[Valid Atom 1.0]

Sunday, March 31, 2013

The Easter Bunny Hates You (full version)



A classic.  Probably a New England cottontail (they are still upset over the Pats losing).





National Clams on the Half Shell Day

It is not just Easter...there are just so many holidays today to celebrate!

Photo from here

Enjoy the holiday!  
NYT:  Clam bars in New York and New Jersey (this is a very incomplete list)  Obviously there are people in New England, California and the Pacific Northwest that would have other picks.  While not completely true, most good oyster bars will also serve clams.  Although on the west coast, clams are more often than not steamed and not served raw on the half shell.

Sadly no more...
West coast clams are great.  Just don't make a wrong turn at Albuquerque!


I usually think of this on Easter Sunday...


Okay, so Cesar Chavez Day is March 31, but I think there is something else happening today a slightly bit more significant (even if you only treat it as a cultural day).  Then again, Russian Orthodox Easter is not until May 5 so maybe that is what Sergey and Larry are thinking about.

Ironically Cesar Chavez was against illegal immigration because it undermined U.S. labor.  But now the Democrat Party is for it because it undermines one citizen, one vote.

Update:
How dare Google ignore this!
The Macho Response on Chavez, Google and VDH...


What is that mysterious symbol on Cesar Chavez' grave?   


The Resurrection, Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt van Rijn: The Resurrection (1635)

James Beard's Blender Hollandaise Sauce for Easter Brunch



Eggs Benedict


4 egg yokes

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs lemon juice

8 tbs (1 stick) butter

tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper

Combine egg yolks in blender.

Hit blender once quickly to blend egg yokes.

Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper (sauce) to blender.

Melt butter in small sauce pan until it’s bubbling (the butter, not the sauce pan).

Turn blender on high and pour butter in thin stream directly into center of blender blade. Turn off blender immediately that mixture is, well, blended.  If it starts to curdle, add a bit of hot water and keep blending.

Serve over Eggs Benedict.

Makes approx. 3/4 cp.

h/t: Pine View Farm


Saturday, March 30, 2013

Blogmocracy: Life of Brian (Saturday Movie)

A tale of two bunnies...



No, cottontail rabbits are probably not in danger of extinction.  Although if expanding the species is important, it might be a good idea to use incentives to encourage more landowners to make habitat for the New England subspecies.  If the endangered species act is used as a weapon against land owners, you will have more incentive to go out and make sure there are none of those rabbits on your property.

When there were more farms, species such as the New England cottontail rabbit benefitted.  New England before the Europeans came was mostly forest (although there was some clearing done by Native Americans).  21st century New England is reverting back to mostly forest (like it used to be).  So there is less manmade rabbit habitat.  The subspecies in New England is being replaced in some of its former range by the eastern cottontail subspecies which seems to do better in suburban habitat.  They look almost identical (except the New England subspecies seems to have shorter darker ears and is a bit smaller).  They can't seem to successfully interbreed which does suggest they are separate species.


Terry Callier: You're Goin' Miss Your Candyman

Kim Jong-un's Excellent Adventure! Or not...

Let's just hope Kim Jong-un does not start a war.  Because that would be bad.


Don't ask questions, just get on the pug!

There is a fabulous Kim Jong-un that wants to have a special new parade of his own!

Simple Minds: Sanctify Yourself

Great tournament run for Florida Gulf Coast: Amanda Marcum Rule 5

Sammy Davis Jr: There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York

Jigsaw: Skyhigh

Friday, March 29, 2013

A cleansing rain...

Good Friday

It is okay to eat beaver during Lent!

Believe it or not on Fridays in Lent these are good to eat. 
No, that's not a naughty sex innuendo. The 17th century Catholic Church actually declared beavers to be a fish according to dietary restrictions, meaning they are ok to eat on both Fridays and throughout Lent. Beaver meat was a common dish by Native Americans and French settlers to America, so the decision was believed to be important to these people's behaviors. The church decisions are based more on an animal's environment than their physical characteristics.
Alligator is okay for Lent too!

Update:
Man killed by beaver in Belarus (it is Lent there right now).

