Murkowski Concedes

I have to say I’m happy with this

Incumbent Lisa Murkowski has conceded to challenger Joe Miller in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Speaking to reporters at her campaign headquarters in Anchorage, Murkowski said “based on where we are right now, I don’t see a scenario where the primary will turn out in my favor.”

We need to shake DC up.

Bingley in ’12!

Fungi Ain’t Fungible

But fools are

MILAN (Reuters) – At least 18 mushroom-lovers have been killed in accidents while hunting for their favorite fungi in the mountains and forests of northern Italy.

Mountain rescuers say eager mushroom seekers are abandoning safety procedures as they don camouflage and hunt in darkness to protect coveted troves, la Repubblica newspaper reported on Sunday.

…Seventeen people have died in nine days — six in 48 hours alone — mostly from sliding off steep, damp slopes in the northern mountains, la Repubblica said in a story headlined “the massacre of the mushroom hunters.”

Steep, damp slopes are nothing to truffle with!

After All That Life Extending Drinking, Some Green Technology Should Come In VERY Handy

Especially if one’s a trifle…unsteady. This’ll keep you in one place for the potty visit and you’re back at the bar in a SNAP! ~ with none of those ugly forehead welts from falling onto the sink lip trying to wash your hands afterwards (which we know ALL of you nasty boys do).
Lava las manos!

(A warm Swill salute to WattsUpWithThat.)

Swilling: Your Life Extender

Yet further evidence via HotAir that we here at the Swilling should be your Go To Site for important lifestyle decisions

One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don’t drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that — for reasons that aren’t entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one’s risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

Good food and good grog.

We’re here for you, folks.

Boy! That New Jersey is Really SOMEthing!

Poor old Hurricane Earl is still DAYS away and Bingley’s already driving home in a TOTAL electrical BLACKOUT!

Is this, like, Emergency Services practice, or something?

Plus, he’s whining, because I reminded him (when he called to ask me to check the outage map) NOT to open the refrigerator door.

No frosty beverages to watch it get darker by makes Bingley a sour boy!

As a Wise Man Once Said

“Heh.”

The Jersey Shore’s Newest Cast Member: Earl?

Looks like Labor Day weekend we might have the situation

Not really how I was hoping the Summer would end…

I Guess The Moral Is…

“don’t annoy the cabernet franc”

It is just pulling the Granny Smith tree over

Nasty

Hey Rob

A fig!

Woohoo!

How are the trees on Crab Apple Lane doing?

Easy Friday Night Dinner

I didn’t feel like getting overly complicabobulated after a long week at work so I thought I’d just try making some chicken rolatina-esque things.

While the grill was heating up I took a package of Pamelas

and sliced off roughly 1/4 inch filets

I ended up with about 10 usable ones, and Claude very thoughtfully helped me dispose of the excess. I then put some fresh basil that Daughter has been growing (our new motto is “Think Globally; Gorge Locally”) on each

and then a layer of prosciutto

and then some provolone

and then carefully rolled those puppies up and secured ’em with a toothpick. I was going to tie them with butcher’s twine, but having been expelled from the cub scouts at an early age for crimes against Nature I missed all the knot-tying lessons so the first one I tied was a mess. Toothpicks worked much better.

Anyhow, so with a light dusting of garlic salt and fresh pepper it was off to the grill for 30 minutes or so of indirect cooking, which gave me time to make a box of Zatarain’s Black Beans and Rice and a loaf of garlic bread (and work my way through another bottle of wine, naturally)

Pretty yum and a lot less work than you would at first think.

Oh, Thank God ~ A Marine

…and a polite one, no? THAT’S the part that gave me pause…

From: Mr. Kenneth Jorge.[U.S Marine Contractor] 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment,
Kabul Province, Afghanistan.

