...and we can't wait for November.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Cubs v. Sox Tailgate Time
Tailgating has come a long way. I'm no tailgate historian but earlier on a simple Hibachi grill or Weber Smoky Joe was good enough to get the job done. Throw in a cooler full of beer and that was that. At times we still grill the simple brats and burgers when time is at a minimum such as after Gunstock. Other times sub sandwiches are fine. On very special occasions (when we gather with my blog buddies for instance) we like to recreate what we do in our backyard at the stadium parking lot.
(Blurred image due to low light and no tripod)
Lately I have seen some very elaborate tailgate cooking set-ups. Some have pickup trucks where an entire kitchen slides out and unfolds from the bed making any backyard griller jealous. Others bring an RV to the game. It all comes down to personal preference, how deep your pockets are and how many will be present for the pre-game feast.
To me, ballpark and stadium food has always been tasteless, overpriced crap I don't want in me belly. Funk Dat. In modern times most franchise owners have glammed up their stadium offerings quite a bit. Most newer stadiums have exclusive clubs where the food has come a long way and the prices compare with casual city restaurants and those ever-present trendy “Irish Pubs” you find on every street corner in downtown Chicago.
Comiskey Park has such a club and Carl supplied us with a few passes. We checked it out for the first time during the last two innings of Sunday’s game. The Stadium Club is operated by The Levy Restaurant Group and they are at the top of the game when it comes to stadium-style dining. Check them out.
The Stadium Club in the upper right field deck at Comiskey Park has a very clubby atmosphere and best of all, it’s air conditioned. On a hot humid day like last Sunday it was a welcome relief to end the game up there. Wrigley Field has nothing to compare. Here’s the view.
Me? I would rather tailgate before the game in the parking lot. It’s casual, not that much work and drinking cocktails before the game allows me the time to sober up before driving home. Who needs to spend a paycheck eating crap in the stadium when entering the game with a belly full of lusciousness? Besides, it’s good for observing other people and much more festive as well. Me and the bro love the challenge of making good grub out of the back of a truck under a pop-up canopy providing relief and shelter from the elements.
This year he went one better. He brought this portable gas grill from Cabela’s using his loyalty points when a sale was underway. With the deal it cost him less than most full size Weber kettles and best of all it collapses, flattened to fit in the back of most SUV’s with plenty of room leftover for coolers, chairs, canopies, etc. The grill has a 2’x3’ cooking area (a guess) with three burners.
This is how it appears when collapsed for transport.
The only disadvantage is the lack of a lid but when grilling for a tailgate feast there’s no time for serious southern-style BBQ so ribs and pulled pork are off the menu. To paraphrase H.S.T., When the grilling gets weird, the weird turn pro.
This time all our food was skewered k’bob style except for his home-smoked salmon appetizer. Prep time onsite was at a minimum, only leaving the skewer duty, grilling and a quick clean up. Before we left Indiana for the ballpark we had prepared wild turkey breast strips and marinated them in a thai-style sauce, leg of lamb cut into strips marinated in a Greek garlic lemon oil with fresh rosemary and oregano from my herb garden, real gulf shrimp (we won’t be seeing those for a while) marinated in a chipotle-butter sauce, placed them all in separate plastic containers with lids and tossed them in a cooler. What’s not to like? Is this easy or what?
One tailgate menu item we tried for the very first time was grilling fruit skewers that were basted with a bourbon brown sugar and butter glaze while cooking. Hawww! I never grilled fruit before but this will definitely be on the permanent tailgate menu after tasting it. Awesome stuff, simply decadent, and I am not a sweet dessert type of guy. It’s so sweet and so good I will make this at home again and even more often once the wife has a taste. It's so simple and easy even a caveman like me can make it.
Being busy grilling, drinking and talking I only have this image of the shrimp cooking with the uncooked fruit skewers waiting on the right.
The bro invited some friends at the last minute (he seems to always know others attending the same games we go to) and I didn’t think we had enough for all. I was wrong. There were very few leftovers and a lot of pleased people.
Mission accomplished.
.
(Blurred image due to low light and no tripod)
Lately I have seen some very elaborate tailgate cooking set-ups. Some have pickup trucks where an entire kitchen slides out and unfolds from the bed making any backyard griller jealous. Others bring an RV to the game. It all comes down to personal preference, how deep your pockets are and how many will be present for the pre-game feast.
To me, ballpark and stadium food has always been tasteless, overpriced crap I don't want in me belly. Funk Dat. In modern times most franchise owners have glammed up their stadium offerings quite a bit. Most newer stadiums have exclusive clubs where the food has come a long way and the prices compare with casual city restaurants and those ever-present trendy “Irish Pubs” you find on every street corner in downtown Chicago.
Comiskey Park has such a club and Carl supplied us with a few passes. We checked it out for the first time during the last two innings of Sunday’s game. The Stadium Club is operated by The Levy Restaurant Group and they are at the top of the game when it comes to stadium-style dining. Check them out.
The Stadium Club in the upper right field deck at Comiskey Park has a very clubby atmosphere and best of all, it’s air conditioned. On a hot humid day like last Sunday it was a welcome relief to end the game up there. Wrigley Field has nothing to compare. Here’s the view.
Me? I would rather tailgate before the game in the parking lot. It’s casual, not that much work and drinking cocktails before the game allows me the time to sober up before driving home. Who needs to spend a paycheck eating crap in the stadium when entering the game with a belly full of lusciousness? Besides, it’s good for observing other people and much more festive as well. Me and the bro love the challenge of making good grub out of the back of a truck under a pop-up canopy providing relief and shelter from the elements.
This year he went one better. He brought this portable gas grill from Cabela’s using his loyalty points when a sale was underway. With the deal it cost him less than most full size Weber kettles and best of all it collapses, flattened to fit in the back of most SUV’s with plenty of room leftover for coolers, chairs, canopies, etc. The grill has a 2’x3’ cooking area (a guess) with three burners.
This is how it appears when collapsed for transport.
The only disadvantage is the lack of a lid but when grilling for a tailgate feast there’s no time for serious southern-style BBQ so ribs and pulled pork are off the menu. To paraphrase H.S.T., When the grilling gets weird, the weird turn pro.
This time all our food was skewered k’bob style except for his home-smoked salmon appetizer. Prep time onsite was at a minimum, only leaving the skewer duty, grilling and a quick clean up. Before we left Indiana for the ballpark we had prepared wild turkey breast strips and marinated them in a thai-style sauce, leg of lamb cut into strips marinated in a Greek garlic lemon oil with fresh rosemary and oregano from my herb garden, real gulf shrimp (we won’t be seeing those for a while) marinated in a chipotle-butter sauce, placed them all in separate plastic containers with lids and tossed them in a cooler. What’s not to like? Is this easy or what?
One tailgate menu item we tried for the very first time was grilling fruit skewers that were basted with a bourbon brown sugar and butter glaze while cooking. Hawww! I never grilled fruit before but this will definitely be on the permanent tailgate menu after tasting it. Awesome stuff, simply decadent, and I am not a sweet dessert type of guy. It’s so sweet and so good I will make this at home again and even more often once the wife has a taste. It's so simple and easy even a caveman like me can make it.
Being busy grilling, drinking and talking I only have this image of the shrimp cooking with the uncooked fruit skewers waiting on the right.
The bro invited some friends at the last minute (he seems to always know others attending the same games we go to) and I didn’t think we had enough for all. I was wrong. There were very few leftovers and a lot of pleased people.
Mission accomplished.
.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Battleships and the Past
Prior to World War One the British and the Germans engaged in an arms race to build mightier navies, with each side attempting to out-do the other with each succeeding generation of ships. The ships got larger, more heavily armored, and were armed with larger caliber main armament. The Kaiser class battleships have the odd turret configurations used in that era; the Konig looks more modern, and the Bayern class has very similar lines to the iconic WW2 Bismark series ships, along with the same caliber armament (15" guns, in 4 double turrets).
One of the most interesting elements to me is the fact that the Bayern class is so relatively unknown given how powerful and modern they were relative to their WW1 contemporaries. This is likely due to the fact that the Bayern did not participate in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 which was the seminal act in WW1 fleet battles, for afterwards the focus of the German navy shifted to submarines and unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917. The wikipedia page for the Bismark series discusses how the Bismark series was derided by one British analyst as just a mildly upgraded Bayern class vessel.
Also interesting is the fate of the Baden (the second and final ship of the Bayern class); as discussed at the wikipedia link, the British saved it from being sunk at Scapa Flow and used it to test out their armor piercing weapons at close range. They sank it once and then refloated it again, and used this information to refine their ammunition and change their armor design. This page describes a diver who has been to the wreck several times at 180 feet, which is a deep depth for this type of diving (per the article at least, I am not an expert).
The book discusses the practical trade-offs that the Germans made; they fitted their ships with smaller caliber, accurate and quick-firing weapons, rather than being seduced by large caliber weapons, feeling that it was better to invest in heavy armor and solid ship construction than to plan for a long range duel. This was also due to fiscal diligence; throughout the book they discuss how the government made concessions to stretch their budget.
The fact that they did not delay Jutland for the launching of the Bayern (the ship was undergoing trials and the crew was on leave) is also interesting; in 1943 Hitler delayed the start of Kursk so that more of the modern Panther tanks could be brought up to lead the offensive. The "meddling" so common in the second war seems less common in the more practical first war; this also shows up in how the Germans shortened their lines and implemented "reverse slope" defenses on the Western front to turn their attention to knocking out the Russians in the East - it seems hard to imagine the second war Germans making such a sensible decision.
The level of investment that these ships represented for the economy at the time was enormous; imagine if our best minds and a huge chunk of our entire infrastructure was devoted to building these enormous machines. Individual citizens at that time had few possessions, much less radios or excessive clothing; to think of how these resources could have been deployed for the civilian economy if that type of choice was available.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Monday, June 28, 2010
Miller Lite a Premium Product??
At The Ballpark – Having A Whale Of A Time
As guests of Carl and his lovely wife, the bro and I attended the final crosstown game yesterday. As usual I like to observe and report on the unnatural sights and behavior that I encounter at live events. That’s when the amateur anthropologist in me comes out screaming.
After the tailgate we went to our assigned lower level 3rd baseline seats, which were very good. For the first 1 ½ innings the two rows in front of us were empty.
Suddenly, wearing a pink parachute this woman, her female friend and a guy took three of the four seats in front of us.
