[Valid Atom 1.0]

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Barack Obama: The College Years




The Constitution reference is just special...

Did Barack Obama really write a letter referring to the opposition as "tea baggers"?


Barack Obama's own handwriting?
‘I... appreciate your concern about the toxic political environment right now. I do have to challenge you, though, on the notion that any citizen that disagrees with me has been “targeted and ridiculed” or that I have “made fun” of tea-baggers,’ Obama allegedly wrote.

Thanksgivukkah!

It is a big deal!
Hanukkah and Thanksgiving this year fall on the same day, which is rare.  How rare you ask?  The next time it will happen is maybe 70,000 years from now (they are not even sure).

Celebrate the season by frying your turkey (Hanukkah focuses on fried food).  You can do sweet potato and yam latkes (which are also paleo and gluten free, such a deal).

And it starts at sundown on November 27!  Which is 4:25 PM in Madison, WI.


Sweet Potato and Yam Latkes

I am generally not a big fan of baked sweet potatoes or yams at Thanksgiving (and I cannot stand candied ones with marshmallow), but I wanted latkes and have been avoiding conventional potatoes and had some sweet potato and yam to use. I am glad I experimented. Sweet potato and yam latkes are absolutely delicious.  I grated both the sweet potato and yams in equal parts, added some grated fennel bulb, celery root, and shallots (actually I thin shredded them on the mandolin), seasoned with kosher salt and hot smoked pepper, and held it all together with an egg incorporated in.  I fried the pancakes in hot peanut oil in a cast iron pan.  


Sweet potatoes are only distantly related to regular potatoes. While originating in South America, they are closer related to morning glories than regular potatoes (regular potatoes are members of the nightshade family such as tomatoes). Although the orange sweet potato is often called a "yam" in parts of North America, the sweet potato is botanically very distinct from a genuine yam (Dioscorea), which is native to Africa and Asia and belongs to the monocot family Dioscoreaceae.

The sweet flavor was still there but in a savory way. The sweet potato and yam latkes were better tasting than regular potatoes latkes.  That is saying a lot, because I am a big fan of regular potato pancakes.  

Mine looked between this...
And this
I served them with sour cream and apple sauce.  They would go great with some cranberry too, which I will do later today.  

This one is going out to Trooper York





Notable Mayflower Decendants

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Separated at Birth: Alec Baldwin and...? With Bonus Rule 5 Baldwin!

 It looks like he is done...

No pardons for either
of these turkeys





















Alec Baldwin supposedly said this about an MSNBC employee: “I don’t give a f - - k if she has cancer or not, I want that f - - king makeup room.”  Jeez, I haven't seen a freak out like that since Devine in Female Trouble.

I mean seriously, flipping out at a staffer who has cancer? Talk about mega asshole.

Daddy, it is not true, is it?
But as bad as Alec Baldwin is, at least he did not take this cancer patient's health care and doctors away...

Update:
Alec Baldwin is miffed that MSNBC axed him but kept coprophilic Martin Bashir...

Bonus Rule 5 Baldwin:
For women and gay men who like their bird spoiled and unpalatable...
TOM: Baldwin show cancelled, dozens of viewers disappointed...

h/t: Ace of Spades HQ

Wombat: Rule 5 Sunday

How did the pilgrims really dress and talk?

Contrary to stereotypes, they did not wear all black:



The pilgrim ladies probably did not dress like this...
Once you start dressing like a pilgrim, you can start talking like one too:
"Good Morrow" "How Do You Fare, Goodwife?"
Now, unfortunately, it is unclear if the pilgrims had any beer or wine for the first Thanksgiving. But nevertheless, it is important to drink like a pilgrim on Thanksgiving anyway.  Even though most modern ales, beers and wines were not around during the early 17th century, you can freely substitute!  

These are not authentic Pilgrim and Native American costumes below, but are presented merely for educational purposes of how not to dress like a pilgrim (unless you want to):
Pilgrims did not dress like french hotel maids!  And after a winter of starvation, they had no problems eating turkeys.

If this was Squanto's sister, you can guess the Pilgrim guys would have asked to be introduced...


Monday, November 25, 2013

Corruption between Hollywood and the American Humane Assocation?

HBO's Luck got cancelled after horse Real Awesome Jet
sustained head injuries and had to be put down...
Why am I not shocked?  It is not at all surprising, the AHA, which began its recent monitoring of films after five horses were killed filming Heaven's Gate (one which was blown up), is now in a symbiotic financial relationship with the movie industry. It is about the money.

Hey, believe it or not lefties, even conservatives dislike animals being treated inhumanely. At the same time, I know PETA is nuts. PETA would love to impose its own cultural revolution on the film industry (and PETA is probably behind the sources of the Hollywood Reporter story). The AHA is more like protection money by the film industry to ward off the true believers.   But (while I am no fan of animal cruelty) this story is interesting to see the hypocrisy in Hollywood on display.  

Separated at Birth: Katy Perry and...?

Racism?  Really?  Because Katy Perry did a Japanese inspired show at the AMA?  I did not see the show but it sounds like Katy Perry just really likes Japanese culture (even if she doesn't get it). I am not a big Katy Perry fan, but the costume looks great. That is not racism, that is a complement.  But this does lend it self not only for a Rule 5 post but a separated at birth:

Turning Japanese and...
Turning Anime*













Katy Perry is just wearing a costume and some make up.  This *young lady's surgical transformation is absolutely disturbing (it is like she trying to turn into Julianne Moore)--although I suppose it could be worse if she went transgendered.

Well if Katy Perry is racist playing a geshia, then this performance must be racist too:

Okay. I will give them this one (it is racist)... (blame it on the war, they started it)
Update:
This was not racist, but definitely bad casting!
John Wayne as Genghis Kahn
Okay, Katy Perry's performance might have sucked did suck, but it was not racist.






"Mystery Human" interbreeding with ancient hominid species?

Well here is a fun topic for Thanksgiving dinner:
Scattering his mojo through time? 
Interbreeding with Neanderthals (and Denisovans too).  Some people who could be part Neanderthal...  Here is a great suggestion, pick out family members and guests who you think best capture the Neanderthal look! For those who reject the Neanderthal-Human hybrid talk, the shared DNA could be from a previous ancestor to both Neanderthals and modern humans.  Update:  Denisovans in Spain?

Querry:  Can we really call them separate species if they can successfully interbreed (without producing infertile offspring like a donkey and horse producing a mule)?   Another way to describe it is inter-fertile (as in a wolf and a coyote may be separate subspecies, but can breed and produce viable fertile offspring).

But if science is not your bag baby, you can instead shill for the Obama administration on how Obamacare is better than sweet potato pie!

Update:
Rule 5 Paleo Cave Woman!








Proto-Feminist!  I think we found Janeane Garafalo's missing link!

Isn't big money in politics a bad thing?

Immigration Reform?  Change the topic from Obamacare and get in a little fundraising to boot!
Dark Money in Wisconsin?  Yeah, just that it is really from the left not the right...
Update: