Santa Claus Blog

Santa Claus Blog

One of Santa's many Blogs.

Rec: Green Tomatoe Pie

Store-bought pastry shell. I pre-bake the bottom so it’s not mushy (think you’re supposed to but since I never see it on the cook shows, who knows?).

Cup of brown sugar.

Stick & ¼ or more of salted butter.
½ cup sliced almonds
Teaspoon of ground cloves
Teaspoon of cinnamon
Three or four REALLY big green, green tomatoes or six or seven tomatillos. You want the greener and the harder the better. The pale green ones don’t have as much taste. The going-to-pink or red ones don’t have the “tang.” Dice the tomatoes up.
Finely shredded cheddar cheese – about ½ cup?

Brown the butter. When it’s really bubbling, add the sugar and cloves and cinnamon. Keep stirring till it’s got a nice even consistency and the sugar is thoroughly melted. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are fork tender. Then stir in the almonds or whatever nuts you prefer. Check your mix while cooking by tasting. Add or subtract at will.

You’ve already browned the bottom pastry layer. Put a layer of the cheddar cheese on it. Pour the mix in the pie. Put another layer of cheese over the mix. Put on the top pastry sheet and bake until browned. Or leave it as an open pie with the nuts on top and bake until it’s bubbling and you haven’t burned the pie crust edge. This will only take a very, very few minutes in the oven.

Done. Let cool a bit and serve. I don’t add salt. Salt is in the butter and the cheese already.

The Thought For The Day

"You can pick out actors by the glazed look that comes into their eyes when the conversation wanders away from themselves." - Michael Wilding

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

This is the tree that sits in my den all year round - as a reminder. There are more important things than shiny new toys.

Federal Budget Stabilizer

YOUR CHALLENGE:

Stabilize the U.S. Debt at 60% of GDP by 2021.

It's no secret that America's finances are unsustainable. So, what can be done about it? The problem has been mounting for a long time and it cannot be fixed overnight, but we need to start addressing it now.
The debt of the United States is rising to unprecedented – and unsustainable – levels. Under reasonable assumptions, the public debt of the U.S. is projected to grow to 91% of GDP by 2025, 149% in 2040 and 415% in 2080. No country can support debt at these levels without huge costs to its standard of living, at a minimum, and most likely a severe crisis. HAVE FUN!

The Thought For Today

“The purpose of Man’s life is to become an abject zombie who serves a purpose he does not know, for reasons he is not to question.” - Ayn Rand

Cool Haunts Link Page

So, I'm watching this really crappy horror flick last night, "Death Tunnel." Typical 5 young girls forced to spend the night in a haunted hospital theme. I watched it because I have an extreme interest in abandoned places, specifically old state hospitals, asylums, sanatoriums, etc. "Death Tunnel" was based on a "true" story involving Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Interesting place. I found the above site looking for some other haunts. There are many out there. Unfortunately, the link on this site for Waverly is dead. Try http://www.therealwaverlyhills.com/ for the official site, and another good one is http://www.prairieghosts.com/waverly_tb.html. I may actually be going to Louisville, KY within the next year and if so, will post pictures of Waverly.

ExtremePumpkins.com - Extreme Pumpkin Carving

ExtremePumpkins.com - Extreme Pumpkin Carving

Beautiful.

Zombie Pumpkins - Get your pumpkins ready

Get the jack-o-lanterns ready with some cool carving patterns from Zombie Pumpkins.


Check out the pumpkin patch at Crumpkin's Pumpkins:

The Thought For Today

"'Tis the night - the night Of the grave's delight, And the warlocks are at their play; Ye think that without The wild winds shout, But no, it is they - it is they." - Arthur Cleveland Coxe

Toronto Department of Zombie Disposal commences operations | Boing Boing Gadgets

Toronto Department of Zombie Disposal commences operations Boing Boing Gadgets


Way cool.

Zombie Reporting Center

Zombie Reporting Center


Here's what you've been waiting for. A clearing house for everything zombie or as they like to be known as, the living impaired. Books, movies, comics, conventions and just about anything else you can think of.