It was hard not to notice this enormous presence sitting right in front of me. Just how do people get this huge? Some blame it on genetics. I call it food addiction. Soon her boyfriend (of normal build) sat down and she moved farther to my left to sit with him minimizing some distraction. Before that the other guy had to lean forward because her ample side-flesh rolls spilled well over the armrests next to him. What armrests? Look hard. I would say click to enlarge but it's better not to.
We all love food but to what degree is one willing to sacrifice their appearance and health for an addiction to eating? Not to mention personal comfort and that of others near them, considering few things on this earth are built to accommodate a 400+ lb. frame. She made her 200+lb lady friend appear normal by comparison.
We witnessed firsthand how it’s done.
Some nachos honey?
How about some more nachos sweety?
Would you like some cheese and sausage pizza?
This woman was eating constantly, I never saw her wothout food for almost three hours. Someone was bringing her greasy ballpark trash food one sloppy plastic dish after another. Fortunately I had an interest in the game on the field, enough that I did not capture every single high calorie consumable she shoved down her insatiable pie-hole between innings.
There’s more to come from me on the game and tailgating. This subject is one I felt like sharing first. I know Carl has some interesting and unusual observations as well.
After the tailgate we went to our assigned lower level 3rd baseline seats, which were very good. For the first 1 ½ innings the two rows in front of us were empty.
Suddenly, wearing a pink parachute this woman, her female friend and a guy took three of the four seats in front of us.
It was hard not to notice this enormous presence sitting right in front of me. Just how do people get this huge? Some blame it on genetics. I call it food addiction. Soon her boyfriend (of normal build) sat down and she moved farther to my left to sit with him minimizing some distraction. Before that the other guy had to lean forward because her ample side-flesh rolls spilled well over the armrests next to him. What armrests? Look hard. I would say click to enlarge but it's better not to.
We all love food but to what degree is one willing to sacrifice their appearance and health for an addiction to eating? Not to mention personal comfort and that of others near them, considering few things on this earth are built to accommodate a 400+ lb. frame. She made her 200+lb lady friend appear normal by comparison.
We witnessed firsthand how it’s done.
Some nachos honey?
How about some more nachos sweety?
Would you like some cheese and sausage pizza?
This woman was eating constantly, I never saw her wothout food for almost three hours. Someone was bringing her greasy ballpark trash food one sloppy plastic dish after another. Fortunately I had an interest in the game on the field, enough that I did not capture every single high calorie consumable she shoved down her insatiable pie-hole between innings.
There’s more to come from me on the game and tailgating. This subject is one I felt like sharing first. I know Carl has some interesting and unusual observations as well.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Steroids
Steroids is a stinky word. It is used as a blanket for many, many performance enhancing drugs that professional and college athletes use to, well, enhance performance.
From day one I have said that Carlos Zambrano is on something. He has that puffy look, a la Barry Bonds.
These drugs affect each and every person differently. Some people end up with serious physical problems, some mental. Zambrano has had mental difficulty for quite some time. I have seen this guy scream at the top of his lungs way too many times. He has been ejected for arguing calls, he has bumped umpires, trashed gatorade containers, you name it. In last nights thumping by no other than the White Sox, he took it to another level and started chewing asz on his teammates in the dugout.
Here is the clip.
At least Derek Lee is man enough to stand up to the bully - he wasn't having any of it.
Zambrano is now suspended from the team indefinitely. When Zambrano's career is over, it will be revealed that he was on tons of drugs. You can take it to the bank.
From day one I have said that Carlos Zambrano is on something. He has that puffy look, a la Barry Bonds.
These drugs affect each and every person differently. Some people end up with serious physical problems, some mental. Zambrano has had mental difficulty for quite some time. I have seen this guy scream at the top of his lungs way too many times. He has been ejected for arguing calls, he has bumped umpires, trashed gatorade containers, you name it. In last nights thumping by no other than the White Sox, he took it to another level and started chewing asz on his teammates in the dugout.
Here is the clip.
At least Derek Lee is man enough to stand up to the bully - he wasn't having any of it.
Zambrano is now suspended from the team indefinitely. When Zambrano's career is over, it will be revealed that he was on tons of drugs. You can take it to the bank.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Really?
Pretty much all of my life I have needed help dressing. To this day I stuggle mightily matching clothes. Thank god for my wife who is always there to instruct me. I still try to match my clothes on my own, but upon inspection by Mrs. dfm before leaving, I am usually headed back to the bedroom to change about half the time. Actually 75%.
Imagine my surprise when I saw this on the back of The Onion yesterday.
I used to wear glasses like that 15 years ago! I never really wore floods. This guy looks pretty gay if you ask me, not that there is anything wrong with that. Silly is another word that comes to mind. Real people don't wear stuff like this, do they?
Imagine my surprise when I saw this on the back of The Onion yesterday.
I used to wear glasses like that 15 years ago! I never really wore floods. This guy looks pretty gay if you ask me, not that there is anything wrong with that. Silly is another word that comes to mind. Real people don't wear stuff like this, do they?Around Chicago June 2010
Just a few snapshots while walking around the city after summer finally arrived (along with big thunderstorms). Middle left - a big billboard in my neighborhood saying that the GOP is going to try to make it in Chicago! They definitely have their work cut out for them in this crony-run town. Their site is www.ChicagoYrs.com and they are having a party at the Cubby Bear July 9. The movie at this old post is from Cubby Bear when they were playing old hip hop from 20 years ago and the drunken crowd was going nuts post Cubs / Sox. Upper left - they now have a bus that goes straight to Valparaiso Indiana from downtown with wi-fi and everything; now Gerry can get door to door service if he has to trek into down town for work. Upper right - I think that the U Haul vans get painted based on where they are from, or perhaps that is an old-wives tale on the intertubes. Either way, that truck must have taken a loooong ride to get from the Northwest Territories to Chicago. I don't think the average person owns much that is worth making that sort of trek; throw your snowshoes and parka on your back and leave everything else behind when you head out. Lower left - some rather sophisticated graffiti art in my neighborhood, definitely not "tagging" unless some weird headed dude is marking his territory. Lower middle - it doesn't take much to get the expats in Chicago to drink (or anyone, for that matter) but Fado in my neighborhood is making a killing off the world cup. That place is literally ground zero for drunks on St. Patrick's day the line starts before 6am. Lower right - I remember seeing stupid stickers like this all the time, it says "Most capitalism is nothing more than human and animal slavery". Hey, this isn't high school, but this is probably where your art school tuition is going. Good luck getting a job.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Nerds
I was in the loop today by Michigan Avenue when I noticed a long line of people that snaked around several blocks. These nerds were waiting in line all day to get a chance to purchase the new iPhone 4.
Nerds.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Crazy Weather Here in Chicago
We have been having some wild weather here in Chicago. Last Friday a huge storm front came through... right before it came in the sky was blue and then it just hit with a wallop and it seemed like the weather dropped twenty degrees instantly.
Then today they had more warnings of severe weather. While it rained cats and dogs it didn't seem as bad as last Friday, for River North at least, but there were major expressways flooded and other damage so perhaps locally we missed the brunt of it. We even had a nice rainbow after it was done.
Then today they had more warnings of severe weather. While it rained cats and dogs it didn't seem as bad as last Friday, for River North at least, but there were major expressways flooded and other damage so perhaps locally we missed the brunt of it. We even had a nice rainbow after it was done.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Car Dealer Economics
Recently I purchased a car and came face to face again with the befuddling economics of car dealerships. My brother, who is an expert car negotiator, helped me out a lot doing research and negotiating with them in the crazy, we-aren't-ever-going-to-see-each-other-again style necessary not to get ripped off at the dealer.
The car dealership that we were working with had masses of cars on his lot. A co-worker of mine said his buying power was increased because while he was haggling a big rig came onto the lot full of cars to unload and it was so packed that there literally was nowhere to put the newly arrived autos.
While every other industry in the world seems to be moving to a just-in-time model or some sort of centralized distribution warehouse (Amazon), the car dealer industry uses the sad, old-fashioned methods of packing their lots with autos and then cutting each others' throats to get an incremental sale. Rather than having the exact car you want by having you order it and wait for its arrival (BMW still does this, at least according to a friend of mine who recently bought one, and Scion does this, too) - my dealer just tried to sell me the closest one to what I wanted on the lot.
My brother, being a crazed car buyer, actually uses the technique of 1) determining the car you want 2) asking for a different, similar car to what you want that you KNOW the dealer doesn't have on the lot 3) threatening to walk away because they don't have the car that you knew they didn't have in the first place and instead having to "settle" by having them offer you to take the car you wanted in the first place, for a discount.
One major problem with this methodology is that the car buyer (me) leaves this experience with a terrible feel for the brand rather than a positive view, based upon interaction with the dealer. This sort of marketing is suicide given that a repeat customer is critical to the long-term success of a car brand. The second major problem is that having all this inventory on the lot causes all the dealers to drive down prices since they need to move these cars quickly which isn't the most profitable outcome.
In today's Wall Street Journal there is an article about car dealers and the tough times that they face today called "Driven To Despair". The article discusses how dealers are trying to stay afloat when sales are down and it is more difficult to finance all the inventory sitting on their lot. Then they interviewed a Chrysler dealer named Mr. Bragg:
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
The car dealership that we were working with had masses of cars on his lot. A co-worker of mine said his buying power was increased because while he was haggling a big rig came onto the lot full of cars to unload and it was so packed that there literally was nowhere to put the newly arrived autos.
While every other industry in the world seems to be moving to a just-in-time model or some sort of centralized distribution warehouse (Amazon), the car dealer industry uses the sad, old-fashioned methods of packing their lots with autos and then cutting each others' throats to get an incremental sale. Rather than having the exact car you want by having you order it and wait for its arrival (BMW still does this, at least according to a friend of mine who recently bought one, and Scion does this, too) - my dealer just tried to sell me the closest one to what I wanted on the lot.
My brother, being a crazed car buyer, actually uses the technique of 1) determining the car you want 2) asking for a different, similar car to what you want that you KNOW the dealer doesn't have on the lot 3) threatening to walk away because they don't have the car that you knew they didn't have in the first place and instead having to "settle" by having them offer you to take the car you wanted in the first place, for a discount.
One major problem with this methodology is that the car buyer (me) leaves this experience with a terrible feel for the brand rather than a positive view, based upon interaction with the dealer. This sort of marketing is suicide given that a repeat customer is critical to the long-term success of a car brand. The second major problem is that having all this inventory on the lot causes all the dealers to drive down prices since they need to move these cars quickly which isn't the most profitable outcome.
