It's Time To Cut Loose on Poutine!

Montreal poutine has been featured too many times on Facebook; we can't ignore it any more. Herewith is not only anything you've ever wanted to know about this classic Canadian dish, but also some step-by-step recipes to duplicate it in your own kitchen; there's even a t-shirt you can buy to commemorate your culinary conversion.
So -- have at it, ay?
You can even go to Maamm Bolduc!

Military Commanders

Beware the button pushers

Day Cruisin'

Looking back, it almost seems like science fiction time travel, but when Diana and I were dating this was a popular Saturday outing for us, steaming up the Hudson to West Point on the good ship Alexander Hamilton.   Di would pack a lunch, which we'd enjoy on the West Point grounds, and then we'd share a couple of beers on the return.
I don't know why, but big ships almost always share the same ignominious fate -- neglected, then abandoned, finally salvaged for scrap or sunk. Sometime in the 70s I think, the Hamilton caught fire and sank off its drydock at the Leonardo, NJ Naval weapons station. Her stacks are just visible if you're at sea looking landward.
By the way, the Hamilton was a rather rare side wheeler paddle boat - you can see the portside white skirt cover in this photo. 

The Mustang That Never Was... Almost!

Behold the 1964 1/2 Mustang 'Shorty,' a two-seater prototype with a Mustang’s 260 V-8 bored out to 302 cubic inches, equipped with a three carburetor setup and all the accoutrements of a muscle car before there were muscle cars. Did I mention it was all fiberglass, and fully 16 inches shorter than the original Mustang?
  Destined for the crusher, the designer actually stole the car and walled it up in a warehouse to preserve it. It gets complicated after that. The designer abandoned it, Ford reported it stolen and got the insurance money, Aetna (the insurance company) got the re-discovered car and sold it to a car enthusiast for pennies on the dollar.
  The car enthusiast restored the Shorty and put it up for auction at Amelia Island. With a full Ford pedigree, it sold for $551,000! 

'I Couldn't Put It Down'

For me, there are two kinds of 'I couldn't put it down' books; one with a tale so powerful I can't sleep until I find out how it ends, and the other so syntactically   creative I marvel at every sentence. Rarely do those two genres come together - the powerful story told with prosaic prestidigitation. Only a few authors come readily to mind,  Mary Renault, John Fowles, Arthur C. Clarke. There are others, but I vividly remember those three, hanging around my bedroom night table, guarding the night light.
A new guy has belatedly made it to table. Patrick O'Brien. It's my loss, because O'Brien has left me with 21 - count 'em - Captain Jack Aubrey sea stories, and judging from my first two, all of them are in the rarified air of well-told great tales.
What I really like about him and my other three faves is their way of occasionally scribbling out an absolutely perfect paragraph, something that makes me stop and admit to myself that I could never be a writer, at least not like that. Here's O'Brien, from HMS Surprise:

Patrick O'Brien, 1914-2000

In Whitehall a grey drizzle wept down upon the Admiralty, but in Sussex the air was dry - dry and perfectly still. The smoke rose from the chimney of the small drawing-room at Mapes Court in a tall, unwavering plume, a hundred feet before its head drifted away in a blue mist to lie in the hollows of the downs behind the house. The leaves were hanging yet, but only just, and from time to time the bright yellow rounds on the tree outside the window dropped of themselves, twirling in their slow fall to join the golden carpet at its foot, and in the silence the whispering impact of each leaf could be heard - a silence as peaceful as an easy death.

Wow. 

The Original Five

Clockwise from left, a family tree branch: Jen Krug Keiper, Jack Krug, 

Tracy Krug Cordon, Kathy Krug Rohr, Diana Taranto Krug

Field of Dreams Redux

First there was Ruppert Stadium, the home of the original Newark Bears, which was the New York Yankees' International League franchise until 1950.

Then there was the 'new' Bears Stadium, a really beautiful joint that housed the Newark Bears of the Independent League; they folded around 2014 after a fast start and almost a decade of decline.

