Meal kits are becoming very popular, with all kinds of players entering this space: Sun Basket, Home Chef, Blue Apron to name few. Recently Albertson’s parent of Safeway bought Plated, and I was offered a free kit with my club card. Johnnie Does loves free stuff, so I had to check this out. The selection was not great, and they were a little picked over, and frankly there were some really exotic meal kits available. I chose steak au poivre, of the other kits available, there was Moroccan chicken, shrimp with glass noodles, and lasagna. This review will differ from my other reviews as ambiance does not apply.
Meal in a box: Steak au Poivre for two
First an introduction, meal kits are very popular. In essence you sign up for service and they send you a meal kit for two, proportioned out and essentially ready to cook. These kits usually run about $20 each and you can pick what meals you want sent so you don’t end up with tofu with marijuana buds. Just kidding about the last part, but they cater to every lifestyle, active, dieting, keto you name it. The steak kit is a meal for two consisting of steak, kale, and fingerling potatoes; also it came with all spices/liquids to fix the meal. That’s right you cook it yourself. A very detailed direction manual came with it, walking you step by step to complete each part of the meal.
Step-by-step instructions
First I had to cut the potatoes in half length-wise, put them face down on a baking sheet, season with salt, pepper and olive oil and bake for 12 minutes. While they were baking I had to sear the steaks on a pan on the stove, I minced a shallot (fancy name for an onion) and added half of it to the potatoes and roasted for another 10 minutes. When the steaks were done I removed from the pan, and in a different pan added the kale (I had to chop it), olive oil, and garlic and cooked that down. While that was occurring I had to prepare the sauce for my steaks, it consisted of cooking wine, cream, and black peppercorns, all included with the kit. This took a few minutes, using the same pan with the steak’s juices. Just like that, it was time to plate the meal. Easy 4.5/5
Front to back– kale, steak, taters, onion, drug bottle
I was eating this kit by myself, so I plated it all on one large plate, sliced the steaks, and poured the sauce over them; I added some to the roasted potatoes as well. The kale cooked down nicely and I placed it between the potatoes and the steaks. The meal was very tasty, I’m not a huge kale fan but you cannot make any changes to the kit. 4.7/5
Overall: The ingredients were fresh so that was a definite plus; the directions were super easy to follow. All the spices and other items were included, so it saved on last minute trips to the store. The meal was awesome, but now the hard part, the negatives. The meal doesn’t seem like 2 people could eat it and then be full, almost like you needed a dessert or an appetizer. Additions and subtractions can’t be made, so you’re stuck with the box’s contents. You will use quite a bit in terms of dishes, this meal called for a baking sheet, and 2 different pans, so in essence you will fill the dishwasher up. On the issue of pricing; $20 seems fair if it’s being shipped to you, which all of these companies do by the way, however the cost of said ingredients are far less expensive at the store. I understand convenience, and most people cannot cook these days, so I guess it’s a decent product. Seems like a really cool date night, or like a night with the spouse dinner, but I think overall it’s a bit pricey, now for $15 like it’s advertised sometimes, I would be intrigued. I’ll go 4.5/5 I like the concept and ease of the meal, and you can get quite adventurous as well.
Sen-Elizabeth Warren supports reparations for Native Americans saying they should be “part of the conversation.” Love this move by Warren, great to see her taking care of her own people first! She is the definition of salt of the earth, a very hard working common person! I just hope a mosquito doesn’t suck the 0.000000000000135% of her blood that is allegedly Native American out of her body before said payments are to be distributed! I guess you could always don a headdress or claim one of the Teepee’s at Indian Grinding Rock state park belonged to your ancestors. Anyone else think it’s weird that we’re having hearings about reparations for slavery which ended 150 years ago, Native Americans; again occurring a long time ago, but nary a word about Japanese internment camps during WWII? Or maybe because they score very high on S.A.T. tests and get into our elite schools is a reparation in and of itself?
So far, Warren is the only one to entertain the notion of including Native Americans. “I think it’s a part of the conversation,” she said when asked whether the group should also receive some kind of relief. “I think it’s an important part of the conversation.”
Jennifer Aniston claims to have a secret crush: Sorry Jennifer your attempts to seduce me are doomed to fail, the troll has already moved on to a new woman, my sincerest regrets to you during this difficult time. May I suggest many servings of chocolate donuts and ice cream to cope with the pain? Sorry to disappoint you but you are older than I, and I have plans to have children at some point, however I hope you land on your back soon!
As a source for People says… Aniston, who was married to Brad Pitt, is definitely more cautious when it comes to dating (no surprise there), but she refuses to resist it entirely. … the former Friends star explained, “When [love] comes knocking it’s going to be welcomed.”
Update: I see you joined Courtney Cox on a beach in a very skimpy bikini at age 50, you do look amazing, I’m happy you were able to take this rejection in stride.
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders seated behind one another on a plan to Miami: Sanders was seated in front of Warren, just another example of white privilege if you ask me! I guess one good thing is neither could argue who sat further to the left of the other! No word if Joe Biden was sitting behind Warren copying them both, we will wait for confirmation of this before reporting. Oh, word is Biden alleges that he is part Italian and that’s why his Roman hands come so natural to him.
Awkwardly, progressive rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, were spotted Friday on the same packed flight.
Sanders — unsurprisingly — was seated on the far left of the plane, as he could be in the window seat of the plane. Warren was also in a window seat, one row behind her opponent.
Warren appeared to be reading something in the photograph, while Sanders was staring out the window.
Oregon Governor calls on state police to arrest and return GOP lawmakers to the capital: Gov. Kate Brown sent out the state police to arrest them and bring them back to vote on a green energy cap and trade bill…..good, not like police have anything better to do. Like you know arresting murderers, robbers, writing tickets, investigating stuff…you know cop things? I assume BLM championed this effort saying the “purge will stop for a couple days.” Anyway, a right wing group offered to buy escorts for the lawmakers in case the police showed up to bring them back to the capital. I’m a big escort guy, actually I may head up to Oregon and pretend to be a lawmaker…oh wait not that kind of escort? I’m out, never mind.
