Iowahawk hits one outta the park...

... again.

Accents

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
The South
Philadelphia
Boston
The Inland North
North Central
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

MORE: Pop Vs. Soda. The Speech Accent Archive. Atlas of North American English. The American·British British·American Dictionary.

A Kadnine Thanksgiving

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package puff pastry

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss frozen vegetables with canola oil and spread evenly onto a sheet pan. Place into oven and cook until golden brown. In a saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and sweat the onion and celery. In another saucepan, heat the broth and milk. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the celery mix and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk mixture and cook until thickened. Add the parsley, salt and pepper. Toss the browned vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking pan, or a large terra cotta pot base, lined with foil, and top with 6 to 8 circles of puff pastry. Place into the oven and cook until puff pastry has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Blackberry Grunt

9 1/2 ounces all purpose flour, approximately 2 cups
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 cup buttermilk
1 pound 3 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries, approximately 4 cups
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a piece of foil on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any drippings.

Place the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into the bowl of a food processor and process for 3 to 4 pulses. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until about half of the fat disappears and the rest is left in pea-size pieces. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until it comes together. Turn the mixture out onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper that has been lightly dusted with flour, shape into a ball and wrap and store in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Combine the blackberries, sugar, water and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Pour the mixture into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place over medium heat. Bring this to a simmer decrease the heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator and gently drop it on the fruit mixture using a 1-ounce disher or large spoon, evenly distributing it over the top. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow the grunt to cool for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Brought to you by the creeping nanny state

Anyone who reads this blog (or just spends enough time around me) already knows about the GIANT chip on my shoulder concerning "for the children" ad campaigns. Well, it's come to this my friends: Now Homeland Security is getting in on the act.

Boys and Girls, Can You Say Anthrax? Agencies Use Cartoons, Games and Even Rap in Twist on Disaster Lessons

By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 14, 2007; Page A01 [Note this is a front pager! - ed.]

... The weekly class, launched this year in D.C. schools, brings homeland security to the lunchbox set. It is part of a national effort to get families to prepare emergency kits and otherwise plan for disasters -- a message spread through cartoons, Disney shows and even first-responder camp.

The lessons aren't just aimed at kids, though. Consider Ready Eddie, a grinning, spiky-haired flashlight character created by Howard County. He tells children to pester Mom and Dad to store batteries, a radio and water.

Whiny kids as a homeland security tool? Exactly. After all, officials point out, children were the ones who bugged their parents to recycle, wear seat belts and stop smoking in past campaigns.

Sheesh! Wait, there's more.

Homeland Security first considered creating a children's program after parents requested kid-friendly material. At the same time, the agency was consulting with advertising experts on how to get more people to stockpile emergency supplies and make family plans for disaster. It gradually saw the potential in the underage crowd.

"There was kind of unanimous agreement that . . . if you hook the children, you hook the parents," said George Foresman, a former Homeland Security official who oversaw the launch of Ready Kids last year.

Disgusting. But wait! There's even more!

And the worst programs? Let's just say bureaucrats and youth culture can be a fearsome mix.

Consider the FEMA for Kids rap:

Disaster . . . it can happen anywhere,

But we've got a few tips, so you can be prepared

For floods, tornadoes, or even a 'quake,

You've got to be ready -- so your heart don't break.

Disaster prep is your responsibility

And mitigation is important to our agency . . .

Class dismissed, kids. Go forth and mitigate.

[Elipses original, bold text mine]

I remember as a kid, my father took me around the house to test the smoke detectors. I remember my father showing me the drawer full of candles and flashlights and batteries. I remember him taking me to the mailbox across the street and saying, "In case of a fire, this spot is where you run to. Got it?"

But DHS and FEMA officials now believe that it's cool the other way around. Let the son teach the father! *sigh* The infantilization of adults is an ongoing trend in this country. When government officials see their fellow adults as children to be scolded, well, of course they see no problem with using little kids to shame their fellow citizens. This creeping nanny state crap simply must stop. Few things in this world anger me more. Words fail me, and I have the colorful vocabulary of a Marine!

Now, to be fair, the Washington Post article is well written and judiciously balanced. My beef here is not with the Post (for once.) The problem facing these (inept) government officials at Homeland is indeed a serious one. How do we encourage more citizens of this country to make basic disaster plans? And for those who just can't (or won't...) what about their kids? Should they suffer a firey death because their parents are too lazy to take a few basic precautions?

It's a thorny question, but an important one. Post reporter Sheridan fields it to the Red Cross, an old-school organization that's been preaching disaster preparedness since the DHS was just a twinkle in Congress' eye! -

Kathleen J. Tierney, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, said the best programs for kids integrate catastrophes into subjects such as science or social studies, giving children a broader understanding of the world. The Red Cross tries to do that with a program called Masters of Disaster, which is used in some area schools.

Yeah. Simple education. That's a good place to start.

(Via: Hot Air Headlines)

See Also: Nanny State, The Death of the Grown Up

Happy birthday Marines!

From Dawn's blog:



United States Marine Corps: 232 years strong... and still ignoring that pesky rule about dancing in uniform. Ooh rah.

¡Cuba RebelióN!

Hey Vedder! This is what real dissent sounds like.



