about 80 of the animals in his crumbling house in this Raleigh suburb, police said.

“He lives upstairs, and the sheep were living downstairs,” police Sgt. Robert Towell said. “He considered them pets.”

Watts.

You just knew he'd be a Scot.

Awfully convenient how the police break this big case just in time for easter dinner, too! Let me fire up the grill...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:50 AM | Comments (2)

March 27, 2007

Assume the Position

I think the world's coming to an end.

Merck's Vioxx did not cause woman's death: jury
... Plaintiff Frank Schwaller sued Merck after his wife, Patricia, took Vioxx for 20 months for shoulder pain before dying from a heart attack in August 2003.

The state court jury also found Merck adequately warned Schwaller's doctor about Vioxx's dangers and that the doctor knew of the risks.

Lawyers for Schwaller, from Granite City, Illinois, alleged that Vioxx was defectively designed, inadequately tested, dangerous to human health, and lacked proper warnings, which subjected users to risks of heart attacks, strokes and other illnesses.

Merck argued that Schwaller's preexisting risk factors -- a family history of heart disease, morbid obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and sedentary lifestyle -- were responsible for her sudden cardiac death.

...The vote was unanimous from the seven-woman, five-man jury.

It's as if millions of personalinjurylawyervoices cried out...and were suddenly silenced.

For a minute, anyway.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:28 PM | Comments (17)

Whoa, DUUUDE!

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

The Justice Department "in a shambles" because of poor management. Congressional leaders calling for the Attorney General's resignation. Chuck Schumer in the middle, on TV. The sixth year of a tired administration.
Alberto Gonzales?

No.

Janet Reno.

Sherman re-set the WayBack Machine.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:22 PM

I Guess This Means Moqtada al-Chubster's Okay After All

...and not the murdering, conniving son-of-bitch Bush and the rest have painted him to be. A regular humanitarian who just wants to hug the world: philanthropy with no ulterior motives.

Enclave of normalcy in fearful Baghdad
In Sadr City, radical cleric offers hope and aid

In front of a blue metal gate, women in black abayas clutch food ration cards and exhibit a confidence rarely felt in the Iraqi capital. They will feed their families tonight. Several yards away, men sit behind wooden desks poring over hundreds of colorful folders, one each for Shiite families forced to flee their homes. Every family will be given a new life.

This busy office in the heart of the vast Shiite slum of Sadr City is not an arm of the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Nor is it a relief agency. It is the domain of the 33-year-old Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Here, Sadr doles out aid to his neediest followers, from cradle to grave, filling a void in a desperately uncertain country.

All that trouble musta been caused by some other guy. It's the whole robe/beard/turban thing. I can't tell 'em apart.

My bad. Thanks, WaPo.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:27 AM | Comments (4)

Damn, Damn, DAMN

The growth removed from presidential spokesman Tony Snow’s abdomen is cancerous and has spread to his liver, according to the White House.- CNN

AP here. Tony,

We love ya, man. We're with you heart and soul.

Get better. We need ya.
The Swilling

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:05 AM | Comments (3)

For a Second There I Thought

..."Anna Nicole Smith baby paternity tests,again?"

..."The sperm went first-class," Howard, a National Zoo vet, noted wryly. "I did not."

Thankfully, no.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:25 AM

Hillary's Coming To South Park

I may have to stay up tomorrow and watch.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:14 AM

March 26, 2007

Thanks For Sending Me This

...Sharon darlin'.

His name is Bob Parks.

I like him a lot.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:42 PM | Comments (6)

As to My Opinion on the NYT's 'Veteran Rape' Article

...when I saw the magazine headline article and cover photo, all I could do was roll my eyes, snort in disgust and look away. I never read it. Now that at least one story was proven to be bullshit 6 days prior to release, I am vindicated in my display of non-compassionate-ism. But the question lingers in our sultry air..."yet the Times let it fly anyway?" It gets worse. The kicker is at the end of their correction. Then you have to look at when the correction...never mind.

The cover article in The Times Magazine on March 18 reported on women who served in Iraq, the sexual abuse that some of them endured and the struggle for all of them to reclaim their prewar lives. One of the servicewomen, Amorita Randall, a former naval construction worker, told The Times that she was in combat in Iraq in 2004 and that in one incident an explosive device blew up a Humvee she was riding in, killing the driver and leaving her with a brain injury. She also said she was raped twice while she was in the Navy.

On March 6, three days before the article went to press, a Times researcher contacted the Navy to confirm Ms. Randall’s account...

...On March 12, three days after the article had gone to press, the Navy called The Times to say that it had found that Ms. Randall had never received imminent-danger pay or a combat-zone tax exemption, indicating that she was never in Iraq....

...it is now clear that Ms. Randall did not serve in Iraq, but may have become convinced that she did....If The Times had learned these facts before publication, it would not have included Ms. Randall in the article.

So, since the bogus story had already been PRINTED in the magazine, rather than correct it immediately or ~ GOD FORBID ~ REPRINT the magazine, they ran the erroneous article anyway on March 18th. The mea culpa appears seven days later, on March 25th.

It is now clear that those at the New York Times did not serve with 'journalistic integrity', but may have become convinced that they did.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:59 PM | Comments (10)

What's Missing From The Front Page Of The BBC?

You'd think they might mention the 15 British soldiers kidnapped by Iran and threatened with an espionage show trial in complete and total disregard for the Geneva Convention.

But you'd be wrong.

Whose side are they on again?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:12 AM | Comments (9)

March 24, 2007

Repeat** After Me

Insert the country of your choice where you read 'German/Germany'.

Politicians and Muslim leaders denounced a German judge for citing the Koran in her rejection of a Muslim woman's request for a quick divorce on grounds she was abused by her husband.

JudgeChrista Datz-Winter said in a recommendation earlier this year that both partners came from a "Moroccan cultural environment in which it is not uncommon for a man to exert a right of corporal punishment over his wife," according to the court. The woman is a German of Moroccan descent married to a Moroccan citizen.

The judge argued that her case was not one of exceptional hardship in which fast-track divorce proceedings would be justified. When the woman protested, Datz-Winter cited a passage from the Koran that reads in part, "men are in charge of women."

...The latest uproar comes amid an ongoing debate in Germany about integrating its more than 3 million Muslims, most of them from Turkey. A decision last year to cancel an opera featuring the severed heads of the Prophet Muhammad and other religious figures out of security concerns caused a furor and was later retracted.

Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries condemned the judge's decision.

"Every so often, there are individual rulings that seem completely incomprehensible," she said.

Lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats said traditional Islamic law, or Sharia, had no place in Germany.

**"The legal and moral concepts of Sharia have nothing to do with German jurisprudence," Wolfgang Bosbach, a lawmaker with the Christian Democrats, told N24 television.

"One thing must be clear: In Germany, only German law applies. Period."

There...wasn't that refreshing?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:57 PM | Comments (6)

March 23, 2007

BREAKING NEWS

An explanation is emerging for the KILLER PET FOOD NIGHTMARE this past week.

EXCLUSIVE: Rat Poison Believed to Be Source of Some Pet Food Contamination

ABC News has learned that investigators have determined that a rodent-killing chemical is the toxin in the tainted pet food that has killed several animals.

A source close to the investigation tells ABC News that the rodenticide, which the source says is illegal to use in the United States, was on wheat that was imported from China and used by Menu Foods in nearly 100 brands of dog and cat food.

Rat poison'll do it. Welcome to the global economy.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:53 AM | Comments (2)

READ This

...before it winks out of existence, when someone goes "HOLY SH*T! Who said we could run this?!" I mean, it is tagged 'Web-exclusive commentary'.

So Long, Me-Maw
In New Orleans, they aren’t shedding a tear over Louisiana Gov. Blanco’s decision not to seek a second term. A letter from the Garden District.

New Orleans, 18 months after Katrina, is still a city of considerable ups and downs. Tuesday was no different; as usual, the bad news came first. The first e-mail I received informed me that a block and a half from our new house, at 1:30 in the afternoon, two hold-ups occurred in less than 10 minutes—and I live in Garden District, still perceived as a “nice” neighborhood, despite the alarming frequency of similar attacks, along with a recent rash of break-ins of both cars and houses (one of them was mine). First, a gunman wielding a “chrome short nose revolver” relieved a sod delivery man of the $30 in his pockets. Next, he snatched a woman’s purse, jumped into an “unknown black vehicle,” and roared away.

As crimes go in the city with by far the highest murder rate in the nation (96 per every 100,000 people in 2006; more than 40 people overall have been killed so far in 2007), these could actually be viewed as good news—nobody was killed or even shot, after all. But the real good news came in my next e-mail: Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced that she would not seek re-election to a second term.

I will admit to a certain, smug, self-satisfied, smirky snickering through the whole rant, because I thought I'd written it for the first minute there. But over a year ago.