Buh bye Baba Wawa: ABC boots her from The View?

The mystery of the 17 cross cluster of Montana...

The State of Montana, through the American Legion, posts white crosses as locations where road fatalities have occurred.  They are erected along roads, other than the interstates (which have limited access and no private frontage along the roadway).  A deceased's survivors can decline not to have a cross, it rarely happens, but such requests are honored.  While family members may treat them as roadside memorials, they are intended as a safety warning.

Here is an especially sobering one from Montana's U.S. Route 2:
The 17 crosses of Montana's Route 2 explained...
Little Black Star explains:  One way to tell if you’re on a Montana road is that they mark their highway fatalities with white crosses. Each cross represents one fatality. They’re placed in the “exact” spot where they died (or where they were hit before being taken to the hospital where they died). It’s kind of creepy...

Alex Rodriquez makes more than some entire MLB franchise teams!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Jackie Mason Passover Seder

Nigella Lawson: Flour-less chocolate with Margarita Cream



While not a Passover recipe, this recipe would work for Pesach if you use Passover Kosher ingredients (well you might should not be able to use the grain based liquors in the Margarita cream, but agave tequilas I believe are okay, remember cheaper tequilas are made with corn and other grains).  But you can adjust accordingly and enjoy whether you are celebrating Passover or not.  

The Benefits of Being Beta...

The Alpha will always fall, the Beta will always be there...
Being the alpha male is stressful...and stress is not always good, and genetic studies show the most successful breeding males are actually those who are nice to the ladies.

There are two options for an alpha male who is deposed:  A quick trip to the omega position of the troop and likely exile (or possibly an early death) when every other male inflicts payback for all the crap that was dumped on them when the deposed alpha was in charge.

But if a male baboon maintains friendships with females on his rise to the top, they will generally hang out with him when they are not in peak estrus when he loses his position.  Because of friendships formed he is not dropped to omega status and will generally be left alone by the other males.  And guess what:  when the new alpha is fighting off the challengers, those females will often sneak off with the friendly beta male.  

Baboon troops also have culture, which can change over time.  At least one troop of baboons seems to to give thanks.

The lesson of all of this:  



Stuff People Say on Pesach...



I am not Jewish, but I get some of these jokes.  Happy Passover to all my Jewish brothers and sisters.  It starts in Madison, WI at 7:16 p.m.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Separated at Birth: Bashar al-Assad and...?

As President Barack Obama works his magic in the middle east...

Bashar al-Assad, might be dead...
Gen. Francisco Franco, almost certainly still dead.


This is a breaking story.  It is unclear whether Bashar al-Assad is dead or not (although reports are he is still alive but in critical condition).  He was reportedly shot by a bodyguard.  

If you picked Bashar al-Assad for your dead pool, that might have been a good pick.  And while Bashar al-Assad is not a person I would weep for, change is not always for the better.

Update:
Syrian opposition in disarray over leadership...
Protein Wisdom:  Is Assad shot or not?
Rumors persist and no confirmation...
Gateway: Syraians claim Assad ok...
Even Russians still not sure...
TOM: The enemy of our enemy is still our enemy...




Iwo Jima Flag Raising: 68th Anniversary


Want to translate things into Gizoogle? Google has an app page for that!

How to make a cross (and other things) out of a palm frond...

Joe Weider RIP

A tale of two Amandas...

Which Amanda do you think is happier and more fulfilled?  Amanda Marcum, who some would describe as a victim of the patriarchy?  Or Amanda Marcotte*, committed leftist independent feminist and writer? I know it is subjective, but which one would you pick?

Update:
Ace notes Amanda Marcotte is getting into a Kate Upton controversy, and he poses the question, does Amanda Marcotte hate men?  You would have to be mighty dumb to get that question wrong.
Amanda Marcotte and James Taranto at Twitchy
Instapundit and Althouse: Marriage advice for Amanda Marcotte
TOM:  Dangerously Crazy Amanda Marcotte

 
Amanda Marcotte
Amanda Marcum with her family











*Amanda Marcotte does seem to have some anger issues.