Eleven Republican senators fled the Legislature — and in some cases, the state — to thwart the passage of a cap-and-trade proposal that would dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The minority GOP caucus wants the plan to be sent to voters instead of being instituted by lawmakers — but negotiations with Democrats collapsed, leading to a headline-grabbing walkout.
No word on whether Republicans fleeing to California can claim sanctuary status.
AOC calls immigrant detention facilities at the border concentration camps: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a national treasure. Talk about a gift that keeps giving….scratch that, she is like a mosquito, each time you swat it away it comes back with a vengeance. Hell of a take by her I may add…glad to see we are bringing concentration camps back, maybe ole Hitler was on to something here! No word if these “concentration camps” have a public shower, or a crematorium on site, also no word on if a fence surrounds the camp with the words “Work will set you free” transcribed on the top. Not to be outdone Yad Vashim of the Holocaust research center called her out on the explicit links to the Nazi Germany, she was unapologetic. Sick part here, and a history lesson for you AOC, concentration camps were for hard labor, torture, and extermination (Death for any liberal reading this). Unreal you actually might believe that your statement is true. Anyone think the liberals will wipe the holocaust part out of the history books next? Why not? Nazis were National Socialists just like many of our elected Democrats in Congress.
”The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border and that is exactly what they are – they are concentration camps – and if that doesn’t bother you,” Ocasio-Cortez said as she throws up her hands.
”I want to talk to the people that are concerned enough with humanity to say that we should not — that ‘Never Again’ means something,” ?the New York Democrat said in a Q&A posted on politicsnowadays’ Instagram page.
Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described Democratic socialist, went on to call President Trump a “fascist” for carrying out such policies against immigrants. ?
“I don’t use those words lightly. I don’t use those words to just throw bombs,” ?she continued. “I use the word because that’s what an administration that creates concentration camps is.? A presidency that creates concentration camps is fascist and it’s very difficult to say that.”
Joe Biden praises the work of former segregationist Fritz Hollings: “He never called me boy, he always called me son.” Wow, say it ain’t so Joe, there you go again. When Cory Booker, who fancies himself the arbiter of all things race these days called on Biden to apologize, Joe gave it back saying Booker should apologize. In case you missed it, Joe has been on the frontlines for blacks his entire life, calling Barack Obama “well-spoken without that negro dialect.” Yep, while John Kerry was winning the Vietnam MVP award for being a one man wrecking crew, Biden has always been on the frontlines for blacks….sheesh. By the way there term “boy” is a very derogatory thing to say to a black person.
Joe Biden’s touching tribute to Fritz Hollings
Speaking of Biden versus the rest of the 2020 field
As far as we know, none of these rivals will have to explain away friendships with segregationists, vocal opposition to school busing, heavy involvement in crafting harsh crime legislation, and yeoman service on behalf of the financial-services industry, among other items on Biden’s long résumé.
The “Lorax Tree” falls in California: like the rest of my childhood, everything is falling or burning to the ground. I am willing to guarantee this is the work of a far right wing logging company putting profit over our history! It enrages me how these big businesses can just wipe Dr. Seuss off the earth! As a side note, visit Santa Cruz, you see people (stoners) that look like the Lorax everywhere….that thing tripped me out during my childhood.
While a single tree’s death is not usually cause for concern, this particular Monterey cypress had a literary legacy. The arboreal giant was said to have inspired the iconic Dr. Seuss story “The Lorax,” which was published in 1971.
The tree stood in Ellen Browning Scripps Park, near where Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss was a pen name) lived with his wife Audrey from 1948 until his death in 1991.
Editor’s note: Dr. Seuss also wrote Horton Hears a Who. This is the book that teaches that “A person is person, no matter how small.” As such, Liberals might have torn-down this historic monument to the good doctor because of his clearly pro-life position all the back in 1954.
OJ Simpson joins Twitter: What a time to be alive! The juice is fresh outta jail and now he is able to talk directly to his supporters, he wants to set the record straight. I look forward to the daily tweets updating the progress to find the real killer, and I’m glad the lead detective is back on the case. I fired up the burner account and figured I’d ask him a couple softball questions…”Have you ever been so mad you could kill someone?” “If you indeed were the killer, how would you have killed Nicole Brown?” He responded by blocking my account, thanks for nothing you lying fraud, why do I have a sneaky suspicion you are the actually killer?
OJ Simpson in Nevada 2013
Days after the 25th anniversary of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, OJ Simpson has reportedly launched a Twitter account.
In the account, there is a video post in which the former football star, who was the prime suspect in the murders and ultimately acquitted of the crime after a televised trial, says he has got a “little gettin’ even to do”.
Oh more O.J. news as his pathologist, Henry Lee, is now a proven pathological liar.
Henry Lee with his awards for brilliant work
But Lee’s history of problems with evidence—intentional or not—doesn’t begin and end with Henning and Birch. The 81-year-old world-renowned forensic scientist—who has appeared on dozens of crime TV shows and documentaries—has allegedly hidden evidence or given incorrect testimony in at least three other cases, potentially sending the wrong men to prison and allowing guilty ones to walk free, according to court documents and other legal sources.
In 1995, Lee shot to international fame when he appeared as the star forensics witness during the televised O.J. Simpson trial, where he challenged the Los Angeles Police Department’s handling of blood samples. During the trial, Lee testified that blood was likely placed onto Simpson’s socks while they were lying flat, rather than when someone was wearing them. He said a critical blood stain was improperly handled, creating a smear on a paper evidence holder, and bolstering the defense’s claim that cops tampered with the still-wet sample. “The only opinion I can give under these circumstances is something [is] wrong,” Lee said.
Darden, who was then Marcia Clark’s right-hand man in the case, claims O.J.’s lawyers told Lee to use the memorable-but-vague phrase during a court break. “It was a stretch… He shouldn’t have said anything up there that wasn’t based in science,” Darden told me. “But he has a whole shtick and juries like him.” Indeed, some jurors later called Lee’s testimony a major factor in Simpson’s acquittal.
