Yesterday several overly-entitled young people decided it would be a jolly gape to release crickets at the LGB Alliance conference as the LGBA famously does not centre trans people but are concerned with sexual orientation. The outbreak was contained and the conference continued to its conclusion with just one session being slightly curtailed (that of Jamie Reed's). 4 out of the 6 were detained (and then released into parental custody after the police took their details). I do hope they are 1. charged for the deep clean the venue will have to do. 2. charged with violating various Public Health laws and 3. charged with an aggravated hate crime offence as they deliberately targeted a protected characteristic, namely same-sex orientation. Crickets from Stonewall on the hate crime btw. So much for advocating for gay rights... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/11/suspected-trans-protesters-release-hundreds-crickets/ or https://archive.ph/u6F3V
Good on the reporter. There's no such thing as a ProPalestinian protestor unless they're holding signs that say, "Send the hostages home. Destroy your weapons. Make peace with your neighbor."
Glad they've charged the cricket bandits. Silly thing to do, and yes they should pay for the cleanup. I don't think it should be a "hate crime", as I thoroughly reject the notion. All crime is hateful, or it wouldn't be a crime, and since I think we are all entitled to equal justice and protection under the law, why should only certain people get "extra justice" when someone does something evil to them? An elderly woman murdered on the street in a random act of maliciousness is a lesser victim than a man murdered for his orientation?
It wasn't in food. It was in the hall and it was to stop Jamie Reed, the St Louis whistle blower from speaking about her experiences. They were trying to use a 'heckler's veto'. Because the venue is a public space which does serve food, they were breaking several public health laws.
It was a pointless protest which merely served to aggravate people.
The photos I saw showed some of the insects had escaped before they opened the boxes and were in fact crawling over the entitled brats. People pointed out that there was also animal cruelty laws in play. Hopefully they suffered some discomfort from insects.
. The fact they would be the first to scream -- hate speech, hateful thoughts and thought this gave them justification for their action makes their actions against another protected characteristic all the more hypocritical.
Michelle, an excellent round (!again!) of UK news. I agree (Bruce) that while only crickets- the whole thing was “premeditated”, as in intentionality planned, albeit a tad haphazardly based on the way it went down. Given everything going on in the world & incessant desire to be heard anytime about anything, any way they see fit. They, being the growing number of groups whose v energy is derived from that old sense of entitlement. What a statement to the rule of law, & basic human decency, if the consequences you outlined above, Michelle were actually pursued & a follow article up w/ pics showing that group *not* only cleaning up, etc. but the press covering evenhandedly the whole of the incident straight through to the aftermath, the cause & effect. Accountability, consequences.
The penalty for murder is life imprisonment in both cases so the hate crime legislation has no effect there.
As I said I can understand why it came about -- it is a factor in the sentencing of the crime. For example, if someone decides to takes an axe to a restaurant's window because they were fired v someone taking an axe to a restaurant's window because the restaurant happened to be owned by someone who was Jewish. it goes to the why a crime was committed. You need to remember the UK did suffer from sectarian violence as a result of the Troubles.
In both cases, the act is one of hate - one hate in general, and one hate in specific for being fired. Both are hate crimes, and both victims suffered equally - I see no difference, other than the person doing the charging thinking that the motives of one assailant are somehow superior to the others. Thought crimes.
Agree, I hate the concept of hate crime laws. As if to say it’s worse to kill someone because they’re gay than because you want their money. Stupid. Makes me angry.
I think even worse than Free Speech impingements are so-called "aggravated hate crime offence[s}." We have more than enough laws on our books. An assault is an assault, regardless of the motivation. Same with harassment. These laws are idiotic and foolish and should all be repealed and sent to the scrap heap - along with the meddlesome Aunt Polly's who promulgate them.
The hate crime aggravation has been on the books since the 1980s at least. It matters in the sentencing, and does have to be proved. It bumps the offence up a category. There is a lot taken into account when sentencing. You can't simply charge someone with a 'hate crime', they have to have committed a chargeable offence in the first place. And the proving of it can be difficult. But I can see why they came about.
In this case, does it make it worse that they targeted a LGB conference because of their sexual orientation or is it the same as releasing crickets at say a conference on food just because they didn't happen to like the venue?
The tactic is v much a PallyAlly tactic btw. They first did to Netanyahu at hotel he was staying at in NYC I believe -- maggots and crickets.
Longevity doesn't equate to wisdom. As evidenced by the aging hippie Kamala voters. What does "hate" even mean? And who gets to pick the categories? If I despise Islamic extremists (almost the entirety of that death cult) does that make me a "hater" for being against mayhem, misogyny and murder? A just codes made to enforce behavior and beliefs du jour.
It all depends. If you decide to firebomb a mosque and then seek to excuse it because of your beliefs, then yes it does. Or indeed any place of worship.
If you merely point out the difference in philosophical beliefs and why you do not consider such beliefs to be valid or commiserate with Western values that does not make you a 'hater' as such. You need to commit the crime before the legislation comes into play, something which many people fail to appreciate.
Committing a crime has nothing to do with it! It is about marginalized dissenters that matters. Notice how when Trump speaks people accuse him of "lying", yet when Harris or Watz speaks it is either a "misstatement', or it is because Waltz is a "knucklehead". Even lying has become subjective today!
This is where we differ. Committing a crime has everything to do with it! Without the crime first having been committed, there is no such thing as a 'hate crime'. Speech can be rude or offensive but it is not a crime unless it is directly inciting violence (and even that would be hard to prove!)
As luck would have it, I was listening to the Rest is Politics -- US this morning and Anthony Saramucci (who loathes Trump and thus one always has to have that in one's mind) made precisely this point about subjectiveness. People have noticed and are not fooled. The Democrats and MSM (if you will) are showing their bias and people don't like it. In fact they are getting irritated and is costing the Democrats support. They don't like mealy-mouthed politicians who take them for fools or worse. One of the reasons people like Trump is that he is deliberately rude. He has worked out that he doesn't have to be 'liked' by everyone, just enough people to get him over the line as it were. It is part of his genius if you will. I thought an interesting observation.
To take it away from Trump, look at Kemi Badenoch -- one of her big things is that she is going to tell like it is, even when people might not want to hear it. Ordinary members of Conservative party think plain speaking is great and a refreshing change from 'spin'. She is now in pole position to be the next Conservative leader. It will be amusing to see how Starmer reacts if she does get it because Starmer likes to play Identity Politics. Kemi is of course a woman of Nigerian descent who was born in the UK but grew up in Nigeria, returning when she was a late teen.
We are back to the 70s when “situational ethics” was used to justify unethical behavior. Then we moved on to “the end justify the mesns”to justify unconstitutional tactics. Now we have “Hate Sprech or Crime” to remove people from their employment or just suppress their speach and obey the party line.
"What does "hate" even mean?" Yes, I am always struck by the meaninglessness of that term. Or rather, the poly-meaning of that word, depending on what the speaker is intending to accomplish. Case in point is a commercial that I have seen a number of times that encourages people to "Fight Hate"! What the hell does THAT mean, and what form does "FIGHT" take? It is an open invitation to attack whoever expresses a view that they do not agree with. We need to highlight this meaninglessness to bring it to peoples' attention. But this only highlights my personal philosophy of, "People are stupid, and choose and vote for people and ideas that are not in their own self-interests because it FEELS good!"
Hate in the context of 'hate crime' means a certain amount of premeditation. That it was not a random crime but one carried out because of highly specific motivations.
This is very different from the vacuous commercials which are deliberately nebulous and don't really do anything. If anything to my mind, they make the problem worse. Among other things they infantilise people and gloss over problems. They also encourage people to come up with motivations for other people's actions which may or may not be correct.
Marketing and the growth of advertising has a lot to answer for. The manipulation of people and the study of how to do that is actually v sinister. And it has been used for some very sinister purposes. I do think people are losing the ability to tell what is propaganda and what is not. The whole nudge principle does backfire and erode trust.
