Friday, May 12, 2006
Best Hamburgers
AOL tallied 2 million votes and offers its list of America's greatest hamburgers:
1. All-American Drive-In -- Long Island, N.Y.A famous and delicious "double double" for only $2.10? Fantastic!
2. Chris Madrid's -- San AntonioTry the "Tostada Burger" with refried beans, chips, cheddar and salsa.
3. CityGrille -- DenverGo high-end with a Steakburger, or local with a Buffaloburger.
4. Dick's Drive-In -- SeattleIt's all about their famous special sauce with zingy bits of pickle.
5. Goldyburgers -- ChicagoServing 'em up hot, huge and cheesy since 1926
6. In-N-Out Burger -- Los AngelesThe perennial favorite also won in Vegas, OC and San Diego.
7. Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger -- South FloridaHand-shaped, charbroiled perfection served up your way
8. O'Connell's Pub -- St. LouisJuicy, charbroiled nine-ounce burgers for more than 40 years
9. Peter Luger -- New YorkPrime dry-aged beef and signature steak sauce from a famed steak house
10. Roaring Fork -- PhoenixTry the "Big-Ass Burger" stacked high with green chiles.
11. Stanich's -- Portland, Ore.Try the amazing "Special" topped with a fried egg, ham, bacon and cheese.
12. Tessaro's -- PittsburghFresh meat ground daily in-house and flame-broiled on a hardwood grill
13. Thurman Cafe -- Columbus, OhioThurman Burger = a 3/4 lb patty, ham, mozzarella and American Cheese
14. Val's Burgers -- San FranciscoYou think you can handle the One-Pound Behemoth at Val's?
15. 96th St. Steakburgers -- IndianapolisPerfection with ground steak cuts and buns grilled with mustard
Hmmm, no mention of the burger you can purchase at Steve Fields' Steak & Lobster Lounge in Dallas for a mere $24.95. That's an outrage!
1. All-American Drive-In -- Long Island, N.Y.A famous and delicious "double double" for only $2.10? Fantastic!
2. Chris Madrid's -- San AntonioTry the "Tostada Burger" with refried beans, chips, cheddar and salsa.
3. CityGrille -- DenverGo high-end with a Steakburger, or local with a Buffaloburger.
4. Dick's Drive-In -- SeattleIt's all about their famous special sauce with zingy bits of pickle.
5. Goldyburgers -- ChicagoServing 'em up hot, huge and cheesy since 1926
6. In-N-Out Burger -- Los AngelesThe perennial favorite also won in Vegas, OC and San Diego.
7. Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger -- South FloridaHand-shaped, charbroiled perfection served up your way
8. O'Connell's Pub -- St. LouisJuicy, charbroiled nine-ounce burgers for more than 40 years
9. Peter Luger -- New YorkPrime dry-aged beef and signature steak sauce from a famed steak house
10. Roaring Fork -- PhoenixTry the "Big-Ass Burger" stacked high with green chiles.
11. Stanich's -- Portland, Ore.Try the amazing "Special" topped with a fried egg, ham, bacon and cheese.
12. Tessaro's -- PittsburghFresh meat ground daily in-house and flame-broiled on a hardwood grill
13. Thurman Cafe -- Columbus, OhioThurman Burger = a 3/4 lb patty, ham, mozzarella and American Cheese
14. Val's Burgers -- San FranciscoYou think you can handle the One-Pound Behemoth at Val's?
15. 96th St. Steakburgers -- IndianapolisPerfection with ground steak cuts and buns grilled with mustard
Hmmm, no mention of the burger you can purchase at Steve Fields' Steak & Lobster Lounge in Dallas for a mere $24.95. That's an outrage!
The Confederacy of Dunces Marches On
The California state Senate today passed a bill that removes sex-specific terms such as "mom" and "dad" from textbooks and requires students to learn about the contributions homosexuals have made to society.
The bill, approved 22-15, would prevent textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and "school-sponsored activities" from reflecting adversely on anyone based on sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender.
