Conference of Champions

I make no bones about being a fan of the University of Oregon Ducks. However, whenever I can do so without conflict, I also root for the University of Southern California, and have my whole life, because my grandfather and father were, and mother is, lifelong Trojan fans. My Grandfather swore to his dying day that the greatest football player in history was Ambrose Bierce [huh?] Schindler [thanks, mom].

Even when the Pac-10 race is tight, there's one game, fortunately non-conference, in which I ALWAYS root for USC, regardless of the ramifications for the Ducks.

Which is why tonight's outcome gives me some consolation after the Ducks' heartbreaker in the Civil War:

USC 44
Notre Dame 24

Fight On.

One More Reason to Give Thanks

My very first attempt at a merengue pie (lime), cooling before dinner yesterday:

Joey Harrington's Revenge

Suck on it, Detroit.

I Wish I Knew Jack

I wrote the following post two year ago, and can still be found in my archives for this day last year. I really can't add much to it, so I thought I'd update and repost it.

Today marks the forty-second anniversary of the death of, arguably, one of the men who most influenced Western thought in the Twentieth Century. He also happened to be one of the men I admired most greatly, so it seems fitting that I should mark his passing.

Though most of the world recognizes his name when they hear his initials, his friends called him "Jack".

He was a war veteran, and his service influenced much of his later thought.

His romance with his wife was the stuff movies are made about.

He was a thinker, a man of convictions, whose words stir the soul, stimulate the mind, and challenge the will into acts of conviction.

And so I bid him Rest in Peace. He has shaped the way I think, as he has many others I know. Here's looking forward to meeting you on the other side, Jack.



C.S. Lewis
November 29, 1898 - November 22, 1963

UPDATE:

OK, so I felt the need to add a Lewis Quote:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

--Mere Christianity

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If the local guitar picker got his guitar picking thumb, in what city are you?

A Moment With Mike and the Bots

Tonight The Feared Redhead and I were watching one of our favorite television shows, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which was rebuilding a house in Dundee, Wisconsin. My Minnesota-born wife with the Wisconsinite relatives had never heard of Dundee, so I Googled it.

Hmmmm....

Wisconsin...

UFO's...

I hate to admit it, but the first thought that came to my mind consisted of two words:

Packers! Woooooo!

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If she died of a fever, and no one could save her, where did you first meet her?

Buttermilk Sky

Taken on the campus of Lane Community College:

Growing Up Too Fast

This picture was taken tonight, and while it's a bit blurry, it's significant:



That dark blur at the top of the stairs, entering the slide, is The Lad -- about 7 or 8 feet up, which he ascended by himself, and down which he descended by himself -- at 21 months!

I'm proud, but sad. He's supposed to stay little, dammit!

The Lad: Camera Phone Photoblogging

These pictures cover quite a few months:

The very first picture I took of him with the camera phone, thios time last year:



Last spring, just before he started walking:




Also last spring or winter:



Also back in the spring or summer, before he gave up the bottle. We had a surprisingly easy time making the transition, but this day, not even sleep could rob him of his ba-ba:



Early summer. You buy them toys, they play with the box:



Early summer, a glimpse of things to come *shudder*:



At the same mall -- dream big, little boy:



This past summer, we took him to Lone Pine Farm to see the tractor:

And the goats:







The sheep weren't so thrilled to meet him. Mutton, anyone?:



We bought fresh produce that day. Like any good Oregon boy, he loves berries:



And watermelon:



This summer, at the park:



He liked the sand at the park so much, we had to:



At the Portland Zoo:



This Halloween (he was too sick to wear this outfit trick-or-treating):

So Much for being the Cool Dad

I had a bit of trouble with the stroller the other day:

The Sound of Silence

Sorry for the lack of posting, not much to say these days.

I've Been Everywhere, Man

A tip of the Toque to Maximum Leader at Naked Villainy, who turned me on to this quiz:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The South
The Inland North
What American accent do you have?

The results aren't surprising, considering how much I've moved in my life -- Born in Oregon, I moved to California at 4 -- Southern first, then Northern. We moved to Idaho when I was in the 4th grade, and back to Oregon for my high school years. I went to bible college in Indiana, then moved to San Diego, then back to Oregon. Along the way I developed best friendships with Michiganders and Texans and married a Minnesotan. So like my ethnic background, I'm a dialectic mutt.

So what's the Oregon accent? It varies from region, but for the most part it's typically western -- slower, and a bit lazy in our pronunciation.

When You Gonna Wake Up

When you gonna wake up strengthen the things
that remain?

- Bob Dylan, "When You Gonna Wake Up?" Slow
Train Coming

A few political matters to attend to tonight:

OK, there's no way around it, this was a bad night to be a Republican. We've lost control of the House, and at this hour the Senate is still up for grabs. Closer to home, it looks like Oregon is stin unready to face the fact that a generation of Democratic governors has left us in the economic backwaters of America, and thanks to Measure 43 being defeated, teenage girls can't get a tattoo without her parents knowing, but she can get an abortion.

But things could be worse. For one thing, a lot of the Democrats being elected across the country are moderate and conservative Democrats: Anti-Tax, pro-Life, Pro-Sencond Amendment. And while Pelosi may be Speaker, she doesn't have the unanimous support for all of her agenda from all of the House Dems.

So here's my message to fellow Republicans and conservatives: Butch up. Let's not act like the Left did in 2000, 2002, and 2004. No whining, I don't want to hear "they stole it!", no threats to move to Canad... er Australia. Let's look at what went wrong, look at what we did right, and, like the song says, strengthen what remains. It's more important now than ever that we fight the good fight and stand up for our beliefs. Balls, Boys, Balls!

Kitchen Theology

I believe there is a very special Hell reserved for chefs who take without asking from another chef's Mise en Place.

New Blogroll Addition

Today while checking my site traffick, I discovered that I was linked to by a page that listed a whole bunch of Blogs that had blogged on the John F "Not so Swift a Boater" Kerry kerfluffle. While checking out that link, I stumbled across another blog and just had to add it to my blogroll.

Why? Well, for three specific reasons:

1. He's a fellow conservative, and a well-spoken one at that.

2. He's a fellow Oregonian. 'Nuff said.

3. He served in the U.S. Navy, specifically in the amphibious fleet. Now, for this I have a doubly soft spot in my heart for him. I come from a family brimming with sailors, on both sides of the family. My father, my sister's husband, two paternal cousins and a maternal cousin all served or are currently serving in the U.S. Navy, including one who retired after making a career of it. My best friend Vulture Six also served in the modern U.S. Navy. In addition, my maternal grandfather not only served in the Navy, he served on an LSD in Worl War II. My grandad was a real man, the kind of man who made Ernest Hemingway seem like a pansy. He worked during his life as a ranch hand, a ranch foreman, a laborer and later a superintendant of a salt harvesting operation, and a shipfitter in the Navy. During his service, he went aboard a sister ship that had been struck by a kamikaze and rescued several men from a burning compartment. He was a father, a husband, a grandfather, a hunter, an angler, a joketeller extraordinaire, and all around just plain one helluva man. So anyone who has any sort of connection to him, be it personal or via career path, is ok in my book.

For all of those reasons, I hereby commend to you The Bow Ramp. Go read. He seems like a good guy.

For a Beavers fan.

It's Not Always About the Money

Some of you may recall the pleas I put out about a year ago for financial support and prayer for Jaqcui Probst, the little Oregon girl with a big medical problem and a bigger heart. With the support of many people, her surgeries were more than paid for. I feel good knowing I did what I could, and knowing so many people gave.

Well, while the giving financially isn't necessary anymore, the prayers are still needed. I just received the following email from her family, along with permission to reprint it on my Blog:

Second Verse, Same as the First...