Now the area has new life, and is a Field of Dreams once again. For those of us ex-pats who've always loved our city, this may just be the infrastructure kick in the ass that brings Newark back. President-elect Trump, are you reading this? 

Nick in the News

We, the editorial staff at the Junkyard, fully expect that 'Nick in the News' will be a regular feature here. Nicholas has hop-scotched all over the northern third of Mother Earth, from the fjords of Norway to the boroughs of Greenland,

to further our understanding of climate science. (He took this pic of bustling Tasiilaq, Greenland!)
Click on 'Nick in the News' and meet a certified climate scientist professor working at the College of William and Mary. Your first lesson: What lake bed sediment cores reveal.
(Some added color: During Professor Balascio's formative years, he was babysat by the three daughters of the Junkyard's editor!)

Welcome to Red Stick, LA

French explorer Sieur d'Iberville led an exploration party up the Mississippi River in 1699. The explorers saw a red pole marking the boundary between the Houma and Bayogoula tribal hunting grounds. The French name 'le bâton rouge'

("the red stick") is the translation of a native term. And so the city of Baton Rouge was born. The etymology of Red Stick is much more complicated than that, however. White history tries to gloss over what happened to the Creek Indians of the American Revolution era and beyond, but if one wants to pick through the aftermath, this is as good a place as any to start:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_Rouge,_Louisiana

By the way, to perhaps whet your inquisitive whistle, the Creek Indian tribe was a well functioning matriarchy!

Pun and Games

Insomnia Can Be Fun

Get up at 4 AM - what to do? Roll over, switch on NPR radio, listen for what's happening. NPR has a good rep for talking about strange things in the wee wee hours, and this morning was no different. I quickly learned that the Netherlands was the world's second largest exporter of meat, and that the country was having a problem with its excessive use of antibiotics to control animals' growth and health. I wasn't really up to listening to something this profound this early, so I sort of tuned it out, just paying enough attention to catch the ending. The Hollanders were cleaning up their act, the world was not coming to a cataclysmic end, and scientists were continually looking for antibiotics that do more good than harm. But then the story perked up a bit. Scientists are the ultimate nerds; if you're searching for antibiotics, where would you look? Over morning coffee, one place these guys thought promising was the saliva of a Komodo dragon. Of course, I thought. Where else?

The Triumph Bobber

What a looker it is! Triumph says that the Bobber is a premium factory custom motorcycle which is a tribute to the American Bobber motorcycles of the '30s. In essence, it is a Bonneville T120 which was given a new chassis, new suspension units, a single pan seat, wide handlebars and those immaculate Bobber-esque styling cues, which make this motorcycle so good looking. The attention to detail is impeccable, with the rear wheel getting a hub which makes you feel as if there is a drum brake unit inside. Triumph has also worked hard on giving a hard-tail (no rear suspension) look to the motorcycle as well by designing a new cage-type swingarm having bobbin mounts and a monoshock, which is completely hidden. The seat height can be adjusted according to the comfort of the rider and so can the rails on which it is mounted. Triumph says the motorcycle will have only one-seat, keeping true to the tradition of Bobbers.

My Triumph Daytona

Cheesy grits and Shrimp... Dat's what I like about the South!!

Total Time: 45 min Prep: 10 min Cook: 35 min

Yield:4 servings Level:Easy

Ingredients
Grits:
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup quick cooking grits
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Parmesan
Shrimp:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound smoked kielbasa sausage, sliced
2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Chopped chives, for garnish

Are their healthy smokers out there? This study says 'Maybe'
By Ariana Eunjung Cha September 10, 2015
Edited by Jack Krug

(Matt Rourke/AP)

Jeanne Calment, the French doyenne believed to be oldest person in the world when she died at the extreme age of 122, was known for three things: her quick wit, her fondness for bicycling around the small city where she grew up -- and the fact that she was a daily smoker.
Before her death in 1997, Calment was often asked the secret to her good health. She would respond with a laugh and describe how she would frequently consume two pounds of chocolate a week, drank generous amounts of port wine and became a smoker at age 21.
At a time when public health messages emphasize just how important it is to carefully balance diets and fitness regimes in order to live long lives, Calment is a reminder of that no matter what we do there may always be a part of our health that is beyond our control.