In today's Wall Street Journal there is an article about car dealers and the tough times that they face today called "Driven To Despair". The article discusses how dealers are trying to stay afloat when sales are down and it is more difficult to finance all the inventory sitting on their lot. Then they interviewed a Chrysler dealer named Mr. Bragg:
Mr. Bragg then did what many dealers have been forced to do: "I took my own money out of the bank and bought cars with it," he says, "I was out of options".You can see that easy financing at low rates was prompting much of this economically insane behavior. Many other businesses would not see it as a "last resort" to finance inventory out of their own cash flow; only in the car industry was it viewed in this manner, because distorted economics shielded dealers from the obviously depreciating assets gathering dust on their lot. Maybe if dealers had to finance the inventory they'd only keep a few demonstration vehicles on hand, and then customers would need to order to obtain what they'd need, or just keep popular models in popular configurations immediately available and special order the rest.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Fish
Due to popular demand I am forced to put up a post detailing the slaughter of 11 of our piscean friends. We went 11 for 17. In Wisco, you get five per person but the captain of our boat usually doesn't include his five. Technically you can do it, but the DNR doesn't like it so he doesn't. But when we were packing away the tackle after #10, we hooked on to #11. Here is the mountain of filets we ended up with, they are all at the smokehouse right now.
Some dead soldiers saying hi from the cooler.
Big Al with a big fat coho.
Yours truly with a king on the left and a steelhead on the right. These two were fatties as well.
My dad and I agree that this was one of our most successful trips out of Kenosha in a long time, maybe ever. The fish were all healthy and huge, and we limited out. Can't complain too much about that.
Some dead soldiers saying hi from the cooler.
Big Al with a big fat coho.
Yours truly with a king on the left and a steelhead on the right. These two were fatties as well.
My dad and I agree that this was one of our most successful trips out of Kenosha in a long time, maybe ever. The fish were all healthy and huge, and we limited out. Can't complain too much about that.Kenosha
Every year for Fathers Day my dad and I go fishing for salmon on Lake Michigan out of Kenosha. We absolutely killed them this year. It may have been one of our best years ever with the amount and size of the fish.We get up at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning, ususally leaving port by 5am. In the past on the night before we had stayed in Milwaukee or Racine. This time we actually stayed in Kenosha. It was early on Saturday evening, but dad wanted to crash, so I went for a long walk and took lots of photos. In short, Kenosha is one f*cked up town. What a rathole. But not all is bad. I will be dribbling out the photos I took of the town as the summer wears on, with some commentary thrown in for good measure.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Hey We Are .500!
Well that shows what I know. The Sox rotation bombed; until recently they were among the worst in the league; with their recent victory streak (they are 9-1 lately, with their only loss being a game that they could easily have won in the 9th vs. the Cubs) their ERA has been reduced to a respectable 4.41, still below average but at least on the way up.
With this latest winning streak the Sox are back to .500; now they are within striking distance of the leaders in the Central, being Detroit (on a hot streak lately) and the miserable Twins, which are usually our nemesis.
Gerry recently put up a cooking post and I am going to be lucky enough to have Gerry and his brother cook up a fine tailgate feast at the Sox / Cubs game next Sunday. I guarantee that no one in that whole lot will eat better than I will. At least there will be something to watch on the field, too, now that the Sox have gone from lousy to respectable.
Grilling Again
Call it Shish-Ka-Bob, Shishke-Bab or Sheesh K’Bob. Whatever you call this it’s a simple replication of an ancient way to make an entire meal over an open flame.
Without googling or wiki-ing I already know that centuries ago travelers, hordes and armies needed an easy way to cook an easy complete meal over the evening fire. It is said that they used their swords to skewer meat, root vegetables and whatever happened to be available and then held it over an open flame until cooked.
Feasts happen.
One reason I have not written about food for a while is because I have been in a rut. But a good rut. It’s been the same old, same old (really great) food I have documented before so there was no reason to write about the same recipes once again (see right sidebar: food).
K’bobs (as I like to call them) are not something we cook often. Mainly due to seasonings or marinades that failed to impress me in the past. Recently I found one well worth passing along.
Southwest Marinade
¼ cup vegetable oil
2-3 T minced cilantro (just eye-ball it)
5 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
2 chipotle chiles with adobo minced
1 t salt
½ t black pepper
½ t cumin
½ t chili powder
Whisk ingredients together and pour over large chunks of sirloin in a big zipper bag, press out air and seal. Refrigerate 1-6 hours, longer is better.
I still like bamboo skewers better than metal. Mine get soaked in water at least two hours before skewering. I use a spent tall bottle of top shelf vodka with a cork cap. It will hold eight skewers upright after sealing it with the cork cap.
During the marinating and skewer soaking time I slice up the veggies. A bigger piece is better because they stay skewered longer. When using root veggies like carrots or potatoes they should be par-boiled first. To me, the veggies need no marinade, I prefer the fresh taste. They only get soaked in vegetable oil and dusted with pepper and garlic salt.
A very hot fire is best but I leave the edges clear of coals to allow any skewers in the middle a place to rest later without too much charring.
Unskewer and chomp.
Dey wuz good I tell you dat rat now ooowwweee.
Without googling or wiki-ing I already know that centuries ago travelers, hordes and armies needed an easy way to cook an easy complete meal over the evening fire. It is said that they used their swords to skewer meat, root vegetables and whatever happened to be available and then held it over an open flame until cooked.
Feasts happen.
One reason I have not written about food for a while is because I have been in a rut. But a good rut. It’s been the same old, same old (really great) food I have documented before so there was no reason to write about the same recipes once again (see right sidebar: food).
K’bobs (as I like to call them) are not something we cook often. Mainly due to seasonings or marinades that failed to impress me in the past. Recently I found one well worth passing along.
Southwest Marinade
¼ cup vegetable oil
2-3 T minced cilantro (just eye-ball it)
5 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
2 chipotle chiles with adobo minced
1 t salt
½ t black pepper
½ t cumin
½ t chili powder
Whisk ingredients together and pour over large chunks of sirloin in a big zipper bag, press out air and seal. Refrigerate 1-6 hours, longer is better.
I still like bamboo skewers better than metal. Mine get soaked in water at least two hours before skewering. I use a spent tall bottle of top shelf vodka with a cork cap. It will hold eight skewers upright after sealing it with the cork cap.
During the marinating and skewer soaking time I slice up the veggies. A bigger piece is better because they stay skewered longer. When using root veggies like carrots or potatoes they should be par-boiled first. To me, the veggies need no marinade, I prefer the fresh taste. They only get soaked in vegetable oil and dusted with pepper and garlic salt.
A very hot fire is best but I leave the edges clear of coals to allow any skewers in the middle a place to rest later without too much charring.
Unskewer and chomp.
Dey wuz good I tell you dat rat now ooowwweee.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Tax Update
When Dan and I were first invited to join Chicago Boyz Jonathan mentioned my high quality posts on energy and taxation. Recently I have not been writing too often about taxation because the news from the US perspective has been almost universally negative.
Two core principles of taxation are:
1) the tax should be effective, meaning that if it intends to raise a certain amount of revenue that it should be designed to achieve that end
2) the tax should minimize negative impacts on overall economic behavior
Japan Considers Lowering Its Corporate Tax Rate
There was an old joke that Arkansas' motto was "thank god for Mississippi" because else Arkansas would have been #50 in the rankings by state on various metrics. In that same vein, when ever I talk corporate taxes and about how the United States is the least competitive corporate tax environment in the world, they would say that in fact, Japan was worse.
Now even Japan has woken up to the fact that high corporate tax rates push investment overseas (since companies can choose where to invest in new plants, subsidiaries and businesses) and are a relatively poor way to raise incremental tax revenues. According to this Wall Street Journal article titled "Kan Seeks Cuts in Japan's 40% Corporate Tax Rate" the newly installed Japanese government is considering reducing this punitive rate, which would take away our "Mississippi" per the analogy above.
As you can see from the simple chart, the US is punishing companies that choose to invest in the US with a high corporate tax rate. Many other countries are using their lower tax rates as a lure; Ireland is famous with its compelling 15% tax rate, which it uses as a major selling point.
I realize that there are ways to minimize these taxes, but these actions distort economic activity and are a time consuming distraction for major corporations. Better yet just to make incremental investments elsewhere rather than deal with a burdensome corporate tax environment, if two possible alternative locations are relatively consistent in terms of benefits, otherwise. It isn't just a co-incidence that US job growth has been lagging in the latest "recovery"; corporate tax rates are definitely a factor on the incremental investments that could drive significant job growth in the country.
The Estate Tax
One of the most distorting elements of tax policy is the estate tax. Over the years countless articles have been written and billions of dollars in legal and tax advice have been spent on how to avoid the estate tax in the United States, spawning countless trusts and other legal vehicles. Certainly anyone with an estate worth more than a couple of million dollars has spent at least some time on the topic, and it is an obsessive topic for those with large estates.
And in an incredible bit of irony, due to the way the estate law was written by the previous administration, the tax on estates in 2010 is ZERO. A wealthy Houston man named Dan Duncan was the first billionaire to die in 2010 and have no estate tax. It is safe to say that tax experts expected some sort of "fix" for this gap in the estate tax but since it is now June of 2010 and this individual has died and his billions of dollars are in the process of being distributed it is hard to imagine that they will retroactively implement an estate tax for this year because it would certainly be challenged, on very legitimate grounds. To put this in perspective, the estate tax will revive in 2011 at a rate of 50% for estates over $1M.
If you would have polled 1,000 lawyers and tax experts 20, 10, 5 or 2 years ago and asked them the odds that a billionaire would die in 2010 and pay ZERO estate taxes they would have likely put the odds of this happening at near zero, as well. For after all their web of legal entities, trusts, and plans for distributions would all be for naught if the government did not tax estates upon death. Thus the vast effort likely put into estate planning for Dan Duncan (I have no information on what was done, but given that he was a billionaire it is reasonable to expect that it had been a frequent topic of analysis) was not only useless, it was counter-productive.
It is hard for even the most adamant defender of the US tax code (if such a person exists) to explain how a whip-saw policy like this on the estate tax is remotely in the interests of the United States. While we employ vast reams of otherwise non-value adding tax lawyers, bankers and accountants on estate planning, they don't even know the barest rudiments of the future that they are planning FOR, as this incident well illuminates. If people knew that there wasn't going to be an estate tax, they wouldn't waste time planning for it, and they wouldn't engage in economically distorting activities in order to minimize it.
