Headless Blogger

I am going

2011-12-30T19:17:00.001-06:00

I paid 57% of face and didn't even know I was getting a deal until the tickets arrived.

Rose Colored Glasses

2011-12-24T21:25:00.003-06:00

I decided tonight that I am going with my wife and son to see the Badgers press the Ducks at the Rose Bowl. Tickets are available from the low-$100's, it's just a short drive from PHX, and I lost my job so I don't have to work on the 3rd. Opportunities like this don't happen every day.

Wind power constipates the Midwest grid

2011-12-12T09:11:00.003-06:00

Another unintended consequence of wind power, the Midwest electric grid cannot transmit all the wind generated power when the wind blows hard. Reported by Energy Central:

The transmission team plans for peak hours, or when maximum demand will occur on the system. Incorporating assumptions about what the generation and load will be during peak hours in a transmission planner’s model runs into problems when, for example, 4,000 MW of wind power to which the resource planning team had given a capacity rating of 600 MW generates at full capacity.

“When I plan a transmission system that’s capable of 600 MW firm, what do I do with the other 3,400 MW if it shows up?” Bradish said. “It’s happening now and is causing issues on our transmission grid.”

This is making planning that used to be relatively routine more complex, said Chuck Liebold, PJM’s manager of interregional planning.

“PJM is now recommending transmission upgrades due to light load criteria, which looks at a 50% peak load and is heavily influenced by renewables integration,” Liebold said.

The solution, spend more money, much more money than the cost of the windmills, to upgrade the transmission grid.

How far will they go?

2011-12-01T15:23:00.002-06:00

The great attorney had come to Los Angeles from Chicago to defend James and John McNamara, brothers and unionists accused of conspiring to bomb the Los Angeles Times, the city’s anti-union newspaper, killing 20 printers and newsmen. But jury selection had not gone well, and Darrow feared the brothers would hang.

Is this outside of the arsenal of Wisconsin's Walker-haters? We can only pray that it is.

Union über alles.

Found it here: Smithsonian Mag

Funniest thing you'll see all day

2011-11-21T08:26:00.000-06:00

Waaaah!

Crybabies.

Ped State

2011-11-08T18:30:00.002-06:00

So Jerry Sandusky was a great defensive coordinator and the heir apparent to Joe Pa as PSU's head coach. But he took an early retirement instead 12 years ago. At age 55, with Joe at age 72 or so.

Sandusky must have suddenly got tired of football.

Something smells about those circumstances.

What did Paterno know and when did he know it?

Discount Doublecheck

2011-10-30T15:28:00.004-05:00

Its nice to see Aaron Rodgers is finally getting the love that goes with being a Super Bowl MVP quarterback. I even like the way State Farm mainstreamed The Belt.

But those assholes from Illinois just couldn't stop there. They had to stereotype Packers fans as dipship cheesehead wearing maniacs. Why not just use the N-word, it would be just as offensive to some of us.

I am the 99%

2011-10-29T13:10:00.004-05:00

I am 53 years old.

My job was relocated too far to commute during Clinton’s last year. Since then I have lived a gypsy’s existence, working and living hundreds of miles from my home as I support my family.

When I had cancer I found that my private health insurance policy protected the insurer, not the insured. Despite working as many hours as I could while on chemotherapy, I could not continue to pay my bills and mortgage without tapping my savings. By the time I had fully paid for my cancer treatment, the funds that were set aside for my children's college educations were exhausted.

To help my children though school, I borrowed against the equity in my home for a total that came close to six figures.

My real estate investments have crashed in value since I made them and because of this seemingly endless recession, I cannot raise the rents I charge my tenants.

My retirement portfolio is as reliable as the Texas Rangers bullpen and I have little faith that Washington will make the Social Security payments they have promised to me. I hope to retire before I turn 70, that's a little less than 20 years later than the teachers my age who've retired from Wisconsin schools and who’s pensions I am paying.

Because of the crashed housing bubble, new lending requirements have made it nearly impossible to qualify for a mortgage. To buy my second home. I eventually had to borrow from my 401(k) for the down payment. I now work 50 hour weeks in a job that is 1,500 miles from home in order to pay for my lifestyle, make the mortgage payments on my two houses, and to help support my three adult children as they get started.

I am sorry to admit that I am not one of the 1%. I don't have the talent or drive or risk tolerance that it takes to get there. I am the 99%.

I am also one the 53% who pay income taxes.

I’m not complaining. I am living the American dream.

Break-in at Dad29's place?

2011-09-10T19:25:00.003-05:00

Certainly a logical conclusion upon hearing that 14,000 rounds of ammunition is missing.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Officials at Fort Bragg say an investigation is under way into the disappearance of nearly 14,000 rounds of ammunition at the Army base.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Ford, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, says the ammunition went missing from the 1st Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bragg.

The Fayetteville Observer reports (http://bit.ly/rcSmoA ) that Ford believed the ammunition was taken overnight on Tuesday. The 1st Brigade team was placed on lockdown for a few hours Wednesday night while officials conducted a search.

The missing ammunition can be used in an M-4 or M-16 assault rifle.

Ford says the 82nd Airborne Division and military police are taking the matter seriously and that "any amount of ammunition that goes missing" has "got to be accounted for."

Or could someone we know be BUYING MORE AMMO?

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/09/10/20110910north-carolina-fort-bragg-missing-ammo-ON.html#ixzz1XbD7RhjW

2011 Maricopa County Property Tax Bill

2011-09-01T17:31:00.003-05:00

$962.32 for my 3100 square foot home.

Oh yeah, but what about income taxes? Lower in AZ, too.

Vehicle license and registration? Lower.

Sales taxes? They nail us with that. Thank God for Amazon.

Oh no...

2011-09-01T17:29:00.002-05:00

A metaphor for the 2011 Brewers' season?

Feeling at home in PHX

2011-07-24T15:13:00.002-05:00

I heard this one first on the radio.

Students who attend Moya Elementary School should be happy that school is still out for the summer.
Phoenix police reported three men had destroyed 30 of the school's air-conditioning units to steal the copper coils. The price tag for fixing or replacing the units is $360,000, said Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson.

A security guard at the K-5th grade school, 406 N. 41st Ave, stumbled across the burglars at the scene of the crime about 1:45 a.m. Sunday and called police, who responded with an air and K-9 unit. The suspects, fleeing on foot, managed to get away, police said.
AZ Republic

Followed two stories later with this.

A brush fire near Interstate 17 and Central Avenue threatened several warehouses in the area Saturday night in Phoenix, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to the fire burning across 200 square feet about 9:15 p.m., said Scott Walker, a spokesman for the Phoenix Fire Department.

The fire spread into scrub and brush in the dry Salt River, and firefighters worked to keep the fire from reaching structures in the area.
AZ Republic

Jim Doyle and Ron Johnson could not be reached for comment.

They're everywhere

2011-07-14T19:57:00.003-05:00

Why is it always Palo Verde?

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his deputies arrested an illegal immigrant working inside the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Station, the nation's largest nuclear plant.

