POLITICAL CARTOONS

"Aaaaat laaaaaaast!"

I left work this evening with the intention of going to my neighborhood Mexican grocer to pick up something for dinner tomorrow, AND, of course, a six-pack of beer as I did NOT get my drink on this weekend. 

While on the bus ride home I mused my options. 

“Should I get pork or chicken?” I thought to myself as the soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever blared in my ears.  “I mean, I have that half-bottle of black bean seasoning in the fridge….I guess I could do chicken and black-bean for dinner tomorrow….”

I got off the bus and wandered to the grocer while fidgeting with my earphones – they have been giving trouble as one of the wires had a short in it.  I entered the store and went straight to the meat section. 

“Rass!” I thought to myself.  “Seven dolla’ fi three degeh-degeh piece a’ mawgah chicken breast?!  *kiss teet* Mi nah buy none…..” 

(Translation:  “Oh dear!.  Seven dollars for three skinny pieces of chicken breast?  *sound of irritation/exasperation* I don’t think I will buy this today…”)

I checked out the other options available: cooked octopus (erm, no!), catfish nuggets (yum, but HOW does one cook catfish nuggets?  Don’t you have to deep-fry them or something?), rancid looking tilapia….

Then I saw it tucked away in the corner of the display.  That elusive item I have been looking for since I moved to my neighborhood.

Bacalao Pollock Fillet. 

“Rassclawt!” I exclaimed loudly…..shoppers turning around briefly to glance at me.  “Saltfish!” 

Even better- Canadian salt-fish!

The grin on my face was immovable.  I have NOT seen or tasted salt-fish since….well, my last trip to Jamaica over a year ago.  You see, I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood and I know they use salt-fish in some recipes, but I swear I have never seen salt-fish sold in that grocer.  Maybe I just wasn’t looking hard enough.  I had always promised myself to travel to the north of the city to buy salt-fish and patties from the Caribbean neighborhood there but never got around to it.  Now – I can cross salt-fish off my ‘To-Do’ list.

Giggling like the little girl I am, I collected the ingredients for my all-time favorite:  salt-fish fritters. 

And mi a go nyam salt fish fritters tonight, tomorrow and the day after! 

My mother’s recipe for salt-fish fritters altered by me for convenience: 

1 ½ cup of flour (roughly)

Ground black pepper

Salt-fish (around ½ lb or more for chunkier fritters)

1 small onion sliced/diced

Escallion – chopped

Tomato- diced

1 egg

Hot pepper sauce OR preferably thinly sliced pieces of scotch-bonnet pepper

Water

Copious amounts of oil – preferably coconut.

Prep salt-fish by cutting into small pieces,  Place salt-fish in microwave-safe bowl, rinse once, then cover with water and nuke on HIGH for 5 minutes.  This will remove excess salt and semi-cook the fish.  Let sit for 5 minutes, drain water, and shred.

Put the flour in a large bowl.  Add black pepper to taste.  Or is you’re like me – add black pepper until the flour looks gray.  Combine dry ingredients thoroughly.  Add water slowly to flour mixture until texture is similar to thick pancake mix – not  watery.

Add egg,  Mix/beat egg into mixture thoroughly.  Add hot pepper sauce/slice scotch bonnet pepper to taste (nuh taste di raw egg mixture – just add what you think is a tolerable amount of hot sauce…)  Stir in chopped onion and scallion.  Add diced tomatoes and shredded salt-fish. 

Let sit for ½ hour.  (Even better – let sit covered in fridge overnight – the spices and fish flavor permeate the flour mixture and the result is positively ORGASMIC…)

Heat frying pan. And oil.  Nuff nuff. The more the better.  Those damn fritters absorb oil better than those things used to sop-up crude oil from an oil spill disaster in the Gulf. 

Using a spoon ladle portions of the batter to make three-inch diameter sized portions.  Lightly brown on each side ensuring that the batter is cooked through to the center before removing from pan.  When cooked, remove from pan and place on plate with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Cool, then nyam! 

Below is to be played while eating your tasty salt-fish fritters:  

POLITICAL CARTOONS

I fully endorse Mitt Romney as the 2012 GOP presidential candidate

No, you didn’t read wrong, and I’ll say it again:  I fully endorse Mitt Romney as the 2012 GOP presidential candidate. 

Disclaimer:  I am NOT endorsing Mitt Romney as the next PRESIDENT, I am endorsing him as the alternate presidential candidate to Barack Obama. 

