Equal Rights Are Not Yours to Give

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BP Gulf Oil Spill Is Not Over

What else is there to say. The cover-up, news black-out and "all is well" commercials from the BP Public Relations Department continues.  And, so one seems to care. Yesterday at Nola.com:

Two years after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, there are still clear signs that the environment along the northern Gulf of Mexico, especially in Louisiana, continues to be affected by oil pollution, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Wildlife Federation. "Although the oil has stopped flowing from the wellhead, the gas has stopped spewing out of the wellhead, the Gulf oil spill is not over," said Doug Inkley, senior scientist for the federation.
The federation called on Congress to pass the Restore Act, which would dedicate fines and penalties against BP and other responsible parties toward long-term restoration of the Gulf. It also called for better safeguards in oil and gas leasing practices and permitting.
The federation concluded that six key Gulf features remain at risk from BP oil, although not all are in serious danger yet, Inkley said.
The most visible of them: the bottlenose dolphins of Barataria Bay, declared in poor health last month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Prior to the spill, the federation rated the status of those dolphins as "good." Today, they're "fair," because of an "unexplained mortality event" that has resulted in more dolphins being stranded at a higher-than-average rate for 26 consecutive months. Most of the stranded dolphins were dead.
NOAA scientists last month said that it's still too soon to link the deaths to the heavy oiling of the Barataria Bay area, but said the dolphins' health problems might have been exacerbated by the oil exposure.
"They are at the top of the food chain in the Gulf, perhaps even more than we are, because they eat whole fish. They consume everything," said George Crozier, retired director of Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama. "That creates a situation where they might be bio-accumulating any toxics in the food chain."
Because they breathe air, the dolphins also are likely to have inhaled toxic fumes and to have swum through oil. 

The rest is HERE.

Good Article on 20th Anniversary

If you are a regular reader here, you know that my place of employment recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The following appeared in the daily state newspaper, The News Journal, having been picked up from a down-state weekly paper printed the week of the anniversary bash.

REHOBOTH BEACH -- It's been 20 years since Dos Locos opened its doors in Rehoboth Beach, and now it's time for owners Darryl Ciarlante and Joe Zuber to celebrate.

The duo has owned the restaurant since 2000 and has done its share of moving around town since then. However, each move brought more expansion. When they bought Dos Locos, it was at a 50-seat location on First Street. The current location on Rehoboth Avenue seats 186 guests.

Zuber credits the restaurant's success to its employees, some of which who have been working there since Zuber and Ciarlante arrived 12 years ago. "It's a lot of dedication from the staff," he said. "It's a family restaurant."


Zuber said Dos Locos tries to spin a Mexican twist on local food favorites. "We don't just serve regular chicken and steak fajitas," he said. "We try to expand the menu a great deal. We serve scallops, lobster, soft shell crab and fresh fish on the menu."

 Note: What sits in front of the locosguys in the image above is an Electric Blue "42 oz. Big Girl" Margarita, in case you're wondering.  All Margaritas come in 3 sizes; 12, 26 (Grande) & 42 oz. (Big Girl).

Read the rest HERE.

Bad & Good Easter Surprises

The day began as anything but promising. The key to the restaurant door  jammed midway and wouldn't release the deadbolt, or allow me to extract the key to attempt entry via another door.  It was stuck, immobile, and though I pushed and pulled the door while trying to turn the key, all I did was damage my hands.

I hated to, but called Linda (our GM) and asked if she had any WD-40 that might loosen the lock. She was not due in until noon. I didn't want to call a locksmith on a Sunday, let along Easter Sunday.  That would have cost more than the damned door.

Fortunately, I didn't wake her and she was on site and armed with WD-40 within 20 minutes. We got the door open. She decided to stay and help me get setup and ready for the morning staff.  That was a joy.  I love working with her. She's a short, (or wee Irish Lass) sweet lesbian with  great blue eyes and a wry sensahumah.  We get on well.  In fact, she's the person who took me to IKEA to purchase my furniture and then put much of it together for me.  Yes, she's that kind of person, and I like to call her, friend.

Anyhoo, things ran smoothly with all staff reporting for work on time and the traditional Easter Ham dinners were ready before they were needed.  All good signs.

A steady stream of families filed through the doors throughout the afternoon There were quite a few reservations for large parties, as well as those who heard about the Easter Menu from friends or their hotel.

At about 1 pm, I received a message from my friend, Sasha, asking if I would like to try a traditional Russian Salad, and of course, I replied that, yes I would love the experience.

The original plan was to come home, broil or bake chicken wings and have them with a salad, anyway.  Well, those plans changed quickly when Sasha arrived with not only a huge container of the Russian Salad, but thick slices of baked ham and some kind of sweet nut bread.  While the salad may sound exotic, it is basically potatoes, eggs, other fresh vegetables, and herbs in a sort of mayonnaise based dressing.  It looks great and smells heavenly.

No matter the country, all our recipes are about the same - with only a few local differences.  But, those differences make for an exciting culinary experience.  At least to my mind, this is true. In any case, there will be feasting tonight.

To top it off, I got to chat with the sister to wish her a Happy Easter and Happy Birthday (tomorrow). Though she sounded OK, there was a kind of fatigue in her voice.  I'll call again when she's not with company.

The Russian salad is chilling, the ham is on the warming tray, and I am about to enjoy a few olives.  Sorry, there is no Russian vodka available for this evening's celebration. Bombay Sapphire may be a sacrilege, (my apologies to the Russian/Slav Gods & Goddesses) but will have to suffice.

Cheers and Happy Easter to all.

And so it goes.
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Titanic Anniversary Events On Both Sides of the Atlantic

With so many ties to this tragedy on both sides of the Atlantic, there are many events, some spectacular, others subdued on both continents. The image at right is that of the Belfast's Titanic Quarter, which includes the museum. comprised of 4 bows of the Titanic forming a star shape, housing many artifacts of those who built her, and from the ship herself. The original shipyard, with the massive cranes, and the Harland & Wolff buildings are on site. I plan to visit here in the future.

One hundred years ago, the sinking of the RMS Titanic cruise ship was an unimaginable tragedy. Today, it's fodder for a multitude of tourism opportunities for a new generation keen on reliving the fateful day of April, 14, 1912 when the world's largest, most advanced ship hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Built between 1909 and 1911 by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, the Titanic carried 2,224 people before she sank to the bottom of the ocean. The tragedy remains the world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster with 1,514 casualties.
In honor of the 100-year anniversary of the doomed liner, several locations on both sides of the Atlantic will stage major events, open new galleries, and provide tours to please those struck with Titanic fever.
It's mindboggling how many places in the world claim to have the most extensive collection of Titanic artifacts. In fact, it's a wonder there are enough artifacts in existence for the plethora of museums capitalizing on the hype this year.
"The largest Titanic experience in the world" opened on Saturday in Belfast's Titanic Quarter on the original site of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, birthplace of the RMS Titanic. The $155 million Titanic Belfast is one of a number of signature projects designed to drum up tourism interest in Northern Ireland, an area better known for decades of regional violence. Shaped like the vessel's hull, the six-floors house nine galleries that tell the story of the doomed steamship and of Belfast in the early 1900s. It boasts an interactive ride and never before seen film footage of the wreck in its final resting place at the bottom of the Atlantic. The museum hopes to draw 125,000 visitors a year from outside the British Isles.
Around the corner at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, the TITANICa exhibit displays 500 original artifacts including objects recovered from the seabed. Meanwhile local pubs have capitalized on the 100^th anniversary with Titanic beer, Titanic whiskey, and Titanic potato chips.
Titanic fever comes to a head in Belfast with what's being billed as the world's largest lighting show and an MTV concert with a coterie of global stars on April 13.

For more and what may be happening near you this week, plus many more pictures, go HERE.

And so it goes.
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Caturday Art

It speaks to me?!?

Easter, Passover & Spring Break.

Oh, and BUNNIES!!! Mustn't forget them.

In case you haven't noticed, it's Easter Week and Passover begins at sundown tonight. (Sadly, I was not invited to a Seder again this year. I always enjoyed participating in them.) It is also spring break for a few neighboring states; with spring break occurring next week in others.

What this all boils down to is a busy restaurant; families with kids and grand-kids in tow and, thanks to the truly Spring-like weather, an overall happy bunch. By Spring-like I mean daily temps in the upper 50s and overnight in the 40s.  I didn't think we would get to enjoy a real Spring with the unseasonably high temperatures this winter and I am glad it's here.

The restaurant has been very busy all week for lunch and dinner, with today being no exception. The Locosguys created a special "Good Friday" menu for tonight as well as a special traditional Easter Dinner menu for Sunday. The regular menu will also be available all day.

We open at noon on Sunday and serve until 8 PM.  I am planning to don my festive Butterfly shirt created by Dr. Spo if the weather cooperates. The colors of which, alone, could wake the dead. No pun intended. Hopefully, I will be able to duck out at about 3 PM to get some peace and quiet at home that evening.

I am about to enjoy a boring supper of leftovers, but with a fresh artichoke salad as a bonus.  Of course, olives are first on the gay agenda.