I've instinctively felt repulsed by the "hate crime" moniker. Is it OK for me to say that I hate it? What utter b.s., ramping up the charge on a white person beating up a black person, but not the reverse. Assault is assault, full stop. I can only see this distinction being made for crimes against the elderly. Any color person attacking an elderly person. Other than that, the whole "hate crime" industry belongs in a dustbin. It even makes me spit bile, I hate the implication so much. Whatever you do, don't say something mean to those innocent people who aren't white...
In the UK if you beat someone because they were white that would be charged as a racially aggravated hate crime because being white is as much a protected characteristic as being another skin tone. It is why one of the Asians involved in stoking up last summer's riots got jail time for racially aggravated hatred. The legislation in the UK is symmetrical on this.
Another case would be where a gang of black youths deliberately targeted elderly Chinese women because they knew the Chinese were more likely to suffer from face blindness and be unable to pick them out from the line up. Should they get a stuffer sentence than random targets?
It is a lethal martial art developed by a Imi Lichtenfeld who used his training as a boxer and wrestler to defend Jewish neighborhoods against anti-Semitic attackers in the 1930s He later moved to Israel and developed Krav Maga into the combat system that was adopted by the IDF and particularly its special forces.
It depends on the section of the population you talk to.
Guardian readers are one section which are over-represented in the elite imho. Not so much elsewhere. The Far Left are better understood as the small political force that they are. ALthough sometimes they get outsized attention.
People generally support religion as a private matter and do not to have it thrust into their face. It is v much live and let live. They dislike it when certain sections appear to get privileges, not accorded to them
. There are reasons why Reform was well supported, particularly in Labour areas in the north.
Jenrick has done well by really pivoting towards the problems of immigration and integration in his bid for the Conservative party leadership.
The police will often charge. It is up to the prosecution to prove it though and the bar is high and so the charges are often dropped. It is actually v hard to prove. But basically it is a crime which is solely motivated by loathing of a particular protected characteristic. In the UK the protected characteristics are -- age, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, religion or belief.
The judge then has to sentence on that basis. But it is up to the jury to find it true beyond reasonable doubt.
Cheers from Dallas! My college roommate’s gf had German ancestry and took German-I love its compound nouns. Your stops in small town America sound like a great way to see the places many folks flyover or bypass. I’ve had some good friends from Missouri and have been to St Louis, Branson, Kansas City and took the train from Springfield to near Lake of the Ozarks. From Louis and Clark to the Missouri Compromise, the Dred Scott decision, as the birthplace of arguably our greatest 19th Century author Mark Twain and a couple consequential 20th Century Presidents (Truman and Ike), its place in the story of our country has often been pivotal.
I’m up ridiculously early preparing for a full Saturday of fair going and football. I’ll be taking notes on the absurdly unhealthy oneupmanship (personship? How do I correct for sexist language on that one?) of the foods here at the Texas State Fair in hopes of maybe a crafting a guest post that can reignite some comment controversy among this consistently compelling concatenation of consciousnesses. If a bread recipe can do it, imagine the fun of deep friend Mars bars with jalapeño and caramel? Have a nice weekend and of course safe travels.
Here the weather is good, but still too warm and no rain again. Watering will be necessary, though I mind it less knowing it means no rain on our neighbors to the east who are cleaning up from Helene.
I tried to stay out of the news yesterday as I was off from work and wanted a day of true rest, but Kamala Harris' minions were all over the TV telling me about how Trump was giving the billionaires tax breaks, and she would be sure they would pay their "fair share". I nearly needed a new TV. Sad, but so many will lap that up without any knowledge or frankly any care how it actually works - they just know somebody else has more than them, and shouldn't that person be taken down a notch?
Nothing less than a landslide win for Trump/Vance will abate some of the silliness in our public discussions. Notice that I didn't say "eliminate" in reference to the silliness, because political intercourse is rife with silliness. In fact, it is REQUIRED of ALL candidates from BOTH parties. One thing is for sure, no matter the election results, Trump will be washed from the public domain, and the Democrats' venality and shallow thinking will be curtailed for a time.
Much of it started when the clownish Clinton answered the idiotic query "briefs or boxers?" Could you imagine Eisenhower's or Reagan's reaction? But the old (then young) Satyr just chuckled away It was all downhill from there with our witless Fourth Estate (and patent Fifth Column).
AMP -lovely day here in NY too and temp just perfect (70's) but also NO RAIN for maybe 2 weeks?? I'll be busy watering too. Been putting in numerous perennials and small trees, and then there's the tomatoes, peppers and cukes to keep going! But I'll take this dry spell over what FL and NC etc. just had to deal w/. We never rest easy (on the hurricane front) until after Halloween though (Sandy anniversary!)
I like to cook. In fact, I ~love~ to cook, especially for friends and family. And I’m fairly good at it. But for years, I sensed that something was missing. Eventually I realized it was the presentation: “the first bite is with the eyes”—it’s not enough to taste great; it has to look great, too.
So I started paying close attention to how the pros do it. For years, I had been using textured glass plates, which I had in abundance. They’re serviceable, and inexpensive. But if you’re showcasing something, they don’t “pop out” the visuals. So I bought some white plates at World Market. And voila! With that simple—and seriously inexpensive—move, the presentation jumped a few quantum steps. The direct parallel would be between painting on a canvas and painting on distorting glass. The food, prepared identically, seemed to taste better. I’d say that is, of course, impossible, but….
About 15-20 years ago, I was at a wine tasting and the guy doing the talking and selling had us sit down at some prepared place settings. Before us was a pair of wine glasses and a small glass of water. One was a sort of mass production glass with a rolled rim, the other a Riedel glass with a thin, delicate cut upper edge. As he describes the wine, he opens the bottle and pours a little into each glass.
Without making any suggestion of what to expect, he tells us to taste a little wine from the first glass, which we do. Nothing special. We drink a little water. Then he tells us to taste the wine in the second glass. It’s magic: it tastes totally different—and much better—from the wine in first glass. But it’s the same wine!! We watched him open the bottle and nonchalantly pour it right in front of us. Had I not experienced it, I would never in a million years have believed it.
To this day, I still have no clue why this happens, but it does with almost all wines I like, and even with some I don’t particularly care for. When friends of mine doubt the story, I show them with a couple of el cheapo wine glasses I keep for just that purpose. The difference isn’t at all subtle. In fact, the difference is so stark they often laugh when they experience it, like you might when a magician pulls off a great trick.
Probably the same with prime rib on a styrofoam plate. While food speaks for itself, one aspect of the delicacy is how it looks on the plate.
I don’t expect people to accept this at face value. I do, however, encourage those who enjoy wine to try the experiment. There are lots of excellent crystal wine glass manufacturers, so it probably matters little which one you go with. But thin glass well made is the key.
We got to keep the wine glasses after the tasting. No fools they.
Yes they've done studies about meals served on slightly heavier plates having a similar effect - those on heavy plates tasted "better".
The Infinite Monkey Cage podcast from the BBC did an episode in December of 2022 about why wine tastes the way it does, and it's worth a listen. Fascinating stuff. If you're not familiar with the podcast, it's one of my all time favorites - science and humor so a great laugh and learn at the same time. Disclaimer: it's typical BBC for its leanings, so just have to know that going in - still great fun.
A study done a while back using a machine to deliver sips of wine to blindfolded participants from different glasses found there was no difference in the perception of taste if one could not see the glass. Even the director of Reidel acknowledged the truth of the study. If we taste wine from a beautiful glass, we simply believe it is better.
Could be. But the difference is pretty dramatic. Try it yourself. I went into it with a strong bias against what I experienced.
That said, there are plenty visual illusions that sure look real, but aren’t. Same might be true for taste. Color me skeptical, but I’d be first in line to try the experiment.