Well Everyone,

We're having a serious deja vous experience around here. Once again, we will soon be boarding a plane to New York for a surgery for Jacqui, her second. Well, second of this type. I was counting them up the other day and this will actually make a grand total of 23 times under anesthesia for various surgeries and procedures. No wonder we can't seem to shake off that shell-shocked look! The good news is that this
time, it is courtesy of one of her surgeon's private grants. For those of you
who are scratching your heads thinking we were finished, uh… so did we.
Allow us to explain...

Last year, as you know, there were some complications with Jacqui's surgery. We knew there likely would be, so it really didn't catch us by surprise. Jacqui's Lymphatic Malformation (LM) was even more extensive than originally thought and it made for some serious challenges for her surgeon. We are asked a lot, “Didn't you go to New York so nothing would go wrong?” The answer surprises some - "Well, no, not really." The primary reason we went to New York was that we knew there was a very high probability, almost an inevitability, that something would go wrong. When it and if things did go wrong, we wanted her to be in the most experienced hands possible so that the problems would be addressed quickly, appropriately and with experience and skill. And, that is exactly what happened. Looking back on the entire experience of everything that happened makes us incredibly grateful that her surgeon did have such extensive experience. The rare occasions where we ponder what might have happened had she been in different hands results in a sensation not unlike staring over the edge of a 1,000 foot cliff after a nasty tumble in its general
direction. About all that goes through your head while your heart pounds at 100
miles per hour is "Whew!!" Then we thank God for all of you and your prayers!

Jacqui's surgery last year went very well over all. Her LM was successfully removed and we have had no incidence of recurrence, which is very good. Chances are very small now that it will re-generate. Her breathing is worlds better! We really have to listen to hear her now when she is sleeping and she no longer needs a heart-rate monitor for apnea. Her cyclic vomiting syndrome and migraine symptoms appear to have stabilized and she hasn't had an episode since January. She has been regaining nerve function in the right side of her face and is right on track with anticipated recovery rates. Every month we see new improvements. She has had a very, very good year!

Now, about last year's surgery complications. The surgery was a long one - just over 8 hours. The surgeon told us that it was one of the most difficult surgeries that he had done and estimated that the mass they removed was about 2 pounds. It was so large that it had pressed all the structures in her neck far left of center - muscles,
blood vessels, everything. That made it impossible to guess where everything was
ultimately going to end up after things had a chance to settle down for a few
months after the surgery. Because of this, they had to leave more skin than they
had originally planned on to give things room to return to as close to normal as
possible positions in her neck. This resulted in a baggy section of skin under
her jaw-line and meant that a follow-up procedure would be necessary to do
cosmetic touch-up work. So, just out of the gate we were already looking at a
second surgery. Also, all of the fat tissue in her neck had been pushed up into
her cheek or over under her chin by the LM with very little fat tissue in her
neck or jaw line. This too would need additional surgery at a later time to
position it correctly.

Then there were breathing complications. She had to have a temporary trach put in which, incidentally, didn't slow her down at all. In fact, she decided she was done with having a trach several months early at about 3 am on Christmas Eve morning of last year. She pulled it out herself. She did such a very fine job of it that we were not able to put it back in place. So, after being scared out of our wits followed by a 3 am ambulance ride which Jacqui referred to as “allotta fun“, we had the unique joy of spending Christmas Eve day in the hospital. We waited while it was debated whether or not Jacqui needed to have her trach put back in place surgically. After several hours of her bouncing-off-the-wall antics, the hospital staff finally conceded that she
didn’t appear to be in any eminent danger of respiratory distress. I think they
all sighed in relief when the lobby doors closed behind us. Ken later asked
Jacqui why she pulled her trach out. Her reply? “I had things to do.“ What a
nut.

During our stay in New York, Jacqui had another complication. Her drain, a device that was temporarily placed to route fluid away from her incision line, lost suction and she had to go back to surgery to have it repaired. The suture line became stressed from the extra procedures and some stitches prematurely broke loose requiring another surgery to put them back in place. All of this unfortunately made it impossible for the incision to heal in the nice thin line that it would have had it been able to have been left undisturbed.

Every complication was addressed with incredible skill and efficiency. The compassion displayed by the entire surgical team was overwhelming. We really couldn't picture the surgeon's level of concern being any greater for his own child. After all the complications had been addressed and we were getting ready to go, the surgeon did something extraordinary. He told us that whatever needed to be done to get Jacqui to his initial intended goal for her, he was committed to seeing through to the end - at his expense. He told us he wanted to bring us back to New York in a year and fine-tune the unexpected cosmetic issues that had surfaced for her. All on his tab. We were overwhelmed. We told him that we hadn't come to New York for an iron-clad guarantee that nothing would go wrong, but rather because he was the best qualified individual to see to her needs if something did go wrong. He gave us a tired smile. His response although nearly unheard of in medical circles was a commonplace one for him, "Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to get her to where she needs to be - I am committed to getting her there." We thought that as her parents, we were the only people alive possessing that level of commitment to her medical care. How wonderful and unexpected to find that same deep-seated commitment in our child's surgeon!

A brief side note: We have been fortunate to find not just one, but two excellent surgeons. Some of you may remember that we had been told Jacqui would need to have a couple of surgeries to strengthen her trachea. Thanks to her wonderful new ENT in Seattle, those procedures are on hold indefinitely. While assessing the state of her trachea in January, he noticed a tissue flap that was falling over her vocal cords whenever she took a breath. He removed it in a simple lasering procedure, suspecting that it might be heavily contributing to her breathing complications. He was right and her breathing has improved so dramatically that the other corrective surgeries have been put on hold and it appears they may not be necessary at all. He is a very detail oriented person and we are so grateful that he notices what he calls
“little things”. His attention to such “little things” has had a huge and positive impact on Jacqui’s health.

We are hopeful that this November’s surgery in New York will be her last surgery for a very long time. Her surgeon plans for this procedure include the following: Achieving as much symmetry in her face and neck as possible, removing the excess skin left behind in the first surgery, repositioning any necessary adipose tissue, and repairing her LM removal scar and her trach scars. He also plans to assess the percent of nerve function that has returned to the right side of her face compared to her left by measuring electrical potentials of the nerves and comparing them to the left side. This will give us a better idea of how well her nerve function is recovering. This surgery is expected to be about a 5 hour surgery in contrast to the surgery last year which was estimated at about 10 hours.

Our itinerary?

We plan to leave here on Saturday night, November 11th, see her surgeon on Monday November 13th in clinic, see an assortment of other specialists involved in her surgery on the 14th and 15th, have surgery on the 16th, suture removal on the 22nd, fly into Portland late on the 23rd (Thanksgiving Day), and return home Friday morning the 24th. Then the plan is to sleep like zombies until one of the kiddos insists on waking us up (thanks to Jacqui's baby brother, that interval may be painfully brief).

So, here we are one year later. Very soon, we will be boarding another plane to New York because of the care and commitment of a very special surgeon, because of steadfast friends a loving family, and because of the extraordinary kindness of a community. Our airfare, apartment rental and Jacqui's medical expenses all paid before they even accrue. If ever you find yourself doubting God's faithfulness or the significance of prayer, call. We'll talk.

Deepest gratitude for each of you,

Ken and Michelle Propst (and Jacqui and Kyle too!)

P.S. The photo is from Jacqui’s 4-year pictures. We purchased the negatives and rights to copy and transmit the photos from her photo session.

So again, thanks for all the support, dear readers, and please keep up the prayers.

And yes, I've already let the Probsts know that if Jacqui likes younger men, The Lad is available.

What He Said

There's a series of political ads going on here in Oregon for Representative Peter DeFazio. In the ads, he and his supporters tell you that you should vote for his opponent if you want "more of the same in Washington", then goes on to list a litany of woes. He then tells you to vote for him if you want "change in Washington".

The funny thing is, guess who the incumbent who's been in Washington for-freaking-ever is? You guessed it, Pete. His opponent is the challenger, he's the incumbent. So I guess he's going to change htings by doing what he's always done?

