A belated ‘Meals Monday’ Post and it’s going to be a two for one! First there’s the brisket sandwiches.
OK, the plating isn’t as pretty as my usual pics, but I was in a hurry to eat. 😀 Can you blame me with the smoke ring showing on that overhanging meat?
So how does one create the prefect brisket sandwich? Fresh smoked brisket on a warm hot cross pretzel roll, add a tiny pit of mayo to the bottom and a little BBQ sauce on top of the meat; just enough to add a little flavor and moisture. Then top with smoked gouda cheese. 🙂
Devour immediately.
Fun story here also. That is not MY brisket. We finally found a good BBQ place here. You wouldn’t think it would be that hard in Tennessee, but that’s a story for another time.
So we’re out driving along, running errands and we stop at a traffic light right next to this old gas station. Windows are up, and we still smell something heavenly. It was coming from the gas station, which had been converted into a little restaurant tailor made for Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. We just had to whip in there and check it out.
We’ve actually tried three different restaurants recommended on Triple D, and this was quite a bit better. The guy had two stick burners (some BBQ lingo for y’all) out back and was cranking out some amazing ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken and sausage. Well, the brisket was so good we bought an extra pound to take home. Hence the Sandwiches. 🙂
What Makes Great BBQ?
Opinions vary there, but I’m going to give you a couple of competition judging standards. No, I’m not a competitor, but I’ve networked with several and a judge or two also. Personally, I’ve found the closer I get to these guidelines, the better the meat tastes too, so there you go.
A Smoke Ring:
It doesn’t matter what you’re cooking; ribs, brisket, chicken even turkey (which isn’t normally a competition item), you have to have a good smoke ring on the meat. This is the indication that the wood fire flavor has permeated the meat.
This IS my brisket. A 16 hour labor of love.
That red ring around the outside of the meat is the smoke ring. If you want to learn the science of what creates a smoke ring, there’s a great article at BarbequeBible.com. For everyone else, I’m just going to continue.
Bark!
Bark, quite simply, is a combination of a modest surface char AND surface seasonings darkening during cooking. A good bark will be on the crispy side and add texture to the meat. Getting a good bark is tricky, and all but impossible with a pellet smoker like I use. Sugar as part of the rub is a common way to get a “good” bark, as it readily darkens and hardens with the heat of the BBQ. NOT something I personally advocate.
Moisture
Rather obvious here, but you want any meat to be moist and tender. Not too dry.
Tensile Strength
I’m not sure what they proper judging term here is, but the idea is that the meat should stay together, not just fall apart. If ribs or brisket just fall apart, it means they were overcooked. Too tough: not cooked enough.
Perfect competition standard is that the meat should come apart with a light tug.
For ribs, that means the meat stays on the bone until bitten, or gently pulled upon. Then it should be tender when chewed.
Brisket has a bit more ornate standard, but Texans take their brisket seriously, LOL.
A slice of brisket should stay together if draped over a finger or held by two fingers at one end of the slice. If it can do that and is still tender to eat, you got a good one.
Similar ideas hold true with chicken or pulled pork. Chicken should stay on the bone, but come free easily when pulled, and pork shoulder roast should stay together until it’s pulled apart (hence the name pulled pork).
Flavor:
Another obvious one, but it merits a note. Ideally when smoking meat, you should be able to taste the smoke flavor, not just see the smoke ring. Some BBQ places use oak for example. Fairly common wood and easy to get ahold of. BUT it leaves very little flavor in the meat compared to something like hickory, mesquite or maple.
Maple is considered ideal for pork, as it adds a sweet smoky flavor to the meat.
There you have it though; a basic guideline to determine if you’re really getting top notch BBQ, or you’re missing out. 😉
I’m going to put a more positive spin on the Tuesday social commentary stuff this time.
On the heels of my “Be the Change” post, I want to talk about what the mega-rich, power elite political and business leaders (and their media puppets) are utterly terrified of… YOU! Not just you actually, but Us… seeing through how we’re being set against each other to the point of needless, senseless violence so that we don’t see how they’re robbing us, keeping us down and and outright working against us.
I’m going to use a couple of short clips from Rise of Skywalker to make the point, since something like this IS their worst nightmare:
Perhaps it’s more appropriate to say it’s HOPE that they’re afraid of. Because when hope rises at a dark moment like today, THIS is what happens:
Note the shock and contempt in the officer’s voice also when he says “It’s not a fleet sir, it’s just… people.”
For the record, I’m NOT talking about violence either. I’m talking about all of us standing up and saying “NO MORE” in one loud, unified voice.
No more corrupt government that thinks we exist to serve it instead of it serving us.
No more divide and conquer, spreading hate.
No more false solutions that only make matters worse.
No more politicians becoming filthy rich at taxpayer expense.
NO MORE putting giant financial institutions and mega-corporations ahead of people, the environment and smaller businesses.
No more pretending too big to fail doesn’t actually mean they MUST be dismantled.
The day we FINALLY stand united and say “ENOUGH!” is when the world changes.
Right now, it feels about like 25 seconds into that clip, where even Poe has given up hope. As that fleet’s arrival shows though, everything can change in an instant. We just have to want it bad enough.
Today is an ultimate geek out day for me. 😀 I got my Star Wars Black Series Mace Windu Lightsaber!
For those whose geek credentials are lacking, ‘The Black Series’ is the elite level of officially licensed toys and memorabilia from Hasbro.
Ironic trivia here: Kenner (Hasbro’s chief rival) made all the Star Wars toys through the 80s and 90s.
Explanations taken care of, you all get to see the unboxing and get a review! Yes, I said unboxing
A real fan HAS to open the box!
