Watch What You Eat div (Snark subsection)

So David Frum thinks the menu at the White House luncheon for Mitt Romney was supposed to be funny ???

 davidfrum ‏@davidfrum

Obama served Romney white turkey chili? Was that meant to be funny?

What's next Dave ??  Black-Bottom pie for dessert ????

This Just In - - Hold the Presses ....... div

MITT WON !!!!

This morning's op-ed page of the WaPo contained an interesting tidbit written by Mitt's Chief campaign strategist, Stuart Stevens . There wasn't any mea culpa or such, but a wonderful list of just how close Mr Romney came to capturing the hearts and minds ( not to mention the votes) of the American voting public.

Much was made about how, through a strenuous series of intra-party debates, Mitt won the hearts of Republicans over the likes of Michelle Crazy-Eyes, Cowboy Rick, 'lil Ricky, "marry me" Newt, 999 Herman, Grampy Gold-Standard and a couple of other also-rans. Talk about competition. (The only candidate who was worth a damn was Huntsman and we all know he was a "traitor").

I was surprised to learn: "While John McCain lost white voters younger than 30 by 10 points, Romney won those voters by seven points, a 17-point shift."
Funny, that's not what the Pew Organization found out.

Then there's this: "Nor are we idiots because we came a little more than 320,000 votes short of winning the electoral college in 2012." Well, Mr Stevens' concept of "a little more" (like about 25%, eh ??) leaves a bit to be desired.
Actually, the margin in the "swing / battleground" states was 407, 000 , but then again, who's counting. You can slice and dice it anyway you want and find justification in that if crazy uncle Cecil hadn't drunk a fifth of Old GrandDad the night before and had managed to find his driver's license and had managed to stagger down to the poling place and hadn't been waylaid by a sexy female poll monitor ......... well, you get the picture. The old saw that "if the hound hadn't stopped to take a shit, he'd a caught the rabbit" seems to be working here. Face it Mr Stevens, President Obama got more votes (i.e., he won).

"Mitt Romney carried the majority of every economic group except those with less than $50,000 a year."
I guess I won't belabor the point that almost 50% of the country earns around (or below) that $50K figure a year.

So, Mr Stevens (who won two out of three and like the Meatloaf song goes: " I want you, I need you, but there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you...") knows what really happened: the black guy won, but not by very much, really.

........... as always, the losers sit there sayin' "Shut up and deal."

What Could Possibly Go Wrong ....... div

Every year, I receive notices of people who go out "messing around in boats" and fail to return to land ( at least while breathing). Usually they all include the mention of "no Lifejacket" (PFD). Many involve spiritous beverages.
At least in this case no one died. Though I'm sure that if they had, Walmart (as bad as it is) could not have been held responsible.

Watch What You Eat .... div

Remember that age old advice your mother gave you ???
There seems to be no end to the stupidity that abounds out there. It's not bad enough that the python is an ever increasing menace to wildlife in Florida; that now idiots are giving them away as prizes in contests. It makes even less sense when the contest is pretty gross and ends up killing you.

Maybe they should have just let his prize eat him, eh ???    ( I didn't bother to include the photo of the fully-grown deer removed from this guy - the snake that is).

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass .... Div (Contemporary subsection)

Heard this playing in a little shop on Prince Edward Island last month. Certainly not Maritime Canadian influenced, eh ??  One of my favorites of the "Newgrass" genre. The geographic references are a bit off,  ...........   and then, there's the video. But what the hell, if ain't fun, you shouldn't be doin' it !!
Enjoy.

Today (yeah, it's Thanksgiving) ....... div

Though this year's "get ready to shop" holiday falls on the 22nd, how many of us remember where we were on this date in 1963 ??
It's one of those days in one's lifetime that (like 9/11 - to a younger generation) is as vividly remembered as if it were yesterday.
It was a clear, warm Friday, just after noon (my easy day) and I had just finished an engineering class at university. Walking to the parking lot to retrieve my (even then) ancient Volvo, a classmate from high school called out to me and asked if I'd heard the news. Naturally, I hadn't, and looked at him as if he were insane.
I can, even now, close my eyes and visualize every nuance of the day: the news reports, the speculation and the remainder of the weekend. Our holiday meal the following week was subdued and we hadn't yet, as a society, deteriorated into the rampant consumerism that burdens us today.
So, while the turkey is still warm and the pie uncut, take a moment and reflect (if you can) on another moment of our lost innocence.

Happy Thanksgiving

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass ... div (International subsection)

A Group from the Netherlands - Four Wheel Drive - doing Daley's Reel



Joost van Es-Fiddle/. Jürgen Biller-Banjo. Jan Michielsen-Guitar, Alfred Bonk-Upright Bass. Edu Grin-Mandolin 

Cutting off Nose ..... div

Seems another Arizonan is upset that Mr Obama won (and he's a comin' fer yer guns, ya kno). You really gotta click the link to appreciate this one.

