Darwin award

April Sterling was struck and killed near the scene of a freeway accident. Initial news reports stated that she stopped and got out of her car to help the victims of the accident. Later reports said she was hit while crossing a high-occupancy vehicle lane to take pictures of the accident scene.

When I first heard this story, I began writing about how some people are always thinking about the well-being of others. It was a big letdown to discover the real reason she was out of the car and walking in traffic.

Memories of Mom Monday – Porcupine meatballs

Before microwave ovens became commonplace, Mom got this new-fangled kitchen accessory called a pressure cooker. It was a heavy aluminum pot with a lid which latched on securely. When heated, the water boiling inside created an intense pressure rise inside the container. The theory was that the higher pressure allowed water to get superheated and cook the food much faster. I still fondly remember the rocking of the weight on top of the lid to regulate the pressure inside as well as the swishing sound the escaping steam made.

The unit came with a little recipe book; one of which was Porcupine Meatballs. This was like regular meatballs except that grains of raw rice was added to the mix. When cooked, the rice swelled up, giving the meatballs little white spikes on their outer surface.

We also discovered that the bones of chicken cooked in the pressure cooker came out soft enough to eat.

Sick on Sunday – All-meat wieners

Do not read these articles if you are about to eat. You have been warned!

Did Andrew Zimmern ever visit this specialty emporium in Beijing on his Bizarre Foods program? It turns out he did feature this place, Guo Li Zhuang, in a recent episode of his show.

Rest In Peace, Tim Russert…

Friday afternoon, Tim Russert died after suffering a heart attack while at work.

Though he was politically a liberal, he was always a tough yet fair moderator of Meet the Press as he grilled politicians from both sides of the aisle. He loved politics and that enthusiasm made his show a success.

Russert was also a best-selling author. His first book was a tribute to his relationship with his father, “Big Russ”, followed by another about the relationships between fathers and their children.

Tim Russert, you were one of the great ones. We will miss you.

Top 5 on Friday

Top 5 songs about fatherhood

1. Cats in the Cradle – Harry Chapin
2. Daddy’s Hands – Holly Dunn
3. Watching Scotty Grow – Bobby Goldsboro
4. Patches – Clarence Carter
5. A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash

Things which peeve me Thursday – Windfall profits tax

A couple of days ago, Democrats in the Senate attempted and failed to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies as a response to high oil prices. This tactic was tried during the Carter Administration and it did not work then; it will not work now. At best, this is “share the misery” legislation; at worse, the oil companies will simply pass the cost on to us, the consumer.

Economics says if you want more of something, subsidize it; if you want less of something, tax it. Many years have passed since my economics classes in college but I do not think this has changed. Can someone please remind me how placing an additional tax on oil producers might make them produce more oil or charge less for the oil they sell?

I didn’t think so…

Attack of the killer tomatoes

Though nobody has died from the latest salmonella outbreak, you might think so from the media coverage of the numerous stores and restaurants which have withheld many varieties of tomatoes from their customers. There have been 167 reported cases, mostly in New Mexico and Texas.

Yesterday, the FDA cleared tomatoes grown in California, Texas and many counties of Florida for sale. I am starting to suspect imports from south of the border and hope that the FDA is not keeping the source of the contamination secret out of political correctness. The longer before the problem is resolved, the more tomato producers on both sides of the border will suffer.

Unintended consequences

The city of Minneapolis just passed an ordinance limiting the idling of motor vehicles to three minutes except while in traffic. Their stated target is the warming up of automobiles on a cold morning.

Many cities already ban the idling of unoccupied vehicles to prevent auto theft. This new law is aimed at occupied vehicles.

I can already hear the howls of protest when they begin ticketing soccer moms in their minivans waiting to pick up their kids at school when cold weather arrives.

Humans, being an inventive species, will probably come up with the solution of driving in a “parking orbit” around part of the school grounds so as to remain “in traffic” while waiting. The result will be more pollution and a greater danger of running over a little one.

If you truly want to reduce air pollution and fuel consumption, put your effort into synchronizing traffic signals instead. What was that? The city cannot make any revenue doing that? Oh, silly me, I thought you were trying to help us.

Memories of Mom Monday – Eggs & coffee

We took many trips by car together as a family. Before motels began offering “free” breakfast included with the price of the room, we usually started the day at a place like Denny’s, Sambo’s or Bob’s Big Boy. Most of the time, we would each order a plate consisting of a choice of some combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes, hash browns, toast.

Ordering became rather routine. The waitress would go around the table as we stated what we wanted in turn. One time, Mom either really needed her morning cup of joe or was somehow distracted. When her turn came, the exchange went something like this:

Waitress: “And what would you like, ma’am?”

Mom: “A number two.”

Waitress: “How would you like your eggs?”

Mom: “Coffee.”

We all immediately caught the error and started to laugh. Replying “coffee” when asked how the eggs were to be prepared became a long-running joke inside the family.

Sick on Sunday – Hairbands

Be very careful buying hairbands made in China.

Some are made from recycled rubbers. No, that was not a typo…and I don’t even want to think about how they got their raw materials. Also check out the name of the dermatologist quoted in the article…more along these lines in next week’s installment.