“Crispy Sweet Bread” is a LIE

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For those of you that don’t know already, here’s a very important safety tip: “Crispy Sweet Bread” is neither sweet nor is it a bread.

I was at a restaurant and ordered this innocent sounding side, expecting some professional variation of a Krispy Kreme donut.

No. Oh no. “Crispy Sweet Bread” is, in fact, some seriously twisted cousin of chitlins.

Lies. Damn lies!

WHY call something “Crispy Sweet Bread” if NONE of the words involved in the description are in the dish?!? If I wanted chitlins, I would have ordered chitlins!

That’s OK. That’s alright. Two can play that game.

From now on…

  • “Louisiana Swiss Cake” will refer to unshaven pig snouts
  • “Fluffy BooBoo Pancakes” will refer to unsalted burnt grits
  • “California Thai Tofu” will refer to rooster feet in BBQ sauce
  • “Basted German Apples” will refer to shoe leather

“Crispy Sweet Bread”… the nerve.

WHOOF

Monday Morning Music : 01/05/15

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Every Monday (seriously this time) I like to post some music to start the week off on the right foot.

This week…

CRAIG FERGUSON – KEEP BANGING ON THE DRUM

ZZ Ward – Put the Gun Down

Hank Mobley – Remember

…and finally, dedicated to the recurring flu I keep getting…

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Don’t Come Around Here No More

It’s the first Monday of 2015 everybody. Get started off right!

 

Status

Happy 2015 everyone. This is just an “status” post to note the new blog theme (twenty fifteen) and to make sure everything clicks when it is supposed to.

iPhone 6 not pairing with vehicle Bluetooth? Here’s one fix…

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If you have a Tahoe, BMW, Mercedes or other vehicle that isn’t pairing over Bluetooth with your new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 plus, there’s a workaround I found that can get them connected.

1. On your iPhone, go to SETTINGS – GENERAL – ABOUT – NAME.

2. Rename your iPhone something equal to 8 characters. Try your initials + “iPhone” (for example: REiphone).

3. Back out of that area by pressing ABOUT – GENERAL – SETTINGS

Now try pairing your iPhone with your vehicle. It should work fine now.

[TECH NOTICE] Website comments repaired

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Technical notice: The ability to comment on my website has been repaired, but all comments from October 23rd to November 15th were lost. I’m really sorry about that, but it was necessary to get everything back up and running.

On a side note, this is pretty much how me working in the depths of MySQL went…

 

Right. Back to it!

How to block “extra” installs on PC java updates

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Have you noticed when java installs an update on your PC, it always tries to throw in an “extra” application? Unless you uncheck that “don’t add this extra application” option every single time java updates, your PC winds up getting loaded down with a lot of junkware.

There is an easy way to stop these constant “extra” installs.

First, if you’re using Windows 7 or 8, press the windows key on your keyboard and type in “configure” (no quotes). In the list of applications that appear, you will see one that says “Configure Java”. Click that.

JavaConfigure

In the new window that opens, go to the last tab titled ADVANCED. Scroll to the very bottom, and in the “miscellaneous” section is an option for “suppress sponsor offers when installing or updating java.” Put a check in that box to prevent any future “extras” from sneaking in during your java updates.

JavaPreference

Easy and done!

Ebola VACCINE being fast-tracked by HHS

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Buried way deep down in the press release pile was a notice from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that they are fast-tracking an ebola VACCINE.

Getting a $5.8 million boost of cash from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a prototype vaccine is getting kicked into high gear for animal testing, then FDA approval, then testing on humans.

Here’s the big quote… “In the DoD-supported studies, a single dose of the experimental Ebola vaccine provided 100 percent protection in non-human primates. BARDA will support further development of the vaccine against the Ebola virus strain responsible for the current epidemic.”

So good news – this prototype vaccine works great so far, and maybe ebola will soon be as dangerous as a common flu strain.

Bad news – there’s still awhile to go before it hits the general population, since “phase 2 clinical efficacy trials for these vaccine candidates are expected in 2015.”

The full HHS press release is here.

The official DoD response to Ebola FAQ

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The Good news: The Department of Defense posted an official “response” to Ebola and how it ties into the Military Health System for all service members about to be deployed to Africa.

The Bad News: Pretty much everything else.

In an article posted on the official health.mil site the DoD starts off by saying there’s no plan “for U.S. military personnel to provide direct patient care”, but in the very next sentence they say “in the event there is a requirement for U.S. military personnel to work in areas where there is a risk of contracting Ebola, U.S. military personnel will follow the protection guidelines issued by the CDC, and will be issued appropriate personal protective equipment.”

So if there’s no plan, why is there a set of personal protective equipment at the ready?

