Interested Parties

Clarus

2011-01-31T19:43:00.000-08:00

Learn all about the new Clarus Language Solutions. Translation, conference interpreting and equipment:

http://www.claruslanguagesolutions.com/about.php

Final predictions

2008-11-03T11:26:00.001-08:00

Electoral College: 353 to 185

Obama notables: PA, FL, CO, NM, IA, NH, OH, NC
McCain notables: IN, AZ, MO, MT

Popular vote: Obama 52, McCain 46, other 2%

US Senate: No Dem losses. Dems gain VA, AK, OR, NM, CO, NH, NC and last but not least, Minnesota. 59 seats counting Joe and Bernie. Joe takes his punishment, does not switch sides.

US House: Dems +27 seats (262 total). Notable losses include Michelle Bachman of MN, Don Young of AK, Jean Schmidt of OH, Chris Shays of CT and McClintock will loose in his quest for Washington.

CA Assembly: No net change

CA Senate: Dems +1 HBJ over TS

Propositions, November 2008

2008-10-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Prop 1A: Yes. Call me shallow, but I'm pulling for this one the most. We are decades behind the rest of the modern world when it comes to transit infrastructure. If this works as advertised, expect to see a rail explosion throughout the land. Besides, it seems like a great way to visit Frisco.

Prop 2: Yes. Does little more than require slightly bigger cages for chickens that are laying eggs. We need to face up to where and how we get out meat and eggs. Current conditions for egg production are deplorable. This is a marginal step in the right direction.

Prop 3: No. I'm only voting on one bond this year. Times are tough, sorry kids.

Prop 4: Yes. Abortion should certainly be subject to parental notification like any other elective, non-emergency procedure. This is a no brainer to me and the slippery slope argument is completely unpersuasive, IMHO.

Prop 5: Yes. Observing these thing at a distance, I'm highly skeptical of the efficacy of drug treatment, but I think even less of sending someone to jail.

Prop 6: No. Ease up on the jails already. We spend way more than any other state and we are broke. Besides, we have a train to pay for.

Prop 7: Love the idea, but it doesn't pass the smell test. If I read through a prop a couple of times and I'm still confused, I'll vote no. The burden of proof is on the proponents to make a sale, and i think they're up to something fishy.

Prop 8: No. People are arguing about this on every corner it seems. All other questions aside, when it comes to basic civil rights, I side with Sly Stone, "Different strokes for different folks". One need not get into the pros and cons of any given lifestyle to acknowledge someone else's right to live their life, in basic terms, as they see fit. Divorce is a far greater threat to the institution of marriage, not even close.

Prop 9: No. I was on the fence on this one, having recently seen first hand that restitution hearings are a waste of time, but this seems so wasteful and showy. The problem with putting minor policy like this into the Constitution is that it makes it very hard to correct course if something isn't working. This gives propositions a bad name.

Prop 10: No. All your goodies are gone, Golden State. One bond only.

Prop 11: Yes. I back this every time. Districts do not change hands in California anymore and it's an embarrassment to the two parties that rigged it so everyone's seat is safe. Locally, all races are decided in the GOP primary. This will probably loose, but it's a great idea.

Prop 12: No. No more bonds this year, how many times to I have to tell you?

Predictions?

2008-10-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, I made some very good predictions about the midterm elections. This year, I'm looking to repeat. On Monday, prepare to be schooled.

No wonder Tucker Carslon went with the necktie

2008-10-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

The last time I dressed up for Haloween was 1994 when I went as Rush Limbaugh. This required wearing a suit and stuffing a pillow under my shirt. These days, I'd need little more than an extra sweatshirt, but that is neither here nor there. I also committed some minor property crimes from a moving vehicle and could have been sues under the tort of battery by some young punks. They couldn't have called it assault, because they didn't see it coming.

Tomorrow I will accompany my son around the neighborhood while he is dressed up like Indiana Jones. So I thought I'd best go as the man on the right:

In assembling this costume, I've found out how hard it is to find a proper vest or bow tie. I've given up on the vest and have given up on my hopes to find a patterned bow tie, instead settling for a shiny black tux-style bow tie that has "prom" written all over it. This really took the option of a bow-tie as a long-term signature look off the table.

Incidentally, I've made a great discovery. Lids used to be the quintessential mall store: strictly for teens, one product, loud music, etc. Today they have, in addition to all those baseball caps, a fine assortment of gentleman's headwear. I scored a hat perfect fitting of the elder Dr. Jones.

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you...

2008-10-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Just dusting off the old blog-machine, ready to jump back in. Anyone listening?

a fair question

2008-06-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

if Apple is no longer getting juice from AT&T, why be exclusive? If I could get this thing without turning my back on Verizon, which I know and love, I would be very happy.

Forget everything they ever told you about terrorists, cancer, gunshot wounds or boating accidents

2008-03-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

You will always remeber today as the day when you first saw the machine that is going to kill you.

This is the most menacing non-humanoid I've ever seen. Watch out.

The Pro-War Candidate

2008-03-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Ready to lead on day one?

Enough of this not blogging

2008-02-28T10:19:00.001-08:00

I mean what's the point in having one?

Stand up and be counted

2008-02-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

We've got the chance to move one step closer. Let's do this.

Unfit for office

2008-01-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

On a week where he managed an odd homoerotic George Wallace impersonation, news breaks tonight that Mike Huckabee spoke via satellite to a national meeting of the Council of Conservative Citizens in 1993. The Sinn Féin to the KKK's IRA, the formerly named White Citizen's Council is one of the most enduring white supremacist oranizations in America which was very active in the later part of the Jim Crow era.

