SteakMatters

Why does Harry Reid hate Easter?

2010-03-11T17:34:00.000-05:00

I had to share this….

Below is the Senate schedule for this year. I find it just a bit annoying that for the March 29 – Apr 9 “State Work Period” the Note section is empty.

The Senate is recessing for EASTER!!!. Are you kidding me!?!?! Maybe they should just put “Spring Break”….or not.

Jan 5
Convene
Note: Pro forma session

Jan 19
Reconvene
Note: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Jan 18.

Feb 15-19
State Work Period
Note: Presidents' Day

Mar 29-Apr 9
State Work Period
Note:

May 31-Jun 4
State Work Period
Note: Memorial Day

Jul 5-Jul 9
State Work Period
Note: Independence Day

Aug 9-Sep 10
State Work Period
Note: Labor Day- Sep 6

TBD
Target Adjournment Date

flying us air

2010-03-01T06:10:00.001-05:00

I was hopin' I wouldn't have to, but I'm flying us air again. Let's hope this flight goes better than the last.

HOPE...

2010-02-22T08:29:00.001-05:00

...and Eternity. Cleveland Indian pitched and catches report. That's my version of HOPE. Go Tribe!

PoGo

Happy Valentines Day Eve

2010-02-13T18:57:00.001-05:00

Why do I love FLOTUS? For Valentine Day, poker nite with Doyle, Mrs. B, Lincoln Hawk, Mrs. H, Few and Far Between, and others.

Don't worry female SteakMatters fans. We've got a weekend coming up.

PoGoPoker

Chilli Peppers redux

2010-02-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

How can I pass on a burrito that's bigger than my head? (And that's saying a lot...) So I swung my the downtown location of Chili Peppers Fresh Mexican Grill for a chicken burrito. The food is always good, but I have to say that I was a little disappointed on this visit. All the fixings were indead fresh, but the steak, unfortunately was not. I'm going to chalk this up to the timing of my visit - a late lunch hour - but they need do better and have (read my 12/16/09 post) with every meal up to this point.

Open since around November, the staff truly seem to enjoy their jobs, including the very welcoming manager Zack. As a locally owned operation, CP is well worth braving the winter winds for a meal that will both warm and fill you up.

Pictured: Chili Peppers steak burrito with a sharpie marker for perspective.

PoGo back on the GoGo

Love to hate Michigan

2010-02-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

What do you see - a heart, the state of Michigan, or a piece of sausage?

(Its 843a and Michigan still sux.)

Toyot-oh-no!

2010-02-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

(POTUS, you might not be the only one with mobile blogger problems. I'm going to try this one again.)

With PR challenges aplenty, one simple issue Toyota should have tackled by now is the ads they continue to run with the tagline: Moving Forward.

Um, yah, that's the problem.

-Spin Doctor on the go

Winter's end?

2010-02-08T17:33:00.001-05:00

Even with new snow bearing down on us I know winter's end is upon us. How? Its 523p and it's still sunny. I gotta say its been a short one.

Sock Monkey tease, Gitty Up!

2010-02-07T23:15:00.000-05:00

Sock Monkey and Sorento

2010-02-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

The closest I have been to a Kia was the week Lefty, me and the families rented a Sedona in FLA. It was a surprisingly good ride, but I don’t know that I would ever buy one. That was until tonight while watching The Big Game. All it took was one thing: a FULL SIZE Sock Monkey driving a Kia Sorento!

Now, not only do I want a Sock Monkey for Valentine’s Day, but I want a full size sock monkey costume for next Halloween!

Colts / Saints

2010-02-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

With the Browns years away from the Super Bowl, I'm part of the 51% that watches the Big Game for the commercials. That, and the end of quarter scores.

Happy Birthday Mr. President

2010-02-06T07:32:00.000-05:00

Ronald Wilson Reagan

Born on this day, February 6th, 1911.

Americans Reject Keynesian Theory of Economics

2010-02-05T09:52:00.002-05:00

The worlds greatest pollster, Scott Rasmussen, once again has his finger on the pulse of the American people. And, once again, the American people got it right (no pun intended, and not withstanding the results of the last presidential election).

As yours truly told you, our loyal readers, about a year ago today, the Von Hayek theory of macroeconomics has, in fact, proven over time to be the superior theory--especially when compared to the Keynesian model.