A companion bill has yet to go through the legislative process in the state Assembly, but observers believe it likely will pass. It's unclear whether or not Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
The bill, approved 22-15, would prevent textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and "school-sponsored activities" from reflecting adversely on anyone based on sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender.
A companion bill has yet to go through the legislative process in the state Assembly, but observers believe it likely will pass. It's unclear whether or not Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Uh, That's Fast!
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Olympic champion Justin Gatlin broke the 100-meter world record Friday with a time of 9.76 seconds at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The American sprinter lowered the mark of 9.77 seconds set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell on June 14, 2005, in Athens, Greece.
The American sprinter lowered the mark of 9.77 seconds set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell on June 14, 2005, in Athens, Greece.
I Love Oil Sands
The market is adjusting.
FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA - More expensive to process than the light crude oil of the Middle East, Alberta's oil sands have long remained a largely untapped resource. But with oil at $70 a barrel, it has become economically feasible to extract the thick, sticky bitumen that in former years was used to seal native people's canoes - not fuel a global economy.
Only Saudi Arabia, with 259 billion barrels, has larger oil reserves than the Florida-sized patch that surrounds this Canadian outpost. And a pipeline already exists to carry the oil to a key market: the United States.
Over the next five years, oil companies from Exxon Mobil to France's Total are expected to invest $60 billion in oil sands. Earlier this week, Shell Canada announced a takeover of Canadian oil-sands producer BlackRock Ventures, valued at $2.4 billion Canadian ($2.17 billion).
Production in Alberta is up 61 percent over the past four years. This year, Alberta's oil sands are expected to produce 1.2 million barrels a day, roughly equal to the production of Texas.
"The oil sands ... represent a turning point in the history of energy, and a switch to synthetic [chemically processed] sources of oil," says Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist at the Calgary-based energy consultancy ARC Financial.
Industry experts say new technology could greatly increase output, providing a significant source of secure oil for the United States. Just last month, a pipeline built to carry oil north from the Gulf of Mexico to Midwest refineries, reversed direction to take Alberta oil south.
"We can double our production and go for another 45 years," says Jim Carter, president of Syncrude Canada Ltd., the world's largest oil sands operator. "There is relatively new technology that could expand production, but there is still a lot to be mined by surface methods."
So where is this $60 billion coming from? Oh yeah, it's reinvested dollars from the current oil company profits that the fools in Congress want to confiscate.
FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA - More expensive to process than the light crude oil of the Middle East, Alberta's oil sands have long remained a largely untapped resource. But with oil at $70 a barrel, it has become economically feasible to extract the thick, sticky bitumen that in former years was used to seal native people's canoes - not fuel a global economy.
Only Saudi Arabia, with 259 billion barrels, has larger oil reserves than the Florida-sized patch that surrounds this Canadian outpost. And a pipeline already exists to carry the oil to a key market: the United States.
Over the next five years, oil companies from Exxon Mobil to France's Total are expected to invest $60 billion in oil sands. Earlier this week, Shell Canada announced a takeover of Canadian oil-sands producer BlackRock Ventures, valued at $2.4 billion Canadian ($2.17 billion).
Production in Alberta is up 61 percent over the past four years. This year, Alberta's oil sands are expected to produce 1.2 million barrels a day, roughly equal to the production of Texas.
"The oil sands ... represent a turning point in the history of energy, and a switch to synthetic [chemically processed] sources of oil," says Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist at the Calgary-based energy consultancy ARC Financial.
Industry experts say new technology could greatly increase output, providing a significant source of secure oil for the United States. Just last month, a pipeline built to carry oil north from the Gulf of Mexico to Midwest refineries, reversed direction to take Alberta oil south.
"We can double our production and go for another 45 years," says Jim Carter, president of Syncrude Canada Ltd., the world's largest oil sands operator. "There is relatively new technology that could expand production, but there is still a lot to be mined by surface methods."
