Today’s highly interesting read (11/18/19): Drive-By Media Cash In on Impeachment Hysteria

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Today’s read is from Real Clear Politics. Here’s an excerpt.

Of course, it’s not just CNN that is hyping impeachment. All the cable news channels and, to some extent, the traditional networks are cashing in on the impeachment hysteria. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was on to something when he compared the impeachment hearings to the O.J. Simpson murder trial. He was talking about how “people took sides very quickly,” but from the point of view of television news coverage, we also have to see that O.J. and Trump are similar for another reason — they are both good for ratings.

Read the entire column here.

 

My Most Popular Blogs (11/18/19)

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Here are my most popular blogs from last week, Sunday – Saturday:

1) Photos of the Week (11/10/19)

2) The Best Cartoons of the Week (11/16/19)

3) Former Miss Wisconsin credits President Trump for saving her life, will speak at West Allis conference Saturday

4) Best Memes of the Week (11/10/19)

5) Goodnight everyone, and have a Thank You weekend!

6) The Barking Lot – America’s Finest Dog Blog (11/16/19)

7) No One Cares About Your Logo

8) $2.1 billion…an hour

9) New bright shining star in Congress for the GOP

10) The latest pro-life news (11/11/19)

 

Culinary no-no #632

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Culinary no-no began on Father’s Day 2007, a beautiful summer day, when I wrote about grilling brats. And eating brats. And topping those brats. I was inspired by my wife, Jennifer who, in my admittedly unscientific opinion, ruins brats by squirting ketchup on them. Other dining taboos quickly came to mind. The original idea was to take this concept only a few months, till the end of summer and then pull the plug. Then the unexpected happened. People started reading Culinary no-no. Lots of folks. So we keep doing the no-no.

This week it’s cocktail time. We begin with…

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A thing of beauty.

And oh so simple.

Good gin.

Good tonic.

Lots of ice.

Very chilled glass.

A wedge of lime.

Perfect, especially on a hot day.

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Did I mention I have a lovely wife?

That would be Jennifer. I love her madly.

Even though she hates my gin and tonics.

“I don’t want to drink a Christmas tree,” she says.

Must be that whole juniper berry thing.

How about…

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Another beautiful thing.

No photo description available.

The drink. The drink.

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The hallowed Manhattan.

Whiskey.

Bourbon.

Brandy.

A classic, no matter how.

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What now, Jennifer dear?

“Tastes like kerosene” my lovely offers.

That’s fine.

She’s on record.

That’s important, because even though Jennifer drinks what she likes and doesn’t drink what she doesn’t like, she has inspired a few Culinary no-no segments in the past, including the very first.

Where do we go next, Jennifer?

The Portofino Bay Resort, the most upscale resort at Universal Orlando where Jennifer and I vacationed before daughter Kyla arrived.

For an evening nightcap at the hotel…

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No photo description available.

You head to Bar American.

This stylish, elegant, swank lobby lounge serves up American spirits, European cocktails, and Italian grappas.

Grappa? WTH is that?

In Italy, after a hearty meal on a cold winter’s night, the natives reach for grappa, a traditional after-dinner drink. Grappa is made by distilling the pomace (a blend of grape seeds, stalks, and stems) leftover from the wine-making process. The pomace is combined with alcohol, then heated. This allows the mixture to separate, leaving behind a super potent beverage that is bottled and aged for up to six months.

What does it taste like? If you believe the experts, it tastes like soured plums with a honey twist.

It’s potent as hell.

Jennifer took the “when in Rome drinks like the Romans drink” approach and loved it when she ordered at the Bar American.

If you ask me, it’s more powerful than any gin or Manhattan ever deigned. But Jennifer would pour it on her corn flakes.

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Deadly.

That’s our lead-in to this this week’s no-no.

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Baijiu is the world’s most consumed alcoholic beverage and is China’s native alcohol. Baijiu is not sipped but pounded back quickly like a shot.