But let's give him the benefit of the doubt, and accept his argument that if re-elected, he'll "turn this country around". Is that what we really want? Go read this excellent post by Tony at Blah Blah Blog, and see what "more of the same" looks like. Then ask yourself if you really want to turn this country away from all of that.

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If every one of them loggers looked like Paul Bunyon to you as a skinny kid about sixteen, to where did you ride the train?

Bonus Question:
Why would this blogger post a question about that place?

Update 1:59 PM PST 11/03/06
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Even if They're Misspelled

A tip of the toque to Hot Air Via Darth Apathy.

I Insulted the Troops before I Didnt Insult the Troops

Rather than go off on Kerry's latest gaffe, I'll just refer you to this excellent essay by Dave E. at Fish Fear Me.

And I'll just quickly remind Kerry that October Surprises are supposed to hurt your enemies.

Damn You, Dissident Frogman!

You couldn't wait until after we've covered Meat Fabrication and Charcuterie at culinary school, could you?

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If they tell you you can't sell no stripers, and there's no luck in swordfishing here, from what part of what U.S. state do you hail?

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If your heart is down, and your head is spinning around, where did you have to leave a little girl?

Harvest Dinner

Now that I've had time to rest, I'd like to share my thoughts on and impressions of the Harvest Dinner and the prep day for it, before they fade.

Monday, we had no classes, and instead all the first year students, from both both the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management programs, received training on how to serve and bus. By the end of the week, I was sure of one thing -- I'd rather work 16 hours in the back than 4 in the front.

Also on Monday, because The Feared Redhead had a training class all day up in Salem, I had the duty of dropping The Lad off at daycare. That's a job I don't envy TFR. When he cried at my leaving, it pretty much tore my heart out.

Tuesday we had Cooking Theory class in the morning, but our Restaurant Operations class was taken up with more training -- including a game of follow-the-leader around campus carrying serving trays. I made a reference to Supertramp's Breakfast In America album cover, and got a blank stare from a couple of my classmates. That pretty much put me in my place -- and age bracket -- for the week.

Wednesday, no classes or training for my group.

Thursday was prep day, getting all the Mise en Place ready for Friday. I was assigned to the salad station, which was also tasked with developing the vegan options for the dinner. Caprial and John had not specified any, and when asked about it, instructed the school to adapt recipes from Caprial and John's latest cookbooks. The second year students running our station were good about accepting input from us first years, and between all of us we came up with options that fit the theme of the dinner ("Autumn in the Vineyard"), as well as being plausible substitutes for their meat counterparts. I volunteered for the job of doing the conversions, since the recipes were all for 6 servings and we were preparing 24 of each.

So for those who have been wondering, here is the menu for this past Friday's Harvest Dinner:

Appetizer:
Dungeness Crab [Thanks to Sgt. Jeff for the editing] and Parsnip Cakes in Orange Oil
(Vegan) Baked Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pilaf and Apple Cranberry Chutney
Wine: Griffin Creek Pinot Gris

Soup:
Celeriac Soup

Salad:
Baby Arugula with Rosemary Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
(Vinaigrette made with sugar instead of honey available for Vegans)

Entree:
Roast Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms in a Veal Demi-Glace accompanied by Caramelized Onions
(Vegan) Marinated Portobello Mushrooms with Pear and Onion Compote
Wine: Lorane Valley Pinot Noir

Dessert:
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Apple Compote
(Vegan): Apple Tartlets with Caramel Sauce
Wine: Sylvan Ridge Early Muscat

We ended the day Thursday with a meeting after cleanup in which our guest celebrity chefs were introduced to us. I was impressed with how gracious and down-to-earth they were. They heard that several students had asked our instructors if we were allowed to speak directly to the guest chefs. They made it clear that yes, they wanted us to talk to them. They also gave us strict orders not to address them as "Chef" -- John's exact wordswere, "I'm john, this is Caprial." They fielded questions from us. My classmate Patty, the "Mom" of our class, asked the best question, I felt, and I appreciated their answer. The question was regarding the philosophy behind the menu they selected. Caprial explained that the menu was selected with an eye for what ingredients are available locally this time of year, so that they are seasonal. The Pences are very strongly influenced by the Slow Food Movement. They also explained that for large events such as this, they believe in simple, elegant dishes wthout a lot of complex components. They shared a story about a dinner for Julia Child in which they participated, and how they were able to spend time mingling with other chefs while some of the participants were stuck in the kitchen for many more hours because of the complexity of the dishes they chose to prepare. I agree with them in this regard, and besides, Caprial is a James Beard Award recipient, so it's safe o say she knows what she's talking about.

The most touching moment of the day came as we were leaving. I have a classmate who has missed quite a few classes because his three-year-old daughter has a malignant tumor in jer jaw muscle. We were passing around a card for them, and Caprial and John were happy to sign it for us. altogether very warm, personable people, and John has a quirky sense of humor much like my own.

Friday was hectic all day. It started when I woke up remembering I had homework due for my 10 AM "Human Relations in the Workplace" class. Ugh. Not only is this class almost universally viewed as a waste of time in terms of what we're getting out of it, it has more take-home work than any other class we're taking. But I got it done and got to school with time to print it out at the library and still get to class.

After class ended at 1, I went directly to the Center for Meeting and Learning and got changed into my Black & Whites, then waited around until the auditorium was ready for us to start setup, around 2 or so. Then we met with our section captains (all second year Hospitality students) and received our table assignments, where I learned that I would be serving the president of the college. Apparently, I wasn't already nervous enough.

We began seating at 6 and serving at 6:30. The evening went well. Between the cost of dinner itself, the silent auction held in the lobby and the oral auction during dinner, we raised around $200,000 for the College Foundation, which will mostly go to scholarships. At the end of the night they had all of us students come to the front and we received a standing ovation. It choked me up, to be honest, knowing how generous all these people were being, and knowing that my efforts helped raise money to pay the tuitions of people I pass on campus every day.

We were done cleaning up by around 10 or 10:15. I must say, the students who worked as stewards rawked. Their efficiency clearing trays as we bussed made things run incredibly smoothly. I can't tell you how much I appreciated them.

I got dropped off at home around 10:30 or so. TFR had a nice bourbon and Coke waiting for me, and I took a long, hot bath, then went to bed for what I expected to be a good night's rest. No such luck. The Lad has a cold, so I was up with him at midnight, again at 2 and then fro 2:30 to 2:45, at 4:15, at 6:30, and finally when he was up for good at 8. It was a challenge keeping my eyes open all day yesterday while I cared for him, so I was grateful that TFR took over last night -- of course, he slept most of the night, only waking once.

Watch This Spa.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Harvest Dinner was very eventful, and I have a lot to say about it, but The Lad is sick, and adter getting home at around 11 last night, I was up with him at midnight, again from 2:15 to 2:45, again at 4 AM, and yet one more time at 6:30. I'm too exhausted to articulate everything I have to say about this week. I'll be back sometime later this weekend.

Halfway There

This week is by all accounts one of the hardest and busiest weeks of the academic year for the Culinary Arts program -- it's the week of the Harvest Dinner, the biggest fundraiser of the year for the entire college. A guest chef is invited, and the culinary students prepare a meal for around 400 guests who each pay $100 to attend, using a menu created by the guest chef. Today was prep day -- all culinary students helped prep the Mise en Place. Tomorrow the Second Years will be doing the cooking, while we First Years, along with the Hospitality Management students, will be the serving staff.

I spent the day helping prep for the salad - Arugula with a honey, mutard and rosemary vinaigrette. We were also responsible for coming up with optional vegan dishes based on recipes in the latest cookbook from our guest chefs, Capriak and John Pence (Not John and Caprial, Caprial and John -- that was very specifically communicated to us). To replace the first course of crab cakes, we decided on baked acorn squash stuffed with wild rice pilaf and apple cranberry chutney. The tenderloin entree was replaced (WHY?) with a marinated portobello mushroom with apple and onion consomme. And finally, instead of an apple mascarpone cheesecake, the vegan dessert is an apple and phyllo dough tartlet.