According to Arpaio, 32-year-old Cruz Loya Alvares was denied entrance at the facility's security checkpoint on Monday, when he was the driver of a work truck belonging to a private contractor doing work at Palo Verde. Security guards noticed the man's Mexican driver's license was expired. On Tuesday, Alvares was admitted to the plant as a passenger in a work truck, using an Arizona ID card. However, at a secondary checkpoint, Arpaio says further examination by authorities determined that the Arizona ID was falsified.

The sheriff says he doesn't know how long Alvares had been working inside Palo Verde, and whether Monday was the first time he had attempted to get in.

"To some extent," Arpaio says, "security at this nuclear power plant worked. But still, an illegal immigrant was permitted to gain access. This raises the question: how safe is Palo Verde really if an illegal alien can gain access to this nation's largest nuclear power facility?"

The sheriff says the incident brings into question the effectiveness of the security at other government facilities.

Arpaio says his deputies have been made aware of other incidents of illegal immigrants working in buildings containing various federal, state, and local government workplaces.

From KFYI.

UPDATE: The inevitable link from Drudge.

Grand Canyon Plank

2011-06-03T17:22:00.000-05:00

Damn beavers!

2011-05-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

What's wrong with this picture?

2011-05-02T22:52:00.004-05:00

No, not the faked final digit. The number shown is out of sequence for the document it appears on.

Holy crap!

2011-03-30T09:43:00.003-05:00

Warning, don't splash any water on Kloppenburg.

I told you so

2011-03-25T17:03:00.004-05:00

From JSOnline:

A controversial bill limiting collective bargaining for public workers has been officially published despite a temporary restraining order barring its publication.
The legislation was published Friday with a footnote that notes the restraining order, but says the law "requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to publish every act within 10 working days after its date of enactment."

The publication of the law means that it will take effect Saturday.

Is reading the Wisconsin Constitution and statutes really too hard for the dim bulb Dane County District Attorney? If he listened to Headless, he'd have known that the Secretary of State wasn't the only state agency that can publish a law.

Guess these numbers

2011-03-16T23:12:00.002-05:00

What is the significance of these numbers?

5.8%

6.2%

Excuse my ignorance ...

2011-03-14T18:12:00.003-05:00

The Wisconsin Constitution says that a law is not a law until it has been published.

Enactment of laws. SECTION 17. [As amended April 1977]
(1) The style of all laws of the state shall be “The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:”.
(2) No law shall be enacted except by bill. No law shall be in force until published.
(3) The legislature shall provide by law for the speedy publication of all laws. [1975 J.R. 13, 1977 J.R. 7, vote April 1977

Also see Chapter 985 of the statutes.

Any such publication from any of the state agencies shall be deemed official.

Where does it say that only Doug LaFollette can publish the law?

It may also be a good time for the Tea Party Drum & Whistle Corps to begin practicing in front of LaFollette's door.

Why won't public union members drive UAW cars?

2011-03-12T17:58:00.005-06:00

I did a bit of online followup to my previous post, googling "are Volvos union built?" It wasn't my imagination, teachers and public union members do not drive UAW cars.

Here's an exceptionally FLAGRANT ACT OF JOURNALISM from JC Reindl of the Toledo Blade.

Though they lost their fight in Columbus last week against Senate Bill 5, many members and supporters of Ohio's public-sector labor unions returned home with one consolation: an invigorated sense of camaraderie with their private-sector union brethren.

"I've witnessed in the last few weeks an expression of solidarity and common cause with each other," said Francine Lawrence, president of the Toledo Federation of Teachers.

Now the question is whether this newfound fellowship will carry over to buying habits. Past experience suggests that some public union members are fine with reaping workplace benefits achieved through the historic victories of their private-sector counterparts but are indifferent about supporting these labor allies with their checkbooks.

Thus proving the point of my previous post.

The Blade recently toured the employee parking lots of numerous area schools and some unionized city of Toledo employees, noting which vehicles were assembled by union labor and which were not.

Union-made vehicles came out on top at five of the seven toured sites — Old Orchard Elementary School, Perrysburg Junior High, Jefferson Junior High,Byrnedale Junior High, and the city of Toledo lot along Orange Street between Erie Street and Spielbusch Avenue, where many police officers and other unionized employees park.

In the other two parking sites — Harvard Elementary School and McCord Junior High School — union autos were outnumbered. A full 60 percent of the cars in the elementary school's lot were nonunion.

That isn't good enough. Solidarity demands 100% union purchases - boycott Walmart, ya know.

And again proving that rationalization is the second strongest human drive.

"I'll consider it, but it just depends on how convenient it is," said Toyota Camry driver Denise Chandler, a Toledo Public Schools special education teacher at Samuel M. Jones at Gunckel Park Middle School. "If it's affordable, I will consider union."

Marjorie Harris, a TPS substitute teacher and a member of the teachers' union, drives a nonunion-made Nissan Altima that she said she received as a gift.

"I just shop what I like," she said. "I don't really go union or nonunion, but I know that I should."

I'll put money on the portion of vehicles driven by public employees in Madison exceeded the Toledo proportion of non-UAW vehicles. A big factor being that UAW doesn't build Prii (the plural of Prius).

Meade - Get going on this one.

Travel on the Hypocrite Highway

2011-03-12T15:27:00.006-06:00

I drove to Madison in our Dodge minivan (purchased under my late father-in-law's UAW pricing agreement) to pick up some furniture today. Traffic was heavy on 94 and there were several school buses holding up traffic. It wasn't an event at the Kohl Center as I first thought. Just another union protest.

After a while I realized I was in one of the very few UAW built vehicles on I-94, probably less than 10% of the cars. This especially hit me when a Volvo passed me with a Solidarity poster in the window.

I guess the reasoning goes that when spending one's publicly paid salary, union built vehicles are not of good enough quality and value to purchase. But when spending a portion of MY salary, the union gets to demand that it must go to poor quality and low value union employees.

Sorry, but you can't pick and choose Solidarity. Trade in that Toyota for a Ford, Chrysler, or GM vehicle.

Their presence was causing a disturbance ...

2011-02-26T11:50:00.002-06:00

“You know you’re not well liked when you are asked to leave a local tavern because people boo-ing[sic] at you causes an upset, but this is exactly what happened to Wisconsin State Governor Scott Walker on Friday the 18th of February.
The Merchant in Madison, WI confirms that on Friday night, Patrick Sweeney (one of the owners) politely asked Scott Walker to leave the establishment when other customers began boo-ing[sic] him. A bartender at The Merchant said that, “his presence was causing a disturbance to the other customers and management asked him to leave.”

The rest of the story at Badger Blogger.

Separated at birth?

2011-02-21T14:43:00.003-06:00

Governor Badger.

Honey Badger.

WEAC probably thinks they were.

NFL Tag Team Champions

2011-02-07T16:07:00.001-06:00

Obscure Packers Trivia

2010-11-30T21:55:00.002-06:00

Name a company, other than Green Bay Packers, Inc., that Vincent T. Lombardi worked for in 1968?

Cranberi Sauced

2010-11-25T11:54:00.006-06:00

I found a bottle of Stoli Cranberi on the buffet as I cleaned up for our feast. It was a gift left over from this year's Smoke Day Party. I couldn't find any decent recipes online, so I created this cranberry sauce inspired drink recipe.