The next year, their annual convention was moved to Little Rock so that Huckabee could attend in person, but he pulled out at the last minute once the press found out that he'd be sharing the stage with a Nazi sympathizer. Read on...

Update: Christopher Hitchens, love him or hate him, has a brutal takedown of Huckabee on the race/confederacy issue in Slate. Juicy bits include:

So slack is our grasp of history and principle that we seem unable to think of the Confederacy as other than "offensive" to blacks. But there are two Republican candidates in this election—the absurd and sinister Ron Paul being the other—who choose this crucial moment in our time to exalt those who attempted to destroy the Union by force, and those who solicited the help of foreign powers in order to do so, and whose treason led to the violent deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Should their patriotism be questioned? I would say most definitely yes, and questioned repeatedly, at that, perhaps especially if they are seeking the nomination of the party of Lincoln.

I have a proposition for you

2008-01-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Actually, seven. It's that time of even-numbered year, and I'm starting to chew on the propositions set to go on the February ballot. I have sympathy for the cause of Prop. 92, but wary of putting more constraints on the legislature. I'm leaning no on everything else. Any thoughts?

I always vote Yes on Prop. Joe, and I think he'll need all the help he can get this season.

Iowa

2008-01-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Seems I should write more and considering a good half of my posts have been about the presidential candidates, this would be a good time to get moving again.

I couldn't be happier about Obama's victory in Iowa. As you can see below, I agree with most of his ideology but more than that, I'm drawn to his character, his pragmatism and his temperament. I've always been queasy about the manufactured, impersonal candidate. Nearly every nominee in my lifetime has come from that mold, so this is a refreshing change. Huckabee breaks this mold too, but his lack of substance, even ignorance on foreign policy is a non-starter. But his rise is no great surprise, I had been telling people for at least six months to look out for him as the campaign's dark horse. There wasn't a candidate to capture the Bush vote with the demise of George Allen and the false start of Sam Brownback. Don't be surprised if Fred Thompson catches some of those voters if the people and media pay more attention.

I'm impatient to see Edwards get out of the race because I've been done with him ever since his horrible debate performance against Dick Chaney in 2004. That was supposed to be the great closing argument of the campaign and he showed us how little breadth he had as candidate. Obama v. Clinton will give us an historical matchup of history-making candidates with very different approaches to politics, if not policy.

A narrow question...

2007-12-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

...but I thought I'd put it out there anyway. Anyone was experience both with TiVo and the new DirecTV branded HD DVRs. Since I'm shut out of many channels by having the former, I'm thinking of jumping to the latter. In a way this makes me feels dirty, liked those who bailed on the Mac from Windows in the pre-Steve Jobs era. Any advice?

Great candidate matching quiz

2007-12-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

I love this. You construct your ideal candidate based on the issues and you rate how important each issue is to you. It also asks about certain characteristics, like age range, prior experience, etc.. These are my results. This squares well, but it doesn't take into account the stylistic approaches that, for example, endear me to Obama or McCain but repel me from Clinton or Giuliani. Post results in the comments. Canadians, too.

1. Theoretical Ideal Candidate (100 %)
2. Barack Obama (88 %)
3. Wesley Clark (not running, endorsed Clinton) (77 %)
4. Al Gore (not announced) (75 %)
5. Hillary Clinton (75 %)
6. Dennis Kucinich (74 %)
7. John Edwards (74 %)
8. Joseph Biden (74 %)
9. Bill Richardson (73 %)
10. Christopher Dodd (72 %)
11. Alan Augustson (campaign suspended) (67 %)
12. Michael Bloomberg (says he will not run) (64 %)
13. Ron Paul (54 %)
14. Mike Gravel (49 %)
15. Kent McManigal (campaign suspended) (46 %)
16. John McCain (42 %)
17. Elaine Brown (38 %)
18. Tommy Thompson (withdrawn, endorsed Giuliani) (37 %)
19. Mike Huckabee (36 %)
20. Mitt Romney (36 %)
21. Rudolph Giuliani (32 %)
22. Chuck Hagel (not running) (31 %)
23. Alan Keyes (29 %)
24. Sam Brownback (withdrawn, endorsed McCain) (27 %)
25. Newt Gingrich (says he will not run) (25 %)
26. Fred Thompson (24 %)
27. Tom Tancredo (24 %)
28. Jim Gilmore (withdrawn) (17 %)
29. Duncan Hunter (15 %)
30. Stephen Colbert (campaign ended) (10 %)

Pressing issue of our time

2007-11-20T10:04:00.001-08:00

What do you think?

Also important, do I have what it takes? We report, you decide.

A Hero's Welcome

2007-11-15T12:50:00.001-08:00

Believe this, here's an un-ironic, non-outraged link to a Glenn Beck segment. His show recently featured my cousin Sharon Hyland Keyser, who is a newly married wife of a marine serving in Iraq that recently left her job to start an organization to give returning soldiers in the Philadelphia area a surprise welcome when they return home. These welcomings have been pretty elaborate and the stories are really touching. Her brother also served in Afghanistan and her parents are very good people.

The organization takes a non-partisan and non-ideological stance and welcomes the support of anyone regardless of their position on the war. Support the cause if you're inclined to. I will.

I don't really watch cable news, except when news breaks, so hat tip to my Mom for the heads up. This reminds me, my wife Allison is supposed to be on CNN Headline News any day now in a taped segment about colleges. She's also supposed to kill me for telling anyone. Please let me know if you see her segment.

Not looking so good for HRC

2007-11-02T11:27:00.001-07:00

Ouch.