Happy Passover & Happy Easter to everyone celebrating the holidays.

And so it goes.
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7 Life Lessons You Can Learn From 'Star Trek'

Stumbled upon this and found that, with my knowledge of the original series, this made perfect sense. To my mind all the advanced technology and slick production values of the later versions struggled to capture the essence of Roddenberry's initial vision. Here are the 7 Life Lessons:

1.      The best way to travel is to boldly go where no one has gone before. This is true for vacations, for self-exploration, for life itself. If you want your days filled with adventure, laughter, love, learning and the occasional mind-meld, follow this route.
2.      The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few—or the one. Sometimes you must make great sacrifices for the greater good. And, like the Genesis device, it will all come back around.
3.      Expressing your emotions is a healthy thing. Sure, McCoy seemed angry all the time when exclaiming, “Dammit, Jim! I’m a doctor not a mechanic/bricklayer/soothsayer,” but he knew that by expressing his anger and frustration it wouldn’t get the best of him and he could then perform at his peak capacity.
4.      When estimating how long a job will take, overestimate—and when you do better your captain will always be impressed. Replace the word “captain” with “teacher” or “mom/dad” and you’ll see what I mean. Sure, Mr. Scott might have been telling the truth—maybe it would take six hours to get the warp engines back online in the heat of the battle. Or maybe he was padding things so he looked good. Either way, when the engines did come back on line, everyone was happy.
 5.     Wearing red makes you a target. This is true of cars, dresses and, most especially, shirts. Red gets you noticed—which is good if you want to be noticed, bad if you don’t want to end up vaporized.
6.      When you don’t know what to say, pause. It will give you the time to figure it out. Or at the very least, you’ll sound like you’re being thoughtful. “But….Spock…..why?”
7.      The most powerful force in the universe is friendship. It’s more powerful than phasers, photon torpedos, even more powerful than the force itself. With friends, you can accomplish any task, escape any perilous situation, defeat any enemy—and you get to laugh together when it’s all over.

And so it goes.
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Ex-Officers Sentenced in Katrina Bridge Killings/Cover-up

It took 6+ years to get there, but these guys were sentenced for both the killings and the disgusting cover-up after the fact. I suppose slow justice is better than the swift injustice these guys almost got away with in 2005.  From the Washington Post:

NEW ORLEANS — Five former New Orleans police officers were sentenced Wednesday to prison terms ranging from six to 65 years for their roles in deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina.
Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Anthony Villavaso and Robert Faulcon were convicted of firearms charges in the shootings. Retired Sgt. Arthur “Archie” Kaufman, who was assigned to investigate the shootings, was convicted of helping orchestrate the cover-up.
Faulcon received the stiffest sentence of 65 years. Bowen and Gisevius each got 40 years while Villavaso was sentenced to 38 years. Kaufman received the lightest sentence at six years.
A federal jury convicted the officers in August 2011 of civil rights violations in the shootings on the Danziger Bridge and the cover-up.
Police shot six people, killing two, less than a week after the storm’s landfall on Aug. 29, 2005. To make the shootings appear justified, officers conspired to plant a gun, fabricate witnesses and falsify reports.
The case became the centerpiece of the Justice Department’s push to clean up the troubled New Orleans Police Department.

There is more HERE.

And so it goes.

Finally! Three Years Later...

I sent the final check to the hospital this morning. Above is the header of the original letter from the CHAP program containing my member number, and the invoice for the first payment. (click to embiggen.) Note the date. I make too much money to qualify today, plus I am covered by Medicare now, which is better than nothing, I suppose.

It feels good to know that I am totally free of the debt. A sense of relief after 3 long years. A little breathing space is a welcome thing.  The only other biggie is the dental bill, which will be paid off with the June payment.  What on earth am I going to do with the extra money? Maybe I'll just pile it up on the kitchen table and stare at it for a while....

More later.
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TITANICa: The People’s Story

Like many others, I have been enthralled, obsessed with the Titanic from as far back as I can remember (my grandfather saved a copy of the New Orleans daily paper from the time of the tragedy) and have many documentaries on disc and tape to prove it. Of course, the thrill of the ship's final resting place being discovered by Dr. Bob Ballard (be still my heart!) and the subsequent data of the past decade have garnered even more attention.

Not interested in the romanticized movies about the ship, aside from the British "A Night To Remember". To my mind still the most accurate and best - hands down.The Titanic Museum just opened in Belfast and I hope to pay a visit.  First Alaska, then Belfast!

“Titanic’s story is about the people,” says my taxi driver.