While moving to a "zero" estate tax policy would be good from many angles we are likely in the "worst of all worlds" in that we will retain an estate tax and re-implement it in the near future and still, because of our thicket of lawyers and accountants and distorting economic activity, it won't make much money. Thus it will fail on #1 and #2 of the rules above, assuming of course that we don't recognize that the estate tax is a bad idea and just consign it to the dustbin of history.
For the most technical people following this discussion it is true that many states did not discontinue their tax policy on estates, so individuals do face state estate taxes upon death, but Texas does not impose an estate tax, so in this example there was no impact.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz and Trust Funds for Kids
Two core principles of taxation are:
1) the tax should be effective, meaning that if it intends to raise a certain amount of revenue that it should be designed to achieve that end
2) the tax should minimize negative impacts on overall economic behavior
Japan Considers Lowering Its Corporate Tax Rate
Now even Japan has woken up to the fact that high corporate tax rates push investment overseas (since companies can choose where to invest in new plants, subsidiaries and businesses) and are a relatively poor way to raise incremental tax revenues. According to this Wall Street Journal article titled "Kan Seeks Cuts in Japan's 40% Corporate Tax Rate" the newly installed Japanese government is considering reducing this punitive rate, which would take away our "Mississippi" per the analogy above.
As you can see from the simple chart, the US is punishing companies that choose to invest in the US with a high corporate tax rate. Many other countries are using their lower tax rates as a lure; Ireland is famous with its compelling 15% tax rate, which it uses as a major selling point.
I realize that there are ways to minimize these taxes, but these actions distort economic activity and are a time consuming distraction for major corporations. Better yet just to make incremental investments elsewhere rather than deal with a burdensome corporate tax environment, if two possible alternative locations are relatively consistent in terms of benefits, otherwise. It isn't just a co-incidence that US job growth has been lagging in the latest "recovery"; corporate tax rates are definitely a factor on the incremental investments that could drive significant job growth in the country.
The Estate Tax
One of the most distorting elements of tax policy is the estate tax. Over the years countless articles have been written and billions of dollars in legal and tax advice have been spent on how to avoid the estate tax in the United States, spawning countless trusts and other legal vehicles. Certainly anyone with an estate worth more than a couple of million dollars has spent at least some time on the topic, and it is an obsessive topic for those with large estates.
And in an incredible bit of irony, due to the way the estate law was written by the previous administration, the tax on estates in 2010 is ZERO. A wealthy Houston man named Dan Duncan was the first billionaire to die in 2010 and have no estate tax. It is safe to say that tax experts expected some sort of "fix" for this gap in the estate tax but since it is now June of 2010 and this individual has died and his billions of dollars are in the process of being distributed it is hard to imagine that they will retroactively implement an estate tax for this year because it would certainly be challenged, on very legitimate grounds. To put this in perspective, the estate tax will revive in 2011 at a rate of 50% for estates over $1M.
If you would have polled 1,000 lawyers and tax experts 20, 10, 5 or 2 years ago and asked them the odds that a billionaire would die in 2010 and pay ZERO estate taxes they would have likely put the odds of this happening at near zero, as well. For after all their web of legal entities, trusts, and plans for distributions would all be for naught if the government did not tax estates upon death. Thus the vast effort likely put into estate planning for Dan Duncan (I have no information on what was done, but given that he was a billionaire it is reasonable to expect that it had been a frequent topic of analysis) was not only useless, it was counter-productive.
It is hard for even the most adamant defender of the US tax code (if such a person exists) to explain how a whip-saw policy like this on the estate tax is remotely in the interests of the United States. While we employ vast reams of otherwise non-value adding tax lawyers, bankers and accountants on estate planning, they don't even know the barest rudiments of the future that they are planning FOR, as this incident well illuminates. If people knew that there wasn't going to be an estate tax, they wouldn't waste time planning for it, and they wouldn't engage in economically distorting activities in order to minimize it.
While moving to a "zero" estate tax policy would be good from many angles we are likely in the "worst of all worlds" in that we will retain an estate tax and re-implement it in the near future and still, because of our thicket of lawyers and accountants and distorting economic activity, it won't make much money. Thus it will fail on #1 and #2 of the rules above, assuming of course that we don't recognize that the estate tax is a bad idea and just consign it to the dustbin of history.
For the most technical people following this discussion it is true that many states did not discontinue their tax policy on estates, so individuals do face state estate taxes upon death, but Texas does not impose an estate tax, so in this example there was no impact.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz and Trust Funds for Kids
Friday, June 18, 2010
Norwegian Coastal Fortifications
A while back I wrote about the fact that there are very few WW2 or WW1 "big gun" ships remaining outside of the US Navy; the British heavy cruiser HMS Belfast is about the last of the European ones afloat. This is understandable because many of the continental and Asian fleets were sunk during WW2 or sold for scrap in the dark immediate aftermath; yet I find it depressing because of how beautiful these ships were and the immense investment in time, men and material that were put into their creation.
I recently toured the Southwest coast of France and was entranced by the remaining German WW2 bunkers. And in researching them on the web I came across a vast number of resources, in many languages, on WW2 coastal fortifications.
While little survives of the WW2 or WW1 German navies, I started researching the fate of the Gneisenau, sister ship of the Scharnhorst. These two battleships had an odd armament with nine 11 inch guns in three triple turrets; their peers had at worst 14 inch guns or more likely 15 or 16 inch guns. Other than this under caliber on the main turrets they were fine ships and quite effective in their role. In 1942, after their "channel dash", the Gneisenau was hit by air attack and declared a total wreck. The Germans, being efficient scavengers, made full use of all the high caliber weapons and were able to pull two entire turrets into case mates and likely impregnable positions on the Norwegian coastline in separate forts. This excellent web page (highly recommended that you read it) shows the history of this installation and has a color picture of the turret firing to check accuracy after its installation. While there aren't any large caliber German ships preserved (for obvious reasons), this complete turret is very historic and perhaps something I'd make a tour to visit someday.
My interest in coastal artillery comes from many sources but I was always impressed by a book that I picked up as a kid for $1 called "The Guns 1939-45" by Ian V. Hogg. In this book he describes how effective coastal artillery could be, when well sited and protected, against naval attack. This passage, on p131, describes a raid by 5 small Italian naval craft against Malta which had well prepared defenses.
In reading other sources on Norwegian coastal fortifications not only did they retain the German guns after Germany's surrender (Norway was never invaded by the Allies) but they also upgraded the guns in the cold war years, when they were on the front line against Russia and the Soviet Bloc. These guns would have made any sort of naval attack very difficult unless they were knocked out in advance or outflanked by infantry.
While I still have that book by Hogg on WW2 guns the internet has been a tremendous boon in researching military topics and following threads on related issues. In the old days I would have had to retain all my books or go to the library or more likely page through a local bookstore but now I can find lots of facts online, with photos as well. A solid way to do research, or more likely just waste some time.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
I recently toured the Southwest coast of France and was entranced by the remaining German WW2 bunkers. And in researching them on the web I came across a vast number of resources, in many languages, on WW2 coastal fortifications.
While little survives of the WW2 or WW1 German navies, I started researching the fate of the Gneisenau, sister ship of the Scharnhorst. These two battleships had an odd armament with nine 11 inch guns in three triple turrets; their peers had at worst 14 inch guns or more likely 15 or 16 inch guns. Other than this under caliber on the main turrets they were fine ships and quite effective in their role. In 1942, after their "channel dash", the Gneisenau was hit by air attack and declared a total wreck. The Germans, being efficient scavengers, made full use of all the high caliber weapons and were able to pull two entire turrets into case mates and likely impregnable positions on the Norwegian coastline in separate forts. This excellent web page (highly recommended that you read it) shows the history of this installation and has a color picture of the turret firing to check accuracy after its installation. While there aren't any large caliber German ships preserved (for obvious reasons), this complete turret is very historic and perhaps something I'd make a tour to visit someday.
My interest in coastal artillery comes from many sources but I was always impressed by a book that I picked up as a kid for $1 called "The Guns 1939-45" by Ian V. Hogg. In this book he describes how effective coastal artillery could be, when well sited and protected, against naval attack. This passage, on p131, describes a raid by 5 small Italian naval craft against Malta which had well prepared defenses.
The lights revealed five PT boats in line ahead, racing for the harbor, the nearest being about half a mile from the guns. The twin-sixes (British six inch guns, which would be main armament for a light cruiser or secondary armament on a battleship) and within seconds every boat was hit, three being sunk instantly and the other two disabled and foundering. The remaining boats making up the next wae of the attack turned about and headed for the open seas and their parent vessels, but the twin-sixes... harried them out to maximum range, disabling and damaging most of them.The book, for some reason, didn't cover the original Norwegian defenses that took a heavy toll of the German attackers; as a kid I also remember reading about the sinking of the German heavy cruiser (armed with 8 inch guns) by the Norwegians in 1940; this Wikipedia page describes the coastal defenses and the fact that guns and torpedoes from the early 1900's were able to destroy this modern, expensive and scarce German heavy cruiser (I didn't know until I read this page that Lutzow backed out of range from the fortress full speed astern and had one of her turrets knocked out, too).
In reading other sources on Norwegian coastal fortifications not only did they retain the German guns after Germany's surrender (Norway was never invaded by the Allies) but they also upgraded the guns in the cold war years, when they were on the front line against Russia and the Soviet Bloc. These guns would have made any sort of naval attack very difficult unless they were knocked out in advance or outflanked by infantry.
While I still have that book by Hogg on WW2 guns the internet has been a tremendous boon in researching military topics and following threads on related issues. In the old days I would have had to retain all my books or go to the library or more likely page through a local bookstore but now I can find lots of facts online, with photos as well. A solid way to do research, or more likely just waste some time.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Two Blog Entries For The Price Of One
Each morning after reading the local newspaper I go online to read the Chicago Tribune and SunTimes. This morning both gave reports on two things that helped add color and defined my young adulthood.
#1. From the ChiTrib.
There are two stories, one here and the other here. It’s been 30 years since The Blues Brothers Movie was released. I was in the prime of my career at the time with many years ahead of me. Working downtown every day in 1980 at an office in the 360 N. Michigan Ave building on the southwest corner of Michigan and Wacker was a pleasure for a 29 year old me. Workers cleaning up after filming on lower Wacker overnight were evident as I arrived at the office on more than a few summer mornings.