That's me ~ always ahead of trend.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:28 AM | Comments (4)

Coincidentally, the M-W Word of the Day

...is...

drub \DRUB\ verb

1 : to beat severely
2 : to berate critically
*3 : to defeat decisively

Not much of that being handed out lately from our side, sad to say.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:49 AM

What a Great Way to Start Another War the Day

Iranians seize 15 British sailors

Fifteen Royal Navy sailors have been seized by Iranian warships in Iraqi territorial waters, the Ministry of Defence said.

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has summoned the Iranian ambassador in London to demand their immediate release, a spokesman said.

The incident happened following a routine inspection of a merchant ship off Iraq.

The MoD said the incident happened at around 10.30am local time.

"The boarding party had completed a successful inspection of a merchant ship when they and their two boats were surrounded and escorted by Iranian vessels into Iranian territorial waters," a spokesman said.

Next move, anyone?

UPDATE: More coming out now.

UPDATE: What IS it with these people? The Fox News correspondent is reporting the British sailors have already been paraded BLINDFOLDED on state TV. If the Iranian government feels they've seized these guys legitimately, then act like a government, not freakin' cheesy-ass terrorists.

Wait. What am I saying...?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:44 AM | Comments (11)

March 22, 2007

Rather Than Wander Around the Plane

...surrendering my comfort, I think I'd just chant the Bingley mantra:

"He has a right to his seat. What he doesn't have a is a right to MINE."

Why is it when someone relates an experience ~ if the picture painted by that experience is ugly albeit the truth ~ shitty little comments about 'stereotypes' come out, implying the complainer is both hateful and uncompassionate. To wit:

Dear Well-Mannered Traveler: “Is there a polite way to deal with an extra large passenger seated next to me? These folks always have bags full of food spilling out everywhere, their arm is actually in my seat space, every time they shift their weight my drink spills, etc. I nearly cry every time I see that I am seated next to such a person. Please advise!”
- Sheila T., Parkland Florida

Dear Sheila: Next time you head out to the airport remember to take your tickets and your driver’s license or passport, but please leave your stereotypes behind.

The WMT then discusses dealing with those annoying "SEATMATES OF SIZE", the implication being that it's your fault you're crushed into an armrest by the 500 pound sized fellow in the seat next to you. And that you should shut-up and suck it up, with helpful, well-mannered gems like this:

On a full flight, you’ll just need to make the best of it. Be patient: this isn’t a permanent situation and you’ll eventually get to your destination. Rather than sit and stew, get up and walk up and down the aisle a bit or find a spot out of traffic to stand and read a magazine or chat quietly with another passenger.

Oh gosh. I'll bet that would have helped the poor young fellow I heard asking for a supervisor in DFW one day. A rotund sized seatmate had exited the tiny plane earlier and I thought ,"Yeesh! I wonder who got to sit next to him..." and then heard the young fellow. It seems he had. In an aisle seat with the super-sized seatmate in the middle. Crushing him against and over the armrest, forcing his entire upper torso INTO the aisle for beverage carts to whang into and bathroom wanderers to beat with their belt buckles on their way to and fro, fo'ard and aft. In an Delta Embraer 70 seater all the long way from Portland to Dallas. I'll bet it felt pretty permanent to that kid after the first hour of his contortionist act, less mind with another hour or so to look forward to. 'Wandering' not available.

I'm about sick of tap dancing around the fact that a 60 inch waist is OBESE. I am the FIRST to point out that my cheesecake picture is MANY years/self-induced cheesecake love handles later and NOT in the "oh, if only Nicole Richie had ten more pounds on her" fashion. Even 40 inch waists will squeeze into the seat and we can still all live in harmony. Most likely (unless you're a klutz like me), your discomfort in said seat will be yours alone. As it should be. But this crap in her advice to the "seatmate of size" drives me INSANE...

It’s not your fault airline seats are so tiny. If you find yourself cheek-to-cheek with your seatmate, try to make the best of it. You might end up shedding some stereotypes as well.

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT". I'd say something snide about boxes of Snack Wells at this moment, but that would be re-enforcing stereotypes. And mean. And then "Scholars of Fat" lesbian college activists would start commenting on top of our usual asshat. Just SO not worth it. (But we all know whose crumb covered laps I'm alluding to, right?)

So. In an acronym: STFU, discomforted "seatmate of average size". It's your fault.

Now, go buy some bacon at Target.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:46 PM | Comments (4)

From One Girl to Another

Dear Elizabeth,

That sucks. Just plain out and out sucks. I watched a dear friend go through the agony of anticipation every time those three month check-ups came due, then watched her 'whew' of relief, watched what the tamoxifen was doing to her system in the meantime and then the three month check-up three years later when there was no 'whew'. When they wanted her to go through it all again. To get the rest. Terrifying. And then when she said 'I can't. Take them off. Completely.' And then the agony of recovery, tempered by some peace of mind that where there are no longer any breasts, the same may hold true for the cancer that dwelt there.

I know you have the best medical care in the world available, but that's cold comfort. Bless your heart. I wish you a complete, 'whew' filled recovery and ALL the best.

Ms. sister

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:29 AM | Comments (3)

It's a Great Political Cartoon

The French Paper Charlie-Hebdo bears the headline "Mohammed stressed out by the fundamentalists" and a cartoon of the prophet in tears uttering the words "It's hard to be loved by fools" back in February of 2006. (AFP)

Thanks to a French court decision just announced, it's also legal.

The editor of a satirical French magazine accused of insulting Muslims by reprinting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad has been acquitted.

A French court has ruled in favour of weekly Charlie Hebdo, rejecting accusations by Islamic groups who said it incited hatred against Muslims.

The cartoons were covered by freedom of expression laws and were not an attack on Islam, but fundamentalists, it said.

The case was seen as an important test for freedom of expression in France.

Thanks to our friend the Gateway Pundit for the breath of fresh Euro air.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:06 AM | Comments (4)

Our Resident Kos-ite Commentor Would Say

...that we made them do it.

Iraqi Police Say Children Used As Decoys

Police said Wednesday that children were used in a weekend car bombing in which the driver gained permission to park in a busy shopping area after he pointed out that he was leaving his children in the back seat.

The account appeared to confirm one given Tuesday by a U.S. general. He said children were used in a Sunday bombing in northern Baghdad and labeled it a brutal new tactic put to use by insurgents to battle a five-week-old security crackdown in the capital.

...He said it was the first reported use of children in a car bombing in Baghdad.

"Children in the back seat lowered suspicion, (so) we let it move through, they parked the vehicle, the adults run out and detonate it with the children in the back," Barbero told reporters in Washington. "The brutality and ruthless nature of this enemy hasn't changed."

C'mon, Calley. Justify away.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:21 AM | Comments (1)

Barbarism In Chicago

This horrible incident is partly the result of a corrupt city government. Look at the video if you can. How can those people there not attempt to help this poor woman?

CBS) CHICAGO A woman was injured during a frightening attack and it was all caught on tape. The attacker was an off-duty Chicago police officer who has now been charged. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini reports.

Shocking surveillance video shows off-duty Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate, 38, a 12-year veteran of the force, brutally beating a female bartender.

He punches and kicks her.

"He was drunk in a bar. She refused to serve him anymore so he went behind the bar and threw her around like a sack of potatoes," said Attorney Terry Ekl who represents the alleged victim.

Well, there you go. The thug was an off-duty cop. The only thing I can say in the bystanders' defense is that they thought if they helped her, i.e. fought the bastard, that they would be the ones who ended up in jail. And the Chicago PD's initial reaction certainly supports that

"The Chicago Police Department made a unilateral decision that they were going to charge him only with a misdemeanor without telling the State's Attorney’s Office," said Ekl.

But prosecutors took over and filed felony aggravated battery charges.

"It's one of the most brutal and savage attacks that I have seen caught on tape," said David Navarro, a prosecutor in the case.

Based on their high standards and careful backround checks you wonder how many other charmers like this guy are on the force

Abbatte is no stranger to drunken behavior.

He was one of 100 Chicago police officers who had been hired despite having prior drug or alcohol related driving offenses.

Abbate had also been arrested for drag racing and driving on a suspended license.

Nice, huh?

But still. What kind of loathesome beasts would not go to this woman's aid? It is completely disgusting behavior.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:06 AM | Comments (11)

March 21, 2007

Some Girls Are Just Crazy

...for a guy in uniform.
UPDATE: Finally, the AP story is out.

A U.S. Marine helicopter pilot who rescued a wounded British soldier in Iraq has received a rare British honor.

Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday presented the Distinguished Flying Cross to Maj. William Chesarek, 32, of Newport, R.I.

...Chesarek was flying a Lynx helicopter for British forces in an exchange program. He braved hostile fire to evacuate a wounded British office in Al Amara province in June.

British Pvt. Michelle Norris, 19, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, received the Military Cross for her action in attending to the wounded officer. She was the first woman to be awarded the Military Cross.

