Sandy's Sazerac Recipe

Sazerac

Apparently there are many variations of the classic New Orleans drink, but the basics are similar. I am sharing Sandy's recipe because a number of friends have requested it after enjoying it before one of her Louisiana dinners. This recipe makes four drinks which can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator.   


Sandy's Sazerac: one batch - 4 drinks of 3oz. each


8 oz. of Buffalo Trace Whiskey*
6 tsps. of sugar
1 tsp. of Peychauds Bitters
1 tsp. of Angostura Bitters
4 oz. of water


Mix the above items making sure the sugar dissolves. Taste at this point. Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste. This mixture can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator until one is ready to serve. Stir mixture again before pouring into the glass.


When serving, pour a little Pernod (or Abasinthe) into a glass, swish around to coat the interior of the glass and pour off the excess or pour into a second glass. Martini glasses work well since they are easily coated.


Pour 3 - 4 ounces into a glass and top off with a lemon twist.


*Rye whiskey may be substituted, and in certain locales, a specific "Sazerac Rye" is available.

PGA Tournament: Boring!

Based on the first three days of the PGA Golf Championship being played at the Atlantic Athletic Club, I would suggest that the PGA should refund the money of the fans, the sponsors,  the television networks, and the television advertisers because this tournament is downright BORING!


Give me a break! Anytime in 2011 one has Jim Furyk, Scott VerPlank, and Steve Stricker "fighting it out" with a bunch of guys who haven't made the cut in forever, one is dealing with a "Ho-Hum" event. I trust that some entrepreneurial individual is selling "PGA Pillows" to the fans who cannot stay awake to watch golfers "play safe" in the hope that the golf gods will reward them.


When Tiger Woods' 20 some sand bunkers and assorted water balls along with Rory McIllroy's shot off a gnarly tree root are the highlights of the first three days, one knows immediately that the rest of the play has not been exciting or interesting. However, the most confusing aspect is that it appears the PGA,  with the bizarre sand in the traps and an impossible par-four eighteenth hole, wanted it this way.


The bottom line, I presume, is that they wanted some good ole time golf -- BORING GOLF!


Of course the final round on Sunday could prove me wrong. I hope so, but I doubt it. Which of those contending golfers (Phil Mikelson excluded) is willing to take a serious risk and jeopardize their "safe" money?


In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I am in a golf pool based on the PGA and that I am currently in last place for this tournament with a score of "-30."  Perhaps that is a factor in my current condition of golf ennui.

GOP Likes Big Brother Looking Over Our Shoulders

Big Brother In Action

Although the Republican Party spends so much time campaigning on the issue of keeping Big Bad Government out of our lives, they frequently support legislation that fosters government intervention in our private lives. The list of such legislation is quite long, ranging from the so-called Patriot Act to legislation about abortion and homosexuality.


The most recent attack on our privacy is a bill passed by the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee. This bill would require ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to retain subscriber records for government surveillance.And, as with the Patriot Act, they label the legislation after a desirable outcome rather than a description of what it does. In this case, using their "the-end-justifies-the-means" philosophy, they tell us that the legislation will help law enforcement track down pedophiles. Perhaps it will, just as executing all convicted felons would reduce crime, but that is the reason our founding fathers had the foresight to limit the powers of government.


"The bill is mislabeled," Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), a senior member of the panel told CNET. "This is not protecting children from Internet pornography. It's creating a database for everybody in this country for a lot of other purposes." (Eric Dolan, The Raw Story, July 28, 2011)


Obviously the bill should be called "The Internet Data Retention Act."


"The data retention mandate in this bill would treat every Internet user like a criminal and threaten the online privacy and free speech rights of every American, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have recognized," Senior Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said. (cf. Dolan, above)


It is time American voters  realize that many Republicans do not really believe in their own  Libertarian rhetoric. They seem all too comfortable with allowing Big Brother to look over our shoulders.

Woody Hayes in Bronze

Sculpture of Woody Hayes

College Football in general and  OSU football in particular seems to inspire fans to use their artistic skills to express themselves in praise of the game they love. You may recall the elaborate lego recreation of the "Horshoe" (www.mocpages.com) by engineer, Paul Janssen.


The Most recent example is Andy Sacksteder of Fostoria, Ohio, an avid Ohio State fan and a part-time sculptor. He has created a life-size sculpture of the legendary OSU coach, Woody Hayes. His work has been publicized in Northwest Ohio in the Toledo Blade and WTOL TV, but I am posting it here for those members of the Buckeye Nation scattered across the country and around the world.


One can view photos of this sculpture and other examples of Andy's work by going to: andystacksteder.com

Right-wing Domestic Terrorism is a Hot Potato

Anders Breivik (Andrew Berwick)

The tragic attacks on the government of Norway reminded many of us of Timothy McViegh's attack on the Oklahoma City Federal Government Building. The accused terrorist, Anders Breivik, is a right-wing fundamentalist who has written "An European Declaration of Independence" advising Christians to use violence to drive Muslims from Europe by giving advice on building bombs, making poisons, and honing their marksmanship with video games.


Just as in the case of McViegh, if Breivik is found guilty,  it will be a case of a home-grown, right-wing, terrorist who attacked his fellow citizens. In addition, the Norway case seems to add another layer; fundamentalist Christians versus Muslims.


Neither Norway nor the US should be surprised that domestic terrorism is a real threat to the safety of the citizenry. A former Homeland Security terrorism analyst, Daryl Johnson, was the main author of the April 7, 2009 report: "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,"  This document warned us that home-grown terrorists are a grave threat to our security. Unfortunately, once this document was leaked,  the political right went into a fearful rage thinking that law enforcement might consider all conservatives as possible domestic terrorists. (An interesting example of stereotypical thinking.) Following the conservative criticism, the unit that investigated non-Islamic domestic terrorism was reduced from six analysts to just one. As a result, according to Johnson, "We are more vulnerable." (SPCLC Report, Summer 2011).


