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Sunday Night Open Thread: Grilling Edition

It's been raining and hailing here for 3 days now, but it cleared up enough tonight to grill. Here's my latest: A grilled New York Strip steak sandwich topped with sweet peppers stuffed with goat cheese, lettuce and tomato on a La Brea Bakery Telera roll, with a side of grilled asparagus. No pots needed, except to toss the peppers into boiling water for 2 minutes before stuffing and grilling. Chives would have been good to mix in the goat cheese, but I didn't have any.

Anyone else grilling this weekend?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Yum! (5.00 / 4) (#1)
    by ZtoA on Sun May 25, 2014 at 11:31:03 PM EST
    I made a NY cut steak too but didn't grill it. I've never had a NY cut work before, other cuts but not that. I sous vide mine, dried it and seared it in grapeseed oil and bacon butter. Then took the steak out and poured off the fat and quickly cooked fresh wild mushrooms, sous vide baby onions and capers and then deglazed the pan with a splash of red wine.

    My salad turned out wonderfully. It was like a Noah's arc of a salad - two of everything with a passion flower vinegar and olive oil dressing thickened with a ripe bit of mango and a bit of egg yolk. The whole dinner was very light and everyone was a member of the clean plate club.

    The aim of a good meal is conversation. The 21 year old daughter of a friend came too and she wants (and is) to work for a major in philosophy and law. I told her about this site and she and her mum are going to check it out. She wants to be a legal advocate of children's issues (like her grandmother in CA is) and issues of mental health. I hope (and expect) she is inspired by your writings and the site conversations.

    I just, you know, had a peanut butter (5.00 / 3) (#10)
    by Militarytracy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:44:20 AM EST
    Sandwich :). If you ever need anyone to give you a hand tasting things, hey, I would never let you down!

    And I bring wine, I always bring wine :)

    Parent

    Bacon butter! (5.00 / 4) (#24)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:33:06 AM EST

    How could it possibly go wrong?

    Parent
    The Holy Grail (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:20:44 AM EST
    This borders on (5.00 / 1) (#90)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Mon May 26, 2014 at 08:25:26 PM EST

    criminal temptation.

    Parent

    Now I want to make them to have (5.00 / 3) (#200)
    by Anne on Wed May 28, 2014 at 03:28:59 PM EST
    with dinner...

    I have bacon, I have onions, I have Sriracha, I have toothpicks and I have a grill...

    Oh, what am I saying?  Have them "with" dinner?  More like "for" dinner, I'd bet ("do we have to cook the meat?  Can't we just eat these?  Bacon's meat, right?")

    Right.  Meat candy...according to my husband.

    We'll have a nice salad - that will kill some of the guilt.

    Maybe I'll throw some asparagus on the grill, too, and some fresh corn on the cob.

    If you hear any moaning, it might be us, enjoying our dinner.  One of the advantages of country living - no neighbors to wonder what we're up to.

    Parent

    I am making these tomorrow (none / 0) (#195)
    by Militarytracy on Wed May 28, 2014 at 02:26:05 PM EST
    And it really did not take much (none / 0) (#33)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:49:52 AM EST
    to give a good flavor.

    Parent
    Your post made me do it (5.00 / 3) (#29)
    by Yman on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:25:10 AM EST
    I've been thinking about trying a sous vide circulator for awhile now, and your post made me finally do some research and pick one.  I ended up choosing a new model that's coming out in the fall, so I'll have to wait a little longer.  On the positive side, their kickstarter campaign still had a "Surf and turf" (two pack) option where the price wasn't bad - you get two circulators for $239, so I'll keep one and give the other away as a Xmas gift.

    Parent
    I don't think you'll regret it (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:39:59 AM EST
    I cooked this dinner and it was a lot of prep but easy to assemble. While the sous vide was running I cooked enough veggies and meat to last me a week. So in the longer run it saved me time. I bought Sous Vide for the Home Cook cookbook and its very helpful. Lots of nutrients stay in the food and the flavor too.

    Parent
    Didn't realize it was also healthier (none / 0) (#37)
    by Yman on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:56:03 AM EST
    Now you got me to order the book, too!  :)

    Parent
    Healthier? (none / 0) (#40)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:07:27 PM EST
    The healthier part is debatable..  sure nutrients stay.. but there is an offset by the problem of cooking in plastic.

    Here is something about that from a blogger that loves sous-vide cooking..

    I am not particularly worried, but some folks are.

    Parent

    I suppose one could (none / 0) (#42)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:28:06 PM EST
    just wrap the food in very thin parchment paper before vacuum packing it if the plastic is a problem. That might help a little.  Plastic is a problem everywhere. veggies and fruits are put in plastic bags by shoppers at grocery stores and often food is stored plastic. Plastic bags can be recycled but still many cities are not great about recycling. Portland is good about recycling and even picks up food scraps in a bin for a city composting facility. But people put wrong things in those bins and the compost smells bad and bothers those nearby.

    Professional chefs have a much easier access to fresh foods that have not touched plastic. For home cooks it's nearly impossible to shop and not use plastic. I've tried but it was difficult.

    Parent

    No (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:38:30 PM EST
    The problem is when plastic is heated in sous vide cooking it leaches BPA if you are not using BPA free bags, or EA if you are using BPA free bags.. it appears that reusable silicone bags are a good solution for those concerned.

    I guess that glass jars could be substitutes but would make for very long cooking times..  and still not sure how well it would work.

    I get the bags that are BPA free, but apparently they still leach estrogen active

    So naturally, I was alarmed to read Chris Kresser's recent post about a new study that shows that most plastics -- including many that are BPA-free -- can leach out chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA). In the study, researchers tested over 500 plastic products available to consumers -- including baby bottles, tupperware containers, sandwich bags and plastic wraps -- and found that virtually all of them leached chemicals that "produce an increase in circulating estrogen, which in turn can cause problems such as early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered function of the reproductive organs, obesity, increased rates of certain cancers and problems with infant and childhood development."

    link

    Parent

    Have you ever tried those silicon bags? (none / 0) (#47)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:49:07 PM EST
    No (none / 0) (#48)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:58:12 PM EST
    I guess I am not terribly worried about the leaching.

    Should try them I guess, but it seems that they are a bit of a pain.. can't vacuum seal them and they are small, and getting the air out seems tricky...

    Probably will just continue to get more and more diseased until the end


    Parent

    Ha! me too (none / 0) (#49)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 01:14:47 PM EST
    Its nice to know that the foodsaver bags can be reused. Just wash them out and then dry on one of those bag drying thingies.

    Parent
    Food Saver (none / 0) (#52)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 02:52:11 PM EST
    I have not tried the food saver system.. I use VacMaster (Ary) ... low end vacuum sealer, that does the job..  The advantage is that you can seal things that have liquid, and at higher pressure than the foodsaver system..

    At some point I will get a more serious machine..

    so I can do the watermelon trick..  ahahhaa

    my machine does not create a powerful enough vacuum to turn the Watermelon into the texture of Toro sashimi (well crunchy Toro).

    Parent

    Wow that looks good (none / 0) (#55)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:18:15 PM EST
    I suppose with freezable liquids one could just freeze and add that to the bag. Can't do that with gin tho and those apples look so good.

    Parent
    Lemon Slices....Like Stained Glass.. (none / 0) (#57)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:22:29 PM EST
    Not sure about eating them, but the vacuum sealer can make beautiful transparent designs using fruits.. and some veggies..

    looks beautiful in the window with light coming through.

    Parent

    Ah a vegan response to (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:10:28 PM EST
    Damien Hirst.


    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#39)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:03:50 PM EST
    I have that book too... bought it to support Baldwin as his practical guide has been a free download in the internet since its inception..

    You may also want to get Harold McGee's book On Food and Cooking (if you do not already have it), or his book the curious cook..  His blog is cool too.

    Parent

    Best to Keep Both, IMO (none / 0) (#31)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:39:53 AM EST
    As you will be able to cook larger amounts, cook two different items that require different temps, and experiment with different cooking temps for the same item.

    Looks like a good product.. I got in early so only had either the option to build my own or get the Sous vide supreme, or polyscience gadget..  

    I would get two of these in a heartbeat if I needed one..

    Parent

    I was thinking about it (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by Yman on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:54:18 AM EST
    I don't really know anyone who likes cooking enough to bother with sous vide, even though I think it's much easier in a lot of ways.

    I had been looking at the smaller, countertop units 2-3 years ago, but didn't want to dedicate the counterspace or leave it in the basement where I would need to drag it out every time I wanted to use it.  These newer, "stick" circulators really seem to fit the bill - might even use the phone feature where you can program it or adjust it right from your phone.

    Parent

    How Was the Steak? (none / 0) (#6)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:15:56 AM EST
    It was the best NY cut steak I've had (5.00 / 2) (#30)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:33:21 AM EST
    And the salad was divine and really beautiful. Since my sister was there I had to dis something about the meal but this time my dis was lame and everyone laughed. The whole thing was very light (except for the pate and cheese) and fresh. Wow, sous vide carrots, and baby red onions and cauliflower were so tasty!

    I am considering getting a foam gadget. But my first thoughts about one is I wonder if I could use that with paint dispersions in my studio. So many of my gadgets and household items end up in paintings. I got a really nice pump cake decorator and used it to apply paint. These devices can't really go from studio back to the kitchen after washing in solvents. So I might get one or two meals with foam.

    Parent

    Great to Hear (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:55:55 AM EST
    I would love to get your opinion about the Ducasse method v sous vide method for steak.. So far I am Ducasse, but I could be swayed to do further experimentation with sous-vide steak.. your experience has piqued my interest.

    Foam dispensers are cheap enough.. really useful...  broccoli foam.. carrot foam...  espuma recipes at egullet.

    I got my ISI dispensers here. They have sales and seem to be a good company.

    Best dish was Chicharrón made to look like cannoli infused with broccoli garlic espuma...  had to eat them quickly because if they sat around with the cream they got soggy.

    I have also made delicious vegan epuma using kanten (agar agar) flakes..

    Tried a fish emulsion, years back, but I could not get it fine enough to go through the dispenser's tiny spray hole..  that reminds me now that I have some new grinding devices I will try it again.  Fish puree, inside Calamari, inside the skin of the fish that was pureed, additional sautéed pear and shitaki also inside.

    tie up the fish skin and cook, essentially a fish terrine as there are no bones..

    The foam dispenser would make it easer to get the puree into the calamari..  

    Parent

    can't do a fish emulsion - no offense intended! (5.00 / 1) (#99)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 12:19:30 AM EST
    sounds too much like a fertilizer. But I have seen those canisters advertised and may have to spring for one - kitchen - or two - studio.

    Experimenting is so much fun. I have hundreds of small canvases and ampersand tiles in my studio that I try all sorts of things on.  I put my experiments  in a sunny window and the freezer, sometimes in the oven or microwave and then bang on them with a hammer. I've been told by my materials expert that I am basically product testing. Whatever. I do on them what ever is not archival and get buckling, dispersions and crazing effects. Some artists build a career on those effects and I always like their works, but to me it is something to be incorporated into a larger picture.

    Parent

    My fuchsias thrive on fish emulsion. (5.00 / 1) (#100)
    by oculus on Tue May 27, 2014 at 01:57:02 AM EST
    But the odor is distinctive and not at all appetizing.

    Parent
    Language Problem (none / 0) (#103)
    by squeaky on Tue May 27, 2014 at 08:44:36 AM EST
    Well it is not a fish emulsion, that was a poor choice of words, and since I know what it is, the term did not sound disgusting to me.. it is super delicious.

    I carefully skin the fish (arctic char) keeping the skin intact, debone the meat, puree it with a little egg white, lovage, and a touch of sage..  Then stuff the meat into calamari. which is time consuming and not easy.  I thought that the whipped cream dispenser would make it easier but I was not able to get a fine enough puree.. I will solve it...

    A pastry bag would probably have worked... but I like whipped fish idea.

    Then I lay the skin on a surface and put lightly sautéed pears slices on one side and mushrooms on the other (chanterelles, shiitaki  or whatever I have) Then I lay in the stuffed calamari on and tie the whole thing up. It looks just like a whole fish with string tied around like a roast. The only thing a little disgusting, for some, is that the stuffed calamari look like weird organs, or some sort of tumors...  

    roast in the oven..  butter and lemon salt and pepper and yum..

    it slices beautifully.. no bones, except in the head and tail..

    calamari eat arctic char, arctic char eat calamari and we eat.. who eats us?  to be determined ...hahhahaa

    Parent

    It actually sounds really good (5.00 / 1) (#124)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 12:34:25 PM EST
    I might have to break out my bass-o-matic and try it with salmon.

    Parent
    Nice Machine! (none / 0) (#170)
    by squeaky on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:24:14 AM EST
    Arctic Char is a salmon type fish.. it is just so beautiful.. little gold polka dots..  and not too big.

    Salmon is too large for this project, best to use a smaller fish, imo.

    Parent

    Just out of curiosity... (none / 0) (#128)
    by Anne on Tue May 27, 2014 at 01:39:26 PM EST
    do you ever just say the hell with it and eat a hot dog?  Or peanut butter right out of the jar?

    Parent
    If you are asking me then (5.00 / 1) (#130)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 02:03:14 PM EST
    the last time I had a hot dog was in NYC last summer from one of those street venders. It was good and fun to eat right there. Not a peanut butter fan, but I love cottage cheese and can binge on it. I don't need to cook everyday anymore but like to make a special meal from time to time. I just love to experiment with things.

    When my daughter got her first apartment with roomies she called and asked me how to boil an egg. Now she is a decent cook - she got an epicicurious app. She likes dahl and its so easy to make. It was one of her favorites growing up.

    Parent

    Yeah, I've had that "hey, mom - how do (5.00 / 3) (#132)
    by Anne on Tue May 27, 2014 at 02:16:27 PM EST
    you make deviled eggs?" conversation, too, lol...

    Have to be in the right mood for hot dogs, but my husband claims I couldn't possibly even tell I was eating one, since for me, the best part is the fixin's - onion, relish, mustard, catsup, cheese, maybe chili or chopped jalapeno...

    I eat hamburgers the same way, only with lettuce and tomato and horseradish, and without the chili.

    It's a messy meal, for sure!

    Funny story about condiments: couple of years ago, my aunt's husband died, and his daughter gave a little eulogy, in which she told the story of how, when she was growing up, and later, when she had her own kids, they had the "one condiment" rule: the kids were only ever allowed to have one condiment per food item.  So, no catsup AND mustard AND onion AND cheese AND relish on the burger - all those "ANDs" became "ORs" and that was that.  And salt and pepper may have been considered "condiments," too.

    There were many things to dislike about my aunt's husband, but hearing this story explains a lot about just how controlling an SOB he was.  Pretty much everything flowed from that, I think.

    Parent

    my ex grandfather-in-law (5.00 / 2) (#134)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 02:28:41 PM EST
    remembered every single meal he had ever eaten. It was like reverse altzhimers. He could go on and on and on naming places and dates and all the ingredients. Plus he was a mean old coot.

    Parent
    I don't like the (none / 0) (#147)
    by Zorba on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:22:17 PM EST
    "mean old coot" part, but there is supposed to be a condition called hyperthymesia that involves very, very detailed memories of an abnormally huge number of things that have happened to you over your life.
    Maybe he's like this, but for food.

    Parent
    Could be, he was an odd fellow (none / 0) (#148)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:27:32 PM EST
    and very mean too.

    Parent
    Oh, boy (5.00 / 1) (#135)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue May 27, 2014 at 03:15:44 PM EST
    That takes control freak to the max I would say. I can't imagine having a one condiment rule ever.

    But I'm like you when it comes to hot dogs. The best thing is the stuff you put on it and I love them southern style with cole slow.

    Parent

    Daughter Zorba (5.00 / 1) (#144)
    by Zorba on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:09:43 PM EST
    was a very good baker and canner (thank you, 4-H!) because she used to show various baked goods and canned goods at the County Fair.  So did Son Zorba.
    (Better, as far as they were concerned, than badges and stuff  that are earned in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, because with 4-H, you get cash money for the ribbons you win.  Not to mention cash money for any farm animals you show and auction.)
    She did do a lot of phoning in her first years away from home for "main dish" type of stuff.  But now she's an excellent cook, and we're always exchanging recipes.
    So Zorba would also call for recipes, once in a great while, but he is a much more basic cook for main dishes.  (Although he, too, still cans vegetables, makes jams and jellies, and really loves to make various kinds of pickles.)

    Parent
    Nothing Against Hot Dogs (none / 0) (#169)
    by squeaky on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:21:52 AM EST
    But rarely get around to eating one. I like the Kosher ones with mustard and sauerkraut. Have not had peanut butter in a while, but I did recently have cashew butter, and ate it out of the container on slices of apple. yum..

    I eat a slice of pizza probably once a week, and cook basic pasta dishes when I want a quick dinner.  

    I do not have time to cook elaborate dishes on a regular basis, and tend to have an overflow of food in my fridge and freezer, because I get backlogged..  a friend once commented that I have a zoo in my fridge/freezer..  

    To many exciting and time consuming things to do in this life.

    Parent

    Beautiful day. No grilling. But a wonderful (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2014 at 01:27:06 AM EST
    performance of Massenet's opera Thais, setting a novel by Anatole France. Placido Domingo sang the baritone lead, a monk who persuades a courtesan in Alexandria to renounce her evil ways and enter a convent in the desert. But he falls in love with her. Fortunately she dies.

    We are (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon May 26, 2014 at 07:35:27 AM EST
    grilling jerk chicken tonight. I'm going to have squash casserole, probably some rice and fruit salad. Last night we had steak, a baked potato and salad.

    Grouper on the grill with (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by fishcamp on Mon May 26, 2014 at 07:57:11 AM EST
    corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes.  Had to keep it simple since I was way overheated standing around waiting for a tarpon to attack the chicken feathers on my fly line.  They didn't cooperate.  The grouper was right there in my semi-secret location on the way home.  One legal sized grouper (24") can feed five people and two cats.  So here it is Monday morning with a falling tide on the ocean side and all those tarpon passing by.  I'm on it...

    Those tarpon (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by ragebot on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:15:33 AM EST
    just wanted me to take their pix

    Tarpon 1

    Tarpon 2

    But this is what I call good eating fish

    Hog Fish

    Parent

    Nice photos ragebot, (5.00 / 1) (#80)
    by fishcamp on Mon May 26, 2014 at 05:35:45 PM EST
    those Hog Fish are delicious but very strange looking.  Are you back on the hook down by the music key?

    Parent
    On the mainland (none / 0) (#87)
    by ragebot on Mon May 26, 2014 at 07:06:02 PM EST
    provisioning at Walmart.  Just got an iPad and am downloading nav apps and the Active Captain stuff.  Next week will be at Rodriguez waiting for my weather window to Bimini, North Berrys, and Spanish Wells.  Then to Green Turtle for the

    drunk and naked regatta

    Parent

    Lotta Bonefish and Permit at Rodriguez. (none / 0) (#102)
    by fishcamp on Tue May 27, 2014 at 06:55:16 AM EST
    Have a great trip...sounds like you will.

    Parent
    Never seen as many bonefish as in DT (none / 0) (#104)
    by ragebot on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:18:31 AM EST
    I met a guy from Oz there who caught a bonefish off the fast boat dock there using cut squid.  He had never seen one and asked what it was.  I told him a bonefish and he asked if they were good to eat.  I told him no, they were boney.  I caught two my self fishing by the North coal docks using a mini spoon, I was fishing for mangrove snapper for dinner.  Lots of fishermen go to the Dry Tortugas to catch bonefish and tarpon from the shore.

    bonefish

    Parent

    beautiful photos indeed (none / 0) (#89)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 08:23:41 PM EST
    and beautiful fish. Can't say I've ever tasted them but I am fascinated by fish.

    As an artist who uses psychological symbols fish are so intriguing. They live in our world yet are under the surface (subconscious). Symbolically they represent both male and female interpretations. They can be caught and are good nutrition and are delish (fishing the depths of the subconscious is healthy). Plus they are simply beautiful, weird, slippery and they don't blink. If you wish, think of that the next time you bite into a perfect fillet and contemplate the physics of a happy state of mind.

    Parent

    Another hog fish (none / 0) (#93)
    by ragebot on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:33:25 PM EST
    They are members of the wrasse family and eat mostly crabs, clams, and barnacles.  Very white firm meet that is easily over cooked.  In the previous pix I had caught the hog fish feeding and it dropped a clam out of its open mouth.  If you notice it has a lot of color in it.  This happens when the fish gets excited, or when it is looking to mate.

    This pix the fish is much more relaxed and drab in color.  But there is a small cleaning fish in its dorsal fin area that grooms bigger fish by eating parasites on its body and in its mouth.

    hog fish

    Parent

    why are they called hog fish? (none / 0) (#94)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:42:25 PM EST
    You took those underwater photos??

    Parent
    Hog fish (5.00 / 1) (#95)
    by ragebot on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:55:28 PM EST
    derive their name from the pig like snout that they use to dig food out of the sand on the bottom much like a hog digs food out of the dirt.

    I take lots of pix above and below the water

    here is a link if you have a facebook account

    facebook

    And a higher quality image site of my much older pix

    pbase

    Parent

    so very cool! (none / 0) (#98)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:48:40 PM EST
    You must snorkel and then catch the fish with your bare hands. :)  

    And you like women's sports.

    I have only fished in trout ponds which is extremely lame.  But I do have friends who fish for wild salmon which is wonderful in the NW coastal waters. And I am very happy for their fishing since I sometimes am gifted with parts of their catch or am treated to a dinner. Photos of underwater swimming fish are a true delight for me!

    Parent

    I like women more than women's sports (none / 0) (#105)
    by ragebot on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:25:42 AM EST
    But I do have many friends on the FSU volleyball team.  One of the most difficult subjects to photograph is women's volleyball.  This is because for quiet sometime women's sports got the short end of the stick and the result was the lighting where the ladies play volleyball is very bad.

    Just as an aside the FSU ladies volleyball team has many foreign playes.  I have friends from New Zealand, Turkey, and several of the old former USSR states.  Very interesting to interact with folks who have not lived in America all, or most, of their lives.

    Parent

    Does the colorful hogfish (none / 0) (#96)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:57:12 PM EST
    still look as colorful when it has been cooked?

    Parent
    I have always scaled and skinned them (none / 0) (#107)
    by ragebot on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:31:47 AM EST
    before I cook them.  The meat is white and firm, much like cubera snapper.

    Parent
    When attempting to spear them (none / 0) (#158)
    by CoralGables on Tue May 27, 2014 at 07:47:13 PM EST
    does a hogfish still turn on its side giving you nothing but the dorsal to aim at, and making it damn near impossible for amateurs, or have they become more cooperative since I was a kid?

    Parent
    Yum (none / 0) (#7)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:16:57 AM EST
    Love Grouper.. once caught a big one in Florida, grilled on the beach... super yummy.

    Parent
    This looks amazing (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:44:44 AM EST
    Luc Besson, Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman

    LUCY

    Yes (none / 0) (#12)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:04:51 AM EST
    Interesting next movie for Johansson, after Under the Skin..  

    Parent
    I think she is amazing (none / 0) (#17)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:19:36 AM EST
    Tough and soft.  Not an easy thing to pull off.

    Parent
    Did You See Under the Skin? (none / 0) (#20)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:23:23 AM EST
    For some reason I have not (none / 0) (#21)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:25:06 AM EST
    But I will get to it

    Parent
    I don't know...seems like I would spend a lot (none / 0) (#13)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:11:24 AM EST
    of time with my eyes closed.

    Parent
    For Which Movie (none / 0) (#14)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:14:19 AM EST
    Under the Skin? or the new one...?

    Parent
    The new one...the trailer had me cringing! (none / 0) (#16)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:19:07 AM EST
    Interesting idea but not clear on where the icky abdominal surgery mergers with the brain power aspect. Guess I will have to see it to find out.

     I have not heard about 'Under The Skin'...will have to look that one up.

    Parent

    The drug she was forced to transport (none / 0) (#18)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:21:15 AM EST
    Was some miracle brain drug and when she is kicked she gets an OD.  That was my interp.

    Parent
    Amazing Movie (none / 0) (#19)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:22:20 AM EST
    Most of it was shot without the "actors" knowledge..  SJ travels around small towns in northern Scotland picking up people after asking them questions, usually for directions..

    The truck is rigged with cameras and mics..  which is shooting the movie.

    I did not like the ending but the rest was pretty special, imo.

    Parent

    Oh right, I did hear about that (none / 0) (#22)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:26:08 AM EST
    I don't know if it has made it to Orlando yet, or maybe I missed it.

    Re: the new one, thanks for the explanation Capt. I'm a little slow on the uptake this morning. Did not understand that from the trailer.

    Parent

    Thank you for previously TV (none / 0) (#81)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 06:02:37 PM EST
    This weeks Penny Dreadful was great but PTs "Ask An Apparently Immortal Monster Who Was Sewn Together From A Bunch Of Corpses And Who Also Just Got A Job In The Theatre" was even better.

    DEAR APPARENTLY IMMORTAL MONSTER, I recently broke up with a guy I was dating -- I'll call him Tom -- and he is taking it much harder than I expected. Considering that we only went out a couple of times, Tom is reacting in a way I think is kind of over-the-top; he's obviously creeping on my Instagram feed and has shown up outside my workplace to try to talk to me. I recently accepted a job in another city, and I am actually concerned that he might follow me there. How can I get Tom to understand that our relationship, such as it was, is definitely over? - JEFF

    DEAR JEFF, Am I to understand that just because your time together was brief, you feel Tom is not entitled to grieve its end? To rage against the dying light of your love -- to do everything in his power to convince you that you were wrong to flee from him and that you owe him a chance? I see. I'm sorry that I have no advice for you. But Tom, if you're reading this, heed me: you must continue following Jeff to his place of work. Should he move cities, follow him there too. Follow him over burning deserts and icy plains, through forests and creek beds and over the seas. Follow him to the very ends of the earth if you must, so that every time he lays his eyes on you, he feels you as a living rebuke to his short-sighted choices. Then maybe try Match.com.



    Parent
    Ha! I still need to watch the taped (none / 0) (#82)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 06:05:36 PM EST
    episodes of PD I have stored up, but that is funny anyway.

    I have been reading all their stuff on shows I even remotely know about. Funny breaks in the day.

    Parent

    I'm liking it a lot (none / 0) (#85)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 06:18:48 PM EST
    They had a good recap of The Normal Heart (none / 0) (#83)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 06:09:39 PM EST
    Not humorous or poking fun of it of course. I liked the last paragraph:
    Ned does allow himself to hope again, maybe most potently by honouring his invitation to Yale's Gay Week mere hours after Felix's death. As out gay and lesbian couples dance to "The Only Living Boy In New York" (and if you didn't choke up at the first chords of the song, you're made of sterner stuff than I; I'm crying again just remembering it), we really come to understand Ned's place in this new world: optimistic, perhaps, that he had some hand in helping the next generation to live more openly and experience more love than Ned allowed himself; but heartsick for himself that he wasn't able to move the science along fast enough to save his one true love. I was skeptical of Ryan Murphy (for all the obvious reasons), but he and Kramer and Mark Ruffalo have all done something extraordinary and unforgettable here.


    Parent
    One of the best reviews I've seen (none / 0) (#84)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 06:17:49 PM EST
    I think.   Do they often do humor free reviews.  I'm a short termer but I had never seen one.  I was expecting satire.

    Parent
    Yes, they do humor free reviews too (none / 0) (#121)
    by ruffian on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:57:26 AM EST
    Not often from what I can tell, but I just started going there after 'Television Without Pity' closed down a couple of months ago. They can spare the snark when the situation calls for it. I think it was a reflection of the perfect tone of 'The Normal Heart'. It lived up to its billing and more - no overinflated pretensions to deflate.

    I like the reviews of 'Call The Midwife' too - those are mostly serious reviews of a fantastic and underrated show.

    previously.tv basically loves TV unabashedly in all of its forms. I can't go along on all of it - never heard of a lot of those shows!