I wonder how he's gonna check ???

Retrospectocracy .......... div

Been over a week now of being back in the United States of Reality and listening to all the printed pundits discussing the autopsy of the election and selecting just which bits of the pathology caused the demise of the Republican Party  (of course, there are some out there who say they really won, us normal folk just can't see it yet.).
But , why am I still receiving the various and sundry e-mails about stuff that didn't seem to pan out so far.

(h/t Jim Wright at Stonekettle Station)

Safe Water .... div

What the hell is going on in Georgia ???
First we have one of their congressmen (who even sits on the House Science and Technology Committee) going bonkers.
Now the Republican end of the State legislature has broken with reality. They've even managed to get self-admitted liar Dick (heh) Morris to help them journey down the road to insanity.
Could it be the water ????
Who elects these people ???

Every Vote Counts ..... div

With all the wailing and gnashing of teeth (not to mention the sackcloth and ashes) by Republicans over the election of that Kenyan, Communist, Muslim,  a woman in Arizona seems to have arrived at a better solution.  Despite her husband's lack of civic participation, Romney won there anyhow.
Go figure.

Jobs ......... div

I normally don't get to watch 60 Minutes since I'm out there risking my life and sanity navigating the pavement in and around the GWTP.
Since my "vacation" has been extended due to a rotten cold, I got the chance this past Sunday.
The segment on jobs  - - and the fact that there are so many of them out there without any "qualified" applicants was pretty amazing. A couple of things really struck me:
1) basic skills  - -  like showing up on time and paying attention  - - was really no shock. These are basic social skills that aren't being taught any longer. Perhaps it's the fact that families no longer sit down and eat dinner anymore or that Mom and Dad are so busy holding down two jobs each that they can't recognize their kids.
2) The business owner saying that he had no need to train his people. What, you expect workers (and at $12 bucks an hour for a machinist) to spring fully formed like Athena from the forehead of Zeus ??
Used to be that unions (before they became management institutions) trained apprentices to fill vacancies.
3) the fact that basic supply and demand  - -  i.e. the marketplace  - -  seems to have failed. If there aren't enough applicants (low supply), and unfilled positions (high demand), shouldn't there be a "bidding war" to get people on board ???  Seems that business owners only tout the "marketplace" when it's to their advantage, eh ??
I remember when I retired from the service   - -  over 600 resumes, 3 interviews and no job (this was during the Bush I recession). I certainly had the basic skills and was willing to start at the bottom (hell, I even sanded drywall to buy groceries) but (and it was never said) being over 45 didn't help.
Later working in the travel industry, my "rigid" background of the military was a basis for not moving up.
With the conflicts in the sandboxes drawing down, why aren't these "job creators" utilizing the people with the very training they say they need. The US military establishment is probably the finest training organization in the world. You learn fast, you learn well and are soon teaching others. As the Marines say, you adapt, improvise and overcome when presented with a challenge. Why is it that only the worker is expected to make the sacrifices ??
Today's WaPo cited the fact that  companies are maintaining profitability by "squeezing" worker pay.
Wanna bet that "Executive Compensation" and "Shareholder Equity" are being squeezed as well ???
I've got a dollar.

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass ..Div (USMC subsection)

 What other song would be appropriate for today ??
It is also the oldest official song in the United States' military.
You probably know the words  - -  I learned them in the cradle.

Reality ......... div

Tomorrow, we pull in to our final, disembarkation port. The Goose Girl and and this klunky Bear have been treated like royalty for the past 15 days (and at times it was difficult- -  but better than hunting dead moose). I'm sure that when the mice pull the pumpkin up to the doorstep we'll need  couple of days  - -  or more - -  to adjust.
I'm sure that several of the Fox News republicans aboard will cast themselves overboard tontine (but I doubt it, these folks care more about themselves than a cause).
We have met some really lovely folks that we (maybe, sort of) disagree with, but haven't let that interfere.
 We've also had our sanity questioned.
I'm sure the noise machine will soon start up again  - - - so look for more here in the days to come.
The Voyage has been Bon.

A Little Saturday Nite Bluegrass ....... div

Steve Martin's composition "The Crow"


Tony Trinschka, Bela Fleck and Steve Martin on the banjos.

Eva ........div

Today, in 1996, Eva Cassidy passed away.
Though cancer claimed her life, her career was a victim of her talent; so great and so varied that none of the record company suits could find a marketing box to put her in.
I think this is the finest version of Sting's composition that has ever been recorded (and there is a rumor out there that Sting cried when he first heard this).