Through the Fire

2007-10-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, the early part of our week was spent bounced from house to house and hotel to hotel as the Buckwheat fire threatened our house and of course those of our neighbors. Long story short, a distant cloud of smoke turned into a very present and surrounding cloud of smoke and ash in the matter of about 10 minutes. 10 minutes after that, we were ordered to leave and ten minutes after that flames were visible on the top of a hill that ends about 100 yards from my house. The fire would eventually burn the entire hillside, but it stopped there thanks to some smart controlled fires and what must have been an airborne dump of water, which must have been something to see (my more fearless neighbor has much of this on video).

So we split up into two cars, mom and kids in one and dad and dog in the other and both filled with a mishmash of those things that we deemed irreplaceable. Apparently this didn't include socks, underwear or a second shirt, but that's another story. It's interesting that when faced with the prospect of loosing everything, and I'm a bit of a collector of things- cookbooks, computers, kitchen gear, regular books, CDs, etc., you desire to take almost nothing. I went with our two most recent computers (the digitized collection of media makes these escapes much easier in the modern era) some old photos and some old 8mm film. The kids grabbed a couple of toys and that was about it.

After being stuck in traffic for a good hour, we had a semi-sane dinner and made way to my Mom's house, on the other side of the valley, a good 15 miles away. She lives on the top of a hill on an acre of mostly dry brush in view of the moutains that gave off a new glow that night as well: a completely separate fire was making a halo around the ridgeline and burning mountainside after mountainside in a deliberate push toward civilization. A few hours later, with Allison and the kids already asleep in a half-filled former bedroom, we were evacuated from there as well.

Luckily we found a hotel that night and things only got worse in general the next day as the fire threatened more and more homes and people, leaving some burnt and destroyed, we were able to find a hotel for the next night, just in case. We returned to home on Wednesday with everything just as messy as we left it, but without a sign of damage. Close one.

With permission, I'm posting a couple of pictures I found on flickr by a guy named Josh Converse who took these pictures just around the corner from my street. These almost perfectly sum up the feeling in the moments just before things got really bad.

I haven't obtained permission to re-post these photos, so I'll just link to them. You can see some early progression of the fire closest to my house here and here.

Heck of a job

2007-10-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

You can't make this stuff up: FEMA stages a fake news conference with its own employees posing as reporters asking canned questions.

Is Donnie McClurkin the next Sister Souljah?

2007-10-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Longtime Public Enemy fans like myself scratch their heads that in 2007, Chuck D is a name consigned to history (sadly), Flava Flav is the biggest reality star on cable TV today and the name Sister Souljah is an enduring political term that just may outlive all of us.

Barack Obama occupies an odd space in this campaign that doesn't square with preconceived notions. He is the most outwardly religious candidate amongst all major candidates on either side, and yet he is arguably the most liberal candidate under serious consideration.

A few months ago, Rick Warren invited Obama to speak at his church, despite some disagreements on policy and he took a lot of heat for it, from the right. Lately, Obama has been taking a lot of heat from the left for his plans to include gospel singer Donnie McClurkin in some upcoming campaign events in South Carolina, despite their disagreements on some of the same issues.

As both an owner of at least one Donnie McClurkin album and a current supporter of Barack Obama, I was heartened to see this post bring some perspective to the issue by comparing the quotes of Warren's critics (and critics of his critics) during the initial controversy to those flying around the internet about the current controversy:

Read Barack Obama’s “Rick Warren Moment”

Requiem for The Boss

2007-10-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like the early moves by the next generation of Steinbrenners will set the Yankees on the course to being one of the most spectacular over-bloated disasters in pro sports. We can only hope.

While I dislike Steinbrenner's style- sort of like the Bill Gates of old, looking to bully his way into world domination while exhibiting an unfortunate lack of taste or innovation, preferring to take the best features of his competitors; he fits the mold, generally, of the best sort of owner.

A team is best served by a businessman who is smart enough to be able to make some money, better still through innovative methods, yet unaccountable to a bank or a boss or shareholders so that he may get emotional from time to time and spend the extra buck to complete the puzzle. Think Arte Moreno or Mark Cuban (one that would re-sign Steve Nash, I mean), maybe the Jerry Buss of old.

Types of owners not good for teams:
Heirs
Over-leveraged debtors
Reclusive billionaires
Public corporations

Silver lining

2007-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

After a week of evacuations and bouncing from place to place, we had a nice mini-vacation lined up this weekend that I've really been looking forward to. Look like that may be down the tubes due to the madness in San Diego. Let's hope not, but if we are stuck at home, at least we'll be getting a new cat. A Leopard, no less.

Why my first week of September will be more awesome than yours

2007-08-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

I'm seeing the greatest living musical artist in the world on his first tour in 12 years. If you don't believe that he played all the instruments on those classic albums, watch this video.

Mix Tape Maddness

2007-08-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

You don't have to be Lil Wayne or a 1990s teenager to make a mixtape. It doesn't even have to be a tape and your recipient need not be a potential love interest. Just don't dump a bunch of MP3s on someone, you've gotta make something tangible and you owe it to the other person to put some effort into it.

For example, I'm a hardened music snob and I hold the current aesthetic in contempt, but once and a while I'll find an artist that I like. It usually means putting my prejudices aside, sometimes in a big way. I generally don't like "indy" rock and the smug-ness that pollutes the scene, so when considering a rock band, their lack of indy cred holds little to no sway with me. My old friend and longtime blog reader, Mike Brown and I have embarked on a monthly mixtape exchange program wherein we send each other a CD of artists we haven't heard of or haven't embraced. I recently sent him a mixtape of 21 songs, all of them good and I'm eagerly awaiting his impressions. Last week I got his opening salvo, full of stuff I never expected to dig with only a couple of things squarely in my comfort zone. I only owned one of the 18 tracks. I've gone through this CD about a half dozen times, and here's what has stood out (I'll add song titles later):

Anberlin - Initially I hated this selection, but it has really grown on me.
Ben Folds - Two Ben Folds songs, both of them really clever
K-OS - How have I managed to sleep on K-OS? I don't know
Pigeon John - How have I managed to sleep on Pigeon John? I don't know. True-school west coast hip-hop my kids can listen to.
Junior Senior - I don't believe in guilty pleasures. If it's good, don't be guilty. If you're guilty, don't do it. I'm unashamed to say I dig this.
Modest Mouse - I totally look foward to digging through their albums, I love this sound.
El Michel's Affair - Funny thing is, I tipped Mike off to these guys, a neo-funk outfit, after hearing Oliver Wang sing their praises on The Sound of Young America. He went ahead and got the album, while I had to get a late pass.