Cranberi Sauced
One part Stoli Cranberi
Two parts Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice
One part fresh orange juice
Splash of Chambord Raspberry liqueur

Combine first three ingredients in highball glass over crushed ice. Top with Chambord and garnish with whole cranberries and sliced orange.

Bottoms up!

TSA brain scan and mental pat-down

2010-11-20T08:54:00.002-06:00

Going through screening at the Phoenix Sky Harbor last night, the TSA Trooper picked a prescription bottle out from one of my bins. After examining the bottle he made some comments about the medicine then started asking questions about the effectiveness of the medicine and its side effects. He was so interested in this Rx that he followed me from the ingress side of the X-ray scanner to the egress side, then continued his grilling as I repacked my property and put on my shoes.

I was actually happy that there wasn't a back-scatter scanner at this terminal, so I didn't want to press my luck by telling him to mind his own business and bugger off.

What kind of training does TSA give to the former QuikTrip clerks that it hires? Apparently HIPAA is another law that is not applicable to TSA.

It wasn't me

2010-11-16T21:47:00.002-06:00

And I have a pretty good alibi.

Headless bucks turning up in northeastern Wisconsin

Oconto - Conservation wardens say an increasing number of headless bucks have been found in northeastern Wisconsin.
State Department of Natural Resources warden Mike Stahl said investigators don't know why at least a half dozen bucks have been found without their heads since the last week of October.

The DNR said four were found in Oconto County's Little Suamico-Abrams area. One was found in the Town of Spruce and another in Marinette County.

Stahl told WLUK-TV that because of various stages of decay, it's not known how all the bucks were killed, but the DNR has been able to determine at least two were shot.

No naked pictures, no touchy feelie

2010-11-14T15:34:00.003-06:00

This is how it is done in industries that are serious about detecting explosives.

EntryScan 4 explosives detection system
GE Security's high-sensitivity, high-throughput 'puffer machine', the EntryScan 4 can detect a broad range of explosives in seconds. Using GE's patented technology, the portal can identify even the most challenging substances by detecting and analyzing their microscopic traces. This compact, redesigned model has been reduced in height for installations under 8ft (2.44m) without sacrificing any walk-through space.

Get more product information here.

AZ Living

2010-10-24T22:09:00.001-05:00

See you in January.

Government Style Erosion Control

2010-10-09T12:32:00.004-05:00

Step One: Pile road debris over topsoil in middle of publicly owned farm field.

Step Two: Don't install silt fencing around polluted material.

Step Three: Make sure that debris pile is not located more than 150 yards from navigable stream (click picture for large size panorama).

From your friends at the WI DNR.

Runoff from rainstorms and snowmelt picks up pollutants like sediment, oil and grease, nitrogen and phosphorus, and other chemicals and carries them into storm sewers or directly into waterbodies. Preventing contamination of storm water is critically important or polluted runoff will be discharged - untreated - into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing, and drinking water.

Of course, those rules do not apply to our municipal superiors.

Gov. Doyle responsible for 400 new jobs

2010-09-25T00:10:00.002-05:00

Wisconsin-based manufacturer Sub-Zero Inc. may add 100 Valley jobs
A new facility opening in Goodyear will add higher-paying manufacturing jobs to the metro Phoenix economy and could bring nearly 400 jobs to a business park that has been empty since 2008.

Sub-Zero Inc., a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of high-end refrigeration, freezer and wine-storage units, is expanding its Arizona base and opening a facility at the Palm Valley 303 business park in late 2011.

Right in my new backyard.

From the Arizona Republic.

Will that bastard ever stop f-ing with me?

2010-09-04T14:54:00.003-05:00

It's bad enough that I have to fly on Labor Day, but the dipshit in chief has decided to mess with my 5:30 flight to Phoenix (home of the free and the brave). Can someone make the asshole stay away from here?

Obama will be at Laborfest, annually the largest gathering of labor unions in the state, on Monday afternoon. His visit will be brief, but his address is expected to be directed toward working families.
Laborfest, at the Maier Festival Grounds, will be open from noon to 7 p.m. and is open to the public. Gates open at 11 a.m. Obama is expected to arrive in Milwaukee about 1:30 p.m.

The Milkman

2010-08-10T20:05:00.005-05:00

I saw Herb Kohl today at the State Fair. What the hell is he doing in the U.S. Senate? He can't even shake hands like an adult. That sickly little shit should be in a nursing home.

Dear Abby, Dear Abby ....

2010-08-07T12:25:00.002-05:00

Dear Abby,

I was alone with my company's president for several hours this week and it wasn't long before he started tossing out liberal talking points - "That idiot Sarah Palin," "The failed Bush administration," etc. The man is tremendously successful and a brilliant man in his area of expertise, but his understanding of politics is stuck at a very adolescent level. He's a NPR listening, big city, limousine liberal; and certainly gets more reinforcement of his beliefs than he needs from his circle of friends.

I mostly bit my tongue, despite him saying he doesn't hold anyone's political views against them. Yeah, right!

Did I do the right thing or should I have challenged him, revealed my beliefs, and pointed out factual errors (little things like Congress controls expenditures and the Democrats have controlled Congress since 2007)?

Signed,

A total suck up

Looking out my backdoor

2010-07-24T09:37:00.002-05:00

Close to a decision

2010-07-20T20:12:00.003-05:00

Institutional racism

2010-07-18T16:37:00.004-05:00

Even in this day and age, Italians are second class citizens at Lake Park.

Translation: Go away Wops!

Someone shoot me

2010-07-16T21:50:00.004-05:00

I've been told that I look like the waste of oxygen in the background of this picture.

At least Halloween will be easy this year.

Turn right, then make your choice

2010-06-27T21:55:00.006-05:00

I'd choose the surprise.

Simple solutions

2010-05-21T07:41:00.002-05:00

Problem: MPS students cannot read.

Simple Solution: Teach the students to read. Get rid of whatever latest fad they are using (Riting to read?) and try Phonics. Yes, it means the teachers will actually have to teach, the poor overpaid dears, but the student will learn.

Problem: MMSD water rates are too high because of decreasing demand.

Problem: Waukesha is mandated by EPA overreach to stop using their well water.

Simple Solution: MMSD sell water to Waukesha at current (or discounted) rates, thereby increasing their demand and eliminating the need to increase water rates to their current customers.

SCOTUS DADT

2010-05-11T20:06:00.003-05:00

As Dean of Harvard's law school Elena Kagen banned the U.S. armed forces from recruiting on campus because, by her reasoning, the military discriminates against gays with the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Her action potentially limited Harvard students' career opportunities.

Now when Kagen is nominated to the Supreme Court, the Obama regime and his Ministry of Propaganda forbid even the slightest inference to Kagen's sexual orientation.

And you had better not ask. Because she'd not going to tell.

Couldn't Kagen at least try to be consistent on this. Since she limited Harvard students' career opportunities because of DADT, shouldn't she take a stand about being appointed to the Supreme Court until this de facto DADT policy is abolished?

Oh the irony. Or is it hypocrisy?

Darth Obama's Imperial Stormtroopers

2010-04-29T19:27:00.003-05:00

What a bunch of dorks.