    Parent

    You know (none / 0) (#86)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 06:29:54 PM EST
    It's funny.  I've seen a lot of this:
    was skeptical of Ryan Murphy (for all the obvious reasons),

    Which was in that review.

    I guess this is because of his past work which I really don't get.  Why would you think that the writer and director of "Glee" AND "American Horror Story" would not be perfect for this?  Seriously.  
    Also he did a wonderful movie version of the book "Running With Scissors"  about Augusten Burrows crazy childhood.  

    Anyway, just think it's odd.  A similar line has been in almost every review.

    Parent

    Not to mention 'Nip/Tuck' (none / 0) (#119)
    by ruffian on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:49:57 AM EST
    I think he is associated with lighter fare than 'The Normal Heart' - but I think just that wide variety of things he has done should be enough to prove his range. All doubt should be dispelled now anyway.

    Parent
    Sort of reminds me of when (none / 0) (#122)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 12:07:55 PM EST
    Peter Jackson was tapped to direct the Hobbit /LOTR series and everyone, except apperrently me, had reactions ranging from shock and surprise to horror.

    Had been a fan since Meet the Feebles and had no doubt they would be amazing.

    Parent

    Yet another reason for Cubs fans to lament. (5.00 / 2) (#38)
    by caseyOR on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:00:26 PM EST
    In a move that makes no sense to at all the Cubs have hired Manny Ramirez as Triple-A player-coach . Other than headlines and grief I do not know what Manny brings to the organization.

    When oh when will this team get an owner who truly cares about building and maintaining a solid winning baseball team? You know, someone who will put at least as much energy and money into player recruitment and development as they put into fighting the rooftop owners and cutting  backroom deals with Rahm Emmanuel.

    I despair.

    sigh, I despair too (none / 0) (#67)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:35:06 PM EST
    What more is there to say? It is neither laughable nor lovable anymore.

    Parent
    Coming on the heels of the despicable Sam Zell, (none / 0) (#71)
    by caseyOR on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:38:59 PM EST
    the Ricketts family is a scourge upon the heart and soul of the collective Cubs fan base.

    You are right. It is no longer lovable. It is now inexcusable.

    Parent

    But the Cubbies won! (none / 0) (#97)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:59:17 PM EST
    "The Curse of the Billy Goat" (5.00 / 1) (#101)
    by NYShooter on Tue May 27, 2014 at 03:09:14 AM EST
    Will not be denied.

    Parent
    Normal Heart, the HBO movie. (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by KeysDan on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:13:25 PM EST
    Based on the 1985 play by Larry Kramer, this film portrays history that continues to live informing the present and serving the future. And, it does so on each count on several levels.

    The strategies and tactics of activism: working within or without the system, raising money or raising a ruckus.  The instruction that patient care is really caring for the patient. And, the emotional signature of love, not only toward lovers but also, to strangers--to those who are needy.   And, to learn the dangers of complacency.  As Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts) reminded us, through her misjudgment, "no one gets polio anymore."  

    The telling of this story reminded me, in a way,  of  the "Titanic", beginning with the passengers enjoying the splendor of the new ship only soon to hit an iceberg.  But unlike the Titanic, lifeboats were not just inadequate, they were missing and calls for help were  ignored, willfully.   However, "Normal Heart" sees a captain emerge to begin , at least, to right the ship.

    The HBO movie is well-crafted with a particularly strong performance by Mark Ruffalo, whose character, Ned Weeks, yields a compelling mix of stridency and vulnerability.  Alfred Mollina (the brother, Ben Weeks) represents the torn and tormented family member.  And, off camera, but still in focus, are certain politicians and their frightened minions.  They did not know whether to call a meeting or call a cab.

    The disease, the  perverse and diabolic star of the movie, reveals its ghastly course of bodily devastation  (Matt Bomer lost 40 pounds for his role as Felix, the NYT reporter) as well as  just how hard it was to kill otherwise healthy young men.  

    For so long, for too long, the virus had allies.  As the mild-mannered Tommy (the excellent Jim Parsons) said as he broke down during a speech--"they just don't like us."   This in the mid-1980's.  And, no less so ten-years later, as can be found in Justice Scalia's mean-spirited dissent in Romer V Evans.  

    Julia was stellar (none / 0) (#77)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 05:18:09 PM EST
    As was Parsons.  He reminded me of so many survivors.  Appearing outwardly rather frail with a core of granite.   Finding quiet ways to cope with the horror like keeping the Rolodex cards.  I loved the scene when confronts the anti gay demonstrators, tries a few times to navigate around him without confrontation and finally knocks the crap out of him without fanfare and enters.
    Also loved the calling out of closeted politicians.  We all learned to hate Koch in those days.  None of us were surprised when his conservative colors started showing later.
    I think it may have even given some people an idea what it was like to live for years performing horrific rituals like the daily bodily inspections looking for that first red spot that meant your days were numbered and the ice in pit of the stomach at every new mole or bruise.
    It was an amazing thing.  It must have been a difficult thing for the actors.  

    Parent
    Bet this will make some folks mad (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by ragebot on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:20:35 PM EST
    This paragraph doesn't (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:38:19 PM EST
    seem to belong--until one reads the next one:

    Greenwald, who has 12 dogs, ranging in size from a Bernese mountain dog to a miniature pinscher, at his home in Brazil, also promised further revelations about GCHQ, the NSA's British sister.  


    Parent
    Yes I had a laugh when it came (none / 0) (#76)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 05:04:26 PM EST
    to the dog part of the article. It was the only laugh I had with the article. I wonder if the NSA is now a rogue agency.

    Parent
    Isn't it fascinating NSA (none / 0) (#78)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2014 at 05:31:17 PM EST
    can't figure out what Snowden downloaded?

    Parent
    Yes, come to think of it (5.00 / 1) (#88)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 08:12:21 PM EST
    Actually that had not occurred to me but when you say it that idea seems very compelling. Maybe the outsourcing of data management and spying is such a wild beast that it's impossible to control or even know what the parts are doing.

    Parent
    Ah, my partying days are over (5.00 / 2) (#91)
    by ZtoA on Mon May 26, 2014 at 08:28:32 PM EST
    at least till next weekend - or whenever one presents itself. My peonies are partying right now.


    Let's see (5.00 / 2) (#92)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon May 26, 2014 at 08:31:29 PM EST
    we have a place that is willing to put ministers in jail and or criminally prosecute them for performing gay marriage rites. What country do you think this might be in? Iran? Saudia Arabia? Uganda? Sudan?

    Find out the answer here

    It must be turtle mating season (5.00 / 1) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:09:28 AM EST
    I have been rescueing about one a day from turtleball keep away for a  while now.   Thank goodness they can't do much to hurt them.

    My virtuoso brother-in-law (5.00 / 1) (#133)
    by Dadler on Tue May 27, 2014 at 02:27:49 PM EST
    Musician in the house band on American Idol, The Voice, and this season's Dancing With The Stars, has a couple of songs on Sergio Mendes' new album. (link)

    Good news and good money for the hardest working and most genuinely positive creative cat I have ever met. My sista done well. Peace, y'all.

    What to make of (5.00 / 2) (#137)
    by jbindc on Tue May 27, 2014 at 03:43:25 PM EST
    this?

    The CIA's top officer in Kabul was exposed Saturday by the White House when his name was inadvertently included on a list provided to news organizations of senior U.S. officials participating in President Obama's surprise visit with U.S. troops.

    The White House recognized the mistake and quickly issued a revised list that did not include the individual, who had been identified on the initial release as the "Chief of Station" in Kabul, a designation used by the CIA for its highest-ranking spy in a country.

    The disclosure marked a rare instance in which a CIA officer working overseas had his cover -- the secrecy meant to protect his actual identity -- pierced by his own government. The only other recent case came under significantly different circumstances, when former CIA operative Valerie Plame was exposed as officials of the George W. Bush administration sought to discredit her husband, a former ambassador and fierce critic of the decision to invade Iraq.

    Doesn't anyone proofreead anymore with stuff like this?

    Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

    I'm guessing that the same people... (none / 0) (#140)
    by unitron on Tue May 27, 2014 at 04:34:27 PM EST
    ...who kept trying to say that the deliberate outing of Plame was no big deal will be screaming "treason" and "impeachment" in 3, 2, 1...

    Parent
    Definitely (none / 0) (#142)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue May 27, 2014 at 04:41:24 PM EST
    sloppy but also good that they found it and corrected it. Hopefull the press will keep their mouth shut on who it is.

    Parent
    Apparently (5.00 / 1) (#160)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue May 27, 2014 at 08:25:16 PM EST
    the Santa Barbara shooter was part of the "manosphere" I had never really heard about that before but if you read their manifestos they sound a lot like Phyllis Schafly.

    I looked around and found several sites like that (none / 0) (#168)
    by ZtoA on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:17:48 AM EST
    won't link to them. They are very toxic. A Voice for Men, PUAHate are a couple. Reading a bit of them was shocking.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#175)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed May 28, 2014 at 07:01:03 AM EST
    those sites are very ugly.

    Parent
    Breaking: Maya Angleou dies (5.00 / 3) (#176)
    by jbindc on Wed May 28, 2014 at 08:56:46 AM EST
    She was 88.

    RIP to a beautiful lady with an amazing way of touching us all.

    Very sad (none / 0) (#183)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed May 28, 2014 at 11:31:13 AM EST
    But what a life

    Parent
    I'm sad, but can't begrudge her departure. (none / 0) (#186)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:13:46 PM EST
    She had a fascinating and full life, and we became a better country for her presence among us.