So where is this $60 billion coming from? Oh yeah, it's reinvested dollars from the current oil company profits that the fools in Congress want to confiscate.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Buy American!
Few sports cars have captured the nation's imagination like the sleek Ford Mustang, a 21st-century reincarnation of an American classic. The Toyota Sienna minivan, by contrast, speaks to the utilitarian aesthetics of Japan: refined interiors, arm rests and lots and lots of cup holders.
Yet, by a crucial measure, the Sienna is far more American than the Mustang. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that were publicized in "Auto Industry Update: 2006," a presentation by Farmington Hills, Mich., research company CSM Worldwide, show only 65% of the content of a Ford Mustang comes from the U.S. or Canada. Ford Motor Co. buys the rest of the Mustang's parts abroad. By contrast, the Sienna, sold by Japan's Toyota Motor Corp., is assembled in Indiana with 90% local components.
There's more than a little irony in this, considering Ford has launched a campaign to regain its footing with an appeal to patriotism (catchphrase: "Red, White & Bold"). "Americans really do want to buy American brands," asserted Ford Executive Vice President Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will compete vigorously to be America's car company."
As the Mustang shows, though, it's no longer easy to define what is American. For 20 years now, the dynamic car makers of Asia — led by Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. — have been pouring money into North America, investing in plants, suppliers and dealerships as well as design, testing and research centers. Their factories used to be derided as "transplants," foreign-owned plants just knocking together imported parts. Today, the Asian car makers are a fully functioning industry, big and powerful enough to challenge Detroit's claim to the heart of U.S. car manufacturing.
The result is a brewing public-relations war, with both sides wrapping themselves in the Stars and Stripes. Toyota, for example has been running commercials touting its contribution to the areas of the U.S. economy where it has built factories.
Yet, by a crucial measure, the Sienna is far more American than the Mustang. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that were publicized in "Auto Industry Update: 2006," a presentation by Farmington Hills, Mich., research company CSM Worldwide, show only 65% of the content of a Ford Mustang comes from the U.S. or Canada. Ford Motor Co. buys the rest of the Mustang's parts abroad. By contrast, the Sienna, sold by Japan's Toyota Motor Corp., is assembled in Indiana with 90% local components.
There's more than a little irony in this, considering Ford has launched a campaign to regain its footing with an appeal to patriotism (catchphrase: "Red, White & Bold"). "Americans really do want to buy American brands," asserted Ford Executive Vice President Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will compete vigorously to be America's car company."
As the Mustang shows, though, it's no longer easy to define what is American. For 20 years now, the dynamic car makers of Asia — led by Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. — have been pouring money into North America, investing in plants, suppliers and dealerships as well as design, testing and research centers. Their factories used to be derided as "transplants," foreign-owned plants just knocking together imported parts. Today, the Asian car makers are a fully functioning industry, big and powerful enough to challenge Detroit's claim to the heart of U.S. car manufacturing.
The result is a brewing public-relations war, with both sides wrapping themselves in the Stars and Stripes. Toyota, for example has been running commercials touting its contribution to the areas of the U.S. economy where it has built factories.
Quote of the Day
"I cannot imagine any development in human history, after the Fall, that has had a greater impact on human beings than the pill. It became almost an assured form of contraception, something humans had never encountered before in history. Prior to it, every time a couple had sex, there was a good chance of pregnancy. Once that is removed, the entire horizon of the sexual act changes. I think there could be no question that the pill gave incredible license to everything from adultery and affairs to premarital sex and within marriage to a separation of the sex act and procreation ... I detect a huge shift. Students on our campus are intensely concerned. Not a week goes by that I do not get contacted by pastors about the [contraception] issue. There are active debates going on. It's one of the things that may serve to divide evangelicalism." -- Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
The Sexual Revolution and the Sexless Marriage
We are reaping what we have sown. Russell D. Moore writes:
At a marriage conference at which I was speaking this past weekend, I noted how often I am asked by evangelical Christian couples about a lack of sex in their marriages. For some couples, I'm sure, this is the result of overstressed schedules and general exhaustion. But, more often, I'm convinced, there's something more afoot.