The packaging is fairly nice, as the first two pics indicate. Here’s what you see when you open it up:
Yes, that’s a framed Yoda poster off to the side. Do or Do Not; There is No Try.
As you can see it’s well protected in the package, which is nice given that this puppy was kind of expensive. Not near as bad as an Ultrasaber like my other lightsaber, or one from SaberForge, but still expensive.
I really couldn’t resist this. I’ve been drooling over Mace’s saber since episode 2 was released. I didn’t lose my head over it the way Jango Fett did though, LOL. More importantly, I had the opportunity to get a working copy for 40% of what it would have cost via Ultrasabers.
Here’s our beauty unboxed and with the blade ignited:
Yes, that IS a damned odd stand too. I’ll be swapping it out for an aftermarket one and putting it back in the box at some point in the near future.
As you can see, the blade is bright enough to be visible in a bright room. I took it into the bathroom, closed to door and turned off the light to let it really shine though
The Review: How Does it Compare?
I know a couple of you are curious anyway. 😀 I wasn’t really sure what to expect here, but was pleasantly surprised. I knew the hilt was metal before ordering, not plastic like those $25 kid’s toys. The hilt turned out to be nicely polished and fairly thick also. Not quite as thick as the Ultrasaber, but thick enough to be pretty sturdy.
It’s certainly nicer than the Galaxy’s Edge sabers that Disney sell at their parks (and via Amazon) for far more money also:
The Mace Windu saber is closer to the camera than the Cal Kestis one, so it looks bigger. The Windu hilt is a hair more than 11 inches (28 cm) long as compared to the Cal Kestis one being 16 inches (40.6 cm) long. You can see the chrome and electrum finishes are nicely done, and that parts of the hilt also have a rubberized inlay:
Overall, I’d say the hilt is very well done. The test will be how well the electrum trim finish stays in place, and if the rubberized faux leather starts to peel up. No signs that either will be an issue thus far.
The innards of the hilt aren’t accessible the same way an aftermarket saber’s are, but it seems to be made along similar lines, with a power switch, emitters, motion sensor / sound controller and the battery holder with integrated speaker at the bottom.
The sound is a tiny bit muffled, but that’s a common complaint on even the best aftermarket sabers. The motion sensor is a little weak also. Slow movements may not even get noticed and even light bumps might only register as a swing. Still, overall not TOO bad here.
The blade itself is where buyers seem to have issues. It’s made for light contact only, no dueling or even getting carried away whole playing. While it’s also very bright, it’s also not actually a purple blade. It’s more of a magenta as the earlier pictures show.
The BIG issue with the blades on Black Series sabers is that you can’t detach them like with something from Ultrasabers or Saberforge. So you have to display it with the polycarbonate (plastic?) tube on AND even though it comes with a covertec style belt clip, you cant attach it to your belt. Unless you want to drag the blade along the ground anyway.
The reason for this SEEMS to be that the blade has LEDs running all up the tube. The positive result of that is when you turn it on, you get the effect of the blade extending outward via powering up the LEDs one at a time. Same is true in reverse when powering it off. With the other brands, it’s just on or off, with the appropriate sound effects.
My Verdict: It’s great if you want a saber to toy around with or for cosplay if you don’t mind having to carry it in your hand everywhere. Even with the blade attached it still makes a fairly nice display piece also. The premium aftermarket ones make be better display pieces and duelers BUT they also cost $300 or so more; enough to buy this a second time and have cash left over. This also has the advantage of potentially going up in value as it’s an officially licensed product.
Any REAL Star Wars fan definitely would have taken it out of the box too, BUT I sure as heck did save the box, and the papers that came with it:
That’s right, I’m going out on a MAJOR limb here and I’m going to talk about how to TRULY change the world, specifically with regards to race relations here in the U.S. as they currently stand. You’re either going to be offended or love this. It’s a long one, but worth it. 10 to 15 minutes of reading for the chance to understand other people and start to change the world.
First a “Why?”
Skip this if you just want the meat of the discussion. Those of you following my blog know I swore off social issues just under a week ago. I was tired of the venom, and how it all made me feel. I hate failing and quitting though. I’m also a firm believer that you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem. Ergo, I had to take a hard look at the situation and ask myself how much of my failure was on my end. Looking back at my previous posts, I think the tone was too negative. You can be right as rain, but if you bludgeon people with it, you’re only going to alienate them.
Proverbs 15.1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Notice there it does NOT make exceptions for how correct somebody THINKS they are. So, I want to try this again, at least one more time… See if I can reach people via speaking plainly but kindly, and no longer holding back some of my religious and spiritual beliefs for fear of alienating people. Being genuine and authentic matter. On with the show!
The Actual Post:
I’m going to primarily be tackling the subject of race in America, and what I think folks on both sides need to do to come together. The general theme of “Be the Change You Want to See” is true for how to fix all the world’s problems though.
I’m likely going to offend a few white folks, and a few black folks. My only goal though is to challenge you all to look at the problem through each other’s eyes and develop a greater understanding of things.
If you want to say I have no right to speak here, you’re wrong. This country was founded on the idea that EVERYONE should have a voice. That’s why the First Amendment exists, so that you and I both always have the ability to peacefully make our opinion known.
For what it’s worth, I’ve also lived all over. Everywhere from “The Hood” to nicer middle-class areas. I’ve had friends of all races and also seen firsthand the worst that all people have to offer.
I’m going to start with white folks. We’re the largest ethnic group in the country and have the most ability to effect change.
