this was a real problem in the great lakes last year. the late cold snap took out a huge percentage of fruit trees which had come into bloom only to get killed in the cold snap. serious damage to the economies of states like MI and WI, where fruit farms are a big part of [...]

drive by good morning to all. ruth has departed from TX and is on her way to PA. she is in good spirits and the jolly green giant truck seems hardy and ready for its first major trip.

JC: tell me about it! 82 yesterday, sunny. today: torrential winds, 39, overcast and dark. brrr!

human sacrifice is always a tricky topic. judging from art is equally problematic. if you were an alien just coming to europe and you went to its museums, you’d think we’d spent 2,000 years killing all white guys with long hair and beards in a horrible torture device. there are well documented examples of white [...]

because no one is looking for work in OH, and thus this is the best use of legislative time.

it’s hard not to like bananas. they go well in so much. i like them as sweeteners in veggie shakes. 1 nana + a handful of spinach + a handful of kale + 1 tomato + 1 handful of parsley. surprisingly good. just blend and strain (or not, if you like a thick shake)

things i would think are important to a successful restaurant: -know your market -know your pricing points -identify and quantify your ability to have good, professional employees -determine degree of graft/corruption in your chosen market -see what the overall food trends are in the area -identify most successful current establishments and investigate -identify capital sources [...]

r u talking about investments and the stock market and making a buck in murka today in general, or restaurants per se?

Many, many more restaurants fail than succeed

and i can tell you why: ego. soooo many people who know nothing of the reality of running a successful restaurant think they do, and as you point out, iirc the restaurant magazine stats are 90% fail w/in 5 years of opening; but that was from the 90s back when [...]

mostly not insane, thanks!

thursday foreign news day:

A fire broke out in an unoccupied 40-story apartment building under construction in Chechnya, a once war-torn republic in southern Russia. Emergency officials say 30 people were evacuated Wednesday but that no one was injured. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The building is part of a complex [...]

all i want to know is if the ice skating rink in Iraq is still open. your taxdollars paid for that. cause, you know, it makes so much sense to have that in the middle of a desert.

morning, pups. ruth is demanding. she makes you do things.

it’s ur birfday, demi? hoist a cold one in your own honor! may you prosper and have lots of satisfying sex this trip around the sun.

eek! $200 is a pretty high price for the kit. there are cheaper ones. i suppose it’s for a good cause as the natgeo one money goes towards an actual science project and study.

mine would be really complicated (not that everyone’s isn’t) but given what i know, both sides of my family are mutts and have been for hundreds of years. Lapps, Germans, Russians, Native Americans from two or more Nations, Finns, Irish, English, Africans. down here in TX they don’t allow you to check more than one [...]

DNA testing is relevant to everyone, not just those who don’t have access to official records or strong oral traditions. the thing a lot of people often fail to take into account: people were no more good at monogamy back in the day, than they are today. i have a half brother, and i don’t [...]

heh, i watch antiques roadshow just last night. it is always so fun. biggest find over four eps i watched: a pearl necklace. $250K est value. the woman who owned it had been told by a grandmother that it was likely not worth more than a few thousand dollars. she was freaking out at the [...]

the trust fund bunnies who work for NPR are ignorant, privileged children with little understanding of investigative journalism and far too much interest in the Hollywood Rules of how to get ahead. try getting your own TV news show if you’re “too fat” or “too black” or “too concerned with the poor.” to quote a [...]

yet few chicago restaurants participate in this program. that’s the rub; it takes time and effort to collect the food, and most restaurants aren’t interested in paying the extra in wages for their cooks and bussers to collect and box up food. my ex managed several restaurants in chicago and not one of them donated [...]