How 'bout that! Big day at the palace all around, I'd say. A heartfelt Bravo Zulu to our major and the brave Pvt. Norris.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:35 PM | Comments (7)

"Damn Straight! Ha Ha Ha" Moment

...for today, from day before yesterday, dovetailing nicely with Bingster last week.

...Who are these guys who are getting all flushed over our cultural insensitivity?

People who want to blow Jews off the face of the earth. The regime that stormed our embassy in 1979 and kept Americans captive for 444 days. Iran’s Hezbollah puppets have killed more Americans, than any other terrorist group except Al Qaeda. Explosive devices from Iran are being used right now against our soldiers in Iraq. They’re clearly more skittish about cultural warfare than the sort that actually kills people – like the one against Israel that Iran financed just a few months ago.

I must say that I’m impressed that Hollywood took on a politically incorrect villain. Must have run out of neo-Nazis. So now these sensitive souls in Iran think that Hollywood is part of a U.S. government conspiracy to humiliate them into submission. I can only wish we were that effective.

A warm Swill salute to Mike at Lamplighter for finding it.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:44 PM | Comments (9)

Avec!

Monsieur Bean!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:52 AM | Comments (3)

If They Think That's Bad

...Some movie companies are dropping efforts to save money by outsourcing the job of writing subtitles for English-speaking films shown in foreign-language countries, and vice-versa, according to the London Times. Dialogue was lost in translation. “Jim is a Vietnam Vet” became “Jim is a veterinarian from Vietnam,” according to the paper, and “She died in a freak rugby accident” became “She died in a ruby match for people with deformities.”

...they ought to spend a little time in Japan and see what kind of English gets printed on...oh...say beach towels, for instance.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:45 AM | Comments (5)

If I Follow This Advice

...why bother eating there at all?

Chinese restaurant food unhealthy, study says
Menus loaded with sodium, saturated fat and calories — even the veggies

...The group says there is no safe harbor from sodium on the Chinese restaurant menu, but it offers several tips for making a meal healthier:

* Look for dishes that feature vegetables instead of meat or noodles. Ask for extra broccoli, snow peas or other veggies.
* Steer clear of deep-fried meat, seafood or tofu. Order it stir-fried or braised.
* Hold the sauce, and eat with a fork or chopsticks to leave more sauce behind.
* Avoid salt, which means steering clear of the duck sauce, hot mustard, hoisin sauce and soy sauce.
* Share your meal or take half home for later.
* Ask for brown rice instead of white rice.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:30 AM | Comments (6)

John Edwards' Goes Humminah-Humminah

Mr. "Two Americas", as in there are people who work in big mansions and people who own them, gets a little fumbly when defending his own 28,000 footer

Call it “Dancing with the Stars”: Global Warming Edition. Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards showed his best dance moves trying to avoid questions about how energy efficient his 28,000-square-foot mansion really is and how much the power bill costs each month.

The March 20 edition of CNN’s “American Morning” showed Edwards hyping global warming, promoting his energy plan that mandates carbon caps and claiming that his new mega-McMansion was actually being operated in a “carbon-neutral way.” He has recently declared his campaign “carbon neutral.”

Edwards also avoided how he holds himself to one standard but wants to hold businesses to another. As anchor Miles O’Brien put it: “One of the keys to your plan is the so-called cap plan which would institute, as it suggests, caps on the amount of carbon dioxide industry can put into the environment.”

But when it comes to Edwards’ own life, he doesn’t cap his carbon efforts, preferring instead carbon offsets. “We have committed to operate this house in a carbon-neutral way, which means in addition to using energy saving devices in the house itself, to the extent that doesn’t cover it, we’re going to purchase carbon credits on the market,” said Edwards.

...O’Brien asked about Edwards “getting Americans to conserve more.” Edwards responded with talk of conservation and then requirements. “One of the things that’s going to be required is for Americans to be willing to drive more fuel-efficient vehicles and to be willing to conserve and we want to help them do that.”

When O’Brien asked specifically about his house, Edwards turned into a dancing king. Asked about the cost of energy for the home, Edwards tried several answers:

-“It’s actually not bad.” And followed that up with talk of how energy efficient the home was.
-“I’m not telling you. It’s actually, it’s actually not bad. It’s about three or four hundred dollars, the last one I saw.”
-Following that claim, Edwards backed off a bit and said “the power bill is several hundred dollars a month.”

The hypocrisy is staggering...and typical. Look, I have no problem with a rich person building a huge house on his property. That's the American Way, dammit. You earned the money, now go enjoy it. What pisses me off is these rich bastards appointing themselves our Superior All-Knowing Masters and then condemning us little folk as we try to improve our lot while they enjoy all the perks. Remember the Oscars? All those pompous little turds who have made millions of dollars by what? By reciting lines that other people wrote, yet this somehow entitles them to be our philosopher kings. So the preening vanities, these people who fly in their private jets everywhere, who take huge limos everywhere, who have entire staffs devoted to their hair and makeup, these are the people who preach to us that we must be 'green' and 'carbon neutral'. As my Bride remarked, after she in total disgust and contempt turned off the televised fellation of Al Gore at the Oscars by Leonardo DeCaprio, "If Hollywood is truly concerned about The Environment they should immediately stop all filming of movies 'on location' and film everything in the back lot and in the studios rather than fly hundreds of people all across the globe. Or they should just STFU." Have I mentioned I love that gal?

But they won't, of course.

You know, I hope that the next CEO of some Really Big Corporation who is catching all kinds of shit from the media and various posturing candidates for moving jobs overseas because of how expensive Congress has made it to do business here looks the bastard straight in the eye and says "Actually, I'm Employee-Neutral; following the bold leadership of Al Gore and John Edwards and others I've purchased Employee Offsets in the market."

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:35 AM | Comments (15)

March 20, 2007

A Update on Saving Your Bacon

...and time at Target.

Target is transferring cashiers who avoid pork
Some Somali Muslims say the retailer is overreacting to customer criticism.

"Overreacting to customers" should be the first rule of customer service, I would think. These people have no clue about free enterprise in what should be a religion free zone. I won't comment further, because then elimosa will show up and natter on about circumcision and Bingley will cradle his crotch and moan like an accident victim and then we'll hear Jesus never died and...I can't take any more of it. Clueless and willfully ignorant are two different things and I'm not indulging the porkless pretenders at this point.

Anyways, a warm Swill salute to Dave for pointing out the latest. Happy Spring!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:29 PM | Comments (8)

The Truth About Congress

I'm a little surprised it's this low

Study Finds One-Third in D.C. Illiterate

WASHINGTON (AP) - About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.
Adults are considered functionally illiterate if they have trouble doing such things as comprehending bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications.

The study by the State Education Agency, a quasi-governmental office created by the U.S. Department of Education to distribute federal funds for literacy services, was ordered by Mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2003 as part of his four-year, $4 million adult literacy initiative.

The only way they kept the number down to only a third was by avoiding Congress...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:53 AM | Comments (2)

March 19, 2007

Bong Hits 4 Jesus

I don't have much to say about this case one way or another

The Supreme Court examines Monday a case raising questions over free speech rights in US high schools as it hears arguments over a student's unfurling of a quirky banner proclaiming "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." Joseph Frederick drew the ire of his school principal in Juneau, Alaska, on January 24, 2002, when the then 18-year-old student unveiled the huge banner in front of television cameras as the Olympic flame passed in front of a crowd.

Principal Deborah Morse, whose school had authorized the students to leave class for the event, was not amused by Frederick's linkage between Jesus and a bong, a pipe used to smoke marijuana.

Morse crossed the street, destroyed the banner and suspended Frederick from school for 10 days.

But it reminded me of something that some guys in a fraternity at UVa did. One of their brothers had some disease (not one of the usual fraternity diseases, mind you) and they decided to have a benefit to raise funds for his treatment. So they had a Bong-a-thon, where people pledged a certain amount of money for each bong hit they did.

And man, did they do a lot.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:23 PM | Comments (4)

March 17, 2007

A Vow

I made a promise to myself . Since the snow that so inconveniently truthly appeared last night is not supposed to exist I decided that I will shovel none of it but rather I shall stay inside and drink until it goes the way of polar bear testicles. Not a flake will I disturb.

Well, I will clean off one area...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:56 AM | Comments (8)

March 16, 2007

I Am So Disgusted By This

I saw this yesterday and just couldn't post on it. It is beyond vile

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) -- A 17-year-old girl who spent weeks looking for her missing dog unwrapped a box left at her house and found the pet's severed head inside, authorities said.

...After Crystal Brown's 4-year-old Australian shepherd mix, Chevy, wandered away last month, she put up "missing" posters in her neighborhood and went door to door looking for him. She called the St. Paul animal shelter and rode the bus there several times.