What White Folks Should Know:
First, I get it. If you’re like me, you’re probably a decent person who genuinely wants all people to be safe, happy and have the equal opportunity to work for success in this country. You’re probably also sick of being lumped in with Klan members, told you have no right to speak, told you’re automatically a racist by virtue of your skin color, etc… It’s frustrating and hurtful.
If you genuinely are a racist or Klan member, I’ll be unduly nice and simply say “repent”. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say hate people of other races. Quite the contrary. We’re ALL God’s children. Enough said.
The rest of you, I’d simply ask that open your mind and try to understand the frustration on the other side. Up till 1964, Black folks were still dealing with segregation. That’s just 56 years ago, and almost 100 years after the end of slavery and The Civil War. Millennial black people and their children still have parents and grandparents old enough to tell them what it was like to go into a diner and see a bucket full of axe handles and bats near the door or counter in case they “Needed to be put in their place”. Things didn’t truly get better till the mid 1970s.
Yeah, I know… YOU didn’t do that. I understand that. I believe most black folks understand it also. What I am asking you to understand is that the wound runs deep. There is a small percentage of us that are determined to keep that wound open also. Black folks don’t know if you’re a good person when they first see you any more than you know if that young black man is really into hip hop culture and rap, or a thug.
The first part of bringing about change is realizing that we’re all human beings and just want to get by and be safe in our corner of the world.
When you hear somebody arguing that it’s “Black Lives Matter” instead of “All Lives Matter”, they still believe your life matters also, it’s just that they feel so incredibly threatened by what’s happening that they believe extra attention has to be put on the black lives being lost.
When you get upset over kneeling during the national anthem, understand that it has nothing to do with disrespecting the flag, etc… It’s about waiting 100 years even after freedom from slavery and still not feeling truly equal in society. How far would YOU go to draw attention to the issue of your rights if the situation were reversed?
It’s easy to sit back and say that everybody has the same opportunity in America. Yes, black folks do have more opportunity than some of them have been led to believe also. HOWEVER, equal opportunity depends on an equal education for starters. If schools have poor teachers and no equipment, how good an education is ANY child going to get? Financial education is also important if somebody is to stay out of poverty once they start to get ahead.
It’s also a different world when you live or work in a poor neighborhood. There is a higher percentage of desperate people there, so the police ARE more inclined to view everybody with suspicion. I’ve lived it. I’ve almost had a cop draw on me during a traffic stop, and I got politely (which is more than many get) questioned by a cop when stopping at a 7 Eleven store at 2am also. Some black folks live this every day of their life. When people are distrustful of you, it’s natural to start wondering about their intentions as well. YES, there ARE legitimately racist cops out there also. It’s a small percentage, but they’re still out there, as this video shows:
That poor guy’s only “crime” was Jaywalking on a completely dead RESIDENTIAL street. Something everybody does. Despite the police claim that he “threw down his jacket and challenged them to fight”, the video only shows him taking it off and putting it down. Note that when the cop grabs him by the collar, his hands are still at his side too.
I was in Sacramento when that happened. There was NO hidden stuff you didn’t see, no ‘he looked like a suspect’ even. That’s why he ended up with a huge settlement from the city. I’ve seen similar situations elsewhere a few times. THIS is exactly why black people say they’re afraid of “walking while black”. So, I ask you to understand, if you’ve only had good experiences with cops, that’s not everybody’s luck. We have to do all we can to support good cops, but also make sure cops like this are fired and never allowed to carry a badge again.
That applies to the cops in the George Floyd case also. Yes, he resisted arrest prior to ending up on the ground. He may have had some hidden health issues also. NONE of that should be an excuse for pinning him for roughly three minutes instead of cuffing him. If proper procedure was followed, George Floyd wouldn’t have had those secondary issues kick in and / or died of asphyxiation.
The whole situation is more complex than most of us think. What we as a people need to do is show genuine empathy and compassion. Be willing to listen and try to understand where what you’re hearing is coming from. Ask questions like “I truly want to understand where you’re coming from, so please tell me about what led to you believing that?”
You’ll learn a lot more than you would assuming that the other person is only motivated by hate and / or laziness.
You may not be able to change the world on your own, but just by doing your own little part to be more understanding and consider the other side… just treating everybody the way you’d want to be treated, the world will take one step closer to being a better place. Enough people do it and we’ve brought an incredible amount of light into the world. I’ve used Bayside Church’s Christmas service candle lighting as a perfect example here:
This IS all it takes too. Laws (new or old) can’t change a person’s heart, and a person with a good heart doesn’t need a law to tell them what’s moral and just.
A Note For Both Sides Regarding the Media & Politicians:
I’ve ranted time and again here about the media (left and right) twisting the truth. There are plenty of posts with examples here. No need to repeat it all. I imagine some of them even think they’re doing good and forcing society in a ‘better’ direction. I honestly believe most are just exploiting all of you for the sake of better ratings. You’re being fed a constant stream of half truths to promote conflict. Anger, suffering and violence are good for ratings.
Politicans… They will LIE to your face and say ANYTHING to keep or gain power, and do NOTHING to effect real change. They’re ALL the same. Enough said.
My point being is that too many of us depend on these two groups for facts and to guide us to proper conclusions. Question everything, and actively seek the whole truth. It will likely be something you do NOT want to hear, BUT acknowledging the whole truth is the ONLY way to begin to make real change. I come from a law enforcement family. I hate acknowledging dirty cops exist. Purging them from the system is the only way to protect and honor the good cops though.
What Black Folks Should Know:
Yep, I had my run at white folks, now I’d like to talk to you. PLEASE read the first part for white folks also. It will help you understand where the average, decent white person who wants to support you is coming from.
