Random thoughts to close out January 2016!

Cranking out some incredible barbecued chicken lags!

Yes, it was a warmer than normal Sunday in late January. A time of year when most everyone should have been found hiding inside as the cruel winds of winter raged outdoors. Only, that wasn't the deal down here in southwest Missouri at least on this particular day! Happily, from time to time, us 'pseudo southerner's' get a much needed reprieve in the form of dishwater styled southerly winds. And then, as soon as the mercury gets much above 60 degrees, those of us that like to grill are out doing our grilling thing. Note, however, the strange behavior of the outside temps early on...

Tongs in hand and a hot charcoal grill set the stage for one aging gnome standing on his condo balcony in shorts! I had placed eight check legs into the grill about an hour earlier and was getting ready to slather them with from official KC Barbecue sauce. Does it get any better than this? I mused to myself as I idly contemplated the word 'slather'. That word sounded somehow both sexy and a little sick at the same time. (According to the Webster dictionary, to slather is to spread or smear (a substance) thickly or liberally. As in to "slather on some tanning lotion"). The chicken took a lot longer than they had last time I grilled, of course it was in the 90's then.

'Well!' I said to no one. 'I'm gonna slather the living be-jesus out of these legs!' I then got down to the business of turning a so-so gathering of cooked chicken flesh into a tangy assembly that made my mouth water in anticipation! That job accomplished, I eased myself down into a cheap folding chair to better contemplate strange English words, hot n tangy chicken and my place in the scheme of things. As I sat there, sipping my beer, I thought about grilling and temperatures.

What's the perfect grilling Wx temperature, anyway?

While there is little scientific evidence to go on. My best guess is that for most, there is an acceptable 'grilling range temperature' below which grilling is not done. (Sure, there are a few hardy souls who grill out all year. But, those are the really oddball types who do all sorts of zany things anyway. While they are fun to watch, the more sane members of the grilling clan choose to get their equipment cranked up after the mercury is above at least sixty degrees). Other factors that may influence the decision to grill out probably include; the chef's state of sobriety, clear or partly clear skies and calm winds. (As I can only speak for us men, I can tell you from experience that alcohol consumption often sometimes plays a pivotal role in there somewhere)! Getting that urge to grill is also linked to the first day in the new year when a really awesome weather day presents itself. Sort of like it did on January the 31^th!

On that day, I arose promptly at about 9AM and gathered together all the tools I needed to proceed. I had purchased some chicken along with a six pack the day before and thus shuffled out onto my condo third floor balcony to go and 'get er done'.

As you can see, my minimal efforts paid out as just an hour later the chicken looked freaking awesome! 

Iowa voting could be impacted by blizzard!

'In the end, the direction of American politics may all come down to a snowstorm.
Months of fierce campaigning have left both party leadership races too close to call in Iowa as the rural state prepares to become the first, and most influential, to pick candidates for November’s presidential election.

Opinion polls suggest a narrow lead for Donald Trump among Republicans and a near dead-heat between rival Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders ahead of the caucuses on Monday evening.

Yet Trump and Sanders are very dependent on support from younger voters and anti-establishment types who tend to turn up less reliably than the party faithful backing Clinton and the more traditional Republicans'. [Excerpt from another news story]. The bottom line? Be sure to tune into your media outlet of choice as this vote will be fun to watch as a good old fashioned blizzard roars into the Iowa state!

AND THE OTHER STORY!

The story behind the Iowa story will be the frenzy among media people as they try to 'get out of Dodge' before the full fury of Mother Nature is unleashed. The timing of the approaching blizzard, it's true potential and how it will impact travel is hard to say as of this posting. Here's the most recent forecast for Polk County, Iowa where many are situated to cover the voting:

* TIMING...SNOW WILL LIFT INTO THE AREA LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO
  TUESDAY MORNING. A BRIEF BREAK IN THE SNOW MAY OCCUR BEFORE
  RESUMING TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. A PERIOD OF VERY HEAVY
  SNOW MAY OCCUR WITH SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR
  POSSIBLE. STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY
  TUESDAY AND WILL CREATE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF
  SNOW AND POTENTIAL WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.

I'm guessing that many will be stuck in Des Moines, leaving media outlets like Fox News scrambling for fill ins at their studio in New York.

Critique: Analysis of the value of a can of ravioli!

Let me begin by saying that I like to eat beef ravioli. And of the choices out there on grocery shelves, a can of Chef Boyardee is one of the most tasty in my limited view. Each 425 gram can cost me $1.09 each when I purchased a couple of cans from a Country Mart store located in Forsyth MO. Now there are cheaper versions out there, but most are a poor second in the taste department. That said, let's take a deeper look at this particular brand.