See also: The Making of Cuba Rebelion! at You Tube. I wanna see this film.

(H/T: Michelle @ Hot Air)

Is anyone else hearing this nonsense?

I listen to AM talk radio all day long. At home, in the car; I'm just addicted. Starting last night there's been this truly bizarre political ad in rotation on the local Salem station, AM 970. It's from some group calling themselves the "African-Americans of Kentucky For Morality and Justice" (never heard of them, and Google returns nothing) that rails against Democratic candidate for Kentucky governor Steve Beshear.

It's truly nuts! It's all about the "powerful homosexual lobby" and Beshear's betrayal of "life-long Democrats."

I'll post the audio (and you need to hear the audio to appreciate the strangeness) as soon I can find it (If I can find it. I don't have the equipment to record it and upload it myself.)

It's gotta be some sort of spoof. The only website mentioned in the ad is www.fairness.org, the local gay rights outfit, and again, "African-Americans of Kentucky For Morality and Justice" has no Google presence. It's brand new. Anybody know anything about this strange ad?

UPDATE: WGTK 970 is now prefacing the ad with a disclaimer. "The following is a paid political advertisement. Neither this station nor its owners endorse blah, blah, blah..." They weren't running that bit last night. What the hell?

UPDATE: It's been a few hours since I've heard the ad in question over the airwaves. It's also been a few hours since I left voice mail messages for both fairness.org and WGTK's programming director. If my interest was piqued before, well... it's full-on boiling now!

UPDATE: Okay. Just got off the phone with WGTK's programming director. Apparently these guys (calling themselves the "African-Americans of Kentucky for Morality and Justice!") just walked in the door Friday and bought some airtime out of the blue! He's never heard of them, either, and he says he'll call me back with some official contact info if he can dig it up out of paperwork. I'd love to talk to these guys!

Their airtime buy is supposed to last through tomorrow. So, if I can't get the audio, try and listen to AM 970 tonight (the ad is back on the air) and tomorrow morning as you go to the poll, if only for the entertainment value.

UPDATE: From Tuesday's Courier-Journal:

"The Rev. Jerry Stephenson, chairman of the Values Coalition U.S.A., said his organization was part of a group that aired a radio advertisement over the weekend and yesterday that pointed out C-FAIR's endorsement of Beshear.

The group, African Americans for Morality & Justice, was airing the ad on urban-format radio stations in Louisville and a conservative talk radio station. According to Greg Kramer, an advertising manager at WGTK radio in Louisville, conservative activist Frank Simon's name also appears on paperwork relating to the ad."

I can't recall anything about the Rev. Stephenson, but Frank Simon's name is all too familiar. He's our local, evangelical holy-roller. Always in the news, always making an ass of himself. No wonder this seemed like a parody. Simon already exemplifies self-parody. The ad was apparently legitimate. Sheesh. What an embarrassing spectacle.

BTW... Steve Beshear (D) won the governorship this evening.

Thanks to commenter JB Taylor for the audio.

Slaying the socialist Hydra

A nice companion piece to Eric's excellent essay from a few months ago:

******************************************************************

Many have wondered why the socialist dream is impossible to slay, despite its failures in the real world. Communism itself seemed to die ignominiously with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it survives now in an idealized form, seen almost daily in the NYTimes obituary pages fulsomely describing the death of local old Stalinists. Nostalgia. It lingers on their editorial pages which yearn for an imposible to attain egalitarian state run by liberal empaths, ensuring that everyone with a grievance gets an affirmative action program. More nostalgia.

And...

The engine driving the utopian dream is indeed, fueled by nostalgia, and at the wheel are the wordsmith intellectuals. From philosophers like Rousseau, to Hegel, Marx, Lacan, Derrida, and Herbert Marcuse, intellectuals continue to yearn for a world of perfection—as defined, naturally, by wordsmith themselves. In the sphere of imaginative writing, novels and plays, from H.G. Wells to Norman Mailer, from Arthur Miller to Harold Pinter, these spinners of fantasies cater to the universal human longing for utopia, a prelapsarian time of bliss. They share contempt for the world of capitalist democracy, and scorn for the workers who make it run. Men of letters are of course the preeminent arbiters of the good and true in their own, self-created ideal world.

******************************************************************

And from Eric's piece:

I think that those who know socialism doesn't work already know that socialism doesn't work. No lesson is needed. Unless acknowledging a few simple facts of history constitutes cynicism, there's nothing cynical about that.

Rather, my cynicism involves a growing suspicion I harbor. I think that some (not all) of the people who have been confounding me and others for years are running a con game, and it's been successful. We're still reduced to arguing over the ricidulous (and settled) question of whether socialism works, as if people of good faith are trying to convince each other to see the error of their ways. I don't think it's so simple, and I think the good faith opponents of socialism are overlooking a strong possibility that the proponents of socialism are not operating in good faith.

They know socialism does not work!

******************************************************************

I've a sneaking suspicion these guys are onto something.

(Via: CraigC writing @ Protein Wisdom)

My first YouTube upload

I had a lot of fun making this video. (Kindly ignore the typos)

Re-cut trailers for fun and dismemberment

It may be past the witching hour, but that's no reason not post these again.

Scary Mary


Shining!


West Side Horror Show


Hope everone's having a Happy Halloween.