Good day and compliments. I know this letter will definitely come to you as a huge surprise; I am Mr. Kenneth Jorge, serving in the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment which in Security peace keeping and re-construction of the Kabul Province, Afghanistan. I am desperately in need of assistance for a recipient; That, I have summoned up courage to contact you. I am seeking your assistance to evacuate the sum of $10.5million USD (Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand USD) to
any safe country as far as I can be assured that the fund will be safe in your care until I complete my service here in Afghanistan and proceed to meet you.

SOURCE OF MONEY:
On the 30th April, 2003, when I was in Iraq for peace keeping and for re-construction, I was assigned for some re-construction work in some part of Baghdad , Iraq. During the re-construction works, I discovered some metallic containers hidden behind the false wall of houses which
I assumed that the stash could have been left by fleeing regime leaders. I ordered my assigned military workers to open the containers one after the other and to our amazement, the containers were loaded with monies in different currencies which could amount to some millions of Dollars and other currencies. In the process, we declared some part of the monies and hide some to ourselves which we shared and kept secret till date. You will find more about this fund on the link below, click on the link to read:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

This might appear as an illegal thing to do but I tell you what? No compensation can make up for the risks we have taken with our lives in this hell hole during my stay in Iraq. The above figure was given to me as my share and to conceal this kind of money became a problem for me, so with the help of a British contact working with the UN then (his office enjoys some immunity) I was able to get the package out to a safe location entirely out of trouble spot and deposited it with the Red Cross Office since 2003. This office does not know the real contents of the package as they believe that it was my Family belongings.

My relocation to Afghanistan came to me as a surprise as I have concluded plans to evacuate my fund immediately I conclude my service here in Iraq. Since I’ve been relocated to Afghanistan, I’ve got to know that working in this dangerous Continent with these Ungodly Talibans can cost my life, I have decided to contact you and seek your assistance to act as my recipient to receive my consignment deposited in Iraq. I have now found a secured way of getting the package out of
Iraq to your destination, I do not know for how long I will remain here as I have been lucky to have survived 2 suicide bomb attacks by Pure Divine intervention. I will give you 15% of the total sum.

Contact me as soon as possible through E-mail and declare your interest to assist me so that I can furnish you with more details.

Sincerely,
Mr.Kenneth Jorge.[U.S Marine Contractor]

For a brief second there, I thought he was a Nigerian or something.

Christie Fires Schundler

Via HotAir, it seems Christie has given a message that he doesn’t care what party you are if you lie

It didn’t take long for Chris Christie to react to a video of his education commissioner that contradicted his public assertion that New Jersey had supplied the correct numbers for the Race to the Top fund in Washington. Christie fired Bret Schundler after the video from the Race to the Top review showed that Schundler had not provided the numbers in question

I frankly never understood why Schundler was picked in the first place; from what I remember his only foray into education prior to this was being the poster boy for school vouchers.

Schundler’s short tenure was problematic before this, and a good part of that was due to him thinking rather highly of himself as this quote from today’s Asbury Park Press shows:

“I thought the governor and I made a very good team,” he said, adding that he felt he and Christie were on the verge of enacting monumental reforms. “Education commissioners aren’t interchangeable any more than governors are.”

HE is the Governor and YOU are there to enact HIS ideas and serve at HIS discretion.

Another One Under The Bus

Obama has thrown the Greens under the bus

The Obama administration has urged the Supreme Court to toss out an appeals court decision that would allow lawsuits against major emitters for their contributions to global warming, stunning environmentalists who see the case as a powerful prod on climate change.

…Matt Pawa, an attorney representing plaintiffs in the case, said he and his colleagues expected the White House to stay out of the matter. During a meeting with more than 30 administration lawyers at the solicitor general’s office on June 24, it seemed they had “a lot of friends in the room,” he said.

“We feel stabbed in the back,” Pawa said. “This was really a dastardly move by an administration that said it was a friend of the environment. With friends like this, who needs enemies?”

Obama wants to consolidate the power in the EPA and other regulatory agencies.