All in all a pretty long, demanding day. But I'd still repeat it a dozen times over rather than face tomorrow and the front of the house.

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If you'll be looking for eight when they pull that gate, where will you be and when?

Note:

I talked to Vic in person and asked him this, and yes, he got it.

Pun Fun

While enjoying the aforementioned dessert, I did something I haven't done in ages -- bumped my funny bone. I didn't find it humerus at all.

Something Wicked This Way Crumbs

Oh, man. I just had one of the most decadent desserts I've ever had in my life. The Feared Redhead picked me up after class, and before she went to work, we went out for Mexican food, then stopped by Sweet Life -- a patisserie here in Eugene that is (justifiably) renowned for their cakes, pies, and other desserts. I had the caramel chocolate shortbread, and just about died.

Unimpressed? I'm sorry, let me go into detail. They start with a scalloped shortbread.... I guess you'd call it a cookie, though it's as big as a coffee cup saucer, and a full quarter inch thick. It's the richest shortbreat I've EVER had -- when I asked them how much butter they use, the answer was, "You don't want to know". Then half of it is coated in caramel and then dark chocolate. Dear Lord, this thing was RICH, but not as sweet as you'd expect -- the dark chocolate and shortbread offset the caramel nicely. I'm telling you, this thing was pure evil. If you ever get to Eugene, join its dark side.

Shut Up, Cartman!

Which South Park kid are you most like? Kyle You are clever, and often come up with intelligent and funny comebacks to other people's stupid remarks.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

There Goes Trouble

Though I'm happy for her, I must say, it sucks to be her fans right now.

My Son the Preschool Gourmand

From the time he began eating solid foods, The Lad has preferred small portions of our grownup food to the baby foods we presented to him. As I've mentioned before, this has led to a toddler with some very refined tastes. His latest obsessions? Dill pickles, hot salsas, green olives, and Gruyere.

Praise the Lord and Pass the Twelve-Gauge

A big tip of the toque to Maximum Leader via Bobgirrl.

The Zombie Movie Survival Quiz

Francesco Dellamorte is your name, and killing zombies is your game. Living at Buffalora Cemetery, where the dead rise quite frequently, you know how to take care of zombies. Yes, you are definitely a bad ass. Too bad your sexy model girlfriend is a zombie.
Take this quiz!








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Preemptive Hindsight

DuhA Big tip of the toque to Ken at It Comes in Pints?

The next time someone on the Left tells you that the entire reason we went to war with Iraq was WMD's, and that all the other reasons were tacked on later, send them over to Fish Fear Me to read this entry and its linked references.

Persecution?

Nah, it can't be. Christians don't get persecuted.

Pun Fun

The Feared Redhead said to The Lad this evening: "Give Peas a Chance."

An Interesting Perspective

A tip of the Toque to HMIL at Teapot Tantrums.

HMIL has posted a column by Victor David Hanson, who is in my mind one of the more intelligent, erudite spokesmen for the right today. I recommend you go read it. As in, right now.

There's a lot to digest there -- not only about how we're presented with information on Iraq, but on the state of affairs at home.

Comeback Weekend

This weekend in sports is going much better for me than last. Last week, by Padres got dumped from the playoffs with only 1 win. My Ducks got their tails whipped by Cal. And in Fantasy Football, I lost for the second week in a row -- going from alone in first and undefeated to being in fourth with a 3-2 record.

Well, this week, the Ducks recovered well from their loss and trounced UCLA 30-20, re-establishing themselves as one of 3 PAC-10 teams to watch.

In the meantime, I'm up 13.4 to 7.0 against one of the 4-1 teams in my league. It's way too early to call, but if I win, I could move up as high as second in the league, since another 4-1 team is also losing.

UPDATE:

Nope. After several reversals of fortune, I got trounced, 70.3-36.4. Oh, well, at least the Ducks won.

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If your destination is a world away from the coaly Tyne, to where are you sailing?

News to Me

I'm blogging from campus this morning -- something I've never done before, but being away from the house allows me the quiet and detatchment to think a little more clearly.

I was having my morning coffee down in the cafeteria a while ago. The table at which I sat was across the aisle from our Student Government kiosk (mostly because it's ALSO right next to the door -- quick in, quick out), where they're holding a voter registration drive. That in and of itself is an admirable activity. But what caught my eye and troubled me was one of the posters they have printed up and plastered al around, the one that says, "Education! It's a Right!"

Oh, really? Refresh my memory -- which part of the constitution states that? Where is that listed in the Declaration as a "Certain inalienable right"? Education isn't a right, it's a privilege. It's not yours by birthright, it has to be earned.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm a firm believer in the importance of education. It's one of the few causes to which I'll give my money. Heck, I'm even accepting assistance to get an education myself (though, to be fair, that assistance is coming mostly from charitable donations and from unemployment funds into which I've paid my share for the last 20 years).

But I reject the assertion that it's a right to which everyone is entitled, no questions asked, and I reject that the bill for providing that "right" is necessarily to be footed by the taxpaying public. It's certainly everyone's right to pursue an education, as that falls under the pursuit of happiness and definitely helps enable one to secure ones liberty. But the right to pursue does not necessarily convey the right to being aided in that pursuit. In fact, I'm beginning to see that as one of the basic differences between a right and a privilege -- a right can be defined as something that an individual must be free to do or not do, at their will, without hindrance or coercion from society or government or other individuals. A privilege is something that an individual is allowed to do or assisted in doing or shielded from by society, the government or other individuals, contingent upon the individual meeting certain criteria and/or taking certain reciprocal actions.

An education falls into that category. Does everyone have a right to a Harvard education? No -- that would require a certain level of academic performance, as well as financial resources. Does everyone deserve a PHD in quantum physics? No -- the level of education one attains is contingent upon both one's innate intelligence as well as ones willingness to make the required effort. Even among high school graduates, the quality of education they received is to a argue extent dependent on how much attention they paid, and how muh work they did. Garbage In, Garbage Out.

That's the part of the education priviledge bestowed upon students by educators. In the case of public education, we must also be aware of the fact that the priviledge is also besatowed by the taxpayers who fund education. They expect, or at least SHOULD expect, certain conditions be met in return for the funding they provide -- including accountability on the part of both students and educators for the quality and content of the education. They're footing the bill, they should get to see the statement.

In conclusion, and to reiterate, no, my dear ASLCC, education is NOT a right. It's a priviledge. Granted, it's a priviledge which in the long run is prudent to extend, but a priviledge nonetheless. So while I appreciate your efforts to motivate young people to ote, I'm not so thrilled about the way you're encouraging them to think about my wallet. I'm a student, but I'm also a taxpayer. And to answer the question of the young lady with the clipboard, yes, I'm registered to vote.

Musical Geography Question of the Day

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Here's a hint, in the form of another question from the same song:

What governments is it propping up?

Six Years Ago Today

A Tip of the Toque to Armies of Liberation via Howie at Blogfather Rusty's:

A Tribute to the U.S.S. Cole.

First They Came for the Snail Darters, and I Did Not Speak Out...

A Tip of the Toque to Babalu Blog via Ken at It Comes in Pints?

Apparently, the editor of the magazine Grist, big supporters of Al Gore, are calling for a Nuremberg-style tribunal for any scientist or public figure who doesn't toe their line on the human impact on global warming.

Because, as we've seen, the Left is all about freedom of speech and thought.

More Good News

Just got back from a meeting with my counselor at the Workforce Network, an agency that helps with placement and training for unemployed individuals. It turns out that that $740 scholarship I'm getting is PER TERM, not overall. In addition, they're going to help with childcare as well, to the tune of an additional $500/term.

Comments Are Fixed

Fire Away.

