Swine Flu Fear or Racism?

Today I had to have a kidney CT Scan. It was done as an outpatient procedure in Tanner Hospital. No big deal, but I was 33 minutes late, and had to wait for about 90 minutes for them to squeeze me in; I really wanted to re-schedule but I don't know why. Part of it was I didn't want to have to drink the barium sulfate suspension. To say this stuff tastes nasty, doen't begin to do it justice. Imagine taking two sticks of chalk and grinding them into a powder, then add Philips Milk of Magnesia, now just for giggles add a tsp. of vanilla extract. Put this in a 250 ml bottle and tell people to drink it an hour before they come in.

During this time 2 Mexican women, one of whom was very pregnant came in, each with a little boy about 3. Then another Mexican woman came in with a bunch of little ones. I was annoyed because the kids were all so loud and screechy sounding. I wanted to say use your inside voices and stop climbing on the tables. This is not a playground.

Then I noticed the white people had either been called back for their appointments or had moved like 25 feet away, to the other side, of the waiting area, to the left of the entry doors. I suddenly thought, ‘crap! what if one of these people has swine flu.' So I acted like I was looking for something to read then moved to the other side with the white people. Ironically, the side to which I had moved did have a newer, better selection of magazines.

As more people came in I noticed there would be a momentary pause as the person scanned the situation. All the Mexicans stayed to the right and all the whites and blacks went to the left. Then a Mexican woman wearing a yellow surgical mask came in and went to the window. You could here an audible intake of air bordering on a gasp from all the people on my side of the room. That’s when I thought, "You idiot! You could have caught swine flu, sitting there being polite."

On the 11PM news they reported that Tanner Hospital in Carroll County has confirmed a case of Swine Flu. Here's the problem. I was at one of the two Tanner hospitals in Carroll County today!

I know it's silly but part of me still feels I was being a tad bit discriminatory by moving away from the Mexican people. Then again I have had a weak immune system ever since I had an accidental overdose of radiation to treat Grave's Disease back in 1997. Ever since then I get more ear infections than the average 4 year old.

Ya know what, I'm gonna cut myself a break on this one. The truth is ill behaved children annoyed me even as a child and I think it's normal to be leery of a disease that has no known cure and has reached the pandemic level.

Pontiac is Headed for The Junkyard

I've always been a Chevy Girl except for a brief time in the late 70's to early 80's when I lusted over the Pontiac Trans Am. My Pop-Pop was definetely a Pontiac man he used to always get his at Rassas Pontiac & Buick in Red Bank, NJ. I can't say I'm surprised that Pontiac is headed for the chopping block. Like the rest of the Big 3 they stupidly discontinued their more popular sporty and fuel eficient models and came out with more ugly and expensive SUV's which nobody likes, such as the Aztec and Vibe. I'm not a betting woman and it's a good thing too, because I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen next in so far as the economy and the American automotive industry.


Pontiac Headed for Junk Yard
Fabled Muscle-Car Brand Is Being Eliminated Amid GM's Cutbacks


APRIL 25, 2009
General Motors Corp. is readying plans to ditch its fabled Pontiac, an 82-year-old division that last flourished selling sporty, muscle cars, people familiar with the matter said Friday.

During its heyday three decades ago, Pontiac was the launching ground for young auto designers and executives including John DeLorean. But its sales have tumbled 70% since their peak in 1978, and the unit in recent years has been a steady money loser.

GM has more than three months' supply of Pontiacs on dealer lots, according to Edmunds.com. Last month, the average Pontiac sold for 22% off the sticker price, compared with ... the industry average of 16%, Edmunds said.

GM spokesman Jim Hopson said no final decision on Pontiac's future has been made. But he said nothing is guaranteed. "Everything has been put under review," Mr. Hopson said.

The auto maker, facing a June 1 federal deadline to dramatically restructure or go bankrupt, is expected to disclose next week it will eliminate or sell Pontiac, according to several people who have been briefed on the plan. The decision comes as GM must show it can make painful cuts to win continued government financing.

GM had said it intended to keep one or two Pontiac models. But the Obama administration is pressuring GM to accelerate its downsizing. The auto maker is working on plans to sell or liquidate its Saturn, Hummer and Saab divisions. Each has received some interest from outside buyers, but it remains unclear whether any will survive.

GM's last automotive division to be eliminated was Oldsmobile in 2000. That decision cost GM billions of dollars in dealer-buyout costs, led to messy litigation and frayed many relationships with dealers and buyers.

"Disappointment is an understatement," Russ Shelton, owner of Shelton Pontiac Buick GMC in Rochester Hills, Mich., said of word of GM's decision.

Pontiac's first model was a 1926 six-cylinder roadster called the Chief of the Sixes. In following years, the brand became known for offering sporty V8 models that were cheaper than Buicks and used components from low-cost Chevrolets.

In the 1960s, the Pontiac GTO became the founding member of Detroit's horsepower wars. That car was created by Mr. DeLorean and introduced in the fall of 1963. Shortly thereafter, Ford introduced its Mustang and Chrysler its Plymouth Barracuda as responses to GM's hit coupe.