Power to the…bureaucrats!

(h/t HotAir)

GDP Growth Revised Down Again

Now it’s only 1.6% last quarter versus the original estimate of 2.4

Speaking of pathetic…

I just don’t see it getting any better any time soon.

Update: This is how pathetic things have become: the news wasn’t as craptastic as folks had talked it down to, so stock futures are up.

Pathetic

With all the mismanagement and corruption and incompetence in Albany and throughout every level of our government the best our sterling defenders of public integrity can come up with is an investigation of a goddamned blind guy not paying for tickets to a baseball game?

NEW YORK (CBS 2) — A special investigator said Thursday Gov. David Paterson gave misleading testimony about getting free tickets to a Yankees World Series game last fall.

And he could face criminal charges, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.

La dee dah.

The government wastes trillions and has put us and our kids on the hook for all of it…and this is how they “clean up.”

Pa-freakin-thetic shiny diversion.

Let Me Follow Up My “Gay Republican” Post With This

Because we have a BIG tent. And I owe you guys.

I Don’t Know If It’s Just Me or Not, But

…I think a lot of people may be missing an important point about the whole ‘Ken Mehlman out of the closet’ thing.

First, I don’t think it’s anybody’s business who consenting adults sleep with, so there. But, the second you’re a public figure, EVERYBODY cares. And the Democratic Party would love nothing MORE right this second than to have TMZ post a picture of the former Republican Party Chair in a liplock with some good looking young guy. Good grief, can you imagine? Le scandale horrible!! And they would flog it for every manufactured outrageous soundbite they could to keep one less second of bad news off the airwaves.

So Mehlman announces, “I’m gay.” Some blog commentors go into religious meltdown, others cover their crotches, but most go, “Whoopdeef*ckindoo/I need to know why??”

But there’s one less thing for Democrats to pull out of their hats distraction/MarK Foley-wise in these next 70 days.

Good. I want them stewing in their own juices the whole time.

UPDATE: Oh, God. Then there’s just some stuff too disgusting for words. Well, their words are too disgusting for…you get it.

We HAVE to beat the Democrats in November. Or Jamie Gumb wins.

Quote Of The Day

Michael Gerson

Still, Democrats hug the hope that Obama is really the liberal Ronald Reagan — but without wit, humor, an explainable ideology or an effective economic plan. Other than that, the resemblance is uncanny.

Heh.

Napping On The Precipice

I’ve seen some of these before, but it’s always worth browsing these gorgeous photos of 1909/1910 Tsarist Russia; I wonder if these folks could begin to imagine the horrors that would descend upon them in a few short years.

(h/t once again to Tim)

Why Did You Vote Green?

Via Tim we learn the true reasons some voters Go Gaia

Just a quick bit of spleen venting….

but this whole deal about Murkowski running third party just set me off. At what point are the people in elected office going to get the message that they do not have lifetime appointments? Between Crist and her, I think folks need to start checking their egos at the door of the GOP tent. But Murk running on the L ticket? When was Pork added as a Libertarian Principle? Ugh.

In the Commissary Parking Lot This Afternoon…

One Last MARCO! Thing

(Before I never post about him here again until he wins, so McCain ~ since the sh*t for brains pulled it out last night ~ doesn’t take his bedpan buddy Russ and crawl up Bingley’s butt for some “violation”.)

His VERY first campaign TV buy. EVER. Today. And this is it and it sings.

Wish him well, would ya?

As Squid Terrorists Are Wont to Do, Ours Showed Up On the Doorstep

…with dead things and demands.
“You’re cooking dinner!”

Okay. **grrrthuggrrr*** Well, WAIT! Not for him ~ for his lovely wife!
So, of course, we were delighted!
While major dad set about whacking the little cockroaches into submission and preparing to season the absolutely BEAUTEOUS grouper filet…

…I approved of his beverage choice. MUST HAVE SCHMEAR! So I dumped a couple shallots, garlic cloves, fresh handful of Italian parsley into the wee thingee (chop these puppies together first), then added a cubed, softened stick o’ unsalted butter, ’bout a 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and the remnants of a bottle of Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Seasoning (I guess it was about a tablespoon or so left) ~ give a whirl ’til JUST blended.