It’s quite a firm reaction to my off-the-cuff remark that I was at TITANICa: The People’s Story, and to prove his point, I’m instructed to open the glove box and take out the book he’s reading.
I pull out Titanic Survivor; the autobiography of Violet Jessop, stewardess and Titanic survivor. “The greatest film about Titanic never made”, says driver Paul, shaking his head.
It’s a perfect example of how the stories of the people behind the ship are as enduring and timely as ever. With the centenary this year, and the opening of the spectacular bells-whistles-touchscreens-and-replicas Titanic Belfast, it’s easy to focus on the ship; the scale, the construction, the materials.
What TITANICa does is look at the men behind the machines; their accomplishments, their lifestyles, their stories.
These are told in the manner they so perfected in the Ulster American Folk Park; with live actors in costume. Coal miners talk shop with Thomas Andrews in the coal yard, riveters tell us how they’ll eventually go deaf from the pounding volume of their work; carpenters repair luggage destined for emigrant voyage in their workshop.
It’s a thrilling way to experience the era itself; sitting by a turf fire in a teeny 1884 house lifted from East Belfast; seeing a Victorian press print a Titanic launch ticket; even watching silent movies in the Picture House.
It was the riveter’s stories of the daily realities of the shipyard that stayed with me. How they were paid per rivet. How the foreman would mark the worker’s cards with the time they left and returned from the toilet. How the first fatal accident on the Titanic build was a 15 year-old climber boy.
My guide in the TITANICa: The Exhibition next door, Ken, shares another theory for the continued fascination with the Titanic story, 100 years on. The combination of the well-known personalities on board (including some of the wealthiest people on the planet) and the advance of communications enabling newspapers to cover stories the next day, gave the event an edge of popular culture which our modern celebrity culture echoes today.
Surrounded by over 500 artefacts from the era, Ken sets the scene. Belfast had the biggest shipyard in the world, and was industry leader for what was then a cutting-edge industry (it was the Apple or Mercedes-Benz of its day). This was all despite the fact that the region had no coal, iron or steel resources.
“What Belfast did have, was skill, ambition and pride in its work,” counters Ken.

The rest of the fascinating story is HERE.

And so it goes.
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A 20th Anniversary

Dos Locos celebrated its 20th year yesterday all day - and a good time was had by all. People stopped by from just about all mid-Atlantic states to enjoy food & drink discounts, a commemorative glass, and a chance to win a 55" flat screen TV.

I took the precaution of bringing my lunch because something told me I had better eat before opening because it was going to be a busy day. I was right. Diners and well-wishers came through the doors almost non-stop, with everyone in a festive mood.  It was hectic, but great fun.

Highlight (or low-point, depending on your perspective.) While I was seating a party of 6 in an almost full dining room, the phone rang (as it had all day).  The barman answered the call, couldn't understand the caller, and as I returned to my station, asked me to take the call.  (Mind you, the bar was full, as well.) I took the call and couldn't make out what the person was saying, I asked the person to repeat their request; they hung up. 

All this time I had a line of customers waiting for tables, so I dismissed the call as a cell phone glitch and returned to seating the waiting parties as quickly as possible, asking their forgiveness for the delay.

During a brief lull in activity later, Joe (Loco1) popped up to see how things were going and asked about a phone call from a nasally sounding person asking about a magnet left the night before. I stared at him, not wanting to believe what I was thinking; he broke up laughing so hard, there were tears on his cheeks. My shock turned to anger and I said, "you sonofabitch, I am up to my eyeballs with folks visiting to celebrate your 20th anniversary, and you think it's cute/funny to pull a prank like this? I will march you over to any table complaining about having to wait so you can explain and apologize to them yourself." 

I was pissed off briefly until I realized this was his restaurant, not mine.  These were his customers being inconvenienced. It was all his to lose.  I shook it off and had fun the rest of the afternoon. As I ended my shift he came up and asked if I was angry.  "No", I said, "but about 10 diners were not happy having to wait while I attended to your prank call.  As I said earlier, this is your restaurant and the burden ultimately falls on your shoulders, not mine."  Finished.

If I thought the lunch crowd was big (about 200 customers!) I am told the dinner crowd was more than double that number. I will confess that by the end of my shift I was pretty beat and ready for a cocktail and quiet walk home.  Both helped.

After downing a light supper, took a shower and hit the sheets early. I remember nothing until 5 am this morning.  Slept well and woke rested. Who can ask for more?

Today was another busy day - leftover visitors from the anniversary - and I was chosen to draw the winning ticket for the 55" TV.  No more pranks and not a word about them. That's as it should be.

And so it goes.
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