If you want to read Scott's article in its entirety, i link to it above in the first paragraph. Some key stats from his piece:

* 59% think Keynes had it backwards and that increasing the deficit at this time would hurt the economy rather than help. (Editorial: Scott's pool of folks he polled must have been in a college-level econ class because I'd be surprised if 20% of Americans even knew what the hell the Keynesian theory of macroeconomics is, much less be able to pass judgment on it).

* To help the economy, most Americans (56%) believe that cutting the deficit is the way to go.

If you want to read a more nuanced, slightly more insightful comparasion of the issue, I linked to the post where I discussed this very same subject last year. Just call me Carnac...the Steak (instead of the Great??!?!?! no??!!).

Anyway...the American people get it...why don't many of our elected officials??

--GOTSOO

BUTTERSTICK!

2010-02-04T13:05:00.001-05:00

One thing I love is butter. My toast or popcorn is really just a vehicle for getting more butter into my mouth.

One thing I can't stand are pandas. Any animal that reqires fertility doctors to breed and will only subsist on one specific, hard-to-find plant deserves to be extinct. The only time I've seen a panda was at the National Zoo and a handwritten sign on the exhibit door warned zoo patron that the panda had experienced a blood nose earlier in the day. So yes, the only time I've laid eyes on a live panda, it's snout was covered in dried blood. What kind of animal get spontaneous nose bleeds? Like I said: survival of the fittest. Buh-bye pandas.

But, if you combine butter and pandas...no you don't get a French-Chinese fusion delicacy...you get BUTTERSTICK! the newborn panda that took the nation by storm when she was born at the national's Capital.

No bigger than a stick of butter, we could watch her progress on a live web camera stream. Now 200 pounds, she's headed back to her Communist homeland to attempt to delay the extinction of her species.

Good luck BUTTERSTICK! I'm sure you'll miss unfettered access to the Internet, clean air, and your rights.

-Spin Doctor on the go

Everyone is Offended

2010-02-03T08:55:00.000-05:00

Easy Rider sent me the following thesis. I thought it deserved a wider audience, so with Easy Rider's permission, I bring the readers of Steakmatters:

A Unified Solution to Intolerance and Economic Recession in America: A Vision Statement