I finish it off by hand, once the aromatics are tiny bits. The heat from that processor will start to melt butter pretty quick. (Freeze the leftover for a spicy riff on maître d’ butter.)

Let it sit a bit somewhere cool and steep, then take a couple tablespoons off in a separate ‘lil bowl and pack that ALL around those lobster tails REAL tight, like a cool buddah blanket.
Crank up the grill of your choice and execute the plan of the day.

There’s only ONE BIG PROBLEM with killer food and excellent company, that I can see…or not, as the case may be.

You’re so charged, you forget to take the final product pictures.

By the time I remembered, there was nothin’ left of last night, but empty shells and smiles.

So, Lemme Say a Little Something About Last Night Here In Florida (MARCO! MARCO! MARCO!)

First, the governor’s race. Geraghty’s got something up this morning that pretty well encapsulates my (and major dad’s and, apparently, plenty of Floridians’) feelings about McCollum.

Not Even a, ‘We Must Now Unite Around . . . (sigh) You Know, That Guy.

There are many gracious and grateful words in this concession speech from Bill McCollum. Hey, you know what’s missing? Any mention of Rick Scott, never mind any sense of “good luck.”

I’ve never been able to stand the pinch faced SOB, even when we lived in N.C. and he was just another snarling, righteous Republican Congressman on TV. Despised him. Once we moved down here, never was a vote cast in his direction from this household, ever.

Then came his GOOBERnatorial primary run. As AG, he heads up to Pensacola (and a very favorable jurisdiction for his Obamacare federal challenge) ~ okay, score one. Then he completely weaselcrapped the Arizona question and Scott called him on it, fair and square, dueling soundbites and all. But the biggest f*ckup McCollum and all his vaunted good ol’ boys pushin’ him couldn’t for the life of them see, through all the “Scott’s a crook” paper and commercials they threw at the viewing public?

Never ONCE ~ NOT ONE SINGLE TIME EVER ~ did Bill McCollum spend ONE PRECIOUS campaign advertising minute to stand in front of me, the voter…and tell me WHY I should vote for HIM.

Not why I shouldn’t vote for Rick Scott.
Not that Rick Scott was crooked.
Not that Rick Scott’s hospitals paid a whopping Medicare fraud fine
Not that Rick Scott got a $300 million golden parachute.
Not that Rick Scott won’t tell you what was in his deposition.
Not that Rick Scott blahblahblah. ENOUGH ALREADY BILL.

I’ve been looking at YOUR mug on MY TV for over 20 frickin’ YEARS as a public servant on the taxpayer’s dime, BILL. It’s not an ENTITLEMENT, BILL. It’s not that you did your time as a good little elephant boy, so you move up to the next step automatically.

Over 20 frickin’ years, all this frickin’ money and airtime, and you can’t spend a single minute of it at the beginning telling me WHY YOU deserve my vote for governor? WHAT you’ve done for my state? WHERE you want to take her? (When, Lord knows, she needs to be taken someplace other than where she is right now.)

What’s your PLAN, Bill, besides whining about RICK f*cking SCOTT?

And that’s why he lost.

Second: WHAT in the SAM HELL was Newtie thinking?
Holly Benson? As if.

Third and most important (with the disclaimer that, since LAST OCTOBER ~ a fact of which I am INORDINATELY PROUD ~ I have been his ESCAMBIA COUNTY TEAM LEADER, but enough about me):

MARCO!!!!. (Via I hate his guts because he was AT THE PARTY Babalu)

* 1,029,459 – More than 1 million Republicans cast votes for Marco Rubio, the most votes ever cast for a candidate in a Republican Senate primary.