The Sea

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

She is our mother. We all came from here, and sooner or later, we all return. It's why my blood pressure lowers when my feet touch the surf; it's why I grow philosophical, and think deep thoughts. It's why I could never live in Colorado.

Baseball Uniforms -- Incontrovertible Truth

  Home uniforms are white, with the team name, preferably in script, across the front. There's a wide latitude for artistic creativity. Teams may opt for an initial (W, D) instead of a full name, or artwork can embellish the identity.
 

Away uniforms are always gray, with the identifying city (not the team name) in plain block letters. Away uniforms should be purposefully nondescript.

Pinstriped home uniforms were created by the New York Yankees. Other teams can copy this style, but they should be aware of how jejune that choice is. 

---------------------------------

Any uniform that does not conform to the above regulations is stupid and created solely to make money for the team owners. 

Awning at the Colosseum

History, Facts and Information about Awning at the Colosseum
The content of this article provides interesting history, facts and information about the awning at the Colosseum.

What was the Velarium?What was the Velarium? Definition: The Velarium was the Latin name given for the retractable, panelled, awning at the Roman Colosseum. Its purpose was to provide shade for the spectators who watched the gladiatorial games in the blistering sun and heat of Ancient Rome.

Description of the Velarium or Awning at the Colosseum
The awning, or velarium, consisted of Roman shades made sailcloth, in either canvas, linen or cotton, attached to spokes of rope. The velarium or awning at the Colosseum could be extended or retracted with ropes and pulleys according to the position of the sun - the original Roma shades. Awnings were a common feature of all Roman theatres and amphitheatres as the pampered audiences demanded comfortable surroundings. Two hundred and forty mast corbels were positioned around the top of the Colosseum which supported the retractable awning, or velarium. (A corbel was the bracket projecting from the face of a wall which was used to support the awning.) The sockets where they stood can still be seen. The velarium or awning covered over one third of the arena of the Colosseum, and sloped down towards the center. The panels of cloth that the awning consisted of would have been tapered - wider atthe top and narrower at the bottom to enable ease of retraction for these ancient Roman shades.

Purpose of the Velarium or Awning at the Colosseum
The purpose of the awning, or velarium, at the Colosseum was to provide shade to the spectators. It covered just over one third of the inside of the arena because of the limited length of the post supporting it. It was not necessary to cover the whole of the Colosseum with a canvas because the walls were high and as the sun moved around it cast additional shadow and provided naturally shaded areas. There is no evidence to suggest that the awning was used to shield the spectators from either wind or rain. The velarium was a Roman sun-shade. In inclement weather the spectators were protected by wide brimmed hats and umbrellas according to the Roman writer Cassius Dio.

Why You Should Fry Your Grilled Cheese in Mayonnaise!

It's time for a grilled cheese tip from Blood, Bones and Butter author Gabrielle Hamilton, as revealed in the Holiday issue of Canal House Cooking. Her unusual grilled cheese method? Spreading the outsides of the bread with mayonnaise instead of butter before frying. Really!

First, let me say this: I know some people might be unsure about 'hot mayonnaise' but using a store-bought brand (nothing but Hellman's/Best Foods) is perfectly safe. While it's somewhat unusual, I have used mayo in hot dishes before (such as in hot dips) with no problems and excellent results.

Ms. Hamilton instructs us to spread the outsides of the sandwich with mayo (she, too, is a Hellman's fan) and fry it up in a non-stick skillet over lowish heat. I gave it a try in my trusty cast-iron pan with a simple whole grain bread and good old old, run-of-the-mill white American. (No red dye #3, please, in spite of the pic!) The results? Yowza! The mayo browned nicely into a delicious crust and offered a rich, slightly tangy flavor. And it didn't stick to the pan, either.

This will be my go-to method for grilled cheese from now on.


Gabrielle Hamilton (whose sister Melissa Hamilton is co-author of the Canal House Cooking series) served her grilled cheese sandwiches to company at Christmastime, along with glasses of chilled, crisp champagne. Besides the usual cheddar with mustard, she also made a blue cheese and bacon on pumpernickel and cheddar with mango and jalapeno. Yum!