While watching the news today, I saw a story about the sluggish economic recovery segue into another story about the President’s Chief of Staff referring to members of his own party who failed to fall in line on healthcare reform as “fucking retards.” When this quote became public it engendered immediate outrage from parents of the mentally challenged, prompting Mr. Emanuel to call the president of the Special Olympics to ask forgiveness. Fortunately for Rham this forgiveness was granted, and all was again right with the world.
Fortunately for Mr. Emanuel there was a generally-accepted representative of the offended party to whom he could direct his apology. However, I couldn’t help but wonder, what if he had offended an even more underrepresented group? What if he had said that his fellow democrats were, “carrying on like a bunch of Gypsies?” Would he even know who to whom he should direct his apology? African-Americans have Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, but is there anyone to whom general consensus has delegated the authority to accept apologies on behalf of the Gypsies? And, if not, how many other minority groups may be unequipped to formally accept an apology should the need arise? And what of the offender? How could his reputation ever be cleared with no confessor to issue appropriate absolution? To be honest, I find it amazing that this problem hasn’t arisen more frequently in modern America.
The pairing of these two stories – one regarding our Nation’s ongoing, economic woes and the other all but mandating a better system for offended minority groups to issue apologies – prompted an epiphany of sorts; a single solution to both problems that could drive America out of recession and to new heights of political correctness in one fell swoop. I therefore propose the creation of a council of minority group representatives tasked with entertaining apologies and, if appropriate, issuing forgiveness. It can be called something like, the American Minority Council for Apologies and Tolerance. AMCAT for short, because everyone knows an organization lacks legitimacy without an appropriate acronym.
Obviously this would be a quantum leap for political correctness, but how would it help the economy? Simple – imagine the financial expenditures and, subsequently, the job creation that would come from construction of this council. A careful plan must be followed to ensure that the council is constructed appropriately, a process that I will now review. Additionally, at each step, I will highlight the contribution to economic recovery.
First, there must be a logical design to the Council. The Council will be made of one representative for each minority group in America that may, at some point, be offended. Imagine the potential number of representatives. For starters, there are 187 countries in the world, each of which needs at least one representative. Some will need more, because certainly the same person cannot accept apologies on behalf of French- and non-French Canadians, or for both the Flemish and the Dutch. Allowing for an average of 2 representatives per country, the baseline number of representatives approaches 400. Then we must consider all of the religious groups, social groups, gender-based groups, geographic clusters and others that will require representation. The organization must also include representatives of certain medical issues, although this will need to be carefully considered and some aggregation will have to occur. For instance, while diabetics and the mentally challenged will each likely need an individual representative, it seems reasonable to aggregate those with genetic conditions, such as Pompe’s disease and Maple Syrup Urine Disease under one, “rare genetic diseases” representative. But how to decide? This is where the economic benefit enters. A council of sociologists, psychologists, and various other academics must be convened into a consensus committee to make such a decision. As there are likely to be a large number of un- or under-employed academics appropriate for this job, the committee represents instant job creation for this sector. Once their task is completed, AMCAT can begin to take form.
Having agreed upon the makeup of the Council, each minority group will need to decide on a representative. This will require untold logistical efforts, including identifying all members of these groups, forming organizations designed to promote the individual candidates to the minority group members, holding federally-mediated elections for each of the Council seats, etc. This effort alone may take several years, and just imagine the number of jobs in bureaucracy that will need to be created. These are not just “jobs” but “good, government jobs.” – the kind that every American wants. Again, economic stimulus.
With thousands of potentially offensive comments being uttered every day, one representative for each group may not be enough to process all of the requests for absolution for frequently-offended groups, such as African Americans and the Jewish people. For this reason each representative will need a staff. This, too, requires some thought, as the size of each staff will need to vary depending multiple factors. The overall size of the minority group is one consideration, but other factors must enter the equation. For instance, Mexicans represent a smaller percentage of the American population that women, but one could speculate that they are disproportionately offended and may therefore require more logistical support. Such factors will need to be investigated by fact-finding missions and then analyzed by mathematicians who will ultimately come up with an equation that will need to be approved by the Council before staff sizes can be allocated. Once again, just imagine the jobs that this process will create!
Once the personnel are in place, a physical venue must be constructed for the Council to conduct its business. The magnitude of this project will necessarily be impressive, possibly rivaling that of the Big Dig in its ability to create jobs for union contractors and employees. The meeting hall alone will need to house more than 1000 Council members, and the overall structure will need to supply office space for each of their staff. If each delegation gets, on average, only ¼ of a floor, the structure will still need to be 250 stories high, making it the largest building in the world. Stimulus construction dollars, anyone?
Each delegation will function on its own, but a central, logistical core will also need to be created to handle things like facilities, mail, plant operations, etc for the Committee building. This, too, creates jobs – mostly jobs in mid-level administration, to which Americans are particularly attracted and, arguably, better than anyone in the world. And as all of these people and resources converge, the real estate market and service sectors in the adjacent communities will also prosper. Again, more jobs and more economic stimulation.
Finally, we must decide on a locale for this structure. The obvious choice is Washington, DC, as nowhere in America is more political or more politically-correct. This also seems appropriate as taxpayer dollars will, naturally, be funding the entire project. How could anyone suggest otherwise, for such an important and politically-correct endeavor? And with most of the $787B stimulus remaining unspent, we have a good start. This is not likely to fund the entire project, but with Congress just down the street additional funding can be appropriated as necessary. Fortunately, there are 230 million Americans, some of whom are “rich” and represent an underutilized taxation base, who will gladly keep funding the mandate. It is impossible to imagine otherwise, as nobody could even consider speaking out against funding being allocated to build the Council on tolerance.

Having decided on Washington, DC, the final question is the precise location for the structure. I propose that it be placed in the exact middle of the famous cluster of national monuments. Where better than amid the physical testaments to all that has made America great – to Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, the founders of our society; and to the veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam who fought and died so that America can be what it is today. Of course, this sheer size of this council chamber means that it will overshadow these structures (as it will, in fact, overshadow all structures, governmental or otherwise in our Nation’s capitol). This, too, is only fitting, as this new monument to political correctness and government-driven economics stands as a shining example of what a nation, once grounded in such humble roots, can ultimately become. God Bless America!

-Spin Doctor on the go

Travel Advice for Silly Americans

2010-02-03T08:38:00.001-05:00

A note to hippie hikers, naive missionaries, politically motivated journalists, and adventure seeking commercial boat captains:

If you haven't noticed, the US is engaged in two wars, fighting terrorism globally, and amassing huge debt; therefore, please avoid the following places:

-demilitarized zones
-nations involved in civil war
-nations in which the citizens are uprising against oppressive Islamic regimes
-pirate-infested international waters
-international borders when you or your orphans are missing paperwork

The US cannot afford to spend our diplomatic and military resources to save you from being detained when you violate my simple request.