The last two Q and A sections in the FAQ are what is going to give the media ulcers. BOLD sections are my prediction on next week’s talking points…

 

Q: Will service members be screened and quarantined if symtpmatic (sic)

A: Once deployed, all personnel will be evaluated by their unit twice each day for temperature and their exposure to risks. We will have a tiered model for risks based on both symptoms and / or risk exposures. Anyone who is identified as having symptoms will be quickly evaluated by medical personnel.  Medical authorities will make the decision based on a structured set of criteria as to whether the service member can return to duty or should be medically evacuated back to the U.S. Personnel, if determined to have an exposure that represents more than a minimal risk, will be evacuated back to the United States for observation and treatment if required. If someone at risk is moved back to the U.S., they will be quarantined for 21 days at a DoD designated facility to monitor for signs and symptoms of the disease.

Q: How will the Department monitor individuals coming back from deployment?


A: Once individuals are back in the US after their deployment, monitoring will continue for 21 days. There will be face-to-face interviews, twice a day, to review for symptoms and perform a temperature check.  Anyone who is not showing any symptoms will be allowed to return to work, and resume daily activities with their families. Individuals will not be authorized leave or temporary duty outside of their local area during these 21 days so we can assure continued face to face monitoring.
So even after returning home, the DoD isn’t taking any chances with infections under their 21-day rule. The question is what the “local area” will be defined as.


I also think the “fly home for treatment if you’re infected” part is what’s really going to upset a lot of people, especially if there’s a DoD Ebola-Guantanamo thing prepped. Yes, the US is the best place for Ebola treatment, but if this disease spreads into the hundreds, you can bet your paycheck there’s going to be LOUD calls for an end to all flights to the US.

Why McAllen might have been overlooked for emergency immigration funds

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There’s some surprising news that the city of McAllen was completely overlooked in President Obama’s recent Federal emergency immigration fund.

As it stands now, not one single penny from the $3.7 billion requested by President Obama in emergency funds to help stem the sudden immigration crisis will go to the city right at ground zero.

Of course, the mayor of McAllen had a few words about this for NBC.

What’s especially odd is that while President Obama is in Texas, he isn’t going to visit McAllen or any city in the Texas valley.

This really is an ongoing crisis. McAllen is literally pitching tents to help the flood of incoming immigrants coming across the border.

McAllen Tents

McAllen Tents

I took that photo yesterday. Me. That’s the church my wife and I got married at in the background. I can testify, firsthand, what is being reported in the news about the immigration flood really is happening.

So, back to the $3.7 billion dollar question. Why was McAllen given the red-headed-stepchild treatment?

This is thin. Real thin. Probably don’t mean anything. But it might have something to do with the fact that the Rio Grande Valley is a massive Clinton fundraising center.

Bear with me for a second.

An article in the Washington Post perfectly summarizes the valley fundraising juggernaut. Way back in 2007, Hillary raised $640,000 in the Texas valley region alone. Compare that with President Obama’s $2,086 total for the Texas valley region during that same time. That’s a difference of $637,914.

Jump ahead to 2013. $587,566 was raised for the Clintons, and again, in this region alone.

The not-so-big secret about all this money coming in for the Clintons is really the result of one very secretive man. Alonzo Cantu.

The local Brownsville Herald newspaper has a great article on Alonzo Cantu and confirms the 2013 fundraising number I mentioned above.

USA today has an additional article on him, saying back in 2008 he pulled in around $1 million cash for the Clintons, again, in the Texas valley region alone.

Consistently pulling in around $1 million a year? That’s a super powerful friend to have on your side.

The Clinton valley fundraising juggernaut is still going full steam. Hilary Clinton was “just” down here in March at a fundraiser not even 10 minutes North of downtown McAllen.

Let me change channels real quick to a second observation. The Texas valley is solid blue Democrat [NPR link].

Take a look at the last presidential election result. Everything below (and including) San Antonio is solid blue.

So, how do the Clintons getting major bank and the area being hardcore Democrat both tie to an emergency aid “oversight”?

Like I said, this is thin. Real thin. Probably don’t mean anything.

But maybe it has something to do with President Obama promising Senator Elizabeth Warren he would back her for president.

Not Hilary Clinton.

I seriously hope I’m just being a paranoid old fart. That none of these things tie in together and I just need to up my dosage.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to President Obama. I’m sure there’s a solid reason not to give McAllen any help despite the fact that every major news outlet reports on the crisis from McAllen and despite the fact the mainstream media is practically camping out down here and keeps writing story after story after story about it.

I’m also very sure things are going to get a lot worse if something isn’t done soon.

UPDATE 7/11/14 : From today’s New York Times G.O.P. Pushes Back on Approving Border Funds article : “Jeh Johnson, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told the committee that “we can and we will stem this recent tide of illegal migration into the Rio Grande Valley sector.””   Again – it’s all focusing in McAllen.

World Cup Soccer Knockout Bracket from today’s WSJ

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Here’s the newest knockout bracket from today’s WSJ. In related news, traffic around 4 PM EST today should be lighter than normal.

EDIT: 3 PM for those of us in Texas.

WSJ World Cup Bracket 07-01-14

WSJ World Cup Bracket 07-01-14