The Thought For Today

"For as children tremble and fear everything in the blind darkness, so we in the light sometimes fear what is no more to be feared than the things children in the dark hold in terror and imagine will come true." - Titus Lucretius Carus

The Thought For Today

"Bring forth the raisins and the nuts- Tonight All-Hallows' Specter struts Along the moonlit way." - John Kendrick Bangs

Ghost Singles

"The best dating site for dead singles." Go for it!

Illegal Alien Adult Costume - Costumes

Yup, you've seen it in the news and here's where you can get it. Hell, I think that it's funny, but then, no one's chasing me.

Rue Morgue

Tanned, rested....and ready to retire. Too bad I have to wait a few, 10 years, until I can collect a pension. Either way, back from a week at the beach. A week without mutants, crime scenes, and Musikfest (see last weeks post). Also, a week without a cell phone (oops, left it, I mean forgot it, at home, and sans computer and the internet. Damn, a week without the net, I can see Eric shudder as he reads that.

Since I had no electronic media (my PSP DOES NOT count!!! playing the Family Guy video game is rather mind numbing) I finally had a chance t catch up on reading print media. Books and magazines. Speaking of magazines, I got caught up on a few past issues of Rue Morgue magazine. Check the link above. It is a decent mag for horror fans. Much better than just the gore-zines. More in-depth articles, interviews, and columns not just on current movies, but oldies as well. Also, they cover books, graphic novels, video games, and music.

Rue Morgue is a Canadian publication and can probably be found in the "big box" book stores. Their web site is decent. Check out Rue Morgue Radio when you're there. Good stuff.

DEATH BROS.

DEATH BROS.

"CHUCK & RALPH were weird & wild when they were alive. Now they're ghosts & nothing can stop them from having a hell of an afterlife." Well it's Weird Friday again and...I don't know what to say about this Site. Really. Really, really. Go. Enjoy. Laugh.

The Thought For Today

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." - Marie Curie

National POW/MIA Recognition Day

REMEMBER...

The Thought For Today

"We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality." - Albert Einstein

Numbers According to the Movies

Here is one way to teach your kid numbers. Now we need one for the alphabet.

FreeRice

FreeRice

Interesting and cool. And worth repeating. Add it to your Favorites list. It DID make my head hurt after Level 49. Share a little.

The Thought For Today

"When I study philosophical works I feel I am swallowing something which I don't have in my mouth." - Albert Einstein

The Thought For Today

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead." - Oscar Wilde

TRASH PALACE

A good place to find the long forgotten or perhaps a new treasure. A nice collection of stuff you won't be able to find just anywhere. Perhaps one of the best yet I've found.

The Thought For Today

"You teach me baseball and I'll teach you relativity...no we must not. You will learn about relativity faster than I learn baseball." - Albert Einstein

Urban Legends Reference Pages

Urban Legends Reference Pages

Those cute stories and pictures that your friends send in the Email? This is the place to find out if they're real or just urban legends. You can also sign up for the newsletter get the latest on new stories as they come out. "She put her what in the microwave to dry it? Oh my god!"

The Thought For Today

"Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live." - Socrates

Lifestreams

Check out The Edge for the latest on where we're going in our digital lives. The future is nearly here, and it's not what we thought it would be. (Is it ever?)

Don't jump....as tempting as it is...

Empornium and PureTNA gone...

End of an era.

The Thought For Today

"I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale." - Marie Curie

The Thought For Today

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere."
- Carl Sagan

How To Pass A Drug Test

And from Gizmodo we have...

RIDE, SALLY, RIDE!

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-050813a.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Ride

 

Who Has Your Back 2013 (Which companies help protect your data from the government.)

Important news from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I support them and perhaps you should too.

Browser Tracking

Speaking of mind control....

The Thought For Today

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." - Leonardo da Vinci

The Ultimate (Free) Virus Protection Guide

Thank you Gizmodo! (Personally I use Zone Alarm Free and am QUITE happy with it.)