When I ranked the places in the world I would least like to be, there was a four-way tie for first place:

-a North Korean prison
-a Haitian prison
-an Iranian prison
-a life raft with three armed Somali pirates

There are many lovely and safe places in the world for you to vacation, help children, film news stories, and have an at-sea adventure. From now on, please confine your travels to countries with a Frommer's guide.

-Spin Doctor on the go

SOTU response

2010-01-27T22:34:00.001-05:00

Was in a late mtg. Just got in to see the Pres walk out. Watching gop response. Interesting local/setup. Lesson learned from Jindal debacle.

Lost in Love

2010-01-24T22:43:00.001-05:00

I have to admit it. I have to come clean. I have once again fallen. I have a new mistress.

I’ve written about my prior mistresses but this one has quickly seduced me and if I have to, I must also admit that she has a friend and they work in tandem…. And it all started so innocently in the electronics department of my local Sears store.

I was walking through the store on the most innocent of shopping trips. My plan was to get a new blender (too many margaritas I guess) and an iron (sparks flying from a frayed cord will do that). My journey through the store took me past the electronics department and knowing that I needed to get a second DVD player to replace the VCR (hey I still have kids) for big screen I started looking around. That’s when my interest in my new secret lover was piqued.

At first I resisted the temptation of the Blu-ray. Hey, I’m not a technology geek. All i needed was a simple DVD player. Nothing fancy. Just something to play movies, but something that will take full advantage of my 1080P, 64-inch, HDTV. But then I noticed something that intrigued me, the price drop in Blu-ray players. (I just love a deal.) As I further investigated the surprising prices, I discovered a new feature - internet enabled players that allow you to connect to video web services like Netflix. I thought, “Hey wait a second, I have Netflix and I use the ‘Watch it Now’ feature on my computer. It would be so much easier to watch it on my TV.”

Well I left the store with my new blender and iron (I later returned the iron after fixing the frayed wire). Over the course of the next week, I happened to mention my new discovery to several people, including EDIT who told me Best Buy had their house brand, blu-ray with wifi on sale for $119.00. If you’ve read this blog for any length, you know I don’t know, nor really care about technology advancements. Heck, I used a Palm with a monochromatic screen for a good five years. When I switched jobs and they won’t pay for a BlackBerry I kept using the Palm. Another example was my StarTAC cell phone. It worked and it was durable, oh yeah and you could include up to 4 numbers for each contact, but when my cell company was unable to support the phone’s technology, or lack thereof anymore, I had to get a new one. (Yeah, I didn’t need one with a camera. WTF do you need a camera on a phone for…. Boy was I wrong on that one.) Anyhow, I digress and you get the point.

So the more and more I thought about it, I kept thinking to myself that this is ONE THING THAT I NEED, THAT MUST HAVE FOR CHRISTMAS. Well that and a sock monkey. (BTW, I didn’t get a Sock Monkey, but I did get a pair boxer shorts with sock monkeys throwing snowballs.) As it turned out, Santa brought me some cash and Best Buy kept their blu-ray on sale, so I logged on and bought myself the” Insignia® Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi and 1080p Output”. Yet at this point I still did not know the lengths that my love for this item would go.

And why such a deep, previously unknown love? Well, in addition to the incredible properties that a blu-ray brings to my television set, my Insignia has a friend, NetFlix, and it only takes one remote to energize both of them. I mean how perfect is this, when cable and its endless commercials can’t bring me satisfaction, and my DVR (a previous mistress) is fully occupied with children’s shows, I simply grab the remote, push a few buttons and wahla(!), I have access to hundreds of movies and TV shows via the “Watch it Now” feature of my NetFlix membership. And since FLOTUS and I enjoy many a TV comedy, we can now watch most of them wirelessly at the spur of the moment.

Although I have to admit, with the final season of Lost at hand, I was reminded of deep love of that show which was ruined by commercials and weekly cliff-hangers. But now there are no commercials(!) and I find myself staying up ‘til the early morning hours in the company of my mistress blu-ray and her friend Netflix re-watching (in some cases) the previous seasons. I will however be using my DVR mistress on the side to record the 6th, and final season of Lost.

So goodbye to my former mistresses - Washington DC and your cable TV, fancy beds and cuisine; goodbye to steak and SteakMatters (Ok, maybe not steak and SteakMatters); goodbye to poker whether on the television, on the computer or live action; and goodbye to…well maybe not goodbye to all of you…maybe just a break…or maybe a passing of time until…until I need you again. Like a late-night drunk dialer, maybe, just maybe, I’ll come running back to your warm embrace, your comfort.