One of Mr. DeLorean's legacies -- the so-called widetrack vehicle design -- still remains a feature of some Pontiac automobiles, and has played a role in its advertising messages.

In the 1970s, Pontiac went into decline as the Arab oil embargo drove up gasoline prices and consumers turned away from gas guzzlers. Pontiac enjoyed a brief resurgence in the 1980s when gas prices fell and GM accompanied its "Pontiac Excitement" marketing campaigns with smaller cars that had bigger engines, such as the Trans Am and Firebird.

In recent years, Pontiac has struggled to carve out an identity of its own. Attempts to revive its nameplates, including the GTO, have fallen flat due to a lack of design flair. Those efforts were also stymied by the bland minivans and sedans that Pontiac produced.

The GMC brand of trucks and sport-utility vehicles could also be in danger. The Obama auto task force, noting that GMC sells models similar to Chevrolet, has pressed GM to make a convincing case the brand should survive.

To avoid bankruptcy, GM is scrambling to complete an offer for a public debt swap that would eliminate $27 billion in unsecured debt. The auto maker has been unable to strike a deal with an ad hoc committee representing bondholders. But federal regulations require that GM must make the offering by Monday to have the swap complete by June 1.

Please Support Jason's Law!

What is Jason's Law?

It is a potential law to address the ongoing and escalating problems with truck driver safety and security. In the last month we have been doing a great deal of research into the problems of trucker safety.

On Thursday March 5, 2009, Jason Rivenburg pulled his truck into a gas station that has been used frequently and considered to be some what safe. Jason was only twelve miles from his destination but could not make delivery because it was too early. His delivery never took place. Jason was shot and killed as he rested in his truck. Jason leaves behind a son that will be two in April and a wife that will deliver twins shortly.

Jason's family and friends are asking for your help to bring attention to the dangers our nation's truck drivers face to our legislators. Perhaps if truck stops were required to provide adequate lighting, cameras and if delivery sites provided secure waiting areas crimes of this nature could be prevented.

Please join our effort to make "Jason's Law" a reality by signing our petition and filling out our legislative survey.

May it Please the Court

May it Please the Court


Sometimes I read someone elses blog and it's just too good not to share. This is one of those times.

Maira Kalman is an illustrator, author and designer whose last column for Op-Extra, "The Principles of Uncertainty," ran from May of 2006 to April of 2007 and has been published as a book. She has written and illustrated 12 children's books, and her artwork is featured in a recent edition of Strunk and White's "Elements of Style." She recently created a panel story for The Rosenbach Museum and Library's 21st-Century Abe Web project. Her work is shown at the Julie Saul Gallery in Manhattan. Ms. Kalman lives in New York City and teaches graduate courses in design at the School of Visual Arts. "And the Pursuit of Happiness," about American democracy, will appear on the last Friday of each month in the New York Times.

Safe Driving Tips & Tricks

Driving Tips & Tricks


Cornering
The most important thing to remember when taking sharp curves or cornering [esp. in an eighteen wheeler in the wintertime] is to slow down before the curve and power through the curve. You always want to keep a pull on a trailer and never let a trailer push you through a curve.

Turning On Red
Did you know that it is legal to turn left on red? Only turn left on red when it is from a one-way to a one-way.

Cars Beside Trucks
Never, and I mean never, drive beside an eighteen wheeler for long periods of time. It is extremely dangerous. First off the wind turbulence is bad and absolutely can push you off the road or pull you into the truck if you are not watching!

Also, if one of those tires does blow it can rip your head right off your shoulders and that's no joke. I've seen it happen and it's sickening.

Cars Passing Trucks
When you pass an eighteen wheeler in a car make sure you see, at the least, both headlights in your rearview mirror before executing your move in front of them.

Right Hand Turns
When you see a truck driver trying to make a right hand turn NEVER get to the right of him as he CANNOT see you! I've seen literally hundreds of cars smashed because of total stupidity.

The reason an eighteen wheeler driver swings wide to make a right turn is basically because he can't see and it is always better to be safe than sorry than to pay a city thousands of dollars for a ripped off stop light or stop sign.

It is NO different than making a left turn except for the fact that you can stick your head out of the left window. Of course if you are a giraffe then you are ok on right turns!

Get Out Of The Left Lane
I don't care whether you are in a car or in a truck, when you are through passing get out of the left lane! It only breeds hatred and frustration when drivers are rude and just ride in the left lane for no reason. The freeways are designed properly if ONLY they would be used properly!

Two Lane Roads
IF you are on a two lane road with a mile long line of traffic behind you and you are wanting to make a right turn instead of stopping everybody get on the shoulder to turn right so everybody else can keep moving [ if there is a shoulder of course ].

Look Ahead
Always look ahead of you NOT just right in front of your bumper as many people do. Learn how to judge distance and speed to keep the freeways moving smooth. IF you see a truck or even a car coming up on a very slow moving vehicle ahead of them, you should realize they need to get out and, IF you keep moving up to them at a high rate of speed knowing this, then it's your own idiocy when you get mad because they pull out in front of you. Common sense is called for in these situations.