Of course, the typical complaint from men is that their wives are no longer interested in sex, and that they no longer wish to put out the "effort" to convince them to have it. I am sure there are some men with "frigid" wives, but very rarely do I find this to be the case. Instead, when one peels back the bark enough, one will find a wife who doesn't trust or who doesn't respect her husband enough to desire intimacy with him. This doesn't necessarily mean that the man is unworthy of trust or respect, but it does mean that he had better sort out why this is the case from her point of view.
Not long ago, I read an article about high-powered female corporate CEOs with "house-husbands" who stayed home with the children. This arrangement seems logical in an egalitarian "gifts-based" household economy. One of the women, however, noted that she no longer found her husband sexually attractive. "I don't know why," she said. "I just feel like his mother, or something."
There are some sexually frustrated men whose frustrations are entirely outside their control. More often, though, there's a wife who feels like a mother or a concubine. She is stressed with wondering what the future holds with an indecisive man who will not lead. Or she's wondering whether her husband desires her, or the "barely legal" teen idol he's been ogling on the television screen. And because sex act that is designed to signify a one-flesh union between Christ and his church, she isn't finding herself all that interested in something decidedly less than that.
The Scriptures do more than just "allow" sexual activity between husbands and wives. The Bible mandates regular sexual union. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul grounds the command for regular sexual union not just in each spouse's authority over the other's body, but also in the larger cosmic picture of spiritual warfare against Satan (1 Cor 7:1-5).
The answer for sexually icy marriages, however, is not to quote Bible passages to one another as weapons. Nor is it to put a calendar up with stars for each night of sex. Instead, perhaps it for a husband first to look in the mirror and ask why the chill is there in the first place.
Isn't this so typical of man? In our lust for sexual freedom, we've destroyed that which we so longed for...meaningful sexual intimacy. Once again, nice work fellas.
At a marriage conference at which I was speaking this past weekend, I noted how often I am asked by evangelical Christian couples about a lack of sex in their marriages. For some couples, I'm sure, this is the result of overstressed schedules and general exhaustion. But, more often, I'm convinced, there's something more afoot.
Of course, the typical complaint from men is that their wives are no longer interested in sex, and that they no longer wish to put out the "effort" to convince them to have it. I am sure there are some men with "frigid" wives, but very rarely do I find this to be the case. Instead, when one peels back the bark enough, one will find a wife who doesn't trust or who doesn't respect her husband enough to desire intimacy with him. This doesn't necessarily mean that the man is unworthy of trust or respect, but it does mean that he had better sort out why this is the case from her point of view.
Not long ago, I read an article about high-powered female corporate CEOs with "house-husbands" who stayed home with the children. This arrangement seems logical in an egalitarian "gifts-based" household economy. One of the women, however, noted that she no longer found her husband sexually attractive. "I don't know why," she said. "I just feel like his mother, or something."
There are some sexually frustrated men whose frustrations are entirely outside their control. More often, though, there's a wife who feels like a mother or a concubine. She is stressed with wondering what the future holds with an indecisive man who will not lead. Or she's wondering whether her husband desires her, or the "barely legal" teen idol he's been ogling on the television screen. And because sex act that is designed to signify a one-flesh union between Christ and his church, she isn't finding herself all that interested in something decidedly less than that.
The Scriptures do more than just "allow" sexual activity between husbands and wives. The Bible mandates regular sexual union. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul grounds the command for regular sexual union not just in each spouse's authority over the other's body, but also in the larger cosmic picture of spiritual warfare against Satan (1 Cor 7:1-5).
The answer for sexually icy marriages, however, is not to quote Bible passages to one another as weapons. Nor is it to put a calendar up with stars for each night of sex. Instead, perhaps it for a husband first to look in the mirror and ask why the chill is there in the first place.