Darden said of Lee’s testimony. “It was bullshit, not science.”
Rat falls from the ceiling at a Buffalo Wild Wings: Gross, first of all you have to keep the rats locked up in the cage and the secret to a good Philly cheesesteak (on the menu by the way) is to thinly sliced rat meat, a little wiz or provolone, with some peppers and onions, and a toasted hoagie roll! Just kidding everything about Philadelphia is trash…hence filthadelphia. But really that did happen at DB-dubs and we are lucky to be getting one here in Elk Grove soon!
Former Rep Joe Sestak runs for president: If you don’t recognize the name he served 4 years in congress, he is a former admiral, and he lost a senate race…which in today’s Democrat Party makes you equally qualified to run. He opened saying “Americans most want today is someone who is accountable to them, above self, above party, above any special interest,…a president who has the depth of global experience to restore America’s leadership in the world to protect our American Dream at home.” Whoa this guy is a pioneer…every candidate for president of office says that about themselves. Sounds like Joe is just trying to angle for 30th place in the primary…maybe a participation trophy? He also will be skipping the first debates this week…. I feel like Pepper Johnson from dodgeball “Bold strategy Joe hope it works out for you.” By the way ever seen Sestak and George Stephanopoulos in the same room? I know there is inbreeding in the Democrat Party but man what a doppelgänger for Sestak!
Former Clinton Foundation member Eric Braverman goes missing: Thankfully this was debunked as fake news, I thought for certain Eric was dead of “natural causes” a typical death for former Clinton aides and allies. Which as reported earlier is now a legal means of death in Washington state…..no word on if he rejected Bill Clinton’s advances before leaving the foundation. Speaking of foundations, maybe we should dig up a couple of those under the numerous houses they own? Maybe the bodies are buried there?
Eric Braverman
Bill and Hillary Clinton have faced a number of scandals and conspiracy theories over the years, and ones about the family’s nonprofit charity continue to proliferate on the internet.
One popular and often-resurrected rumor alleges former Clinton Foundation CEO Eric Braverman has been missing for an extended period of time after revealing Clinton secrets.
The full claim, posted to Facebook, reads: “Why is the mainstream media silent about the fact that former CEO of the Clinton Foundation has been missing for 70+ days and is rumored to be the source who said ‘follow the money & find the real HRC scandal’? WHERE IS ERIC BRAVERMAN?!”
Pop singer Madonna wants to challenge the Pope regarding Jesus’ views on Abortion: Yes, the washed-up, living in the past artist is demanding a meeting with the Pope because apparently Jesus supported abortion. I liken her views to those who attend soccer games; many attend, few understand. This view has been held by the church since its existence. I’m not sure which book, chapter, or passage these remarks were based on, but I’m sure she will tell us.
The 60-year-old “Queen of Pop,” who grew up Catholic, said she wants to change the Vatican’s stance on reproductive rights.
“Let’s talk about Jesus’ point of view about women. Let’s talk about it,” said Madonna during an interview Tuesday with Australian talk show host Andrew Denton.
“Don’t you think Jesus would agree that a woman has the right to choose what to do with her body?”
Madonna was born Catholic but now she is into fringe Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah. My experience is that Jewish folks don’t have much use for Jesus unless they’re named is Bob Zimmerman. However, the twice divorced mother of six seems to think she is a paragon of virtue.
I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t party. I’m quite square,” she told James Corden … in 2016, saying off-stage she’s more like Julie Andrews.
I would love to be a fly on the wall should this meeting ever take place, mostly because I believe this social justice loving pope will likely give in. Don’t believe me? Attend a Catholic church lately? In the Catholic church the most confessed sin prior to death is abortion. Heck the Holy Father just agreed to make changes to the Lord’s Prayer, which has been around forever, based on a translation error! That being said, the only place in the Bible that talks about abortion being legal is on a page where it was handwritten by someone.
Finally: Hope Hicks was grilled about her love life during congressional hearing: Dog and pony show is a better way to describe this….led by pants to his pectorals Jarrold Nadler, who repeatedly, repeatedly called my girl Hope Hicks Mrs. Lewandowski. Because of a rumor she dated him. First of all, Nadler she isn’t married nor did she date that greasy scum! Second, maybe you should concern yourself with your wardrobe as much as you are concerned with her love life. As her internet boyfriend, I suggest you cease and desist immediately. You are nothing more than New Jersey trash trying to stay relevant, sadly no one knows who you are, most likely no Jersey Shore cast before recognizing you! Seriously she is a former Ralph Lauren model who frankly you should take some advice from on fashion since your wardrobe appears to be circa 1970.
Hope Hicks
Secondly Hicks is beautiful, I mean look at her. Whatever the hell she is selling, I’m buying it. If you’re wondering, we are out on salsa bar girl after a deliberate attempt to dump excess grease on my plate, in a wild attempt to lubricate my insides, hence I’ve moved on! Can anyone get a troll a job at Fox….maybe in the communication department…maybe as executive assistant to the department chair…just putting it out there. Maybe I should tweet the Trumpstah he could negotiate a deal I can see her in the….ok that’s enough of the troll for this month
While perusing an old Sacramento Magazine from 2017 (Johnnie Does is a big history guy) I came across an article about 30 things every Sacramentan must eat before they die. Being a simple man, I was overcome with emotion about my own mortality, I knew I had to try something from this list before I went to my eternal reward. I saw Jimboy’s ground beef tacos on the list and figured there is one near my office so let’s do it!
Some Background Jim and Margaret Knudson started Jimboy’s back in 1954 as an American spin on tacos. They started with just a taco cart and grew into a large empire. They started in Tahoe and migrating down to Sacramento in 1961. Glad we claim it as our own…..here is my review!
