Critique: Banquet Spaghetti & Meatballs

It was a Sunday and I was hungry and I figured that for a 'buck-a-meal deal', this offering from the folks at Banquet would be a safe bet. Now, while I could easily throw the pasta and sauce together all by myself from scratch, those meatballs would have proven a culinary challenge. Not the least of which would be all the work involved. Lucky for me, I was fresh out of hamburger, so the point was mute. Anyway, just look at them thar balls on the front cover! I’ll even bet ya they're spicy cuz us real men like our balls that way! (Uh, what)?

Another thing in Banquet's favor was the directions on the back of the box. (They're just the way I like my world – simple).  You open the box, extract the meal, shove it into a microwave and about four minutes later, it’s done! (Now somewhere in there, they also talk about slitting the film and stirring, but that was way too much for me to handle. I contented myself to listening to the microwave do its thing while I searched in the fridge for a cold one).

As you can plainly see at right, the finished meal looks a teensy bit different from the advertised product. But, us real men know how to handle disappointment (we get it often enough), so I sat down to eat.

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you there was this strange smell that wafted up to my nose when I removed the plastic film. Can’t say for sure if I could describe it other than to say ‘bad fridge smell’. But, seeing as how I was hungry and seeing as how I had a cold brewski close at hand to help anesthetize my innards, I decided to gave it a go. I’m happy to say that the meatballs (four of them like on the package) were fair to middling. They made up for the pasta which was not so fair.  Here’s the way I scored this Italian creation:

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Pkg Art:     9    Maybe I should have eaten the package instead?

Reality:      4    Best approached with your eyes closed. Just like sex!

Cost:          5    At $1 a shot, this is about as cheap as you can get! And, it shows.

Smell:        4    Ever stick your nose where it didn’t belong? It was like that, only worse!                    

Texture:     3    This pasta not only would stick on a wall, but it would congeal there too.

Taste:         5    Throw out the pasta and just eat the meatballs. You're better off.          

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Average:    5    Well, the box was kinda cute anyways!       

Rather than endure eating this again, I think I’ll switch to the canned spaghetti and meatballs next time. Better taste for about the same money!

Note: After the meal, you are left with only a cardboard container and a plastic tray which like the song 'War! What is it good for?" is 'good' for absolutely nothing! About 52 grams of paper and plastic that can be recycled – so do it!

Did the environmentalists make a boo boo?

My oh my, the left has been rather busy as of late, haven’t they! If it’s not the rat pack (aka OWS) getting arrested by the hundreds, then it’s been those ‘lovers of the earth’ who have successfully derailed the Canadian oil pipeline. Hey, I’ll give credit where it’s due! I’ll also tip my hat at the Left for completely killing any hopes of America getting independent from oil exporters who hate our guts. Raise your skirts boys! Our fragile economy now pretty much finds itself balls to the wind with respect to energy independence. Once again let me thank President Obama, Pelosi and Reid for their unrelenting ‘energy’ and enthusiasm in this area. I wonder how history will remember them…

But, wait! Was there a small itsy-bitsy miscalculation? Cause, now I hear Iran is getting ready to meet today, to debate a bill that could see them banningall oil exports to the EU! Oh? I say! What great timing that? And, who could have seen this coming (other than about 5.9 billion or so)? And, did I mention the ban could be for 15 years? What fun!

So, just in case anyone needs it drawn out for them, large scale oil disruption (even should other nations take up the slack) could easily collapse the member nations of the European Union which could cause a domino effect whose ultimate end will also be the collapse of the US. [Stop for a breath] Were that event to happen, I’ll tell you now that the ‘land huggers’ and hippies out in ‘Californialand’ and elsewhere will be very put out. Because overnight, you see, we could well be thrust back into the good old Dark Ages. You know, that time where life was brutal and short, but mostly short! Were feudalism to become the new law of the land, Then I’ll be those cute little green electric cars you all drive will cease working…cause there won’t be much in the way of electricity.