The Hard Truth From Orlando

                            NAACP: The Ostrich Organization

The NAACP President Bill Gary has filed a formal complaint against Brevard Public Schools. That's just so productive.

Brevard County Schools have come under fire from the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) because of statistics that show black students make up a disproportionate number of disciplinary suspensions compared to the actual black students numbers in the school population. Golly, since when is that news to the NAACP? Black citizens also make up a disproportionate number of the prison population compared to the population at large. Black men and women make up a disproportionate number of persons under legal supervision compared to the demographics of the general community as well. Black men and women are disproportionately represented in the national poverty statistics, too. Why is that?

Are black students being singled out, or does their own behavior and lack of family cohesion and social integration automatically make them incapable of complying with academic rules and regulations -- heck, with normal codes of behavior outside of their insular black neighborhoods? Is this more of that "well, they're black, we have to make allowances for that" logic that somehow implies black kids can't help how they act because of their color?

 It's too easy to blame "the system" for all their failures, when all any student has to do is come to school, be on time, keep their mouth shut, leave the other students alone, and do the work. The schools have bent over backwards to get counseling, guidance, special needs teachers, lunch programs, tutoring, medical assistance, clothing assistance, for students with a myriad of personal problems and family situations. The schools can't make up for crappy parents who can't be bothered to make sure their kids are dressed, fed and to school on time. The schools can't make up for parents who refuse to acknowledge that their own misbehavior is reflected in their children's anti-social dysfunction and failure to apply. The schools can't allow a belligerent, dangerous, disruptive child to continually take away the opportunities and safety of other students all in the name of "tolerance."

And I don't want to hear about "we're poor, we ain't got" clothes or food. Almost every school now has breakfast programs, lunch programs, take-home food programs for children, clothes closets for the needy. But the kids have to show up on time and be ready to participate. Poverty is not an excuse for lousy, disrespectful, non-compliant behavior. The color of your skin is not an excuse to act stupid, mean or lazy. But that's the message most of these kids have received in their community and from their parents. They can't behave in school, they can't find a decent paying job because they can't finish school, they walk the walk their parents did -- with the same results. And their children, born in poverty to parents with the same poor self-discipline and set of excuses, will do the same. Education is the way out -- if the student can put his head down, shut up, and work.

If the NAACP wants to see the problem with their youths, just come to the juvenile courthouse and watch how many of black children come before a judge on CRIMINAL charges and no parent can be bothered to show up. They can come watch how many black children are entirely on their own, even in a house with adults, and no one is supervising them -- much less attending the child's basic needs, even with every scrap of tax-payer funded and not-for-profit subsidy that can be thrown their way. Come watch how many black parents stand beside their child and excuse even the most egregious, vicious actions and turn a blind eye to their child's predictable slide into the prison system, or worse still, a quick trip to the morgue. I think they'll find the demographic of crappy black parenting rather disproportionate to the general crappy parent population as well.

There used to be rampant, in-your-face institutional discrimination. Every agency is hyper-vigilant of it and fighting to correct discrepancies. Now I think it's just a case of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe the black communities embrace failure because it's so much easier than trying to integrate into regular non-black society. It's been observed before and it will again, if the black community insists on being counted separately, then they will be counted last. Maybe the NAACP needs to fund its own program for students who can't toe the mark in public schools. Let's see how critical they are of "the system" when these kids are their problem instead of the schools system's. Maybe they'll begin to recognize that it's the black community's culture of embracing failure and blaming others that's the real issue.

 

 

     Florida Cracker

How Prepared Are You if Disaster Strikes? - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

How Prepared Are You if Disaster Strikes? - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com


Well worth taking.

The Thought For Today

"We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free." - Ronald Reagan

The Thought For Today

" When you cry havoc, the dogs of war bite everyone." - Anon

The Hard Truth From Orlando

CUT THEM LOOSE

A 15-year-old Puerto Rican girl, Enidris Siurano Rodriguez, attending school at Damascus High in Montgomery County, Maryland, is protesting the US policies regarding Puerto Rico by refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance -- or to recite the pledge, obviously. She was been admonished by a teacher, told she was essentially unpatriotic, so she contacted the ACLU, was apologized to by the principal of the school, and now there's a firestorm of support by various Latin artists and others supporting her protest.

