Art for Arts' Sake
My mantra during the last couple of years has been "Biden is not smart enough to be president". I'm was a Biden fan, but his messaging was horrific and folks are getting their fake news unfiltered these days. If you don't manage your message and those sources, you lose elections. He had a great comeback economy from COVID, he gets blamed for inflation. Stock market bounces back to historic highs, his environmental legislation is crushing businesses. High tech businesses rushing overseas, the CHIPS act. What has Trump done right? Well, one thing for sure. Trump promised to fix the southern border. He wins the election, starts working on ending birthright citizenship, surges 7000 troops south and cancels the mechanism where you just show up and claim asylum. Arrests last month at the southern border, 8,347. Arrests at the southern border one year earlier (February 2024) under Biden were 140, 641! You may not like how he is doing it, but he ran on that. He's doing that. Progressives Beware. If the nationalist right starts delivering on election promises, you are going to see Animal Farm being played out live on your television sets. Minnesota Republicans have a bill right now, making Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) a real mental health category. They want to institutionalize people who publicly say that Trump is a lying misogynistic bigot who has torn up or ignored every agreement he ever signed. I saw a headline about a proposal to get a fifth bust carved into Mount Rushmore. Guess who? Nobel peace prize after he forces Ukraine to cede land to Russia? You heard it here first. Orwell lives!
Apples and Oranges
Recently, Poilievre's win appeared inevitable. What was his platform? Axe the Tax. That's it. Similar results will follow unless progressives develop equally quick, clever responses. I argued with a buddy who suggested that Carney is exactly the same as Trump. Really? Here's how Carney grew up ....
This Weeks List
Pretty respectable flyer from Zehr's this week. I spoke to the Assistant Manager in my store. Zehr's is finally catching up to Food Basics to identify Prepared in Canada products. I see little maple leaves scattered throughout the flyer. I think they should just stop advertising the big American brands, but I have added the worst offenders to your boycott list at the bottom. Not much going on with the competitive flyers but I did see fresh lamb leg over at FB for six bucks a pound. I'm not a lamb guy, but if you are so inclined, that looks like a pretty good deal. Here's your list:
Try This For Those Ribs In Your Freezer
You might remember a few months ago, I suggested a method for cutting up Prime Rib, when you buy it in bulk and on sale? We took the roast off the bones, then separated the ribs and froze them in packs of two? I pulled a package out last Sunday and tried a new recipe. SWMBO is tired of those perfect ribs I make with my scratch rub cooked over mesquite. Jeesh! So, here is what I tried.
Try This For That Brisket You Bought This Week
In the world of mysterious and arcane cooking skills, the one that usually comes to mind is souffle. Unclear what it is; fragile and easily disrupted. Non French- speaking sous chefs need not apply. Right behind that is brisket. Thousands of pages of instructions. Fist fights around the BBQ. I have a smoker, so that would be my first choice. Not in March. I have three slow cookers. That would be my second choice. You (for sure) have an oven. Here is a dead simple brisket recipe for your oven that looks pretty good to me ... https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/57264/simply-the-easiest-beef-brisket/
We Are Watching
Unforgotten on Britbox - More excellent British police drama. I think the whole series is only 30 episodes and well worth your time.
The Electric State - You might think that with 332 million dollars, Billy Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt and Stanley Tucci, you might turn out a decent movie? Not so much. Netflix viewers are apparently eating it up? I don't see it. There are eye popping special effects but pretty cartoonish characterizations and a very predictable storyline.
Mission Impossible (Dead Reckoning) - A slurry of Bond level supermodels and they even march out the abominable Kitteridge from previous installments. It still can't save a featherweight script and Charlie Chaplin car chases. Nothing to see here. These are not the droids you are looking for.
Silo (Season Two) - Nope. I would be surprised if they make a Season 3. You can only watch Rebecca Ferguson dive into the water of Silo 17 to start a pump for for six or seven hours before you feel the writers didn't really have much to say after the first Season?
The Penguin (Season One) - Finished it. Pretty great stuff with a lovely little twist in the very last shot. This will get renewed for sure.
... and finally
The sheer genius behind this masterpiece is breathtaking. For the sake of art. It would appear this project took heavy equipment, rock hammers and cranes not to mention the creation of the artifact itself. I love this guy (quiet!). However, the line that really struck me was the helicopter pilot's statement: "We fly pretty low to identify the gender of the sheep." So, how low do you have to fly to identify its gender? I'm pretty sure if I was sitting in a helicopter ON THE GROUND, I might have a problem doing that. If fact, I could lie on my back and have the sheep walk over me. "I got nothing, do that again"
Ten weeks until June 1st. Start some seedlings on the windowsill.