Joe, I’m with you. I’ve been a wine geek for decades, have about 8,000 bottles in my cellar and much of my social time is spent at wine lunches and dinners with like minded friends. I love my Reidel sommerlier glasses and agree that wine seems to taste better from them. The same article I was talking about included a session where a group was presented two wines; the first, according to the presenter, was a cheap bulk produced low cost wine and the second, according to the presenter was a high end wine served at the best restaurants. Needless to say everyone thought the second wine very good and the first not so good. The presenter then informed them that both wines were the same wine. The finding was if you think/believe something is/will be/should be better, it will be.
In the early 2000s, when I was pretty flush, I bought a fair number of Bordeaux futures. Some very high end. Stored them in a wine refrigerator. The whole nine yards. Couple of years ago, I decided it was time to give them a try. Turns out I really don't care for them--I prefer big California wines, especially from the Wagner family. I've been trying to find someone(s) to swap what I've got for, say Caymus cabs, which are vastly less pricey, but more to my liking.
I lived in Charleston for a while and went to a champagne tasting/dinner. they had paired a champagne with each course--even with the salad. Most were really pretty good. They were getting pricier and pricier and I was getting worried. The antepenultimate champagne was Dom Perignon, served with the entree. And I thought it was the best. Following that there were two more, each considerably higher-priced than the Dom. Happily, I found that I liked neither and gave them to the folks with whom I was dining. I remember that one was Roederer Crystal and the frog who was describing waxed poetic in his lavish praise of it. Too sweet for me.
I have a general rule that when I buy high end wines, I always throw in a few bottles of el cheapos to get a case price. They usually become cooking wines,* but on occasion, they turn out to be hidden gems. One such occasion, maybe 15 years ago, I bought a bottle of Sean Minor 4Bears. When I got home, I opened it ($12/bottle discounted 10% to 10.80) and the other low ends and tasted them all. 4Bears was a home run--especially at that price. I called Whole Foods where I had bought them and asked if they had any more. Yes, they had another case and a half. I went over, bought that and ordered a couple more cases. When I picked up the ordered cases, the lady in the wine section was torqued and, in an accusing tone, told me that they were going to have to sell it to me at less than they paid for it. I just shrugged and paid for it.
I love finding inexpensive wines that taste great.
* Yeah, I know that you're only supposed to cook with wines you like to drink. In my experience, that's simply incorrect.
You are absolutely right that a finely cut rim makes sipping wine all the more enjoyable. And beautifully plated food makes food tastier. Over the years I’ve learned that a botched recipe goes unnoticed when served on your finest plate.
Hah, so true Joe. We used to have a favorite steak house but they had awful thick sturdy wine glasses….but noticed they kept their fancy, yes Riedel, glasses in their glass circular wine cellar in the middle of the restaurant. So one night we asked our waiter if we could exchange our glasses for a couple of Riedel ones….no problem and it made all the difference. Earlier this year we moved again back down to Baja and again had to downsize. Among the many things were a dozen Waterford wine hocks….so beautiful. But alas, our wine maker daughter didn’t want them as “oh mom, they’re just too thick and hampers the taste of my wine”. The little twerp….so my niece, Jackie, loves them. And Joe, you’re so right….presentation is so important…lucky for me, my husband is the cook and I’m in charge of the table.
I've heard that explanation, and it seems as likely as any other. At this point, I just think of it as magic. At least until I can think of a better explanation--and I've ben trying for almost 20 years.
Side story here on Reidel. I used to hang out w/ some quite esoteric foodies and was at someone's house for an event. We had a toast and I got too vigorous w/ my clinking and broke the glass. My hostess (who thought she had class) immediately told me how much the glass cost!! I was embarrassed- for HER!!
Today I (notice my use of "I" instead of the ubiquitous and incorrect use of "myself"!), my wife, daughter and granddaughter are going to the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Georgia. We moved here in June of 2023, and missed the fair that year, but my 33-year-old daughter decided that THIS year we were going, so...
In the almost 50 years that we lived in San Diego County in SoCal, I regularly attended the San Diego County Fair, one of the largest and longest running fair in the country. It is large, and I mean LARGE! And it goes on for almost a MONTH! I loved the people watching, the smells, the exhibits, and some of the FOOD, so we attend today expecting to be underwhelmed.
I often would attend the SD fair by myself since my wife has difficulties with walking for any extended time, and I LOVED be let loose to do whatever I felt like doing. I wouldn't have to talk to anyone unless I chose to speak. But, truth be told, I regularly would initiate discussions with strangers because PEOPLE are the reason why I attend. For me, going to the supermarket is a good reason to speak to the checkers and stockers as REAL persons, and initiating eye contact and friendliness. It was all in the joy of wandering, and watching, and participating in the spectacle.
As an aside, when I first moved to Georgia I was impressed with people greeting me with "How ya doin'?", but I soon discovered that this was just a reflexive response that is common here. So, as I began to ANSWER people with phases such as "Peachy keen", or "Just fine! How about YOU?", I realized that people did a double take and really responded to me! Most people are pleased to be noticed and validated by total strangers, so this is just MY way of being "neighborly" in my new setting.
So today, after renting a wheelchair for my dear one, we will spend a lot of money ($20 for a turkey leg???) and wander around till my wife decides that it is time to go. In SoCal I would attend the Fair on multiple days alone, but here, in my retirement in Middle Georgia, expectations are low, and the last day of the fair is today. Maybe next year, if today does not disappoint, I will resume my multiple Fair days attendance.
Thank you! And I MUST comment here that I really miss the exchanges I would see on the formerly "Free Press". I am slightly disappointed that dialog is almost absent here at "Jotting In Purple", and that might lead me to go elsewhere, even if I DO appreciate the observations of the author.
Hope the fair is better than you remember the SD fair to be…damn Californians. I can say that having lived there for most of my life, but luckily NOT a Californian myself. But your comment about the FFP is strange to me as I’ve noticed it 2b lacking in quality commentary or rather the comments are becoming far too liberal for my liking especially compared to the “family feel” here at Celia’s Jotting in Purple.
I want the best of all the worlds- but I hear you. My laptop ⤵️ & every weekend since that debate I’m trying to figure the logistics of substack w/o any apps but it’s working off the iPhone that’s awful.
Everyday people are hungry for hope & at a minimum no distorted information. I’m going try to get one or 2 substacks out.
This week was packed w/ appointments. After another round of shoulder shots- I’ve got an mri & looking at shoulder replacement & I need a hip replacement but my health records do not reflect me & I’ve spent over a decade attempting to rectify this. I’ve been advocating for some horrible things happening for a lower income working husband & grandfather 67 years old who is now brain damaged- the specifics are horrifying, the experimental surgery 12 hours & a week later his life is over but has not yet died- he’s trach’d, intermittently on respirator, he is restrained for??? all the time. A nurse confessed he went w/o oxygen 15+ minutes, he was given ibuprofen instead of pain medication; he had dt’s & no anti anxiety medication, his heart had to be restarted during the surgery that should never have happened. No one from any social services or psych accessment. He is in ICU. His family is in shock, this was an operation that was hastily put together & the choice of chemo for the mouth cancer- was briefly mentioned- this gentleman who for over 15 years worked at Sheetz - still quote does. Life long serious smoker & drinker. He had fought & won prostate cancer. This is a crime & if it were an upper middle class white man NONE of this would have happened.
These things are happening in rural poor communities directly next to sophisticated med-tech communities with much more than mere entertainment issues but deeply disturbing inferiority complexes that manifest at the higher & harder to detect c-suites that have commingled medicine ai sloppy genetic analysis & re-engineering.
“But, truth be told, I regularly would initiate discussions with strangers because PEOPLE are the reason why I attend. For me, going to the supermarket is a good reason to speak to the checkers and stockers as REAL persons, and initiating eye contact and friendliness. It was all in the joy of wandering, and watching, and participating in the spectacle.”
This is what I’ve done forever & what a vastly different variety of conversations as life goes on - before the lockdowns & after & well all my life… I call what you’re describing, “My man on the street survey” research. I’m a perpetual student.