A few others I'm liking, and a few more have me undecided. If anyone wants to get in on this, let me know. I'll audit your playlist and fill out the right prescription.

Max Roach, RIP

2007-08-16T17:05:00.001-07:00

The only one of the "greats" I ever saw live.

Never said he wasn't smart...

2007-08-16T16:57:00.001-07:00

Speaks for itself. Hat tip: Ryan

Join this thing that I joined

2007-08-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Because if you don't, I won't like it. It has a bitter taste at first, but if you give it a good 30 minutes, you'll see that facebook beats myspace any day of the week.

Huell Howser gives Springfield a 6 out of 10

2007-07-25T19:50:00.001-07:00

If I have to explain this, I won't.

Contempt of Congress

2007-07-25T08:51:00.001-07:00

/object>

When now Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was White House Counsel, he visited then Attorney General John Ashcroft in the hospital in an effort to strongarm him into approving a surveillance program that President Bush wanted, but required approval from the Attorney General. Thing is, Ashcroft had already relinquished his authority to his deputy, James Comey. Comey had decided not to sign off on the program, but Gonzales shows up in ICU to try to get a sedated Ashcroft to overule his deputy. Gonzales has testified to at least three different versions of this story, and here he is being asked a simple question: who asked him to visit Ashcroft in the hospital? Notice that he does not claim any sort of executive privilege. He's simply refusing to answer a direct question posed by a Senator before a congressional committee, quite literally in contempt of Congress.

When someone says "I listen to all kinds of music"

2007-07-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

They usually mean five kinds of rock plus 80s pop.

Eating at Dodger Stadium

2007-07-19T12:06:00.001-07:00

I've spent a few years apart from Dodger Stadium, but this year, I've been going once or twice a month. To quote Jimmy Pardo, when I go to a game, "I eat like an asshole". So much consumption has made me a bit of an expert. Some tips:

When at Dodger Stadium, make sure the hot dog stand say "Grilled Dodger Dogs". The steamed ones are griggedy-gross.

If given the option, ice cream beats frozen yogurt, but don't count on either, because they always run out. Skip the Dippin' Dots, the so-called ice cream of the future.

You'll make better Super Pretzels at home, even in the microwave. Save your money.

Those Jack FM mustard and ketchup dispensers have no functional logic. Approach with caution.

Camachos has great nachos and tacos- I'm partial to the carnitas.

The souvenir cup is a good deal, you get more soda and a cheap memento.

The italian ices at the cheesesteak place are wack and cost as much as a gigantic ice cream cone. I've yet to try the cheesesteaks.

Best nearby meal I've had is at Phillipes on Alameda. Go before the game because they close at 10. The original French Dip sandwich and 65¢ lemonade.

For your consideration

2007-07-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

I don't mean this as a glib partisan jab, but following the Scooter Libby commutation, I've begun to really consider that George W Bush may have reached the point where he may be regarded as the worst president of all time, or at the very least, having presided over the worst presidential administration- Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales, Condoleeza Rice, Scooter Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, Harriet Myers, Andy Card, Michael Brown, Joe Allbaugh, Ari Fleisher, Scott McLellan.... it reads like a Murder's Row of hacks, liars and cheats.

and not to mention the award shows....

2007-07-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

The Wire is the best show on TV. Ever. This last season may have been its best, with the addition of the public school storyline. The 12th episode was the greatest single bit of television I've ever seen. It's excellence was because it cashed it on all those plots and subplots that the writers built block by block over the previous 11 episodes. Never a wasted line, never a miscast character. It's raw, brutal and explicit at times, but only when the situation calls for it. Yet today, it wasn't nominated for a single Emmy. It wasn't even among the 10 shows that were in the "semifinals" for Best Drama consideration. This is a crime.

If you haven't seen the Wire, I would strongly recommend watching it from the very beginning. Though each season is like it's own novel, there are too many references you'll miss and too many characters that's you'll misjudge if you hop into a later season. I started with Season Four and then watched everything from the beginning. I'm going through Season Four again after watching 1-3 and I can't believe how much I missed. A fair warning though, it takes about 3-4 episodes to get into the show, because there are so many characters to follow and understand. Characters on all sides of the game defy stereotype and you will find yourself neither completely liking or completely disliking any single character. You have to watch it closely, because lines uttered in the first or second episode may not be important until the final episode of the season. Don't try to watch it on BET, they have removed entire storylines to make way for commercials.

Shamed into blogging more

2007-07-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Get out your baseball gloves. Knowledge will be dropped.

The real Mitt Romney

2007-05-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

From the, "not that I would vote for him, but..." file:

Because of the invention of YouTube, Mitt Romney doesn't stand a chance. But I get the feeling that the real Mitt Romney, the one he's tried so hard to hide and the one we can all meet on YouTube, would be a very formidable candidate. 30% of Americans say they would not vote for a Mormon for President. I doubt that when it comes does to the best person for the job this number would be so high, but still. Mitt seems to be directing his campaign directly at those people for whom his Mormonism would be a deal-breaker. My hunch is that this why he is barely registering in the polls while raising more money than any other Republican candidate and performing reasonably well in the debate. He could be speaking to the center-right in the primary and the center for the general election and stand a decent chance of winning both times. He's trying to recreate the "Bush coalition", so uh, good luck with that.