    Parent
    Bummed (none / 0) (#187)
    by Militarytracy on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:28:17 PM EST
    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 365 (5.00 / 2) (#179)
    by Dadler on Wed May 28, 2014 at 09:59:21 AM EST
    This is the end, my beautiful friend, the end. (link)

    v. 364
    v. 363

    That's it. I reached my goal of 365 comics in a calendar year. With about a month to spare. For those of you who have enjoyed and commented on them, I appreciate it more than you know. I'll probably resurrect it, but for now...An Axe Length Away is on indefinite hiatus.

    Peace, my online amigas y amigos.

    Hurray for making your goal, D. (5.00 / 2) (#180)
    by Zorba on Wed May 28, 2014 at 10:17:12 AM EST
    But I will miss reading your comics.
    Namaste.

    Parent
    Taj Mahal, "Queen Bee" (5.00 / 1) (#181)
    by Dadler on Wed May 28, 2014 at 10:24:08 AM EST
    A re-run for my wife.  Sweetness, my friends. Hope you all get some today.

    "Honey in the honey pot, oh when the pot is all you got..." (link)

    I made those bacon-wrapped onion rings (5.00 / 4) (#202)
    by Anne on Wed May 28, 2014 at 07:02:18 PM EST
    tonight...could not have been easier, and good golly, they were delicious.  All I can say is, good thing I only made a couple of them.

    If you like bacon, it's a no-brainer.  I used Vidalia onions - sweet even before being grilled while wrapped in bacon deliciousness - very mellow onion flavor.

    Am wondering if I could wrap something else between the onion and the bacon - maybe some blanched garlic?  You could experiment with what you "paint" on the onion before wrapping, too.  Maybe a nice Dijon mustard, or even barbecue sauce.

    It will be fun to experiment with this one!

    If it makes you feel any better, ... (none / 0) (#2)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:36:41 AM EST
    ... the weather's a total mess out here, too. Misery loves company. We're having a late season monsoon, with a flash flood warning, thunder and lightning, and four inches of rain thus far this afternoon and evening on the east side of Oahu. Mililani High School in central Oahu had to postpone its graduation ceremony scheduled for tonight, which was to be held outdoors at the school football stadium, because they've gotten over 12 inches out there this afternoon. And on top of that, the cable TV network AMC Is out, so no Mad Men pseudo-season finale.

    It's beautiful here (none / 0) (#8)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:25:10 AM EST
    Didn't turn the AC on yesterday and it looks like it might not be needed today.

    Parent
    Sorry about that, Donald (none / 0) (#46)
    by Zorba on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:42:05 PM EST
    It is 70 degrees here, sunny, and Mr. Zorba has a pork shoulder in the smoker (started this morning) which will eventually become pulled pork.  I added a dry rub for the roast, and he set up the smoker.
    Does anyone know, BTW, why the top part of a full pork shoulder is called a Boston Butt or a Pork Butt, etc?  It really is nowhere near the back half of the pig.

    Parent
    I remember hearing ... (none / 0) (#50)
    by Yman on Mon May 26, 2014 at 01:28:29 PM EST
    ... on one of the cooking shows (Alton Brown?) that they were named after the barrels ("butts") they used to be packed in for shipping.  Not sure if it's accurate, but it sounded good.  My younger kids still laugh when I say we're having pork "butt" for dinner.

    Parent
    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 01:39:37 PM EST
    That is the story..

    Wiki:

    In pre-revolutionary New England and into the American Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment.[2] The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt". In the UK it is known as "pork hand and spring", or simply "pork hand".

    In Spanish the cut is known as paleta de puerco,[3] and is the main ingredient in the Mexican dish carnitas[4] and in the Puerto Rican dish pernil.[5]

    In Mexican Spanish, this cut is known as the espaldilla (literally "little back").



    Parent
    Okay, sounds reasonable to me (5.00 / 2) (#53)
    by Zorba on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:00:57 PM EST
    I probably should have Googled it, but I was busy making a barbecue sauce for the pulled pork, some coleslaw, and some baked beans to go along with it.  And a green salad from our garden lettuce.  Hey, we have to have something relatively "healthy" after all, don't we?  ;-)
    At any rate, pork shoulder/pork butt, whatever you want to call it, makes for some good pulled pork.  You need the fat to make it tasty and moist.    
    Plus beer.  Lots of beer.  Some neighbors will be over later to partake.

    Parent
    Yummmmmmm (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:12:47 PM EST
    I do my pork sous vide.. then blow torch it for burnt crispiness..

    BTW, if you want to try something new, this is a great slaw recipe.. been making it for a while..  super yummy..  works best with Savoy, tried substituting other cabbage but Savoy is best..

    Parent

    The slaw recipe (none / 0) (#58)
    by Zorba on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:24:16 PM EST
    sounds great it me.  Thanks!

    Parent
    It is a Winner.. (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:28:21 PM EST
    I use less onion,..maybe more carrot, but that is about all..

    Parent
    Also (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:36:50 PM EST
    Do not use Canola usually..  safflower, sunflower, and about 1/2 cup fancy olive oil.. three cups total of whatever..

     have mixed in different oils for the mayo depending on hints...

    all Olive oil is too strong, imo..  a little walnut oil is nice too.

    Parent

    What about (none / 0) (#61)
    by Zorba on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:45:28 PM EST
    light (not dark) sesame oil?  I use it a lot.  (Well, I use the dark, roasted sesame oil, too, but only for Asian-type food.)

    Parent
    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:52:36 PM EST
    Although there is a lot of flavor, and the saffron is not exactly subtle but somewhat.. so I have found that whatever I use for the oil has to be mostly neutral..  other oils in small amounts provide nice hints of flavor..  but experiment for your taste..

    I have always added some other oil besides the neutral..  first time used all olive and it was way too much.. so I learned..

    still was delicious, but much better with less strong oil flavor.

    Parent

    No grilling today - warm and muggy (none / 0) (#9)
    by DFLer on Mon May 26, 2014 at 09:29:07 AM EST
    Going up to see Victor Wooten tonight at a club in Minneapolis - a birthday treat from a fellow Gemini. Can't wait. What a great musician and beautiful spirit.

    Any Mad Men viewers out there? (none / 0) (#23)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:31:37 AM EST
    It was hard to watch it after "The Normal Heart"....quite a tone shift...but I thought it was a good mid-season finale. I won't give spoilers so soon, but I liked it.

    I wish they had not split the season up. When asked why they did that, Matthew Weiner always just says it was a network decision because it worked well that way for Breaking Bad. I have a feeling his story arc would have worked better with one 10-12 episode continuous final season.

    Spoiler Alert (none / 0) (#25)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 10:43:12 AM EST
    Great recap after you have watched.  These guys always catch the call-backs to earlier seasons that I would miss, not having memorized every episode! Always so much more going on than I am aware of on first viewing.

    Parent
    I couldn't do (none / 0) (#26)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:11:25 AM EST
    Penny Dreadful last night.  About to do that on that stair master to prepare for the afternoon onslaught on burgers dogs and ambrosia

    Parent
    Capt. I have a book for you and anyone else (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by caseyOR on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:54:10 AM EST
    looking for a good read. I was following the comments on the last Open Thread about The Normal Heart (I left a comment for you there), and thought of this book.

    The title is In One Person by John Irving.. It is not overly long. I read it in one long session. I could not stop reading. This book has secured a permanent place on my list of favorite books.

    It is yet another tale about life in a time of AIDS. A compelling tale. If you read it I would love to hear your thoughts on the book.

    Parent

    Yes, it was one of his best, written with heart (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:37:50 PM EST
    I highly recommend it as well.

    Parent
    Thank you (none / 0) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:07:30 PM EST
    You will.  When I work up the courage.

    Parent
    The book spans a good part of the (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by caseyOR on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:31:45 PM EST
    protagonist's lifetime. Yes, the parts that deal with the AIDS years are tough going, but they are not the whole book. Those parts were painful, but somehow not as soul-searing as I had feared.

    In many ways it is a positive and refreshing story.

    Parent

    I know way too many people, (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by Zorba on Mon May 26, 2014 at 03:22:09 PM EST
     many of them very close to me, lost to the early AIDS years.  
    I will probably have to read this eventually, just as I will have to watch Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" on HBO.
    But I cried my way through "And the Band Played On," as well as "Angels in America."

    Parent
    It was very hard to watch (5.00 / 1) (#79)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 26, 2014 at 05:31:56 PM EST
    Clearly the director made the decision that he was not going to make it easy for anyone.
    I usually avoid aids era drama.  I think it often tends to be more exploitative than informative.  And of course I was also way to close to be entertained.  But sometimes something comes along, like this, like Angels, that just needs to bee seen.  

    I recommend seeing it.  I think it was you who suggested I deal with my insane family with the aid of alcohol or better. I did by the way, but I suggest the same here.  It's how I made it through.  And after I was so exhausted all I could was fall into bed.

    Parent

    I never saw "And The Band Played On." (5.00 / 1) (#139)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue May 27, 2014 at 04:22:07 PM EST
    But I've heard nothing but good things about it. But I will say that the title book by the late Randy Shilts, upon which that film is based, remains the most searing and heartbreaking nonfiction account I've ever read about any subject, period.

    Shilts' artistry as a writer and skill as an investigative reporter led him to weave together into a seamless and encompassing narrative otherwise disparate stories about then-burgeoning AIDS epidemic from across the country and around the world, an epic feat of journalism which in hindsight also served as the Silent Spring of our generation, a clarion call alerting us to the public health menace we were facing.