(lightly edited from the original)


(Images: Dana Velden)

Make your own beer glasses

Just click on the headline - It actually looks easy, uses tools every handyman should have, and opens up a treasure trove of possibilities -- like these, for example:

The Most Influential Burgers in America

And yes, this is a spoiler alert!







 

The 17 most influential burgers of all time 

This is a mostly-for-fun article until you get to the top five; then we get some Zen-like truthiness! Click the headline to start.

Veteran's Benefits

Went to visit the VA campus in Lyons, NJ. Pretty snazzy outfit, flanked by a golf course. I was waited on right away, transferred 6 prescription drugs over to their care. They'll now be mailed to me every month, total cost - $48. (Medicare secondary insurance co-pay was $500! - What was I thinking? ) 

And they thanked me for my service! Is this a great country or what? 

Over at Arthur's

  I don't get here often enough. Arthur and Marla are nutrients around my roots; 10 minutes of conversation and I'm home. The world is still crazy, but I've got battle-scarred veterans watching my back. We can laugh at Donald Trump and the UK debacle, and I can get a promise of Arthur-grown garlic.
  We share a dinner of steak, hot dogs and something Jewish. Arthur and I swill down a couple of fingers of Tin Cup whiskey, which mildly pisses off Marla.
  You're stuck with your family, but you choose your friends. Arthur and I shared a career - I wrote, and he took the pictures - was that fun, or what? 

(30)

THE CHRISTIANIZATION OF POLAND
1050TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BAPTISM OF THE POLISH NATION

On April 14, 966 AD, a year after his marriage to the Christian Princess Dobrawa of Bohemia, the pagan ruler of the Polans tribe, Mieszko I, was baptized and converted to Christianity. This event is considered to be the founding of the Polish nation and marks the entry of Poland into the community of Western European Christian states.

As with most high-ranking marriages at the time, Mieszko’s was a political alliance, and the baptism was a political, rather than a spiritual, conversion. Some two years before his baptism, Mieszko began negotiations with the Bohemian ruler, Boleslav I the Cruel. Those negotiations resulted in Mieszko marrying Boleslav’s daughter, Dobrawa, sometime in 965. Because she was Christian, Mieszko was to be baptized, as part of the marriage agreement. This act would bring his state closer to the Bohemians, decrease the likelihood of attacks from German forces invading under the pretense of bringing Christianity to pagan nations, and neutralize the power of Poland’s influential pagan priests, who were blocking Mieszko’s efforts to centralize Polish rule. Though the exact date is unknown, it is believed that Mieszko was baptized on or around 14 April 966, which would have been Easter Monday of that year.

In accepting Christian baptism, Mieszko effectively baptized the entire Polish nation. The consequences were considerable. Poland entered the community of Western European Latin-rite Christian states. He did this not only for spiritual and moral reasons, but for political and national security ones. The Holy Roman Empire–-as well as any other Christian country in Europe-–theoretically had the right to attack Poland under pretext of bringing Christianity to the Poles. By accepting Christianity, Mieszko neutralized that threat. Though the pagan priest caste in Poland organized many rebellions, and it was centuries before the majority of Poles followed suit and converted, Mieszko’s baptism invited the spread of Latin culture and literacy into Poland, moving the allegiance of the country towards the West (Europe), rather than the East (Russia), and this had enormous consequences throughout the history of Poland and determined its place in Europe over the last one thousand years. The Christianization of Poland restructured the state’s power elite, downgrading traditional tribal elders and pagan priests and upgrading incoming clergy who helped education, culture, and diplomacy to flourish in Poland, and placed it firmly in the sphere of Western European culture, traditions, and politics.

By the 13th century, Roman Catholicism became the dominant religion in Poland, although it did take over 200 years to accomplish this goal and to diminish pagan influences in the culture. Today, Poland continues to be a majority Catholic country and Poles celebrate the day that Christianity was introduced to the nation with many religious, cultural, and political observances.

