

"Café" in the post title signifies an open thread, where you can write about whatever you want, including how positively entrancing you find sycamore trees photographed through a fisheye lens.


The original image of this ancient Etruscan she-wolf, owned by the Capitoline Museum in Rome, dates from 500 B.C. (The original Etruscan babies were lost long ago and were replaced during the Renaissance period with the present images of Romulus and Remus, which accounts for the difference in sculptural styles.) The she-wolf is the symbol of Rome and is known as the 'Lupa Romana,' or the 'Wolf of Rome,' because she is credited with saving the lives of Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome....
The replica of the Capitoline Museum's wolf was given to the City of Cincinnati by the Premier of Italy, Benito Mussolini, through the local chapter of the Sons of Italy. The "Anno X" in the inscription refers the tenth year of Mussolini's regime. The sculpture was given in recognition of the fact that Cincinnati is the only American city to bear the name of a Roman hero, the Roman general Cincinnatus.
An Edjamikated Redneck said...(Ha ha. Hot White. Here's my pic of the Hot (supposedly) Brown.)
Now dag nab it Trooper; I ate the Hot Brown (which was actually more like a Hot White -- being chicken & all and not the original Roast Beef -- but the chicken is healthier, not that I'm worried about my health, but... Where was I? Oh, yeah).
Any way, it was not a crap sandwich as you have portrayed (yeah it did look pretty wild when it came out of the kitchen with a knife stuck in it -- and this was a classy place; well classier anyway -- I mean it is usually the dives where something comes out of the kitchen with a knife in it- and its usually the cook... Where was I? Oh, yeah).Carp sandwich?
It was a pretty good sandwich (I mean the comments over at Althouse; Heart attack on a bun! It was CHICKEN for cryin' out loud! It’s the original white meat! Not like it was pork or something… Where was I? Oh, yeah).
And I was with some classy folks (not that I would meet and tell you understand, but you know Althouse was there; how much classier can you get? And the place actually served long neck PBRs! Do you expect a place like that to serve a crap sandwich? I mean hell, it’s not the Congressional Dining Room for Pete’s sake! I mean there they KNOW a carp sandwich when they serve one… Where was I? Oh, yeah).
So, I want y’all to lay off my dinner; it was a great place and a helluva good time (you know the place has been open since 1861? My Great-Granddad ran a hotel on that block in the 1870’s; most likely he probably had at least one beer there himself, back in the day. He was German ya know we seem to have some sort of reputation as beer drinkers… Where was I? Oh, yeah).Redneck responds to Darcy's request for details about the meet-up:
Any way Darcy, as much I would like to accommodate you and spill the beans on last night (now there’s a meal that would deserve comments! What if I would have had a plate of beans and rice? Not like a place classy as that, and on the northern side of the river would even serve beans, but… Dag nab it; did it again! Where was I? Oh, yeah).Ha ha. Makes me think of this:
A gentleman never tells the details. We had a good time, ate a good meal and all parted amicably.
One detail I will spill; Not only did I get to meet Althouse; I also got to meet Silvio.
And he took me at the light. I got to admit THAT was not the highlight of the evening (no redneck, even us edjamikated ones, like to admit that we lost a drag race, but her ‘chauffer’ caught me flat-footed trying to retune the radio when the light changed. First I knew the light was green was when I heard the roar of an Audi’s exhaust… Where was I? Oh, yeah).
The End.
JournaList is keeping an eye on your behavior.(Note: it's JournoList.)
I wonder, are they putting together a dossier on those sites that, you know, traffic in hate?
Because that might come in useful to some, especially in a climate wherein the Fairness Doctrine is ascendant.
[David] Axelrod's daughter, Lauren, is a longtime Special Olympian who has competed in swimming and track and field events. His wife, Susan, was part of a delegation led last month by Vice President Joe Biden to the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho.One punchline tossed on Leno far overshadows all that real connection that his administration had here. And it's especially sad because (I don't think) Obama was just spouting a new joke that sprang into his head. I think it was a scripted punchline.
"This was a degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world," fumed former GOP veep pick and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose youngest son, Trig, has Down syndrome.
"These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will," she added.
In his most direct assessment of Obama and prospects for improved ties, Khamenei said there will be no change between the two countries unless the American president puts an end to U.S. hostility toward Iran and brings ''real changes'' in foreign policy.Of course not. And it was silly ever to think that it could.
''They chant the slogan of change but no change is seen in practice. We haven't seen any change."...
... Khamenei asked how Obama could congratulate Iranians on the new year and accuse the country of supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons in the same message.
''As long as the U.S. government continues the same policies and directions of the previous 30 years, we will be the same nation of the past 30 years,'' Khamenei said. ''The Iranian nation can't be deceived or threatened.''