In ’80 there was no Taste of Chicago, it was called Chicagofest back then and was held at the decrepit and abandoned shoreline warehouse known as Navy Pier. The pier was divided into sections where bands were playing simultaneously. Country, rock, blues, you name it. Out front was a main stage where headliners performed. Entry was cheap but the main stage was an additional cost. Having not actually been there in person I say today's Lollapalooza is a poor imitation or what once was an incredible and uniquely Chicago musical event.
On the opening night of Chicagofest in ’79 the headliner was Muddy Waters. The fellow I shared office space with was a huge blues fan and guitar afficianado. Bill knew Bruce Iglauer of Alligator records personally. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Iglauer in person and through another connection I designed two album covers for Alligator. Koko Taylor’s “Wang-Dang-Doodle” and Fenton Robinson’s “I Hear Some Blues Downstairs”. You won’t find my name on the jacket, Ross & Harvey, a design firm I moonlighted for took that credit.
The day before Chicagofest Bill told me I should go hear Muddy in person. Waters was really old, in poor health and probably wouldn’t be around for long. Muddy was a living legend he said. Oh, and another thing, Bill said it was not published but The Blues Brothers were going to show up to open for Waters at Chicagofest. That did it.
Bill had other plans that Friday night but another co-worker Mark expressed interest. On Friday the plan was to have our wives come downtown to meet us and we would walk to the pier downing a twelve-pack of original Old-Style on the way. We left early to get a good seat.
Sure enough the Blues Brothers showed up unannounced, took the stage with Mayor Jane Byrne and her daughter wearing pork-pie hats and sunglasses. They clowned around for a while and then gave a solid 45 minute performance. It was the whole band and it was a memory I will never forget. Oh yeah, Muddy was good too but Jake and Elwood stole the show.
At first this news made me feel old and then suddenly young again. It's all in the mind I guess.
#2. From The Chicago SunTimes.
The Superfans reunite
I just love this tailgating clip.
I first began watching Saturday Night Live from the opening show in 1977. That’s when it was funny, clever, groundbreaking, creative, relevant and everything the current show has not has been for more than a decade. In ’86 or so a skit with a group of guys who looked and acted exactly as me and my friends did performed the Superfans sketch. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe it was so real to me.
So in some form or another they are reuniting. I sure hope they do the originals justice. If Smigel (a Chicago native), Mantegna and Wendt are part of it this should be good.
Chicago is still a great city but the character it once had is gone, just a memory. I could go on, but trust me, it’s just not the same anymore. Dick Daily has done everything he can to fu*k it up. In creating his "World Class" city so much local character and traditions were flushed down the sewer. But my memories live forever.
#1. From the ChiTrib.
There are two stories, one here and the other here. It’s been 30 years since The Blues Brothers Movie was released. I was in the prime of my career at the time with many years ahead of me. Working downtown every day in 1980 at an office in the 360 N. Michigan Ave building on the southwest corner of Michigan and Wacker was a pleasure for a 29 year old me. Workers cleaning up after filming on lower Wacker overnight were evident as I arrived at the office on more than a few summer mornings.
In ’80 there was no Taste of Chicago, it was called Chicagofest back then and was held at the decrepit and abandoned shoreline warehouse known as Navy Pier. The pier was divided into sections where bands were playing simultaneously. Country, rock, blues, you name it. Out front was a main stage where headliners performed. Entry was cheap but the main stage was an additional cost. Having not actually been there in person I say today's Lollapalooza is a poor imitation or what once was an incredible and uniquely Chicago musical event.
On the opening night of Chicagofest in ’79 the headliner was Muddy Waters. The fellow I shared office space with was a huge blues fan and guitar afficianado. Bill knew Bruce Iglauer of Alligator records personally. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Iglauer in person and through another connection I designed two album covers for Alligator. Koko Taylor’s “Wang-Dang-Doodle” and Fenton Robinson’s “I Hear Some Blues Downstairs”. You won’t find my name on the jacket, Ross & Harvey, a design firm I moonlighted for took that credit.
The day before Chicagofest Bill told me I should go hear Muddy in person. Waters was really old, in poor health and probably wouldn’t be around for long. Muddy was a living legend he said. Oh, and another thing, Bill said it was not published but The Blues Brothers were going to show up to open for Waters at Chicagofest. That did it.
Bill had other plans that Friday night but another co-worker Mark expressed interest. On Friday the plan was to have our wives come downtown to meet us and we would walk to the pier downing a twelve-pack of original Old-Style on the way. We left early to get a good seat.
Sure enough the Blues Brothers showed up unannounced, took the stage with Mayor Jane Byrne and her daughter wearing pork-pie hats and sunglasses. They clowned around for a while and then gave a solid 45 minute performance. It was the whole band and it was a memory I will never forget. Oh yeah, Muddy was good too but Jake and Elwood stole the show.
At first this news made me feel old and then suddenly young again. It's all in the mind I guess.
#2. From The Chicago SunTimes.
The Superfans reunite
I just love this tailgating clip.
I first began watching Saturday Night Live from the opening show in 1977. That’s when it was funny, clever, groundbreaking, creative, relevant and everything the current show has not has been for more than a decade. In ’86 or so a skit with a group of guys who looked and acted exactly as me and my friends did performed the Superfans sketch. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe it was so real to me.
So in some form or another they are reuniting. I sure hope they do the originals justice. If Smigel (a Chicago native), Mantegna and Wendt are part of it this should be good.
Chicago is still a great city but the character it once had is gone, just a memory. I could go on, but trust me, it’s just not the same anymore. Dick Daily has done everything he can to fu*k it up. In creating his "World Class" city so much local character and traditions were flushed down the sewer. But my memories live forever.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Another Take - Part Two
I didn't intend for this to have two parts, but my response to several commenters in the last post started to get too long and morphed into this post.
I have come out in the comments and said that I thought that the kid was a p@ssy, and I stand by that comment. Here is what a few commenters had to say about the situation:
First off, I would like to thank the many commenters who have taken time to voice their thoughts on the subject.
I completely understand the thought pattern. This would have been my reaction maybe even a decade ago. But I have changed.
Maybe it is because I became a father - someone that my kids need to look up to for a good example. Maybe I just got sick of society one day and bullying in general. I don't know. But it all changed about five years or so ago.
I decided one day that if anyone laid hands on me or my family in a threatening way that I would do absolutely everything in my power to disable the thug in a quick fashion. No negotiations, no "please let go of me". They get decked, plain and simple. This is all long before I started Muay Thai, and I will touch on that in a second.
For better or worse, I have chosen to do what I feel is right, and let the chips fall. I am acutely aware that in this situation of the kid vs. the congress critter that things would not be framed in a very good way and that the possibility exists of me ending up with a record of some sort. Oh well. It is a choice that I have made. He started it, I will end it. The Congressman is a human just like me - just a man. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like me. If I have penalties to face later on by a jury or judge, so be it. I am prepared to do what is right. At this stage in my life I couldn't sleep at night knowing that I let myself be bullied.
Now that I have three plus years of Muay Thai under my belt, I am not sure that I can do much about it anyway. I have certain reflexes that are now hard wired, or built in. The second that guy grabbed me, it would have been "go" time. In all seriousness, it would have been one shot on that old man and I would have been able to break free and run. That is typically what I see myself doing in a real life fight situation. That one shot might break the assailants nose, or leg, but so it goes. Woe to the person that attacks one of my children or wife, as I may need to leave an extra shot or two in there for good measure. Not sure I could control my rage in a situation like that.
In reality I am an extremely mild mannered guy. I have never been in a real street fight and don't plan on getting into one. I take extreme measures to stay out of bad situations and my friend Carl will vouch for me on that. I am more dangerous than the normal joe walking down the street and am pretty confident in my abilities.
To summarize, I see the point that the commenters in the previous post made, but it just isn't for me. I need to do what I think is right, and deal with the rest later. I still think the kid is a p@ssy.
I have come out in the comments and said that I thought that the kid was a p@ssy, and I stand by that comment. Here is what a few commenters had to say about the situation:
I'm sympathetic, but this would have been a bad idea. Yes, he committed assault. But he's also a member of Congress -- laws don't apply to him.And:
Had the activist responded with a break or a punch, or in any way physically resisted, he would be in jail right now.
Do you really think escalation is the best choice here? You are putting your fate in the hands of the police, district attorney and possibly a jury.Many of the other comments were along these lines.
First off, I would like to thank the many commenters who have taken time to voice their thoughts on the subject.
I completely understand the thought pattern. This would have been my reaction maybe even a decade ago. But I have changed.
Maybe it is because I became a father - someone that my kids need to look up to for a good example. Maybe I just got sick of society one day and bullying in general. I don't know. But it all changed about five years or so ago.
I decided one day that if anyone laid hands on me or my family in a threatening way that I would do absolutely everything in my power to disable the thug in a quick fashion. No negotiations, no "please let go of me". They get decked, plain and simple. This is all long before I started Muay Thai, and I will touch on that in a second.
For better or worse, I have chosen to do what I feel is right, and let the chips fall. I am acutely aware that in this situation of the kid vs. the congress critter that things would not be framed in a very good way and that the possibility exists of me ending up with a record of some sort. Oh well. It is a choice that I have made. He started it, I will end it. The Congressman is a human just like me - just a man. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like me. If I have penalties to face later on by a jury or judge, so be it. I am prepared to do what is right. At this stage in my life I couldn't sleep at night knowing that I let myself be bullied.
Now that I have three plus years of Muay Thai under my belt, I am not sure that I can do much about it anyway. I have certain reflexes that are now hard wired, or built in. The second that guy grabbed me, it would have been "go" time. In all seriousness, it would have been one shot on that old man and I would have been able to break free and run. That is typically what I see myself doing in a real life fight situation. That one shot might break the assailants nose, or leg, but so it goes. Woe to the person that attacks one of my children or wife, as I may need to leave an extra shot or two in there for good measure. Not sure I could control my rage in a situation like that.
In reality I am an extremely mild mannered guy. I have never been in a real street fight and don't plan on getting into one. I take extreme measures to stay out of bad situations and my friend Carl will vouch for me on that. I am more dangerous than the normal joe walking down the street and am pretty confident in my abilities.
To summarize, I see the point that the commenters in the previous post made, but it just isn't for me. I need to do what I think is right, and deal with the rest later. I still think the kid is a p@ssy.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Another Take
This video has been making the rounds lately - oh boy has it been making the rounds:
I would like to make a few observations, and these observations are assuming that this video is 100% authentic. I don't care which party the congress critter is from and don't intend to grind a political ax with this post.