Ambiance: Jimboy’s gives off a relaxed fast casual vibe. The location near my office features two entrances, a main one and a take-out only entrance… both of which lead to the same counter! You place your order at a counter and you get a number on your receipt and when your order is ready you return to the counter and claim your meal. The menu is standard Mexican cuisine with an American twist; tacos, burritos, salads, fajitas…etc. However in the eyes of this professional food critic, some items are very overpriced…namely said tacos! I placed my order and found a small salsa bar offering about six salsa’s ranging from mild-to-hot, as well as ketchup (?) and Taco sauce. I grabbed the sauce, some hot salsa, and jalapenos and took my seat. The relaxed vibe and having to wait for fresh made food was a nice touch 4.1/5.
Food: As stated above, they have an American variation on Mexican food and I’m grading based on such. I ordered three ground beef tacos, they were $2.80 a piece! The tacos are corn shell, beef, lettuce, cheese, grease and a parmesan cheese dusting the outside of the shell. Did I mention grease…lots and lots of grease. 3.3/5 the taco sauce was a good addition.
Grease is the word
Overall: It was hard to get too excited about this place. The tacos were vary overpriced, by comparison there is a Taco Bell and a Del Taco nearby; both offering their spin on tacos for far cheaper. I did enjoy the relaxed laid back vibe, I loved the food was not premade, it was cooked after I ordered, and came out hot to boot. However even on taco Tuesday, $2 for these tacos are viciously overpriced. 3.3/5
I perused the list of the other “things I had to eat before I die” and was not impressed. Merlino’s Freeze I never liked and the Squeeze Inn cheeseburger only squeezed my blood vessels (plus I can’t see myself in a cheese skirt). As such, I think I can die in peace knowing I didn’t miss much other than harder arteries. I started not feeling well while writing this review…Johnnie Does diarrhea may be forthcoming. Recently, another salsa bar in Elk Grove overloaded my plate with grease as well, maybe the natives are sending a message to me?
San Francisco, it’s been referred to as cutting edge, a dump, liberal bastion, Bagdad by the Bay, home of Michael Savage, and pretty much everything that you can name, so the Blog Father deployed intern “Johnnie Does” to report back on a myriad of topics. The following is his report.
While making my final descent across the Golden Gate Bridge (it’s more of a red-orange not gold but I digress), I saw a sign advertising the bridge toll of $12. Like any other proud American, I was ready to pay said toll for the right to enter San Francisco from this historic structure but to my dismay there was no attendant in the toll booth! I passed through; fearing the worst. Would I get a ticket? Was I now a criminal? A fugitive on the run even? Would I make it out of the City alive? My passenger assuaged my fears saying they are going to send you a bill via snail mail for the $12, they got rid of the toll takers years ago. Whoa! That’s Weird! Liberal San Francisco actually shrinking government payroll? Or was this an Amazon.com esque agreement where these bills are delivered at an extra cost to Joe Taxpayer? Maybe a third-party billing service owned by the nephew of a local bigwig? I couldn’t dwell on this; I had a job to do. I was finally here, and I needed to complete my mission; cranking out decent content for this blog.
Photo via Facebook
I found a parking lot right near Fisherman’s Wharf. I was a little offended this wasn’t really anyone’s wharf; especially, considering this city believes anyone can use any place as a bathroom. Maybe if this was private there would be standards, public ownership means anything goes, talk about hypocrisy. I realized I had inadvertently selected a labor union’s parking lot, and at the rate of $20 a day I figured I did my part to re-fill their coffers which took a big hit following the Supreme Court’s Janus decision.
I then set off on my journey toward Golden Gate Park. It was a short walk, if by short, I mean the kill radius of a thermo-nuclear weapon, but I finally made it. The homeless issue had been reported on by a couple of real news stations, so I wanted to get a firsthand perspective on this. What I saw would stun everyone except maybe resident pantywaist Darrell Steinberg (idiot-Sacramento). Homeless people had taken over the park!
Darrell Steinberg
Literally every part of this once magnificent landmark was covered in trash, tents, sleeping bags, propane stoves, five-gallon buckets of…. (well, let’s call it human waste). I thought this was supposedly a tourist area. Really? Again, whoa, that’s weird! I needed to get answers, so I interviewed several characters inhabiting the park. The first, “Chief poo slinger” (no relation to “The Chief” correspondent on this blog by the way) claimed that the part of the park which he was residing in was actually his, given to him by God. Not sure I ever read that passage in the Bible, maybe it appears in Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s Authorized Version?
Jeremiah Wright no internet photo of him holding a Jewish or Christian Bible exists
Pressed for answers, he and his counterparts; Jack Meoff, and fellow sister, Coke Meup, relented and answer several tough questions. None wanted to leave the park under any circumstances claiming they had a right to life under the Constitution, I agreed. None wanted to live in a state or city sponsored shelter, saying they didn’t want to give up drinking or doing narcotics. This is understandable, many a homeless person these days just wants money for said alcohol or narcotics. In a sense, they had formed a pack or herd mentality, and as a group, they took over what was once a proud tourist destination.
Golden Gate Park–site where woman gave birth 12/13/2012
The homeless were ever present on the Embarcadero and the entire walk to Pier 39 and other tourist traps. The odd part here, was a security force shooed them off whenever one wandered into the tourist areas. I saw this firsthand several times. So, I interviewed one of the guards. He was actually quite a good interview! He said the businesses and landlord hired them to make sure the area is welcoming for visitors because the wharf is a worldwide tourist destination. I agreed but stated that the sidewalks were dirty and grimy and could use a re-vamp…more on this later. But the security force was very good at making sure the homeless knew that until after midnight, they weren’t welcome. Further on my journey, I encountered a worker in a yellow fluorescent vest picking up what I thought was trash…it was human feces.
San Francisco Poop Patrol
Apparently, San Francisco has an “open door policy” meaning you can open the back door and relieve yourself wherever you wanted, and these “poop troops” were employed to clean it up…. WEIRD! Similar poop troop squads are deployed all over the city. They even keep a log of where they pick up all the “logs.”
Gross and upsetting, more on this later.
Both when I stopped to grab a bite for lunch and later for dinner, I was able to chat with the employees and managers alike. The attitude from the employees was that the homeless have overrun the place…. but it’s San Francisco and we have a “love all, serve all” attitude. Generally, they seemed happy, as the minimum wage is higher here than most places, and they have healthcare to boot! Yes, added on as a line item to my bill was a 5% tax to pay for worker healthcare mandated by San Francisco. That was somewhat unsettling as my ticket for Fish n Chips came to over $20 after tax, tip, and healthcare costs were passed conveniently on to me–the customer.