Look – whether I like it or not as per the U.S. constitution there is going to be a presidential election this November, AND the country has to decide between two candidates.  Now, y’all know my unwavering support is behind our current president Barack Obama.  However, I have to face the off-chance that he could NOT be re-elected in November.  The American voter is a unique breed:  they’ll probably elect a Democrat-held house and senate in November, but vote Republican with regards to the presidential race.  Like I’ve said before – intelligence and rational is NOT a strong point in this country; cross, guns and  bible clutching reigns supreme…..

Therefore I have to make my peace with what the opposition has to offer – and my pick is Mitt Romney.  His stance on the issues of the economy, social issues and foreign matters is the most tolerable.  To me – he seems the most presidential and one with whom I think would best represent our country on international stage.  If my fellow Americans chose the GOP candidate over our current president in November I’d rather it be Mitt Romney than the parade of morons currently on tour in the southern states: 

Newt Gingrich is not acceptable – he brings too much baggage to the table with his many marriages, his skewed views on the economy, his stance on social issues, and his temper.  His political past has been a checkered one – he was basically fired as speaker of the house in the 90s.  His morals are very, VERY questionable.  He was fined $300,000 for 84 alleged ethic violations by the House Ethics Committee in the 90s – the first time ever in the history of the United States.  And based on recent comments he wants to turn the American labor force into a domestic help labor pool for the rich.  He’s all about the 1%. 

Rick Santorum is a sanctimonious religious zealot OBSESSED with gay sex more than the twink store clerk at Dorothy’s Dildos and More in San Francisco.  He may be the darling of the religious conservatives, but he does not bring confidence or rational ideas to the table.   He would probably consider that publicity whore Sarah Palin as his running mate.  The man is so uptight you could shove a piece of coal up his ass and get a diamond in return….

Ron Paul is a idealist whack-job whose libertarian views on taxes, government and foreign affairs may be too outside mainstream America’s thinking to be acceptable.  He also exploits racism to his advantage – I don’t care how much you protest about your affiliation with a newsletter you published in the past – if your name was on the damn thing then you are endorsing the content.  AND he raised his kids to think the same – his son Rand Paul, an elected official – famously said during his run for office that the Civil Rights Act of the 1960s should be repealed. 

So we’re left with Mitt Romney – and he’s not too bad.  I could live with myself if he was elected. 

But until the fat lady sings:  BARACH OBAMA – SECOND TERM!!!!!!!!!!!

POLITICAL CARTOONS

PROOF POSITIVE THAT CATS ARE EVIL

REASONS WHY THE PNP WON THE JAMAICA GENERAL ELECTIONS

Yesterday was a historic day in Jamaica.  Not only was the traditional election cycle of two-terms or more for the ruling party broken, but it also gave the youngest prime minister in the nation’s history the shortest term as prime minister - ever.  On top of that, Jamaica saw the lowest turn-out of registered voters in any Jamaican election (51% of registered voters), and the People’s National Party won by a stunning margin that not even seasoned pollsters foresaw.  The election results caught many off-guard, but surprised fewer people as to the reasons why it turned out the way they did.

I spent last night and most of this morning and afternoon not only reading articles from various news agencies (and more importantly the commentaries by any article’s readers), but also listening to Jamaican talk-radio callers commentary on what they hypothesized happened.  Here are a few reasons given why the People’s National Party (PNP) won handily over the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP):

- THE ENTIRE DUDAS/MANATT DEBACLE:  (from the Miami Herald) “In late 2009, former Prime Minister Bruce Golding faced a critical decision in his 2-year old administration: Should he hand over reputed drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke to face narcotics and arms trafficking charges in the United States or stonewall. Golding balked and admitted months later to misleading Jamaicans about his efforts to squash the extradition. His eventual decision in May 2011 to comply with the U.S. request set off days of rioting in Coke’s Kingston stronghold that left almost 80 people dead.”  This was one of the major incidents that voters never forgave Golding for – he was voted in to promote change and voters saw more-or-less of the same.  Not only was the matter handled badly, in times or dire financial need the JLP administration hired the US based Manatt, Phelps and Phillips law-firm with valuable tax-payers money to serve the party’s (not the country’s) best interests….and lied about it.