Now, some people might call me an alarmist. Really? We’ll just have to wait and see., and I don’t think we’re going to have to wait too long!

California is the place to be – if you’re a budding journalist!

California is the place to be – if you’re a budding journalist!

I sometimes I think a young enterprising boy or girl journalist could make a pretty good living out just one topic: California itself! When I look at some of the wild hairs that live and breed in that Land of Oz, I see stories abounding! And listen up you would be journalists, there’s hardly a day that goes by without some insane mandate, law or standard is being hoisted up the flagpole just to see how long it is before civil unrest forces someone to haul it back down. Examples? You say you want some examples? OK, let’s take just this last week, shall we?

Earlier this year California decided to impose new ‘air standards’ that will require one in every seven cars sold in the state in 2025 be an ultra-low- or zero-emission vehicle. This basically means going to electric cars in really huge numbers. (An interesting choice considering the fact that you can hardly give one of those Chevy Volts away these days). And let us not forget the cost factor! Right now, at a time when increasingly both the state and its citizens are either dead broke or getting there, the legislature deems it a fitting time to place this added nail on the coffin. Good for them! And, maybe it will even work out! With many more people leaving the state than coming in, perhaps the air quality will improve after all!

Now, this just in. The California Energy Commission voted to adopt minimum energy efficiency standards for, wait for it, battery chargers. Seems they feel that with so many out there (about four charger per person), then perhaps the state could save a ton of energy by forcing its citizens to adopt (and buy) new ‘more efficient’ chargers. Now that’s what I call ‘progressive thinking’ at its best. Just when I thought the liberals had devised as many ways as there were to siphon more money out of the people. Along comes this well thought out scheme! According to Jill Notini, spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, "It essentially means (charger) manufacturers are going to have to retool for California and they may have to retool again when DOE comes out with their final standard," she said. "There could be implications for cost of products and choice of products." Hey, that should be fun. Meanwhile, all those old chargers are going…you guessed it, into a landfill.

As I mentioned earlier, California just gets better and better every day and in every way. But, do hurry up and get your articles in, please. Rumor has it that we may be selling the state to China as a way of paying off a little of our debt. But, hey, that’s only a rumor!

Nine hundred million today, a couple of billion tommorrow!

I try, as best I can, to follow world events from an armchair perspective. Been that way for years. When the internet came along in the nineties, I had even more ways to gather and look at news events from all over the world. And gosh, so much is going on these days. So many distractions. Yet, I wonder sometimes, that perhaps we may be lost in the forest as it were. Maybe we are missing the biggest the two biggest elephants in the room?

I think there are two issues that are not much talked about by the media, but that will soon become all that we'll be talking about. I'm referring to the availability of two essentials; food and water! Neither of which may be available to most of the world's population ,in sustainable fashion, within just a couple of decades!

As of 2012, according to WorldHunger.org, there are approximately 925 million people (see graph) who are hungry due to a scarcity of available food to eat. That's 1 of every 7 people living on the planet right now. And while there is currently enough growing capacity to feed the world, other problems are preventing equitable or fair distribution, especially in countries where poverty exists at high levels. Also in the mix is the effect of global warming on weather patterns especially where it concerns areas that produce most of the world's supply of grain. Frankly, rainfall patterns that were once considered to be fairly precise have become more and more chaotic with some areas now suffering record droughts while others are experiencing floods that have resulted in billion in damage.

That's the hunger issue, but also of critical importance will be the availability of enough fresh water to grow crops while having enough left over to slake the thirst of billions of human beings! It has been estimated that one sixth of the population is now going without enough potable water. At the current rate of global consumption, this very limited resource is expected to become exhausted by or sometime before the year 2042. In high density countries like China, a recent government report cites only 43% of the 'fresh water' there is now drinkable. (Twenty-five percent of the water there has become so polluted that it's even unsuitable for industrial applications)! In other high population density nations like India, the water there is also becoming increasingly polluted due to the over-working of farm lands. Those two nations alone account for, and sustain, over 2.5 billion souls.