...Two weeks ago, a gift-wrapped box was left at the house Crystal shares with her grandmother. The box had batteries on top, and a note that said "Congratulations Crystal. This side up. Batteries included."

Crystal opened the box and found her dog's head inside. The box also contained Valentine's Day candy.

What kind of a sick demented bastard could possibly do such a thing?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:55 AM | Comments (12)

March 15, 2007

Good Old CAIR ~ Champion of the Tortured, Downtrodden

...and bacon-free.

...A customer's personal preferences is usually not a factor in deciding whether a religious practice is protected in the workplace, noted Khadija Athman, national civil rights manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.

The customer in question would be the poor soul standing in line at TARGET. Wrapped up in her traditional Muslim garb, the CHECKOUT GIRL scans the customer's eggs along with her milk ~ everything right up to that filthy package of....BACON. Which the TARGET EMPLOYEE REFUSES to TOUCH. Another checker has to be called over to perform the scan and voilá; all is right with the world. The Minnesota Muslim world. Not the customer whose purchases are paying the tab to hire this person and who just got dissed. Maybe even hugely inconvenienced if the store is busy and a stunt double cashier isn't readily available, not to mention the fact that said checker's actions publicly declared part of her humble order was unclean and unfit to be touched.

We're supposed to be understanding...

...He [Dr. Shah Khan, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Minnesota in Fridley] urged people to remember the extraordinary adjustments many Somalis have made in coming to the Twin Cities. "Many of these people are refugees. They may have been tortured. And they came here having never held a book in English," he said. "They're already adapting to our society. We need to adapt to them, too."

...but damned if I don't think Dr. Khan has it ass backwards. I know life sucks there. I watch the news. And, bless their hearts, they made it here. BUT. "The extraordinary adjustments...made in coming"? Were they forced to come here? I'm sure no one's torturing them in St. Paul and the difference should be readily apparent. WE need to adapt to THEM? I think not. We need to show compassion, offer support and get them locked into truth, justice and the American way ~ which will reward them quite handsomely, as I'm more than sure they're aware ~ but they don't get to change sh*t up to suit THEM on top of a piece of that big apple pie. I'm so, SO sick of this. Just sick.

I've got half a mind to let Target know how I feel. So, everyone lament at Dave's, 'cause he gets to experience this crap first hand and thank Ken for finding Dave's post first.

F*ck the American consumer and the right to buy bacon free of hinderance.

Jeez. I'm just gobschmacked.

UPDATE: Big duke 'em outs going on about this on the MN Buzz board, but DANG if I can't help myself cherry picking one of the comments ~ it's a dhimmi classic.

Her religion is first and foremost.

Let's not loose our cool over a piece of meat, and get all bend out of shape over it. When you open your doors to group of people you don't share much with, there is bound to be some culture/religion clashes. If Target doesn't have a problem with this system, you as the customer shouldn't either. Everyone came to America one way or another, so instead of telling the Muslims to go back to their countries why don't you simply go to another store. And PLEASE, do not beat the patriotic drum for us, it will only fall into a deaf ear.

Someone seems confused by the whole concept of 'retail'. The store doesn't dictate to customers what they can expect from customer service and if customers go away, so does the store.

I'm really feeling cranky now.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:30 PM | Comments (35)

Ah-OOOOOOOH! Werewolf Of London...

(with apologies to Warren Zevon)

I saw a werewolf with a Mersey Beat in her hands
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
She was looking for the Squire of Mull of Kintyre
Planning to get herself pounds from Penny Lane
Ah-ooooooh
Werewolf of London
Ah-ooooooh

If you hear her howling 'round your kitchen door
Better not let her in
She won't need or feed you when you're 64
Werewolf of London again
Ah-ooooooh
Werewolf of London
Ah-ooooooh

She's the golden-tressled gal who married Alfie Karmal
Lately she's been on the phone in Brighton
Don't you take pics of her
She'll rip your film out sir
Huh. She ain't the new Diana
Ah-ooooooh
Werewolf of London
Ah-ooooooh

Well I saw her crying 'bout piggies in a pen
Doing the Werewolf of London
I heard her cryin' "this is now and that was then"
Doing the Werewolf of London
I saw a Werewolf dancing a merengue with the Stars
Her steps were perfect
Ha!
Ah-ooooooh
Werewolf of London
Ah-ooooooh
Heh Draw Blood...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:08 PM | Comments (3)

AG Firings...Yawn.

The WSJ makes some good points today, but really Bryan at Hot Air sums this whole 'scandal' up best in my mind, so go give it a read.

Basketball starts today, so DC can go sink back into the swamp for all I care.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:13 AM | Comments (2)

March 14, 2007

Oh, I Just Love This

Israel has to say "ExCUSE me...", 'cause, like, the U.N. says so.

A UNESCO panel has urged Israel to immediately halt archaeological work at a Jerusalem holy site that has angered Muslims around the world.

...A report for the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, released in Paris on Wednesday, said Israel should have sought the advice of international organizations before it started the archaeological work.

Someone please...refresh my memory. What exactly were the Taliban saying when the WORLD begged them NOT to blow the big Buddhas of Bamiyan to smithereens? I think "bite me" was in there somewhere...

...Once a stop on the trade route between China, India and Europe, Afghanistan was home to a vibrant Buddhist culture centuries before Islam's dominance and even its birth. Artifacts from the archaeological sites of Bamiyan and the museums of the capital, Kabul, are reminders of the fact that land is older than factions, that civilizations great and small flower briefly then fade away.

And so, last week, in an ongoing attempt to prove that the fate of the Islamic Emirate will be otherwise, the Taliban demolished the Buddhas of Bamiyan, two massive statues (one standing 170', the other 120') carved from the stone cliffs that frame the valley 100 miles from Kabul.

"These idols have been gods of the infidels," the New York Times reported one senior Taliban official declaring. Politics being politics whatever the religion, while one spouted off, another provided spin -- like this from Qudratulla Jamal, the Taliban minister of information and culture:

"It's not a big issue. The statues are objects only made of mud or stone."

Right ~ mud and stone. Like your mosque, n'est pas? So, chill out already in Jerusalem. I may not be the biggest fan of Israeli policy in the world, but I WILL state my unequivocable belief in their esteem for ALL things ancient and holy. So your al-Aqsa will remain unscathed and the world will be a little wiser. What's to lose? And people are getting a little tired of the whole 'Muslim outrage' thing.

...The latest crisis began when Israeli authorities started rebuilding and extending a pedestrian ramp which rises to the Mugrabi Gate, an entrance that allows tourists to view the gardens of the sacred Muslim precinct, the silver al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, a shrine clad with turquoise mosaics and topped with a glowing, golden dome. The ramp is a simple piece of construction that will rest on seven concrete pillars. A 2004 earthquake and a snowstorm had damaged the old pedestrian bridge. But with tension running high between Israelis and Palestinians, the repair work has become a volatile religious issue, one that radical Muslim clerics are using to whip up more hatred against Israel.

You don't get to be pissed off about every farging thing that happens and throw rocks when your blind sheiks/catmeat imams tell you to have a cow, especially in places you SHARE with, like, OTHER people. Honestly, without their snorting fire, would you have even given a whoowah someone was fixing a ramp? (Palestinian gunman scuttling into the Church of the Nativity ring any bells? That's a Christian site, right? Bush drop any bombs when ya'll violated our digs? And not with trowels, but with GUNS? That would be a 'NOT'.) I'd follow the Steve Martin Crime Stopper oath in your case ~

"Repeat after me: I promise NOT to repeat things other people say..."

It's not religion, dudes ~ it's HISTORY. And that makes it ALL of ours. So BTFO, STFU, grow up and get a grip. You think Israel is the root of all your problems? Israel is your excuse ~ the bogeyman heading your pity syndrome. Quit throwing rocks, get an education, quit voting for criminals and quit killing your neighbor because he doesn't want to play your games anymore or because he's a Jew. Become a state ~ a place where your children can grow and learn something other than how to dress up like suicide bombers. How come the Kurds can pull it together so quickly? Nobody wants them either, remember. How could the Lebanese people peacefully throw off the Syrian yoke? (And the destruction? Brought about by those same fellas you all are so fond of. Weird how that works.) You are your own worst enemies and trust me ~ there are no WORSE enemies than what you're doing to yourself and allowing others in your culture to do to you. Sympathy meter's pegged. Sorry.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:43 PM | Comments (4)

A 'Labs 4 Rescue' Raffle

...for a shot at YANKEES vs BOSUX tickets !! Holy CRAP!

Labs4rescue is pleased to announce its 2007 New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Raffle. Here's your chance to win:

Four FAN!tastic field box seats to a 2007 regular season New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox baseball game at Yankee Stadium! (The winner will work with the Yankee's office to select the game.) This incredible game day package includes: V.I.P. parking, behind-the-scenes stadium tour, personalized scoreboard message, official photograph of scoreboard message, an amazing goodie bag for each guest, lunch or dinner, and an up close and personal opportunity to view batting practice.