Confederate Generals

2007-05-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I visted the new(ish) Constitution Center. It's located opposite Independence Hall and near the Liberty Bell. A nice museum really and worth the trip if you're in town. In the gift shop they sold small busts of some foudning fathers and Presidents of great repute. Mixed in this lot were some busts of Robert E. Lee. This offended me as an American, that the leader of the largest armed rebellion against the US would be honored in such a way. I placed a Ben Franklin head in front of one and turned the other around. It has always puzzled and upset me when Confederate heroes are treated as American heroes. Some Southerners may like what they did for this reason or that reason, but they did no favors for the United States.

So it was some satisfaction that I read this column by Michael Gene Sullivan.

Money quote:

Here's the thing about Confederate generals: They may be the heroes of a failed nation, but they are not now, nor ever were, heroes of the United States. In fact, they were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of loyal soldiers of the United States. Quoting one of these traitors in support of U.S. troops is not only ridiculous, it is an insult to the sacrifice of all our soldiers who died protecting this country.

On turning 30

2007-04-24T12:38:00.001-07:00

I don't care about turing 30.

I know what you're thinking. Get over yourself.

Fun with politics

2007-04-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

I love premature hype for the 2008 election. Maybe because it lets be better cope with the current state of affairs. This interactive map of where donations are coming from is great fun.

Of the major players, Edwards has the most balanced map and Hillary and Rudy have the least. McCain takes the most from PACs, while some candidates take virtually none, which seems odd given he advocacy for campaign finance reform. Mitt Romney's map reflects heavy Mormon support- huge in UT and CA.

Food ideas

2007-04-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been cooking much lately. This Sunday, we're hosting 19 people for a mid-afternoon Easter dinner. Menu as currently constructed:

Cheese and salumi I've had some good cheese recently and I love turning people on to Parmigiano Reggiano and good prosciutto.
Overnight salad My wife makes this, and everyone says she does it very well. I've never tried it and probably won't because I'm afraid of mayonnaise.
Bread Two boules of bread, one possibly being of the olive oil & rosemary variety. My sourdough culture accidentally met the trash last week, so it will be hard to bake without my best microbial friends, but the yeast in the freezer will do.
Boneless leg of lamb Spit roasted over hickory. The first of my problems. I've never made this before, which is fine, but it seems to be enough to only feed 8 or 9 people. It doesn't look like a second leg will fit on the spit.
French potato salad This is a great spring/summer thing to do. It's served warm with a mustard vinaigrette and fresh herbs
Grilled asparagus Or broiled or roasted. Plenty of it, salt & pepper, olive oil.

I need two suggestions. First is the aforementioned main course dilemma. I need something to serve the rest of the people. Of the 19, three are very picky, two are vegetarian and three are small children. What would work here? My oven is basically available once the bread is done (about three hours before dinner) and I have a gas grill free, plus a smoker, which takes a long time. Secondly, I need another side dish. Any ideas?

Gonzales in?

2007-04-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

Guess I was wrong. Still not looking good, so I'll go double or nothing with a strike date of May 1. 5/3 odds, too. Takers?

Gonzales out?

2007-03-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Longtime readers will recall that I predicted the number of Democratic House seat picked up exactly and missed the Senate total by one in the 2006 midterm elections. I'm doubling down, putting my prediction rep on the line to predict that in two week's time, Alberto Gonzales will not be the Attorney General of the United States. I'm accepting individual wagers of up to $2.50.

Oscar thoughts

2007-02-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

As if you care...

High point was Marty winning at last. Ever since I've been into movies, I've been upset about Scorsese getting snubbed for so many great works. He was due, and he's owed. I don't care if he got it for Kundun, but I just saw The Departed last week and it seemed worthy of its awards.

Low point would be Melissa Etheridge winning best song. My beef isn't with her per se, though I've always found her unlistenable, but a song that played over the credits beating out the Dreamgirls songs that were better written and were integral to the movie. My biggest beef with Dreamgirls is that the songs and arrangements sounded not at all like Motown, but at least these were songs.

That will be the last time I post about a musical, movie or otherwise.

Also to note- ellen=snooze.

Obama on Iraq, in 2002

2007-02-25T21:43:00.001-08:00

The war in Iraq was supported, on one level or another, by nearly every serious candidate for President, on either party- with one notable exception. Watch this interview the Barack Obama gave in late 2002, before the invasion took place.

I recognize that there is a big distinction between being a Senator, in the case of McCain, Clinton or Edwards and deferring to the President and being the President who proactively sought to make war with Iraq. The #1 question as it pertains to Iraq and the 2008 election is whether a candidate would have made the same mistake as President. John McCain seems to intimate that he would have, but would have run the war more competently. John Edwards says sorry, and we're waiting for Hillary's definitive answer. I'm inclined to support Barack Obama next year for a number of reasons, but chief among those is that on the issue of the day, he was right from the beginning and understood the risks with such clarity, it sounds like a post-mortem.

What was it like back in 2006?

2007-01-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

Does anyone agree that myspace is crystalizing into a snapshot of what the world was like in 2006?

Best Practice: Soul

2007-01-26T12:33:00.001-08:00

Watch this clip of Bill WIthers, being perfect. You will never be this good at whatever it is that you do. Thanks to Jesse Thorn (TSOYA Blog) for the find. Enjoy.

