TampaYankee

Congratulations Oliver!! Many happy returns. I hope you had a 'friend' to celebrate with.

Too much potential for exchange of 'favors' for that.

Taste Test: Is Mexican Coke Better? by Serious Eats, on Wed Sep 7, 2011 If there's one thing this country is really great at, it's coming up with clever new ways to take what is a completely normal product, apply a bit of subtle psychological manipulation, convince people that it's something special, and sell it at a jacked up price. I'm talking here about Mexican Coke, and I do so not without a hint of irony, because I myself am a firm believer in its superiority over regular old American Coke. I mean, how could it not be better? Real sugar instead of corn syrup. Glass bottle instead of aluminum or plastic. The cachet of seeing the words refresco and no retornableprinted instead of plain old pedestrian "refreshing." But here's the thing. More than once in the past, I've discovered that the brain has a powerful effect on the taste buds. Free-range eggs taste better? Nope. Darker colored eggs taste better. Is New York pizza better when made with New York tap water? Nope. At least my panel of experts couldn't tell the difference. I've done tests where I've fed an entire room full of people two batches of identical carrots, labeling one as organic and the other as conventional. Unsurprisingly, they unanimously pick the carrots labeled organic as superior in flavor every single time, even when they are two halves of the same carrot. Is it possible, however unlikely, that somehow we—the cult of Mexican Coke lovers—are all being hoodwinked? Does Mexican Coke really taste better? This week, we're gonna find out. Behind The Bottle First off, before we even get to the tasting, let's examine the differences between regular old American Coke and Mexican Coke. •Mexican Coke contains: Carbonated water, sugar, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine. •American Coke contains: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine. The Tasting For the purposes of my taste test there were a couple of criteria I had to set up first: •Mexican Coke would come in bottles, American coke would come in cans. Of the packaging widely available in America (plastic or aluminum), aluminum is less reactive, less porous, more opaque, has a longer shelf life, and is thus more likely to give me a product that simply tastes more like it should. •All Coke must be served ice cold. Bottles and cans would be stored in the fridge then placed in an ice water bath for at least 1 hour before tasting. •All Coke must be as fresh as possible. According to Annette, canned Coke and Mexican glass-bottled coke both have a shelf life of 9 months (plastic bottle coke, on the other hand, starts losing bubbles after a mere 10 weeks). I managed to find cases of Mexican Coke and American Coke with expiration dates within a week of each other next April. Here's what I tested in my first round. All tests were carried out completely blind. Tasters were brought one at a time to taste and did not discuss their answers with either myself nor any of the other tasters until all responses were completely collected. For each taster, tests were administered in a completely random order (both in terms of test order and sample order), and fresh bottles and cans were opened for each taster. In cases where liquid had to be poured from one vessel to another, the utmost care was taken to ensure a minimal loss of carbonation. Tasters were asked to pick their favorite from within each sample set of two. The Tasters and the Feelers The spread of results I got from this initial testing was surprising to say the least, and answered one thing for sure: There is a perceivable difference in the flavor between Mexican and American Coke, despite the best efforts of the Coca-Cola company to convince us otherwise. So that settles it. America reigns supreme in the Coke flavor wars, right? Not so fast. Looking closer, we see something even more interesting: Half of the tasters seemed to have no real preference between American and Mexican Coke, while the other half of the tasters unanimously chose American Coke as their favorite for nearly every test, regardless of the vessel it was served in. We'll call these folks the Tasters—the ones who let their tongues and noses do all the deciding. The Tasters pick out American Coke as superior to Mexican Coke a full 7 times out of 8. When you take the Tasters out of the pool in order to determine what the other half are basing their tasting decision on, everything becomes clear: the other half of the tasters unanimously picked Coke served out of a glass bottle as their favorite for nearly each and every test, regardless of whether the liquid in there was Mexican or American Coke. We'll call these folks the Feelers—the ones who care more about the tactile sense of the bottle against their lips or in their hands than the minor differences in flavor or aroma that the product inside may have. So just to sum up here: •People prefer American Coke to Mexican Coke from a pure flavor and aroma standpoint. •People prefer glass bottles to aluminum cans from a purely tactile standpoint. Read the rest over on Serious Eats >>. See oringal article at: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/taste-test-is-mexican-coke-better-2544634/