Isn't this so typical of man? In our lust for sexual freedom, we've destroyed that which we so longed for...meaningful sexual intimacy. Once again, nice work fellas.
"Military Industrial Complex" My Ass!
From Robert Samuelson in the WaPo:
In 1954 defense accounted for 69.5 percent of federal spending and "human resources" (programs such as Social Security, Medicare, job training and food stamps) only 18.5 percent. In 2005 defense was 20 percent and human resources 64.2 percent.
I recently saw a very disturbed person on my favorite show NOW lamenting how the "military industrial complex" has taken over America. Well, apparently the old people and miscreants have taken over.
In 1954 defense accounted for 69.5 percent of federal spending and "human resources" (programs such as Social Security, Medicare, job training and food stamps) only 18.5 percent. In 2005 defense was 20 percent and human resources 64.2 percent.
I recently saw a very disturbed person on my favorite show NOW lamenting how the "military industrial complex" has taken over America. Well, apparently the old people and miscreants have taken over.
Where Have All The Black Children Gone?
From Andrew Sullivan:
The most interesting piece of data in the new study of the under-fives is not, it seems to me, that fact that almost half are now non-white. What's interesting is that only 4 percent of the under-fives are African-American. That compares with 15 percent Asians, 22 percent Hispanics, and 55 percent non-Hispanic whites. Compared with the general population, that's a potentially huge future drop in the black presence in American life. Perhaps I'm more aware of this because of where I live: Washington D.C. In the decade and half since I've lived here, D.C. has only gotten whiter and browner. Its black heritage is just about hanging on. But I doubt it will survive my lifetime with much demographic strength.
The most interesting piece of data in the new study of the under-fives is not, it seems to me, that fact that almost half are now non-white. What's interesting is that only 4 percent of the under-fives are African-American. That compares with 15 percent Asians, 22 percent Hispanics, and 55 percent non-Hispanic whites. Compared with the general population, that's a potentially huge future drop in the black presence in American life. Perhaps I'm more aware of this because of where I live: Washington D.C. In the decade and half since I've lived here, D.C. has only gotten whiter and browner. Its black heritage is just about hanging on. But I doubt it will survive my lifetime with much demographic strength.
More Progress
Slow, but progress.
Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders to sign an honor compact rejecting terrorism.Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders will meet in Baghdad on Wednesday may 10th to sign an honor compact to denounce and reject terrorism and sectarian violence.Tribal leaders announced they will meet in Khademiah Baghdad on Wednesday May 10th at a conference. This conference will result in an honor compact obliging Iraqi tribes to cooperate amongst each other and the authorities to protect their members from terrorist attacks, and to help with national unity and condemning sectarian violence.
The "Foundation for Humanitarian Dialogue" sponsored and organized the conference. Husien Ismail Alsadar who uses Khademiah as his center of activities and enjoys the backing and blessing of Al Sistani is the foundation’s president. Some Sheiks and tribal leaders said they hope that a committee can be formed to represent Iraqi tribes in the "National accord conference" on June 10th along with the honor compact signed by tribal leaders.
A foundation speaker said that the conference will be attended by heads of Tribes from all of Iraq, Arab Kurd and Turkmen tribes. The speaker added that the conference will also discus political, security, and social issues in the country. We hope to come up with ideas and plans to cooperate in stopping terrorist activities affecting the citizens. He pointed out that the honor compact to fight terrorism and denounce sectarian violence would be the main results of this conference.
Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders to sign an honor compact rejecting terrorism.Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders will meet in Baghdad on Wednesday may 10th to sign an honor compact to denounce and reject terrorism and sectarian violence.Tribal leaders announced they will meet in Khademiah Baghdad on Wednesday May 10th at a conference. This conference will result in an honor compact obliging Iraqi tribes to cooperate amongst each other and the authorities to protect their members from terrorist attacks, and to help with national unity and condemning sectarian violence.
