Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
The Democratic Sham
Democracy is dead. It’s
a conclusion that I’ve come to after witnessing the failures of established
political regimes time and time again.
The truth is, you can head to the polls, you can cast your vote, and it
will all be for nothing. The establishment
will continue on the same course as they always have, without regard for the
public’s need and desire for change.
What does the popular opinion count for?
Why would a vote be called if the results weren’t acted upon? Why tease us?
I ask this question despite it being rhetorical. We know the answer already. Politicians are set in their ways. The rhetoric is just that, empty promises. Say one thing and then do what you want
regardless. It’s an abuse of the public
trust.
I am of course talking about the decision of Britain’s
Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) to not name their new research
vessel the RRS Boaty McBoatface. Oh, a
vote was held, and, the preferred name, Boaty McBoatface, received over 120,000
votes. To be exact, 124,109 votes were
tallied for the RRS Boaty McBoatface, which is over 4 times more than the
second place selection: RRS Poppy-Mai, so named after a 16 month old girl with
incurable cancer (as reported by NPR). Yes, that's sad...but seriously, folks...is that any more appropriate? Want sad science? No, I didn't think so.
Apparently, the decision of the name for the new research
ship rests with the NERC council and president, saying that they will not put
forth a superfluous name to the Queen who will, ceremonially, be in charge of
blessing the ship. I call bullshit. That woman isn’t in charge of the government…she’s
merely a figurehead! Seriously, I
thought England was over this monarchal archetype! It’s time that we, the people, take a stand
and make our voices heard! Yes, I’m not
English…but that’s not the point! The
world needs a boat named BOATY MCBOATFACE!
Get angry people! This is way
bigger than the sham that’s going on in NY today! Primaries are BS…the national committees will
pick who they want regardless of our votes!
It’s plain fact! But this, this
is an atrocity! Damn you England! Damn you NERC!
And DAMN YOU YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS!
Friday, April 8, 2016
Wallet Wars
So, you may or may not have heard, there's a new Star-Wars spin-off movie that will be in theaters on December 16; Rogue One. Even though only the teaser trailer has been released, a lot was said about what this movie is going to be about. The trailer would suggest that we've got a story about how the Rebels acquired the plans for the Death Star. It suggests that Forest Whitaker will be added to the Star Wars canon of actors, presumably in a "good" role. And, most importantly, it seems that we're going to have another female lead as Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) is prominently portrayed as a futuristic bad-ass.
A couple of observations about myself:
I'm hoping, that, based on the success of TWO Star Wars movies with female leads, there will be a resurgence of female toys in the stores for us dads who want their kids playing with the "good-gals" at home, in-between movies. DC figured it out with the recent release of these! More please!
As a forty year old, I didn't really need a reason to spend money on the Star Wars Universe as I, already, have spent a college tuition's equivalent on movies (theater, DVD and Blu Rey; see what I did there? Thanks Scott), toys, originally scored and remastered soundtracks, more toys, Legos, costumes for the boy, comics, fan fiction (Admiral Thrawn, I'm looking in your direction), and, of course, toys. When the original trilogy was re-released into the theaters in 1997, a friend and I went to go charge ourselves new light & sound light sabers that we then brought to the theater...where we saw the movies that we had already seen 100+ times, again. And, again.
Despite this new movie not being a "sequel," I have hopes that it's going to be great. I have hopes that it will include James Earl Jones in his reprised roll (and maybe even Ian McDiarmid), to bring continuity to the film.
Even if it's "bad" I'll likely see it twice, once as a tester, and once with the boy. That'll be two more times than I'll ever see Superman vs. Batman in the theater after abominable reviews.
My poor wife. Our Decembers are already insane with birthdays, holidays, professional football (she plays, I don't), and now my almost religious devotion to a galaxy far far away. The only positive is that, with the kids, I don't look as freakish when I do go to Toys R Us to get new loot, that is, until the clerk overhears that the kids won't be allowed to play with it.
May the force (and credit cards) be with you...always.
A couple of observations about myself:
I'm hoping, that, based on the success of TWO Star Wars movies with female leads, there will be a resurgence of female toys in the stores for us dads who want their kids playing with the "good-gals" at home, in-between movies. DC figured it out with the recent release of these! More please!
As a forty year old, I didn't really need a reason to spend money on the Star Wars Universe as I, already, have spent a college tuition's equivalent on movies (theater, DVD and Blu Rey; see what I did there? Thanks Scott), toys, originally scored and remastered soundtracks, more toys, Legos, costumes for the boy, comics, fan fiction (Admiral Thrawn, I'm looking in your direction), and, of course, toys. When the original trilogy was re-released into the theaters in 1997, a friend and I went to go charge ourselves new light & sound light sabers that we then brought to the theater...where we saw the movies that we had already seen 100+ times, again. And, again.