I should have mentioned that I have been very fortunate with my dentist. I found my dentist 33 years ago. His office was in the basement of his house. Chair, assistant and everything. After a year or so, he had a whole new office condominium built with maybe 20 office units. He worked out of two connected together and acquired a partner to help with the practice. He was honest, funny and easy to work with. I guess I impressed him early on that I was't a fan of pain... lol. That was my rep anyway and I can say that I never experienced much to this day. He was a great conversationalist. He passed away in the 90s from cancer. I moved over to his parnter who had a great rep also. Kept the same hygienist. Still there to this day. His office has slowed down. The partner he took on after the passing of my dentist left after some years to relocate with a spouse. He took that opportunity to cut back the operation, not seeking any new patients. Never had a bad or even questionable experience in that office. I'll keep seeing him until his doors close for good, or mine.

I've already posted elsewhere that my first choice would be Japan. I would also like to try Prague, especially if I spoke the language. In fact, if finances and stamina permitted I wouldn't mind rotating stays through the year among Thailand, Brazil, Prague, and Montreal with odd excursions to London, Amsterdam, Colombia and Hamburg over the long term. But then who wouldn't??

Yes Virginia, you find used car salesman everywhere... the attitudes and ethics anyway. Caveat Emptor. This guys problem was his unbounded greed. Imagine how much easier he could sell $3k worth of unnecessary work to his patients. I need some kitchen and bathroom remodeling and have been tempted to join Emily's List for information about local contractors. I have a natural dislike for being forced into joining anything and have yet to bite the bullet. It is just this kind of episode that would get me past that reluctance drop a frank review on this guy. I hate it when people try to screw me.

Andy Whitfield Dead: 'Spartacus' Star Dies Of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma LOS ANGELES -- Andy Whitfield, who played the title role in the hit cable series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," has died at age 39, according to representatives and family. Whitfield died Sunday in Sydney, Australia, 18 months after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, manager Sam Maydew told the Associated Press. "On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18 month battle with lymphoma cancer," Whitfield's wife Vashti said in a statement. "He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have help carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was." Andy Whitfield – who was born in Wales and moved to Australia in 1999 – was a virtual unknown when he was cast as the legendary Thracian slave in "Spartacus," a role made famous by Kirk Douglas in the 1960 Stanley Kubrick film. The series proved a breakout hit for the Starz network and made waves with its graphic violence and sexuality. Whitfield appeared in all 13 episodes of the first season that aired in 2010, and was preparing to shoot the second when he was diagnosed with cancer. While waiting for Whitfield's treatment and expected recovery, the network produced a six-part prequel, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," that aired earlier this year with only a brief voiceover from the actor. But in January after Whitfield's condition grew worse, the network announced that another Australian actor, Liam McIntyre, would take over the role. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Andy Whitfield," Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement Sunday night. "We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in `Spartacus' and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life." Whitfield's previous credits included appearances on the Australian TV shows "Packed to the Rafters" and "McLeod's Daughters." See original article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/11/andy-whitfield-dead-sparta-non-hodgkin-lymphoma_n_957777.html?ref=mostpopular

Quite simple. Clinton presided as Rubin, his Treasury Secretary, led the charge to repeal the Glass Steagle Act which kept separate investment banking from commercial banking. The rest is history including the Great Recession of 2008 started by collapse and near collapse of banking that had a leg in each market. True he had Republican Congress help, but they could not have done without Clinton who chose not just to accede to, but to lead repeal. 'nuf said. Of course Bush gets a lot of credit too, appointing a narcoleptic SEC and appointing lackadaisical regulators at every opportunity not to mention numerous other irresponsible economic actions. Obama's greatest failure to date is not to have reinstated the essence of Glass-Steagle. We remain at risk for another crash. However, that is on the way to being superseded by his poor performance on jobs.