The Congressman appears intoxicated to me. He has no right to know the name of anyone questioning him about anything. The kid did not fight back. I would have kicked this guys asz.
It should have been pretty easy to break that lame wrist lock. There are a multitude of ways to do this. I probably would have kicked him in the groin.
When he grabbed the kid by the back of the neck I instinctively said "clinch defense!" to my TV screen the first time I watched this. In Muay Thai, if your opponent gets the inside position on you, you immediately grab one of the opponents arms (and pull DOWN) and wrap your other around the back of your opponents neck (and pull DOWN and either left or right depending on what technique you plan on). From there you can utilize an array of techniques to counter the opponents clinch. I think I would have just smashed this guys face with either a horizontal slashing elbow (Sok Ti) or uppercut elbow (Sok Ngad). If the elbow was not available, here come the knees.
Our Jeet Kune Do students would have waded right in and probably headbutted this guy.
Any way you slice it, a very poor showing for the kid - he needs to pick up a martial art or something. Most of it is a mental set though. If the kid didn't want to be pushed around, he could have fought back, but alas, he didn't. Another victim to the bullies.
I would like to make a few observations, and these observations are assuming that this video is 100% authentic. I don't care which party the congress critter is from and don't intend to grind a political ax with this post.
The Congressman appears intoxicated to me. He has no right to know the name of anyone questioning him about anything. The kid did not fight back. I would have kicked this guys asz.
It should have been pretty easy to break that lame wrist lock. There are a multitude of ways to do this. I probably would have kicked him in the groin.
When he grabbed the kid by the back of the neck I instinctively said "clinch defense!" to my TV screen the first time I watched this. In Muay Thai, if your opponent gets the inside position on you, you immediately grab one of the opponents arms (and pull DOWN) and wrap your other around the back of your opponents neck (and pull DOWN and either left or right depending on what technique you plan on). From there you can utilize an array of techniques to counter the opponents clinch. I think I would have just smashed this guys face with either a horizontal slashing elbow (Sok Ti) or uppercut elbow (Sok Ngad). If the elbow was not available, here come the knees.
Our Jeet Kune Do students would have waded right in and probably headbutted this guy.
Any way you slice it, a very poor showing for the kid - he needs to pick up a martial art or something. Most of it is a mental set though. If the kid didn't want to be pushed around, he could have fought back, but alas, he didn't. Another victim to the bullies.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
German Bunkers Southwest France
Recently I traveled to south west France, on the Atlantic coast. Near St. John-De-Luz there are still some German WW2 bunkers standing from the "Atlantic Wall".
The city is quite attractive with a beautiful sea wall and lovely beaches and it is difficult to imagine what it must have been like during the second world war. While the Vichy France area which was not occupied by the Germans early on included much of southern France it did not include this portion of the Atlantic coast line.
I ordered some WW2 books from Osprey which I hope will tell me more about the specific types of bunkers that these represented since the Germans used standard bunker types in many of their sea defenses. I have seen a variety of web sites on this topic but I can't make sense of many of them because they are not in English and also they don't seem to be very consistent.
I ordered some WW2 books from Osprey which I hope will tell me more about the specific types of bunkers that these represented since the Germans used standard bunker types in many of their sea defenses. I have seen a variety of web sites on this topic but I can't make sense of many of them because they are not in English and also they don't seem to be very consistent.
Under Construction, Sort Of
Blogger has introduced some new templates and we will be dinking with these in the near future. So if things seem a bit wonky, that is why.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Bond Bubble?
A key element to understanding this or any other analysis on bonds is the difference between holding an individual bond to maturity vs. buying a fund that invests in bonds. They behave very differently. If you buy an individual bond and hold it for its life, unless that company goes bankrupt or has some sort of liquidity event, you will receive back your principal at some point in the future and interest payments along the way. Unless you are unlucky and it goes into default, it is a predictable stream of payments. Bond funds, on the other hand, invest in a whole range of individual bonds and do not necessarily hold them to maturity. Bond funds are significantly impacted by interest rates; when interest rates RISE, the value of their bond holdings immediately falls and investors receive losses. If interest rates FALL, investors in bond mutual funds receive gains. Thus holding individual bonds, once purchased, is mostly about default risk for that particular issue, while investing in bond mutual funds is primarily about the direction of interest rates and also overall default risks across all issues.
This situation is summarized as such in the article:
Interest rates will likely rise in coming years from a base of almost zero today. But investors mostly only know what they have seen in the past 25 years, which for the most part has been period of steadily declining interest rates and rising bond prices.There isn't any "up side" to bond mutual funds right now, from an interest rate perspective, because rates are almost at zero. If rates are going to change they are going up. In addition, low interest rates means less pressure on entities that require debt financing, and rising interest rates will not only slam bond fund values but they will increase the default risk on bonds in the fund as those entities must pay a higher price to refinance future needs.
Compounding the problem is that many investors don't remember when bond funds did lose money for a prolonged period.The stagnant stock market over the last decade or so, as measured by the major indexes, along with terrifying swings in-between, are pushing individuals away from the stock market. I remember when I first (naively) started investing in the early 1990's in my 401(k) and telling my peers that they were crazy not to be 100% in stocks, especially since it was a long way to retirement. While I am still in the stock market today, I would never give that sort of advice now and I believe that the guidance that you should be heavily invested in stocks when you are younger often goes too far when the % of stocks in portfolio climbs above 75% or so.
The same types of "herd" thinking are working in reverse for the bond funds. Since they have only MADE money over the last 20 or so years, they are viewed as low risk, when really a huge portion of that gain is due to our policies favoring low interest rates which results in gains for bond funds and also lowers default risk. As these forces turn around when interest rates go up, many individuals are likely to be surprised by the impact to their portfolio of remaining heavily invested in bond mutual funds.
While bonds may have issues, it doesn't mean that you have to pile back into the stock market. Bond mutual funds are often used as a (sloppy) proxy for "safe" investing, which earns a return but doesn't put much principal at risk. You can achieve that same goal with safer debt instruments such as certificates of deposit or short term treasuries. If you are in a bond mutual fund you should not view that money as "safe" - you should view it substantially at risk should interest rates go up or if default rates pick up significantly.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz and Trust Funds for Kids
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Funny In France
In the upper left you can see one of the original "mini" cars parked in a way that only a mini can. That McDonald's in the upper right was a "large" coffee... not large enough for me. We watched "Jersey Shore" with French language overdubs - can you believe that someone in France wakes up in the morning with the official job of translating "Snooki"? In the lower right there was a model right in the middle of the busiest street, doing a photo shoot.
This one is for our friend Gerry from Valparaiso Indiana. There is a cafe chain in Paris called "Indiana Cafe" and they serve Tex-Mex food, check out their site, and no I can't figure out the connection, either. In the middle the translation for environmentalists was "tree hugger", an excellent translation. They had a bird cage outside the window, which seems like a big tease.
In the lower left is one of those cooler old French cars with the rear wheel covered and I hope you don't have to change the tire. We had a very friendly cat follow us and apparently a goat with goiter.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Chicago Blackhawks - My Own Observations
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Not being a true hockey fan I admit it’s been fun occasionally watching the Blackhawks for the past two years. Some would say I’m one of those that jumped on the playoff bandwagon. Not true.
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During most of the 2010 playoffs I usuallypassed out fell asleep before the game was over. The next morning I needed to go online to find out who won.
Hockey is entertaining if you know the rules. Speaking of rules, I've noticed that the modern day players don’t fight as they once did. Fighting while referees stood by to watch is one part of hockey that turned me off in the 70’s.
It is obvious to me (one who could give a wit) that the athleticism of these hockey players is something to appreciate and I do. This doesn’t mean I am going out to buy a Byflugien home game jersey for $300. This team looked inspired and willing to prove something against all odds and who doesn’t appreciate that?
The local Chicago broadcast media have been pissing down both legs of their pants. ABC7 sent three, yes three of their well-coiffed broadcast dandies to Philadelphia looking to interview local Blackhawk fans that spent $5-$10,000 to watch a cup game there. How's that for proof that a fool and his money are soon parted.
So the team won the Stash Cup, good for them. A championship for championship starved town is extremely noteworthy. To me this was all about that team, a young, talented bunch with superior athletic ability who were extremely well coached and had something to prove. It’s not about post-game broadcasts from a Chicago Irish Pub Yuppie Sports Bars by local media dandies providing a platform for the typicalCub Fans bandwagon jumpers all drunk and screaming “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” when the team wins. Spare me, Lord.
This is unusual, there were no reports of violence in the streets after last night’s cup victory. No shootings, overturned vehicles on fire, nothing. Predictable liberal media reports recently asked the question, “where’s the diversity in hockey?” Not that I am trying to make a connection here in any way.
One relief for me in the wake of the Blackhawks victory will be the absence of that now awful Chelsea Dagger tune playing at least ten times on every local newscast. But I will never tire of the classic 50’s Blackhawks anthem which was written and produced by the father of contemporary musician Richard Marx.
After the parade (I may go), after all the interviews these guys will go home and count their well-earned cash. But then what?
Without hockey playoffs to distract them bad baseball will quickly be in the local media spotlight. Yep, the Blackhawks have virtually wiped out all media attention to both sucky 2010 Chicago baseball teams. Will Lou and/or Ozzie be fired? Will there be a white flag trade on both sides of town? There is virtually zero media buzz about the crosstown series that begins tomorrow.
Then there’s the Bears who will begin training camp in a month or so. Well la-de-freaking-da. If the Bears finish at .500 I would consider it a successful season. The media mood will shift to hope. That’s their way. In Chicago “this-could-be-the-year” is what drives attention. Chicago has a habit of selling HOPE. The suckers eat it up and look where that got this nation eighteen months ago.
Keep hope alive. Right. The next championship may come in a decade or so. And it’s safe to say it won’t be the Cubs.
.
Not being a true hockey fan I admit it’s been fun occasionally watching the Blackhawks for the past two years. Some would say I’m one of those that jumped on the playoff bandwagon. Not true.
.jpg)
During most of the 2010 playoffs I usually
Hockey is entertaining if you know the rules. Speaking of rules, I've noticed that the modern day players don’t fight as they once did. Fighting while referees stood by to watch is one part of hockey that turned me off in the 70’s.
It is obvious to me (one who could give a wit) that the athleticism of these hockey players is something to appreciate and I do. This doesn’t mean I am going out to buy a Byflugien home game jersey for $300. This team looked inspired and willing to prove something against all odds and who doesn’t appreciate that?