First and foremost… Realize that the vast majority of white folks absolutely DO care about you, think your lives do matter, and want you to have the same opportunities as everyone else.
You know how it makes you so mad your skin crawls when some gang banger kills his baby mama, or does a drive by on a kid’s birthday party, and you hear some idiot say “See, they’re all like that?”…
Well, that’s how we feel when we’re told that we are all like that (racists), or that we have no right to talk about our relationships with you or other races.
It simply comes down to two wrongs not making anything right, ever. If you justify bad behavior by pointing at other bad behavior, all you’re REALLY doing is lowering yourself to the same level as those bad people.
I really do get that you have decades of frustration over everything. It sucks having to be the one to take the high ground when you’re the victim also. It takes strength to lead by example, the same strength that you’ve displayed by making it as far as you already have.
Something else to consider; there’s an old martial arts proverb that “action beats reaction”. So, in any situation the person doing the acting is more in control than the one who is reacting to what the first person or group is doing.
Now, as far as this whole silencing others thing goes… two quick counterpoints beyond what I said at the beginning of this post:
Have you EVER listened to anyone that told you to shut up and do as your told? Outside of parents or a drill instructor, I bet not. 🙂 Nobody’s mind is changed by being lectured and brow beaten, no matter how much they deserve it.
No matter how ignorant a person’s beliefs may be, you can never change them if you don’t understand what’s behind those beliefs, and develop some sort of rapport with the other person. If you try to relate to them they’ll try to relate to you. This is the same thing I was telling white folks that we need to do with you.
History is full of stories of wars and great generals, but who are the people that are truly remembered and honored? It’s the people like Jesus, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, and Dr. King and similar leaders that have had some of the greatest impact on the world, and without ever resorting to violence. Remember that when you get out there and protest. Protest you should too, but do it peacefully.
On that note, I know it’s usually somebody else that’s starting the looting. It’s usually Antifa and occasionally even a really bad cop setting things up. Just realize despite what the media is telling you, that white supremacists have very little if anything to do with it, neither does Russia, China and Iran. This is what I meant earlier by they’re playing ALL of us for the sake of ratings.
Run the looters out of your protests, call the cops on them or just avoid them if they’re too dangerous. Do NOT let them drag your righteous cause down with them. Antifa ain’t your friend either. All they care about is causing destruction.
I’ve got to touch on a couple of sensitive areas now. Please hang with me and hear me out.
One of the areas where you lose support from people of other races is when you support cases where it wasn’t the cops’ fault. A good example is the Stephon Clark case in Sacramento. Part of the problem with cases like this is the media reporting only half the story. Stephon was a victim of a broken system though, not the cops. He was seriously depressed, had relationship problems, and was on drugs the night he was shot. He ran from cops into a VERY dark location and they couldn’t see what he’d suddenly pulled out of his pocket. I was in Sacramento, so I heard more of the story than most of the nation. The shooting was a tragedy. That Stephon ended up in that situation was a CLEAR failure of the system to have some sort of a safety net where he could get help or counseling. A case can be made that better lights for the police might have helped too, among other things. The media outright reported this tragedy as an execution though, and exploited you simply for the sake of ratings from protests and grief.
Those times when it IS a case like that, be willing to admit it and work peacefully to improve police procedure and social services, or whatever may be needed to prevent future occurrences. It will improve your relationship with the cops if they feel you’re trying to understand their end also. Most cops are legitimately good people too.
OK, last point and it’s a TOUGH one. I’ve lived in the hood and seen it though. I went to a high school that was nicknamed “Blood Bank” because it was overrun with members of the Bloods too. There is a SMALL percentage of the black community that trashes kids who want to learn and get ahead as “trying to be white”, label people like Ben Carson or Herman Cain who do get ahead as an Uncle Tom or Coon, and that consider gang banging as “black culture”.
I reject all of that, and you should also. Education is the key to a better life. Saying learning is “acting white” is really saying black people can’t learn. That’s complete crap. Dr Ben Carson is one of the best brain surgeons in the world (if not THE best), came up from the hood, and is proof positive some of you are smarter than any dang white person. Anybody that tells you not to learn is trying to keep you ignorant so they can play you. It’s that simple. I believe most of you accept all of this already. It’s a small. loud minority of folks pushing that. Don’t let them. Black folks are every bit as smart as any other race.
Same goes with crime. I’m not going to say much here. We both know the vast majority of black folks are NOT gang bangers and thugs. Do your best to minimize those voices, for the benefit of your entire community.
Ladies, YOU have the power here also. The person a black man is most likely to respect and listen to is a strong black woman. I’ve seen young black women take control of their fellow students and settle a class down. I’ve heard stories of mothers pulling their sons out of gangs, etc… Its up to you to stand up, lead the way and help heal your community and the country.
Wrapping It Up:
I try to look fairly at every side of any given situation. What I see today is two groups of good people that are having an increasingly hard time talking to each other. We’re all victims of a past we had little to do with.
We both need to change some.
We both need to be willing to talk more and actually try to understand each other.
We ALL need to come together as a united and equal people and prevent a corrupt media and leadership from trying to get us to destroy each other while they screw all of us.
That’s Obama administration Susan Rice too. Remember her boss told Mitt Romney that the 80s had called and wanted their foreign policy (ie Russia as a threat) back?
It’s NOT just Democrats though. Take a look at an excerpt from this CNN article:
Rubio, who was appointed acting Intelligence Committee chairman earlier this month, tweeted Saturday he was seeing “VERY heavy social media activity on #protests & counter reactions from social mediaaccounts linked to at least 3 foreign adversaries.”