Talking to the managers gave me a fresh prospective on the homeless situation. They lamented the rising rents and minimum wage increases. These economic factors put continuously upward pressure on costs and as such are passed on to the customer. They spoke of the nightmare of trying to hire people, and constant turnover due to rising costs. Like the employees, they didn’t seem to have much animosity toward the homeless.
I walked down the Embarcadero toward the ballpark where the San Francisco Giants play. On my walk, I encountered more of the same homeless people littering the streets. These ones took a far more aggressive pan handling tone than any others I had encountered. Harassing of patrons was not even frowned upon by law enforcement.
photo: SF Chronicle
I went into a couple of small businesses specifically to ask the owners what they thought of the situation. Predictably the business owners were fed up, the homeless create a blight, and while it’s easy for Pope Francis to say we need to take and provide for all these folks, the detriment on businesses is telling. The business owners lamented the lack of police support. The proliferation of homeless, coupled with the role-back and decriminalization of many things in the County, made business ownership in their part of the city difficult. A couple of business owners even said they would support a tax to build housing for the homeless, even knowing it won’t alleviate the problem. All in all, it painted a bleak picture of any prospect of a turnaround. I guess the City/County of San Francisco doesn’t care about the cleanliness or appearance of its streets but are more than willing to put a tax on the ballot.
Finally, I had a chance to speak to several police officers in the city. Their responses will blow you away! This is a very unhappy bunch, essentially nothing is a crime in The City anymore. Sure major violence is, but the DA has made so many crimes non-priority that enforcement is nil. It’s almost a lawless area. The police have been ordered to do nothing about public intoxication, urinating in public, or aggressive homeless people. It has created a culture of anything goes, and as a result tourism is declining. While I am sure the pay and benefits are great, it must be surreal to have gone through the academy and take an oath to uphold the laws of the land only to see them being decriminalized and make you a bystander.
Final Thoughts It was an okay, but very average trip to San Francisco. Golden Gate Park is overrun with homeless, the City has an app showing where the “poop troop” has picked up a log, and sadly the entire city is covered.
Poop Patrol map
The streets are dirty, the smell of human waste is everywhere, apathy has set in amongst the employees and police, and business owners are talking up supporting a tax to throw more money at the problem. The seafood was good but very overpriced due to high labor and benefit costs, I don’t think I will visit again anytime soon. It has become overrun by homeless and unless you visit the tourist traps it’s just not a fun experience. The politicians and local leaders don’t seem to care either as the only answer in their eyes is throw more money at the problem. Sadly more and more homeless have migrated to the city knowing full well they can get away with far more in San Francisco than any other surrounding area. I cannot say I would recommend a visit.
That’s my take on it. Trump gave the order to attack Iran and some piece of equipment necessary for the mission failed or was not ready for the job.
The US armed forces have a bad track record when it comes to military action against Iran. You can go back to the aborted hostage rescue attempt under the Carter Administration. This cluster f**** of an operation killed a bunch of good men in a mission that was doomed to failure. Carter and company wanted every branch of the military to have a part in the mission which was flown at night. People that had not trained together were thrust into a dangerous operation in an environment hostile to both men and equipment.
Operation Eagle Claw … was a United States Armed Forces operation ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 embassy staff held captive at the Embassy of the United States, Tehran on 24 April 1980. Its failure, and the humiliating public debacle that ensued, damaged U.S. prestige worldwide. Carter blamed his loss in the 1980 U.S. presidential election mainly on his failure to secure the release of the hostages
Fast forward to today. President Trump has inherited a sketchy military that is highly reliant on untested systems. My use of the word “untested” is a charitable term.
As documented previously on this blog, Navy’s 13 Billion Dollar Cruise Ship, we have aircraft carriers that can’t arm planes, launch them or land them because their systems don’t work. The Navy also has weapon systems that they can’t test fire because it costs too much money to test them ($1 million per shot).
The Navy is scrapping production of rounds for its newest warship, citing costs of nearly $1 million per unit.
The move comes just two weeks after the Navy commissioned the U.S.S. Zumwalt, the next generation of the Navy’s guided missile destroyer program. The scrapped Long Range Land-Attack Projectile (LRLAP) fired from the Zumwalt would be capable of hitting targets up to 80 miles away. Lockheed Martin claims the rounds are so accurate they can “defeat targets in the urban canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage.”
The Zumwalt is equipped with two large guns which are only capable of firing LRLAP rounds. The guns are still slated to be mounted on two upcoming Zumwalt class ships, and are the largest weapons to be designed for a warship since World War 2.
Every branch of the military has similar stories of equipment issues.
The U.S. military, government agencies and other purchasers bought more than $20 million worth of Chinese-made counterfeit goods designed to look like domestically produced gear from a company that defrauded the government and helped to orchestrate the counterfeiting process between January 2013 and October 2018, Justice Department officials said last week.
The counterfeit gear included 200 specialized parkas designed to counter night vision goggles that would have been used by U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in Afghanistan.
But the Multicam APECS Parkas sold to an unnamed U.S. Air Force base supply center didn’t actually do that, which could have put troops’ lives at risk.
Those types of parkas use a near-infrared technology woven into the fabric that is designed to make the wearer more difficult for enemy forces to detect with equipment such as night-vision goggles, justice officials said. The counterfeit versions, however, lacked the near-infrared technology, unbeknownst to the wearer.
The sales were in violation of the Berry Amendment and the Trade Agreements Act, which require goods sold to the military and certain government buyers to be manufactured in either the United States or select countries.
In the case of Trump aborting the attack on Iran, I think the likely culprit is the F-35.
The F-35 program began in 1992. The idea was that all branches of the military would use the same aircraft thus saving that taxpayers money. The program was known as the Joint Strike Fighter. However, like the proverbial horse created by a committee, every part of the military had their own ideas about what this aircraft should do and what type of weapon systems it should have. By 2017, the commonality of function between the services was measured at 20 percent.