It Was a Very Good Year

My Restaurant Operations professor, who has years of experience in the food and beverage industry, and is quite knowledgeable, informed us yesterday that this is going to be a very very VERY good year for Oregon wine. Apparently, from what he was saying, the grapes are both of high quality and in abundance -- usually you get one or the other. Furthermore, this is the height of the harvest, and we haven't had rain in almost a week, and don't expect any until some time NEXT week -- by then the grapes will be in. In the meantime, our weather is warm (almost hot) and dry, with mild, cool nights.

What does this mean for the wine drinker? It means that within a year or so, maybe as soon as six months, you should see a huge influx of very good wine from Oregon at a very reasonable price.

Musical Geography Question(s) of the Day

1. Through where do the move it?
2. Where do they sell it?
3. Where do they hide it?

Quote of the Day

Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, sweet as love.

- Turkish proverb

OK, So I'm a Lunatic Too!

The other day, my friend Lurch and I were discussing the gibbous moon:



(Not to be confused with the Gibbonous moon:)


I was mentioning how it has always seemed to me that the shading of the gibbous moon provides a sense of depth that a full moon doesn't, and that a gibbous appears most like the sphere that the moon is, while a full moon appears more flat and disc-like.

We were also discussing the appearance of the moon during daylight hours, and how it appears more mysterious and surreal than at night when it shines so brightly.

Well, this morning, while relaxing before class, I looked outside and noticed the moon. Because it was just after sunrise, the sky was a deeper blue than is normal for full daylight hours, so the moon was clearer, more pronounced, and incredibly beautiful. It was quite a sight.

Black and White Issue

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we now wear full brigade in class. In fact, it's required both in lecture and kitchen lab classes. In addition, Culinary Arts students also take some hospitality management classes, and we are required to attend those in brigade as well.

This morning around 7:30 I was relaxing in a student lounge area on campus before class when one of my classmates walked by, not yet in Brigade. She made some snarky comment about not understanding why all of the rest of us came to school already in brigade, and how it would get our whites dirty.

I'll give you three guesses which classmate it was, and the first two don't count.

Personally, I enjoy wearing my brigade. Maybe for someone who's just learning about cuisine, it's a silly school uniform. And I can understand her reticence to get it dirty.

But for an aspiring chef, it's a badge of identity -- it represents not just culinary school, but being a culinarian -- it's inclusive and exclusive at the same time, marking me as an acolyte into a special society. I may be just barely in the door of that society, but I'm already embracing it not just as a vocation, but a lifestyle, a culture.

And if it gets dirty, I'll wash it. But when I'm going to and from school and someday work, I intend to wear it so that people can see me and think, "Oh, there goes a chef." Clothes don't make the man, but they sure to lay a foundation.

I Can Feel it Coming in the Air Tonight, O Lord...

Tomorrow, we cook.

Why, Yes,

Cal, those ARE our feathered Duck Butts. Could you be so kind as to hand them to us now that you're kicking them off? Thanks ever so much.

Hmph. I had a bad feeling about today.

I'm Not Dead Yet!

Padres 3, Cardinals 1

Quote of the Day

I just hate health food.

- Julia Child

Americans Are Americans Too!

One of the central themes you'll hear emphasized by many who advocate a more lenient attitude towards illegal aliens is the arguement that they're merely seeking a pbetter life, an American life, and that they deserve the same rights that the rest of us do.

Without arguing the specific merits of that argument, recent events at Columbia University leave me wondering how committed to those rights some of those individuals (especially the more radically leftist end of the pro-illegal spectrum) truly are -- especially with regards to the exercise of those rights by those with whom they disagree.

Seeing Red (and Tasting It)

My home state has what are considered the strictest wine labelling laws of any state in the US. Oregon winemkers are not allowed to use foreign place names -- you'll never see an Oregon wine called Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Champagne. Furthermore, if it says it's an Oregon wine, all the grapes used to make that wine will have been grown in oregon, and all of them will be from the region of the state specified on the bottle, and (with the exception of Cabernet Sauvignon), at least 90% of the grapes will be of the state varietal.

And while this has been for the most part a good thing, there have been, in my mind, a few negative side effects. The main one has been that due to the focus on varietals and the prohibition against names like Burgundy and Bordeaux, there has been, especially in the past, an almost cult-like bias for straight varietal wines -- Pinots, Chard, etc. This means that less time and effort was spent on blended wines, and so they gained an unfortunately deserved reputation for being of lesser quality than the straight varietals.

But that lesser quality had to do with the effort being expended on them, not on the inherent superiority of pure varietal wines. And I'm happy to report that Oregon winemakers are starting to experiment more with higher quality blended reds -- with pleasing results. Some of the better results come from Cab-Merlot blends and Syrah-based blends, as well as more complex and esoteric blends.

Two of my favorites are Girardet Winery's Grande Rouge and Bergstrom's Red (how straightforward is that? Nice, huh?). The Bergstrom is a marvelous, full-bodied wine, both drier and bolder than the usual demure pinot noirs for which Oregon is known. It also has more oak flavor to it, and pairs well with steak and beef. The Girardet Grande Rouge is also dry, but not as in-your-face as the Bergstrom, and finds a middle ground between fuller-bodied wines and the softness of Pinot Noir. It went well with salmon last night, but I'd also not hesitate to pair it with Italian food or beef. And the best part? It'll st you back about $7 a bottle.

All in all, I'm encouraged by the new blended reds. I'm also interested, bemused, and at times amused by the names the winemakers come up for for these blended wines. One winery names them all after members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Appropriate, given the adventurous spirit this new trend reflects.

Are you ready to join the Corps of Discovery?

The Badge and the Spatula

I'm really looking forward to the new show coming out on the Food Network, The Hungry Detective. The star is a real LAPD Detective and a food critic. Why does this show's concept jazz me so much?

Back when I was in my early twenties, I worked as a parking valet. My workday started in the evening and went until well after midnight. I had friends who were night owls as well, and usually didn't go to bed until around 4 AM or so. One thing I learned: If it's 2 AM and you're hungry for good food, look for cop cars. If you see 2 or more police cruisers parked at the same establishment and their lights are NOT flashing, eat there. Trust me on this one. Cops know food.

It Can Happen That Fast

Today I had the... opportunity(?) to help avoid a missing child incident. No, not The Lad, someone else's kid.

On Thursdays, TFR doesn't go to work until 3:30, and I have no classes, so we decided to spend the early part of day together OUTSIDE of the house. It's been a glorious day, sunny and warm with only the slightest hint of chill in the breeze. We went first to Lone Pine, a farm stand/petting farm where The Lad got to feed goats, and we had pop and a caramel apple. Then we drove into Eugene and went to Emerald Park, where there is an excellent playground and sandbox. While we were there, we met several other parents with toddlers. One woman was there with a boy of about 4 or 5, and a little girl of 2. At one point a preschool class came marching out of the rec center to play on the playground, and this woman went over to talk to the teacher and ask her if there were any openings, then returned to the sandbox. A few minutes later, she told the boy to get ready to go, then went over to the playground area to get the girl. Within a minute she was back, frantically calling the girl's name and asking if we had seen her. She wasn't anywhere to be seen -- not in the sandbox, the playground, or the parking lot.

As a parent, my heart went out to her, so while TFR stayed with The Lad I went looking too. For some reason, I was drawn to the north end of the park, past the playground, where there was a picnic pavillion, grassy ares and volleyball pits. As I headed that way, a woman coming in the opposite direction asked if I was looking for a little girl. She pointed me in the right direction, and within a minute I had found her. She had seen a squirrel and taken off chasing it. The scary thing was, when I caught up with her, 100 yards north of the sandbox, she was within 20 feet of the edge of the park. I herded her (she was skittish and I didn't think it appropriate to pick her up or try to take her hand) back towards the sandbox, when the woman she had been with came running. She thanked me, expressed surprise that a 2-year-old could move that fast (Oh, yeah, believe it, lady!), then confided in me that the girl wasn't her daughter -- she was watching her for a friend.