- ‘YOUNG AND NEW PRIME MINISTER’ ANDREW HOLNESS NOT CONVINCING ENOUGH:  I, like many other Jamaicans, were NOT impressed with the qualifications of the “youthful” new prime minister.  Nor were they pleased with the way he was selected and shoved on the Jamaican population as the new prime minister by the party officials of the ruling JLP.  On top of that Holness failed to provide Jamaicans with a sound and solid vision for Jamaica.  Manley had a vision, Seaga had a vision, Obama had a vision, Reagan had a vision, Thatcher had a vision, even the current GOP presidential candidate nutcases each have a vision for their country.  Holness?  *crickets*  Most prime ministers or presidents run for public office because they WANT it; we got the impression that he was pushed in to save the face of the JLP using his “youth” as a selling point; a tactic that failed.  Jamaicans went back to familiar territory rather than face an unsure leader.  Labourite voters stayed home to show their displeasure at the Holness selection; PNP voters turned out in record number to show theirs.  

- TOO MANY RESTRICTIONS FOR A PEOPLE WHO LOVE LIVING WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS:  The JLP implemented austerity measures to prop up the economy – cutting jobs, folding to the IMF, etc.  Suddenly – Jamaican policemen who were used to making money on the side saw their income cut, public service workers laid off, teachers pressured to go back to school for further certification without any increase in compensation, cuts in social services, enforcing unpopular laws – it just become too much for the happy-go-lucky nature of the Jamaican people.   The hard lives of many Jamaicans became even harder – too much for them to bear.  They remember the happier times BEFORE the current JLP government - conveniently forgetting the corruption of the previous administration and ignoring the global effects of a worldwide recession – and voted nostalgically.  AUSTERITY MEASURES HAS NOT WORKED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD – why should Jamaica suddenly be an exception?

- THE JLP ADMINISTRATION SEEN AS A FAILURE TO HALT RISING COSTS AND UNEMPLOYMENT:  Sure – the world recession was not helping an economy wrecked by 18 years of mismanagement (under PJ Patterson).  But the electorate wanted results or at least empathy – and got none.  A recent example would be the committee to investigate the billing practices of the JPS.  They declared they found nothing wrong with the JPS billing system despite the raucous wails about high bills from consumers….AND they had to foot the cost of moving electric meters to their front gates.  The government should have looked into subsidizing energy costs or at least rattle their sabers loudly and publicly at the JPS holding company – just ANYTHING to address the issue.   Voters were tired that their needs were always being ignored for the betterment of corporations (the parent company of JPS was posting record profits on the backs of poor people).  And rising unemployment was not helping.

- WHAT DID THE JLP MPs DO FOR THEIR CONSTITUENTS?  Over-and-over another common thread in comments from news readers is that they felt as if they were being treated with disdain.  The JLP councilors were not meeting with and/or dealing with the needs of their constituents, the arrogance and perceived elitist attitude of JLP elected officials (for example Daryl Vaz and James Robertson) constantly making the news.  Again, people felt they were being ignored in favor of businesses and corporations.  Sure – you need to strengthen the business environment to promote a strong economy, but you also have to maintain good relations with the electorate – and they felt they were being ignored.  

As someone said  - this was not necessarily a PNP win but a vote against a JLP severely tainted by Bruce Golding.  However, I say give Prime Minister designate Portia Simpson-Miller a chance – she may have learned a few things in the four years she was leader of the opposition.  A glimmer of this to me was a surprising stance she took while campaigning for an election that everyone said she would lose:  despite the negative effect it would have on her re-election chances she tackled a very, very, very unpopular issue and said that it was time to do something about it.  She brought up the issue of the buggery law of Jamaica and said it was time to review and possibly repeal – much to the chagrin of the ignorant religious zealots that dominate the Jamaican populace.  But this move shows that Simpson-Miller heard the threats made by UN, European and American officials that aid by donor countries will cease if recipient countries do not respect the rights of their own GLBT population.  She sent a message to the donor countries:  message heard and understood.

And at the same time was hinting to Jamaicans that time has come to do things differently.  Let’s just see what the future holds.

Despite how you may feel about how the election turned out, or whether your party won or lost, I can only end with the words of our national anthem:

‘Eternal Father bless our land
Guard us with Thy Mighty Hand
Keep us free from evil powers
Be our light through countless hours
To our leaders, Great Defender,
Grant true wisdom from above
Justice, truth be ours, forever,
Jamaica – land we love!
Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica – land we love!”

