Check out this great Chicago Dog, while you still can.

I was sitting next to a friend, recently, and he was lamenting a failed effort to start up a Chicago Hot Dog stand in the Branson area some years ago. Eating a Chicago dog should be on everyone's bucket list, yes, they are that good! It seems that the regulations needed to get a startup was pretty overwhelming. OK, I understand that food regulations need to be followed. But, this guy was shit canned from the get go. We seem to be drowning in a regulatory nightmare that now has gotten to the point that fewer and fewer entrepreneurs even want to try.. (More of the drip down cancer that has is now the government we used to honor).

At any rate, you can sort of, kind of, get a feel for the Chicago Dog by visiting most any Sonic's. The prices are still doable and the taste is great. [However, the trend for all businesses to be only allowed to exist  only if they are government controlled continues at an accelerated pace]. I'm also sorry to be so down this date.. but, hey everyone, I still have eyes and can see...

And so now the great conflict stage is set!

Imagine rolling a large powder keg onto a hot and roaring fire! That just might perfectly describe the state of the world as America rolls towards a fall election. An election that could see Donald Trump placed as the head of a country already in caught up in internal turmoil!

Personally, I could not imagine what would happen internationally should that transpire. Trump is the physiological and diametric opposite of Obama in terms of foreign policy; one could even liken him more as hyped-up version of Putin. He certainly would not be the squeaky mouse we've had in charge for the last eight years. And, therein lies the rub....

Folks, I don't believe I've ever witnessed a world that is so ripe for a world war as the one I find myself in going into 2017. China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and ISIS are all proven players in the roles of those who would rule the world. All of of them are active and growing in their hunger and are poised on a razor thin line at this time. (President Obama abrogated America's role as a world leader a long time ago and now were seeing some very dangerous individuals filling in the void he left).

Of the five I've mentioned, China is currently the real elephant in the room (my opinion). They are effectively creating a choke point in the south china sea, (via a set of islands) that could easily close off the flow of commerce that amounts in the trillions annually. They are also militarizing some of these man made islands with weapons of war! And yes, I can guarantee that there is a master plan in place. Getting them to retreat, at this time, is neigh impossible and would require the use of extreme force. (Exactly the sort of action that could easily ignite that powder keg I was referring to earlier). The fact that China's economy is also in the process of total collapse doesn't help very much and has only served to hasten the ascent of men to whom the word 'strategy' has little to no meaning.

Meanwhile Putin like the cat he is, is waiting patiently on the side, building up his forces to retake the Baltic states along with other lightening fast land grabs the moment a major world war breaks out. (He has also been rumored to be acting very closely with Iran to help insure that that country realizes its share of the Middle East). Likely caught in the pincer like action will be much of the oil producing countries with the resulting overnight drop off in supplies of oil to the rest of the world.

And then there is ISIS. A group of loons that will likely feed off the carcass that was a semi-civilized world after the collapse. They represent almost pure unadulterated evil and would love nothing more than to see everything fall down with a return to the sort of conditions they currently call home. I always think of them as I would envision a tribe of rabid hyenas feeding on the African Serengeti.

Yes, Donald the Trump will have his hands full when, and if, he is elected. The only worse possible scenario would be seeing Hillary or, God forbid, that communist Sanders rise to that control. I really don't think I could take that and would likely move to Canada...

No buns for your burger? No problem!

On a few occasions in the past, I've wanted a good old juicy burger, but found myself lacking and any buns. Not to be denied, I through a quarter pound burger on a toasted slice of Italian bread and went from there!

From a nutritional standpoint, this creation was low sodium, low cholesterol and came in at about 500 calories! Sure the fat content was up there, but nobody's perfect!

Media outlets and their very disturbing commercials!

I suspect that there are many individuals out there who give their mute buttons a really run for their money, especially when watching channels like Fox News! And while I consider their news content to be excellent, the commercials they run sometimes scare the living hell out of me. Ergo the mute button to the rescue,  and too damn often...