The local Chicago broadcast media have been pissing down both legs of their pants. ABC7 sent three, yes three of their well-coiffed broadcast dandies to Philadelphia looking to interview local Blackhawk fans that spent $5-$10,000 to watch a cup game there. How's that for proof that a fool and his money are soon parted.
So the team won the Stash Cup, good for them. A championship for championship starved town is extremely noteworthy. To me this was all about that team, a young, talented bunch with superior athletic ability who were extremely well coached and had something to prove. It’s not about post-game broadcasts from a Chicago Irish Pub Yuppie Sports Bars by local media dandies providing a platform for the typical
This is unusual, there were no reports of violence in the streets after last night’s cup victory. No shootings, overturned vehicles on fire, nothing. Predictable liberal media reports recently asked the question, “where’s the diversity in hockey?” Not that I am trying to make a connection here in any way.
One relief for me in the wake of the Blackhawks victory will be the absence of that now awful Chelsea Dagger tune playing at least ten times on every local newscast. But I will never tire of the classic 50’s Blackhawks anthem which was written and produced by the father of contemporary musician Richard Marx.
After the parade (I may go), after all the interviews these guys will go home and count their well-earned cash. But then what?
Without hockey playoffs to distract them bad baseball will quickly be in the local media spotlight. Yep, the Blackhawks have virtually wiped out all media attention to both sucky 2010 Chicago baseball teams. Will Lou and/or Ozzie be fired? Will there be a white flag trade on both sides of town? There is virtually zero media buzz about the crosstown series that begins tomorrow.
Then there’s the Bears who will begin training camp in a month or so. Well la-de-freaking-da. If the Bears finish at .500 I would consider it a successful season. The media mood will shift to hope. That’s their way. In Chicago “this-could-be-the-year” is what drives attention. Chicago has a habit of selling HOPE. The suckers eat it up and look where that got this nation eighteen months ago.
Keep hope alive. Right. The next championship may come in a decade or so. And it’s safe to say it won’t be the Cubs.
.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Crap Seats for Sale
I am the (at times not so) proud owner of two pair of Chicago Bear season tickets. I also signed up for a third pair as an experiment - just to see how long it would take to actually get them. I am guessing within a year or two on that.
I received an email from the Bears yesterday. The email was received by the account on the waiting list. I could get season tickets! Sort of. Here is the email:
Dear xx:
Thank you for being a valued member of our Season Ticket Priority List. We know you've been patiently waiting for your name to be called. We were able to offer a limited number of season tickets to Priority List accounts this year; unfortunately your position was not reached. Your new ranking on the Priority List will be updated later this summer.
Although you will not be offered season tickets through the Priority List at this time, we do have two incredible FRONT ROW season ticket opportunities available for the 2010 season at Soldier Field! This very special offer will allow you to become a Bears Season Ticket Holder TODAY by purchasing one of the two season ticket options described below. Your decision to take advantage of this Club Seat season ticket offer will not affect your current position on the Priority List. The option to purchase these season tickets will be exclusively open to Priority List accounts through Wednesday, June 16, 2010.
TOUCHDOWN CLUB SEATS
These seats are fantastically located in Row 1 of the south endzone! Touchdown Club Seats offer all of the benefits of our traditional United Club Seats with a front-row view of the action. Only 72 season tickets are available! Each season ticket costs $4,000 in 2010.
Touchdown Club Seat Benefits include:
• Gameday access to the climate-controlled United Club.
• One free parking pass for every account.
• Opportunity to purchase tickets to most other events at Soldier Field before the general public.
• Complimentary Gameday program and roster card.
• Option to make Club Buffet reservations at any time during the season for any game.
• Invites to exclusive Club Seat STH events.
• Annual appreciation gift.
SIDELINE CLUB SEATS
Located on their own exclusive platform in front of sections 103 & 104, Sideline Club Seats are the closest seats to all the action on gameday! This sideline view at the goal line will make every Bears touchdown a unique experience. These seats offer all the benefits of a traditional United Club Seat and only eight seats are available for the 2010 season! Each season ticket costs $5,200 in 2010.
Sideline Club Seat Benefits include:
• Padded chair with cup holder.
• Gameday access to the climate controlled United Club.
• One free parking pass with every two seats purchased (max of 3 parking passes per-account).
• Opportunity to purchase tickets to most other events at Soldier Field before the general public.
• Complimentary Gameday program and roster card.
• Option to make Club Buffet reservations at any time during the season for any game.
• Invites to exclusive Club Seat STH events.
• Annual appreciation gift.
A PERMANENT SEAT LICENSE (PSL) OR A SECURITY DEPOSIT IS NOT REQUIRED WITH EITHER SEASON TICKET PACKAGE.
So you can see the incredible value you are getting. For one package you are paying $400 per game, and the other is $520 per game. That is ten games - remember TWO are lame pre-season games.
Have you ever sat in the front row for a football game in a big stadium? I have. They are unquestionably the crappiest seats in the house unless you want to be on TV.
I will give the Bears a bit of credit for not charging a psl for these seats and for coming up with a novel idea. But the price should be indicative of the place that the seats are located.
Cross posted at Fire Everybody.
I received an email from the Bears yesterday. The email was received by the account on the waiting list. I could get season tickets! Sort of. Here is the email:
Dear xx:
Thank you for being a valued member of our Season Ticket Priority List. We know you've been patiently waiting for your name to be called. We were able to offer a limited number of season tickets to Priority List accounts this year; unfortunately your position was not reached. Your new ranking on the Priority List will be updated later this summer.
Although you will not be offered season tickets through the Priority List at this time, we do have two incredible FRONT ROW season ticket opportunities available for the 2010 season at Soldier Field! This very special offer will allow you to become a Bears Season Ticket Holder TODAY by purchasing one of the two season ticket options described below. Your decision to take advantage of this Club Seat season ticket offer will not affect your current position on the Priority List. The option to purchase these season tickets will be exclusively open to Priority List accounts through Wednesday, June 16, 2010.
TOUCHDOWN CLUB SEATS
These seats are fantastically located in Row 1 of the south endzone! Touchdown Club Seats offer all of the benefits of our traditional United Club Seats with a front-row view of the action. Only 72 season tickets are available! Each season ticket costs $4,000 in 2010.
Touchdown Club Seat Benefits include:
• Gameday access to the climate-controlled United Club.
• One free parking pass for every account.
• Opportunity to purchase tickets to most other events at Soldier Field before the general public.
• Complimentary Gameday program and roster card.
• Option to make Club Buffet reservations at any time during the season for any game.
• Invites to exclusive Club Seat STH events.
• Annual appreciation gift.
SIDELINE CLUB SEATS
Located on their own exclusive platform in front of sections 103 & 104, Sideline Club Seats are the closest seats to all the action on gameday! This sideline view at the goal line will make every Bears touchdown a unique experience. These seats offer all the benefits of a traditional United Club Seat and only eight seats are available for the 2010 season! Each season ticket costs $5,200 in 2010.
Sideline Club Seat Benefits include:
• Padded chair with cup holder.
• Gameday access to the climate controlled United Club.
• One free parking pass with every two seats purchased (max of 3 parking passes per-account).
• Opportunity to purchase tickets to most other events at Soldier Field before the general public.
• Complimentary Gameday program and roster card.
• Option to make Club Buffet reservations at any time during the season for any game.
• Invites to exclusive Club Seat STH events.
• Annual appreciation gift.
A PERMANENT SEAT LICENSE (PSL) OR A SECURITY DEPOSIT IS NOT REQUIRED WITH EITHER SEASON TICKET PACKAGE.
So you can see the incredible value you are getting. For one package you are paying $400 per game, and the other is $520 per game. That is ten games - remember TWO are lame pre-season games.
Have you ever sat in the front row for a football game in a big stadium? I have. They are unquestionably the crappiest seats in the house unless you want to be on TV.
I will give the Bears a bit of credit for not charging a psl for these seats and for coming up with a novel idea. But the price should be indicative of the place that the seats are located.
Cross posted at Fire Everybody.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
A Scenic Route Home
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On the way back from the Indy 500 I decided to take my time and snap some photos of the many unusual and classic country road sights, like this overturned Pontiac.
The police did not seem concerned with injuries or fatalities. They seemed bored directingtraffic a few vehicles. As I passed the scene it appeared the driver had walked away for nobody was in the vehicle. It was a mess.
Whenever I travel to or from Lafayette or Indianapolis it is my preference to take the shortest route possible and that means driving the two-lane Indiana SR 421 to the point it where it hooks up to I-65.
SR 421 goes from Michigan City to West Lafayette and it is a classic country highway, looking similar to the old Route 66. For about 70 miles it parallels one of the old Monon Railroad spurs. It’s mostly straight and the land is flat until it nears the hills of Lafayette and the Wabash River valley. It’s a nice place to redline my little roadster as long as the surface is smooth and the low sightlines are visually clear of deer and cross traffic. It's an activity I like to call the "Italian Tuneup".
Along the way there are the classic grain elevator towns, the gas-station-and-a-bar-four-corner blink-of-an-eye towns along with the endless corn and bean fields in between. It’s not unusual to catch up to slow moving farm equipment, which is easy to pass with a bit of patience.
Traveling through small towns called Francesville, Chalmers, Medaryville, San Pierre, Wilders, Haskells, Alida and Wanatah, my favorite is the town of Monon from which the Monon Railroad took it’s name. All but a few are well kept, clean and neat and not a WalMart or mega-mall can be seen but an occasional McDonald’s is hard to avoid on the route.
Antique crossroad junkyards and shops arrive about every twenty miles along with rustic retail shops like this one. You must click to enlarge this image to see some genuine rustic handiwork.
I give credit to the owner, he’s a retail marketing genius.
There is a theme restaurant north of the town of Monon that always captured my attention. It’s called The Whistle Stop. it’s a newer establishment.
In years past it was usually raining and/or cloudy as I passed it by. One time I stopped just to walk around. This year it was overcast but with enough light for decent photos.
The landscape is a very interesting array of genuine antique railcars, crossing signals, track signals and signage along with small structures. The main feature is a rail crane, which acts as a landmark sign and can be seen at a long distance.
Since I usually pass by at 9 am when it’is closed means it’s not a breakfast diner. Too bad, I would love to eat a huge early meal there. There is an indoor railroad museum that would have been nice to check out as well.