What is the marching in cadence all about? Practicing for Red Square?

Here's a tip, boys. When in the presence of those dangerous teabaggers, do not travel in close formation. This will avoid having one IED take out the entire unit.

Crist for Senate

2010-04-28T20:27:00.005-05:00

A better choice than any of the Republicans on the Wisconsin ballot. Move here Charlie. You will have my vote.

Repeal, usually a good thing

2010-04-18T07:59:00.001-05:00

Amend it

2010-03-24T19:52:00.002-05:00

The root of all evil.

[The Congress shall have power] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes;

The tyrants in Congress have proven that they cannot control themselves and have abused this Constitutional power. They have been facilitated by the Supreme Court. Take this power away from Congress by amending the commerce clause.

[The Congress shall have power] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations and with the Indian tribes;

This will cause revocation of all laws and legal precedents flowing from the original commerce clause. Yes that means tossing the baby out with the bathwater. But if that baby is important enough, an amendment to the Constitution can be enacted to reinstate those laws.

Rhetorical questions

2010-03-23T19:49:00.005-05:00

Had our Founding Fathers really intended to limit the size and scope of the Federal government, what would they have written into the Constitution to achieve this end?

The following words have been interpreted to not restrain Washington's power.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Could the 10th Amendment somehow be rewritten to limit the power of Congress?

A century ago, these words meant something. If they didn't, the 18th Amendment would not have been necessary.

Under Obama, Pelosi, & Reid, is there any policy that would require a Constitutional Amendment to implement?

My kind of town ....

2010-03-16T19:11:00.002-05:00

Dad29,

Pewaukee has something to keep you busy for a weekend.

They never said that if I voted for McCain ...

2010-02-18T18:40:00.003-06:00

They never said that if I voted for John McCain in 2008 he would represent me in Washington.

But he will.

That looks familiar ...

2010-02-02T18:55:00.004-06:00

I've seen something like that somewhere before.

Natural born killer

2010-01-29T11:55:00.003-06:00

Name that food

2010-01-29T11:42:00.005-06:00

Click to enlarge.

823 Million Dollars

2010-01-29T08:12:00.005-06:00

Wow, can we go out for bids on that?

For some perspective, the cost of adding a lane of Interstate highway is estimated to be $1.6 million to $3.1 million per lane-mile. There is something like 45 miles of two lane highway on I-94 between Pewaukee and Cottage Grove per a quick Google Maps computation. Based on these estimates, the cost to widen I-94 from two to three lanes in each direction would be between $144 and $279 million dollars.

That is only one-fifth to one-third of the cost of creating Doyle's "high speed" rail line. A rail line that will have minuscule ridership, be expensive to ride, be extremely inconvenient for almost all riders, and take longer to get between Milwaukee and Madison for any conceivable purpose.

Well done Obama. You cannot help but waste money.

Remembering Brent

2010-01-26T20:29:00.002-06:00

Autofavrenator - Denial

2010-01-26T18:02:00.003-06:00

Favre Automotivators

2010-01-26T14:53:00.004-06:00

This is target rich territory. And so easy that even a troglodyte can do it.

Up yours, Brett

2010-01-24T21:21:00.004-06:00

What a CHOKER! But he's the Vikings' choker now.

I told some Minnesota acquaintances that Favre would break their hearts. He came through. Favre is incapable of winning the big game.

Cheap Political Advice

2010-01-20T17:04:00.003-06:00

If Scott Walker has a pick-up truck he should drive it everywhere. If not, he should buy one.

The congressional Dems should fire Reid and Pelosi and elect moderate leaders, maybe even Blue Dogs. They've got to wash that far left stink off of themselves.

Related, a great line from Ed Morrissey.

They (the Dems) seem convinced that the only way to rescue themselves from the trap in which they have caught themselves is to chew off the foot that’s still free.

Bonus baby!

2009-12-28T13:13:00.003-06:00

I got my bonus today. Unbelievable!

Thanks go out to Dr. Phil Jones and the East Anglia U. Hockey Team for making my carbon-phobic billing rate possible. Despite my vested interest in continuing global warming hysteria, I remain a skeptic and a denier.

KA-CHING!

Airline security

2009-12-27T22:03:00.003-06:00

Can we get serious about airline security now?

Funny name? Strip search.

Carrying a Koran? Cavity search with an ice auger.

On a watchlist? Go to prison, terrorist.

Seems simple enough to me.

This is becoming a trend

2009-12-21T19:49:00.005-06:00

Packers games at County Stadium long ago moved to Lambeau Field.

The GMO is gone, but Whistling Straights gets a string of majors.

And now NASCAR gets booted off the Milwaukee Mile and ends up in Sheboygan County at the best road course in America. This may become the highlight of the Nationwide Series.

I'm not sure this pattern means anything, but it should.

Tea Parties are so 2009

2009-12-20T07:22:00.004-06:00

Take a number and line up.

Mr. Nelson, you've drawn number one.

Herbert! Russell! Get us the Nelson deal

2009-12-19T14:11:00.003-06:00

You are not properly representing Wisconsin if we get anything less.

Jonah lays out the deal.

Here's what I'm hearing. The deal for Ben Nelson includes additional Medicaid funding for Nebraska and carve outs for physician owned hospitals in Nebraska — and Nebraska only. Uncle Sam will take the hit for 100% of the Medicaid expansion for Nebraska, forever. Nebraska is the only state to get this deal.

It profits a man nothing give his soul for the whole world, but for Medicaid funding carve outs....

I'm done with the NBA

2009-12-17T20:16:00.003-06:00

The play of Brandon Jennings early in the season had me regain interest in the Bucks. I began watching their games whenever they are on. No more after last night's screw job.

The NBA has made clear that they will not allow Milwaukee to win. I'm done. I'll leave the game for the thugs.

I tasted this today

2009-12-13T18:16:00.004-06:00

Barack Obama Spice
South Chicago Black BBQ Rub w/ Africa spice seeds

It sounds good at first, but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

A very apropos name.

Available at the Spice House.

Baclava!

2009-12-13T18:06:00.005-06:00

Don't adjust your monitors. That is spelled correctly. The recipe is here.

Where are the grown ups?

2009-12-12T08:16:00.004-06:00

The geniuses in Madison

2009-12-11T21:04:00.002-06:00

I spent the afternoon today in Madison, traveling on surface streets from East Washington out to Odana Road on the west side.. On the entire trip through the city, I did not see one properly cleared street more than 48 hours after the big snowfall.

It would be nice if the geniuses who intend to control every aspect of our lives had the basic sense to change their underwear after they soil themselves. That level of intelligence does not exist in our capitol city.

Everything you need to know about global warming

2009-12-08T20:40:00.007-06:00

The properties of mercury in a glass tube are subject to periodic change and adjustment by Michael Mann and Phil Jones.

The blue line is the actual temperature measurement recorded for Darwin, Australia. The black line is adjustments made to the blue line to create the red line. The red line is the official "homogenized and adjusted" temperature record used by the IGCC to "demonstrate" that the earth is warming.

Don't believe your lying eyes, trust the CRU at East Anglia U.