Having said that, problem. Many people hate it. But even those still purchase it.

The Wall Street Journal just reported on baijiu, quoting one researcher saying it tastes like “ethanol.” The paper also reports “Baijiu detractors say the taste reminds them of paint stripper or kerosene, especially the cheap varieties.”

Yet people craze for the elixir as it’s a status symbol, and it could be heading America’s way.

Read more here.

I’m thinking a bottle for Jennifer this Christmas.

CULINARY NO-NO BONUSES

What is the worst day to shop for Thanksgiving dinner? Think you know? Guess again.

How do Americans really feel about Thanksgiving.

Turducken in a bun.

ICYMI…Culinary no-no #631.

 

Photos of the Week (11/17/19)

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Image may contain: one or more people and outdoor

A pictorial week-in-review posted every Sunday.

1) Ambassador Bill Taylor, charge d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, and George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, arrive to testify at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 13, 2019. The impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump goes public with two diplomats making their appearance before the House Intelligence committee, both of whom have expressed alarm in closed-door testimony about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

2) Top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine William Taylor, left, and Career Foreign Service officer George Kent are sworn before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington during the first public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump. Photo: AP

3) Rep. Adam Schiff (left), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes (right) watch as Bill Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine, leaves after testifying during the first public impeachment hearing regarding President Donald Trump’s efforts to tie US aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents, Nov. 13. Photo: AP

4) In opening remarks, Republican ranking member Devin Nunes (L, seen with legal counsel Steve Castor) dismissed the impeachment inquiry’s first public hearings as “a televised theatrical performance staged by the Democrats” and a “low-rent Ukrainian sequel” to (Special Prosecutor Robert) Mueller’s Russian investigation. Nunes said no hearings should be held until three questions are answered – “what is the full extent of the Democrats’ prior coordination with the whistleblower; what is the full extent of Ukraine’s election meddling against the Trump campaign; and, third, why did Burisma hire Hunter Biden, what did he do for them, and did his work affect the Obama administration?” Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS

5) Drag gueen Pissi Myles, a special contributor with Happs News, a live news source that streams through Twitter, goes through security on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as she arrives for the first public impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump’s efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents, on November 13, 2019. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

6) Students are lead out of Saugus High School after reports of a shooting in Santa Clarita, California. Photo: Getty Images

7) A woman walks her dog along a snow-covered sidewalk in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, Nov. 11. Photo: Getty Images

8) President Trump and first lady Melania Trump pause during a moment of silence at a Veterans Day Parade and Wreath Laying ceremony in Manhattan.  Photo: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

9) Lance Corporal James Duggan, 23, of the United States Marine Corp speaks with Sargent Michael Sulsona, 67, a United States Marine Corp Vietnam War veteran and recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, before the Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan. Photo: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

10) People participate in a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump while a veteran complains about their protest on November 11, 2019, in New York City. Both pro- and anti-Trump groups gathered near where President Trump laid a wreath for Veterans Day in Madison Square Park. Photo: Stephanie Keith / Getty

11) Senior nursing students from Marquette University School of Nursing who are taking part in the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership lay a wreath at the flame on the deck of the War Memorial Center. The nurses in the program are training at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and will work for the VA for at least two years upon graduation. A program was held at the War Memorial Center in Milwaukee in honor of veterans on Veterans Day 2019. The program was conducted by members of Milwaukee Police Post 415 and Milwaukee Firefighters Post 426 of the American Legion. Photo: Michael Sears / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

12) Fireworks are seen during the public show for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nov. 9, 2019 at the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) in Berlin, Germany. Photo: AFP

13) Supporters react as President Trump delivers remarks during a campaign rally in Bossier City, Louisiana. Photo: REUTERS/Tom Brenner

14) A woman braces against the cold stiff wind and blowing snow off Lake Michigan, Nov. 11, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: AP