OK, so there's some problems, granted! But, we still have a couple of decades to come up with a solution. Right?

Actually, no we don't. As these two basic resources become increasingly diminished, a hungry and increasingly thirsty mass of humanity will soon be forced to move. And, I promise, bad things will happen as a result! (I can think of no greater or more urgent motivation than to be starving and dying of thirst). When one area is stripped of these resources, increasingly larger and larger masses of people will be on the move. And, I have to wonder how another country's government respond if they discover thirty million or so desperate people heading their way? Probably not a pretty outcome!

So, when people ask me what I think of the situation in Syria or Iran or how the OWS'ers are messing up America, I just smile. In a few years, I'll wager they won't matter much one way or the other.

When you buy something, consider what you must then throw away!

In times past, I would run over to the local grocery store with a scribbled list in hand to pick up just the ‘necessities’. Trouble was, I rarely stayed within the confines of my list, preferring instead to shop ‘til I dropped’. When I’d arrive at home, the car would be full of foodstuff, much of which would end up getting tossed within a week. You see, I was a man that planned poorly. (Actually read that as just an average man).

Then the depression of ’08 hit hard and things started to change. Poverty began to settle into my life the way arthritis settles into an old man’s bones. Painfully! Increasingly, I was forced to take note that my checking account would no longer allow for purchases of name brand goods like Del Monte and (the jolly) Green Giant. Instead, generic names like Always Save and Best Buy began to creep into my grocery cart with increasing frequency. I even found myself telling my friends that the generic crap was ‘just as good’ as the name brand stuff. (No, it’s definitely not)! I reconcile my hurt feelings with the thought that pretty soon no one (but the rich) will be able to afford the ‘good stuff’! Under a Socialist banner, we will have had to console ourselves with eating the ‘people’s food’ and liking it. Perhaps, I reasoned, by starting out in that direction now, I’d be way ahead of the game.

But, that’s not what I want to write about today! No, my concern, as of late, has been focused on getting rid of the garbage I was generating. You see, I also had to cancel my trash pickup service. (Yet another benefit of incipient poverty). It’s amazing to me just how fast all the junk builds up! (I think it was the EPA that estimates the average American citizen produces over five pounds of solid waste a day)! Not really a problem as long as you can pay someone else to haul it all off. A big pain in the butt if you can’t!

So, one of the ways I have discovered, and which works, is the concept of recycling. You see, it turns out that much of what we discard is actually worth money. Aluminum, for instance, can be ‘remanufactured’ after it is thrown out at only 5% of the cost of creating new metal from ore. The same hold true to some extent for paper, steel and certain forms of plastic! Now, while some locales in the nation will actually pay you hard cash if you separate this stuff into to piles, other areas will just settle for you dumping it for free.

That turns out to be de rigor for the town I happen to live in. So, the challenge now is to make sure that I pay some attention to the grocery store crap I purchase. For instance, I want to make sure that any plastic bottles fall into one of the ‘accepted’ plastic codes (1-7) that a recycler here will accept. I also want to avoid any glass products as they are not accepted in my area. If you get my drift here, I now make sure to only buy boxes, cans and bottles that I can end up throwing out for free. (After a while I’ve found it has become pretty much second nature).

The bottom line is that, while poverty sucks, it can also help make you a better person. I’ve become a much better shopper and recycler as a result, while cutting my landfill contribution down to a tenth of what it used to be!

Recycling update: Experiment in on track!

Update: Earlier in January of this year, I embarked on an experiment to try and track what the amounts and types of trash I was throwing out on a daily basis. Included were five groupings; aluminum, steel, paper, plastics, compost and miscellaneous. The first four were items my town of Forsyth Missouri accepts for recycling. My kitchen scraps went to a compost pile and everything else (including glass which the city does not recycle) was placed in a dumpster that will end up in a landfill. Not included also were things like yard waste (it's all recycled or burned) or items like clothing, electronics or whatnot. Most of that stuff is either donated or sold in springtime garage sales. (If something does go to the transfer station over the course of my three month study, then it will be documented as 'special items').