That put a chill down my spine. It's bad enough that she was inattentive and let the girl get out of her sight, but to be so cavalier with another parent's child? If someone pulled a stunt like that with The Lad, I promise you, I'd have to display my Pimp Hand. You don't take your eyes off of your kid, let alone a child left in your care. That little girl was within moments of possible disappearing forever. When I found her, she was down in a swale where she couldn't be seen until I was within a few yards of her.

With All Due Respect...

...To Smallholder,

The Demon Rum has been blamed/to blame for congressional shennanigans for much longer than he assumes. But that's all water under the bridge.

Silly, Yet Strangely Intuitive.

Boy, Howdy! to Cabin Mistress at Uncle Sam's Cabin.

The Easiest Personality Quiz you'll ever take:

You Are a Root Beer Jelly Bean

You are truly All American and down to earth. You don't have fancy tastes, and you don't apologize for who you are. You enjoy tradition and proven quality.

What Flavor Jelly Bean Are You?

Musical Geography Question(s) of the Day

(EVERYONE BUT VIC!):

1. Where are the boys thirsty?

2. Where is there beer?

This is a Test

Just checking the changes to the comments.

Without Further Ado

The new blog name. I hope you like it.

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain if it snows, what are you?

A couple of neat things happened today related to school. First of all, I aced my Oregon State Food Handler's exam. This isn't really a major accomplishment -- it requires missing no more than 8 questions on a 32-question exam, all of which are multiple choice. I missed 1, and feel dumb about that one. It's scary to think how much worse than me some people have done and yet are legally serving me food when I eat out. I'm proud of Oregon in many ways, but not about our status as one of the states with the laxest health departments in the nation. But by the end of the term, if I've passed my class, I'll have passed the exam to become Servsafe certified, which is a more stringent standard than any stae health department in the nation.

Second, I received a package in the mail from Amazon.com -- my used (but in good condition) copy of Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts. It was expensive ($65 new for the full-sized copy), but it's the same culinary dictionary that Chef Chris (my professor) has used since his days as a culinary student. Heck, this sucker even has the definition of Mr. Brown in it.

I'm really starting to get into the groove of culinary school. I even enjoy wearing brigade -- I can feel the way it identifies me as a member of the culinary arts. It's not easy, it's tiring and demanding and at times intimidating, but the Good Lord as my witness, it feels right -- like I'm finally doing something with my life.

That Which We Call a Rose

I'm seriously changing the name of this blog, and wondered what my loyal readers (all 5 of you) would think.

I actually came up with the name "Memento Moron" before I had committed to blogging, and the fact that I was able to come up with a name that was, in my own mind, suitably clever, was one of the reasons I decided to take the leap.

But the name was chosen at a time when my bolgging was primarily of a political and current affairs nature. While I still weigh in on subjects that fire my passions occasionally, the blog has become far more of a catch-all for my meanderings, personal events, daddyblogging, school blogging, etc., and I'm not sure the theme that the name sets matches the tone of the majority of my entries.

I don't want to give away the new name I have in mind, but it would reflect a couple of my passions -- including cooking and certain musical tastes. If I decide to make the change, I'll probably start by changing the name in the heading, but keeping the old Memento Moron URL, until enough time has passed for people to get used to the new name.

So what does everyone think?

That's Kinda Weird....

Late last night (early this morning, actually) I had to call 911 to report a brawl down the block from our place (yay Springtucky!). It was dark, and I couldn't find the house phone, so I just used my cell.

Today, when I went to use my cell, it was on "Restricted use, emergency calls only". I had to press the * and the # keys to take it out of that mode. I can't help thinking the two events are related, but I've never heard of such a thing, have you?

Good (Sports) News Just Keeps Rolling In

Padres clinched a playoff berth. Also, thanks to their head-to-head record this season vs. the Dodgers (suck), a win by the Padres or a loss by the Dodgers (suck) and the Padres have the penant NL West.

Did I mention that the Dodgers suck?

This Time, Not So Close

Oregon 45 48, Arizona State 13.

Suddenly, the Pac-10 isn't a 1-school conference any more. If Oregon can beat Cal next weekend, USC had better be paying attention.

Musical Geography Question of the Day

If, in early memory, Mission music was ringing round your nursery door, from where were you?

Bar Pickup Lines Bite Back

Suddenly "Hey, baby, what's your sign?" takes on a whole new meaning.

Musical Geography Trick Question of the Day

If you wanna hold her tight all through the night, but all she wants to do is dance, where is she from?

Now That I'm Awake...

Yesterday I was pretty useless to the world, resting up from two days of school. Here's my schedule now:

Monday:
TFR's Day Off
8:00 AM-1:50 PM: Intro to Cooking Theories I (we get a couple of breaks including half an hour for lunch)
2:30-3:50 PM: Restaurant Operations (no mid-class break)
After class, TFR picks me up and we have the rest of the afternoon together.
Tuesday:
8:00 AM-1:50 PM: Intro to Cooking Theories I (we get a couple of breaks including half an hour for lunch)
2:30-3:50 PM: Restaurant Operations (no mid-class break)
Meet The Lad and TFR on her lunch break around 4:00-4:30, care for The Lad until TFR gets off work at 8:00
Wednesday:
TFR Goes to work at 12:00, care for The Lad the rest of the day (TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Thursday:
10:00 AM-12:50 PM: Human Relations at Work
TFR Goes to work at 3:30, care for The Lad the rest of the day(TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Friday:
TFR Goes to work at 3:30, care for The Lad the rest of the day(TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Saturday:
TFR Goes to work at 9:00, care for The Lad until she gets off work at 7:00.
Sunday:
TFR's Day Off.
Family day

(Homework gets fit in there somewhere)

So as you can see, my days, especially Mon-Thur, are pretty busy. But I'm truly happy. I feel like I belong there, like I'm among peers, and like I'm actually accomplishing something worthwhile. It's a good -- no, a giddy feeling.

I'm Home....

And among friends.

Musical Geography Question(s) of the Day

If, in 1958, you drove an old V8:

From where were you heading?

To where had you made it to within a mile from?

Quote of the Day

"The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star."

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Like Father, Like Son

From the time The Lad was a very tiny baby, I would hold him while cooking. And it's already rubbed off on him. Kitchen utensils (no, not the sharp ones -- I know how you people's minds work) are among his favorite toys. And after TFR made a comment to him about the whisk with which he was playing this morning, he's added a new word to his vocabulary -- "roux".

That's my boy.

The First Cut is the Deepest

Another day of classes has passed, and it finally feels like we're actually culinary students. It was our first day in full brigade. It was the first day where homework was due. It was the first day we actually got to do hands-on work in the kitchen, practicing using our steels and then peeling and dicing onions.

And most importantly, it was the day that First Blood was drawn. One of my classmates went to loan her knife to another, and forgot to hand it to him grip first. Voila! Two stitches on his index finger. I helped him out of his apron and toque and escorted him to the school clinic (interesting that it's situated only one building over from Culinary Arts).

It was the first wound of our school careers, but I'm sure it won't be the last. Though at least the suspense is over.

The part that bothered me and some of my fellow students was that the young woman who handed the knife improperly took offense when one of us said something to her. Perhaps she felt it wasn't his place as a classmate to say something, but the fact is, he was right -- she SHOULD have practiced proper safety techniques.

You Asked for It...

So here it is, my culinary uniform (aka "brigade", pronounced "BruGawd"), including "funny hat" (culinary toque):



Today was my first day of classes. It was exhausting, but exciting. I've already made some friends, and one girl has already made enemies -- she wants to get degrees in the cullinary arts AND journalism and become *spit* a food critic *spit*.

Hells Bells

Save #479, baby.

I love Oregon, and I don't regret moving back here for a minute, but sometimes I do miss going to Padres games. I hated calling it Qualcomm, to my dying day the stadium in Mission Valley will be the Murph, and I'm happy that they got such a beautiful new park. I'm just sorry I wasn't there to enjoy such a special occasion.

Oh, and the Dodgers still suck.