Rubio may have been basing some of his information on analysis from Graphika, a company that helped the committee with its report on Russia’s social media influence during the 2016 elections. Graphika CEO John Kelly sent information to Senate Intelligence Committee leadership on Saturday, which was obtained by CNN.
“Yes, we are seeing very active engagement with the issue from clusters of social accounts in the social media influence networks of Russia, Iran, and China,” Kelly said. “Our team is actively monitoring the situation now, including growing activity around the ‘Boogaloo’ movement, which is pushing for a ‘Second American Civil War.'”
CNN has reached out to Graphika for comment about what is behind their analysis.
Everything is Russia nowadays, from both sides. No doubt Russia, China and Iran are trying to have SOME influence also.
Isn’t it about damned time the government was held accountable and cleaned up it’s act instead of continuing to turn the public against each other? What the hell ever happened to “The buck stops here?” and any form of accountability?
Actually the answer there is simple. The public cares more about holding onto it’s petty fears and hates based on lies and manipulation. American Idol and Survivor became more important than the power brokers ruining society.
With everything in the news, I think it behooves me to write about being a cop, what they typically think, and are motivated by, etc…
First, I want to make it clear that I am NOT going to defend bad cops. There is ZERO excuse for what happened to George Floyd, as one example. It’s not always about racism however. Bad cops can be bad for more than one reason. Likewise, good cops can sometimes seem bad just by the nature of the job.
As a note about my qualifications to speak on the subject, my dad was a career cop… Long enough to collect TWO pensions. If I recall the count correctly, four of my martial arts instructors were cops as well. So were a handful of my fellow students. I talked to all of them regularly about what the job is like. I also spent the first half of the 90s as a private security guard, which involved fairly regular interaction with cops, and even breaking up a smash and grab robbery once.
So, I understand a good bit more than the average person on the street about what law enforcement goes through.
Side Note: I know I’ll get asked so… The smash and grab was a lucky escape for me, as it were. I was an unarmed officer but always carried a maglite. The facility I was guarding had a shop across the street for maintenance of it’s trucks. I drove over there to check it during my rounds and scared off three huge guys in a rental truck who had rammed through the chain link fence’s gate, and were breaking into the facility to steal all the tools and equipment they could. Between it being dark, my uniform looking similar to local cops AND my driving a black Ford, they assumed I was a cop, hopped in the truck and hauled tail out of there. It could have gone VERY different very easily.
What Motivates the Average Cop?
Just about everyone who becomes a police officer is motivated by the desire to help people and keep their community safe. Yes, sometimes racists, victims of PTSD and just plain people with anger issues get in, but this is NOT the majority of people in law enforcement. The vast majority are like Officer Greg Anderson, who was suspended for this video:
Where Things Sometimes Go Sideways:
First, there’s the painfully obvious need for better screening during the hiring process. This is complicated though for two reasons. First, some people are just VERY good at faking normal. Second, there’s a shortage of people willing to be police nowadays. Given all the crap the profession takes, I can’t blame folks for not wanting to sign on either.
The Realities of the Job are the next factor, and an even bigger one. Think about this: what other job are you going to be expected to become a human target and be required to actively and constantly put yourself between the worst of humanity and the general populace? Soldiers do, but do it with better armor, weapons and far less limiting rules of engagement.
Do you know two of the absolutely most dangerous situations for cops? Routine traffic stops and domestic violence calls. You never know if you’re going to get shot by some nutcase that you stopped just for a broken tail light or expired license “tag”. Likewise, domestic violence calls have a high probability of ending up with one or both parties involved trying to assault the responding officer(s). Often it’s even the victim who suddenly doesn’t want the aggressor hauled off to jail.
My point being that the job itself has a way of turning good people into cynics who suspect the worst of everyone. It almost requires it of them in order to stay safe. Every call, officers are dealing with people at their absolute worst, be it self-entitled ‘victims’ demanding justice all the way to hardcore gang bangers.
35 or 40 years ago, THIS would have gotten a person the wood shampoo and a trip to jail. NOW cops are supposed to just stand there and take it. If anybody did that to a normal person, it would result in a throwdown. Cops are expected to have NO personal space though even though the person in their face could quickly pull a knife, gun or punch, and is far more likely to do so against a cop than another civilian.
Should people be able to protest the police? ABSOLUTELY! There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it however. Burning, looting and scenes like the above just convince some folks that the cops were right and need to be heavy handed though. What’s required is alot more of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s example and a hell of alot less of the “Karen” antics in the picture above.
Unrealistic Expectations of Officers is another big problem. I blame Hollywood for this. Years of martial arts movies and action movies along with pop psychology have convinced the average idiot that any police officer should be able to fight like Captain America or Bruce Lee, and yet never hurt anyone. It’s gotten so bad that police are even criticized for using non-lethal options like tasers in cases of self defense.
The pop psychology aspect comes in with the expectation that police should be able to talk EVERY suspect into a completely peaceful resolution and everybody walks away happy. That works fine for shows like “The Rookie“. I genuinely like that show and we all wish interactions with law enforcement could go the way they usually do on the show. Reality is, people drunk out of their mind, stoned, or just plain mentally ill do NOT always make the most rational decisions. Sometimes these people are spoiling for a fight and are NOT going to give a cop time to do an in-depth psycho-analysis.
The ones stoned or drunk beyond all reason can be remarkably resistant to pain as well. A fellow student in my original karate school was mugged delivering pizzas. He kicked his attacker 3 times square in the groin with steel toe boots and hit him several times in the temple also. The counter attack would have crippled a sober person, probably permanently. Because the attacker was stoned out of his mind, he shrugged off all of it though. It was a one time thing for that fellow student, but something cops encounter on a fairly regular basis.