After some setup problems early on, I have managed to come up with a spreadsheet that seems to work OK. From it, I have now accumulated hard data that covers eleven days and which shows me to be discarding about a pound of stuff a day with only ten percent of that figure going to the dump. This, by the way, is considerably under the EPA's 2009 estimate of 5.1 pounds per person per day. I plan to hold off on posting actual quantities of individual items unto I have a full month's worth of data.

Fresh salads make my day!

Of all the foods I enjoy eating, nothing compares to a good old fashioned salad that I’ve thrown together myself. Other than the possible exception of my homemade ‘ranch style’ dressing, there are absolutely no health warnings out about salads. (I know because I’ve check all the media outlets. There’s nothing – zip! Trust me)!!

Now while I often have agonized over getting Mad Cow disease after eating beef or a case of dreaded trichinosis from pork or even Type I diabetes from too much pasta, I feel I’m pretty much in the clear when it comes to chopping down on a plate of lettuce sativa, onions and celery! (Something that makes watching mainstream TV ads, as I eat, a little more doable).

“Are you feeling a little run down lately? Doctors have now shown that three out of ten may be suffering from Early Brain Tumor Onset or EBTO! Now, while absolutely nothing can be done about curing EBTO, you can slow it down and live a relatively ‘normal’ lifestyle. Ask your doctor if Tumorset® might be right for you!” Yeah, right? No, wrong actually! (God, please save me from these sorts of visual downers that are designed to scare us to death)!

The other thing about a good old fashioned salad is the endless combinations that are out there! Every sort of vegetable or fruit is fair game and if you find yourself wandering too far afield (Sausage? Cheese? Oh My!), you can always quiet any nasty thoughts by using this great power word – preponderance. As in, ‘the vast preponderance of my salad was composed of some really healthy shit!’ Just be careful here that the ‘preponderance part’ of the ingredients doesn’t slip over to the dark side. After all, someone remarking, ‘My Gawd, girl! Is that a slab of ribs in your salad there?’ - will not go over very well when you get to thinking about it later on!

Second Life does have some redeemable qualities! But it's still a piece of caca!

After posting a rather visceral rant on how SL has all but screwed me the consumer, I quickly watched two of my concerns fade away. 1) I was able to log back in and 2) they had magically restored voice in my sim. IK, so maybe there’s hope for this wacky virtual world after all.

As soon as I was able to log back in I was given an invitation to attend a concert where a singer by the name of Amforte Clarity was performing. And yes, that’s her real SL name – you do get some strange ones, believe me! So, I hadn’t heard this particular singer before, but with some time to kill I decided to hang around and listen. I wasn’t disappointed as she has a beautiful voice and a really well developed repertoire of songs from which to choose. I ended up hanging out at the DeCoch, Serna (Italy) location for a good half hour and enjoyed myself thoroughly. I even dropped a few Lindens (money) in the tip jar.

Then, I was locked out again! Bottom line, please do not ignore my previous post and do come and visit Second Life when you can.

And then the rest of the story - Look if you crave problems, like crashing, and want to feel completely helpless as I do - SL is for you! SL is a crap shoot with the emphasis on the former.

Glenn Beck guts Obama and Soros like a fish nightly!

Perhaps not every night, but on many nights at 5PM Eastern Standard Time, Glenn Beck’s program on GBTV becomes a torrent of accusations directed at individuals like President Obama and George Soros! In elegant style, he strikes out at their conduct, policies and even their moral fiber. Honestly, I don’t see how either of these individuals take it in the derriere the way they do? The flogging of their character is gruesome, very detailed and rather sickening. So, why are they not responding? Hmm?

Perhaps it’s because everything Mr. Beck says is well researched, verified and true. Gosh it must be pretty darn difficult to fight that.

Getting a handle on love and sex in a virtual world!