It’s people of every age, demographic +++ always in learning mode- application can be more difficult.
Robert- I have been to the SD fair a couple of times -and LOVE it!! It seemed really down-homey for somewhere like SD! A few years ago I went to see my cousin's hubby perform w/ Hank Williams tribute band. It was fabulous! I enjoy SD area so much (and have a bunch of family there) that I'd consider moving there, but my "better half" would never live in Cali!
Well my house in Florida is without power as a result of Milton. The bad news is it’s been 50 hours and they predict another 5 days. Two years ago it was 2 days without power and they estimated it would be longer as well. So I’m hoping they are under promising and over delivering again.
The good news is we again did not flood. Sadly some of my neighbors did again including I think the neighbors across the street who are trying to sell their house ( but for too much I think). It’s a mess and the water needs to recede as the streets are impassable or were the day after.
We aren’t there. So I’ll have to get our guy to not only pick up the yard but to clean out the fridge again. It could have been a lot worse
UPDATE. Waters receded from the house fronts but the roads are still flooded. Now that this has happened twice, the city really needs to do something regarding minimizing flooding. I mean what are taxes for?
So that would have been surge - I was figuring that would be bad - close to high tide when the geometry was such that the northwest quadrant winds were piling it up.
What always amazes me is how fast these hurricanes speed up over land. They're doddling along over the Gulf at 6mph until they start to impinge on land, then next thing you know - they've gone hundreds of miles - four to five times faster speed. Look at how fast Helene got up to North Carolina. Of course, the problem there is the mountains and cold air beyond them. Comes to a halt and drops all it's water.
I’m glad I don’t have the FL bug, in fact I really don’t care for FL at all except maybe South Beach. Too much traffic and way too many people. Give me the desert instead.
The firmament put on a sublime display Thursday evening. The skies were on fire! Wish I could post a picture. I have to wonder, do ferocious solar storms provoke ferocious weather on earth? Forgive me my MTG moment if not.
Now for your daily laugh. Apparently this take on modern masculinity brought to us by that dynamic duo of idiocy is absolutely for real, not a plant by her enemies. Talk about releasing a plague of crickets on your own campaign. Yikes! I wring my hands over my daughter’s bachelorette status. If these comprise your options, stay single, Sweet Pea.
I watched most of it. It was so cringe worthy. Especially the guy mincing turning sideways. Manly men don’t sit like that. And I couldn’t tell if the fat guy was male or female.
I was giddy all day yesterday after spending 2.5 hours reveling at the Northern Lights. I was able to catch them three times this week, each more spectacular than the previous time.
We had these lights here in the Charleston, SC, area and I TOTALLY missed the whole event. I've wanted to see them my whole life. Bah! Humbug! Just didn't know...
There are Northern lights alert apps. Put it on your phone and heed the warning. But you have drive out of town or you won’t see them. I think we are in the tail end of it solar surge so after 2025 your chances of seeing them are going to go down unless you go to Iceland.
Here's another kind of Oktoberfest story - from an acquaintance:
"My wife left this morning for CA to take care of my 44 year old teenage son for the next six weeks. He and my youngest daughter and her husband flew to Munich for Oktoberfest, and the second night there he managed to consume 4.5 liters of beer, went back to his hotel and decided to take a shower. He fell in the shower and broke his right foot in at least five places. Moral to the story is don't drink that amount of beer and then try to shower in a shower that you have already fallen in three times while sober. So, needless to say he didn't finish the trip and is being operated on the 10th. At least six weeks convalescence and can't go back to work until at least January."
What’s Up? University of Kansas professor says in class that any white male that doesn’t vote for Kamala should be lined up and shot. Media goes crickets. KU quietly suspends him and has a “process”. Inquiring minds would like to know why this isn’t something Democrats are all over given their position on prosecuting speech they don’t like. (Answered my own question - this is speech they like.)
Yesterday got away from me, so I scanned but didn't read. Here's my contribution to the funny and wonderful Southern "sayings."
"God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise"--for I'll be there or I'll do it if I can
"We ain't got no pills to take"--for let's just keep on enjoying this thing that we are doing right now, like fishing for a bit longer, or staying around a camp fire for longer, etc.
"Bless her little heart"--which you all got but without the "little," and it does seem to more directed at women who have a "problem" of some sort.
I grew up with lots and lots more, but I didn't see these yesterday.
On several occasions over the years, I’ve compared Kamala Harris to a dessicated olive stuck to a martini glass stashed in a planter by a drunken guest and only discovered weeks after the cocktail party. I feel some regret for disparaging dessicated martini olives.
For everyone observing Yom Kippur today, I hope you have an easy fast and you are sealed in the Book of Life this year!
I'll be spending the day enjoying services with my hubby and praying for world Jewry. Heaven knows the Jews & Israel need our prayers now more than ever! Thanks to all of you who can spare a prayer or two!
We are off to the air show in Apple Valley, CA. Air shows and Orange County marinas are pretty much the only place in this state we’ve seen any Trump paraphernalia. “Trump 2024” flags on the yachts and sailboats. Tacky Trump (but I repeat myself) socks on air show attendees.
Good that you raised a glass to Oktoberfest.
In the UK
Yesterday several overly-entitled young people decided it would be a jolly gape to release crickets at the LGB Alliance conference as the LGBA famously does not centre trans people but are concerned with sexual orientation. The outbreak was contained and the conference continued to its conclusion with just one session being slightly curtailed (that of Jamie Reed's). 4 out of the 6 were detained (and then released into parental custody after the police took their details). I do hope they are 1. charged for the deep clean the venue will have to do. 2. charged with violating various Public Health laws and 3. charged with an aggravated hate crime offence as they deliberately targeted a protected characteristic, namely same-sex orientation. Crickets from Stonewall on the hate crime btw. So much for advocating for gay rights... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/11/suspected-trans-protesters-release-hundreds-crickets/ or https://archive.ph/u6F3V
I thought good for the BBC News broadcaster Clive Myrie who called a pro-Pally protestor an effing idiot after the protestor yelled at him and then stamped off. Myrie apologized for his language (but not the sentiment). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/11/watch-clive-myrie-calls-pro-palestine-protesters-idiot/ or https://archive.ph/VChv8
Dominic Sandbrook (one of the Rest is HIstory presenters) has a good essay in the Times about the historical problems with No 10 Downing Street. Johnson called it ressembling a crack den in his just released memoirs. But what did other recent PMs, including Maggie T think about it? https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/many-pms-have-detested-downing-street-t0zjm0tvc or https://archive.ph/tTfNI
And Joanna Williams has a good essay in the Times about schools teaching children morals. She is nearly there but ignores the freedom of belief aspect (how can you be free to impart your philosophical beliefs if the state imposes them on them on your children? Art 8 and 9 of the European Human Rights convention, 1st Amendment establishment clause in the US) https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/hey-teacher-leave-those-kids-alone-and-let-parents-do-the-parenting-5tm90vdvp or https://archive.ph/VUDiO
Good on the reporter. There's no such thing as a ProPalestinian protestor unless they're holding signs that say, "Send the hostages home. Destroy your weapons. Make peace with your neighbor."
Glad they've charged the cricket bandits. Silly thing to do, and yes they should pay for the cleanup. I don't think it should be a "hate crime", as I thoroughly reject the notion. All crime is hateful, or it wouldn't be a crime, and since I think we are all entitled to equal justice and protection under the law, why should only certain people get "extra justice" when someone does something evil to them? An elderly woman murdered on the street in a random act of maliciousness is a lesser victim than a man murdered for his orientation?
Although releasing crickets is pretty funny.
And, in the annals of protest actions, mild by any measure.
It might be until you consider the public health implications and cleaners who are going have to work to get it fit for the next conference.
The self-entitled brats had no thought about the behind the scenes staff.
I do hope they have to pick up the costs of the deep clean.
And it's kind of a mixed metaphor, isn't it? Putting crickets in food is not really about trans people.