Fantasy Football: Week 3

Early showings:

I'm up 19.7 to 12.7, so definitely not out of the woods. Grossman's hit a wall vs. the Vikings Defense, and my opponent has Mark Bulger coming up for him later today. My best hope is another good showing by Seattle's offense (Morris and Jackson start for me) and Baltimore's defense.

Update:

An ugly win is still a win. My team had the worst showing yet, but I won because my opponent failed to bench his players who were off for a bye week. Oh, well. At least I'm 3-0.

Play MST for Me

Inspired by comments by readers Nightfly here and Angie Schultz at It Comes in Pints, I give you one of my favorite Mystery Science Theatre 3000 shorts ever:

UPDATE:

Oops, wrong one. Here ya go:

Dissent is the Highest Form of Patriotism

Except, of course, for dissent amongst the dissenters.

(Thanks for the Memory to Steve-O at The Llama Butchers)

Lead, and I Will Follow

Thanks for the Memory to Rachel Ray.

I want to work for this man!

Greg Higgins, owner of Higgins restaurant in Portland, believes in using local ingredients, and his menus highlight the foods and flavors that make the Northwest great. It was a joy watching the episode of $40/day that featured him, and to see our region, my state, and the foods about which I'm passionate being featured.

Quote of the Day

"The subtlest of deceptions is to tell the truth unconvincingly."

American of Middle Eastern Descent Persecuted for His Views on 9/11

That Damned BushHitler and his Rethuglican stormtroopers!

Right?

Thanks for the Memory to Dr. Vinnie Huskerfan at the Jawa Report.

She's a Very Freaky Rodent....

I'd heard the legends, but until today I'd never experienced the horror...

I feel so dirty.

Sympathy for the Devil

Thousands of Americans took to the street today, rioting in protest of Hugo Chavez' speech at the UN, in which he said of U.S. President George W. Bush, "The Devil was here yesterday. You can still smell the sulphur."


In Mobile, Alabama, members of American Legion Post 1234 burned an effigy of Chavez, along with a Venezuelan flag and their Citgo gas cards.


Cletus T. Dukeboys, of Deliverance, Georgia, leads a group of proestors in a chant of, "Y'all 'r infidels, Y'hear?"

Oh, wait... Never mind.

The Devil is in the Details

Update:

Thanks for theMemory to Hot Air via Ace of Spades:

I originally posted this on December 7 of last year (interesting choice of dates, eh?). The reason I'm updating it today has to do with new information put out in the above blog entries, and I will address it as an update withing the post:

Thanks for the Memory to Bluto over at Blogfather Rusty's.

MSNBC reports on the interesting results in an AP-Ipsos poll:

Most Americans and a majority of people in Britain, France and South Korea say torturing terrorism suspects is justified at least in rare instances, according to AP-Ipsos polling.

Note the "At Least" part. Of that majority, as Bluto points out, the breakdown is 27%% supporting torture "often", 11% "sometimes", 23% "rarely, and 36% "never".

I've been avoiding commenting on this issue for some time, because I wanted to make sure I was expressing myself clearly when I did, and because the issue is so emotionally charged that most of the traffic regsrding it has far too low a signal to noise ratio. But the results of this poll lead me to believe that perhaps many more of my fellow countrymen feel as I do than I first suspected. Do we support torture? That depends.

Part of the problem I have with the debate, or at least, with one side's argument in the debate, is failure to address what I consider to be some important questions. How do we define torture? Do we delineate between different degrees of coercive techniques that fall short of that definition and true torture? Do we recognize varying extremes even among those measures we do define as such? Do we hold to different standards of treatment based on the status of the individual detainee, particularly their prior actions before capture? Do we hold to different standards of treatment for punitive measures than we do for interrogation? For enforced compliance or subdual of disruptive captives?

My position is one of answering "Yes" to all those questions. It seems, at leat to me, that many on the other side of the debate are inclined to answer "No" to most if not all of them. The extreme of this is the reaction people wo agree with me receive when they point out the difference between much if not all of the treatment for which the US has recveived criticism, and the actions of our enemies (both the former Baathist regimes plastic/people shredders and the current "insurgency's" fondness of beheading). The almost universal and instantaneous response is that such comparisons are nothing more than moral equivalence. The argument goes something along the lines of, "So you're saying that since Saddam tortured people worse than we torture people, then torture's ok?"

No, that's not what we're saying. That's a straw man, and furthermore, it's a hyperbolic oversimplification of the issue that adds nothing to the discussion. Yes, we would argue that because our actions are less extreme, they are less deserving of criticism than Say, Hussein's or Pol Pot's, but it's a little more complex than "He started it, mom!" Let me try to lay it out:

There are a variety of methods that have been and used by governments and other entities to punish individuals, extract information from individuals, for subduing violent or unruly individuals, and for coercing individuals into complying with the will of those employing these methods. These methods range in the amount of force employed and the effects rendered all the way from something as simple as fining an individual for failure to comply with a jaywalking law to killing a criminal who fails to comply with a police officer's order to drop his weapon. Some of these methods can be defined as torture as it is understood by any reasonable person, and some cannot. However, there are some methods whose definition as torture is open to debate among all but those holding extreme views of torture and it is also arguable that even among those methods that clearly fall into the category of torture, there are varying degrees of severity.

It is furthermore my belief and contention that like all other methods of enforcement, the question of whether torture is justifiable or not depends on many factors, including the severity of the torture, the ends of which the torture is being employed as a means, and the identity and status of the subject. Just as it is reasonable to argue that deadly force or incarceration is justified in some cases but not in others, so it is reasonable to argue that the amount of discomfort, displeasure, and even pain and anguish which is justified varies depending on the circumstances. And while I don't believe there is any hard, fast set of criteria, I do believe that some general guidelines can be outlined:

1. I believe that the level of guilt or innocence of the subject of such treatment is the most important underlying factor. The treatment of innocents who find themselves caught up in circumstances not of their own making should be far, far gentler than the handling of a hardened, murderous terrorist. Between the two are shades of gray.

2. With regards to punitive measure, here is where I come closest to agreeing with the other side. I believe that the application of torture for no other purpose than to punish should be very limited in scope at the extreme. That's not to say I don't think that some treatments defined by some people as torture aren't legitimate means of punishment, but my limits here are much stricter than in other cases. However, it is to be remember that the line between punishment as an end in itself and punishment as a means to cause compliance is a blurry one.

3. That brings us to coercion. It is my belief that unpleasant punishment techniques and even some techniques considered torture, when used to force a subject to comply, should vary according to the following criteria: The level of guilt of the subject; the level of resistance of the subject, and the consequences of failing to obtain compliance. If I need someone to move so I can see the stage, I'll say "excuse me. If I need the Al Quaeda member we captured this morning to get in his cell to help quell a riot, I'm going to beat him with my baton. Again, there's a lot of territory to be covered in the middle.

4. Subdual of the unruly or violent I consider to be a subset of coercion, and I have nothing to add.

5. When it comes to interrogation and information extraction, again, I believe that that depends on who has the information, how immediate the need for the information is, what other sources of the information are available, and what the results of failure to obtain that information will be. If Joe (or rather, Muhammed) the Janitor knows where they dumped the documents from a bioweapons program, I'm not going to be as harsh on him as I am on Andy (or Ahmed) Al Quaeda, who knows the time and place of the next IED attack.

There are some who add to their argument against torture the claim that "Torture Doesn't Work". My first response was to reply that that is a separate point from whether or not it is justified. But I have to acknowledge that if torture doesn't work, it goes from being a means of coercion or interrogation and is nothing more than a form of punishment, and that would diminish its justice. I am not advocating vindictive cruelty just for the sake of satisfying one's own lust for vengeance.

Of course, the real problem with that argument is that it is as broad and generalizing as "Torture is wrong". What do you mean, torture doesn't work? Are you saying that no form of torture ever accomplishes any of the ends for which it is intended? That's ridiculous. You might as well say "Force doesn't work". But while it is true that certain forms of torture have been used for certain ends, and failed miserably, there are also stories of certain coercive techniques, of varying levels of severity, accomplishing their intention. I'd argue that the effectiveness of torture, like its morality, is dependent entirely on the situation, the subject, the ends, and the means employed.

