Monday, June 30, 2014

Today's Supper Was...

Pinchitos Morunos:



The seasoning for them can be found at Amazon.

Today's Recommended Read

The Curse of Cain.

Excerpt:

It is when we forget that he becomes truly dangerous. When Abel and Cain cannot be told apart, then Cain can pretend that he is the victim and that Abel was the killer. The blood soaks into the earth and he washes his hands of it and pretends that he knows nothing about it. Men begin playing detectives, they search for the root cause of Cain's crimes and try to understand what provoked him this time.

But even when the Lord does not speak to men, the blood can still be heard crying from the earth. A thousand years of blood, the blood of men, women and children from every race and every part of the world.

Cain has made a mountain of corpses. His Caliphate was built on bones. His code is cruelty and his holy book is written in blood on the flayed skins of his murdered victims.

A thousand years of blood calls from the earth. The cries of peoples long vanished from the earth warn us that we will either drive out Cain or his curse will fill our lands with blood and dust and all that we love and all that we have worked for will die at his cursed touch.


Two Reviews...

...of Charlotte's own Midwood Smokehouse barbecue restaurant:

100 Best Barbecue Restaurants In America.

Barbecue Brothers.

Friday, June 27, 2014

More Whole Hog

This from the Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC. Just look for the restaurant with the US Capitol dome on the roof.




h/t Barbecue Bros.

Traveler's Advisory

Best avoid Virginia Beach this weekend:

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Whole Hog

A really great film from Southern Foodways Alliance.

I must admit I was confused at first with the claim that Lexington is a whole-hog hotbed, until I realized that they were referring to Lexington, Tennessee. Lexington, North Carolina is, of course, known for cooking pork shoulders only; it's in the eastern coastal plain of North Carolina where the pitmasters cook whole hogs as opposed to shoulders.

"It's really a strange industry with strange people." I LOL'd at that line.

Whole Hog from Joe York on Vimeo.

Nine Sacketts and Two Kerbouchards

I've been re-reading a bunch of Louis L'Amour's books lately, after about a 20-year break. In his afterword to Ride The River, Louis promised ten more Sackett novels, one of which (Jubal Sackett) he completed before his untimely death. He also promised two more Kerbouchard novels, and those, of course, were never written, either. I was living in Spain when Louis died, and by great good fortune I had written to him not long before and gotten his autograph on a self-addressed, stamped postcard, which I still have, and treasure.

Personally I think that Louis L'Amour's novels should be taught in US schools, starting at around age ten or so, as examples of what makes this country great: honesty, self-reliance, the importance of family and the value of hard work to achieve one's dreams.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Quote of the Day

"SFWA is not a professional organization, but a sort of fluffer’s club for people who wish to kiss up to publishers."

That would be the Science Fiction Writers of America, for those of you who haven't been following the saga of Left Vs. Right in the SF/F world.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Indoctrination Chronicles #13

Indoctrination is much easier when only one viewpoint is allowed in school:

A Woodbury High Schooler claims he uncovered political bias in the implementation of a firewall blocking some political Web sites at his school.

18-year-old Andrew Lampart, a senior at Nonnewaug High School, said he made the discovery when he was doing research for a classroom debate on gun control in May. Lampart said he first noticed that he could not get on the web site for the National Rifle Association.

“So, I went over to the other side. And I went over on sites such as Moms Demand Action or Newtown Action Alliance and I could get on these Web sites but not the others,” Lampart said.

Lampart investigated further, by broadening his search terms to Connecticut’s political parties.

“I immediately found out that the State Democrat web site was unblocked but the State GOP web site was blocked.”

Lampart even looked at Web sites focusing on abortion issues and religion. He found that “right-to-life” groups were blocked by the public school firewall but that Planned Parenthood and Pro-Choice America were not. He also tried to get on web sites such as Christianity.com and the Vatican’s web site but both were blocked. Islam-guide.com he found, was not.


Yet Another Reason To Go Heeled

Beaver attack.

So, what gun would you carry for canoeing in mad beaver country? I'm thinking a stainless or Airweight J-frame Smith & Wesson in .38 Special.

Well, It's Not Quite "Sh*t Fire and P*ss Kerosene...

...but some turtles breathe through their butts and others pee through their mouths.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

My New Patron Saint

St. Germaine Cousin:

Saint Germaine Cousin is the patron of unattractive people, peasant girls, abuse victims, handicapped people, and abandoned people. She was abused as a child and forced to be a shepherdess at age 9. Saint Germaine Cousin abandoned her flock for Mass but professed that her guardian angel was watching them and no sheep was ever harmed during her absence. Once in winter she opened her apron and summer flowers came out which was an obvious miracle. Saint Germaine Cousin's body was found incorruptible over 100 years after her death and her feast day is June 15th.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Showing My Age, I Guess

Saw the following graphic/poll over on Facebook just now:



And the great Michael Dunn isn't even on that list.





Thursday, June 12, 2014

"This Is the Time of Festering"

Independent journalist and Middle East authority Michael Totten brings the pain on Iraq:

Arab governments complain when we intervene and they complain when we don't intervene. Basically, they complain no matter what. So asking what they want is pointless. It takes a while to notice this trend over time, but there it is. They have not stopped to consider the consequences of this behavior, but those consequences are about to become apocalyptic for Nouri al-Maliki.

“We’ll kill you if you mess with us, but otherwise go die” is not even close to my preferred foreign policy, but it’s what President Barack Obama prefers (phrased much more nicely, of course) and it’s what the overwhelming majority of Americans prefer, including most liberals as well as conservatives.

Still, it’s only a matter of time before we get sucked in kicking and screaming one way or another. Because the Middle East isn’t Las Vegas. What happens there doesn’t stay there.


Thad and the Critters

"THAD COCHRAN: I GREW UP DOING 'ALL KINDS OF INDECENT THINGS WITH ANIMALS'"

Thad must be trying to win some votes with the diversity crowd. Can't think that PETA approves, though.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

I Wonder...

...if, with the $15 "living wage," that it's now ok in the Seattle-Tacoma area to not tip? Or do the arrogant servers still expect that, as well?

"NEW SURCHARGE COVERS CITY’S $15 MINIMUM WAGE."

Jobs That Americans *Will* Do

Collard Cutter, Chitlin Cleaner.

Thursday, June 05, 2014

Sets a Bad Example...

...if you let dissatisfied sections of your country just up and leave, you know?

"Barack Obama suggests Scotland should stay in UK."

Otherwise, you end up being the President of New York, California and Illinois.

Don Zimmer, 1931-2014: R.I.P.

The colorful, much-traveled baseball lifer has died at 83.

Man spent 65 years in baseball. I remember him as the manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1978 when Bucky Dent sent one over the Big Green Monster and broke Boston's heart. Managed the Cubs into the playoffs, was Joe Torre's bench coach on 4 World Series teams...what a great character and ambassador for baseball.

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Once Again, Life Imitates Monty Python....

...this time in Lufkin, Texas, where a catfish was allegedly used as a slapping weapon:

Texas police are still investigating to see if they can hook anyone with charges after an alleged fish-slapping incident over the weekend.

During the incident in Lufkin, a woman supposedly slapped her sister-in-law in the face face with a dead catfish.


There is, of course, nothing new under the sun:





Sunday, June 01, 2014