It wasn't in food. It was in the hall and it was to stop Jamie Reed, the St Louis whistle blower from speaking about her experiences. They were trying to use a 'heckler's veto'. Because the venue is a public space which does serve food, they were breaking several public health laws.
It was a pointless protest which merely served to aggravate people.
The photos I saw showed some of the insects had escaped before they opened the boxes and were in fact crawling over the entitled brats. People pointed out that there was also animal cruelty laws in play. Hopefully they suffered some discomfort from insects.
. The fact they would be the first to scream -- hate speech, hateful thoughts and thought this gave them justification for their action makes their actions against another protected characteristic all the more hypocritical.
Michelle, an excellent round (!again!) of UK news. I agree (Bruce) that while only crickets- the whole thing was “premeditated”, as in intentionality planned, albeit a tad haphazardly based on the way it went down. Given everything going on in the world & incessant desire to be heard anytime about anything, any way they see fit. They, being the growing number of groups whose v energy is derived from that old sense of entitlement. What a statement to the rule of law, & basic human decency, if the consequences you outlined above, Michelle were actually pursued & a follow article up w/ pics showing that group *not* only cleaning up, etc. but the press covering evenhandedly the whole of the incident straight through to the aftermath, the cause & effect. Accountability, consequences.
A gal can dream.
Not to the Egyptians. ;)
Or those farmers trying to raise wheat in “Giants in the Earth.”
Yeah, no harm no foul. Where is their sense of humor?
They released cricket not scorpions.
Aren't crickets edible? They could have snacked on them.
Danke Klaus...
The penalty for murder is life imprisonment in both cases so the hate crime legislation has no effect there.
As I said I can understand why it came about -- it is a factor in the sentencing of the crime. For example, if someone decides to takes an axe to a restaurant's window because they were fired v someone taking an axe to a restaurant's window because the restaurant happened to be owned by someone who was Jewish. it goes to the why a crime was committed. You need to remember the UK did suffer from sectarian violence as a result of the Troubles.
In both cases, the act is one of hate - one hate in general, and one hate in specific for being fired. Both are hate crimes, and both victims suffered equally - I see no difference, other than the person doing the charging thinking that the motives of one assailant are somehow superior to the others. Thought crimes.
Agree, I hate the concept of hate crime laws. As if to say it’s worse to kill someone because they’re gay than because you want their money. Stupid. Makes me angry.
Me too. The law should cover the physical damage and leave it at that. Intent is really problematic.
Well, I don’t know how you measure the physical damage of a dead person But in other cases, yes.
I think even worse than Free Speech impingements are so-called "aggravated hate crime offence[s}." We have more than enough laws on our books. An assault is an assault, regardless of the motivation. Same with harassment. These laws are idiotic and foolish and should all be repealed and sent to the scrap heap - along with the meddlesome Aunt Polly's who promulgate them.
The hate crime aggravation has been on the books since the 1980s at least. It matters in the sentencing, and does have to be proved. It bumps the offence up a category. There is a lot taken into account when sentencing. You can't simply charge someone with a 'hate crime', they have to have committed a chargeable offence in the first place. And the proving of it can be difficult. But I can see why they came about.
In this case, does it make it worse that they targeted a LGB conference because of their sexual orientation or is it the same as releasing crickets at say a conference on food just because they didn't happen to like the venue?
The tactic is v much a PallyAlly tactic btw. They first did to Netanyahu at hotel he was staying at in NYC I believe -- maggots and crickets.
Longevity doesn't equate to wisdom. As evidenced by the aging hippie Kamala voters. What does "hate" even mean? And who gets to pick the categories? If I despise Islamic extremists (almost the entirety of that death cult) does that make me a "hater" for being against mayhem, misogyny and murder? A just codes made to enforce behavior and beliefs du jour.
It all depends. If you decide to firebomb a mosque and then seek to excuse it because of your beliefs, then yes it does. Or indeed any place of worship.
If you merely point out the difference in philosophical beliefs and why you do not consider such beliefs to be valid or commiserate with Western values that does not make you a 'hater' as such. You need to commit the crime before the legislation comes into play, something which many people fail to appreciate.
Committing a crime has nothing to do with it! It is about marginalized dissenters that matters. Notice how when Trump speaks people accuse him of "lying", yet when Harris or Watz speaks it is either a "misstatement', or it is because Waltz is a "knucklehead". Even lying has become subjective today!
This is where we differ. Committing a crime has everything to do with it! Without the crime first having been committed, there is no such thing as a 'hate crime'. Speech can be rude or offensive but it is not a crime unless it is directly inciting violence (and even that would be hard to prove!)
As luck would have it, I was listening to the Rest is Politics -- US this morning and Anthony Saramucci (who loathes Trump and thus one always has to have that in one's mind) made precisely this point about subjectiveness. People have noticed and are not fooled. The Democrats and MSM (if you will) are showing their bias and people don't like it. In fact they are getting irritated and is costing the Democrats support. They don't like mealy-mouthed politicians who take them for fools or worse. One of the reasons people like Trump is that he is deliberately rude. He has worked out that he doesn't have to be 'liked' by everyone, just enough people to get him over the line as it were. It is part of his genius if you will. I thought an interesting observation.
To take it away from Trump, look at Kemi Badenoch -- one of her big things is that she is going to tell like it is, even when people might not want to hear it. Ordinary members of Conservative party think plain speaking is great and a refreshing change from 'spin'. She is now in pole position to be the next Conservative leader. It will be amusing to see how Starmer reacts if she does get it because Starmer likes to play Identity Politics. Kemi is of course a woman of Nigerian descent who was born in the UK but grew up in Nigeria, returning when she was a late teen.
We are back to the 70s when “situational ethics” was used to justify unethical behavior. Then we moved on to “the end justify the mesns”to justify unconstitutional tactics. Now we have “Hate Sprech or Crime” to remove people from their employment or just suppress their speach and obey the party line.
"What does "hate" even mean?" Yes, I am always struck by the meaninglessness of that term. Or rather, the poly-meaning of that word, depending on what the speaker is intending to accomplish. Case in point is a commercial that I have seen a number of times that encourages people to "Fight Hate"! What the hell does THAT mean, and what form does "FIGHT" take? It is an open invitation to attack whoever expresses a view that they do not agree with. We need to highlight this meaninglessness to bring it to peoples' attention. But this only highlights my personal philosophy of, "People are stupid, and choose and vote for people and ideas that are not in their own self-interests because it FEELS good!"
Hate in the context of 'hate crime' means a certain amount of premeditation. That it was not a random crime but one carried out because of highly specific motivations.
This is very different from the vacuous commercials which are deliberately nebulous and don't really do anything. If anything to my mind, they make the problem worse. Among other things they infantilise people and gloss over problems. They also encourage people to come up with motivations for other people's actions which may or may not be correct.
Marketing and the growth of advertising has a lot to answer for. The manipulation of people and the study of how to do that is actually v sinister. And it has been used for some very sinister purposes. I do think people are losing the ability to tell what is propaganda and what is not. The whole nudge principle does backfire and erode trust.
Bruce, you just need to be unburdened by what has been.
It also helps to understand the significance of the passage of time
I've instinctively felt repulsed by the "hate crime" moniker. Is it OK for me to say that I hate it? What utter b.s., ramping up the charge on a white person beating up a black person, but not the reverse. Assault is assault, full stop. I can only see this distinction being made for crimes against the elderly. Any color person attacking an elderly person. Other than that, the whole "hate crime" industry belongs in a dustbin. It even makes me spit bile, I hate the implication so much. Whatever you do, don't say something mean to those innocent people who aren't white...
In the UK if you beat someone because they were white that would be charged as a racially aggravated hate crime because being white is as much a protected characteristic as being another skin tone. It is why one of the Asians involved in stoking up last summer's riots got jail time for racially aggravated hatred. The legislation in the UK is symmetrical on this.
Another case would be where a gang of black youths deliberately targeted elderly Chinese women because they knew the Chinese were more likely to suffer from face blindness and be unable to pick them out from the line up. Should they get a stuffer sentence than random targets?
