Yearly Archives: 2017

How to make stock

Cooking

I admit that the last several times I’ve needed stock, and that is about once a week for me as of late, I just bought it in the store. For making Amanda’s soup, which she brings to school, I combine one large container of vegetable stock, one large container of some sort of meat stock, and one large container worth of water, and go from there.

But making stock is fun, and sometimes necessary, especially if you have certain ingredients building up in you home and would rather have things go to waste than waist.

Here are my stock guidelines: Continue reading How to make stock →

How The Franken Thing Is Going To Play Out

Politics, , , , , , ,

… is anybody’s guess, but I have two supportable (and very different) hypotheses.

The first is short and sweet and I’ll give it to you straight.

Tweeden and Senator Franken get together, possibly with their families, and have a pow wow. They emerge from this to announce a newly formed organization to destroy the patriarchy in government. Franken throws his viability as Senator to the voters, and stays in the Senate, but the two of them launch a major campaign to rethink and rebuild gendered relationships at the levers of public power in America. All is well.

The second hypothesis is a bit different, and in this one, Franken resigns. Here’s why. Continue reading How The Franken Thing Is Going To Play Out →

Leeann Tweeden’s Accusation of Al Franken, Franken’s Response

Politics, ,

Leeann Tweeden is, according to Wikipedia, a former Hooter hostess and model who has worked for Fox Sports Network, and was hostess of Poker After Dark, a commenter on the Hannity show, and other similar shows, mainly on Fox News. (This is probably why I’ve never heard of her, I don’t watch FOX as a rule).

You probably know who Al Franken is, but just in case, he is a former satirist, frequent USO performer, SNL star, and now, United States Senator from Minnesota. He is famous for his vigorous championship of good things in a bad place.

Earlier today Tweeden made an accusation against Senator Al Franken, claiming that he gave her an unwanted kiss during rehearsal for a comedy skit on a USO tour. There was also a mildly inappropriate and rather sophomoric photo that Tweeden included in her public complaint.

For those who are not on Facebook, here is Al Franken’s statement, of just a short time ago, regarding the recently revealed activities while on a USO tour several years ago: Continue reading Leeann Tweeden’s Accusation of Al Franken, Franken’s Response →

Roy Moore will not be elected to the United States Senate by the good people of Alabama. Here’s why.

Politics, , ,

The last four polls show Moore ahead of Jones by 6% and 10%, even, and Jones ahead of Moore by 4%. All these polls were done over the last week, and there is no temporal trend to speak of. This means, of course, that the race is not fait accompli. While Moore is more ahead than Jones when he is ahead, Moore is only ahead in half the recent polls. Yet, everyone is convinced that Moore will win no matter what. I believe that is incorrect. Continue reading Roy Moore will not be elected to the United States Senate by the good people of Alabama. Here’s why. →

The Untermassfeld Controversy

Anthropology, , , ,

Ancient European humans and their near relatives such as late Homo erectus, “archaic” Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans all come from an African stock. While some of the variation we see in these late members of the genus Homo certainly arose in Eurasia, these groups all represent either African populations or stems coming off an African trunk.

There are two chronologies proposed for the early occupation of Europe, for the time before these branches are clearly visible. The “long chronology” has human relatives in Europe perhaps as far back as two million years, and the “short chronology” has these human relatives at around a half million years ago or later.

The truth is probably this: Continue reading The Untermassfeld Controversy →