Asking these "experts" for the temperature is like asking an ACLU attorney what the plain English of the Constitution means. They each create their own alternative reality.

HT - Willis Eschenbach via WUWT

Too dumb to regulate.

2009-12-07T19:50:00.003-06:00

H/T - WUWT

Don't let Frank Busalacchi see this

2009-12-04T17:02:00.003-06:00

I know just the spot in Madison for one of these.

I recently had occasion to drive through one of the new roundabouts on Hwy 310 North of Manitowoc. Despite my previous comments, these roundabouts actually work. No need for me or the driver to my right to stop. We just slowed and safely zoomed through that crossroads. I think the key to successful traffic circles is a low volume of traffic. That said ... there is no way in hell to justify those things in a cost-benefit analysis. Nevermind the carbon footprint of all that pavement and asphalt.

HT - PM, via Instapundit.

UCS deniers picked a good day for this

2009-12-02T20:34:00.003-06:00

The Union of Concerned Scientists released this "Factcheck" on the same day that Phil Jones decided to step down.

Contrarians Using Hacked E-mails To Try to Fool Public on Climate Science

In their ongoing campaign to distort the facts and deceive the public, climate policy opponents are misrepresenting illegally obtained e-mails from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in Great Britain. Opposition groups are taking passages out of context to try to undermine public confidence in climate science.

The e-mails provide no information that would affect the scientific understanding of climate change, as many contrarians are falsely claiming. For years, thousands of scientists working at climate research centers around the world have carefully and rigorously reached a consensus on the extent of climate change, the urgency of the problem, and the role human activity plays in causing it.

They start with an ad hominem and their arguments deteriorate from there by just making shit up.

UCS should try looking at the computer code that was also released by this courageous whistleblower. If it is beyond the abilities of these Concerned Scientists, Lord Monckton has conveniently issued a report that addresses the manipulation of data in the CRU codes.

Who are the deniers, now?

Words of wisdom

2009-11-28T08:58:00.000-06:00

The Other McCain said it. Believe it.

All along, the strongest evidence that anthropogenic global warming (AGW) was a hoax was a simple fact: Liberals believed in it.

Adventures in Charcuterie: Blackstrap Molasses Country Ham

2009-11-25T18:03:00.004-06:00

I'm doing a Southern-style country ham this year, which I started tonight.

The cure included kosher salt, Prague Powder #2 (salt with both nitrite and nitrate added), black strap molasses, brown sugar, dark rum, and a variety of spices. That turned into a thick, sticky mass that I smeared over my Berkshire ham. Now it's into the vegetable crisper for 2 weeks to cure.

UPDATE:

The same ham after curing and smoking.

They found the hockey stick!

2009-11-23T16:53:00.006-06:00

I made a comment at Dad's blog on Saturday that although the leaked Climate Research Unit emails were pretty damning, the good stuff would come out when the climate experts started going through the computer files. Well, I was both right and wrong on that one.

Although some nuggets have been mined from the computer code, it wasn't the climatologists that found them. It is the computer programmers that hit the jackpot. Buried in over 350 comments at Watts Up With That? is this comment on some specific lines of code.

Tom_R (09:12:30) :

Thanks to debreuil (04:25:44) : and Spartacus (06:17:59) : for bringing this to our attention.

; Apply a VERY ARTIFICAL correction for decline!!
;
yrloc=[1400,findgen(19)*5.+1904]
valadj=[0.,0.,0.,0.,0.,-0.1,-0.25,-0.3,0.,-0.1,0.3,0.8,1.2,1.7,2.5,2.6,2.6,$
2.6,2.6,2.6]*0.75 ; fudge factor
if n_elements(yrloc) ne n_elements(valadj) then message,’Oooops!’
;
yearlyadj=interpol(valadj,yrloc,timey)
;
;filter_cru,5.,/nan,tsin=yyy+yearlyadj,tslow=tslow
;oplot,timey,tslow,thick=5,color=20

This may be the real smoking gun. It appears that Briffa just made up numbers to add to the dendro measurements to give the result he wanted. These were not weights, but temperature values added to the raw measurements, see the ‘yyy+yearlyadj’ in the code. Not only did he add temperature to eliminate the post-1960 decline (the ‘trick’), but subtracted it from measurements around the 1930s to eliminate the warm period there.

In words that even old biddies and young girls just going through first menses can understand, this computer program adds up to 2.6 degrees Celsius to temperatures starting in the 1970's and continuing until 2000 to give the appearance of GLOBAL WARMING! That's over 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and is a huge "fudge factor" (their word, not mine) made to show a false correlation of rising global temperature to rising carbon dioxide levels.

No wonder the Warmists would never share their data or computer correlations with the skeptics. They were made up. And it only took four days for some custodians, WalMart employees and laborers to prove it.

12/4/09 UPDATE:

The Climategate blogosphere catches up with Headless. Today at WUWT.

Groupthink at University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit?

2009-11-22T09:30:00.005-06:00

In light of the release of emails showing the inner workings of the leaders of climate alarmist cabal, my post regarding groupthink and global warming from last year deserves a fresh look.

Change the name from Al Gore to Phil Jones and I nailed the target about 100% with my year old post.

I previously presented the Eight Main Symptoms of Groupthink. Here I note some real life examples of those symptoms to show how groupthink can affect public policy.
1. Illusion of Invulnerability: Members ignore obvious deficiencies (their climate models don’t work), take extreme positions (a 20 foot rise in sea level), and are overly confident in their position (the IPCC’s steadfast position in the face of a cooling planet).

2. Collective Rationalization: Members discredit and explain away any positions contrary to group thinking (only deniers and flat-earthers (and now daughter rapists) disagree with them).

3. Illusion of Morality: Members believe their decisions are morally correct, ignoring the ethical consequences of their decisions (the solution is worse than the problem: Cap & Trade will kill global economy with the poor hit hardest; ethanol = starvation; and other much worse consequences of these tunnel vision solutions to follow).

4. Excessive Stereotyping: The group constructs negative stereotypes of rivals outside the group (GW deniers are the house n-words of Big Oil).

5. Pressure for Conformity: Members pressure any in the group who express arguments against the group's stereotypes, illusions, or commitments, viewing such opposition as disloyalty (conflicting voices are not invited to climate change conferences and cannot get their research funded or published).

6. Self-Censorship: Members withhold their dissenting views and counter-arguments (the Medieval warm period was washed from the “hockey-stick” data set).

7. Illusion of Unanimity: Members perceive falsely that everyone agrees with the group's decision; silence is seen as consent (Al Gore says the scientific consensus is unanimous, never mind those 31,000 deniers).
8. Mindguards: Some members appoint themselves to the role of protecting the group from adverse information that might threaten group complacency (Al Gore defines this characteristic).

Flashing Siren Alert: Conspiracy to fake global warming exposed

2009-11-19T20:41:00.003-06:00

Someone has hacked into the data files from the UK's Hadley Climate Research Unit and posted some damning files on a Russian FTP site. Emails included in the files demonstrate a conspiracy to doctor data to show evidence of global warming where it doesn't exist.

Good comments threads are here and here.

DEVELOPING

Quick, someone tell Barack about the 13th amendment

2009-11-14T10:40:00.002-06:00

What self-respecting African-American would ...