During this 1050th anniversary year, many concerts, exhibitions, rallies, and religious observances are planned throughout Poland, with a visit by Pope Francis scheduled for late July, where he will participate in Krakow’s World Youth Days from July 26th to July 31st. The Pontiff will arrive in Poland on July 27th. In the U.S., the major event will be held at the Orchard Lake Schools in Michigan on June 22nd. Many other Polish American organizations, institutions, and parishes are planning observances and celebrations as well. Please let us know if your District, Council, or Group is organizing an event to celebrate the 1050th anniversary of Poland’s baptism and nationhood.

Mieszko I - Prince of Poland

and his wife Princess Dobrawa

Mieszko I (ca. 940 – May 25, 992) was the ruler of the Slavic Polans tribe from about 960 AD until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, Mieszko became the first Christian ruler of Poland and is considered the de facto creator of the Polish state. He continued the policies of his father and grandfather, who were rulers of the pagan tribes located in the area of present-day Greater Poland (Wielkopolska). Both through alliances and through the use of military force, Mieszko extended Polish conquests and, early in his reign, subjugated Kujawy, Gdansk, Pomorze, and Mazowsze and made them part of the Polish state. For most of his reign, Mieszko was involved in warfare for the control of Western Pomerania (Zachodnie Pomorze), eventually conquering it up to the vicinity of the lower Oder River. During the last years of his life, he fought the Bohemian state, winning Silesia (Slask) and Lesser Poland (Malopolska).

Mieszko’s marriage in 965 to the Bohemian princess Dobrawa and his baptism in 966 put him and his country firmly in the cultural sphere of Western Christianity. Apart from the great conquests accomplished during his reign (which proved to be fundamental for the future of Poland), Mieszko was also renowned for his internal reforms. On his death in 992, he left to his son, Boleslaw Chrobry, the first crowned king of Poland, a country with greatly expanded territories and a well-established position in Europe.

Why I Love The Frogs

  Diana and I were doing France on the cheap -- jeans and t-shirts, motorcycle, b&b's where we could find them. We ran out of film. Di stayed on a corner while I explored a few little stores. I came back with a 24-exposure roll of Kodachrome instead of a cheaper roll of 36 Tri-x b&w. A small argument broke out.

  I was a spendthrift, she had to watch me like a hawk or we'd run out of money and have to sell our watches. She stomped away.   'C'mon - it's just a roll of film. I've been pretty good so far, no?' She wasn't even looking at me.

  'Look, I'm sorry. I'll buy something cheap for lunch?' I still got the arms folded, turned-away pout. I put my hand on her shoulder.

  'Okay okay. Last offer. I won't go over 40 miles per hour unless we're on a highway.' She turned around and laughed. I laughed. We hugged, I kissed her. 

   Bystanders, who had turned us into a one-ring circus, broke into loud applause! 

Second Looks

The film Master and Commander... had the grave misfortune of being released in the same year as Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King, which pretty much swept the Academy Awards and consigned Master to a short list of great and forgotten films.

The same thing happened, sort of, to the HBO mini-series Pacific, which was released too soon after the blockbuster Band of Brothers. Brothers was an intimate ensemble character study, and we wanted Pacific to be just like it, with palm trees. When it evolved into Pacific Panorama, we tuned it out.
HBO re-ran Pacific over the Memorial Day holiday; I binge-watched it, and, removed from comparisons, it played very well.
Pacific is not a character study. It is a graphic, almost too graphic, exposé of the birth of the modern U.S. Marines. Watch Pacific again, if you get the chance; learn what 'A Few Good Men' really means.
Take a few moments. Watch this:
http://www.hbo.com/the-pacific/about/video/anatomy-of-the-pacific-war.html

   

Footprint

(a poem)

A chasm, a river,  and  a conquering span,

With truss or wire or wood.

Even beneath, burrowing, digging,

Dying by the dozens, seeking the other side,

Victory over the elements.

A genetic tree forest, straight and true

Soft and hard, for paper or timber

Ten times faster than Nature

In less space.