15) A man reacts as he tries to extinguish a burning Christmas tree at the Festival Walk Mall in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China. Anti-government protesters smashed windows and set fires in the mall, including the Christmas tree. Photo: Reuters

16) A man sleeps in a car next to burning tires barricading the highway during ongoing anti-government protests at Nahr El Kalb, Lebanon. Photo: REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares

17) A barefoot Palestinian boy and others stand by a crater made by overnight Israeli missile strikes that destroyed a house and killed eight members of the Abu Malhous family in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, Nov. 14. Photo: AP

18) In Venice, Italy, a man walks across St Mark’s Square, which is closed due to flooding. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

19) A man carries a woman on his back through the flooded Piazza San Marco during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, Italy, on November 14, 2019. Photo: Flavio Lo Scalzo / Reuters

20) Residents watch as bushfires burn through farmland near the small town of Nana Glen in Australia on Nov. 12. Photo: Getty Images

21) Art Murphy, right, and his wife, Shirley, look at their destroyed property in Old Bar on Nov. 11. Photo: Getty Images

22) A burned koala named Anwen, rescued from Lake Innes Nature Reserve, receives formula at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital ICU on Nov. 7. Photo: Reuters

23) A resident walks past homes that were hit by fire retardant during firefighting efforts in Sydney on Nov. 12. Photo: Getty Images

24) En route to Sydney, Australia, passengers on a Qantas flight from London take part in an exercise class. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images for Qantas

25) Woman Turns The Stump Of A 110-Year-Old Tree Into A Magical Little Library For The Neighborhood. Great photos in this article.

26) Bhagavan “Doc” Antle (far right) poses with his staff (left to right), Kody Antle, Moksha Bybee, and China York, in a pool used in his tiger show at Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina. Young cubs are a big part of the business; packages for playing and having photos taken with them run from $339 to $689 a person. At about 12 weeks old, cubs are considered too big and dangerous for tourists to pet. Photo: National Geographic

27) A handout image from the Berlin Zoo shows Chinese panda bear Jiao Qing having a CT scan at the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Lebniz, Germany.

28) Nature photographer of the Year 2019: Hungarian photographer Csaba Daróczi was the overall winner for his image of playful rabbits.

29) A 14-year-old girl from Green Bay had the shot of a lifetime while deer hunting with her father. She shot two bucks — with just one arrow. Matiah Christensen said at first, she did not think she shot both of the deer. But when she and her dad tracked down two trails of blood, they realized what happened. With just one deer tag, Christensen decided to keep the 8-pointer. The DNR also let Matiah keep the antlers from the 3-pointer, which she plans to display next to the arrow. Photo: Melanie Christensen

30) Security officers keep watch near the sculpture of a giant blue cockerel named “Hahn/Cock” by German artist Katharina Fritsch, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on November 10, 2019. Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters

31) A Chinese worker carries a fake dinosaur tongue at Gengu Dinosaurs Science and Technology company in Zigong, Sichuan province, China, on November 13, 2019. There are hundreds of simulated dinosaur manufacturers in Zigong City, the largest simulated-dinosaur manufacturing center in China. Photo: Lintao Zhang / Getty

32) A man dressed as Santa Claus carries a box full of letters from children from all over the world during his first appearance of the year at the German Christmas post office in Himmelpfort, Germany, on November 14, 2019. Photo: Annegret Hilse / Reuters

33) Athletes compete in a chess-boxing match organized at the Cabaret Sauvage, in Paris on November 9, 2019. Photo: Lucas Barioulet / AFP / Getty

34) Wisconsin wide receiver A.J. Taylor starts to regain his balance after bouncing off a pair of Nebraska defenders during his 55-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Photo: Nati Harnik, Associated Press

35) Aron Cruickshank of Wisconsin gets past Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Brit on his 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Photo: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

36) Badgers players carry the Freedom Trophy after defeating Nebraska Saturday, 37-21. Photo: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