The F-35 in my opinion is a failure as a replacement for the F-16. It is incapable of winning a dogfight with an F-16, it cannot maintain supersonic speed without compromising its structure, and requires pristine flight conditions to operate.
I think the carrier aircraft were not up to the task of doing the mission due to an equipment readiness issue and Trump remembering the Carter fiasco, aborted the mission. It was not a last minute breakthrough of diplomacy.
That’s my read on it but we will learn soon enough because nothing stays secret in Washington for very long.
Not a day goes by where I (a millennial mind you) hear older generations crapping all over mine. You know the criticisms, they are dumb, addicted to their phones, aren’t motivated, what do they do all day? etc. etc. etc. While in most cases these denunciations are correct, you were the enabler!
This started back during school for us, when you as parents would make excuse after excuse for our misbehavior, poor productivity, or general laziness. “He is a good kid”, “She has a learning disability”, “His homework is at home we left too quickly”, etc. Sure on occasion you may have spanked us, grounded us, sent us to bed without dinner; however, these were also enabling tactics, as the following day you acted as if nothing happened. You made us play basketball, football, soccer, baseball, band, you name it, we gorged on activities year round, your enabled us by burning us out. By burning us out, we couldn’t compete on a sports team in high school, so we came right home after school, sometimes 3 hours before a parent would return from work. We never did our chores, but that’s ok because you said “homework” was more important but we usually had none so we played on the video game system you bought for us or dabbled in drugs.
We spent our homework hours with Master Chief
You caught us, but you remembered your own drug use, so you let it pass, rationalizing that “it’s a fad.” You caught us cutting class, cheating, etc. yet you still let us hang out with our friends, because we needed a social life. You let your daughter dress however she wanted, leaving little to the imagination, now you’re upset she has self-esteem issues. However due to your absenteeism, she has downloaded Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and any other app, only to see other girls half-dressed looking better than her and as a result she wants plastic surgery. Mental health anyone? As a result, we no longer talk to people like adults, we now exist only in cyberspace as an anonymous internet bully. We talk to people the same way, we tell our parent to f*** off, shut up, etc. Our own parents, those who brought us into the world…. However, you never punished us. Again, indicting your generation. We speak through emojis, texts, and emails, we have “friends” not friends.
We fell in love with TV, specifically “reality TV.” This molded our thoughts and started a sympathetic mentality. We binged on “My 600lb Life”, “Teenage and Pregnant” and “John and Kate plus 8.” As adults, you should have told us this is no way to live our lives.
Instead these people have become sympathetic figures with us wanting social justice for them. This combined with teachers who run their classroom like a courtroom, not allowing a difference of opinion, have now made two generations sympathetic and now have deeply ingrained beliefs of equality. It is no longer what you believe or think, it’s how you feel. Poor Caitlyn Jenner should use any bathroom she wants. Colin Kaepernick should be allowed to kneel during the National Anthem because that is him expressing himself. The “Octomom” is a single mother who should get all the care she needs.
Colin Kaepernick of the SF 49ers kneels during the anthem
We have been ingrained to ignore the plight of the working person, forcing them to subsidize the life of people who make horrendous life choices.
Your lack of parenting caused us to identify with a group as opposed to listening to you. We have a tribal mentality as opposed to a family or faith based mentality. We rely on the opinions of friends and close associates as opposed to thinking for ourselves or real life experiences from you. As a result, our friends and teachers have molded our thoughts, all while you looked the other way. You may try to retort, but we saw it on TV, and everyone is watching/talking about the show.
Your generation didn’t stop there, you expected us to attend college whether we were prepared or not under the guise that “no degree means no good job.” Our teachers agreed, clearly this ideal worked for them. It was almost as if the college imperative was a form of collusion amongst your generation. Our professors got in on it as well saying a salary offer of 70k a year or less is a slap in the face with a degree from our institution. We drank deep and long on this Kool-Aide offered to us. So we went to college, signing on to significant student loan debt, all the while majoring in; political science, the humanities, communication, or sports management….all worthless degrees in the real world. On freshman move in day at the dorms, you even bought booze for us, your offspring. You wanted to be the cool parent and what better way for us to meet people. Sadly, lesson learned. You taught us the rules didn’t apply. Even worse, the go-go days of easy credit and a fake economy were booming so you bought a boat, way bigger house, two big vehicles, put a pool in…everything was great, if you got it flaunt it, forget keeping up with any Jones’s you were the Jones’s.
Then things stopped, it got very ugly….your boat? Sold it to try to cover house payments. You or your spouse or both of you lost your jobs. The cars were repossessed and the house foreclosed on. Rather than blame your own splurging, you blamed the banks, or President Bush or Clinton, depending on your party of choice, they ruined everything. Those job offers we were promised? The guaranteed salaries? Nowhere to be found. Instead, we graduated with a mountain of debt and moved right back home, albeit a likely smaller version of it. You made excuses about the economy being bad and rather than implore us to get jobs, you paid our bills and looked the other way. We tried pushing the “reset button” yet this is not a video game, it didn’t work. That 70k a year? You parents aren’t clearing that anymore, if you ever really did. Oh and we just fell off our parents insurance, because Republicans. You kept paying our bills and the excuses continued. Now you want us to be independent. We balked because we enjoy you paying for everything while we live our lives like any MTV star or Kardashian did. You then realized retirement was on hold due to you still paying your adult child’s bills. It’s ok though, you moved us out of the house, but you would still cover the rent for a year; which has turned into 3 years. You also pay all utilities because we says it isn’t fair that we pay. I have customers who continue to pay expenses for their child who is now married: car, rent, phone, cable, and insurance payments.