"Meet the Press" is now the de facto safe show on Sunday morning - "safe," that is, for those being interviewed.But I'm not buying the notion that Obama avoided MTP — and opted for Leno — because the show is too easy. I think the show is still too hard.
Gregory has been handed perhaps the most important program in television journalism. It's time to start acting like the king who rules wisely yet ruthlessly. Otherwise, his legacy will match that of Garrick Utley or Bill Monroe - moderators who were highly respected but not highly feared.
“[Your bowling score was] very good, Mr. President,” Leno said sarcastically.What a fabulously lame excuse! On that theory, when you do or say something stupid, "I'm retarded" is an acceptable witticism. That theory is so...
It’s “like the Special Olympics or something,” the president said.
When asked about the remark, the White House said the president did not intend to offend.
“The president made an off-hand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics,” White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton said.

"The Mutated Chicken of Death"?Issob Morocco said:
Prelude to Heart Bypass Surgery.Peter V. Bella said:
Vampire Chicken.MadisonMan said:
I don't know the name, but I do know you can't kill a sandwich like that with a knife -- you need a silver bullet or a cross.An Edjamikated Redneck said:
MM- I'll have you know I killed that sandwich with nothing more than a fork and a large appetite.Yes, that was an Edjamikated Redneck's sandwich, which I photographed at the Cincinnati blogger-commenter meet-up at Arnold's Bar and Grill. Now, the menu is not available at the link, but I can tell you that it was listed on the menu as a hot brown.
And a little ice tea to wash it down.
Of course the fork may have been silver; I didn't stop long enough to check.