Tying it All Together:
What I’m driving at is that there are reasons besides racism that cops get heavy handed or cop an attitude. Stress, anger over others being endangered, and anger and fear over themselves being put in danger are often major factors. “Respect my authority” is often more about the officer feeling safely in control of a situation (and thus more confident they won’t be hurt) than it is as seen on South Park:
It’s one thing to get stopped for jaywalking across a major road, and even then that just merits a “Hey, stay safe and don’t do that again, OK?” This guy was stopped on a residential street with NO traffic. Even the facts that he argued with the cops and threw down his jacket don’t excuse it because there was NO reason to stop him in the first place. Nobody could even say he looked like a suspect for anything.
My point with this article though is to point out that it’s NOT always racism and that every white cop is NOT out to kill every black person they see. It’s usually more about the dangers of the job, fear and adrenaline. This is why black men are just as likely die at the hands of black cops as white ones.
Also, If it was ALL about black folks there wouldn’t be over 22 seasons of COPS filled with cheese whiz sucking white trailer trash getting manhandled, the dog released on them, and cuffed and stuffed also.
One of my previous blog articles also mentioned how *I* was ALMOST drawn on by a nervous cop during a traffic stop when I too hastily reached for my glove compartment to try to find my proof of insurance. I’m as white bread as a cracker can be too, LOL.
Does It Excuse Any Of It?
In a word, NO. It doesn’t matter if it was racism, PTSD, a god complex, fear and adrenaline, or a desire to “teach this perp a lesson” that got George Floyd killed.
While we DO have to realize that cops are human, there are professional standards that come with the job. Whatever MAY have happened that got George Floyd in that position on the ground (i.e. *IF* he had resisted arrest), once those officers had him under control, they had a moral and legal obligation to cuff him and put him in a vehicle.
When racism or other issues such as anger management or PTSD show up, they should be dealt with swiftly. Get the officer off the street. If they’re a bad cop, fire them. If they’re damaged and have PTSD or something similar going on, maybe they can serve at a desk job. When it results in something like the George Floyd incident, the cops should be buried under the jail. Period.
The Role of the Media
I’d be sorely remiss if I didn’t mention this factor. The media is FAMOUS here for stirring up drama to the point of riots. More than one case has blatantly had facts withheld by the media that would at least make a widely publicized incident look more grey, if not outright clear the cop involved.
Very few media outlets are questioning the narrative that Ahmaud Arbery was just out jogging and killed for no reason for example. They do NOT report that the man with the shotgun was a retired Deputy Sheriff who had arrested Arbery before, OR that there’s video of Arbery walking through a house he broke into. Likewise there’s no questioning why he would first keep running toward two armed men in the middle of the street, NOR why he attacked and tried to disarm the shotgun wielding former deputy. Or even that both shots went off as Arbery tried to wrestle the shotgun away.
Does that mean those men are innocent? NO. There’s still enough in the infamous video to merit an investigation. There’s an intangible feel to me also that they were looking for an excuse to punish Arbery. What I *am* saying is that there IS enough there though to establish some reasonable doubt.
The media wants race riots though. They equal ratings. People dying and losing their businesses in those riots? That’s just extra ratings.
CONCLUSION:
Remember that ALL cops are human, and only a small percentage are bad. It’s a VERY dangerous job, and it’s only getting worse for them with people thinking it’s OK to verbally and physically abuse them on an ever growing basis.
A little courtesy and polite behavior can get anyone out of most encounters with the police completely safe and unharmed.
Let’s focus on getting the bad cops fired or prosecuted where appropriate, while still supporting the good ones.
Want to know the likely reason you’re having trouble losing weight? It’s because many foods are drowning in hidden carbs. Sometimes they’re NOT so hidden also and food companies depend on people not understanding labels. After seeing the nuclear terror that is my nephew hopped up on sugar, I’ve renewed my personal war on carbs.
First, let’s acknowledge reality. Our bodies need SOME level of Carbs to function. They’re fuel. Everything I’ve read says that an average person with a moderate level of physical activity should have about 50 carbs per meal. If you’ve got a sedentary lifestyle, that could and should go down (actually your activity level should pick up for the sake of your health). If you’re The Rock, and work out 6 hours a day, you’re gonna need an insane amount of carbs.
We’re talking the average person though. Just how easy is it to go over that 50 carb guideline? Well, let’s take a look at the label on a package of BallPark hot dog buns:
40 grams of carbs, just in ONE bun, and that’s before you even add the dog or sausage, and any condiments or cheese. Note also that includes 6 grams of added processed sugar. It’s actually the fourth ingredient!
Carb counts can vary wildly between brands also, so it pays to comparison shop. Case and point; a package of “Bunny” brand hot dog buns from the same store:
Only 21 grams of carbs there. Half of what the Ball Park brand buns have. Also only 2 grams of added sugar (which is still too much IMO).
One of my big pet peeves in this area is nutrition bars and breakfast cereals. Usually the more they’re marketed as healthy, the worse they are. Clif Bars may taste wonderful, but that’s because some flavors skyrocket over 50 carbs for a single bar.
Breakfast Cereals… Here’s a few examples:
One typical “healthy” cereal, that even brags about having beta cerotene right above the nutrition label. Go down to the total carbs row though, and you’ll see 56 carbs before you’ve even added milk or anything else to the cereal. Right off the bat you’re over 10% into your next meal’s allotment of carbs.
Want irony? You know how these folks always market their cereals as a healthier alternative for kids? Take a look at the label for a box of TWINKIES cereal:
Yes, God help us all, there’s a breakfast cereal made to look and taste like Twinkies. That cereal has roughly 40% less carbs than the “Healthy” cereal though and 2 grams LESS added sugar per serving also.