Awe cum on Lucky! Any statute of limitations has long lapsed. Spill the beans from behind your anonymous screen name. We promise not to be shocked. What's the purpose of having 'memoirs' if you take them to the hereafter with you.

Soccer anyone? or maybe just a little morning wood... How about a magic carpet ride??

So sad and unfortunate an untimely passing. He had to suspend filming the second season due to cancer. Sorry to see he lost his battle. He had a promising career.

From http://www.kennethinthe212.com/.... RIP, Andy Whitfield So sad to hear about the death of actor Andy Whitfield, best known for his role on the Starz series "Spartacus." I never watched the show, but I fell in love with him after seeing him squirming in his chair on "Chelsea Lately" a couple years ago, as the comedian repeatedly quizzed him about sex scenes and whether or not they show his "dingaling" on camera. RIP, Andy. You'll live in in our imaginations forever.

Count me in too. It is simply the best! I discovered it in the 90s when I fed off of an asian food truck I frequented as an alternative to the company cafeteria. Some years later I found it in an asian grocery and it has occupied a place in my fridge since. For me it is quite hot so I dole it out sparingly. I do not care for the weird-feeling burning gums but it hasn't stopped me. It is so good that it, along with a good dumpling sauce, can flavor up some plane old leftover white rice to make a nice off-the-cuff substitute for a chinese dish when you are yearning for that chinese flavor late at night. You guys sound like you have abestos palates and tongues.

Schweddy Balls Ice Cream: Taste-Testing The Newest Ben & Jerry's Flavor Ice cream and SNL enthusiasts were atwitter yesterday with the news that Ben & Jerry's was releasing Schweddy Balls ice cream. HuffPost Food just couldn't resist those schweddy balls, so we got our hands on a pint (okay, four actually). The flavor is a vanilla base with two kinds of balls: chocolate covered rum balls and chocolate covered milk balls. Molly Shannon may have told Pete Schweddy that he had some beautiful balls, but our taste testers were decidedly more mixed: "Disappointed for all the hype." "Disappointing. Essentially just vanilla ice cream with some Whoppers in it. Not the flavor explosion I would expect out of Schweddy Balls." "Good vanilla ice cream, as is standard from Ben & Jerry, but I didn't think there were enough balls in the ice cream. Even when you open the carton, you can see, like, a single ball, and that's it." "The quality of the malt balls itself is pretty great -- they're crunchy and contrast nicely with the ice cream. Schweddy Balls suffers from the unfortunate problem of un-ballsyness. There just aren't enough balls to go around. Sad. "The flavor isn't nearly as exciting as the name. Not nearly as rummy as I expected, and the texture of the balls was a little on the soft side." "The ice cream itself is nice and vanilla-beany, but no hint of rum as described. Not enough balls for an ice cream whose main selling point is ballage, but the rum ball I tried was nice and rummy." "Not enough balls! And the freezing of a malt ball is sort of a weird texture." "It would be better if there were more balls." Final grade: C. Sadly, maybe we can resist those Schweddy Balls after all. See original article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/schweddy-balls-ice-cream-ben-and-jerrys-review_n_955632.html

Ditto except I will probably order in.