    I truly hope that there's a special place in Hell reserved for those federal, state and local public health officials and elected officials who stood by all those many years ago and did absolutely nothing, while HIV and AIDS infection rates raged unabated and carved serious and deadly epidemiological inroads throughout this country.

    These moral cowards so feared the political stigma attached to AIDS by the ignoramuses of the know-nothing right, they placed their own career self-interest ahead of the well being of those they were ostensibly supposed to be serving.

    How many untold hundreds of thousands of lives might have otherwise been saved, and how much grief might those of us who lost family and friends to the disease have been spared, had they simply ignored public opinion and done their jobs?

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Especially the gay ones (5.00 / 1) (#143)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 04:57:31 PM EST
    I truly hope that there's a special place in Hell reserved for those federal, state and local public health officials and elected officials who stood by all those many years ago and did absolutely nothing, while HIV and AIDS infection rates raged unabated and carved serious and deadly epidemiological inroads throughout this country.

    Like Koch


    Parent

    Well, as they say, ... (5.00 / 1) (#159)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue May 27, 2014 at 08:05:28 PM EST
    ... there's no homophobe quite like a gay homophobe. It's sad, really, because Ed Koch used to be quite the progressive leader and trailblazer.

    But alas, Koch's own self-loathing over his sexuality eventually rotted him from the inside out. Toward the end of his life, Koch had become just another bitter and tart-tongued old queen, not unlike the late Henry Gibson's magnificent turn as the acerbic barfly -- "It's a dangerous thing to confuse children with angels!" -- in Paul T. Anderson's 1999 film Magnolia.

    So, yeah, given that we're all the sum total of our own personal choices, Mayor Koch evidently made his a long time ago, well before he ascended to the mayor's office in New York. It really wouldn't surprise me, were we to eventually learn that he had once promised Mommy to never let anyone play dirty with him, and that he eventually died with his virginity intact.

    Koch deserves both our scorn and our condemnation for having projected his own deeply internalized homophobia upon New York's gay community during the AIDS epidemic. Thus, he greatly compounded the crisis in his city, rather than becoming the true leader he always sought to be, one who sought to be part of the solution.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    There was welcome news from ... (none / 0) (#136)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue May 27, 2014 at 03:29:52 PM EST
    ... Great White North today, as St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, B.C. announced that it has closed Ward 10C, which was dedicated exclusively to the treatment and service of AIDS patients, its rationale being that there are no longer enough HIV+ patients needing hospitalization and inpatient care to justify its continued existence.

    Clearly, an HIV diagnosis no longer carries the death sentence it once did, and lest we doubt the intentions of hospital administrators, it should be pointed out that St. Paul's Hospital was actually one of the North American pioneers in the treatment of AIDS patients. As the hospital's spokesperson noted, there's been a 90% drop in AIDS cases in British Columbia since the epidemic's zenith in 1995, and an 80% decrease in HIV-related mortality between 1996 and 2012.

    I can't help but believe that the late Elizabeth Taylor -- a pioneering AIDS activist and hero in her own right, who's probably as close to a patron saint for HIV / AIDS patients as we'll ever see in our lifetimes -- would be both pleased and very proud of today's announcement from St. Paul's, as readily symbolic of the steady advances we've made toward finally curbing the deadly effects of that viral scourge.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    From my new favorite site (5.00 / 2) (#153)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 06:09:20 PM EST
    I fvcking love science.com

    A Man Was Cured Of HIV In 2008, And Hardly Anyone Knows About It

    Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), has plagued the world for decades. Since the dawn of the epidemic, it is estimated that around 36 million people have died of HIV. Currently, over 35 million people are infected with the virus. With the majority of infections in the developing world where access to medical care is often limited, and treatments that control rather than cure, HIV represents a global, ongoing problem. However, back in 2008, a man named Timothy Ray Brown, known more famously as "The Berlin Patient", received a functional cure for HIV. What sets this man apart from others? Why did this treatment work, and could it be used to cure others? This article is going to briefly summarize this case study to give those who may not be aware of The Berlin Patient an insight into this intriguing situation.


    Parent
    Well, Mr. Zorba and his (5.00 / 1) (#154)
    by Zorba on Tue May 27, 2014 at 06:52:19 PM EST
    colleagues all certainly know about this, and have for years.

    Parent
    Of course (none / 0) (#155)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 07:15:28 PM EST
    I don't think it is widely known and I guess I can imagine it might not be a good thing for people to think there is a cure that works for everyone

    Parent
    It's not that anyone (5.00 / 1) (#178)
    by Zorba on Wed May 28, 2014 at 09:50:52 AM EST
    was trying yo hide the results.  It's just that the Berlin patient does not represent a "path to the cure."  So nobody was out touting it as a possible cure for everyone.
    People with the CCR5 mutation are very, very rare.  And the whole stem cell transplant procedure is very, very hard on the patient.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#28)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon May 26, 2014 at 11:21:02 AM EST
    it was very good. Once again everything is up in the air.

    Parent
    What an epic send-off for Bert Cooper! (none / 0) (#66)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:30:59 PM EST
    The old patriarch of Sterling Cooper effortlessly reached back a half-century in time, and showed us all why Robert Morse received the 1962 Tony Award as Best Actor in a musical for "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

    I had forgotten that Morse was a veteran Broadway song-and-dance man until his TV alter ego reminded me with that soft-shoe -- sans the shoes, naturally. He really should win an Emmy as guest actor for that finale, as well.

    It was a truly great moment in television.

    Parent

    Loved the argyle socks. It was perfect. (none / 0) (#70)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:38:32 PM EST
    A humorous take (none / 0) (#74)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:56:10 PM EST
    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 363 (none / 0) (#43)
    by Dadler on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:31:29 PM EST
    Memorial Day special via Wall Street. (link)

    v. 362
    v. 361

    Fight. The. Power.

    Have a great day, my friends.


    Frothy summer movie for the over-50 set (none / 0) (#72)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:42:30 PM EST
    'The Love Punch' - Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson in a rom-com caper flick with lovely locations in Paris and the south of France.

    Gets by totally on the charm of the stars and the setting, and it did feel vaguely wrong to be pandered to as a middle aged woman in such an obvious way...but I enjoyed it anyway.

    Count me in the "willing to be (none / 0) (#73)
    by caseyOR on Mon May 26, 2014 at 04:46:07 PM EST
    pandered to" older woman group. Love Emma Thompson. And what's not to like about Paris and the South of France?

    Wonder how long I have to wait for this movie to reach central Illinois.

    Parent

    There was some funny dialogue that I would (none / 0) (#75)
    by ruffian on Mon May 26, 2014 at 05:03:35 PM EST
    almost bet was improvised - one of those movies where some of the best stuff is in what they are muttering under their breath. There probably is a law against that much charm. Really a fine way to spend a couple of hot afternoon hours. Hope it comes your way soon!

    Parent
    Tracy Emin's Bed For Sale (none / 0) (#106)
    by squeaky on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:30:10 AM EST
    My Bed, 1998. bought by Saatchi for $250K, is going up for auction..  most likely the last time it will be for sale in our lifetime...  IOW it is a lifetime opportunity to own one of the seminal (no pun intended) pieces of art made in the last 20 years..

    Only catch is that it is going to be expensive. Estimates are $1.35- $2 Million...

    I remember seeing the piece at Emin' NY gallery in 1998.. I was floored and immediately wanted to buy it...  but unfortunately I was a little short on cash at the time.. ahahahaa

    Made in her council flat in Waterloo in 1998, My Bed is both a found object in the tradition of Marcel Duchamp's urinal, and a self-portrait. Following a failed romance, Emin went through a period of severe depression accompanied by excessive drinking and bouts of casual sex. One night after a particularly heavy binge, she woke up thinking, "If I don't drink some water I'm going to die."

    Crawling back to the bedroom from the kitchen, she looked at her bed and thought: "Ugghh! It was disgusting. And then, from one second looking horrible, it suddenly transformed itself into something removed from me, and something beautiful." She was struck, she told me last week, by "how classical it looked. From a distance, it looked like a painting."

    Colin Gleadell, Telegraph

    Ha! like your non-intended pun (5.00 / 1) (#115)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:20:30 AM EST
    Tho I can't afford it (or much of anything else) I'd love to own My Bed. I saw it once in a show that traveled to some west coast museums. I like to fantasize about where I'd display it. Would be hard to dust tho. Actually accumulating dust bunnies might be a nice evolution of meaning.

    Parent
    Also would require the right environ (none / 0) (#116)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:34:12 AM EST
    Or it would mistaken for the guest bedroom.  Hopefully not in my house I am not a great housekeeper but not that bad.  But I know some people ....

    Parent
    Dust (none / 0) (#117)
    by squeaky on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:37:46 AM EST
    yes, if you were going to have it installed for a long time, like permanently, you would have to make a plastic tent of sorts to cover it, (think female condom).. to keep the dust bunnies out..

    in any case the piece will be a conservationist's dream..  probably why Saatchi is selling it.. leave the problem to the museums.

    Parent

    Well a female condom would be appropriate (5.00 / 2) (#125)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 12:40:42 PM EST
    And it would be a conservationist's nightmare so to speak. I once saw a Pollock at the Guggenheim in Venice which was covered in dust bunnies. Big ones. It was one of his drip paintings and the dust settled in between the lines of paint. It was behind glass (tho not enclosed in glass) and I so wanted to dust it.

    Parent
    Conservators Dream not Nightmare IMO (none / 0) (#171)
    by squeaky on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:29:44 AM EST
    Conservators live for this kind of challenge, not to mention the steady income flow it will produce..  they do not work cheap!