We, as a country, must face the fact that we have fellow citizens who are racist, xenophobic, anti-Muslim, fundamentalist Christians who think that Government of and by the people is their enemy and are willing to use violence to attack it. We should not, therefore, institute draconian measures to deprive these people of their rights, but we should devote as much of our vigilance to safeguard against them as we do foreign terrorists.


As for conservative Americans, one would hope that they too want to prevent home-grown terrorists from killing innocent Americans.

Eric Cantor: A Profile in Self-interested Cowardice

Our generation, the generation which understood the lessons of the Great Depression (deprivation and sacrifice) and World War II (courage and sacrifice for the common good), understood what John F. Kennedy described in Profiles in Courage, an account of eight American politicians who were able to place the good of the country above their own political self-interests.


Today, unfortunately, it is difficult to find courageous politicians like Daniel Webster or Sam Houston. On the other hand, we have a group who could be featured in Profiles in Cowardice. The leading contender for a prominent chapter would, of course, be Eric Cantor, the Virginia Republican who wears a constant sneer and views compromise with derision. In his quest for power, he is willing to risk the full faith and credit of the United States. If  our country does not raise the debt limit and defaults, we have Mr. Cantor to thank. He is more interested in his power struggle with Speaker John Boehner and preventing tax increases for his wealthy friends than he is the "general Welfare" of our country as stipulated in the Constitution.


According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Mr. Cantor chose a revealing quote to accompany his senior prep-school photo: "I want what I want when I want it." (cf. Dana Milbank, Washington Post Writers Group). That quote reflects the same self-interested attitude of those politicians who, along with Eric Cantor, deserve a chapter in Profiles in Cowardice.

Another Example of Catholic Bishops' Misogamy

Catholic Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo has issued an edict that Catholic schools and parishes can no longer raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, an organization that supports breast cancer research and  breast cancer education. His reason for this bizarre action: the Susan G. Komen Fund "might" someday in the future fund stem cell research. The Bishop admits that Komen does not donate funds to stem cell research but fears that they may in the future. By  extending the Bishop's logic, Catholics should stop raising funds for the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association, the Kidney Foundation, the Prostrate Cancer Research Fund and every other organization that "might some day in the future" donate funds to stem cell research.

But no, the Catholic Bishop of Toledo specifically identifies the Susan G. Komen Fund as the one fund Catholics should not support. This is the one fund that deals directly with breast cancer, which is primarily a women's issue. It does not take a genius to recognize that the same bishop who is also "investigating" Catholic nuns is choosing to single out a fund dedicated to women's health.

And then Catholic Bishops like Blair (Toledo), Schnurr (Cincinnati), and Olmsted (Phoenix) wonder why we view them as misogynists.

One has to wonder:  under what rock did the Vatican find these guys?

Summer Hiatus

Papa Ron is currently on vacation.

My Quest for an American-made TV

A few weeks ago, thinking I needed to replace a broken television, I posed the question on Facebook as to which TVs are made in the United States. Foolishly, I expected several quick responses which would direct me to several brands. I received two replies which suggested that there probably are none, or possibly one.


Realizing I was going to have to work to find one, I began searching through Google. I learned:


1. Most American-made TVs ceased to exist in 1985 when Zenith was bought out by a South Korean company.


2. Sharp moved to Mexico in 2000.


3. Vizio Inc. is located in California, but the TVs are manufactured elsewhere.


4. Olevia TVs were made in the US by Syntax-Brillian (Tempe, Arizona) until they went bankrupt in 2008.


5. Phillips television sets are made in China, their North American Head Office is in New York City, NY, but the parent company is in the Netherlands.


6. There are a few TV monitors (not TV receivers) used for security systems made in the US.


The sad fact is that Americans cannot purchase a television set manufactured in the USA by American workers.

"Ringer" - A Kindle Romantic Suspense/Thriller

As a "fun experiment," three Hilton Head Island authors decided to collaborate on writing a romantic suspense/thriller. The happy result was Ringer, a digital book available on Kindle ($2.99).


Set mostly on Hilton Head Island, it is the story an attempt to derail an International Peace Conference being held at the Cloisters on Sea Island, Georgia. 


In the service of a clandestine organization of the government, IMPOSTR, Caroline Stephens is a specialist in disguise and surgically changing a person's appearance. After a successful operation at a safe house in West Virginia, her world falls apart. By accident she survives an attempt to kill her and realizes that not only is she the target of her own agency, but also that her own brother who is calling the shots.


After escaping  south, she attempts to hide as an oyster sucker on Hilton Head Island where she meets a fishing boat captain who is a former Navy SEAL, Can Coop, and their benevolent employer, Noah Stamper. By accident Caroline and Can learn that they are both threats to an important general who has presidential ambitions and that, therefore, they are his targets.


Having determined  the general's plans,Caroline, Can and Noah set out on a nearly impossible mission to thwart the general's scheme- a plan which would severely damage international relations for years to come.


The novel is  fast-paced  action with an adequate dash of suspense. The local color helps the reader overlook some of the coincidences of the plot line, but its charm is the interesting characters whom the reader quickly identifies with.


Tre' Hilton is the pseudonym for three Hilton Head authors: Kathy Wall, known for her Bay Tanner series, Jo Williams, author of The Song My Soul Remembers, and Vicky Hunnings, author of The Bride Wore Blood and other mystery novels.