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!