Worse yet, the ones who are somewhat independent go right back to your old bag of tricks when they don’t get their way. “I never got a bill!” “Yeah, I did pay it!” “No you’re wrong.” Fear not, dad and mom were there to bail you out again, so it continues. Then Christmas came (or your inspired word for “the Holidays”) and you spent the time with us sad that no son-in-law (or daughter-in-law) and grandkids were present. Again you went into helicopter mode. You made a million excuses and tried to convince us to get a partner. Our response, “I am looking.” You retort that we weren’t looking hard enough so you found one for us. Predictably, it didn’t work out and you blamed us. Still barely employed, you tried to get us to find some motivation…sorry. We rebelled against you. You told us this was a land of milk and honey, it wasn’t. We abandoned any values or ethics you thought you taught us…they, like the good paying jobs, are gone forever. You tried to instill discipline, but you failed. We haven’t heard the word “NO” before and, you unprepared, did not realize that like you, we mastered the art of excuse making and rhetoric. The student has become the master. You told us the government would handle our retirement but that prospect looks very bleak. You told us hard work pays off, that didn’t translate into a job. You showed us how to live a lie; however, that lifestyle isn’t available anymore. You filed bankruptcy and got a clean slate. We can file, but our student loans aren’t dischargeable (yet). Everything we were told ended up being untrue, so we now have a jaded view of just about anything, and now we are stuck.
You couldn’t understand why we voted for Obama in masse, or why we flock to Sanders, Warren or Booker, yet strayed far from Hillary. Truth is Obama represented a hope, everything you told us about, then he failed us, and he, just like you, fired up the excuses. We rebelled on Trump because he reminds us of the current you; someone angry with results and determined for to force a change. Harris, Warren and Sanders represent the values we want, no corporations, no debt, and no hard work, and the ultimate benefit, payback to your generation for the lies you told us.
For those of us who are married and with kids, you are likely still providing a roof over our heads and in most cases paying for everything else. You can’t understand why we don’t vaccinate our kids, but we point to obscure internet articles stating vaccinations cause autism, ignoring the grave history of measles, polio, and tetanus. But still you defend our position even though it is wholly without merit.
Concluding thoughts: While your descriptions and stereotypes are correct, fault lies with you. Harken back to the days of our youth when everyone was getting a trophy in their sports league, even though keeping score was looked upon unfavorably. Everyone was a winner, and even if we lacked the talent or ability, we were told how great and inspiring we were!
If you had fun, you won!
The seed was planted and later when we tried out for a high school team and inexplicitly got cut, devastation ensued. Remember when we got our first job and when told by a supervisor we made a mistake, again devastation, why is that? Because we were told our entire life how great of a job we did, and the word “no” never computed. So what if we were 20 minutes late…again. We are finding out the “real world” isn’t a TV show run on MTV when we were younger. Actions have consequences, things your parents shielded us from. You allowed us to hang out with like-minded friends, we got tattoos, we dyed our hair, we got piercings, etc. you said we were out of line but again no consequences. Remember when you went out for date night downtown, and you, act surprised that you had a waitress with pink hair, a bartender with many tattoos, and a nary a “normal looking” person to be found. Guess they has parents like you too.
I know what you’re thinking, chain restaurant? Has Johnnie gone soft on us? He literally put a store out of business…. rest in peace Side Burn BBQ. However, we saw a commercial for loaded queso fajitas and were intrigued. We found a $5 off coupon in a local newspaper, which conveniently doubles as flooring for a pet’s cage! Here is the review.
Ambiance: It’s a chain so it’s hard to quantify it, but no hostess during the height of lunch hour is a bad look. I seated myself at the high-top table near the bar and was predictably ignored by the wait staff and bartender (it’s her serving area) for about 15 minutes. They had very loud music blaring on the sound system which didn’t make for the greatest experience but at last I was helped. I ordered the loaded queso shrimp fajitas, and a water. The waitress informed me she was also the manager; I respect the hustle and won’t downgrade too many points here. Nevertheless, prior to helping me, she was seated at the bar eating lunch…. whoa that’s weird! Why are employees eating at the peak time that they should be waiting on customers? Well, like the Col Sanders ad or any hands-on manager you see on T.V., at least she eats the food produced in her kitchen! Generally, the place seemed very disorganized, with patrons approaching any crew member to ask if they could cash them out, or place and order etc. Possibly the worst and making it a lower grade was a crew member (female) bent over to pick up food scraps near the bar revealing, well let’s just say the secret is no more, Victoria! 3.2/5 on the ambiance, not bad for a chain, but man they need some work.
Menu: Again, it’s a chain so they serve a little bit of everything, burgers, steaks, fish, apps, chicken, it runs the gamut. After finally placing my order, I’m waiting about 10 minutes to score the fajitas. I’m hoping they were worth it. They came out of the kitchen piping hot very similar to a Chevy’s. They did not disappoint!
Loaded queso shrimp fajitas
A large sizzling plate with Spanish rice, peppers, onions, a bunch of shrimp, cilantro and a separate plate with 3 tortillas (not enough) pico de gallo, and cheese, accompanied by some guacamole that Johnnie is heavily allergic to, and asked to BE LEFT OFF!!!!! However, this was awesome! I felt it was a very good deal at $11 after the coupon, but its normally $16 and for lunch that hits a high price point, again understanding it’s a franchise store and increased labor costs, I’d say it’s a solid 4.2/5
Overall: Again it’s a chain, so it is what it is, I don’t know if I would take a date their but it’s a decent place, and at the end of the day it’s like any other place; you know what you’re getting and that is saying something. It has its flaws, but at least they don’t season with Franks Red Hot. 3.7/5. I got my check paid and handed over said coupon. It took about 10 minutes to get a manager to override the system to accept it, so it was like paying with EBT at a local store for food…. oh well.
Tesla stock has been slightly up these past two weeks but not because of earning reports or Elon Musk ginning up support on Twitter. Instead Tesla has benefitted from the algorithms that fund managers use to insure they have a sufficiently diversified portfolio. Generally, if the Dow is up, Tesla has been up and vice versa.
However, Tesla has hit another bump in the rode.
Tesla and Uber both had requests for tariff relief rejected by U.S. trade officials, a decision that will force the companies to pay a 25% tariff or seek new suppliers.