Old railroad artifacts fascinate me. Probably because since I was a rug rat trains were my favorite toys. I still have my old American Flyer model railroad set that my grandfather bought for me in the late 50’s.
He also would baby-sit me at times and we would go to the Hammond railroad yards and watch the steam locomotives.
Steam was being phased out by diesel back then but watching the steam locomotives was like being in the presence of living, breathing, thick and heavy incredibly engineered iron fire breathing behemoths.
While researching Indiana railroads I found this video. It was taken just last year about thirty miles southeast of Valpo and I never knew this train existed. How often does it run? Steam locomotives still give me chills and goosebumps. Oh well, maybe next year. It would be a real thrill to watch one pass by once again.
Another year, another Indy, and another pleasant road trip out in the country.
.
On the way back from the Indy 500 I decided to take my time and snap some photos of the many unusual and classic country road sights, like this overturned Pontiac.
The police did not seem concerned with injuries or fatalities. They seemed bored directing
Whenever I travel to or from Lafayette or Indianapolis it is my preference to take the shortest route possible and that means driving the two-lane Indiana SR 421 to the point it where it hooks up to I-65.
SR 421 goes from Michigan City to West Lafayette and it is a classic country highway, looking similar to the old Route 66. For about 70 miles it parallels one of the old Monon Railroad spurs. It’s mostly straight and the land is flat until it nears the hills of Lafayette and the Wabash River valley. It’s a nice place to redline my little roadster as long as the surface is smooth and the low sightlines are visually clear of deer and cross traffic. It's an activity I like to call the "Italian Tuneup".
Along the way there are the classic grain elevator towns, the gas-station-and-a-bar-four-corner blink-of-an-eye towns along with the endless corn and bean fields in between. It’s not unusual to catch up to slow moving farm equipment, which is easy to pass with a bit of patience.
Traveling through small towns called Francesville, Chalmers, Medaryville, San Pierre, Wilders, Haskells, Alida and Wanatah, my favorite is the town of Monon from which the Monon Railroad took it’s name. All but a few are well kept, clean and neat and not a WalMart or mega-mall can be seen but an occasional McDonald’s is hard to avoid on the route.
Antique crossroad junkyards and shops arrive about every twenty miles along with rustic retail shops like this one. You must click to enlarge this image to see some genuine rustic handiwork.
I give credit to the owner, he’s a retail marketing genius.
There is a theme restaurant north of the town of Monon that always captured my attention. It’s called The Whistle Stop. it’s a newer establishment.
In years past it was usually raining and/or cloudy as I passed it by. One time I stopped just to walk around. This year it was overcast but with enough light for decent photos.
The landscape is a very interesting array of genuine antique railcars, crossing signals, track signals and signage along with small structures. The main feature is a rail crane, which acts as a landmark sign and can be seen at a long distance.
Since I usually pass by at 9 am when it’is closed means it’s not a breakfast diner. Too bad, I would love to eat a huge early meal there. There is an indoor railroad museum that would have been nice to check out as well.
Old railroad artifacts fascinate me. Probably because since I was a rug rat trains were my favorite toys. I still have my old American Flyer model railroad set that my grandfather bought for me in the late 50’s.
He also would baby-sit me at times and we would go to the Hammond railroad yards and watch the steam locomotives.
Steam was being phased out by diesel back then but watching the steam locomotives was like being in the presence of living, breathing, thick and heavy incredibly engineered iron fire breathing behemoths.
While researching Indiana railroads I found this video. It was taken just last year about thirty miles southeast of Valpo and I never knew this train existed. How often does it run? Steam locomotives still give me chills and goosebumps. Oh well, maybe next year. It would be a real thrill to watch one pass by once again.
Another year, another Indy, and another pleasant road trip out in the country.
.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Gun Breaking A Young Bird Dog
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This is a quail. He’s full of life, proud of who he is and more than willing to meet me halfway on any issue. Am I just going to blow him away?
Well, no. At least not this time.
He’s a pen raised bird from Bob the setter breeder’s flight pen. Bob connected me with the litter owner where we got Dottie. Bob competes in field trials which is hunting and shooting game birds on horseback with a pointing dog out front while being judged by others for style points, braging rights, trophies and to enhance their dog’s bloodlines (charging more for pups).
He goes as far away as Texas to compete and he’s real serious about it. So serious Bob raises his own pheasant, quail and pigeons for use in training his dogs. He allows hunting buddy Scott and I to train our dogs on his ranch.
(Scott's 2 year old setter, Penny)
My buddy Scott has a female setter named Penny from one of Bob’s main stud dog litters. Thursday Scott called and asked if Dot and I would go to Bob’s ranch with him and Penny to work some live birds. Since nothing was going on here at the bunker I said, “let’s go”.
Dot will be one year old on the 20th. This is only the second time she’s been on live game birds. She’s ready to gun break. If not executed carefully gun breaking a dog has the potential of creating a gun-shy but loving house pet, not a good field dog.
(Dottie on point, we need to work on her style but at less than a year old, not bad)
Gun breaking a bird dog is very simple. First consider dog behavior. Dottie has been cowering during thunderstorms. My first setter, Mookie always did. Spec, my last setter was impervious to noise of any kind. Neither were bothered by fireworks. But drop a pencil on the kitchen tile on a quiet evening and either of them might jump.
(Scott released his birds for Penny to work, since she's a lot farther along in field training than Dottie is)
What’s most important in gun breaking is that the dog has pointed and flushed a bird before shooting a gun. The dog gets so jacked on that bird nothing else matters. When the bird is in the air and the dog has sight of it fire two shots from the starter pistol (always begin with small calibers). I did this Thursday with Dot.
The preferred way to train the dog on scent is to have a ready supply of live game birds and a wide open field. For training I’ve used pigeons, chukkar partridge and quail, whatever is cheap and available.
Tossing out a group of birds into a field is fine, we did this the first time we wanted to get Dot jacked on birds. The few dozen quail released into the field scattered to the woods where she pointed one after another. But we didn’t shoot. The object was for her to get used to the fact that a wild prairie had these fun, flying feathered creatures. She chased them as if nothing else in the world mattered. It worked.
For gun breaking I use a bird launcher. It’s a spring loaded metal box with a sling. By placing a bird into the sling, latching the spring and hiding it into tall grass the bird will stay put. There is a string leading to the trigger, some more expensive models have a remote control.
The plan is to get the pup close to the box to see if she gets the scent. All of mine did in the past, they are hard-wired genetically to sniff birds. Once on the scent we use a command called whoa, and by repetition the dog easily understands they are to remain staunch on point. It’s good to stroke the pup and lift it’s tail to reinforce what it is you want her to do.
Next I circle around, grab the string, pull, and the sling will launch the bird about five feet in the air. At this point the pup has focused all of it’s interest on the flying bird. It’s OK to allow the pup to chase the bird. It’s at this point two shots are fired from the starter pistol. I did this exercise six times and each time she got better. Using this method the dog associates the gun with the birds and become impervious to the sound.
Next time I will fire my Browning sweet 16 andtry to down the birds. That way she will get to catch up to the bird, get a mouth full of feathers, receive a lot of praise and have even more fun. Me too.
NOTE: All birds used in this training exercise were not harmed. Next time that will change.
.
This is a quail. He’s full of life, proud of who he is and more than willing to meet me halfway on any issue. Am I just going to blow him away?
Well, no. At least not this time.
He’s a pen raised bird from Bob the setter breeder’s flight pen. Bob connected me with the litter owner where we got Dottie. Bob competes in field trials which is hunting and shooting game birds on horseback with a pointing dog out front while being judged by others for style points, braging rights, trophies and to enhance their dog’s bloodlines (charging more for pups).
He goes as far away as Texas to compete and he’s real serious about it. So serious Bob raises his own pheasant, quail and pigeons for use in training his dogs. He allows hunting buddy Scott and I to train our dogs on his ranch.
(Scott's 2 year old setter, Penny)
My buddy Scott has a female setter named Penny from one of Bob’s main stud dog litters. Thursday Scott called and asked if Dot and I would go to Bob’s ranch with him and Penny to work some live birds. Since nothing was going on here at the bunker I said, “let’s go”.
Dot will be one year old on the 20th. This is only the second time she’s been on live game birds. She’s ready to gun break. If not executed carefully gun breaking a dog has the potential of creating a gun-shy but loving house pet, not a good field dog.
(Dottie on point, we need to work on her style but at less than a year old, not bad)
Gun breaking a bird dog is very simple. First consider dog behavior. Dottie has been cowering during thunderstorms. My first setter, Mookie always did. Spec, my last setter was impervious to noise of any kind. Neither were bothered by fireworks. But drop a pencil on the kitchen tile on a quiet evening and either of them might jump.
(Scott released his birds for Penny to work, since she's a lot farther along in field training than Dottie is)
What’s most important in gun breaking is that the dog has pointed and flushed a bird before shooting a gun. The dog gets so jacked on that bird nothing else matters. When the bird is in the air and the dog has sight of it fire two shots from the starter pistol (always begin with small calibers). I did this Thursday with Dot.
The preferred way to train the dog on scent is to have a ready supply of live game birds and a wide open field. For training I’ve used pigeons, chukkar partridge and quail, whatever is cheap and available.
Tossing out a group of birds into a field is fine, we did this the first time we wanted to get Dot jacked on birds. The few dozen quail released into the field scattered to the woods where she pointed one after another. But we didn’t shoot. The object was for her to get used to the fact that a wild prairie had these fun, flying feathered creatures. She chased them as if nothing else in the world mattered. It worked.
For gun breaking I use a bird launcher. It’s a spring loaded metal box with a sling. By placing a bird into the sling, latching the spring and hiding it into tall grass the bird will stay put. There is a string leading to the trigger, some more expensive models have a remote control.
The plan is to get the pup close to the box to see if she gets the scent. All of mine did in the past, they are hard-wired genetically to sniff birds. Once on the scent we use a command called whoa, and by repetition the dog easily understands they are to remain staunch on point. It’s good to stroke the pup and lift it’s tail to reinforce what it is you want her to do.
Next I circle around, grab the string, pull, and the sling will launch the bird about five feet in the air. At this point the pup has focused all of it’s interest on the flying bird. It’s OK to allow the pup to chase the bird. It’s at this point two shots are fired from the starter pistol. I did this exercise six times and each time she got better. Using this method the dog associates the gun with the birds and become impervious to the sound.
Next time I will fire my Browning sweet 16 and
NOTE: All birds used in this training exercise were not harmed. Next time that will change.
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