City Renewal Fails

Mon Land Hot Pot City has long been one of my go to restaurants.  It is a short stroll to my favorite foot massage place, has a great cooking broth, and ethereal lamb dumplings, which are even better when dipped in the broth.  No reason to review a known commodity, so my trusty 7D stayed at home.

But the restaurant is under new ownership.  The decor is slightly classier--gone are the Jetson era atomic lights on the roof.  But to quote George Clinton, "We want the funk," or at least I do.  The changes are not all bad.  Barbecue items have been added to the menu.  In honor of the 10 year anniversary BBQ lamb shank was free.  Even for a lover of cumin, the cumin and salt based rub was heavy handed.  The meat was a bit tough and gristly, but was still good.  The same seasoning was more incongruous on the corn, but it was still tasty.

But we do not come to a hot pot joint for joints of lamb.  We come for the broth.  You have a choice of hot or mild, but most people choose both with a metal divider separating the two. The broth has changed for the worse.  It is much too salty.  Since salt is the least expensive seasoning I expect that its heavy use is in part to distract from the reduction of other, more expensive, herbs and condiments.  The one improvement is that 3 grades of beef are now offered.  You can pay more and get superior or angus beef instead of the standard fare.

The biggest disappointment was the lamb dumplings.  The dough is heavier, and the filling has much less flavor.  I will not be back.  It is not bad, but there are many better hot pot places.

Slam Dunk

Now for something entirely different.  Maybe I am strange, but I would rather watch a pass above the rim to Blake Griffin slammed, than an uncontested swish from 25 feet.  Incentives work.  Let's make slams worth 3 points, perhaps with the exception of uncontested breakaways.  NBA games will be more fun.

The Last Roundup?

If you go to Petco you will be asked if you want to roundup your purchase to the nearest dollar, with the spare cents going to an animal charity.  Gun shops do the same thing.  The NRA is the beneficiary.

This explains much.  On closing background check loopholes, and perhaps even on limiting the number of rounds in a magazine, the NRA position is not that of its membership.  The NRA consistently opposes any legislation that would retard gun, or ammunition, sales.

Of course, every gun manufacturer contributes upwards of a million dollars to the NRA.  But that is still probably less than 10 per cent of the NRA budget.  Gun shops riding in the roundup account for  more money than given by manufacturers.   Gun sales are good business for the NRA.

Many industries thrive on addiction.  Tobacco is the most obvious.  The so called "regulars" in many local bars and liquor stores are alcoholics.  The "black helicopter" fringe group are gun shop "regulars."
Based on latest figures less than 1/3 of adults own guns.  But the number of guns in America exceeds the number of adults.  Some people have a lot of guns.

Ammunition is even more important.  Unless someone is very unlucky, a gun for self protection will not have to be reloaded often.  Hunters and target shooters are heavy users.  But those stockpiling to defend themselves from the encroachment of the "feds," are steady customers.

Gun owners need better representation.

Thrust and Perry

Oops, Governor Perry should be  on guard.  Everything is  bigger in Texas, including the number without health insurance, 6.2 million.  Hook 'em horns, as long as they are not gauging women, children and minorities.

Perry's first calling must be the welfare of Texans.  At no cost to the state, the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, would insure millions.  Already insured Texans would also benefit.  Hospitals fighting to stay open would not be casualties of the cost of treating the uninsured.

Having willfully ignored the needs of Texans, Perry should be impeached.  If this also enlists millions of Hispanics before the Congressional elections, oh well.

Democratic Wedgie

With Obama at the head of the ticket casual voters became committed.  The Republican Party took such a sharp, sudden right turn, that they lost the few moderates who were trying to follow.

In 2014 Obama will not be on the ticket.  Turning out the base, let alone expanding it, will be a challenge.  Enter gay rights stage left.  If as expected, the court issues only a limited ruling on gay marriage, Democrats will have a morally, and politically, strong issue in many states.  Republicans, historically have had the edge with social wedge issues.  If Democrats get gay marriage initiatives on key state ballots a stormy campaign may end in a glorious rainbow.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Pollsters are failing to ask key questions in the gun control debate.  While fringe elements in the gun debate are often defiled, they are not quantified.

We all know that assault weapons and 100 round clips are overkill for hunters, or for home security.  We do not know how many people believe that military grade weapons and large clips may be necessary to protect citizens' freedom from overreach by the federal government.  Nor do we know how many Americans believe that expanded background checks of gun purchasers will be used to reduce the rights of law abiding citizens.

We should ask.

Highest Compliment

Thank you.  The site has generated enough traffic that you will be redirected if you leave the "p" out of blogspot.   Someone has spent the money to try to capture my readers.

As you know this site has been dark for sometime.  I was in SouthEast Asia for 5 weeks, and upon my return took some time to get back up to speed.  But now I have an even better excuse.  I am working on an ebook tentatively titled "SouthEast Asia on a Rope."  I am too old, and too tired. to travel on a shoestring.

I hope that those of you who have kept, "Romney's Lament:  He blinded me with Science," a steady seller on Amazon, will consider the new book.  It will be coming to a computer, or kindle, near you in the not too distant future.