Donna Summer - MacArthur Park (Extended Version)

Today, as I was walking up the road to the post office to get my Christmas homework assignment from my niece Taylor (via the liquor store), I was listening to music on my Blackberry when this song played.  Always loved the bridge to the radio version – sort of a reflective promise made in the past, innit?  Who WAS the love of your life?  Looking back - did you get what your heart desired?  Love this song…..

“There'll be another song for me

and I will sing it

there'll be another dream for me

someone will bring it

I will drink the wine while it is warm

and never let you catch me

 looking at the sun, oh yeah

and after all the loves of my life

after all loves in my life

you'll be the one

I will take my life into my hands

 and I will use it

I will win the worship in their eyes

 and I will lose it

I will have the things that I desire

and my passion flow

 like rivers through the sky

oh and after all the loves in my life

after all the loves in my life

you'll still be the one

and I'll ask myself why.

SIRI caught in the middle of husband and wife argument

Don't drag her into this......

See all the CollegeHumor Original Videos here.  

POLITICAL CARTOONS

MADONNA'S GAGA PROBLEM

I find these HYSTERICAL!!!  Only because finally Madonna is being upstaged by someone with actual TALENT......(bitch)......enjoy!

FINALLY!!!! A theme song to sing to fear-mongering Republicans!!!

POLITICAL CARTOONS

LITERALLY BROUGHT ME TO TEARS

Today I HAD to go to my local grocer or face possible starvation.  I’ve been putting this trip off all weekend as I was in a conundrum as to my meal plans for the coming week and didn’t feel like roaming the aisles of the market while deciding what to buy.

However, as the day wore on the hunger pangs increased, and as I was not in the mood to fry bacon and eggs I ventured into the chilly Chicago afternoon to my neighborhood Aldi Supermarket with an ad-hoc grocery list in my mind.  I entered the store, music blaring in my ears from the headphones attached to my phone.  As I wandered the narrow aisles I remembered my weekly mission and I suddenly thought to myself, “I wonder if they just MIGHT have it in stock today…?”  Deciding I had nothing to lose I went to the assigned area and checked if the object of my year-long quest was on the shelves this week.

And lo and behold – there they were.  Cans and cans of tinned corned beef.

I stifled my gasp of delighted astonishment but couldn’t stop the tears from welling in my eyes.  “OhmyGod!”  I thought to myself. “They FINALLY have corned beef in stock!”  It took me a few moments before I could reach for what I thought was a mirage and stow a couple of cans in my shopping cart.

Okay – by now some of you may be wondering if I’ve finally cracked.  (Well, no more than usual…)

You see – there has been a shortage of tinned corned beef in the US since last year.  Something to do with tainted beef from Brazil introduced into the canning process through a canning factory in Chicago.  Some of the corned beef was tested and was found to contain a drug used to treat cows for parasites.  As a precaution the U.S. Food, Safety and Inspection Services halted all imports of canned corned beef from Brazil until recently, and that led to a year-long shortage.

Tinned corned beef (or bully beef to use the British vernacular) is a staple in the Caribbean diet.  Tinned corned beef is NOT to be confused with the Jewish or European deli-styled sliced corned beef.  Tinned corned beef is boiled corned beef that is shredded with a small amount of gelatin, then canned.  In Jamaica it is prepared with mayo, ketchup, hot pepper and sliced onions and served between slices of bread as a sandwich, or steamed with cabbage and onions seasoned with black pepper and served on top of white rice.  In Puerto Rico they stew the corned beef in tomato paste with seasoning and also serve on white rice (the Bahamian dish is similar).  In Trinidad they curry the damn thing.  Actually, in Trinidad they curry EVERYTHING.......but I digress.

Tinned corned beef is a quick, tasty – and more important – cheap dish.  (Though not so cheap anymore – due to demand it was $3.69 a can in Aldi.)

Since the ban was lifted and regular production (allegedly) resumed I have been scouring the aisles of all supermarkets but to no avail.  I’m not the only one on the hunt - if you Google the phrase “corned beef shortage” you will see a barrage of results on this subject.  Regular supplies have returned to some states but here in Illinois the shortage continued – although there was no shortage of canned corned beef hash…..go figure.  

Until now.

*burp*  I am writing to you after consuming three corned beef sandwiches with lots of onions.

Wickedly good.  Corned beef is now back in my life.

And it was worth the wait.

LOVE THIS CARTON from Pearls Before Swine

Click on picture to make bigger.