But until that time… HERE’S TO A NETFLIX QUEUE FILLED WITH ‘WATCH IT NOW’ MOVIES, TELEVISION SERIES, HISTORY CHANNEL DOCUMENTARIES, AND DISCOVERY CHANNEL PROGRAMING!!

POTUS

Happy Anniversary

2010-01-19T23:48:00.002-05:00

In the world of the married, the first anniversary is celebrated with a gift of paper. On our first anniversary, FLOTUS gave me the gift of a year’s 'weekend subscription' to the Plain Dealer, which has resulted in many years of disagreement over the amount of time I spend reading the paper on weekends.

Here we are on the one-year anniversary of the President being sworn in and I’m trying to decide on what I would give him for the occasion. And well, considering news out of Bay State this evening, my gift to the President would be a roll of toilet paper…because, well, he’s 1 for 4 in recent special elections and he probably…ah, well, anyway… it’s a gift of TP because that’s how I roll….

POTUS

PS – It’s nice to see that the Massachusetts election not only energized their electorate but also The Team at SteakMatters.com.

Brown Squared

2010-01-19T22:44:00.002-05:00

Random thoughts on tonight's election results:

I'm excited about the Brown win. Now we have a Senator Brown in the U.S. Senate who is in line with the views of most Ohioans.

I have to wonder if the NJ-Virginia-Massachusetts trifecta is as good news for the Midterms as everyone thinks.

I just heard Keith Olbermann ask Rachel Maddow how "we" can make sure healthcare passes. Obviously he was referring to his teammwork with the Democrats. Now, Keith is 'apologizing' for his anti-Brown name calling tirade the other night. That guy has nothing but bile and venom on his tongue.

Since when has the term 'teabagging' become ok? A few months ago I heard Anderson Cooper say during a live segment 'it's hard to talk when you're teabagging' and David Gergen did a double take. Now, the term is regularly used on prime time TV as a deragatory term for Tea Party protester. That's like calling the Mayor of Cleveland a 'Cleveland Steamer' or....well, I can think of some other examples, but we try to keep this blog PG.

-Spin Doctor on the go

Mr. Scott, we need more power!

2010-01-19T22:14:00.004-05:00

Congratulations Mr. Scott (Brown) on your Massachusetts victory.

The things to watch:

1) How quickly does the election get certified?

2) What happens with the Senate/House health care negotiations?

3) How quickly does Coakley get thrown under the bus? (Check)

4) The President's approval rating. I'm putting the over/under on Nov 2 at 41%. Place your bets.

POTUS

What Can Brown Do For You?!

2010-01-19T08:42:00.002-05:00

Hopefully, if the day goes well, stop the Harry Reid nightmare in the U.S. Senate!!!!

Brown is the color of the day.

--GOTSOO

Healthy Beer Drinking - Men's Health - FOXNews.com

2010-01-15T17:37:00.000-05:00

Compliments of Jaws...

Healthy Beer Drinking - Men's Health - FOXNews.com

Posted using ShareThis

Cavemen are alive and well in NYC

2010-01-10T11:25:00.002-05:00

About 7 years ago my Doc told me I needed to loose some weight - high cholesterol, high sugar, etc. He said, "You're addicted to process foods and carbohydrates." I thought he wanted me to got on to Atkins Diet, which was all the rage back then. He said, "No, think of it as the Caveman Diet. If a caveman could eat it, you can eat. So vegetables are ok, but in moderation." And due to my high sugar, no grapes, but red wine was ok.... 6months and 25lbs later, I was in great shape and feeling good. Unfortunately, for a myriad of reasons and excuses I became less disciplined and, ta da, I'm back where I was.

Anyhow, I read with enjoyment this article, that was reprinted in today's PD about a 'subculture' [Sidebar: Only in NY and in a NY paper can someone's eating choices be defined as a subculture. End sidebar] of people '...whose members seek good health through a selective return to the habits of their Paleolithic ancestors.'

Its worth read, but hey NYT, the CLE and SteakMatters is way ahead of you...now if I could just get past the homefries at The Palm.

POTUS

Running up the score?

2010-01-08T00:03:00.002-05:00

Is Saban running up the score on TX? I think he should have taken a knee and let the clock run out. That would have been class. But I guess I'm just old school.