Each regular sized 15 ounce or 425 gram can contains the following key nutritional ingredients per 1 cup or half can or 246 gram amount:

Calories  - 220      ( Cost per gram eaten equals 3 one hundredths of a cent)

Fat fr calories -  60

Total fat -  7 grams    (About 11% of your recommended daily intake)

Cholesterol -  10 mg   

Sodium -  750 mg    (Through the roof at 31% of your daily allowance)

Carbs -  31 grams

Protein -  7 grams

Most people I know don't eat ½ a can. They eat the whole thing all at one sitting! That also changes the dietary impact considerably as you'd get over half you daily allowance of salt in one meal! The better news was that you did get a decent shot of calories (think energy for your metabolic battery) in that one meal. And so, for about a buck in cost, that wasn't too bad a shot of food!

But wait! That ain't all! Remember that canned foods are also PROCESSED FOODS and that means that some really strange sounded ingredients get added to help preserve the contents. Let me see now... enzyme modified cheese, yeah that sounds safe. Then there's that xanthan gum for you know... Just remember! When you eat something, your body has to deal with that substance or substances on a molecular level! That's exactly why I like to eat fresh.. when I can afford it. And, did you know that you can easily make your own? Please check out this great article!

In today's economy, a can of CB ravioli does make sense, as long as you make to sure to balance it out with some fruit or a decent vegetable salad!

Fox News and the much needed mute button!

Just as the content of Fox News in often inspiring an professional, so it is also true that their paid advertisers are often insulting, misleading, disgusting or just plain frightening! Here's a list of five I assembled for my reader's edification;

1. Rosland Capitol – This idiot company airs something like 30 times each day. Always with that moron William Devane and always with the same morbid story; that things are crappy and are going to get crappier, so why don't you go out and buy some metal? What a pant load of sheer claptrap. I'm sick of him and the firm he represents! If you want to invest in something, invest in guns and ammo.. you're going to actually need those!
   
   
2. Idaho Potatoes – Give me a break, we poor people are already buying those five pound bags for three American bucks. It's about all we can still afford, living under Obama and the Progressive Left's shadow all these years!
   
   
3. Prevagen, Nocaderm, Viagra and all the other RX crap. Let's face it! Pharmaceutical firms are out for only one thing. Your cash! As much of it as they can get! And they often get it by scaring the living shit out of you! Wise up people and hit the mute button. The real person to seek out is a qualified doctor who will often times steer you towards the generics or even homeopathic solutions that will not put you in the poor house.
   
   
4. Any car commercial! Let's face it! With prices starting at 30K, most of us Americans have been shuffled out of the market. And those with an excess of pride, will buy them and then suffer with those payments on what becomes a worthless rust bucket long before they're  paid off! (A better investment would be to buy a hammer with which you can smash a finger or two anytime you get the urge to throw your money away in this insane manner).
   
   
5. Mediacom – Ever since I made the mistake of signing up with Mediacom for my TV and Internet coverage, I've had cause to really question my sanity. I think of this company in the same manner I would a used car lot full of crooks. (It's also managed about the same). And, yes I know that most of us have only one or two choices as to a provider and that most of them really suck. My advice. Toss your computer, plant flowers in your TV and go outdoors for exercise and maybe even to meet some real people now and again. You'll live longer, be healthier and richer as a result!
   
   
   Once again, Fox News is not a bad outlet when compared to the rest of the sheer crap out there. And, I know they have to sell the crud I've mentioned above.  I just wonder if they understand that very often, I don't hit the mute button, I turn the damn channel off and find other stuff to do.

Men's church breakfast discontinued!

For what ever reason, I received a call from a friend informing me that the monthly men's breakfast at a local church had been discontinued. Why that that was so, he wasn't sure. I, however, had a few ideas.

It's possible that the breakfast was wither growing unpopular or maybe it was considered an unnecessary expense at a time when many places of worship are suffering from declining attendance.

It's also possible that as my Republic becomes ever more secular, that people coming together in the name of God is now looked upon poorly... Perhaps the PC crowd is just getting their way, I'm not sure.

What I do know is that in the future, humanity will rediscover God, togetherness and family through the purification of very hard times....

Warming trend for last week of January 2016!

The last week of January 2016 was looking to go out on a warm footing down in southwest Missouri with temperatures well above average.

Flu season 2015-16 a flop?

The red line in the above graphic depicting the rate of influenza in Missouri tells the tale for the 2015-16 flu season! It all but flat-lined and for that reason, many have cause to be thankful. For me, I was a bit troubled. In general, when a fast mutating bug like the flu virus lies low, you can bet it's up to little or no good. For instance, there are troubling reports on the avian flu front world wide....

Time will tell as to how the balance of the flu season will pan out. The full pdf report for Missouri for the week end 1/162015 can be found here.