October 2, 2008
I would have seriously given Biden a nice crisp one dollar bill if he would have taken the opportunity, just once, to correct her pronunciation.
What is it that they can school them on the talking points, but not how to say one simple word?
Sheesh.
Gas PainsHere's a fun one. CNN's Money lists a sampling of gas prices around the world. Locally (Dallas) we've been hovering around $2.80 +/- a quarter for a few months. Meantime, you could spend north of $6 a gallon in Europe, or just 12 cents a gallon in Caracas. What's more interesting is Money's commentary: '"The price of oil is pretty much the same around the world," said Dr. Frederic Murphy of Temple University's Fox School of Business. "The difference between gasoline prices is determined by a country's taxes or inefficient national petroleum monopoly." Murphy points out that previous oil crunches were precipitated by a devalued U.S. dollar, which oil trades in, and from embargoes. But neither of those events occurred...
The Next Iron Chef ScorecardI don't know why I've got a weak spot for TV chef "reality" shows. I've watched Hell's Kitchen (both the US and UK versions -- the UK is much better, btw), The F-Word (UK), Top Chef, and I'm a big fan of Tony Bourdain's No Reservations. I also watch Iron Chef every now and again, mostly because I enjoy Alton Brown, but it's about my least favorite "cooking reality" show. On Sunday, the Food Network served up their newest effort, "The Next Iron Chef". The format is roughly akin to Top Chef's (short early challenge, which gets the winner an advantage in the main challenge), albeit with the usual Iron Chef ingredient goofiness. As a seasoned Iron Viewer, here's my...
Maverick? Oh, and "Maverick"? Seriously? Somebody thought that beating that tag until it bled was a great idea? What do people associate Maverick with these days? Crummy '70's economy cars? Old James Garner horse operas? Tom Cruise before he went nuts? The more these people try to play "folksie", the more it strikes me as cynical and deluded. And I grew up in a small town too. (image via Mad Science's photostream)...
The Next Iron Chef Episode 2 Scorecard· The Chairman just phones it in: +20 points · Tons of shiny gadgetry: +30 points · 7 Chefs intimidated by said gadgetry: +20 points · Extremely brief glimpse of judging: -25 points · Alton nearly has to whack a chef for failing to stop at time out: +15 points · The last woman chef bites the dust (secret ingredient for the rest of the season: Sausage!): -10 points Total: +50 Points I get tired of the foam-and-mango-caviar crowd as fast as anybody, but there was a point to this -- if you really understand cooking, these gadgets, powders and techniques will let you get effects you couldn't easily get any other way. On the other hand, if you don't...
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