Alberto Gonzales: No Constitutional Right of Habeas Corpus

2007-01-25T13:18:00.001-08:00

Allow me to pick up my jaw from the floor.

Chairman Leahy

2007-01-22T11:37:00.001-08:00

To know that Patrick Leahy chairs his committee and is no longer a minority party outsider gives me a sense of optimism that AG Gonzales and W will be held accountable in the year to come.

YouTube and Blogs

2007-01-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

They don't seem to mix. [Edit- maybe they do?]

Best Practice - Baked Potato

2007-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

"Hot potato, pass the potato"

The baked potato is a great New Sincerity food. Best practice? Wash, poke a few times with a fork, coat with canola oil and coat modestly with kosher salt. Bake at 450° for 60-70 minutes directly on the oven rack. Put some foil or a baking sheet in the rack below the potatoes to catch the stray drops of oil. From there, you're on your own.

5 things

2007-01-05T01:24:00.001-08:00

So I was tagged by Mike Brown, but like any pyramid scheme, someone has to be at the bottom. There are no bloggers left to tag, so I feel like a lowly Herbalife recruit with a bag full of magic potions, but no takers. Start blogging now! Ask me how!

At any rate, did you know...

1. ...I genuinely like my job, but I find my course of employment to be the least interesting thing about me and I probably think it's the least interesting thing about you? [note to readers: not you specifically, but most other people]

2. ...after 28 years of near-absolute abstention, I've become an insufferable coffee snob in 9 short months?

3. ...liberal/progressive blogosphere be still, but I still think there are a couple of presidents worse than W, even if none served two terms or after the invention of the telephone? OK, maybe one, but still.

4. ...I've never eaten mayonnaise in an unadulterated state, nor as a condiment?

5. ...I've owned music in many media? Yes I have. First tapes (simultaneous purchase, Singapore 1983) were Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which was also my first LP. First 45" single was "We Are the World" (Philadelphia 1985). (I don't remember my first 12", as my first and only 20 were bought in the space of a summer, Hollywood 1995). First cassingle was Neneh Cherry "Buffalo Stance" (Saugus, CA 1989). First CD was Bobby Brown "Don't be Cruel" (Valencia, CA 1989). FIrst CD single was Public Enemy's "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" (Newhall, CA 1990) with the non-album solid B-side "Get the F@% Outta Dodge". First illicit download- Usher "My Way"(1) (Davis, CA 1998), first legit download (single) Neil Young "Old Man" (Valencia, 2003) and (album) James Brown "Live at the Apollo" (2004).

Footnotes
(1) In my defense, I didn't pay for Usher and 1997/1998 was the worst musical era of my lifetime, by a longshot. Also, this was pre-napster (for mac at least) and finding MP3s was like casting a net and taking what you got.

The End of the 20th Century

2006-12-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

"Paid the cost to be the boss"

My Top 10, in no particular order:

The Payback
Doin' it to Death
The Boss
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
Papa Don't Take No Mess
Super Bad
Funky Drummer
Get Up Off of That Thing
I Got the Feeling
I'll Go Crazy (Live at the Apollo, 1962)

RIP, JB, 12-25-06

Accents

2006-11-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Northeast
The Midland
The Inland North
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Is this a Boy out of Philly, Philly out of Boy situation? (my that sounded bad). It's a short quiz, but I'll be if they didn't get it right. Take the quiz and post your result.

Hoyer in

2006-11-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hoyer beats Murtha for Majority Leader in the House. This is good news. As important as Murtha has been in changing the debate about the war, he has a record of cronyism, his brother is a high-paid lobbyist (always a red flag) and has a dim view of the proposed ethical reforms, which in my opinion, don't go far enough.

If the Democrats want to make a lasting difference, they need to be squeaky clean. They would do themselves a favor in the long term by pushing Harry Reid aside as well. He has a Frist-lite financial disclosure scandal in his recent past, a set of embarrassing earmarks, one of which benefitted his property value directly and by all appearances and rumors, was Jack Abramoff's best Democratic ally- a relationship which is turning out to be far more cozy than Reid would have us believe. A replacement? Either senator from New York will do, no need to look any further.

Cooking Lesson- Tri-Tip, part six

2006-11-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Serving

Give your meat 5-10 minutes to relax. Cover with foil, if you wish. Locate your sharpest knife that's 8" or longer. Do not use a serrated knife of any sort, only a smooth, sharp blade will do. You want to cut against the grain, which in this case, means starting with the top of the "triangle". As best you can, slice at an angle, 30° or so. Eventually, the meat will be longer than your blade. Split the remainder down the middle and continue slicing. Pour any collected juices back on to the meat and serve immediately.

This preparation is great with some good bread- a good french or italian roll, sourdough toast or a good flour tortilla. Leftovers are, as I mentioned before, incredible. You'll also find that you can slice the meat much more thinly when it's cold.

Cooking Lesson- Tri-Tip, part five

2006-11-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

The cook

I should begin this section with a distinction. The style of tri-tip discussed in this lesson owes its debt to the central coast or "Santa Maria" tradition. This is a dry preparation (no sauce) and has the taste of well seasoned, but quite smoky, steak. There are methods that involve a little longer cooking time and make use of sauce. Maybe one day I'll teach you, but it's a lot more work and while very good, is at best, marginally better than the method described here, if at all.

By now, your meat should be seasoned and sitting at room temperature. After the coals have had a good 10 minutes to heat up your grill, it's time for the meat. The initial temperature will be in the 400-600 range, which is fine. Add a few more pieces of wood, directly on to the coals, then place your roast(s) on the "cold" part of the grill, fat side up, with the thickest part of the roast closest, but not above, the coals. Close the lid. Your temperature should stabilize in the 275-400° range. Anywhere below that is basically OK, but you'll be waiting awhile. Anything above that is bad news, so adjust your heat as best you can, and move the meat as far away from the heat source as possible.