Over a period of time, I've broken the commercials which I consider objectionable into three broad categories; overly repetitive ones that weren't all that interesting the first time, but which are aired as much as twenty times a day for like forever, faked claims of improved health, and then there are those f'ing pharmaceutical commercials....

THEY REPEAT FOREVER!

Of the first kind of really objectionable commercial, the repetitive ones I'd give first place to Rosland Capitol and that idiot announcer of theirs William DeVaine. They've run their gold and silver pieces so often, it's become reflex for me to mute them. And here's a news flash! Few people I know have a lot of extra cash. Most live check to check, and anyway, you can't eat gold! Nonetheless, if this was the only precious metal investment company left in the world, I WOULD NEVER BUY SHIT FROM THEM! [Give credit for this aversion to their program people who have got to have complete mush for brains....].

WE'RE JUST FAKING IT! NOT REALLY MAKING IT!

In this category fails a virtual plethora of junk ads, all of which claim to make you feel better! In this area are many over the counter drugs that never address the root cause of your problem. Sure, I guess you can take two Alieve for like forever, but you must know that the pain will never improve! Another ad I see a lot is My Pillow. God please deliver me from idiots like these. Sure, the pillows are good, but so what? There are tons of good pillows out there to choose from. Please, everyone, just get a grip!

YOU CAN SWALLOW THIS CRAP SAFELY, TRUST ME!

Let me make this short and sweet. Pharmaceutical firms are below the level of used car salesmen and politicians! A lot below! It seems their view of the world involves cramming as much crap down your throat as is humanly possible; deleterious side effects be damned! (Check out this page for a list of nine legal drugs that could actually harm you). These most evil people do all they can to remove your doctor from the equation, hoping you go to them asking for one of their Cadillac drugs sold at insane prices. Seriously? Don't you think your doctor is better informed as to what drugs to recommend? Often they can get you the same drug in a generic form at a fraction of the cost!

The bottom line for me has been to migrate my viewing habits to other channels. Actually any channel that maintains good sensible advertising is just okey dokey with me.

Welcome to Mooneyville!

 

 Dan Owen - A 2009 post of mine in WordPress

In a recent news conference, Anthony Colaprete, the principal investigator for NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, said ‘Indeed yes, we found water.” This is wonderful news for the United States as we will now have someplace to put those pesky terrorists like Khalid Sheikh after we close Guantanamo Bay prison. Mr. Sheikh is currently on his way to New York to stand trail for the 911 attack on the World Trade center. After the trail ends, no one seems to have a clue where to put him or the other 245 detainees that currently call it home. I think the discovery of water on our little satellite changes all of that.

My suggestion is that we build a small city on the moon and then send all our countries most hardened prison population there. The shuttles will be ‘one-way vehicles’ and after crashing on impact, any survivors can make their way to the moon city enclosure. A place I would like to be named Moonyville. This facility would have just the bare minimum for survival. At Moonyville, each inmate that staggers into the airlock will have the opportunity to practice the skills that got them into prison in the first place. There would be no laws, cells or formal policy in the main facility. Just each person killing, hacking, lying or cajoling to get their fair share of sustenance (you know, sort of like Washington DC is today). Once a year, a supply shuttle would arrive to help maintain the colony. There would be no parole or return to earth for any of the inmates with but one exception. Those wanting to volunteer to do maintenance or research in a special wing (yes, some very bright minds are even now behind bars) would have at least the possibility of a pardon one day.

So, I feel this approach would have great benefits for us here at home. The building of new prisons here in the United States would slow for one thing. (They currently cost Americans $37 Billion a year)! We would have an army of ready and willing volunteers to create, maintain and expand a lunar base for future exploration and industrial development. And, most importantly, these low life’s would not be down here where we live. Gee, I wonder if the rate of violent crimes would go down if going to Moonyville was a real possibility?

A surprising homemade spaghetti side benefit!