Reuters was the first to report the decision by the office of the U.S. Trade Representatives. TechCrunch previously reported on the Trump administration’s refusal to exempt the “brain” of Tesla’s Autopilot technology from punitive import tariffs.
Last year, the Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on a range of imports, including electronics, to try to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China. Tesla and Uber are among the U.S. companies that have requested relief on those tariffs.
Tesla warned that higher tariffs on the “brain of the vehicle” could cause economic harm to the company.
As stated here before, Musk’s fortunes have been bleak since Trump was elected. Trump has shutoff many of the taxpayer subsidies that Musk needed because he can’t compete in an open and free market. Republicans don’t tend to tamper with the market by subsidizing unproven alternatives to things that work while Democrats have the hubris to pick winners and losers (Solyndra and Tesla) claiming for political and economic reasons that “Green” is good despite any evidence that it is factual.
But there’s even more bad news for Elon and his posse.
One such stock that you may want to consider dropping is Tesla, Inc.
A key reason for this move has been the negative trend in earnings estimate revisions. For the full year, we have seen two estimates moving down in the past 30 days, compared with no upward revisions. This trend has caused the consensus estimate to trend lower, going from a loss of $1.14 a share a month ago to its current level of a loss of $1.32.
Also, for the current quarter, Tesla has seen two downward estimate revisions versus no revisions in the opposite direction, dragging the consensus estimate down to a loss of 70 cents a share from a loss of 64 cents over the past 30 days.
I’m not ready to declare Tesla dead yet but the disconnect between their perceived value and actual value is still way out of line. Barring anything else, look for a significant drop when the 90-day monster makes its appearance in July. The “tell” is when Musk goes on Twitter in mid-July to divert your attention from the impending bad news. So far we have had the flamethrower, leaf blower, underwater submarine car, and pickup truck.
Elon Musk with Tesla Flamethrower
Elon has plans for submarine better than the one driven by James Bond Disclaimer: Playboy model extra, some assembly required
Can the Tesla motorcycle be far behind?
Last year’s Tesla Model M motorcycle
Oh, wait, Elon had that last year. What will this guy think of next? He wants you to look at the new shiny thing in his hand not dollars and common sense.
I keep telling the editorial staff here at ReallyRight that the 2020 election will be American Values (i.e. Donald Trump) versus California Values (everyone else).
This is true not only culturally, socially, and politically but also because in their attempt to be relevant, California Democrats have moved our jungle primary to Super Tuesday, the earliest allowed date in March 2020. Thus giving a hyper-Liberal an early advantage in the delegate count towards their nomination.
Per an article at World Net Daily, yesterday Rush Limbaugh also seized upon this idea.
But talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh believes Donald Trump, a Republican, needs to make a bid for those votes.
“I’m talking actually making a play for people out there. Go to California and make your case. Go to California and explain your philosophy, your policies, your heart. Go to California. People out there are not hearing it. California may as well have boundaries around it where outside news doesn’t get in there, other than things like this show,” he said Wednesday.
“And not to win California. This is an unreasonable expectation. It would be great icing on the cake if Trump could actually win California for the Republicans. There just aren’t the Republican votes to do that right now. At the same time, it makes no sense to write off the state. Somebody like Trump could go there and make the case that the people of the state of California never hear made anymore, because it’s a one-party state and a different way of life as an option is really never presented,” he said.
It would be fun to see Trump campaign here, even just a little; plus it would bleed the Dems of a bunch of money just to shore-up their base. Democrats just don’t understand how toxic any ideas labeled as “California” are in the rest of the country.
If Trump defines the race as America versus California, he will sweep states in ‘flyover country” and give Democrats a much deserved black eye in the process.
Georgia has decided to break with conventional wisdom and dare to support the weakest among us and all hell has broken loose on the other side. Many media companies that find it too difficult (bureaucratic and expensive) to work in Liberal meccas like California and New York are spending big money in the Peach State to create content. Now these folks are threatening to pull-out of Georgia and other states that take a stand for life. First out of the gate was Netflix; followed by Disney et al.
Nearly half a dozen major media companies have joined Netflix in reconsidering their hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in states where so-called heartbeat bills have either been passed or are already in effect.
Netflix was the first Hollywood studio to publicly take a stand on the polarizing issue, when chief content officer Ted Sarandos said Tuesday that the company would consider pulling movie and television productions from Georgia if the state implements a controversial abortion ban, Variety reported.
Walt Disney Co. followed Wednesday night and by Thursday, NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia, Sony Pictures, CBS and its Showtime division had each issued statements saying states’ anti-abortion laws would affect the studios’ decision-making when it comes to selecting locations for production.
Other states are in the crosshairs of these liberal leaning corporations for daring to support life but please note that one player is conspicuous in their absence. Where is CNN? You know, the Liberal news network headquartered in Atlanta Georgia.
CNN has made no public statements on the topic of moving but their supporters have noticed and purport to speak for them. The following quote is from a California Democrat and Presidential hopeful telling CNN what they should do.
Rep. Eric Swalwell on Sunday said he supports the kind of economic boycott that private businesses are threatening in Georgia if a new abortion law goes into effect and suggested at a CNN town hall on Sunday that the television network might have to leave the state as well.
Meanwhile, the big studios that huffed and puffed in the article above are moderating their stance.
To be clear, each company’s statement includes the same set of caveats. None of the corporations has actually committed to boycotting Georgia, but only to reconsider their work there. Plus, they’ve only said they will potentially take action if the law survives what are expected to be significant court challenges.
It’s a far cry from the full-on boycott some activists have demanded. Yet, the various statements represent a notable shift, or at least a breaking of the silence.
Folks, I think the movie studios should take a page from Laura Ingraham’s Shut Up & Sing. Quit worrying about social issues or you risk the wrath of the other half of the country that disagrees with you.
I’m not going to cancel Netflix and Hulu yet but if they go forward with their threat then I’m pulling my money from their companies. Getting rid of Comcast as my ISP is more problematic but once 5G is deployed, I may not need them anymore. I may not be signing a bunch of online petitions about this but I will surely vote with my wallet if this posturing is turned into action.