    Parent
    True, they do (5.00 / 1) (#174)
    by ZtoA on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:39:06 AM EST
    I saw a show at the Getty years ago of Oudry's Menagerie. They usually have a display up of their conservator department's work. What they did to the Menagerie was stellar and the work was fun to see.

    Parent
    Nice (none / 0) (#177)
    by squeaky on Wed May 28, 2014 at 09:22:00 AM EST
    Thanks for the link..  one of my favorite artists appropriates images from past centuries...  It is not the overt part of her practice like, let's say, Sherrie Levine. So, it is a bit of a wild goose hunt to find her references. She has used Oudry for some of her paintings. One painting I like a lot is called The Ocelot Lost in Hawaii, Thanks to you I discovered that it is from Oudry's Male Leopard

    Parent
    Oh I had not heard of her (5.00 / 1) (#188)
    by ZtoA on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:30:32 PM EST
    Sometimes I miss the best things. I thought you might have meant Julie Heffernan who used many spanish court paintings in her work in the 90s. I really like the Kilimnik paintings. Sort of like Peyton, but I like her work more. Thanks for the link. Yes that is Oudry's leopard - or whatever it is. But what is the figure reference in her painting that looks like a St. George and the Dragon or Hercules? I thought Raphael, or Botticelli  but can't find the image. Botticelli has a similar one but I know I've seen the painting she referenced. A spring cold has gone to my head apparently.

    I do very much enjoy work that directly quotes from history. Not saying I don't love abstraction (tho it can also reference history too). Heffernan's work has grown rather wild and ungrounded for me. I wish she could collaborate with Arthur Dove. I saw Dove's work at an art fair in SF and in person it is so very moving. Bruno Surdo also uses Renaissance (Italian) references. Often his work is too corny for my tastes, but they are beautifully painted and surprisingly textural and when he hits it they are out of the park.

    Parent

    English School (5.00 / 1) (#201)
    by squeaky on Wed May 28, 2014 at 03:43:58 PM EST
    It is St. George and just found it in Google image search..

    the title is St George at the Kremlin, 2003.

    Her main gallery is 303 Gallery (NYC), but also shows at, Spruth Magers, and Galerie Eva Presehuber.

    Parent

    I am reading a non-fiction book about (none / 0) (#189)
    by oculus on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:43:12 PM EST
    Klimt and his famous portait in gold for my bookclub. Klimt abhored artists who made commissioned work for weathy patrons to blend into a particular space in a particular room in their mansions.

    A lot of quotations from Stephan Zweig, whose memoir I finished recently. It is a much better read than the one I am reading!

    Parent

    I heard somewhere that he (none / 0) (#190)
    by ZtoA on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:45:54 PM EST
    painted his figures nude and then dressed them in fantastic shapes and decorations and gold leaf. I wonder how he would feel to see his work highlighted on Ocean's 11 at the casino.

    Parent
    He'd probably be ok w/it if residuals were (5.00 / 1) (#192)
    by oculus on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:59:04 PM EST
    involved.  

    Parent
    oops I didn't see this bed (none / 0) (#127)
    by ZtoA on Tue May 27, 2014 at 01:32:51 PM EST
    I saw Everyone I've Ever Slept With. The tent bed.

    Parent
    The Tent: (none / 0) (#129)
    by oculus on Tue May 27, 2014 at 01:45:59 PM EST
    That One is Good Too (none / 0) (#173)
    by squeaky on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:34:46 AM EST
    My Bed is a more complex piece.  And more seminal... ahahaha

    Parent
    This would have been perfect in your place. (none / 0) (#118)
    by oculus on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:48:01 AM EST
    Yes, That is For Sure (5.00 / 2) (#123)
    by squeaky on Tue May 27, 2014 at 12:08:35 PM EST
    Would have like to have had the original but I have made (inadvertently) dozens of copies over the years...hahahaha

    Parent
    How is the original (none / 0) (#126)
    by oculus on Tue May 27, 2014 at 01:20:47 PM EST
    preserved, if it is preserved?

    Parent
    Stored in Archival Boxes Most Likely (5.00 / 2) (#172)
    by squeaky on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:32:46 AM EST
    Mattress crated..  

    And the piece gets reassembled for exhibition based on the documentation. For a big important show, Emin may get involved in the installation.  


    Parent

    Is this good or bad? (none / 0) (#108)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 10:14:23 AM EST
    Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Setting Strict I.Q. Limit for Execution

    The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a law used by Florida and other states that set a strict cut-off, based on IQ test scores, to determine eligibility for the death penalty.

    In the wake of the court's earlier ruling that the states may not execute the "mentally retarded," Florida determined that the dividing line would be an IQ of 70.

    The defendant in the case at the center of Tuesday's ruling, a convicted murderer named Freddie Lee Hall, had an IQ of 71 -- so the state said he could be put to death.

    But the high court, in a 5-4 decision along ideological lines, said such a line is too rigid.

    Obviously it's good this guy gets a chance but what about the next one.

    It's good. Law was unconstitutional (none / 0) (#109)
    by oculus on Tue May 27, 2014 at 10:30:57 AM EST
    as cruel and unusual punishment (Eighth Amendment):

    Washington Post

    Parent

    I saw that (none / 0) (#110)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 10:48:03 AM EST
    My question was more about the people who score 69 and below who are now on the table.  So to speak.

    Just a question.  I tend to agree with you but the WaPo also said it was the most controversial announcement.

    Parent

    The Court's decision (none / 0) (#191)
    by KeysDan on Wed May 28, 2014 at 12:56:30 PM EST
    is a good one; the dissenting opinion by Alito (Roberts, Scalia, Thomas) seems to me, to be a particularly ignorant one.  Alito sees the Court over-ruling Atkins (2002) in that the Court agreed with medical experts that when the IQ test score falls within in the margin of error, the defendant must be able to present additional information.

    By Alito's lights, the  legal determination of "intellectual disability" being informed by the medical community's diagnostic framework is wrong, being based largely on the positions adopted by private professional associations, especially the American Psychiatric Association.

    And, when Atkins acknowledged "evolving standards" Alito claims that meant American society's standards, not the professionals in the field.

    The Court, according to the dissent,  egregiously took guidance from national standards, and did not leave it all to the state to ascertain the intellectual disability of the defendant.  A strict IQ cut off is fine, even if the defendant's level of understanding is that typically seen with toddlers.  

    Parent

    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 364 (none / 0) (#111)
    by Dadler on Tue May 27, 2014 at 10:56:32 AM EST
    Why protest is dead in this nation. (link)

    v. 363
    v. 362
    v. 361

    One more comic to reach my goal of 365 in a calendar year. Then I go on a serious hiatus. Peace, y'all.

    And not to toot my own horn... (none / 0) (#112)
    by Dadler on Tue May 27, 2014 at 10:59:13 AM EST
    ...for which I coined the term "brassturbation," but "Semper Finance!" is probably the best line I've ever written in my wildly underachieving life.

    Parent
    It's not dead (none / 0) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:02:09 AM EST
    It's just been domesticated

    Parent
    Protesticated? (none / 0) (#131)
    by Dadler on Tue May 27, 2014 at 02:15:36 PM EST
    I hear ya. But if the pulse is so faint, and you ain't some yogi who can live on ten breaths a day, it's the same thing.

    Parent
    I was gonna say (5.00 / 1) (#166)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:35:03 PM EST
    "Fixed" but decided that was to harsh.

    Parent
    SITE VIOLATOR (none / 0) (#120)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 11:51:54 AM EST
    in a thread from Aug 9, 2013

    Go figure.  Very sneaky or very dumb

    I don't really follow European elections (none / 0) (#138)
    by jbindc on Tue May 27, 2014 at 04:08:02 PM EST
    But did anyone else see that the far-right candidates won overwhelmingly in the EU election in France, and elsewhere?

    European politics were jolted as seldom before on Sunday when France's extreme nationalists triumphed in the European parliament elections, which across the continent returned an unprecedented number of MEPs hostile or sceptical about the European Union in a huge vote of no confidence in Europe's political elite.

    France's Front National won the election there with a projected 25% of the vote, while the governing socialists of President François Hollande collapsed to 14%, according to exit polls.

    In Britain the Nigel Farage-led insurrection against Westminster was also expected by all three main parties to deliver a victory for Ukip in the election, albeit with a lower lead than some opinion polls had been predicting in recent weeks. Turnout in Britain was 36%, higher than at the last European elections in 2009.

    Four days of elections across 28 countries returned a record number of MEPs opposed to the EU project. Voters delivered a string of sensational outcomes, according to exit polls, with radical and nationalist anti-EU forces scoring major victories both on the far right and the hard left.

    In Greece, Alexis Tsipras led the Syriza movement to a watershed victory for the left over the country's two traditional ruling parties - currently governing in coalition - the New Democracy conservatives and the Pasok social democrats. The neo-fascists of Golden Dawn took about 10%.

    Exit polls suggest the nationalist anti-immigrant Danish People's party won by a similar margin in Denmark.

    In Austria the far-right Freedom party was projected to take a fifth of the vote. In Hungary, the neo-fascist Jobbik movement took around 15%.

    On the hard left, Sinn Féin did well in Ireland, and Die Linke took about 8% in Germany. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) scored an expected easy victory, but the EU's most powerful state, also returned its first Eurosceptics in the form of the Alternative for Germany as well as its first neo-Nazi MEP from the Hitler apologists of the National Democratic party of Germany, according to German TV projections.