[note this illustration does not represent the actual cover of the work to be released]

Hold onto your garters Dorothy – it’s certainly not Kansas anymore! Along with the explosion of techno-everything in our physical world, there has also been the evolution of virtual worlds where the hearts and minds of lovers (young and old alike) can get tied up in knots! I’m referring to online social worlds like Second Life where les amoureux is heating up the internet servers like no ones business. And, with all this desire, can come problems of the heart and mind if you’re not careful.

That’s where author Pamala Clift’s soon to be released work, entitled the “Virgin's Handbook on Virtual Relationships”, can come to the rescue! According to a media release by the author (who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting online), her “how-to book helps those who are currently confused or just entering online dating, social media and virtual worlds. With online relationships being a condensed version of real life, the extremes of emotions are hit harder and faster. I witnessed some success but also a lot of pain and confusion with online relationships, even from the brightest of minds!” Clift says. “I developed a way to understand different perspectives and created a presentation that I teach with candor and humor, which is included within this book.”

Pamala Clift has a bachelor’s in business management and is the CEO of Virtual Handhold, LLC, which is a human/computer interface psychology consulting company. She is also the founder of the “Roadside Philosophers,” a five year international organization with hundreds of members that conduct their discussions within the virtual world of Second Life. She can be reached via email at hugs@virtualhandhold.com. Also, If you would like to contribute to the effort click here.

The super flu is now in a test tube! But, for how long will it stay there?

While it might be depressing to watch, I would encourage everyone to see the movie called Contagion (the 2011 version). A movie that chronicles a mutant flu bug that is spread mostly by contact with surfaces like doorknobs, railings and what not. In the course of the 106 minute show, the viewer is given a pretty realistic example of, not so much the influenza bug, but rather of the kind of panic that can result when large segments of a population become sick all at the same time. Indeed, studies have shown that the chaos that could result, can often be more deadly than the disease itself!

Just how likely is such a scenario, where tens of millions perish, to occur? I'm not sure, but I can say definitively that the odds were increased recently when a group of researchers managed to combine the highly infectious Swine flu with a very deadly strain of Avian flu. They, in effect, took a not easily transmissible bird strain and mixed it up with the H1N1 or Swine flu virus. A virus so infectious that it has managed to sicken one out of every ten people on the planet only a year after it was discovered! So, what you end up with is a bug that easily gets around and which kills six out of every ten people who catch it! (By contrast the 1918 flu, which killed an estimated 50 million world wide, was only a killer 4 to 6 percent of the time)! Ah, the joys of modern science.

At this time, the group has self imposed a two month moratorium while they ponder the implications of publishing the technique in which this horrific mutation was accomplished. Ideally, they have said they would like to inform other interested parties (Al Quaida comes to mind), all around the world, as to the exact procedure for producing a flu that could take out hundreds of millions in just a few short months! And do it, by the way, in a setting that even Dante would have been proud of.

Thanks Mr. President for saying no!

President Obama's decision not to OK the Canadian pipeline not only created new divisiveness within the Democratic Party, but also gave the GOP much needed ammunition to use in the coming presidential debates. Unions that represent construction interests were flabbergasted at the announcement that the State Department was going to shelve making any decisions for the foreseeable future, thereby squelching the potential for twenty thousand desperately needed jobs. A decision coming at a time where tensions in the Middle East are at an all time high, and where the risk of an oil blockade by Iran increases daily.

Republicans have now begun to brand (perhaps rightfully) the current Administration not only as 'anti small business', but also as 'anti-energy' and even 'anti-American'. This turn of events happening as government agencies like the now left-leaning EPA continues to turn its back on exploiting proven energy reserves in favor of almost total dependance on extremist nations that despise our way of life. Actions that will be sure to add more fuel to the political fire of unrest that has been simmering in the belly of this country for some time. And, something the GOP will no doubt use this latest in poor decisions to the fullest extent during future debates. Oh, and by the way - Canada has now decided to run that pipeline on over to the Pacific so that tankers can load up and carry the oil to China!