Only $10 per raffle ticket! The drawing will be held during the 2007 Yankees opening home series.

To order your raffle tickets please send a check or money order payable to Labs4rescue and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Labs4rescue, P.O. Box 955, Killingworth, CT 06419. Please do NOT send cash in the mail; Labs4rescue WILL NOT be responsible for payments lost in the mail. All orders must be received by Friday, March 30, 2007.

(Credit card junkies can email them at raffle-at-labs4rescue.com for info how to do it that way.) They're a virtual steal at TEN BUCKS a PIECE, so BeauBeau (who's a Labs4Rescue wabbadork himself) and his cousin Claude say:

"Get yer raffle tickets right here!
....OOOO! Cookie!"

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:34 PM | Comments (1)

Plastic Lettuce!

Now if I can just find some plastic bread I can make a sandwich...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:39 PM | Comments (4)

Iraqalypse Now

Via Tim Blair we hear that the Swift Boats will sail again!

NORFOLK, Va. -- A riverboat squadron departed Thursday for Iraq, the first deployment of Navy swift boats to a war zone since Vietnam.

About 100 members of the Riverine Squadron 1 will integrate with Marines patrolling the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, eventually replacing the Marine force. They will patrol those waters to combat terrorist operations.

The 'new' Swifts are pretty cool. Hell, when they plane out at speed they have less of a draft than Chuck Rangel.

Question of the day is which of their officers will be "reporting for duty" in 2036?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:40 AM | Comments (7)

March 13, 2007

Snoop Dog Working For 'The Man'

I'm serious, yo!

Lucky and Flo, Malaysia's latest weapons in tackling rampant music and movie piracy, started work at the country's biggest international airport Tuesday, sniffing out shipments for fake optical discs.

The two black Labradors are on loan for a month from the Motion Picture Association of America, which says its members -- including top Hollywood studios Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Universal -- lost $1.2 billion to Asia-Pacific movie pirates in 2006.

It is the first time dogs have been used by authorities anywhere around the world to detect contraband discs, said Mike Ellis, regional director for the MPAA.

It took around nine months and $17,000 to train the dogs to detect polycarbonates, chemicals used in the disc manufacturing process, he added.

Although the dogs cannot tell the difference between real and pirated discs, they can detect if DVDs are hidden among shipments signed off as a consignment of something else.

BeauBeau'd be like...

"Argh, evil doer! Tried to sneak pirates and DVDs by me, did ya? Think you'd....OOOO! COOKIE!"

They need to have back-up Scotties as enforcers. Notice how, in this documentary film still, they work as a team ~ driving and then surrounding their prey...

...before they finish it off. They're like little raptors.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:06 PM | Comments (3)

Sweet Baby Jesus

...along with all the gods and little fishes ~ this beats "Twinkie defense" all to hell.

Jury considers death for child-killer Couey
Defense argues man who buried alive 9-year-old has ‘mind of a child’

...“John Couey sits here today a 48-year-old man with the mind of a child,” defense lawyer Alan Fanter said. “A lot of things happened in Mr. Couey’s life, and to Mr. Couey, that he had no control over.”

Couey also was born prematurely and suffered from a birth defect of “floppy ears” that caused him to be bullied and teased in school, Fanter said.

So the defense is "when bad ears happen to bad people, it's not their fault if things go...badder?"

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:42 PM | Comments (10)

How Do You Say "Irony" In Farsi?

This from the people who destroy ancient relics and sites because they have statues

An Iranian official on Sunday lashed out at the Hollywood movie "300" for insulting the Persian civilization, local Fars News Agency reported.

Javad Shamqadri, an art advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused the new movie of being "part of a comprehensive U.S. psychological war aimed at Iranian culture", said the report.

Retard. The ancient Persians were a highly advanced culture for their day. You guys are stuck in the 8th century.

Shamqadri was quoted as saying "following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Hollywood and cultural authorities in the U.S. initiated studies to figure out how to attack Iranian culture," adding "certainly, the recent movie is a product of such studies."

The movie's effort wound be fruitless, because "values in Iranian culture and the Islamic Revolution are too strongly seated to be damaged by such plans", said the Iranin official.

Oops, gotta throw in the remark about those schemin' Joos. Their plans are coming to fruition but now you've figured it out! Oh No!

Retard.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:57 AM | Comments (7)

March 12, 2007

Ya Don't Say

Not having me a edjacation commeshurate with HAHvahd's stratosphere, I think I just spotted me a whopper anyways.


Let me see if I can spell 'M...S....uh...N...B...(don't rush me, dammit!!!)...C' right.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:59 PM | Comments (9)

Sorry, Drudge

I'd hardly characterize this as "NYT Plans Hit on Gore". It's more like a poke in the side with a dull thermometer.

From a Rapt Audience, a Call to Cool the Hype

Hollywood has a thing for Al Gore and his three-alarm film on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which won an Academy Award for best documentary. So do many environmentalists, who praise him as a visionary, and many scientists, who laud him for raising public awareness of climate change.

But part of his scientific audience is uneasy. In talks, articles and blog entries that have appeared since his film and accompanying book came out last year, these scientists argue that some of Mr. Gore’s central points are exaggerated and erroneous. They are alarmed, some say, at what they call his alarmism.

“I don’t want to pick on Al Gore,” Don J. Easterbrook, an emeritus professor of geology at Western Washington University, told hundreds of experts at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. “But there are a lot of inaccuracies in the statements we are seeing, and we have to temper that with real data.”

And I count one "he got it right/has enormous credibility" for every "what a weasel".

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:55 PM | Comments (6)

Family Friendly Mouse in the Happiest Place on Earth

...or money grubbing, manipulative, run-you-down-like-a-juggarnaut rat defending it's magic kingdom?

Disneyland Sues to Stop Condo Plan
The Happiest Place on Earth doesn't want any new neighbors.

The Walt Disney Co. has sued the city of Anaheim to stop the proposed construction of 1,500 condos, including several hundred low-income units, at the doorstep of Disneyland.

Housing advocates say the units are desperately needed to accommodate workers who are essential to the city's huge tourism industry but can't afford to live there. Many workers spend at least four hours a day commuting from outlying areas where rent is cheaper.

"We helped to build this resort, but now they're saying we can't live here," said Lori Condinus, a hotel switchboard operator who lives 60 miles away. "Disneyland is supposed to be the family friendly place, but they're not helping families make it."

Disneyland and other tourism-oriented businesses say that housing will drive away visitors from the park -- which pumps an estimated $3.6 billion into Southern California's economy each year -- and open the way for the return of the cheap motels, neon signs and scraggly landscaping that marked the area in the early days of Disneyland.

I've always been in the 'rat' camp, but then I'm prejudiced.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:13 PM | Comments (5)

In Pig Latin in the Comments Below, Bingley Notes

...It's much like classical/mythological greece: you name determines your destiny.

We all know what Vader told Luke about his 'destiny', so I decided I'd see what Bingley had in store. From the Greek:

bingle [bIngl]

ουσ. είδος κόμμωσης "αλα-γκαρσόν" # αθλοπ. (στο μπέιζμπολ:) κτύπημα βάσης

Being a bit rusty Rosetta Stone-wise (and weary from collating scribbles memorized whilst watching a Dead Sea Scroll special last night ~ who says I'm dull?), I went for the English translation of 'bingle', since the word doesn't appear naturally in our native tongue. Not an accident or oversight, I'm assuming.

bingle
A noun
1 base hit, safety, bingle
(baseball) the successful act of striking a baseball in such a way that the batter reaches base safely

From this I guess we infer Bingley will always reach base safely, but the question of 'advancement' is up in the air and entirely reliant upon the good will/hard work of others. Amazingly enough, his modus operandi to a 'T'.

Considering that the closest English equivalent to 'bingley' is 'BUNGLE', I suggest we not dwell on depressing destiny and just give my sweet brother the signal to "swing away!"

And be prepared to duck.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:31 PM

Things Are Rumbling Again

...in a place no one's given much thought to in quite some time.

N Ireland 'wants return to power-sharing'
Voters have sent a clear message that they want parties on both sides of Northern Ireland's political divide to unite to restore self-government to the province, Tony Blair, the prime minister, and Bertie Ahern, his Irish counterpart, said yesterday.

In a joint statement clearly aimed at the Democratic Unionists, the biggest party after Wednesday's election, the two prime ministers said "all must now take responsibility in government for building and consolidating peace".

They said: "Restoration of the devolved institutions represents an opportunity of historic proportions. It must not be missed."

But the DUP, which is led by Ian Paisley, the Protestant preacher-politician, has yet to commit itself to sharing power with Sinn Féin, the political wing of the IRA and the largest party among Catholic voters.

The British government has warned Ulster's parties that unless they agree to form a new power-sharing executive by March 26, the Northern Ireland Assembly will be shut down and the province run by London and Dublin.

Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland secretary, insisted after meeting a delegation from the DUP that there was "no discretion" in the March 26 deadline.

But the DUP is insisting that Sinn Féin now clearly sets out its support for the police and courts. The party also wants the British government to provide a special financial package before it will agree to participate in the devolved institutions, which were suspended in 2002 amid police allegations of IRA subversive activities.

With all of the 108 seats declared last night, the DUP had 36 seats, Sinn Féin 28, the Ulster Unionists 18, the moderate nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party 16, the cross-community Alliance seven and one each for the Greens, the Progressive Unionists and an independent.

Our buddy Pete Baker posts at Slugger O'Toole, where the comments themselves are illuminating.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:03 PM | Comments (1)

Quote of the Day

Sir John Mortimer, author of the "Rumpole of the Bailey" series (and the "Tea With Mussolini" screenplay, among others), answers a meme question in Sunday's NYT magazine.

...Three little pigs: We acquired the pigs last year. My wife was born on a pig farm and has always been very fond of pigs. Of course, they are for eating, which is why they are named Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. You wouldn’t want to eat Rufus, Marcus and Esmeralda.

Most assuredly not.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:38 AM | Comments (3)

Something's Not Kosher At The Israeli Embassy

I thought Moses led his People out of bondage:

Israel is replacing its ambassador in El Salvador after the envoy was found outside the embassy, drunk, wearing only bondage gear, officials said. "Our ambassador has been recalled immediately," a foreign ministry official told AFP news agency.

...Haaretz website reports that police found Mr Refael in the Israeli embassy compound two weeks ago.

He was inebriated, his hands were tied and he was gagged with a rubber ball in his mouth.

In spite of his drunken state, the naked figure was reportedly able to identify himself by his full name and job title.

In 2006, Israel's diplomatic service was criticised by the public watchdog for its appointments system.

The state comptroller's report singled out the foreign ministry appointments committee for its inadequate examination of candidates and lack of transparency.

Seems someone was getting a little too much examination...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:28 AM

You Gotta Have Faith

Shocking news from Australia

A LEADING Muslim cleric has blamed the devastating drought, climate change and pollution on Australians' lack of faith in Allah.

He never heard of Allah Gore?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:15 AM | Comments (3)

March 11, 2007

"The Whole Thing Stinks"

If you've got an hour, this is a worthy use of it ~ the Channel 4 "Great Global Warming Swindle" documentary.

I doubt you'll see it on Discovery-Times Channel anytime soon. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
If you want a bigger screen version, click through the Google video icon on the lower right hand of the wee screen.

Swill Salute to LGF.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:12 AM | Comments (7)

March 10, 2007

Coq Au Can

Faithful readers will recall the last time I posted on cooking Beer Can Chicken. Well, it's the weekend, and I need to drinkcook so I decided to see how far I can modify this technique. So tonight we're having the classic dish Coq au Vin except I'm cooking it on a can on the grill.

I hope.

Anyhow, as a delightful prelude let's set some butter out to soften.

And then I'm off to Daughter's basketball game while it room temperaturizes.

Okay, now that it's all mush-like let's complete the process with half a teaspoon each of thyme and marjoram.

Cover that and put in the fridge for later.

Now in a large bowl put some wine, a couple cloves of chopped garlic, and some tarragon

Add the whole buzzard and drench with whatever is left in the bottle

Cover with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for a few hours to marinate.

a few hours...what to drink to occupy the time...

Well, since the weather is getting warmer methinks it's time to have some caipirinhas, no?

Since we last looked at these beauties I've both redone my kitchen (thanks be to Baby Jeebus) and gotten some pointers from some Brazilian friends on how to improve the recipe.

I've also gotten a decent wooden smasherooskie

Here's the new method: slice off the lime skin, as it adds bitterness

Lime nekkid!

One lime per highball, cut into eighths. Add 2 heapin' spoons of sugar

Gently yet firmly mash into an oozing pulp

add cachaça in roughly an equal volume

and then some ice and sip away!

Hmmm, interesting tasting cachaça, this brand "PiraPora".

Goodness, is my drink gone already? Maybe I'll have another using a different brand...

tra-la-la-la-la

mashmashmash

smells a little better

Tastes a little better too; a tad more smokey/sweet. Yum!

Now it's time to get the Bossa Nova going on the ipod.

I love killing time while the buzzard marinates!

Speaking of which, an hour or so has gone by, so time to flip.

Oh damn. Running low again.

Time to make another for my Bride...

Let's start preppin' those handsome sweet potatos

damndamndamn

Better switch to wine; another caipirinha and I might jump on the grill myself

Let's see how this is

This is quite tasty; very soft tannins and lots of full, forward fruit. And only $13!

Meanwhile, back at the Yammityville Horror...

wash, skin and chop up the yams

No, it's yam not lamb

and put them in a big pot of water

they'll take at least 45 minutes to cook; you don't need to start them yet, however

Now roughly chop an onion

it goes in the base tin under le buzzard.

Trim a large shallot for the neck opening

Place the onions in the base around the can holder.

Now I must most sincerely apologize for the choice in cans. with all my soul I intended to use a beer can, but the only can I had was a can of Coors, and when I emptied it (into moi, of course) I noticed it had a lining on the inside of it. The can claimed this was to keep the beer even 'fresher', but it looked to me like some sort of plastic lining, which is not something that I wanted to cook on a grill with, so I substituted a can from Daughter's most recent Shirley temple.

Anyhow, fill the can 2/3 of the way with a nice red wine and add a few cloves of garlic and some marjoram. This will boil up nicely while the buzzard cooks.

And now place Tweety on the holder

remember that herbed butter you made a few hours ago? Time to get it

time to get it and rub the outside of Tweety with it

place the big shallot in the neck opening and place a big glog of herbed butter on top of that

fill the base of the tin with the wine and garlic from the marinade

but don't fill it as full as I did. I have no idea how I managed to carry this outside to the grill without spilling wine all over the place...

have the grill at around 350º; this will cook Tweety in around two hours without burning

Find some way to occupy the first hour and 15 minutes or so

then start the sweet spuds a boilin'

after another 45 minute...why is that a thermometer in your chest or are you happy to see me?

Nurse Jones...scalpel!

Dump the spuds into a colander and add a stick of butter and some cinnamon to the pan

dump on the drained yamsters and mash away, mash away home

Slices look mighty yum

Now I did buy some broccoli to steam and have with this...but I was having too much fun drinking and never got around to making it. bah, who needs it!

It was quite tasty and very juicy. The can method is a fantastic way to cook chicken.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:24 PM | Comments (8)

While There Were No Bloody Slabs of Bingley Style Beef

...draining on the countertop, we WERE settling in for a delightful dinner of Jamaican jerk pork loin chops, black beans and rice, a major dad avocado/heirloom tomato/Maytag blue cheese stack...

...and delightful quaff, when WHAT should come ringy-dinging at the front door...?
None other than the Squid Terrorist with his latest public service message.

You'll notice the environmentally friendly aspect of it ~ a freestanding pedestal base, vice using a nasty spike through the miscreant's front lawn. Or duct taping it to his Suburban.

Ever the gentleman, our neighbor is (sometime before Daylight Savings kicks in) going to make the stop-sign ignoring criminal rue the day that flamingos became too expensive to flambé.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:59 PM | Comments (2)

Scene In NY

These two games caught my eye yesterday in a window on lower Broadway

Passover Slides and Ladders

and

Kosherland.

hehe. I love this stuff!

I wonder if Kosherland has a Goyim Sea?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:25 PM | Comments (1)

March 09, 2007

Don't Forget That 'Spring' in Your Step

...OR in the setting on your time pieces this weekend.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:54 AM | Comments (4)

More Stench In The Garden State

Gov. Corzine's $470,000 'gift' to his ex-girlfriend just never seems to go away. Now it seems that Carla Katz, who is paid $102,000 a year as head of the Communications Workers of America Local 1034, is fulfilling some long awaited plans for the house. Good for her; I just had some work done on my house too. She is a much better organizer than I could ever hope to be, however, for on her income she's able to fund a $550,000 'renovation' project:

Katz...began the long-planned renovation of the house in January. It includes a 3,200 square foot addition, a swimming pool and spa and a new septic system.

Her addition is twice the size of my whole house. The septic system is a nice touch, I thought. Maybe it has a marble-lined tank; come to think of it, it's more likely Teflon, given how none of the shit ever seems to stick to her or Corzine.

She must be using Hillary's broker too because on her modest salary, in addition to funding this little half-million dollar bit of handyman work about the house

A month earlier, state and county records show, Katz paid $1.1 million for a condominium in the same Hoboken building where Corzine lives. There was no record of a mortgage or a loan for either property, and Katz has refused to discuss the source of the money or anything about her personal finances.

Nice, huh?

Oh, and what's the most delicious part of this?