The rest is simple. After 15 minutes, add some wood and flip the meat. You only need to do this once. After another 10 minutes, check the internal temperature of the meat at its thickest point. You're shooting for 130°, no sooner and hopefully no later. This is for medium rare- add a few degrees for medium. If you're the medium well type, don't force your bad taste on anyone else. Even a medium rare roast will be cooked to medium well towards its ends. If consulting a temperature chart for doneness, be sure to remove the roast 5° before the desired temp. This is a large piece of meat, and the residual heat will continue to raise the internal temp for a while. You may be waiting as long as 30 minutes to reach your desired temp, but there is no need to flip again, just wait and check ever five minutes or so. Since you're only flipping once and cooking indirectly, you'll find it helpful and practical to use the sort of thermometer that has its probe separate from its display

If you're hesitant, I implore you to take a chance with medium rare, it is the ideal temperature for beef- the point after the proteins break down, but before the coagulate. The best texture and the maximum amount of flavor. Despite what you've been told, the red stuff is not blood.

Alternative method: If you're comfortable with fire, begin with placing the meat directly over the coals for five minutes on each side. Continue with the same instructions, but keep your meat as far away from the coals as your can (within reason, or course) and monitor your internal temperature.

Cooking Lesson- Tri-Tip, part four

2006-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

The fire

A charcoal chimney starter (pictured) is the best method for starting your fire. Do not use lighter fluid or Match Light charcoal. However evocative of simpler times a whiff of petroleum may be, it does no favors for your meat. Simply fill a chimney starter with your favorite charcoal, crumple two full-sized sheets of newspaper underneath the charcoal chamber and set fire to the paper. In about 20 minutes, your coals will be ready. The telltale sign of readiness is when your coals have ashed over, in other words they will be generally white instead of generally black. The coals are very hot by this point, so don't keep the chimney going for longer than you have to.

Meanwhile, soak your wood chunks or chips in water. They should be sufficiently soaked by the time your fire is ready. When the coals are ready, dump them into your pit, moving most to one side. Leave a few spread about- this will add just a little direct heat to your roasts, which encourages browning. Add a few pieces of wood, put the cooking grate in place and close the lid, but make sure all vents are open. In about ten minutes, you'll be ready to cook.

Cooking Lesson- Tri-Tip, part three

2006-11-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

Preparation

A good tri-tip has a fair amount of intramuscular fat, as well as a fat "cap" on one side. Costco removes this cap, so you won't see it in the pictures. Ralphs will typically keep it on. It's a great thing, but left intact it's too much. My recommendation is if it is left intact, trim the fat cap to half it's original thickness, or wherever you're comfortable. These roasts are from Costco, so the cap has been removed. Keep your roast out, as you want to bring it to room temperature (or close) by the time it goes on the grill.

Season on both sides with equal parts kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic salt and Lawry's seasoning salt. Apply our first ingredient to give you a basic dusting of the surface and follow suit with the rest. Once applied, rub it into the meat. That's it. This will require no sauce at all. Allow it to rest while you start your fire.

Cooking Lesson- Tri-Tip, part two

2006-11-10T01:33:00.000-08:00

Shopping

In California, if you're cooking one tri-tip roast, buy USDA Choice at Ralphs, which is much better than Vons/Safeway/Albertsons etc.. If making two or more, buy USDA Choice at Costco. Some Ralph's stores offer USDA Prime tri-tip, which is everything you would hope it to be, but you're not ready for it, so wait until you are a master. Look for healthy, bright, not too pale, but not too dark, red flesh, with no sign of browning. Roasts that show surface moisture should be avoided. Among equals, try to find the roast with the most white marbling through the meat. Tri-tips are two to a cow, and are removed intact, so size will not vary much. Count on one roast for three hungry adults or 4-5 adults if served with sides worth eating. I must warn you- if you follow these directions, you and/or your guests may want to eat little else. Also, it makes the best next-day sandwiches, hot or cold, so it always helps to buy a little more.

For seasonings, we'll keep it simple. Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic salt and Lawry's seasoning salt. Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper are very important because they add texture and intensity to your crust. They absorb smoke and standout well in each bite. Regular table salt and pre-ground pepper will just soak into the meat. Ignore this advice at your own peril. Also, whether you are using gas or charcoal, get some hardwood chips or chunks. Most BBQ woods will do if you don't have the options, but you have a choice, use oak. Oak is good for little else, but it's the best for beef like tri-tip and brisket. It you've had real Texas barbecue, your memories will spring back immediately.

Cooking Lesson- Tri-Tip, part one

2006-11-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

This is the first class in the cooking class series. It will be broken up into several parts over the next few days. Enjoy!

I'm careful with the word barbecue. I use it most often as noun, occasionally as a verb and as an adjective only when modifying a noun that would otherwise be correctly described more generally as "barbecue". We'll get into that another day, and yes, we actually will. But for now, I thought I would would begin the cooking class series on the simplest of the barbecue endeavors, tri-tip. I'm taking the liberty of labeling the method below as barbecue, because it involves an open flame, indirect cooking and a lot of smoke; also, the 30-40 minutes cooking time is about the longest time advisable for a cut of this size and tenderness.

Tri-tip

The tri-tip comes from the bottom potion of the sirloin and is triangular in shape. It is fattier than the rest of the sirloin, but also a bit more tough. There are only two tri-tips per cow, which meant it historically was not a commercial cut, and would usually be ground and sold as hamburger. Today, nearly all the tri-tips are gathered and sent west to states like California, where they are plentiful. In the rest of the country, they are nearly impossible to find, so call around. Most butchers in the know keep a few around. When prepared correctly, it has a steak-like taste and texture, but with many flavor traits of slow-cooked cuts like smoked brisket.