Nevermind, this is okay if you are a royal subject of Kenya.

NY-23 - Did Scozzafava receive Hoffman's votes?

2009-11-12T19:38:00.009-06:00

The numbers behind this report on NY-23 vote totals at the Campaign Spot are even more unlikely than Jim Geraghty suggests.

Unless Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman got exactly zero votes in the town of Fenner (Owens got 157, Scozzafava got 248), and at one polling place in the town of Hamilton (Owens got 75, Scozzafava got 79), and at one polling place in the town of Sullivan (Owens got 173, Scozzafava got 251), the initial vote totals look rather hinky.

Outside of the three districts that Geraghty highlights as having odd results, Dede Scozzafava best showing was just 38 votes. If fact, her average votes received outside of these 3 outlier districts was only 12 votes. It is more likely that Scozzafava received zero votes in each of these districts, than Hoffman being shut out.

It is apparent that Scozzafava was credited for Doug Hoffman's votes in these three districts, possibly combined with her own. A conservative estimate of Hoffman's vote totals for Districts Fenner-1, Hamilton-3, and Sullivan-2 is 542 (578 minus (3 times 12)). But it is very likely Hoffman received the full 578 here.

This reduces Bill Owens' newly revised lead of 3,026 to only 2,484 votes with 10,200 absentee ballots to be counted.

If these Oswego County zero vote discrepancies cannot be reconciled, Doug Hoffman deserves to have a complete re-vote for this House seat.

Hat tip - Trog

War stories

2009-11-11T19:53:00.002-06:00

In wishing some of my coworkers a happy Veteran's Day, I heard some interesting stories of their service.

The story that stood out was from a fellow who was an Army medic during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He said he was on a troop ship off the coast of Cuba during the crisis and was even loaded into a landing craft. The landing craft circled offshore for hours awaiting orders to land during the negotiations. He was very relieved to return to his troop ship because the big Red Cross on his truck made a really good target.

When the crisis abated his unit went to Puerto Rico. While there, they conducted target practice using the NATO ammo that they were issued for the invasion. He said no one could hit the targets. Their 500 yard shots only went about 400 yards. Had the Cold War gone hot in Cuba, the U.S. Army would have been wiped out. There was supposed to be an investigation into the ammo, but he never heard the results.

BTW - Several of these gentleman are in their 60's. There are no 50 year old retirees in the real world. They are called 'taxpayers.'

P.C.D.S.

2009-11-10T18:32:00.003-06:00

It can by now come as no surprise that the Fort Hood massacre yielded an instant flow of exculpatory media meditations on the stresses that must have weighed on the killer who mowed down 13 Americans and wounded 29 others. Still, the intense drive to wrap this clear case in a fog of mystery is eminently worthy of notice.

The tide of pronouncements and ruminations pointing to every cause for this event other than the one obvious to everyone in the rational world continues apace. Commentators, reporters, psychologists and, indeed, army spokesmen continue to warn portentously, "We don't yet know the motive for the shootings."

What a puzzle this piece of vacuity must be to audiences hearing it, some, no doubt, with outrage. To those not terrorized by fear of offending Muslim sensitivities, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's motive was instantly clear: It was an act of terrorism by a man with a record of expressing virulent, anti-American, pro-jihadist sentiments. All were conspicuous signs of danger his Army superiors chose to ignore.

What is hard to ignore, now, is the growing derangement on all matters involving terrorism and Muslim sensitivities. Its chief symptoms: a palpitating fear of discomfiting facts and a willingness to discard those facts and embrace the richest possible variety of ludicrous theories as to the motives behind an act of Islamic terrorism. All this we have seen before but never in such naked form. The days following the Fort Hood rampage have told us more than we want to know, perhaps, about the depth and reach of this epidemic.

Dorothy Rabinowitz got my attention by putting denial of Hasan's terrorist motives in terms of a psychological condition. This condition deserves a name. Political Correctness Derangement Syndrome continues to be fatal.

WELCOME TO OBAMACARE!

2009-11-06T15:27:00.003-06:00

Meet Dr. Hasan, your new government physician.

Missing the point, again

2009-11-03T20:31:00.002-06:00

Oh my!

A new test conducted for Consumer Reports magazine found bisphenol A leaching into food from nearly all cans, including those marked "BPA-free" and "organic."

The magazine's tests found that levels of the chemical in many of the cans were comparable to those found to cause cell damage and behavioral effects in animal studies.

The results, which are to be published Tuesday in the magazine's December issue, echo those found last year in tests conducted by the Journal Sentinel.

So according to this report, unsafe levels of BPA are in virtually everything we eat. But humans show none of the adverse effects found in lab animals. I think I am safe to conclude that the BPA lab tests are non-relevant to humans.

Like Churchill wearing a swastika

2009-11-01T07:46:00.004-06:00

Stephen and Andrew Hayes provide a chronology of the 2008 Favre retirement story. Much of this has been forgotten, but the facts show that Favre was intent on joining the Vikings even before he "retired" in March 2008.

On March 3, 2008, the Packers held a press conference announcing Favre’s retirement. His final season had been a successful one. The Packers went 13–3 and made it to the NFC Championship game. And though Favre had thrown a bad interception to lose that game, he had played like a quarterback a decade younger than his 37 years.

Within weeks, though, Favre changed his mind. When he told the Packers that he wanted to unretire, the organization welcomed him back and made arrangements to have one more season with their Hall of Fame quarterback. Then, just days later, Favre changed his mind again. He was done. That was it. No question. Career over.

Favre had done this before. At the end of each of his final three seasons in Green Bay, Favre had mused publicly about retirement, setting off nearly full-time media speculation about his future and the future of the franchise. But this time felt different. While he and his agent, Bus Cook, repeatedly assured reporters that he’d get around to it at some point, he refused to make it official by filing his papers with the NFL.

...

Then in early July, as the season approached, Favre tried to return to the Packers again. This time, however, the Packers hesitated. They were understandably worried that he wasn’t serious about coming back and, having named Rodgers the starting quarterback, were concerned about the damage that would be done to the team if they acceded to the demands of their former star.

So the Packers turned him down. Favre wasn’t happy. At first, he demanded his release. Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King, a frequent recipient of scoops from Favre, reported that Favre’s first choice was Minnesota. Wisconsin media outlets reported that Favre had already approached the Vikings.

It is pretty clear that Favre had no loyalty to the Packers, even after their near NFC Championship in 2008. He saw riding Adrian Peterson to the Super Bowl was his last, best chance to get there.

Fallen leaves

2009-10-30T10:09:00.004-05:00

The difference between Fox News and the MSM ...

2009-10-25T12:48:00.003-05:00

Is that one is not a news organization.

Elkhart Lake woman hurt in Sheboygan County crash
By Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Oct. 25, 2009 11:08 a.m.

A 53-year-old Elkhart Lake woman was listed in fair condition Sunday morning at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah after the Ford Danger Ranger she was driving ran into a ditch, struck a tree and rolled over on County Highway P in the town of Rhine.