Lol - this elderly gent practices Krav Maga.
What is that, Bruce?
It is a lethal martial art developed by a Imi Lichtenfeld who used his training as a boxer and wrestler to defend Jewish neighborhoods against anti-Semitic attackers in the 1930s He later moved to Israel and developed Krav Maga into the combat system that was adopted by the IDF and particularly its special forces.
It's basically thought policing.
Are the Brits finally getting tired of pally shenanigans? Will they start standing up to these bullies?
Do the people generally support the muzzies or is it mostly the government leaders?
It depends on the section of the population you talk to.
Guardian readers are one section which are over-represented in the elite imho. Not so much elsewhere. The Far Left are better understood as the small political force that they are. ALthough sometimes they get outsized attention.
People generally support religion as a private matter and do not to have it thrust into their face. It is v much live and let live. They dislike it when certain sections appear to get privileges, not accorded to them
. There are reasons why Reform was well supported, particularly in Labour areas in the north.
Jenrick has done well by really pivoting towards the problems of immigration and integration in his bid for the Conservative party leadership.
Thank you for answering my question, Michelle. I was truly curious.
Define hate crime. Your definition might be different than mine. Who determines what a hate crime is?
The jury.
The police will often charge. It is up to the prosecution to prove it though and the bar is high and so the charges are often dropped. It is actually v hard to prove. But basically it is a crime which is solely motivated by loathing of a particular protected characteristic. In the UK the protected characteristics are -- age, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, religion or belief.
The judge then has to sentence on that basis. But it is up to the jury to find it true beyond reasonable doubt.
Cheers from Dallas! My college roommate’s gf had German ancestry and took German-I love its compound nouns. Your stops in small town America sound like a great way to see the places many folks flyover or bypass. I’ve had some good friends from Missouri and have been to St Louis, Branson, Kansas City and took the train from Springfield to near Lake of the Ozarks. From Louis and Clark to the Missouri Compromise, the Dred Scott decision, as the birthplace of arguably our greatest 19th Century author Mark Twain and a couple consequential 20th Century Presidents (Truman and Ike), its place in the story of our country has often been pivotal.
I’m up ridiculously early preparing for a full Saturday of fair going and football. I’ll be taking notes on the absurdly unhealthy oneupmanship (personship? How do I correct for sexist language on that one?) of the foods here at the Texas State Fair in hopes of maybe a crafting a guest post that can reignite some comment controversy among this consistently compelling concatenation of consciousnesses. If a bread recipe can do it, imagine the fun of deep friend Mars bars with jalapeño and caramel? Have a nice weekend and of course safe travels.
Oooh fried butter should get the discussion going for sure!
I LOVE your agenda for today, Ken! Can't wait to hear about your TX fair food adventures!
I suspect you meant "the fun of deep fried Mars bars" rather than "the fun of deep friend Mars bars", but the latter sounds more interesting.
That looks like a lovely spot to stop!
Here the weather is good, but still too warm and no rain again. Watering will be necessary, though I mind it less knowing it means no rain on our neighbors to the east who are cleaning up from Helene.
I tried to stay out of the news yesterday as I was off from work and wanted a day of true rest, but Kamala Harris' minions were all over the TV telling me about how Trump was giving the billionaires tax breaks, and she would be sure they would pay their "fair share". I nearly needed a new TV. Sad, but so many will lap that up without any knowledge or frankly any care how it actually works - they just know somebody else has more than them, and shouldn't that person be taken down a notch?
Harris and Walz take idiocy to a new low. The absurdity of their running should make all Americans ashamed.
Nothing less than a landslide win for Trump/Vance will abate some of the silliness in our public discussions. Notice that I didn't say "eliminate" in reference to the silliness, because political intercourse is rife with silliness. In fact, it is REQUIRED of ALL candidates from BOTH parties. One thing is for sure, no matter the election results, Trump will be washed from the public domain, and the Democrats' venality and shallow thinking will be curtailed for a time.
Much of it started when the clownish Clinton answered the idiotic query "briefs or boxers?" Could you imagine Eisenhower's or Reagan's reaction? But the old (then young) Satyr just chuckled away It was all downhill from there with our witless Fourth Estate (and patent Fifth Column).
How about the Obamas and the Bidens start paying THEIR fair share! Shouldn't they be leading by example? (snark intended)
No lie, one year I looked up Obama’s tax return when he was president and we paid more in taxes that year than he did with a pretty similar incomes.
Obama's a protected class...don't ya know.
No “hopes, dreams or aspirations” language? If I hear her say that one more time……
AMP -lovely day here in NY too and temp just perfect (70's) but also NO RAIN for maybe 2 weeks?? I'll be busy watering too. Been putting in numerous perennials and small trees, and then there's the tomatoes, peppers and cukes to keep going! But I'll take this dry spell over what FL and NC etc. just had to deal w/. We never rest easy (on the hurricane front) until after Halloween though (Sandy anniversary!)
Prime rib on a styrofoam plate….
I like to cook. In fact, I ~love~ to cook, especially for friends and family. And I’m fairly good at it. But for years, I sensed that something was missing. Eventually I realized it was the presentation: “the first bite is with the eyes”—it’s not enough to taste great; it has to look great, too.
So I started paying close attention to how the pros do it. For years, I had been using textured glass plates, which I had in abundance. They’re serviceable, and inexpensive. But if you’re showcasing something, they don’t “pop out” the visuals. So I bought some white plates at World Market. And voila! With that simple—and seriously inexpensive—move, the presentation jumped a few quantum steps. The direct parallel would be between painting on a canvas and painting on distorting glass. The food, prepared identically, seemed to taste better. I’d say that is, of course, impossible, but….
About 15-20 years ago, I was at a wine tasting and the guy doing the talking and selling had us sit down at some prepared place settings. Before us was a pair of wine glasses and a small glass of water. One was a sort of mass production glass with a rolled rim, the other a Riedel glass with a thin, delicate cut upper edge. As he describes the wine, he opens the bottle and pours a little into each glass.
Without making any suggestion of what to expect, he tells us to taste a little wine from the first glass, which we do. Nothing special. We drink a little water. Then he tells us to taste the wine in the second glass. It’s magic: it tastes totally different—and much better—from the wine in first glass. But it’s the same wine!! We watched him open the bottle and nonchalantly pour it right in front of us. Had I not experienced it, I would never in a million years have believed it.
To this day, I still have no clue why this happens, but it does with almost all wines I like, and even with some I don’t particularly care for. When friends of mine doubt the story, I show them with a couple of el cheapo wine glasses I keep for just that purpose. The difference isn’t at all subtle. In fact, the difference is so stark they often laugh when they experience it, like you might when a magician pulls off a great trick.
Probably the same with prime rib on a styrofoam plate. While food speaks for itself, one aspect of the delicacy is how it looks on the plate.
I don’t expect people to accept this at face value. I do, however, encourage those who enjoy wine to try the experiment. There are lots of excellent crystal wine glass manufacturers, so it probably matters little which one you go with. But thin glass well made is the key.
We got to keep the wine glasses after the tasting. No fools they.
Yes they've done studies about meals served on slightly heavier plates having a similar effect - those on heavy plates tasted "better".
The Infinite Monkey Cage podcast from the BBC did an episode in December of 2022 about why wine tastes the way it does, and it's worth a listen. Fascinating stuff. If you're not familiar with the podcast, it's one of my all time favorites - science and humor so a great laugh and learn at the same time. Disclaimer: it's typical BBC for its leanings, so just have to know that going in - still great fun.
That sounds right up my alley.. Where is this podcast?
You can find it here https://open.spotify.com/episode/4BUCc8Mo3lW68NvIrN80ZH
Probably the same eating using forged v stamped flatware.