Katz, president of the largest local representing state employees, is currently in the midst of a major expansion and renovation of the house in Alexandria Township -- with nonunion labor.

The general contractor Katz hired for the job said yesterday he does not usually employ union workers, nor does his contract with Katz require that he do so.

"If she had wanted me to, sure, I would have. I've got no problem with that," Dorsey Reading, the contractor from Erwinna, Pa., said.

Katz said Reading was mistaken: "Of course I asked for the renovations to be made with union labor and the contractor has assured me that he's made all efforts to do so," she said in an e-mailed response to a phone message.

Katz declined to provide a copy of the contract showing the stipulation that union labor be used on the $550,000 project. She would not answer questions by phone.

The contractor later called back and said that upon further reflection he remembered Katz had asked him to use union workers: "I forgot we had talked about that at the beginning of the whole thing, months ago," Reading said. But, he added, because it was not a large project it was difficult to find union workers, and he has not hired any for the job.

Hehehe, I wonder what 'jogged' his memory...

As always, Enlighten NJ has more information on "NOLA on the Delaware".

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:06 AM | Comments (7)

March 08, 2007

CNBC's Market Watch

...notes something you don't see everywhere.

...Further underscoring the improved tone was the market's resilience in the face of weak February same-store sales. According to RetailMetrics, nearly two-thirds of retailers missed forecasts while the International Council of Shopping Centers-UBS sales tally rose a modest 2.4%, the smallest gain since last March and below the projected range of 2.5-3.0%. The coldest February since 1979 sidelined shoppers searching for spring fashions.

How inconvenient.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:37 PM | Comments (1)

It Was A Cruel Winter At Chateau Bingley

We lost a couple of the fledgling vines

to both the really hot/really cold Goreian stress of this schizophrenic season

and the brawny Gaian blusteries that swept across our littoral abode.

Hopefully the precious few that remain will blossom anew...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:47 AM | Comments (1)

March 07, 2007

Fucking Sick Little Weasel

Couey guilty in Lunsford murder case
Drifter convicted in kidnap, rape and suffocation of 9-year-old Fla. girl

...Her body was found in a shallow hole, encased in two black plastic trash bags. She had suffocated, and was found clutching a purple stuffed dolphin.

The jury next must decide to recommend whether Couey, 48, should be sentenced to death.

...The medical examiner, Dr. Steven Cogswell, testified during the trial that he found injuries consistent with sexual assault. He concluded the little girl suffocated after being buried alive, and said that she had managed to poke two fingers through the plastic bags before she died.

I think we can get all the bastard's body parts into one bag and save the state some money.

Of course, he doesn't get to wiggle his fingers either.

Makes it more like 'justice' that way.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:39 PM | Comments (12)

NASA Whacks Nowak

No surprise here, but you have to love the weaselly bureaucratic gobbledygook

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- An astronaut charged with trying to kidnap a woman she allegedly believed was a romantic rival was fired by NASA on Wednesday, a month after she was arrested in Florida.

NASA officials said Lisa Nowak's dismissal did not reflect on the space agency's belief in her guilt or innocence. The agency said it lacked an administrative system to handle the allegations.

"Because Nowak is a naval officer on assignment to NASA, rather than a NASA civil servant, she is not subject to administrative action by NASA," agency officials said in a statement.

I love that. "We don't have the administrative system to handle the allegations". Nothing about "we really don't want some nut job riding horse on our trillion dollar toys". If "[her] dismissal did not reflect on the space agency's belief in her guilt or innocence", then may I ask what it does reflect on?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:52 PM | Comments (9)

File This Under "What???"

I'm told those magnetic wrist bracelets help arthritis, but as for this...

What the heck was this guy up to and why did he think that flying on a plane with an electronic device stuffed up his rectum was acceptable?

An Iraqi immigrant with a suspicious device stuffed into a body cavity was detained at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday and a Philadelphia-bound jetliner was diverted to Las Vegas because his luggage was aboard, authorities said.

The device and the luggage were cleared by bomb squads in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

"There never was a threat," said Larry Fetters, security director at Los Angeles International Airport for the federal Transportation Security Administration.

Fadhel Al-Maliki, 35, of Atlantic City, N.J., was held for a mental evaluation and for a possible immigration violation, federal officials said.

"Held for a mental evaluation". Ya think?

And I wonder how they decided which member of the bomb squad had to "clear the device". Blech. And like lawhawk asks: "If the individual was stopped and prevented from flying, why were his bags allowed to continue on with the flight?"

TSA is an expensive joke at times.

And what would a non suspicious device stuffed into a body cavity be?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:12 AM | Comments (6)

March 06, 2007

Soliciting Advice

...from those in the know. Help! Help! Ebola has a shot at 2 months rent free in Houston to look for employment. What should someone new to the burg know about it? Things to watch out for, hot industries, etc., if you don't mind sharing. I, of course, am losing my mommy mind that our baby is going to be 400+ miles away, but I'll get over it and Lord knows there's nothing in humble Bangla-cola. Feel free to email me if you're more comfortable with that. We can use all the advice we can get. Thanks!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:44 PM | Comments (8)

You Selfish Bastard

How could you do this to your daughter?

BEDFORD, Indiana (AP) -- The man whose small plane slammed into his former mother-in-law's house, killing him and his 8-year-old daughter, had told his ex-wife before the crash he had the girl "and you're not going to get her," the mother-in-law said Tuesday.

Eric Johnson, a student pilot who had soloed before, strapped daughter Emily into the passenger seat of a leased, single-engine Cessna on Monday morning. Less than two hours later, officials said, the plane smashed into the home of Vivian Pace, the girl's grandmother.

Pace told reporters outside her damaged home Tuesday that Johnson called her daughter, Beth Johnson, by cell phone shortly before the crash.

He told his ex-wife: "I've got her, and you're not going to get her," she said.

This just makes me sick to my stomach.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:05 PM | Comments (4)

What Do You Think Of When You Think "Alamo"?

The Duke?

Renting cars in Denmark?

("Und øll de miles yar Frëe")

Well, I think of our beloved Tree Hugging Sister, whose birthday it is today!

Happy Birthday, Sis!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:57 AM | Comments (26)

Edwards "Heart" Jeebus

Put your hands on the radio, friends, because the Panderin' Prince in the Pompadour is back and feedin' that fiery furnace of pharisean phfun!

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards says Jesus would be appalled at how the United States has ignored the plight of the suffering, and that he believes children should have private time to pray at school.

Edwards, in an interview with the Web site Beliefnet.com, said Jesus would be most upset with the selfishness of Americans and the country's willingness to go to war "when it's not necessary."

"I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs," Edwards told the site. "I think he would be appalled, actually."

Edwards also said he was against teacher-led prayers in public schools, but he added that "allowing time for children to pray for themselves, to themselves, I think is not only OK, I think it's a good thing."

Edwards then left in his new official campaign vehicle...

I'm sure this will go over great with his ex-blogging staff...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:40 AM | Comments (3)

March 05, 2007

I'd Like to Offer a Different Perspective

The ACCENT may be BAD, but she does 'FAKE'...

...really well.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:31 PM | Comments (5)

"George Bush Don't Care About Black People..."

"...and I don't care about that 'ho Gaia"

LONDON, England (AP) -- If Kanye West were to walk into the British Raj's dining room and order dinner, it would cost the rapper about $17.50. But since the restaurant is delivering -- from Wales to New York -- it's going to cost a bit more.

For a feast of onion bhajees, chapati breads, biryanis, pappadums, a specially prepared fish dish and vegetables on the side, the bill will top $3,900, plus travel and accommodation for the restaurant's head chef.

The meal was requested for West and seven guests by a music promotion company, the restaurant said Sunday. The company had previously ordered food from the restaurant near Cardiff, Wales, for an after-show party for a Snoop Dogg concert in London.

I don't even want to think about the greenhouse gasses that will be emitted a few hours after the meal.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:54 PM | Comments (1)

March 04, 2007

I Wonder If Those of Us Stateside Will Get to See This

..."I am a science journalist and in my career I have been told by eminent scientists that black holes do not exist and it is impossible that continents move, but in science the experts are usually wrong.

"For me this is a cracking science story – I don’t come from any political position and I’m certainly not funded by the multinationals, although my bank manager would like me to be..."

..."It’s ridiculous to see politicians arguing over whether they will allow the global temperature to rise by 2C or 3C."

Mr Stott said the film could mark the point where scientists advocating the greenhouse effect theory, began to lose the argument.

I sure hope so.

And how odd that today's M-W Word of the Day is:

nostrum \NAHSS-trum\ noun

1 : a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness
2 : a usually questionable remedy or scheme : panacea

Cosmic, eh?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:08 PM | Comments (3)

March 03, 2007

I'm So Ronery, Part 2

Well, a few hours have gone by and I've shockingly cracked open a bottle of wine

The Terrazas 2005 Malbec is an excellent wine. Rated 88 or so by, oh hell I forget who but it is quite yum BUT you must let it breathe in the glass for 30 minutes before you quaff. I'm serious. If you pour a glass and drink it right away it has quite a bite on the finish. trust me, let this wine open up and it will be one of the finest $11 bottles you have ever had.