I often like to make up a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch. I most often do this in a small stainless steel frying pan. I get about two to three servings of cheap to make, low salt and great tasting sauce! As a side benefit, the high acid content of the tomatoes acts as a easy way to clean of the dull build up on the metal surface. The pan shown here is over five years old and I use it almost every day. In the past, even a Brillo pad failed to make it shine. But, just one round of sauce and it was looking great!

On sunsets and soup!

Just when I thought that I knew pretty much how vegetable beef soup was made, I find that I'm really still out there in left field! A friend, Gayle Chowaniak, recently made up a batch and was generous enough to offer me some she had made and man-o-man was it ever delicious! I ate mine while on my mini deck and watched a beautiful sunset. I guess you really can't ask for much more than that!

Long Horn Family Dining in Forsyth MO!

Forsyth MO. - The Long Horn restaurant serves up a full menu of tasty food that also features a great salad bar! The venue is located on the main Hwy 160 drag that runs through Forsyth Missouri (163039 US Hwy 160). It is an eating experience made all the more enjoyable by the very professional server Christina, who took very good care of me and the people I was with.

Owned and operated by Allen and Magan Kutchko, the Long Horn Family Dining is currently open  from 7AM to 7PM Monday thru Saturday and 7AM to 2PM on Sunday, so you can stop in almost anytime to enjoy some real home style food. This venue also features an available Banquet Room in case you you want to throw a nice get together! You can reach this popular eatery by calling 417-546-9751 during normal business hours.

Grilled cheese and soup. Perfect!

One of my friends mentioned that she was going to make vegetable beef soup and then have that with a grilled cheese sandwich. Gee, I thought, that sounded like the perfect lunch time meal for an otherwise chilly and icky Friday. And, so it was...

California, you are getting disgusting!

In a move that is sure to be copied all over the state, officials in San Francisco approved the installation of open air urinals near Delores Park. This latest bit of insanity is just another example of why it may be prudent, at some point, to give this degenerate state to Mexico. I mean since it's looking more and more like a shit hole every day.

I'd ask Americans this. Are you really happy with what's happening? This country is the hope of a world. And, we are letting billions down....I pray, nightly, that someone will rise up and restore the principles that the Founding Fathers envisioned. That those principles are made good either by legal process or by the will of the people.... That blood might yet again be shed on the alter of freedom will not be the first time... and probably not the last!

The 2015-16 early flu season is somewhat strange!

 

In general, the flu season spikes in the first week of January as evidenced in the graph. Every year, that is, until this year. No, the 2015-15 season resembled more a flat tire than anything else. So what was happening? No one really knows. Perhaps everyone decided to get their flu shot this year. Perhaps people are staying home more and shopping on the internet. Perhaps no one has much money and so they are more limited in their travel activities. Perhaps none of the above is really the case. Still, it's rather creepy to see that one of the three circulating strains (H1N1, aka the swine flu) which is very contagious, has not been catching... that is until now....

The CDC has just recently issued a health visionary after seeing the H1N1 version of the flu show up here and there in the US. Here is part of that advisory: “Influenza activity is increasing across the country and CDC has received reports of severe influenza illness. Clinicians are reminded to treat suspected influenza in high-risk outpatients, those with progressive disease, and all hospitalized patients with antiviral medications as soon as possible, regardless of negative rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT) results and without waiting for RT-PCR testing results. Early antiviral treatment works best, but treatment may offer benefit when started up to 4-5 days after symptom onset in hospitalized patients. Early antiviral treatment can reduce influenza morbidity and mortality.”

Furthermore, a look at the most recent map of the states adds even more to puzzle over! The incidents of sickness appear to be all over the board! That's generally not the pattern that is seen, as in most seasons the disease spreads across the US in distinct waves.

Is the flu on the rise in Missouri?

Source: http://www.healthmap.org/en/

This 2015-16 flu season has been a real sleeper! Up until February, the charts showing Missouri citizens show up with flu-like symptoms had flat lined. And, while that should be good news, it left me with questions. In any typical winter season, in the US, the flu will kill about thirty six thousand individuals, nation-wide. This year, not so much. And so, I became suspicious.