Despite this new movie not being a "sequel," I have hopes that it's going to be great. I have hopes that it will include James Earl Jones in his reprised roll (and maybe even Ian McDiarmid), to bring continuity to the film.
Even if it's "bad" I'll likely see it twice, once as a tester, and once with the boy. That'll be two more times than I'll ever see Superman vs. Batman in the theater after abominable reviews.
My poor wife. Our Decembers are already insane with birthdays, holidays, professional football (she plays, I don't), and now my almost religious devotion to a galaxy far far away. The only positive is that, with the kids, I don't look as freakish when I do go to Toys R Us to get new loot, that is, until the clerk overhears that the kids won't be allowed to play with it.
May the force (and credit cards) be with you...always.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Soup Hack
Listen, it's April 1st, and it's time to fool someone or something. In that spirit, I give you the Ramen Noodle Soup hack. Fool yourself into thinking it's healthier than it actually is.
First, get yourself a standard package of instant ramen soup, complete with noodle brickette, and what amounts to a packet of salt. I prefer the shrimp flavor, mostly because my wife only eats seafood (occasionally) and the chicken one, while I don't think there's actual chicken in it, skeeves her out.
Follow the instructions, which go like this: 2 cups of water, bring to boil, toss in noodle brick, simmer for 3 minutes, turn off heat and dump in salt-packet.
However, you may get more nutrition out of deep-fried shoe leather. So, while you're boiling your water, consider adding something a bit more healthy. What you'll need is:
3 tbsp of sesame oil
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 red pepper chunked
1/4 cup of peas
1/4 cup of baby spinach leaves
5 cleaned frozen shrimp (tail on)
1 egg, preferably soft-boiled, but hard-boiled works as well
4 tbsp of soy sauce
3 tbsp of hoisin
1 pat of unsalted butter
Simply put, it's stir-fry time. Oil first in a non-stick pan that's heated to a medium heat. Toss in the shallot and let it sweat for a minute before you throw in the peppers. After a minute or so of that, add the garlic, red pepper, peas, shrimp and continue to stir-fry. When the peas start to pucker/shrimp cooks fully, you're almost there, add the soy sauce, hoisin and the butter and continue to stir until the butter is melted. By now your ramen should be at a boil so add the brick. When the noodles are done and you've added the flavoring packet, take the whole sautee and just dump it into the broth. Slice the egg and place both halves, yolk up into the soup. Garnish with the fresh spinach which should wilt a bit the longer it sits in the broth...and VIOLA, done. Results should look something like the shot below. And yes, I eat my ramen with a pair of light saber chopsticks as we all know that ancient Japanese tradition has a major role in the Star Wars saga. Seriously.
Anyway, there you go. Yes, it's a lonely meal for one. But, what a meal. You can easily modify it for more than a single serving. In fact, I encourage you to do so.
And, no they don't light up...but yours can:
Light-up Chopsticks (Amazon)
Follow the instructions, which go like this: 2 cups of water, bring to boil, toss in noodle brick, simmer for 3 minutes, turn off heat and dump in salt-packet.
However, you may get more nutrition out of deep-fried shoe leather. So, while you're boiling your water, consider adding something a bit more healthy. What you'll need is:
3 tbsp of sesame oil
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 red pepper chunked
1/4 cup of peas
1/4 cup of baby spinach leaves
5 cleaned frozen shrimp (tail on)
1 egg, preferably soft-boiled, but hard-boiled works as well
4 tbsp of soy sauce
3 tbsp of hoisin
1 pat of unsalted butter
Simply put, it's stir-fry time. Oil first in a non-stick pan that's heated to a medium heat. Toss in the shallot and let it sweat for a minute before you throw in the peppers. After a minute or so of that, add the garlic, red pepper, peas, shrimp and continue to stir-fry. When the peas start to pucker/shrimp cooks fully, you're almost there, add the soy sauce, hoisin and the butter and continue to stir until the butter is melted. By now your ramen should be at a boil so add the brick. When the noodles are done and you've added the flavoring packet, take the whole sautee and just dump it into the broth. Slice the egg and place both halves, yolk up into the soup. Garnish with the fresh spinach which should wilt a bit the longer it sits in the broth...and VIOLA, done. Results should look something like the shot below. And yes, I eat my ramen with a pair of light saber chopsticks as we all know that ancient Japanese tradition has a major role in the Star Wars saga. Seriously.
Anyway, there you go. Yes, it's a lonely meal for one. But, what a meal. You can easily modify it for more than a single serving. In fact, I encourage you to do so. And, no they don't light up...but yours can:
Light-up Chopsticks (Amazon)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)