The "Foundation for Humanitarian Dialogue" sponsored and organized the conference. Husien Ismail Alsadar who uses Khademiah as his center of activities and enjoys the backing and blessing of Al Sistani is the foundation’s president. Some Sheiks and tribal leaders said they hope that a committee can be formed to represent Iraqi tribes in the "National accord conference" on June 10th along with the honor compact signed by tribal leaders.
A foundation speaker said that the conference will be attended by heads of Tribes from all of Iraq, Arab Kurd and Turkmen tribes. The speaker added that the conference will also discus political, security, and social issues in the country. We hope to come up with ideas and plans to cooperate in stopping terrorist activities affecting the citizens. He pointed out that the honor compact to fight terrorism and denounce sectarian violence would be the main results of this conference.
Are Evangelicals Conservative? I'd Say No
Although many secular observers seem not to understand this, evangelicalism, by its very nature, has an uneasy relationship with conservatism. To call someone both an evangelical and a conservative, then, while it is not to utter a contradiction, is to call him something slightly more problematic than one may think. Of course this is, or should be, true of all Christians, who have transcendental loyalties that must sometimes override their political commitments, even very fundamental ones. But it is especially true of evangelicalism. As a faith that revolves around the experience of individual transformation, it inevitably exists in tension with settled ways, established social hierarchies, customary usages, and entrenched institutional forms. Because evangelicalism places such powerful emphasis upon the individual act of conversion, and insists upon the individual's ability to have a personal and unmediated relationship to the Deity and to the Holy Scriptures, it fits well with the American tendency to treat all existing institutions, even the church itself, as if their existence and authority were provisional and subordinate, merely serving as a vehicle for the proclamation of the Gospel and the achievement of a richer and more vibrant individual faith. As such, then, evangelicalism, at least in its most high-octane form, may not always be very friendly to any settled institutional status quo. In the great revivals of earlier American history, it nearly always served to divide churches and undermine established hierarchies, a powerful force for what Nathan Hatch called "the democratization of American Christianity."
True, evangelicalism can also be a force of moral conservatism, in insisting upon the permanence of certain moral and ethical desiderata, particularly if those are clearly stated in the Bible. But it can also be a force of profound moral radicalism, calling into question the justice and equity of the most fundamental structures of social life, and doing so from a firm vantage point outside those structures. David Chappell's excellent recent book on the Civil Rights Movement, A Stone of Hope, very effectively made the point that it was the power of prophetic evangelical Christianity that energized the Civil Rights Movement and gave southern blacks the courage and fortitude to challenge the existing segregationist social order. And one could say similar things about many of the great nineteenth-century American movements for social reform, notably abolitionism, a rather unpopular cause in its day which would have made little headway without the fervent commitment of evangelical Protestants who believed the country was being polluted and degraded by the continued existence of slavery.
True, evangelicalism can also be a force of moral conservatism, in insisting upon the permanence of certain moral and ethical desiderata, particularly if those are clearly stated in the Bible. But it can also be a force of profound moral radicalism, calling into question the justice and equity of the most fundamental structures of social life, and doing so from a firm vantage point outside those structures. David Chappell's excellent recent book on the Civil Rights Movement, A Stone of Hope, very effectively made the point that it was the power of prophetic evangelical Christianity that energized the Civil Rights Movement and gave southern blacks the courage and fortitude to challenge the existing segregationist social order. And one could say similar things about many of the great nineteenth-century American movements for social reform, notably abolitionism, a rather unpopular cause in its day which would have made little headway without the fervent commitment of evangelical Protestants who believed the country was being polluted and degraded by the continued existence of slavery.
The Good News for UK Fans
The NBA playoffs are down to the Elite Eight, and for fans of Kentucky basketball, there are seven reasons to watch: Antoine Walker, Derek Anderson, Jamaal Magloire, Tony Delk, Tayshaun Prince, Scott Padgett and Walter McCarty.
The bad news: only one of these guys (Tay) is a Tubby recruit.
The bad news: only one of these guys (Tay) is a Tubby recruit.
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