So, thank you Mr. President. Another job well done.

Second Life Marketing opportunities!

If you’ve never had a chance to check out Linden Labs creation known as Second Life, please be sure to do so. Founded back in 1999, SL offers ‘an immersive experience’ where registered users can invent, design, entertain, buy and sell in a virtual world filled with a realism that few other people have been able to challenge. On any given day, hundreds of thousands on men and women assume the unique persona of an avatar they’ve designed to interact with others all over the planet. If you haven’t tried this out, please consider doing so as joining is free of charge.

I’ve been a member for a couple of years and, yes, the learning curve is rather steep at first. But, it you stick with it, the rewards can be considerable. Some people even make a living at it! And, while I’ve never reached that level, I do use this portal to advertize my Forsythkid Blog to audiences I would not otherwise be able to reach very easily. I do this by ‘advertising’ on their internal search board for what amounts to just pennies a week.

Here is once such ‘poster’ I have spread around on various properties I own in SL. If an avatar touches it, they are prompted to go to my webpage or blog of choice. This is a really neat way of getting your blogger presence out to individual who might otherwise never hear of you. And, let me tell you, an avatar can actually be someone who resides in Russia, Japan or anywhere in the world! Through SL, I’ve met, and become friends with, some very interesting people over the last couple of years. A process that has enriched my life while providing some insight as to what actually is going on in other countries without the filter of local media. At this time I have been corresponding with a young lady who lives in Israel and let me tell you, I hear things that are not reflected in the coverage by companies like Fox News or MSNBC! So, from that standpoint alone, I feel that this portal is worth the effort to learn.

Stop in and say high if anyone reading this gets a chance. Look me up! My name in SL is Danomanno Redyard.

I've made a new word and I need your help!

In the same manner a baby might delight over making poo, I've given birth to a new word that I want to sling out there into the blogosphere so that it might be used far and wide!

Sluget adj. (pronounced slew-get) – a state of aimlessness. That which is without clear purpose or shape. Exp: 'His sluget manner was found to be disturbing by all in attendance'. Alternate forms: Slugetive - 'He was in a slugetive mood and so went to bed that evening feeling hollow and spent.' Slugetsia – an illness of the mind whereby a person is rendered intellectually non-functional. (It's been established that individuals who suffer from slugetsia are often registered Democrats).

Now, my dear readers, let us not be 'slugetish' about this effort. I'd like to see each of you email a friend and use this wonderful new word in your communique. And please don't forget to tweet it also.

It's crunch time, America!

The future of America is at stake. Neither the Democrats or the Republicans are bringing a solution to what ails this country to the table. Just more of the same! It's time that Americans send a very clear message to the government and to the world. 'We will not stand for more of the same'.

Now, if we could just get Ron to change his views on international diplomacy we'd have us a winner by a landslide!

America's Future War with Iran!

Jan 11, 2012 - A new aircraft carrier strike group has entered the Arabian Sea and another is on its way, a Pentagon official said in a news briefing Wednesday -- a shuffling of the U.S. fleet amid rising tensions with Iran.

Officials said there is no connection between the fleet movements and threats from Iran, however, the arrival of the USS Carl Vinson comes on the heals of Iranian military exercises in the Persian Gulf and threats to block the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil transit route.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/11/us-naval-carrier-strike-group-arrives-in-arabian-sea/#ixzz1jDTCsz25

Is mankind evolving or devolving?

Or perhaps there’s even a third possibility. Maybe he's just getting ready to go the way of the dodo bird. Good questions to ask as the world trundles its way on down a path that was begun millions of years ago for the species known as home sapiens. [more]

New Hampshire Debate and who Facebooker's liked!

During the GOP debate in New Hampshire, the face book site I was on had all the candidates lined up so you could 'like' whomever you preferred. Here are the results I observed:

While it's past Christmas, this message still rings true!

The Second Amendment is there for a reason, no matter what the season!