Her refusal to stand for the Pledge, while irritating to many Americans, is supported by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The bigger question, and I don't think she's entirely wrong, is -- WHAT IS the real status of Puerto Rico to the United States of America? Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship in 1917, which establishes mostly equal protection under the laws of the United States, but Puerto Rico is still a territory and not a state, so the citizens do not have the right to vote, so they're not really, completely citizens. Ms. Rodriguez, therefore, has the right, under the Constitution, to refuse to stand for the pledge of allegiance.

However, her inelegant reasoning, per the article, makes little sense. She doesn't feel that a government so far away from the island should be able to dictate its internal policies. I haven't checked a map, but I'm pretty sure Hawaii is farther away from the mainland of the United States than Puerto Rico. Hawaii seems to be thriving under US auspices as a state and most of its residents don't seem to currently be unhappy with statehood. Alaska, too, is divided from the main body of the US by another country -- so distance is not the real issue.

It's the half-measures. They're citizens without the right to vote. They're the remnants of an antiquated and unequal colonial political system, culture, language and people whose primary identity has been overlaid by others, but who have not been vigorously assimilated. Puerto Rico as a 51st state would have to become English-speaking, as English is the official language of the United States. Puerto Ricans would not be able to have their own passports; they'd have to have U.S. passports. They would be required to fulfill ALL of the duties of citizens of the United States and they would also be entitled to all of the benefits accorded US citizens for which they are not currently eligible.

On the other hand, cutting Puerto Rico loose as an independent nation might be a better option. That would shut the door on a lot of the illegal activity flooding through our nation under half-citizen benefits by treating Puerto Ricans as citizens of their own country. They can keep their own language, culture and autonomy without the imposition of a familiar but still alien government. We full citizens can shut the door on the flood of back-door immigration and illegal criminal trade that is part and parcel of the current policies regarding our half-citizens. It would simply make us safer as a nation to restrict the open access Puerto Rico currently enjoys.

This will create something of a dilemma for the current generations of Puerto Ricans. They'll have to choose citizenship -- or those currently holding citizenship can hold dual citizenship, while those born after Puerto Rico becomes a nation will be treated as Puerto Rican citizens, with no prior claim to US citizenship.

And either solution will put an end to the peculiar tax-code for Puerto Ricans and the collection of federal funds by and federal payments to persons who are not entitled to vote for the very government that levies those taxes. It seems to me our founding fathers went to war over the very issue of taxation without representation...

It's time to resolve this. Bring 'em in, or cut 'em loose and let Ms. Rodriguez make her choice of where her allegiances lie. There are enough people around the world who want to be U.S. citizens that we don't need to hold someone as reluctant as she obviously is hostage to a political system long past its expiration date.

 

 

     Florida Cracker

andrewfarago: The Lost Marvel Team-Up: Spider-Man and Planned Parenthood!

andrewfarago: The Lost Marvel Team-Up: Spider-Man and Planned Parenthood!

It's a nice lazy Sunday morning and you've read the papers. What to do next? How about grabbing another cup of coffee and a bagel and read a Spider-Man comic from the '70s? And not just any comic. One done with Planned Parenthood. That's right, it's never too late to learn the basics with Spider-Man.

The Thought For Today

"A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it's an undo-it-yourself project." - Abigail Van Buren

Strange Stuff From Nick

I'm really not sure what to say about this. It SEEMS sadly believable.

Some light reading...

The Thought For Today

We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." - Winston Churchill

To The Survivors Of Tax Day

I hope that everyone had a pleasant Tax Day. I finally got mine done last Thursday (Online as usual) and got a bit of good news. I DON'T OWE ANYTHING! Wow, that means that I get to keep all my internal organs for ANOTHER year! Thanks Uncle Sam!