Exiting
Don't be a dummy and hammer down right before you know you need to exit and cut a truck off OR cut in front of them and slow down to get off. You truly have no idea how close to death you are. If the driver is looking down for even a second you will be in deep trouble. Possibly 6' of deep trouble.

Use your head and common sense to realize that you should slow down and not try to pass. Why be in a hurry to just get off anyway? Will one second matter that much?

No matter how big you are, how bad you are, how rich you are, how smart you are, how dumb you are, how young you are, or how old you are you will die with 80,000 lbs on top of you.

Shrimp Boil Recipe: Camping Style Low Country Boil

I discovered this site because of the Bacon Explosion recipe a couple months ago. The guys that write it are real characters and more importantly darn good cooks. I liked the site so much I added their link to my google homepage so I don't miss a single recipe and I follow them on Twitter too. :)

The following is directly from their site. Now I personally find the thought of men in the woods with guns, chainsaws and beer a tad frightening. Especially since I live in rural Georgia where this type of thing probably happens frequently. But darned if they don't just make it all seem like so much fun. :)

I do not camp. I'm black and I'm a girly-girl so that pretty much goes without saying. Don't get me wrong, I love nature; but I hate bugs, insects, arachnids, and I'm not overly fond of critters that bite and scratch and spread rabies and lyme disease. My idea of roughing it is a hotel that doesn't offer 24 hour room service. Anywho, I think I can manage this in the backyard cause it's basically a New England Clambake minus the clams and lobster and with meat added. Not sure about the Zatarain's seasoning as I've never tried it. I'm a Jersey girl and we swear by Old Bay Crab Seasoning, but I'll try anything once.

Shrimp Boil Recipe: Camping Style Low Country Boil
This post clearly doesn’t fall under the BBQ flag, but we’re posting it anyway because it can be paired with your BBQ quite nicely. If you’ve got a pork butt or a brisket on the smoker all day and your guests are demanding food at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, here is your solution. Tired of hot dogs and ham sandwiches while you’re camping? Well look no further because we have the best camping recipe there is. It’s quick and easy and much much better than a ham and cheese sandwich with Doritos smashed in it (wait, I like those…).

Since I was on our bi-annual men in the woods with guns, chainsaws, beer, and food weekend I’ll give you the method of preparing the delicious feast so you can cook it in about 30 minutes from start to finish. We’re big-time eaters so this served four of us, but we almost died trying. With normal human beings this probably serves six or so.

Here’s what you’ll need…

1 Bayou Classic Shrimp Boiler with Basket
1 propane tank
1 pair of cooking gloves
1 long spoon/spatula/stirring utensil

3-4 lbs large shrimp
1 package andouille sausage
1 package hot Italian sausage (can substitute a regular smoked Italian if you wish)
12 red new potatoes
4 ears of corn
4 lemons
3 boxes Zatarain’s Crab Boil (3 oz)
1 bottle Zatarain’s Liquid Crab Boil
1 can Nantucket Off-Shore Shellfish Boil
1 bottle of cocktail sauce

And to make it easy for the camping edition, you’ll need these items…

4 one gallon Zip Lock bags
1 ice chest
1 big newspaper
43 beers

The evening before you leave on your camping expedition, pack up your guns, ammo, chainsaws, explosives, fishing equipment and your cooking gear first because that stuff is really more important than eating. If you forget the food, you can always hunt things. Or chainsaw something. Once that is done, take your sausages and slice them into 1 inch wide chunks and place them in a zip lock. Clean the potatoes and shuck the corn and put them in a zip locks. Quarter the lemons and…put them in a zip lock (no more zip locks…really). The morning of the trip put them on ice and head for the hills.

Upon arrival at your favorite camping spot, unload your guns, ammo, chainsaws, and explosives. Open a beer and proceed to blow things up until you are nearing the point of starvation. Now it’s time to get things going. Open beer. Remove the basket and fill your 30 quart pot up to the fill line (about half) with drinkable water. Dump in the 3 bags of Zatarain’s, a couple pinches of the Nantucket Shellfish Boil, a third of the liquid crab boil, and all of the lemon wedges. Bring to a rolling boil. Open beer.

Once you achieve a rolling boil, dump in your potatoes and sausage (use your gloves, the lid is hot as hell). Boil the sausage and potatoes for 20 minutes. Open beer. At the 20 minute mark, dump in your corn and boil for another 10 minutes. At that time, dump the shrimp in and stir. Boil 3-4 minutes until shrimp are pink.

Everything is done! Open beer. Spread out some newspaper and dump everything in a big pile (get ready to catch rolling potatoes when you dump it, we always lose a couple). Chow down!

If you would like to turn it into a crab boil/shrimp boil, just toss in your crab after the first 10 minutes of cooking!

Down the Shore in Belmar, NJ is lovely this time of year

I'm a beach baby. I grew up down the shore and it's by the ocean that I feel most alive and happy. Sitting on the hot sand, just yards away from 10th Avenue Freeze Out and listening to Bruce and Bon Jovi on the radio is my idea of a perfect day. Add a couple of slices or a hoagie from Wawa and I'm so content I could plotz.