I hate stamped flatware. It doesn’t work as well
A study done a while back using a machine to deliver sips of wine to blindfolded participants from different glasses found there was no difference in the perception of taste if one could not see the glass. Even the director of Reidel acknowledged the truth of the study. If we taste wine from a beautiful glass, we simply believe it is better.
Could be. But the difference is pretty dramatic. Try it yourself. I went into it with a strong bias against what I experienced.
That said, there are plenty visual illusions that sure look real, but aren’t. Same might be true for taste. Color me skeptical, but I’d be first in line to try the experiment.
Joe, I’m with you. I’ve been a wine geek for decades, have about 8,000 bottles in my cellar and much of my social time is spent at wine lunches and dinners with like minded friends. I love my Reidel sommerlier glasses and agree that wine seems to taste better from them. The same article I was talking about included a session where a group was presented two wines; the first, according to the presenter, was a cheap bulk produced low cost wine and the second, according to the presenter was a high end wine served at the best restaurants. Needless to say everyone thought the second wine very good and the first not so good. The presenter then informed them that both wines were the same wine. The finding was if you think/believe something is/will be/should be better, it will be.
No question about suggestibility.
In the early 2000s, when I was pretty flush, I bought a fair number of Bordeaux futures. Some very high end. Stored them in a wine refrigerator. The whole nine yards. Couple of years ago, I decided it was time to give them a try. Turns out I really don't care for them--I prefer big California wines, especially from the Wagner family. I've been trying to find someone(s) to swap what I've got for, say Caymus cabs, which are vastly less pricey, but more to my liking.
I lived in Charleston for a while and went to a champagne tasting/dinner. they had paired a champagne with each course--even with the salad. Most were really pretty good. They were getting pricier and pricier and I was getting worried. The antepenultimate champagne was Dom Perignon, served with the entree. And I thought it was the best. Following that there were two more, each considerably higher-priced than the Dom. Happily, I found that I liked neither and gave them to the folks with whom I was dining. I remember that one was Roederer Crystal and the frog who was describing waxed poetic in his lavish praise of it. Too sweet for me.
I have a general rule that when I buy high end wines, I always throw in a few bottles of el cheapos to get a case price. They usually become cooking wines,* but on occasion, they turn out to be hidden gems. One such occasion, maybe 15 years ago, I bought a bottle of Sean Minor 4Bears. When I got home, I opened it ($12/bottle discounted 10% to 10.80) and the other low ends and tasted them all. 4Bears was a home run--especially at that price. I called Whole Foods where I had bought them and asked if they had any more. Yes, they had another case and a half. I went over, bought that and ordered a couple more cases. When I picked up the ordered cases, the lady in the wine section was torqued and, in an accusing tone, told me that they were going to have to sell it to me at less than they paid for it. I just shrugged and paid for it.
I love finding inexpensive wines that taste great.
* Yeah, I know that you're only supposed to cook with wines you like to drink. In my experience, that's simply incorrect.
You are absolutely right that a finely cut rim makes sipping wine all the more enjoyable. And beautifully plated food makes food tastier. Over the years I’ve learned that a botched recipe goes unnoticed when served on your finest plate.
Meat cooked over a campfire and served on a paper or aluminum plate can taste awfully good.
In Montana, I have eaten a steak cooked at a bonfire on a pitchfork...... it was Fabulous!
Oh, yeah! VERY hard to beat smoked.
Hah, so true Joe. We used to have a favorite steak house but they had awful thick sturdy wine glasses….but noticed they kept their fancy, yes Riedel, glasses in their glass circular wine cellar in the middle of the restaurant. So one night we asked our waiter if we could exchange our glasses for a couple of Riedel ones….no problem and it made all the difference. Earlier this year we moved again back down to Baja and again had to downsize. Among the many things were a dozen Waterford wine hocks….so beautiful. But alas, our wine maker daughter didn’t want them as “oh mom, they’re just too thick and hampers the taste of my wine”. The little twerp….so my niece, Jackie, loves them. And Joe, you’re so right….presentation is so important…lucky for me, my husband is the cook and I’m in charge of the table.
And your table, thanks to you and to our amazing mom, is always gorgeous! I guess Jackie is still old-fashioned in many ways. ❤️
I do think that the thicker glass might have an effect on the way you hold your tongue, and it may actually interfere w/ the perception of the wine.
I've heard that explanation, and it seems as likely as any other. At this point, I just think of it as magic. At least until I can think of a better explanation--and I've ben trying for almost 20 years.
Side story here on Reidel. I used to hang out w/ some quite esoteric foodies and was at someone's house for an event. We had a toast and I got too vigorous w/ my clinking and broke the glass. My hostess (who thought she had class) immediately told me how much the glass cost!! I was embarrassed- for HER!!
Her name wasn't Hyacinth Bucket by any chance?
Today I (notice my use of "I" instead of the ubiquitous and incorrect use of "myself"!), my wife, daughter and granddaughter are going to the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Georgia. We moved here in June of 2023, and missed the fair that year, but my 33-year-old daughter decided that THIS year we were going, so...
In the almost 50 years that we lived in San Diego County in SoCal, I regularly attended the San Diego County Fair, one of the largest and longest running fair in the country. It is large, and I mean LARGE! And it goes on for almost a MONTH! I loved the people watching, the smells, the exhibits, and some of the FOOD, so we attend today expecting to be underwhelmed.
I often would attend the SD fair by myself since my wife has difficulties with walking for any extended time, and I LOVED be let loose to do whatever I felt like doing. I wouldn't have to talk to anyone unless I chose to speak. But, truth be told, I regularly would initiate discussions with strangers because PEOPLE are the reason why I attend. For me, going to the supermarket is a good reason to speak to the checkers and stockers as REAL persons, and initiating eye contact and friendliness. It was all in the joy of wandering, and watching, and participating in the spectacle.
As an aside, when I first moved to Georgia I was impressed with people greeting me with "How ya doin'?", but I soon discovered that this was just a reflexive response that is common here. So, as I began to ANSWER people with phases such as "Peachy keen", or "Just fine! How about YOU?", I realized that people did a double take and really responded to me! Most people are pleased to be noticed and validated by total strangers, so this is just MY way of being "neighborly" in my new setting.
So today, after renting a wheelchair for my dear one, we will spend a lot of money ($20 for a turkey leg???) and wander around till my wife decides that it is time to go. In SoCal I would attend the Fair on multiple days alone, but here, in my retirement in Middle Georgia, expectations are low, and the last day of the fair is today. Maybe next year, if today does not disappoint, I will resume my multiple Fair days attendance.
Here's hoping for a good day!
I sincerely hope that you and your family have a blast!
Thank you! And I MUST comment here that I really miss the exchanges I would see on the formerly "Free Press". I am slightly disappointed that dialog is almost absent here at "Jotting In Purple", and that might lead me to go elsewhere, even if I DO appreciate the observations of the author.
Robert, in all sincerity, what are you talking about when you say "exchanges"? There seems to me lots of conversation going on at JiP.
I agree Litr!!!
Hope the fair is better than you remember the SD fair to be…damn Californians. I can say that having lived there for most of my life, but luckily NOT a Californian myself. But your comment about the FFP is strange to me as I’ve noticed it 2b lacking in quality commentary or rather the comments are becoming far too liberal for my liking especially compared to the “family feel” here at Celia’s Jotting in Purple.
I want the best of all the worlds- but I hear you. My laptop ⤵️ & every weekend since that debate I’m trying to figure the logistics of substack w/o any apps but it’s working off the iPhone that’s awful.
Everyday people are hungry for hope & at a minimum no distorted information. I’m going try to get one or 2 substacks out.