(And a P.S.: Avoid Turbo Tax FREE. Even though it seems simple enough, if you hit the wrong button, as I did, you'll end up paying big. Rated 1 out of 10, just because it IS in English. Otherwise I would give it a 0.)

The Thought For Today

"When the solution is simple, God is answering." - Albert Einstein

SF Signal: Leonard Nimoy Explains the Origins of the Vulcan Salute

SF Signal: Leonard Nimoy Explains the Origins of the Vulcan Salute


An interesting bit of history...

"The Most Brilliant Sci-Fi Mind on Any Planet: Philip K. Dick" 1975 Rolling Stone Article by Paul Williams - Boing Boing

"The Most Brilliant Sci-Fi Mind on Any Planet: Philip K. Dick" 1975 Rolling Stone Article by Paul Williams - Boing Boing


The article is old and Phil is long (1928-1982) dead, but it's still interesting reading.

A Weapon Better than Bullets?

Here is another great idea from Tess Gerritsen. She doesn't suggest this would be a good biological weapon for us to master, but I don't see why not. We would have to change the military uniforms of course; lots of Velcro required. On the other hand, maybe we should spend the developmental money on a mechanical version. Yet again, going the biological route would mean the enemy would have to kill you to disarm you. Hmmm, obviously a lot to ponder here.

Obama Is Setting Us Up

Not sure that I agree 100% with Nick on this, but...

The Thought For Today

"True love comes quietly without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked." - Erich Segal

The Inmates Are Running The Asylum

Those Stupid Assholes are at it AGAIN!

The Thought For Today

“Never do business with a religious son-of-a-bitch. His word ain't worth a shit -- not with the Good Lord telling him how to fuck you on the deal.” -  William S Burroughs

Free Classic Arcade Games

Six of them to be exact.

ICED

You too can be an illegal alien, and not just in AZ/AL.

RPS - 25

RPS - 25

If you find the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors confusing, DO NOT GO HERE! In this new version, there are 25 different hand signals giving 300 possible outcomes. Just looking at the chart makes my head hurt, so if you're a glutton for punishment, enjoy.

The Emulator Zone - Playstation 2 Emulators

The Emulator Zone - Playstation 2 Emulators

For anyone who likes the PS2 games but can't really afford a console, here are some free emulators. Now you can play those games that you found at the garage sale on your computer. And while you're there, check out the other game and computer emulators.

HAPPY DARWIN DAY!

http://io9.com/5983794/happy-darwin-day-you-damn-dirty-ape+cousins

Mahjongg on the Net

For those of you who may not be familiar with the Netives gaming site, it's pretty nifty. The site is free and includes Spider Solitaire (a personal favorite), Marbles, MarbleDrop, Wordsmith PairUp, Gems and, of course, Mahjongg. These games generally depend more on strategy than timing. I haven't played all the games on the site, but most of them are not bang, bang shoot-'em ups. Aren't there enough of those out there already? No need for them at this site!

The Thought For Today

"War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way 'til you can." - Winston Churchill

STAR SONATA : Space MMORPG : Unlimited Free Play

STAR SONATA : Space MMORPG : Unlimited Free Play


Space adventure and unlimited free play. Free. Yup, that's what caught my eye.

TrackMania

A free racing download: "TrackMania Nations Forever offers a new complete "Forever" version of the Stadium environment, a complete solo mode and 65 brand new, progressively difficult tracks..."

In case you didn't see it the first time....

Elitist Hypocrisy gone horribly awry...

365 days of free games | GamesRadar

365 days of free games GamesRadar


What can I say. They're not Quake or WoW but they are free and with that many of them, there's sure to be a few goodies.

Deano Sez: Gotta have this...

Save some $, forget the 50-inch flat screen....get one of these, you got hi-def on your monitor...

The Thought For The Day

"I used to think that I was stupid, and then I met philosophers." - Terry Pratchett

The Thought For Today

"Sex without love is merely healthy exercise." - Robert Heinlein