Monthly Archives: May 2008

Uncategorized

Subway Contest, Homeschooler Entries Not Accepted

What’s up with this?

Subway, the sandwich restaurant, wants to hear your child’s story – unless he or she is homeschooled.

The national chain’s “Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest” offers prizes and a chance to be published on the Subway website and in Scholastic’s “Parent & Child” magazine but specifically excludes homeschoolers:

It’s their marketing department, but if it were mine, I wouldn’t exclude that part of the population that is home-schooled. If it has anything to do with the grand prize itself, which is $5000 of athletic equipment for the entrant’s school, then what is stopping them from awarding the prize to what would be the entrant’s school if he/she were to use it? To me it would be a win win. The school would be happy to accept the donation, and the winner would be happy to have been responsible for them getting it. How great is that? That makes too much sense to me. A whole lot more sense than dividing up contestants by how they are educated, and excluding some. A little NEA’ish perhaps??

related link: Subway sandwich contest: Homeschoolers not wanted

updated 5/27/08

Uncategorized

Cheesesteak News

The cheesesteak. Can you think of a sandwich that carries more sway and passion with aficionados? I can’t. Some disturbing news out of Philly. Coming from a big win last month by being chosen the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia, John Bucci, 42, owner of John’s Roast Pork is now fighting preleukemia and preparing for a bone marrow transplant. Bucci’s spry 75 year old mother, Vonda, also a fixture at the shop, has a lot to deal with. And she will. ‘I have to have faith,’ she says. Vonda, our prayers are with you and your son and family.

On a much lighter note. What kind of cheese belongs on a cheesesteak? A recent survey showed American Cheese first, followed by Provolone. Cheez Whiz came in third. We use White American by default at Philly’s. IMHO, it offers the best blend of flavor for most cheesesteak lovers. Mozzarella is pretty good too but didn’t make the top three. As for the Wiz, I agree with Vonda at John’s Roast Pork. I prefer real cheese to a concoction made in a laboratory.

related links: The tender and the tough | Cheez Whiz is overrated for cheesesteaks

2008 Election, Media, Politics, Uncategorized

Overplayed Assassin?

Is this primary season getting on your nerves just a bit? What makes ‘news’ nowadays is virtually anything that either candidate says becomes an issue of some sort of attack when in reality, they are not. Take Hillary Clinton’s statement below for example. I’m on her side (what did he say?) on this issue that ought to be a non-issue. In response to critics asking her to quit, she has said the following on more than one occasion.

“My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it,” she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

Coming from someone who’s life’s dream is to become the President, from someone who, obviously, is not a quitter, not when it comes to the race for the presidency, what she said was not only true but are two good reasons to reject calls from others in her party for her to drop out of the race.

This controversy is a lot like what Geraldine Ferraro stepped in when she also correctly analyzed the political landscape as relates to Sen. Barack Obama.

Here is what RFK Jr. said about Hillary’s statement.

Clinton campaign issued a statement from Robert Kennedy Jr. on Friday night in which he said Clinton’s reference to his father’s death was “clear from the context that Hillary was invoking a familiar political circumstance in order to support her decision to stay in the race through June. I have heard her make this reference before, also citing her husband’s 1992 race, both of which were hard fought through June. I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense.”

Continue reading Overplayed Assassin? →

Pensacola

How About A Recession Plate For 2.99?

Great story in the local paper today about a small business owner Sharon Ray, 61, owner of Ray’s Bar-B-Que, who recently started selling a “Recession Plate.”

The lunch plate, which includes two mini-barbecue sandwiches and a side of fries, is Ray’s attempt to help ease what she described as “Pensacola’s recession.”

One of the best ways to turn a recession around is not to participate in it, like Sharon Ray. This isn’t a turn lemons into lemonade story. This is a story of how a smart business entrepreneur can preserve her customers and business during tough times. Kudos to Sharon Ray of Ray’s Bar-B-Que. I gotta check them out. Not just because of this article, but because I’ve always considered myself to be a ‘common-sewer’ of fine foods, and will travel for great ribs and a good pork sandwich.

related link: Barbecue restaurant offers ‘Recession Plate’ lunch

Politics, Uncategorized

aSide Order

Dang, here’s a headline that’ll get your attention. ‘Fourth foot discovered off Canada’s Pacific coast.’

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — For the fourth time in less than a year, a right human foot has been found off one of four different islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia.
Police said Friday that they do not know if there are any links among the feet.

Rush comments on AP story that the cost of our backyard BBQ this Memorial Day weekend is up $6 over last year. Obama’s message. And Rush’s message, Grill away!

A good video of a favorite guitar player of mine. Joe Bonamassa, live on Dutch TV.