I cannot imagine living in Palm Springs in the summer without a/c. ugh!!!! The only difference between PS and Death Valley is the number of traffic lights. I have endured a number of extended power outages in the last fifteen years, as long as 60 hours. Most but not all due to winter/ice storms. Having recently gone through a 36 hour power outage with Irene, I have decided that enough is enough. The inconveneience of no water, no heat, no sanitatioin, no refrigeration with loss of food in warmer seasons is more than I am willing to put up with anymore. I have been researching portable generators in anticipation of making a purchase. If any of you desert dwellers are tempted to pursue one be sure to do your research. Running a/c requires a lot of power, thus a bigger generator. Presumably you have a refrigerator to feed too. Lights and computers feed like birds. There are energy consumption calculators on most generator sales websites to help you calculate what your power needs are. You need to do this unless your only care is running the fridge and lights. An underpowered generator is sort of like a boat anchor with one exception. Trying to draw more power than it can produce can cause overloading and start a home fire. It will not run your a/c. And you do not want a useless piece of equipment that cost several hundred dollars sitting in a dark garage. Expect to pay as much as a couple of thousand dollars (or more) for enough muscle to run an a/c properly. Electrical installation will run $500 to a $1000 depending on a manual or auto cut on. You cannot run big appliances off of extension cords. If you try make sure you have 911 on standby. Oh and some of these thing suck gasoline like an industrial power vac using five to six gallons a day. Check for fuel efficiecy when doing your shopping too... and noise too. Some are much more quiet than others. You may not think this is important until you try to sleep. Do your research and avoid the boat anchors. Or for the same money take a few days in Vegas -- if they have power.

Employee removing equipment likely caused outage By JULIE WATSON - Associated Press | AP ..SAN DIEGO (AP) — An employee removing a piece of monitoring equipment that was causing problems likely caused a massive outage that left more than 2 million people without electricity across the Southwest and northern Mexico. Dan Froetscher (FRO-shur), a vice president at Arizona Public Service Co., says it wasn't a deliberate act that knocked out power at a substation in North Gila northeast of Yuma, Arizona. He would not say whether it was mistake or how much experience the employee had. Power officials say the outage should have been limited to the Yuma area. They were investigating why it wasn't contained. Froetscher says they're not absolutely certain the outages are related. The outage extended to southern parts of Orange County and San Diego and cities south of the border. See original article at: http://news.yahoo.com/employee-removing-equipment-likely-caused-outage-032706549.html

The beard does nothing for him.

Obviously you are going to the wrong gym. In my gym days I attended a family /young professionals oriented gym and shared a locker room with high school and commuting college jocks, and many professionals in their twenties and thirties. Of course there were a few of us old codgers and an occasional female but they mostly did the aerobic bikes and stair steppers and the pilates classes. And they never violated the men's locker room.

Sorry about that. That is a wrinkle I did not anticipate but that is no secret. I have added a kluge to get around this obstacle. I added a dummy response line in each list so if you are Canadian or Aussie/Kiwi then select the last button in the first list and record your residence location in the second list. For everyone else make your selection in the first list and select the 'Not in this list' button in the second list. No complaints about the Canadians Aussies and Kiwis getting special treatment.

I don't believe it -- any part of it -- other than he may have died.

I am sorry about Canada. Actually it was high on my list (after the US) but I got caught up in scoping out all the options and well... when you get older you will understand... lol. I have nothing against Canada and having known nothing about it for most of my life, beyond what American textbooks say about it -- not much. I was pleasantly impressed with my first visits to MTL and Quebec City twenty five years ago, and a little later with Vancouver and Vancouver Island. A decade ago I renewed my acquaintance with return trips to those cities and had wonderful experiences again, but these times as a divorced out man. That led to repeated trips to both coasts. If I were a younger man I would probably be residing in Canada today. P.S. I just found out how to add more options to the poll. This was my first attempt at creating one. I always love it when my learning curve goes public.

Is that how you fill out your IRS return?

No, no joking about KY. My ancestors actually were early settlers of the Territory and were at one time BIG WIGS in Bourbon Co. That was the early 1700's & 1800's.

South (including KY) other than Florida, Texas I believe this lumps KY into the South? If you mean why I didn't leave it an unstated assumption then I guess I let it's Civil War neutrality and later petition to the Union to 'protect it' obscure my recall of the exact Mason Dixon Line. Sorry. Simply, I was limited to 20 options and it was that or leave them out. As it is, I was forced to lump SE Asia, China, and Japan all under one umbrella though I wanted to break them out.