What Hath God Wrought? Indeed

Ribbons of tar and concrete,

Walls of stone and steel

Lights in the dark, Fire in the hold!

Profligate Porsches and Aston Martins.

Is there life in the universe? Besides us, I mean

Is there life in the universe? Are you serious? The universe abounds with life, teems with life, of such description and diversity as to strain credulity. There are paradise planets, ice planets, swamp planets, desert planets, some the same size as Earth, but most a little smaller, with some no bigger than New Jersey. There are giants, too; Jupiter-sized and bigger. Twin planets, triplet plants, dual suns... think it, it's out there.

Inhabitants? How about Reptile people a hundred times more intelligent than humans? Or Bird people, Cat people, people who design their own bodies! On the vast, encompassing scale of evolution, Earth and homo sapiens are not the bottom of the barrel, but we're definitely in the lower third.

We think we're alone mainly because we've had the misfortune to flame into existence in a butt-fuck section of the universe where almost nothing ever happens. Every planet we've ever known besides ours is dead - stone dead; no relics, no history, nothing. Small wonder we think we may be the only ones here.

Of course, by now you're asking, 'How do I know this? What makes me so all-knowing, and with such specificity, yet? Easy.  Freddy Muller told me, and Freddy's been there.

(a work in progress...)

---------------------------------------------
That's an unfair beginning. Freddy comes in much later in the story, but I used him here just to pique readers' interest. So forget about him for now, OK?
The story really begins more than 60 years ago, off the coast of Florida, in an area that has come to be known as the Bermuda Triangle.

Five Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle in December,1945. A Martin PBM Mariner dispatched as a rescue plane exploded in mid-flight. There were no survivors of these incidents, and no wreckage was ever recovered until August 2010, when a treasure hunter searching for a sunken Spanish galleon found one almost perfectly preserved Avenger, complete with the skeletal remains of its crew.

Me & My Pal Vladimir Horowitz

  I was working in PR at AT&T when a note crossed my inbox. We were sponsoring a Horowitz concert at Avery Fisher Hall, and the note gave the inclusive M.O. for the event -- a meet and greet luncheon. a strategy session covering acoustics, seating arrangements, etc., an after-concert social -- that sort of stuff. About 3/4ths down the list was a single line: 2pm dress rehearsal.

 That was it. Nothing about any attendance or tickets. I thought, 'Geez, I wonder if I could get into this thing, y'know, flash my AT&T badge, brass it out?'

 And so I did. I got there about ten minutes before two. On stage was the orchestra and Mr. Horowitz. Along each wall were maybe a dozen or so people with clipboards and papers. The hall was darkened, and there was nobody in the seats. Nobody!

Uh-oh. I didn't have the balls to insinuate myself into the clipboard crowd. What should I do? I pretty much decided to exit gracefully, but then I thought, 'Hey, it's dark down here. Who's going to notice me?' I slid into an aisle seat at row 20 and scrooched down so only my head was visible.
 Mr. Horowitz motioned to the near wall, and somebody trotted out and up to the piano. He leaned over to the Maestro, listening to an instruction of some kind, and then came straightaway to me!
 'The maestro would like to know who you are, and what are you doing here?' I gulped blurted out the truth - a nobody AT&T employee who found out about the rehearsal and thought I could sneak in. I was ordered to wait while this information was passed to the piano player. He peered out and waved OK!
 After the concert Mr. Horowitz jumped off - yes, jumped off his chair and came directly to me. He leaned down and put his hand on my shoulder.
'Well?' he said. 'What did you think?'
Really!

Leaning Towards Camus

We just don't know how tiny and insignificant we are. We've got great telescopes spanning the universe, rockets sending messages beyond our solar system, medicine that edges us toward immortality. Doesn't it all make sense?
Maybe we exist on a leaf, caught in an eddy; we rotate slowly, aimlessly. until  one day the current catches us and... ppffft!
Have a cup of coffee!

Here we go again!

Up and running. Check us out from time to time.
FYI -- 'Under the radar' contains hot links that amuse me; 'Links' are more permanent. 'Random Pics' can literally be any photo I've picked up in 10+ years, and the archives are just that.