Some people act "outraged" that he changed Johnny Cash's version. Well, I can't remember any other time someone acted like it was disrespectful to the original artist for an AI contestant to do a drastically reworked version of a song in a totally different style than the original. David Cook's Billie Jean performance was praised. Jennifer Hudson did a gospel version of Imagine and no one said anything. People may have not liked Kristy Lee Cook's country version of Eight Days A Week, but no one acted like she disrespected The Beatles. So why the fuss about this one? Perhaps because he's homosexualizing a country song by a masculine country star. Is it the cultural clash between the traditional South and a flamboyantly gay singer that people find so jarring? It might be. If the same people saw a video of Jeff Buckley (who was presumably heterosexual) doing the same version of Ring of Fire, would they be so shocked by it?
"We don't want it to distract from his message," said press secretary Rachel Mills. "Now is the time when people need to be listening to him on economic issues."
Mills, who was present at the taping, did elaborate on the "queer" line. "I heard him say 'weird,' " she wrote in an e-mail. "In any case, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer as Folk … it's not exactly a shocking term if that's what he did say."
Mills also noted that Cohen's people were "very deceptive in their tactics." At the time, she thought they were "legitimate," but now confesses to some concern. "I'm familiar with his work, so you can imagine how I feel about it," she said.
I wonder how American boys would stack up on this test? How many 15 year old boys are active in mainstream politics? Run the USA comparison based on street gangs vs. mainstream politics and we will look like Mad Max's utopia.Amba said:
Yeah, since when were 15-year-old boys active in mainstream politics? They can't even vote yet, and there's no forbidden, secret-society fun in it. Stupid statistic.
“Adam Lambert and Lil Rounds are better singers and musicians than Gokey and Grace, but they’re too much like past winners and ‘A’ successes,” the woman said. “Adam’s too close in style and sound to Chris Daughtry, while Lil Rounds is a dead ringer for Fantasia. Even their background stories are similar!Adam is like Chris Daughtry? That's so off that I doubt the source entirely. They've never had anyone like Adam in a position to win. Adam is the most exciting choice. You might just as well say that Gokey is too much like Taylor Hicks.
“The producers really want it to be Danny or Alexis. They think they’re very commercially viable, have a good image and a great story.”
Bon Ton [is] an exclusive establishment in the capital where an hour-long session costs NZ$400 (£140; $200). [Prostitutes have] the opportunity to work for a legitimate business in a safe environment....
"[The Swedish approach of prosecuting the clients instead of the prostitutes] would scare away the quality customers," she says. "We would be left with the dangerous sort. The nasty men won't go away."
Bon Ton - which thrives on "quality customers" like lawyers and civil servants - certainly looks like an ideal showcase for New Zealand-style liberalisation.
The bedrooms look like luxury suites, the upstairs office looks like - well... an office, and the workers say they are treated with respect....
Across the industry, she says, women are now aware of their rights and exploitative brothel owners are becoming marginalised as a result of the reform.
"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they’d follow the Japanese model and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I’m sorry, and then either do one of two things — resign, or go commit suicide."Later, he got a spokeswoman to clarify. (Is it really sufficiently Japanese for a man to get a spokeswoman to explain his remarks?)
[S]pokeswoman Jill Gerber clarified Grassley’s comments, saying "clearly he was speaking rhetorically – he meant there’s no culture of shame and acceptance of responsibility for driving a company into the dirt in this country. If you asked him whether he really wants AIG executives to commit suicide, he’d say of course not."Okay, then: Fuck yourself, Senator Grassley. That's rhetoric. Of course, I don't really want you to fuck yourself. And, actually, I agree with you. We need more shame around here. Let's do some shaming. Let's shame everyone in the executive branch and Congress who let our money flow into AIG without building in the kinds of restrictions that would have prevented the use of the money in the way that Grassley and others are bitching about now that it's too late. So bow down, Senator Grassley. Take a deep bow and say you're sorry. And then resign or go commit suicide like the Japanese stereotype that you think is cool to bring up when you are making a display of venting your anger at the people you want us Americans to be angry at — instead of you.
Althouse, could you post a photo of a steaming hot bowl of chili from Skyline or Red Star? Having a good sensory memory, I'll be able to smell it through the computer screen.Yes, I can. I think you mean Gold Star Chili, but, in any case, we went to Skyline and got the 5-way chili.

The New York actor Ron Silver introduces the subject of the 9/11 attacks. He yells: "We will never forget. We will never forgive. We will never excuse." At that, a huge cheer bursts out ("Yeah!"). The camera scans the crowd and shows George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush laughing and nodding and clapping. Following the long cheer, Silver quotes General MacArthur: "At the end of World War II, Douglas MacArthur ... said, 'It is my earnest hope, indeed the hope of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion, a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past, a world found[ed] upon faith, understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfilment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice.' The hope he expressed then remains relevant today." There is no cheer, but Silver pauses and waits for a cheer, and a short cheer ensues. But definitely, and disturbingly, for this crowd "We will never excuse" was a much more popular sentiment than the hope of a better world. Later, he gets another heartfelt cheer: when he says "This is a war in which we had to respond." He criticizes his fellow entertainers who catalogue the world's wrongs but are unwilling to fight against them. He says, emphatically, "The President is doing exactly the right thing."It took courage for an actor to say that — in that prominent setting. The President is doing exactly the right thing.