Feb 10, 2016 - An elementary school in a small town near the border on the Missouri-Arkansas border apparently 'closed down due to a flu like illness' - Early reports were that the sickness rate, whatever the cause, was in excess of 30%!

Of additional concern was the above graphic! Note that the CDC does not support a hot line reporting channel. Why? I don't know. And, while all these flu dots may be an anomaly or Internet glitch, I still had cause to want to check things out. Stay tuned. I will update this after talking with the school officials on Thursday, Feb 11, 2016!

Feb 11, 2016 - I tried calling the Mark Twain Elementary school located in Kissee Mill, MO after getting information from a Face Book friend that the school had closed down due to a high incidence of something resembling the 'flu'. I did not reach anyone and was forced to leave a voicemail. As of later that morning, I had still not gotten a call back. So, the mystery continued...

Feb 12, 2016 - I did spot a short article posted online by KTTS radio. I submitted an inquiry to see if they would followup to say if it was actually the flu that hit 30% of the kids and if some would be tested to see if the strain was H1N1. They did call back and stated there would be no followup.

Random thoughts for early February 2016!

Mid winter blues helped by food!

Getting up to do much of anything on any given Sunday takes even more effort in the middle of winter. My main impetus this day was the thought of making a good bowl of red!

Yes, Sunday was going to be chili day! I got that most excellent thought in my head after looking outside on a forlorn landscape in early February. I wasn't inclined to go out, but opted instead to spend the morning hours in the kitchen trying to improve on my latest chili recipe. I got to thinking about making a batch after hearing that someone was bringing his special chili recipe to a local bar as part of the festivities that was to revolved around Super bowl Sunday. I was told that this guy named Gary used something like eight different beans and three meats to concoct a really enjoyable chili!

Harrumph, I thought to myself. OK, sure, my chili recipe is the very essence of simplicity. But, so what? As a simple man, I like simple things and that extends to the foods I eat and enjoy! The only thing I do to 'dress up' my chili, on rare occasions, would be to add some fresh pasta, shredded cheese and chopped onion for a Cincinnati 4-way styled meal! Seriously, it's hard to feel very depressed when you have a good meal to sit down to! I plan to have some while watching the Super Bowel.

Superbowl Sunday! Baloney!

Honey! Can we go back to the hotel now?

This year, two teams I could care less about, (the Panthers and the Broncos) were going head to head in a cost I could care less about. For one thing, the game was lopsided! The Panthers were heads and shoulders above the Broncos in abilities. My only reason to really watch would be to see if the Broncos could pull out a miracle! My other reason was also the commercials which tend to be exceptional. That said, you can keep the rest of it. I personally object to anyone who would pony up four or five thousand dollars just to watch one football game. That smacks of decadence and decay to me.

Another thing I don't like this year was the location. Phoenix Arizona... seriously? It was forecast to be in the seventies there! For chrissakes, football should be played in northern location where the temperatures rarely get above freezing. The game is made all the more fun when Mother Nature turns the field of play into chaos with snow, ice or even fog as was the case for the Chicago Bears in 1988! I'd love to see a dense fog develop this time in Phoenix! Hey! You idiots paid 5K for that! Not going to happen, but one can hope.

One more reason I would not have chosen the Phoenix location has to do with the state of terror in the world today. That city is close to the southern border, a known entry point for Islamic nut jobs. God forbid something would happen.

The Rest of the Congressional Mess!

The current Presidential race not withstanding, what will we ever do about the mess on Capitol Hill? No matter who gets elected, (and I pray it's a Republican) come January 2017, some poor slob or slobette will inherit the wreckage and remains of the Obama eight year tenure in office. Unless, the new President elect is standing there, taking the oath with Jesus at his or her side, we are basically fucked!