Anyhow, as I related below, I'm all alonesome and decided to make some steak au poive to assuage my lonelitude. The recipe for the steak is from a cookbook by my fellow UVa alum William Rice.

What's required are two filets

1 1/2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns
1 tbl unsalted butter
2 tbl olive oil
2 tbl cognac
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream.

I love that name...whipping cream.

Anyhow...

Put the crushed pepper on a plate

and coat each filet with the pepper and set them aside to come to room temp

While the filets are experiencing global warmering it's time to work on the side dish. I am a big fan of broccoli rabe, and I have a tasty recipe that I've coagulated from various sources. What you need for Bingley Rabe™ is the following:

1/3 lb sweet italian sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 small anchovy tin, drained
minced garlic to taste (i.e. a lot)
chicken stock
thyme
crushed rosemary
1/2 lb broccoli rabe
1 1/2 tbl olive oil (extra virgin if you've got one to spare)
2 15 oz (or so) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Brown the sausage

Check to make sure there's enough cognac left. And there's not. So if you're out of Rémy

No one will complain if you upgrade the hootch to Courvoisier

Remember, your guests deserve the finest.

Or you do, if you're dining alone like I am.

And don't forget the wine

OH DAMN!!!

Where's the corkscrew..Anyhow, while the sausage is gesizzling open and drain the anchovies

Drain off the sausage juice and return to the heat, adding the anchovies, about half the tin, and the olive oil

let that cook over med/low heat for a few minutes until the anchovies have basically disintegrated, then add the onions

Let that slowly cook for a few minutes then get the garlic ready

While you're peeling the garlic don't forget your bestest buddy who's lying at your feet

Dump the garlic in the pan and let it sauté with the other yummies

when the onions are mostly clear add the beans, thyme, rosemary and enough chicken stock to cover

Make sure you are well hydrated

Bring to a boil

then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cover for 20-25 minutes or so.

**Gratuitous Gadget Plug**

I love my Oxo can opener. it's one of those funky ones that opens the lid from below, so there are no sharp edges, no little metal curls falling in your food

Deep breath. Ah.

okay,.. Now rinse the broccoli rabe (I don't chop it; I like the longer pieces, so I cut it straight from the bundle from the store)

and plop it on top of the bean mixture

Now, as an aside, this is an autofocus camera. I know I'm getting somewhat tipsy, but the camera should still be in focus, darn it!

Oh well. replace the cover and let that cook over the lowish heat.

Now, back in Steakville, in a decent sized pan heat the olive oil and butter over fairly high heat

When it's pretty darn hot add the filets

cook for roughly 4 minutes and then flip...and try not to notice the splatters all over the stove

cook for another 4 minutes and remove to a plate

pour out the grease in the pan but DO NOT wipe it out; in a separate small sauce pan heat the cognac to a boil

put the filets back in the original pan and pour the boiling cognac on top of them...and ignite with a long-handled match

shake the pan about as the flames burn out to burn off all the fat and loosen all the tasty bits; once the flames are out transfer the filets to the plate. Sneak a quick peek at the beans

Add the heavy cream to the cognacy pan

and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or so as the sauce thickens and collects all the tasty vittles that are in the pan

spoon the sauce over the filets, add the beans and broccoli rabe mix

and enjoy

Oh baby I love you

Why do I feel like having a cigarette...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:11 PM | Comments (7)

I'm So Ronery

Well, I took my Bride to the airport today. She's going out of town to spend a few days with her pop and daughter is off on a church retreat this weekend so that leaves me all alone.

Well not completely.

But as you can see he's bummed too. While I do have a few friends here to help me pass the time

my main thoughts have turned to food. What to eat... garlic pizza? While that's always a fave I've set my sights higher...

Tenderloin!

I have a hankerin' to have steak au poive for dinner tonight, and I refuse to pay $20 a pound at the store for a few filets, so I bought a whole tenderloin at Costco

and I'm going to trim the beastie myself. It's really not that difficult to do, and as you can see from the price tag it is much cheaper per pound to do this yourself. While $80 is nothing to sneeze at we'll get at least 4 full meals out of a tenderloin this size which makes it an affordable treat. I must warn you Gentle Reader that I'm self-taught in the Sam Peckinpah method of trimming out a filet, however, and I won't object if any of you offer corrections to my technique.

Anyhow, first thing I do is cut off the end of the Cryovac bag and let the excess blood drain.

After it's reasonably drained remove the rest of the bag and behold Jabba's Tongue

Start by peeling off the plastic-like membrane and loose fat

You'll notice that the tip really is not useful for steaks, so I cut off about 3" from the tip and cut it into smallish cubes

Oh, you know what's coming, don't you? Look at that tail all a-blur!

Who's your buddy?

Meanwhile Bing the Ripper™ keeps trimming of sinew and excess fat globs

Trim trim trim

Back so soon?

Dude, if I haven't started drinking yet there's no way you're getting seconds.

Anyhow, now that it's reasonably trimmed I cut off a big hunk of the top for the Chateaubriand that I'll freeze and make at a later date

Finish the trimming on this 3lb or so hunk

and then wrap it first in plastic wrap and then tinfoil for the journey to the freezer

Now back to finishing the liposuction on the filet section

and then slice it into filets roughly 1 1/2" thick

As you can see there's, what, 10 filets? Not bad. So 2 packs of 4 each go into the freezer

and two go on a plate and into the fridge for my dinner.

And now that I've put away the very sharp knife it's time for me to pop open the first bottle

of many

and relax for a few hours before I start cooking.

Cheers!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:57 PM | Comments (23)

Ann Again

I think Bryan has it just right:

“I’d say something about John Edwards, but if you say ‘faggot’ you have to go to rehab.”

I’m no fan of John Edwards, but that’s just a stupid joke. It’s over the line. The laughter it generated across the room was more than a little annoying.

Last year it was “raghead.” This year it’s calling John Edwards a “faggot.” Two years in a row, Coulter has finished up an otherwise sharp CPAC routine with an obnoxious slur that liberals will fling at conservatives for years to come.

Thanks, Ann.

Regardless of what you think of Edwards this type of comment in a public forum is uncalled for and should be condemned. I don't care what people say in private, and I don't care if the meaning she intended was more "effeminate" than "homosexual"; it doesn't matter. This is Ann just trying to get Anna Nicole Smith from the headlines.

If I say "Media Whore" does that mean I have to go to rehab too?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:18 AM | Comments (8)

March 02, 2007

Darn You Chimpy McBushitler!

First you destroy the Earth, and now you're ruining Mars as well!

Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human- induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory.

Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Mars, too, appears to be enjoying more mild and balmy temperatures.

In 2005 data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps" near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row.

Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of the St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun.

"The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars," he said.

Abdussamatov believes that changes in the sun's heat output can account for almost all the climate changes we see on both planets.

Mars and Earth, for instance, have experienced periodic ice ages throughout their histories.

"Man-made greenhouse warming has made a small contribution to the warming seen on Earth in recent years, but it cannot compete with the increase in solar irradiance," Abdussamatov said.

Yet another fine project from Halliburton World Slaying, LLC.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:54 AM | Comments (6)

March 01, 2007

Maybe He Should Just Ask Kucinich

And I guess this guy doesn't object to the word "alien"

OTTAWA (AFP) - A former Canadian defense minister is demanding governments worldwide disclose and use secret alien technologies obtained in alleged UFO crashes to stem climate change, a local paper said Wednesday. "I would like to see what (alien) technology there might be that could eliminate the burning of fossil fuels within a generation ... that could be a way to save our planet," Paul Hellyer, 83, told the Ottawa Citizen.

Alien spacecrafts would have traveled vast distances to reach Earth, and so must be equipped with advanced propulsion systems or used exceptional fuels, he told the newspaper.

..."We need to persuade governments to come clean on what they know. Some of us suspect they know quite a lot, and it might be enough to save our planet if applied quickly enough," he said.

But do we really need

when we already have the ACME Mfg Co?

Just look at their products:

Mr. President, why are you hiding ACME products from us?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:24 PM | Comments (6)

An Appropriately Named School Paper

At the school where she "taught"

CLINTON, S.C. (AP) -- Authorities say a 23-year-old female middle school teacher was arrested Thursday, accused of having sex with five boys in locations including the school, at a motel, in a park and behind a restaurant.

the paper is "The Prowler Newsletter"...

Just what the fluctuation is going on with these women? I just don't get it. There have been (seemingly) so many cases of these women in their 20's schtupping 13 and 14 years olds. It completely baffles me.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:01 AM | Comments (8)