    Merkel's party dropped several points while the Social Democrats (SPD) made significant gains, narrowing the gap between the two big parties to about eight percentage points.

    The election mattered more than ever because the Strasbourg-based parliament has gained greater powers, meaning it will have a strong say in most EU legislation over the next five years and will also shape the outcome of the battle for the most powerful post in Brussels, the new head of the EU executive, the European Commission.

    The Socialists in France took a HUGE hit.

    Sounds (5.00 / 2) (#141)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue May 27, 2014 at 04:40:16 PM EST
    more like anger at the austerity doled out by the poobahs of the EU more than anything else.

    Parent
    Per NYT, David Axelrod worked w/ the (5.00 / 1) (#152)
    by oculus on Tue May 27, 2014 at 06:07:42 PM EST
    UK conservatives.  

    Parent
    Musings on aging (none / 0) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:16:18 PM EST
    So, I was just watching Sunset Blvd - one of my all time favs - and a line at the end struck me in a new way.  Maybe it's just my own advancing years.  Anyway, Gloria has been gliding around looking almost ghastly.  All shiny and pasty and at some point William Holden says "Norma, you're a woman of 50, now grow up. There's nothing tragic about being 50, not unless you try to be 25."
    So, a couple of thongs.  First, judging by today's standards I would have thought she was 65 or pushing 70, and second, these days starlets routinely look fabulous and do romantic lead rolls at 50 and look 25 all the time.  Sometimes a good deal longer.

    Now, I suppose they were not trying to make her look good, quite the opposite probably.  The film was released in 1950.  Swanson was actually only 51 and Hplden was 32. But the whole thing just raised a bunch of questions in my fevered mind.

    Why is it so different now? Is it better beauty science? Better cosmetic surgery?  Better diet and health? Changing stereo types of age aka baby boomers?  All of the above?  A difference in age of less than 19 years in the days of Donald Sterling sort of made the whole thing seem sort of quaint and innocent.

    Help me out. I'm feeling a tad Norma Desmondish.

    I'm ready for my closeup


    It's better film, cameras, and lenses Capt. (5.00 / 1) (#146)
    by fishcamp on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:20:48 PM EST
    Hadn't thought of that (none / 0) (#149)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:31:01 PM EST
    I'm sure that true but it takes more than optics to make Julianne Moore look like this at 54

    Parent
    Julianne Moore's about my age. (none / 0) (#162)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue May 27, 2014 at 08:49:15 PM EST
    I saw her out here in the islands last year, and I think she still looks gorgeous. But one can generally tell if someone else has had plastic surgery, and Ms. Moore certainly did not look to me like she had any nip-tucks. Save for perhaps a bit of enhanced hair color, she looked every bit the middle aged woman that she is.

    Parent
    No offense I thought were closer to me (none / 0) (#163)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:03:03 PM EST
    Um, BORN in 1960 (none / 0) (#164)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:04:10 PM EST
    Heres 49 more (none / 0) (#150)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:37:44 PM EST
    From 2011 (none / 0) (#151)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 05:42:21 PM EST
    Which is not to say (none / 0) (#156)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 07:39:37 PM EST
    Women are not still judged by a different metric than men in this area.   I'm sure men are also considered lead material longer these days than then.  Just struck me that a lot has changed since 1950

    Parent
    Yes - I saw it a few years ago and nearly choked (none / 0) (#157)
    by ruffian on Tue May 27, 2014 at 07:46:09 PM EST
    on my popcorn at that line!

    I think all of those old movies make the actors and actresses look older than they were though. Even though they may look beautiful I think the tech of the time aged them...or maybe it is the dressier clothes and more makeup than we are used to now.

    Parent

    ... to become character actresses or comic foils, the film careers of Hollywood's romantic leading ladies are almost always on a sharp downward trajectory by the time they've reached their mid- to late-forties, regardless of their actual talent as actors.

    I remember seeing "It Happened in Naples" (1959) on TCM not that long ago, which paired a young and voluptuous Sophia Loren with a very much aging Clark Gable. There's a line in that film which Loren asks Gable how old he is, and he replies with a straight-face that he's 42. I nearly spewed my iced tea, because despite the rather ghastly black dye-job on his hair, he looked every inch the nearly 60-year-old man that he was.

    (Right after that, director John Huston cast Gable as Marilyn Monroe's romantic interest in Arthur Miller's "The Misfits," although this time, his character was actually someone closer to his own age. Gable suffered a heart attack and died within two weeks of that film's wrap, so he never even made 60. Too bad he never lived to see the subsequent reviews, because many critics regard "The Misfits" as arguably one of his three best performances as an actor.)

    Hollywood has long held to a notorious and rather noxious double standard, in which male actors supposedly become more distinguished-looking as they age, while female actors merely become dowdy. Toward the end of his career, when he was about 60, the aforementioned William Holden was still considered bankable enough a leading man to be bedding Faye Dunaway ("Network") and Rosanna Arquette ("S.O.B.") onscreen.

    But who were Dunaway, Sophia Loren and Julie Andrews (Holden's co-star in "S.O.B.") bedding onscreen when they were 60? Oh, that's right -- they really weren't seen onscreen any more, were they?

    Aloha.

    Parent

    More from IFLScience (none / 0) (#165)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:14:01 PM EST
    Suspended Animation Human Trials About to Begin

    With traumatic injuries, timing in treatment can be the difference between life and death. What if surgeons could hit the pause button, giving them precious additional time to treat the wounds? Suspended animation has been featured in a wide array of fictional films, but could it actually work on humans? The FDA has approved a small study that will allow surgeons at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh to try to suspend human life later this month.

    In Hollywood, suspended animation involves freezing solid (or nearly so), thawing at some point in the future when new medical advances have taken place to treat their conditions. This emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR) technique isn't quite so extreme, but it will reduce body temperature to 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) by inserting a cannula into the aorta and flushing cold saline into the system. This will slow the blood flow, which will prevent the body from bleeding out (which can be fatal within minutes). The low temperatures will also slow other biological processes as well.



    An interesting factoid about Rep. Hall, who is (none / 0) (#167)
    by oculus on Tue May 27, 2014 at 09:58:57 PM EST
    the oldest member of Congress and was defeated today:


    Hall, a Democrat until 2004, is a genial man known for his story telling and constituent services. As a child, he once sold cigarettes to the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.

    USA Today

    Fargo update (none / 0) (#182)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed May 28, 2014 at 11:16:45 AM EST
    In case you were scared off last week
    She's ok.  And she is going to be the one that figures it out.
    Lester has gone around the bend.  The tease of the planted evidence was realized.
    There was another slaughter but this time in a sort of hilarious totally off camera way.  No gore.

    I did see it last night - was glad the gore (5.00 / 1) (#184)
    by ruffian on Wed May 28, 2014 at 11:36:19 AM EST
    was off screen!

    That last scene was wonderful, as she realizes she is the only cop with a brain in two states, and shot or not she is going to have to catch the baddies.


    Parent

    I loved that sequence (none / 0) (#185)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed May 28, 2014 at 11:42:36 AM EST
    In the mobsters building.

    Parent
    Looking back on it I am enjoying it as (none / 0) (#198)
    by ruffian on Wed May 28, 2014 at 03:16:58 PM EST
    a cartoon in my mind...at the time I watched it, it just seemed so unrealistic that he gets away with all this stuff, and the mounting body count that I was letting that distract me from the dark humor and artistry of it. It certainly was a clever way to show it.

    Parent
    Yeah, no gore, except for ... (none / 0) (#193)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed May 28, 2014 at 01:49:05 PM EST
    ... the poor guy who went ker-SPLAT!!! on the sidewalk after being tossed by the sociopathic Lorne Malvo out of an upper floor window.

    Parent
    Oh yeah. Him. (none / 0) (#197)
    by ruffian on Wed May 28, 2014 at 03:13:51 PM EST
    People freaking (none / 0) (#194)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed May 28, 2014 at 01:53:24 PM EST
    out here in GA over a new poll that has Carter up for the govenor's race by 7 points. Don't know if Carter will win though.

    Ga6th: Was that a Rasmussen poll? (none / 0) (#196)
    by christinep on Wed May 28, 2014 at 02:37:49 PM EST
    I saw a quick reference to said R poll yesterday.  Exercising caution around Rasmussen makes sense in a lot of ways:  I seem to recall a pattern in past wherein a few Repubs would be surprisingly behind or close in an election expected to be won by Repubs ... only to be predictably, magically found in early fall to have the Repub safely ahead ... perhaps, coincidence OR perhaps, other forms of manipulation.  In past, I've tended to view the Rasmussen spring/early summer practice as "designed" to wake up their Repub brethren in races that might otherwise be taken for granted.

    Who knows?  I do hope that the poll mirrors surprising Dem strength in your state.

    Parent

    Yeah (none / 0) (#199)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed May 28, 2014 at 03:24:48 PM EST
    it's the Rasmussen that's why I say I don't know if he'll win or not.

    The polls actually have kind of been all over the place and this poll does seem to be an outlier but I do have to say that people are freaking sick of Nathan Deal. He's cost the tax payers a ton of money with them having to foot the bill for his retribution firings and subsequent lawsuits that he LOST. Frankly I think the settlements should have come out of HIS POCKET.

    Parent

    Zorba (none / 0) (#203)
    by jbindc on Thu May 29, 2014 at 07:57:51 AM EST
    In answer to your "pork butt" question - way back when, arund the time of the Revolution, butchers would throw the cheaper pieces of pork (like the shoulder) were thrown into things like wine casks, also known as "butts".