The standing joke that has been and is the Senate and the House will still be there, stuck in the political mud as usual. No way, no how, will any single person be able to bridge the gulf that exists there. If nothing else, Old HarryReid will make sure of it!

So, it's my though that 2017 will quickly turn into a debacle as one infrastructural system after another fails. Before you know it, a full scale revolution will be in place. Remember, you heard it here first!

Zika virus of growing concern!

A tiny virus dubbed Zika is garnering growing interest and concern by world health organizations, due in part to a possible link between it and possible fetal deformations in pregnant women.

According to the CDC, the Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon.

Yet, the outbreak of the Zika virus sweeping the Americas has all the fixings of a dystopia in the making. In adults, the virus can cause a mild rash and a slight fever—but evidence suggests that if a pregnant woman is infected, her child could be born with a devastating birth defect: a shrunken head and brain, called microcephaly. Between 2010 and 2014, the average in Brazil was 163 cases per year. As of the beginning of 2016, Brazil had reported 3500 plus cases, including 46 deaths, a startling increase that coincided perfectly with the first wave of Zika in the country—arrival in the summer of 2014, and a rapid spread during 2015. And, it is that rapid ability to spread that has officials in other countries, including the United States concerned.

This virus will surely be the topic of conversation during the coming months as the northern hemisphere gets ready for the summer of 2016!

Hitting the diet marks when you're getting older!

Three things impact the human form as we age; 1) we tend to slow down and don't exercise, 2) our metabolism also slows so that we don't burn as many calories, and, 3) and worst of all, when we do diet, our metabolic rate can slow down even more making the whole effort appear pointless. But, there is hope!

A dietitian once told me that my choice of foods has an even bigger impact on my overall weight than exercise! She said that by just cutting down on the 'snack category' would go a long way to help me stay at least on the correct weight ballpark. Alas, a quick mental review of my recent eating habits easily confirmed why my middle was bulging once again. Since I keep track of my grocery purchases in a data file, it was easy to see where some of my problems lay. I had at least a starting point in my renewed weight control and general exercise plan for 2016! Less junk food and more exercise would be the focus.

I subscribed to an online and free diet tracker called MyFitnessPal some time ago. This easy-to-use program helped me a lot as it tracked my food intake and efforts at exercise. I quickly learned that going to McDonald's for a Big Breakfast (and thus loading on 740 calories not counting a beverage), was problematic for my overall dietary effort. Nope, I quickly figured out a simple rule of dieting, (assuming I were to plan on eating three squares a day) and still be able to have snacks.

Rule #1 – Limit your caloric intake at any one setting. In my case that came to something below 500 calories. That equates to 1500 calories per day which also happens to be my goal if I want to shed some pounds. Now here's the important part. Any snacking calories have to be worked off via exercise on that very same day! [Now, just to be clear, each type of snack therefore has a penalty of sorts attached to it. And, it amazed me at how some of those snacks I love to eat added up]! So, when I would purchase something like Pringles, I merely attach a label to the box with a readout on how much exercise each chip I consumed added up to. As 16 chips equaled a 150 calories, then a single chip was about 10 calories. In order to burn 10 calories on my exercise bike, I'd have to got for about a minute and a half – remember, that's per chip! Sixteen chips, which go down pretty quickly equate to …drum roll... 24 minuets! Holy crap! Well, that little label does go a long way to killing my appetite for Pringles, I can tell you that! Bottom line; label all your favorite snacks!

The take away here, it to allow you to get a fairly good fix on just what foods are sinking your diet effort right from the get go! (You might also want to build up a list of foods that are pretty safe to snack on, and yes, carrot sticks are likely on there somewhere).

A good start, (for any weight loss effort) would be to estimate your individual daily caloric limit. A good place on the net to find out would be Fit Watch! Once you have that figure in hand, keep meticulous track of both your food intake and exercise efforts on a tracking program like MyFitnessPal. Sure it's a pain in the ass, but if you stick with it over a three month period, you just might find that your big old ass has shrunk!