This week was packed w/ appointments. After another round of shoulder shots- I’ve got an mri & looking at shoulder replacement & I need a hip replacement but my health records do not reflect me & I’ve spent over a decade attempting to rectify this. I’ve been advocating for some horrible things happening for a lower income working husband & grandfather 67 years old who is now brain damaged- the specifics are horrifying, the experimental surgery 12 hours & a week later his life is over but has not yet died- he’s trach’d, intermittently on respirator, he is restrained for??? all the time. A nurse confessed he went w/o oxygen 15+ minutes, he was given ibuprofen instead of pain medication; he had dt’s & no anti anxiety medication, his heart had to be restarted during the surgery that should never have happened. No one from any social services or psych accessment. He is in ICU. His family is in shock, this was an operation that was hastily put together & the choice of chemo for the mouth cancer- was briefly mentioned- this gentleman who for over 15 years worked at Sheetz - still quote does. Life long serious smoker & drinker. He had fought & won prostate cancer. This is a crime & if it were an upper middle class white man NONE of this would have happened.
These things are happening in rural poor communities directly next to sophisticated med-tech communities with much more than mere entertainment issues but deeply disturbing inferiority complexes that manifest at the higher & harder to detect c-suites that have commingled medicine ai sloppy genetic analysis & re-engineering.
This needs vocalizing to the people 🙏
Have fun & enjoy!!
This part of your post:
“But, truth be told, I regularly would initiate discussions with strangers because PEOPLE are the reason why I attend. For me, going to the supermarket is a good reason to speak to the checkers and stockers as REAL persons, and initiating eye contact and friendliness. It was all in the joy of wandering, and watching, and participating in the spectacle.”
This is what I’ve done forever & what a vastly different variety of conversations as life goes on - before the lockdowns & after & well all my life… I call what you’re describing, “My man on the street survey” research. I’m a perpetual student.
It’s people of every age, demographic +++ always in learning mode- application can be more difficult.
Robert- I have been to the SD fair a couple of times -and LOVE it!! It seemed really down-homey for somewhere like SD! A few years ago I went to see my cousin's hubby perform w/ Hank Williams tribute band. It was fabulous! I enjoy SD area so much (and have a bunch of family there) that I'd consider moving there, but my "better half" would never live in Cali!
I assume the prime rib served on a styrofoam tray came with a soft roll and a hard butter pat.
😂 My BIGGEST complaint!
We didn't order once we saw the styrofoam trays, so I have no idea!
Well my house in Florida is without power as a result of Milton. The bad news is it’s been 50 hours and they predict another 5 days. Two years ago it was 2 days without power and they estimated it would be longer as well. So I’m hoping they are under promising and over delivering again.
The good news is we again did not flood. Sadly some of my neighbors did again including I think the neighbors across the street who are trying to sell their house ( but for too much I think). It’s a mess and the water needs to recede as the streets are impassable or were the day after.
We aren’t there. So I’ll have to get our guy to not only pick up the yard but to clean out the fridge again. It could have been a lot worse
UPDATE. Waters receded from the house fronts but the roads are still flooded. Now that this has happened twice, the city really needs to do something regarding minimizing flooding. I mean what are taxes for?
Surge flooding or Anclote River?
Daytona.
So that would have been surge - I was figuring that would be bad - close to high tide when the geometry was such that the northwest quadrant winds were piling it up.
What always amazes me is how fast these hurricanes speed up over land. They're doddling along over the Gulf at 6mph until they start to impinge on land, then next thing you know - they've gone hundreds of miles - four to five times faster speed. Look at how fast Helene got up to North Carolina. Of course, the problem there is the mountains and cold air beyond them. Comes to a halt and drops all it's water.
Apparently 80% of all customers in volusia and Flagler counties lost power. I know FPL is on it but it’s a mess.
We were expecting to lose power here (Pasco County) but didn't - except for half a dozen intervals less than a minute. Lost a couple trees.
Did you know one of your famous Pasco Countians was Anwar Al awakli?
I’m glad I don’t have the FL bug, in fact I really don’t care for FL at all except maybe South Beach. Too much traffic and way too many people. Give me the desert instead.
South Beach has the worst traffic of all.
🙏
The firmament put on a sublime display Thursday evening. The skies were on fire! Wish I could post a picture. I have to wonder, do ferocious solar storms provoke ferocious weather on earth? Forgive me my MTG moment if not.
Now for your daily laugh. Apparently this take on modern masculinity brought to us by that dynamic duo of idiocy is absolutely for real, not a plant by her enemies. Talk about releasing a plague of crickets on your own campaign. Yikes! I wring my hands over my daughter’s bachelorette status. If these comprise your options, stay single, Sweet Pea.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk4ueY9wVtA&pp=ygUSaGFycmlzIHJlYWwgbWVuIGFk
I watched most of it. It was so cringe worthy. Especially the guy mincing turning sideways. Manly men don’t sit like that. And I couldn’t tell if the fat guy was male or female.
I was giddy all day yesterday after spending 2.5 hours reveling at the Northern Lights. I was able to catch them three times this week, each more spectacular than the previous time.
We had these lights here in the Charleston, SC, area and I TOTALLY missed the whole event. I've wanted to see them my whole life. Bah! Humbug! Just didn't know...
There are Northern lights alert apps. Put it on your phone and heed the warning. But you have drive out of town or you won’t see them. I think we are in the tail end of it solar surge so after 2025 your chances of seeing them are going to go down unless you go to Iceland.
Here's another kind of Oktoberfest story - from an acquaintance:
"My wife left this morning for CA to take care of my 44 year old teenage son for the next six weeks. He and my youngest daughter and her husband flew to Munich for Oktoberfest, and the second night there he managed to consume 4.5 liters of beer, went back to his hotel and decided to take a shower. He fell in the shower and broke his right foot in at least five places. Moral to the story is don't drink that amount of beer and then try to shower in a shower that you have already fallen in three times while sober. So, needless to say he didn't finish the trip and is being operated on the 10th. At least six weeks convalescence and can't go back to work until at least January."
Ouch. Hope he heals well and fast. Hard lesson learned.
omg!!! do you think he learned a lesson??
Safe travels.
What’s Up? University of Kansas professor says in class that any white male that doesn’t vote for Kamala should be lined up and shot. Media goes crickets. KU quietly suspends him and has a “process”. Inquiring minds would like to know why this isn’t something Democrats are all over given their position on prosecuting speech they don’t like. (Answered my own question - this is speech they like.)
Unbelievable- now universities place on administrative leave teachers who said
“ any white male that doesn’t vote for Kamala should be lined up and shot. ”
Admin leave - ugh
https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2024/10/09/university-of-kansas-instructor-on-leave-suggesting-men-who-wont-vote-for-female-president-be-shot/75588027007/
More Joy from the Hate has no Home Here crowd. Zero self awareness
Yesterday got away from me, so I scanned but didn't read. Here's my contribution to the funny and wonderful Southern "sayings."
"God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise"--for I'll be there or I'll do it if I can
"We ain't got no pills to take"--for let's just keep on enjoying this thing that we are doing right now, like fishing for a bit longer, or staying around a camp fire for longer, etc.
"Bless her little heart"--which you all got but without the "little," and it does seem to more directed at women who have a "problem" of some sort.
I grew up with lots and lots more, but I didn't see these yesterday.
On several occasions over the years, I’ve compared Kamala Harris to a dessicated olive stuck to a martini glass stashed in a planter by a drunken guest and only discovered weeks after the cocktail party. I feel some regret for disparaging dessicated martini olives.
🤣🤣🤣
I also feel regret for misspelling “desiccated.”
Beautiful photo. I live in a lovely little town in southern WI with a very similar skyline. 💕
For everyone observing Yom Kippur today, I hope you have an easy fast and you are sealed in the Book of Life this year!
I'll be spending the day enjoying services with my hubby and praying for world Jewry. Heaven knows the Jews & Israel need our prayers now more than ever! Thanks to all of you who can spare a prayer or two!
Gmar tov!
We are off to the air show in Apple Valley, CA. Air shows and Orange County marinas are pretty much the only place in this state we’ve seen any Trump paraphernalia. “Trump 2024” flags on the yachts and sailboats. Tacky Trump (but I repeat myself) socks on air show attendees.
Be safe & have fun.
And interestingly, DJT himself is putting in an appearance today not far from here, in Coachella.