Debra Tracey was headed northbound on Highway P and started to drift eastward, crossed over the center line and then over-corrected her vehicle and ran into the ditch, said Lt. Mark Rupnik, of the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department. Rupnik said Tracey was ticketed for operated a motor vehicle while intoxicated. She did have her seatbelt on when the accident occurred, Rupnik said.

Emergency workers had to extract Tracey from her vehicle. She was taken by helicopter to Theda Clark.

Not a fan of SUV's, eh Mark?

Too good not to post

2009-10-21T21:52:00.003-05:00

Thanks Lakeshore Laments

Why did I know this was going to be Contessa Brewer?

2009-10-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

MSNBC anchor mistakes Jesse for Al.

Still the polished news professional she was in Milwaukee.

By popular demand - Tomato-Fresh Ricotta Pie Recipe

2009-10-17T09:42:00.006-05:00

The recipe from Mrs. Headless for her Tomato-Fresh Ricotta Pie is something like this.

1 partially baked pie shell (Mrs. Headless used a 10-1/2" tart pan)

Filling:
1 recipe of homemade ricotta (see below)
2 eggs
1/2 container of Brennan's Mozzarella & Basil Cheese Spread (you can use a different cheese spread or 1 cup of shredded cheese)

Mix the eggs and cheese spread into the hot ricotta to melt and evenly distribute.

Toppings:
1 chopped garden fresh heirloom tomato (Mrs. H used a Brandywine)
1/2 pound bacon, cooked until crisp then crumpled
Homemade croutons (Mrs. Headless cooked these in the bacon grease)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Assembly & Baking:
Assemble ingredients in pie shell and bake in a 350 degree oven until warmed through, about 30 minutes.

That's how she did it. I'm sure your variation will be fabulous, too.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I quart whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 scant tsp coarse salt
2 TBSP white vinegar

Line a strainer with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl.

Rinse a large saucepan with cold water (for easier cleanup). Pour milk and cream into saucepan and add the salt. Bring to simmer over medium heat; a skin may form on the surface. Continue to cook until you see bubbles all over the surface.

When the milk is simmering, turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar. Leave it alone for about 1 minute, then stir slowly and gently. The milk will start separating into curds and whey; you are looking for the whey to become clearish, which will take about 1 minute of gentle stirring.

Pour into strainer. Lift the strainer out of the bowl and pour out the whey from the bowl. Then set the strainer back in the bowl and let the cheese drain for 15 minutes.

The ricotta is now ready to use or serve.

UFO Boy - Tinfoil Hat Dad

2009-10-16T10:06:00.003-05:00

The father of a 6-year-old boy who was thought to be in a helium balloon that floated away said Friday accusations that the ordeal was a publicity stunt are "extremely pathetic." The sheriff said he will be asking more questions.
Richard Heene and his family made the rounds on all three television networks on Friday, and the boy at the center of the saga got sick twice when he and his father were asked during separate interviews what he meant when he said that "we did this for a show."

Falcon Heene vanished around the time his family's homemade helium balloon floated away from their home on Thursday, setting off a national uproar as authorities scoured the plains of northern Colorado for the youngster. Turns out, he was hiding in the rafters of the family's garage.

During a live interview with CNN Thursday night, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name but didn't come out of the attic hiding place because his father "had said that we did this for a show." The boys' parents — Richard and Mayumi Heene — are storm chasers who appeared twice in the ABC reality show "Wife Swap."

Setting aside the allegations of this being a hoax, how is having a flying machine with a child-size basket in the backyard any different than having a loaded handgun on the kitchen table?

Where is CO's Division of Child Welfare in this story?

UPDATE: Here's the answer to the second question.

Perhaps Chuckie Johnson is right about Stacy

2009-10-13T20:45:00.003-05:00

Connect the dots.

Stacy McCain's hatred of all things Wisconsin
Wisconsin - The birthplace of the Republican Party
The Republican Party was formed as an anti-slavery party
Johnson calls McCain a white supremacist

Hmmmmm.

Don't Be Bitter

2009-10-08T20:35:00.008-05:00

I really want that bottle of bitters.

So I'm trying to meticulously follow the contest entry instructions posted here.

The fact is that my Famous Rum Old Fashioned recipe is good, but is missing that special ingredient that would make it my Brilliant Rum Old Fashioned recipe. That missing ingredient comes in a bottle that reads "Beefeater 24 Bitters."

The recipe is Stephan’s secret but he did tell me that lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and ‘a few different types of citrus’ are featured.

That sounds exactly like what I need for my cocktail. Let's make it happen. The rules say.

Post a submission on your blog or website and include the photo of the Beefeater 24 bitters (please download it here and host it yourself) and the title “Don’t Be Bitter” to make it official. Then, use the post as a “shout out” to another cocktail blogger—discuss a time when you were jealous of (or “bitter” about) another blogger’s booze collection, prized bottle of liquor, a cocktail-related trip they took, or an experience they had. Put any bitterness aside and share the link-love with your fellow cocktail bloggers. Make sure you link back to this post so your name gets thrown in the hat. You’ve got the whole month of October to get your post up [final deadline: 11:59pm Eastern time, 10/31/09] and the winner will be announced here the first week of November. Get on board, bitters-lovers!

How am I doing:

1. Post submission with photo - see above.

2. Title post "Don't Be Bitter" - done.

3. Shout out to cocktail blogger - Hey Fat Sal, who could that be?

Jealous me? Not since Absinthe became available in the good ol' U.S. of A.

But there was a time in a dark era of our history when Fat Sal was virtually just the proprietor of a Tapas Bar. Back then he made sure to let me know that Absinthe was for he, but not for me (the link on his page is broken, go here for Sal's eloquent Absinthe dissertation). But now Fat Sal and I have made up and occasionally go so far as to share massive quantities of Smoke Day barbecue, encased meats, and Atomic Camel Turds.

4. Link back - done again.

Send me my Beefeater 24 Bitters, bitte.

Barack's Olympic trip

2009-10-02T11:52:00.003-05:00

That trip to Denmark sums up Obama's Presidency in a nutshell.

A lot of tedious talk
Loads of wasted money
Reliance on Barack's charismatic appeal
Failure to achieve Obama's stated desired result

I guess Mark needs me to spell it out

2009-10-01T21:15:00.004-05:00

Yeah, on today's show Belling repeated my points from yesterday's post. But he never made it to the logical conclusion. So I'll do this slowly for you Mark.

Yes Mark, a roundabout costs more than stop signs or traffic signals. And yes, DOT planners prefer roundabouts Mark.

But where your giant analytical brain didn't take you Mark, is that Wisconsin's roadbuilders also prefer roundabouts. And these for profit roadbuilders have good reason to prefer roundabouts. That reason is because they cost more to build, and therefor they make more profit.

These roadbuilders are also big contributors to Governor Doyle and his Democratic colleagues. Let me know if you need help making the giant leap from Jim Doyle's political contributors to DOT preferences for road design.

Belling naive about traffic circles

2009-09-30T21:12:00.006-05:00

Entertaining segment on Belling today about the troubles people are having negotiating the roundabouts at Moorland Road and I-43 in New Berlin. He doesn't get why these things are so darned popular with the DOT and Madison politicians.

Let me explain.