Is that a fluke, you wonder? Take a look at Apple Jacks:
34 Carbs with 13 grams of added sugar. Less added sugar than both the other cereals and 22 carbs less than the “healthy” cereal. You can go through the kids cereal section and see this with Cocoa Pebbles and other cereals too.
It’s Everywhere:
I wish I could say this was confined to cereal and baked goods but it’s everywhere. Food manufacturers put sugar and high fructose corn syrup in almost everything, knowing it’s addictive. Sadly, regulations allow for them to often hide these and other sweeteners or nasty additives under the terms “natural or artificial additives” or something similar in wording. Read the nutrition label and look at those carbs. There’s really NO reason for a can or bottle of pasta sauce to have high carbs (as an example). A medium tomato only has roughly 4 1/2 carbs. Pasta sauce doesn’t need to be anymore than tomatoes, water and seasonings (salt pepper, oregano, basil & garlic).
Even some meats aren’t exempt. Look at the carb counts on sausages, processed sandwich meat, and similar products. It’s one thing if that Brat is loaded with cheese, but if it’s plain and has 50 carbs, guarantee you there’s sugar or HFCS added.
If you really want to know how pervasive this is, I’d HIGHLY recommend picking up the book “The Case Against Sugar” by Gary Taubes. It’s a fascinating investigation into the food industry’s use of sugar to keep people addicted to their products.
Fair Warning; you’re likely to become pretty disgusted by both the practices you’ll learn about and how long it’s been going on.
Portion Sizes and Dietary Fiber:
Two quick last things before I wrap up here. The first is portion sizes to manipulate data. Soft Drink manufacturers used to pull this regularly to hide total calories and carbs. They’d say a single can was three portions and print the data for one third of the can to make it look less unhealthy. Other parts of the food industry have caught on to this trick and use it. Make sure that portion sizes are the same so you’re comparing similar data. If not, you’ll have to do some mental math or bring a calculator to accurately compare.
Dietary fiber is something you’re not likely to know about unless you have at least one diabetic in the family. Between my two marriages, I’ve had four. Long story short, one of the many benefits of dietary fiber is that it helps the body process carbs. SO, for every gram of dietary fiber you see on the nutrition label, you can subtract one gram of carbs from the effective total.
A great example here is a favorite cereal of mine; Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran. It fools you by looking healthy. With all the brown sugar on it though, a 3/4 cup portion has 44 grams of carbs, without milk. HOWEVER, since it has 7 grams of fiber (one of the highest in a major brand cereal), the effective carb count becomes 37, which isn’t too bad. It’s still dangerous though because they taste so good it’s hard to eat just one bowl or avoid snacking on them. 🙂
Conclusion:
Hidden carbs are everywhere. It pays to be an educated consumer and avidly read nutrition labels. Calories wrongly get all the attention. It’s carbs that are the bigger danger to your waist line and long term health.
With so much processed food containing either sugar, high fructose corn syrup or some similarly heinous sweetener, I’d strongly advise my readers to make more of their food from scratch also. It is time consuming, but it’s rewarding and nothing compares to homemade. 😉
Well, that ought to scare the hell out of the people monitoring the internet, LOL.
Nothing sinister or violent planned here however. The shell for my first lightsaber finally arrived from Ultrasabers.com today.
Any good Star Wars geek should recognize this as Jaro Topal‘s lightsaber that was inherited by his apprentice Cal Kestis, protagonist of the game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. Well, technically the restored version from about 2/3 of the way through the game. 🙂
“A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For Ever” – John Keats
I only ordered the shell at this point because the things are pretty pricey if you buy a nice hilt and quality electronics. Anywhere from $500 to $1000. Hilt designs tend to sell out quick and then half the time the companies will just move on to different designs.
Long story short, I wanted this hilt while it was still around, AND I’m going to have to build mine piecemeal since money is limited.
I did, however, get the plug for the emitter array that you can use when you don’t have the polycarbonate “blade” installed. I got the belt clip as well.
This pic still shows the protective plastic covering over the stand (used for shipping)
So, now I need the L.E.D. emitter array, the polycarbonate blade, the sound board, power switch and battery pack. Also to find my soldering equipment to put them all together when the time comes.
For those of you who are curious, the thing is fairly beefy, as the second picture shows. It’s made of aircraft grade aluminum and is 1/8″ thick (or about 1/2 cm thick). What caught me more by surprise is the overall size. Granted, by lore, this thing was created and carried by a Lasat originally, but… The thing is 16 inches long and as thick as one of the old mag light flashlights carried by police that used D Cell batteries.
It looks even larger in the picture since it’s sitting higher up than the tape measure in the picture. At any rate, it’s big enough to be the hilt for a Zweihänder. I was thinking of getting two of them, connecting them together and making a dual bladed lightsaber staff; something along the lines of my final lightsaber for Jedi: Fallen Order:
Between the handles and blades, I’d have a saber over 8 feet long if I did though, LOL. That gets just a little unwield-able. Clearly an alternative design will have to be found for such a staff.
Now, for those like Joanne(how can you not love somebody who names her blog ‘JediGirlBlog’? 😀 ) and Master Mandalorian who may be drooling over this goodie… Let me give you all a brief education.
Buying a Lightsaber:
There are three major companies that make these mock ups (as well as a few others who are really small and/or dying out). All three make models designed for rigorous dueling. There are hobby dueling leagues out there too! All three manufacturers have various blade color options, OR you can buy a multi-L.E.D. emitter that will let you change your blade color. Changing colors also takes one of the higher end sound boards, as those control the L.E.D. emitter also.