This lesson assumes the use of a charcoal grill, but gas-grill methods will be offered. I tried my best to simulate barbecue conditions for years on gas grills, so my alternative methods are real-world tested. In the interests of full disclosure, my agenda is that of a charcoal evangelist. I strongly advocate a decent, sensible charcoal pit to complement your gas grill. But for now, come as you are!

The fightin' 25th!

2006-11-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on a great post-mortem election piece on SCV Talk. Too long for a comment, heck, probably too long for a post...

It seems that, like almost anywhere else in California, the districts are rigged from the outset. Even this year, you had to be an Abramoff All-Star to be in danger of loosing your California congressional seat. The party ID differential may be too much to overcome, at least against an incumbent. But on the bright side, Buck had less support this year than at any point since his initial election in 1992.

It was refreshing to see an energetic and organized opposition candidate in Rodriguez, but he was doomed from the outset, by virtue of the numbers. The shift in power in the House is an important point of reflection on the McKeon era. His most influential period may have passed. He's had six terms, five in the majority and ascended to a chairmanship previously held by the now, but not for long, majority leader. I can't speak for the rest of his district, but the view from SCV is that he's delivered little for our community. The Elsmere bill was significant, but we've seen little since then. I'm no fan of pork, but we are a large city, by national standards, now and, as compared to much of the country, in greater need for roads- big roads, many of them facilitating interstate traffic, because we are not yet "settled". Our infrastructure hasn't caught up yet. Yet our take of the massive transportation bill was disproportionally low.

But more importantly, the TMC issue is, despite the noble efforts of the City, a federal issue. We've been denied any sort of recourse at every level because this mining is allowed by the federal government. The only way this can be remedied, it would seem, is by some executive action by the Dept. of Interior or an act of Congress. Buck's bill, which was years too late, seems to have been an empty gesture. 5471 has seen no movement since the spring and is likely to die a miserable death. McKeon seemed to distance himself from his own bill during the debate.

With the Democrats taking the House, McKeon will have less of an incentive to jockey for position, since the positions available to him are far less attractive, one would think. I've had the sincere feeling that he's been a faithful representative of his party, but his constituents are of secondary concern. Some may feel differently- local businesspeople haven't been shy about donating to his campaigns, and his role in the Education and Workforce Committee has been a good thing for institutions like COC and locally he put considerable weight behind Measure M. But on the issue of the day he's come up short. It's worth noting that Tom Delay's brother has been Cemex's lobbyist in Washington, and such arrangements are never by accident. Tom Delay had a history of speaking on behalf of Cemex interests at odd, but opportune times. Buck was a DeLay apologist to the bitter end, so that may give you some idea of where his loyalties have rested.

Congress- predictions

2006-11-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

Calling my shots now-

Dems pick up 29 house seats and 5 senate seats

MD, MO, NJ, OH, PA, RI, VA all go D, TN and MT go GOP.

My ballot - The Candidates

2006-11-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

Governor : Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
This was a close call and I may live to regret it. The prospect of setting up Maria Shriver as the Democratic candidate in 2010 tipped the scales.

Lieutenant Governor: John Garmendi (D)
I've always liked John Garamendi. I have an old friend whose career may get a major boost in the event of a McClintock win, and if such a thing happens, good for him, but T. McC is as right wing as they come. Consistent yes, but more often wrong than right.

Secretary of State: Debra Bowen (D)
I believe strongly that this office, more than any other, should be non-partisan and cater toward non-politicans. A partisan political figure should not control our elections. Therefore, this is an office for which I feel very free to cross party lines when voting. Not this year, though I think McPherson has been a good and able SoS, his enthusiasm for electronic voting is too high for my tastes and I happen to believe Debra Bowen is just as qualified in every regard.

Controller: John Chiang (D)
Uh...yeah

Treasurer: Bill Lockyer (D)
He was a great AG.

Attorney General: Jerry Brown (D)
I'm thrilled at the prospect of Jerry Brown returning to state politics.

Insurance Commissioner: Steve Poizner (R)
Cruz is less than able and has a history of deceit and selfishness, and fails the #1 test for IC candidate, he's accepted insurance industry donations. Another office I'd like to see become non-partisan.

I'm going straight D for Legislature, Congress and so on. Remember to vote yes on Measure M for COC. Especially if you went there, you owe it to the kids man, the kids.

Propositions- early impressions

2006-11-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

My initial leanings on the propositions on Tuesday's ballot:

1A Y
1B N
1C Y
1D Y
1E N
83 N
84 N
85 Y
86 Y
87 Y
88 N
89 Y
90 N

I should not that I, and I hope you, take a very skeptical eye toward bond measures and will need to consider each a few times again before making a decision. Also, my gut feeling is that 83, by widening the radius in which a sex offender cannot live, will concentrate them in permissible areas, likely to the shock and horror of those residents.

Should I vote some other way? Convince me. Meanwhile I'll be studying these more closely. I'm tempted to vote "No" across the board in protest, so that may happen too.

Update- I went with a "yes" on 83.

Hello world

2006-11-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

I'll begin with the obligatory "I'm starting a blog" post. It's an accountability measure to embarrass myself into posting something substantive in the near future. I'm not the indulgent type and I rarely crave attention, but I do like good conversation and debate. Expect plenty of politics, as it is my first love. Also expect, as John Hodgman might put it (if he weren't funny), matters culinary, matters comedic, sporting matters, matters musical and cinematic, California matters and a thing or two about technology.

Also, please comment.