UPDATE (as promised): And here's where the latest information is important to consider: In an interview with Bill O'Reilly, ABC Correspondent Brian Ross admits that the interrogation methods used by the U.S. on individuals like Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, some of which qualify as "torture" by many definitions of the word, worked.

So if you ask me if I am for torture, my answer is, it depends. Who is being tortured? What do you mean by torture? Why are you torturing them? I've already established that I am not opposed to using force, even violent force, to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. Like Churchill, now I'm "just negotiating a price". The Devil is in the Details.

That'sh Shwell, Shweetheart....

Did I mention that during the last term of my second year at culinary school (Spring 2008), one of the elective courses will be Culinary Competition? I'm looking forward to taking that one, especially considering my knack for coming up with recipes on the fly. Tonight was no exception. Lately I've been too busy playing Mr. Mom to do any serious recipe developing, but TFR is on vacation. Tired of the same old dishes, we went to the store to shop for tonight's dinner. She had no idea what she wanted, so it fell onto me to develop a recipe. This is what I came up with while scrambling around Fred Meyer (yes, the same store that I developed the port chocolate recipe in):

4 bone-in pork loin chops, medium cut
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup Chardonnay
2 tbs apple sauce
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp dried rosemary
salt
pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add onion. While the onion is sauteeing, season the pork chops with the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and rosemary. When the onions are transparent, add the pork chops. Brown pork chops on both sides, then remove from skillet. Deglaze skillet with Chardonnay or other dry white wine. Stir in applesauce and dried cranberries. Return pork chops to skillet, simmer 5 for 5 minutes. Turn chops and simmer 5 more minutes. Plate chops and spoon sauce over the top.

I paired this with baked potatoes, sauteed green beans, and the same Chardonnay I used for the deglasse', and it was delicious.

Musical Geography Question of the Day

Where were we when we said there'd be no room for doubt?

The Sooner You Get a Life, The Better

Please, Oklahoma fans, seriously -- seek help.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The instant replay official whose failure to overturn a bad call led to a narrow victory for Oregon over Oklahoma said he feels like he is under siege after receiving menacing phone calls and a death threat.

A little background for those not paying attention: On Saturday, Oregon came from being down 33-20 to defeat Oklahoma 34-33. The pivotal play of the comeback was an onside kick after Oregon scored a touchdown with 1:12 left in the fourth to make the score 33-27. Oregon recovered the onside kick, and went on to score another touchdown, winning the game 34-33. The problem is, that footage revealed that an Oregon player touched the ball before it had gone 10 yards, as required by the rules. If that had been caught by the officials, Oklahoma would have received the ball, and the game would have ended with Oklahoma winning 33-27. Unfortunately, neither the officials on the field or in the replay booth saw things that way -- they ruled that the ball was first touched by Oklahoma, and the call stood. It was only after the game was over that the mistake was revealed.

I can understand the frustration of the Sooner fans -- it was a bad call, and I'll be the first to admit that if it had been made correctly, we would have lost. But that's the way things go in football -- referees make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes cost teams points -- earlier in the same game, for instance, the refs failed to flag OU for Delay of Game on a play that got them out of a deep hole and led to one of the scores that UO had to overcome later. Sometimes bad calls cost a team a game. It shouldn't happen, but it does. This isn't the first time it has happened, and it won't be the last.

But Oklahoma -- both the University and its fans -- need to get some perspective. Oklahoma is threatening to cancel a game with Washington unless the PAC-10 changes its rules for who officiates home games ("We'll take our ball and go home!"). They also requested that the game be stricken from the records as neither a win nor a loss for either team.

Here's an idea, first suggested by my friend Lurch: How about a joint resolution by the Pac-10 and the Big 12 that IT'S JUST A GAME!? Seriously, this is the biggest case of being sore losers I've ever seen. I'm also a Seahawks fan, and to this day believe that crappy officiating cost them the superbowl. But you know what? That's the way it goes. The Pittsburgh Steelers won that game, and they're the Superbowl champs -- not the Seahawks. Sportsmanship means you accept the outcome of the game, and you strive to make sure that next time it doesn't happen like that again. I agree with the PAC-10's suspension of the officials who made the call, and there's a valid argument for reviewing how officials are assigned. But threatening to cancel games? Pretending they just didn't happen? DEATH THREATS?????

You really do need to get a life.

Apparently, I Don't Know Jacks

TFR and I were just watching an episode of one of Rachel Ray's 1,294 shows, $40 a Day, I think, and she was in Antigua. At one point she approached a young man with a very Commonwealth sort of accent, and asked him for lunch advice. His boat had an interesting ensing -- obviously from somewhere very British, but I can't figure out from where. It wasn't Gibraltar, Malta, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Antigua, Nevis, St. Kitts, or the British Virgin Islands. I'm hoping someone (maybe my Tory friends at the Llama Butchers) can ID it for me. It was a red ensign with the Union Jack in the upper Left. In the main area of the red field was a yellow cross, with equidistand arms, thin and square.

Avast!

In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I shall today refer to changing The Lad's diaper as "Swabbing the Poop Deck".

Musical Geography Question(s) of the Day

1. Where can you find tropical trees and the salty air?
2. What's waiting for you there?

Fantasy Football: Week 2

What a difference a week makes.

During the last week, I managed to make some significant changes to my team. Taking Jim in KFalls' advice, I picked up Matt Leinart, but I'm waiting to see if he actually gets any playing time. I dropped Jake Plummer and benched Kerry Collins. I managed to pick up the Bears' Rex Grossman, put him right in as my starter, and wham bam thank you ma'am, he goes 20 of 27 for 289 and 4 TD's. At kicker, I dropped Janikowski, benched and acquired John Carney -- and again, I see a huge improvement in performance at that position.

But the improvements in performance at offensive positions where I held tight, and another solid (no, make that dominating) performance by the Ravens defense also helped. Both the Seattle WR's that I own are doing better than last week -- especially Jackson. The same goes for Tampa TE Todd Heap. The only disappointment so far has been at running back, where both Mike Alstott and Michael turner had a drop in performance. But at least Turner has a quarter left to pick up the pace.

Even with my runners letting me down a bit, the improvements I saw, coupled with a bit of a slip by my opponent's players (remember last week she dominated her game) means that it's almost a shoe-in that I'll win: I only have three players left in games that are not yet final, she only has two, and I'm up 105.4 to 59.3.

I'm feeling pretty vindicated in most of my choices, both in who to cut and who to give another chance to. I'm going to give my RB's the same chance to improve I gave to my WR's. The only concern I have now is the fact that I have no WR on the bench. Fortunately, I am 3 deep in QB's, so I have some wiggle room. The question is who to cut -- Leinart or Collins? Leinart has promise, IF the Cards ever give him the helm, but that's a big "if". Collins is putting in another dismal performance, but if anything were to happen to Grossman, at least Collins is putting in playing time -- a pittance of points is better than none.

A Few More Thoughts on College Ball This Week

How do you spell overrated?
N-o-t-r-e D-a-m-e.

I love it when cocky teams get knocked down a peg. Read this article, how the game started, and how it ended. The fact that it happened to Miami, a team I've never liked and a perennial darling of the East Xoast sportswriters, makes it all the sweeter.

As someone else has already said, if this is "rebuilding", the rest of us need to be afraid. Very afraid.

Speaking of overrated, Cal found a team it could beat. In Division 1-AA.

Sooner or Later

Payback was due.

GO DUCKS!

People Unclear on the Concept of "Irony"

Thanks for the Memory to AubreyJ.

From BBC News:


Some Indian Muslims burnt an effigy of the world's Roman Catholic leader who quoted remarks which linked Islam to [get this] violence.

(Blockquote comment and bold highlight mine)

That'll show him.