Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Without a family, one seldom thinks long term
If I have any culinary weakness , it is for that wonderful invention of that great German dish…. ‘quiche!’ Okay, you think it is so French, but it is not. Read the first link below for it’s great story:
Quiche Karla Loraine and recipe
Yar, the world is full of quiches and various sea creatures, but if it be some strong drink to settle your innards, Capt’n Rog Crab Quiche be what yar lookin for.
that be Crab Quiche ahead, maties!
Now, I must be about my business of fixing the quiche!
I do enjoy traveling and sampling the cuisine wherever we go. Sometimes some of the discoveries are quite enlightening. For example, while in Florida , it became necessary to travel between Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. I thought it would be fun to try SPIRIT Airlines for a couple of reasons. First, the CEO of Spirit was part of a study lead by our daughter Karen assisted by her sister Kristin and an all star class and presented at this years Association for Psychological Science conference. Secondly, Spirit has it’s fans and detractors and I wanted to see for myself. On the bad side, we were faced with long delays coming and going, I would never consider Spirit with a tight itinerary. However, on the positive side, the flights were superb and the landings extraordinarily gentle. It is clear that the pilots were skilled. The big thing for me was the ability to buy a big seat without first class prices! Would I use the again? You bet, but I would build in a bunch of time for delays.
It’s been a long time since I was in Orlando (1997) and Ft. Lauderdale and Miami (1980), so returning to Florida was a bit like remembering the boy and then meeting the man years later. I was in Gainesville (2006), but college towns really never change in attitude.
I did very much enjoy the beachside ambiance of the Aruba Cafe in Ft. Lauderdale. Which reminds me. Have you ever noticed how food is always more expensive in states with high taxes? I noticeably blinked when I saw how inexpensive a quality dining experience was in Florida. Taxes, like a rising tide lifts all boats…. Jumps retail prices in a factor economist refer to as a multiplier effect. It’s hard to find anything with a competitive price in high tax states like New York, Massachusetts or California.
Oh, Laura my bride of 39 years had a little business to do while we were in Florida, but it gave us a chance to visit some nice folks including our daughter Kristin, her beau an his family.
It was a nice vacation.
Here’s a partial quote:
“Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, the United States Army was established to defend our Nation. From the Revolutionary War to the current operations taking place around the world, our Soldiers remain Army Strong with a deep commitment to our core values and beliefs. This 236th birthday commemorates America’s Army – Soldiers, Families and Civilians – who are achieving a level of excellence that is truly Army Strong. Being Army Strong goes beyond physical endurance and mental preparedness. It encompasses an indomitable spirit, and high ethical and moral values. These are not only desirable traits in a person, but in a Nation that wishes to live up to the ideals and vision of its founders. We are “America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation.””
Let’s not dwell too much on the nuances of newspaper misquotes, but as I am cleaning up some of the issues surrounding a free speech lawsuit in which I prevailed, I thought it important enough to ensure that the record was made clear.
Search “Cal Poly and Saudi Arabia” and you will read what the story was really about. It was concerning a large public concern by many – including me – that Cal Poly was planning to do the business of setting up engineering classes in Saudi Arabia. It seems rather clear — at least to me — that only certain people would be invited to teach and others would be systematically excluded. Would women be allowed to teach? I think not.
I asked a military officer where all the ‘foreign fighters’ ( our media loves to use words that shows they don’t take sides) were originating? In the early days, so many were coming from Saudi Arabia, but this torrent has since been reduced to a trickle … it seems that volunteers are now getting hard to find. Now-a-days, I understand many ‘foreign fighters’ are coming from north Africa.
So given what I just said, my question to Cal Poly was a simple one: was there a chance that we would be providing certain Saudis with skills that could be used against us? So I asked in my blog: (is) “Cal Poly … training tomorrow’s terrorists?”
Free speech may have died in England and is crippled in Europe … but for now, if we are vigilant, the right of free speech will continue to help us ask those tough questions which will help us find American solutions to the problems of our day.
Kristin has started a blog to share her interests. Some of her hobbies go from the tame: sky diving and scuba diving… others are exciting ( to me) like cooking and recipe development!
The goal of blogging is to have fun and to share with family, friends and interested parties what means something to you.
Have fun, Kristin!
dad