In terms of durability, they all seem to be fairly comparable. There’s a lightsabers reddit where you’ll find fans of all three. The general consensus is that they rank in other details of quality in the reverse of the order I have them in.
Ultrasabers: makes good sabers overall, and their premium sound board may be the best on the market currently. They get knocked on reddit for being heavy and unwieldy by duelists, and occasional quality issues as well. They’re also the most affordable, particularly for their very plain style hilts.
Note here: If you might be interested in dueling for fun, weight and balance make a HUGE difference. I’ve taken traditional fencing classes myself and learned this first hand. The sabers that the school had for student use were very low end. When I bought my own from Leon Paul in England, it made a massive difference. I was suddenly much faster and more accurate. Angled handles on foils (like Count Dooku had on his lightsaber) help even more.
SaberForge: Makes sabers that are said to be a little lighter, thinner so as to be easier to grip, and better balanced. They cost on average about $100 more for something comparable from Ultrasabers.
Vader’s Vault: These are the Rolls Royce of lightsabers. Everything is top of the line with serious attention paid to every detail. You pay for it also. Some of the features they offer, like removable covers to display the lightsaber crystal chamber, just can’t be found anywhere else.
OK, well, Disney does THAT at Galaxy’s Edge, BUT those sabers are Toys R Us quality compared to what’s offered by any of these three companies.
Styles:
All three companies offer designs based on lightsabers seen in various parts of the Star Wars franchise. Everything from various movie lightsabers, and sabers from The Clone Wars and Rebels, to styles used in the game Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Kyle Katarn’s saber from the Dark Forces / Jedi Knight games. Some custom designs as well. You may have to shop around between the three to find exactly the style you like. Saberforge had the saber I bought, for example, but only the damaged hilt version used early in Jedi: Fallen Order.
Overall, after doing some pretty extensive research, I’d recommend SaberForge as a first choice. The way you can get leather wraps and powder coating as well as the slightly better balanced hilts just make them a slightly better option than UltraSabers. I like that if you want to build your own, that SaberForge has a wide array of individual hilt parts also. They are who I’ll be using to build a custom saber staff.
Of course, if money is no object, shop Vader’s Vault, lol.
As an added note, both SaberForge and Ultrasabers offer individual parts to kit bash your own unique blade together. I do *NOT* know how cross compatible their parts are however. Some of UltraSabers’ entry level models have hilts that won’t accommodate their own mix and match parts also.
One last thing: These companies all pretty much hand craft to order. Even my empty shell took 3 weeks to get. Patience is a virtue. I’ve heard of some orders taking months to be completed, with Saberforge and Ultrasabers both having iffy reputations for their customer service departments. Depending upon who you talk to, they either both stink or are amazing there. Forewarned is fore-armed.
And even if you’re just buying a piece at a time like me, it looks excellent sitting at the Silk Cords command center:
Yes, it’s time for another ‘Meals Monday’. I’m determined to get back on track here. 🙂
As it turns out, the apartment complex here allows BBQing under specific conditions. Essentially no open flame unless you’re using the charcoal grills in the rec area next to the pool area. Since the smoker is NOT open flame, I can BBQ here.
This was originally planned to be a recap of yesterday’s dinner as I cooked for my sister for the first time. One of my specialties also; pork spare ribs.
Well, yesterday turned into kind of a complete nuclear train wreck. Very little of which had anything to do with the food. The ribs did turn out to be a pretty poor quality meat though; tough and gristly. Not much worthy of showcasing here.
Lesson there: Don’t buy meat from Sam’s Club. Period.
HOWEVER, another opportunity did present itself. That being that ribs are cut and packaged differently depending upon where you live. In California, if I bought pork ribs, it would be just the straight rack. Here in Tennessee, you get the skirt and rib tips included with the rack.
With that in mind, I dug up a good video on how to properly trim pork ribs into a St. Louis style rack:
Personally, I prefer St Louis style. Primarily because I’ve gotten too many “baby back” racks that had no meat to speak of on them. I’ve found that if they’re properly slow cooked, side ribs AKA St Louis ribs can be every bit as tender as baby back ribs also.
Personal stories await, but first there’s an important national holiday that needs to be acknowledged. 🙂
Image from Military.com Memorial Day page.
Memorial Day marks the traditional start of summer here in the United States. The last Monday in May is about so much more than picnics. Memorial Day was originally created as “Decoration Day” to honor the fallen soldiers on both sides after the U.S. Civil War.
The Civil War remains the war with the most U.S. casualties to this day, at 755,000. That’s more than the totals for the rest of the top 12 U.S. wars casualty list combined, which includes WW2, WW1, Korea and Vietnam. Sadly, most of those deaths came about not due to combat directly, but due to disease, wound infections and similar “co-morbidity factors”.
As time passed, the day’s name was changed to Memorial Day, and it was expanded as a day of remembrance for the fallen of all wars. It was finally made an official holiday in 1971, over 100 years after the end of the Civil War.
Veteran’s or Armistice Day vs Memorial Day
Most folks don’t know the difference. Veteran’s Day here in the U.S. or Armistice Day in much of the rest of the world, commemorates the end of World War 1 on November 11th. At the time, it was the bloodiest, largest war in human history and there were hopes that it would be the “War to End All Wars”.
While Veterans or Armistice Day is a day to remember the service and sacrifice of all service members, Memorial Day is specifically dedicated to those service members who paid the ultimate price.
So, as we go about the day, running from sale to sale, and picnicking, stop for a moment and remember the fallen members of our armed forces who have paid the ultimate price.
Silk Chatters 