4 Stop signs - Cost: Less than $1,000

Traffic circle at intersection of two 2-lane roads - Cost: More than One Million Dollars.

Any questions?

Good news for Bears fans

2009-09-14T19:16:00.005-05:00

Jay Cutler looked like a young Brett Favre last night! Or maybe it was an old Brett Favre. You remember those games.

UPDATE:

I wasn't alone in that thought.

As veteran Packers reporter Tom Silverstein said after the game, "Brett Favre was back.'' He made those types of interceptions. Just didn't look to play with much poise, especially when the game was so close. It's one thing to make bad decisions trailing big. The Bears were never trailing big.

H/T - ACME Packing Company

The Great Brat Challenge - Bracketology

2009-09-07T11:00:00.025-05:00

Finding the Best Bratwurst in Wisconsin

This is a rundown of the bracket results from Sunday's Great Brat Challenge. There were numerous surprises, well beyond ALDI's second place finish.

This is the final list of bratwurst entries.

Christman Meat
Eden Meat Market
Glenn’s Market
Gooseberry’s
Hoelsy's
Jacobson Bros.
J.L. Richards
Johnsonville
Karl’s Country Market
Klement's
Konop’s
Kramarczuk's (from Minneapolis)
Loehr's Meat Service
Miesfeld’s
Mr. Baseball's Brats (made for Uke by Usinger's)
Ray's Meats
Ream's Elburn Market (from Elburn, IL)
RJ's Meats
Roseland Bratwurst - aka, Mystery Brats II - aka, ALDI brats
Roundy's - aka, Mystery Brats
Ruef's
Sausage Haus
Schmeisser's Homemade Sausages (from Niles, IL)
Schwai's
Sendik's Fine Foods
Sheboygan Brat Company
Sorg's
Spar's (from Buffalo, NY)
Thuringer Meats (from Arlington Heights, IL)
Usinger's

The poultry brat participants were:

Glenn’s Market Turkey Brats
Karl’s Country Market Turkey Brats
Miesfeld’s Chicken Brats
RJ's Meats Chicken Brats

The voting at the taste-off was conducted as a blind tasting. Each bratwurst was cut into several bite-size pieces and my guests sampled 3 or 4 at a time and voted for their favorite. The samples were unadorned by bun or condiments, so the results are not reflective of what you eat around your backyard grill (see note at end of post).

(Photo swiped from Fat Sal)

I should have limited the amount of samples in the first round, because my judges quickly were filled up and became rather sick of bratwurst by the final round. The taste-off took 5 hours from the first tasting until the championship vote was cast.

About the Judges

This wasn't just a bunch of Cheesehead yahoos picking their favorites. Yes we had assorted Milwaukee area food lovers, but we also had several food and dining professionals judging. They included an encased meats educator, an online ethnic restaurant critic, the creator of a champion commercial barbecue sauce, and an online beverage and spirits commentator.

Analysis of The Great Brat Challenge Results

"Champion Bratwurst"

This exercise in insanity began with my wanting to pit 4 bratwurst makers that advertise themselves as "Champion" against each other. The four are Glenn's Market, Karl's Country Market, Miesfeld's and RJ's Meats. Of these four "Champions," only RJ's advanced out of the first round. Both Karl's and Glenn's missed advancing by one vote, Karl's losing to Mr. Baseball and Glenn's losing to Usinger's. You can read whatever you want into Usinger's producing Mr. Baseball's Brats.

Of special note is Miesfeld's, often held up as the standard for bratwurst excellence in Wisconsin, and more importantly, in Sheboygan. Miesfeld's received only one vote in its first round heat.

Mass Produced Brats

Johnsonville, Roundy's, Klement's, Usinger's, Mr. Baseball, Roseland, and Sheboygan Brat Co. are what I consider mass produced brats. Surprising to me, many of these did well against the specialty sausage makers, with all but Johnsonville and Roundy's advancing from the first round. Both Roseland and Sheboygan Brat Co. made it to the finals, and Usinger's missed advancing by one vote.

Johnsonville, like their Sheboygan County neighbor Miesfeld's, deserves special recognition for receiving only 2 votes, less than even the storebrand Roundy's received.

High-End Grocery Brats

I have 3 brats that I would include in this category - Sendik's, Gooseberry's, and J.L. Richards. They are from the meat section of grocers/caterers, not from a stand-alone butcher or sausage maker. I found all three of these to be forgettable, although Gooseberry's did advance to the second round.

Flatlander Bratwurst

Perhaps this is a precursor to the result of this week's Packers-Bears game. Of the 3 brat entries from Illinois - Ream's, Schmeisser's and Thuringer - none advanced out of the first round.

Ream's bratwurst held a special distinction in yesterday's contest. Of the 30 different competitors, Ream's was the only bratwurst to receive 0 votes. ZERO! A complete shutout.

Ream's call themselves "Fine Illinois Bratwurst," their emphasis, not mine. Indeed, no better description is possible.

Flying Sausages

The poultry brats were disdained by the meat eaters yesterday with one exception. Karl's Country Market's turkey brats were judged to be the best and were described as the most like a pork bratwurst.

The Champion

By the time the final rolled around, I let a few of my non-voting helpers know that ALDI had advanced this far. When the voting commenced, it was clear that Roseland (ALDI) and Schwai's were the leaders. I asked my assistant to taste some samples just in case there was a tie.

When the votes were counted, Roseland and Schwai's were deadlocked. My assistant cast his vote for Schwai's (he did not know the brat identities) and another late voter showed up and chose Schwai's. Thusly, a cultural tragedy far exceeding Brett Favre in a purple jersey was averted.

The Sheboygan Bratwurst Co. offerings were new to me. I'd seen their Google Ad show up here, but the first time I saw them offered in a store was at Woodman's a couple weeks ago. They did very well, reaching the final round, as well as receiving the most votes of any brat in a single round with 13 votes in the first round. At $1.99 a pound at Woodman's, Sheboygan Brat Co. brats are a bargain, too.

Wrap-up

It was a super event, and attended by some of the World's worst bloggers, but never again. In this format it took too long to complete and I was on the verge of losing control a couple times (I misplaced my numbered entry list once which was needed to decipher the results).

Hopefully, this will provide you some useful guidance when you go shopping for superior encased meats.

Follow-up: In the interest of science, my family did a mini-taste test again tonight, this time serving the brats on buttered City Bakery hard rolls. This second element changes the taste perception of certain brats greatly. Bottom line, some of the "Champions" are Champions for a reason.

The Great Brat Challenge - Champion

2009-09-07T09:34:00.005-05:00

Salvaging the pride of the Great State of Wisconsin by vanquishing bratwurst from IL, MN, NY, and points unknown (ALDI?!?), the winner of the The Great Brat Challenge is:

Schwai's Tender Hometown Bratwurst from Fredonia, WI

Congratulations to Tommy and Mike Schwai for their victory in this ultimate brat throwdown.

The Great Brat Challenge - 1st Runner-up

2009-09-07T09:07:00.004-05:00

It came down to tie-breaker after this one tied for first, but what an outstanding showing for:

Roseland Bratwurst

That's Roseland as in ALDI tying for first. A very sad day for most Badger State bratwurst.