Energy, Media, Pensacola, Politics, Uncategorized

Capitalism Works, When Allowed

On the subject of high gas prices and the dog and pony show that Democrat senators put on in front of the leaders of the oil industry yesterday, a local columnist was chastising capitalism and these CEO’s with all the usual stereotypes and talking points that get the dumb masses riled. Things like these execs are robbing everybody and the title, ‘Capitalism at its finest.’ Hark! An educational moment has occured. Below was my reply to the writer.

Quick quiz: assuming a free economy, which is not the case in the U.S. as pertains to the oil industry, the most regulated and taxed industry on earth, but, in a free economy, if supply and demand are just a cliche as you say, then what or who really determines selling prices? Would you prefer that the government do that?

Do you think that increasing crude oil supply will lower the price at the pump? Its a trick question, but please answer it anyway.

“If they’re so worried about demand, how about this one.”

You didn’t see it did you? They’re not concerned with demand. They know, even if you don’t, that the demand will do nothing but increase as our population, both legal and illegal, continues to grow. My private-school education tells me that when demand outstrips supply, prices will go up. Isn’t that what you are seeing at the pump or is it all just going into Hofmeister’s pocket?

I appreciate your frustration with the high prices. All we need is an energy policy that gets some.

–end of reply

One of the highlights of the senate hearing was this response from John Hofmeister, president of Shell.

“The fundamental laws of supply and demand are at work,” said Hofmeister. The market is squeezed by exporting nations managing demand for their own interest and other nations subsidizing prices to encourage economic growth, he said.

In addition, Hofmeister said access to resources in the United States has been limited for the past 30 years. “I agree, it’s not a free market,” he said.

H/T Troy Moon for the inspiration.

related links:Troy Moon| Big Oil defends profits before irate senators | Don’t blame us for prices – oil execs

Immigration, Politics, War On Terror

Sneaky Amnesty Tricks, Version 3

Those Democrats and RINO’s are at it again. This time making an Iraq Supplemental Bill also an immigration slash amnesty bill with a guest worker program that is not needed, because there already is one called an H-2B visa. The other nifty thing it does, you know, in support of the troops in Iraq, is to create more corporate welfare for agriculture in the United States. If this isn’t the definition of useless politicians I don’t know what is.

The measure, called the Emergency Agriculture Relief Act, was added to the War Supplemental bill in a 17-12 vote last Thursday.

Known as the AgJob amendment, the Feinstein-Craig measure revived instantaneously the controversy that caused conservatives to lash out at the White House and Congress last summer.

The measure would grant temporary legal status to 1.35 million illegal immigrants and their families currently working in the agricultural field. The legislation was passed out of committee at the request of agribusiness interests who have been insisting that they need illegal aliens to harvest crops and run horse shows. The legislation is nothing less than “comprehensive immigration reform” on a smaller scale.

Your senators need to be told to not pass that bill with this amendment and corporate welfare in it. As it is right now, there is no money for Iraq. Only for immigrants and BIG AG. This shows how and why the left likes the military. The troops are useful in loading up their support bills with political pork and social engineering projects. Yeah, we love our troops.

Sorry I don’t have a bill number yet, but you know as much as I do and enough to inform your senator about. Get on it because it is expected to be voted on this week, maybe even tomorrow.

related link: Sneaky Amnesty Tricks In Iraq Supplemental Bill

Update: The bill is H.R.2642. War Supplemental Bill Tests Different Approaches of Byrd and Obey

Politics, Race Relations, Uncategorized

John Langston, African-American Hero, Republican

On this day in 1870, African-American law professor John Langston delivered an influential speech praising the civil rights policies of Republican President Ulysses Grant. Langston (R-VA) would later serve as a diplomat in the Grant administration and then be elected to a term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This and more history of the GOP that you won’t find in history books in government schools can be found at Michael Zak’s Grand Old Partisan blog. He also wrote the book, Back to Basics for the Republican Party, on the history of the GOP.

2008 Election, Immigration, Politics, Uncategorized

Should Republican Leadership Resign?

That’s an interesting question, one I’ve never given thought. Until now. The way ‘the party’ is going today, with the growing separation of conservative principles from its platform and their votes in Congress, it seems to me that the Republican party has left me behind. They’ve crossed the aisle on principles, making them about the same as Democrats that have none.

The troubling thing about this separation, which was really highlighted by the two attempts to legislate amnesty for illegals, is that these same republicans that we thought were conservative were simply riding the Reagan wave. That controversy exposed the ‘establishment’ republicans, who give conservatism a bad name. In reality, these folks were looking at conservatives as tools who brought them to power, and for that reason only. For them, ideology was a matter of convenience. Now that they are there and it is time to stand up for what they were chosen to do, they morph into Democrats to the point that ‘conservative democrats’ (I know, that’s why it is in quotes) are beating republicans in congressional seats that have been solidly republican for decades.

The base is ticked off. Having learned nothing from the shellacking they got in 2006 is reason enough to justify a (dare I suggest) CHANGE. Maybe they should all resign. Could it be any worse than what we have now?

related links:Republican Leaders Must Resign | H/T D equals S