37) A.J. Grill of Green Bay uses a long pole to feed an apple pie shot to Sean Longshore of Columbia, MO, as they tailgate prior to the Packers playing against the Carolina Panthers Sunday, November 10, 2019, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Photo: Dan Powers, Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wis

38) Nicole Ragsdale, left, and Bobbi Frye don a homemade vehicle for their trek to Lambeau Field prior to the Packers playing the Carolina Panthers Sunday, November 10, 2019, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The two are from California. Photo: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

39) Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) is unable to score as time expires in the 4th quarter during the Green Bay Packers 24-16 win over the Carolina Panthers in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, November 10, 2019. Photo: RICK WOOD/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

40) Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams celebrates the team’s eighth win after defeating the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, November 10, 2019, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Photo: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wis

41) Jeff Kahlow (Frozen Tundra fan) and others dance in the stand during the waning moments of the game Sunday, November 10, 2019 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers 24-16. Photo: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Week-ends (11/16/19)

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A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of  This Just In…

HEROES OF THE WEEK

Off-duty police

Nicole Chamberlain

Texas high schoolers

VILLAINS OF THE WEEK

Trump protesters

This HOA

Freddie Bentley

Lisa Darlene Glaze

Jacob Banas

Myles Garrett

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“We’re actually having our snow meeting (Wednesday) to kick off the snow season. It was supposed to be last week, but it was canceled” because everyone who would have attended was out clearing snow. “It’s crazy.”
Dan Klemencic, marketing manager for David J. Frank Landscape Contracting in Germantown

 

“I’m a transplant from Northern California, so I think it’s fantastic to have snow and clear skies and cold weather compared to fire and smoke and blackouts. I’m very happy with Chicago at 20 degrees.”
Cristen Hamilton, a stay-at-home mom in Chicago’s northside neighborhood of Lakeview, had no problems with the early winter weather

“‘Amoral and stupid.’ ‘We can’t let the bastards keep us from doing our good work.’ Thank you Governor Evers for those words to DATCP employees after the cowardly firing of Secretary Brad Pfaff by the Wisconsin Senate Republicans.”
A tweet by Cheryl Daniels, a veteran attorney at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The governor made these remarks during a meeting open to all agriculture department staffers after Pfaff was ousted.

“The governor should immediately make clear if he stands behind his closed-door remarks and thinks that members of my caucus are ‘bastards.’ Either way, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the governor’s public rhetoric doesn’t match what he says when he thinks no one is listening.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald

“We are now at a point where we can safely add uniting Wisconsin to the list of promises that Gov. Evers is not going to keep. It’s sad to hear this kind of rhetoric coming from our governor.”
Alesha Guenther of the state GOP

“The governor is the top of the food chain and he should be setting an example for all state government. It is concerning when his office does something that falls short of the maximum commitment to transparency.”
 Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council blasting the administration for repeatedly denying a FOX 6 Milwaukee reporter’s requests for open records

“That’ll be pretty, pretty boring I’ll tell ya. If I do one email a day, that’s an extraordinary day. So, we’ll work on that.”
When asked by a Fox 6 reporter about the matter, Evers said he sends few emails and that the public should be allowed to see them

“It’s a holiday season for a whole bunch of people in the state of Wisconsin, even those that aren’t part of the Christian faith. I think it’s a more inclusive thing. I know a lot of people love to have that debate, and I think it’s a good debate to have.”
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers stated why he decided to call the Capitol tree the “Holiday Tree” instead of the “Christmas Tree” as previously declared by former governor Scott Walker

“You weren’t on the call were you? You didn’t listen to President Trump’s call and President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy’s call?”

“I did not.”

“You’ve never talked with Chief of Staff Mulvaney?”

“I never did.”

“You’ve never met the president?”

“This is what I can’t believe. And you’re their star witness. You’re their first witness. You’re the guy, you’re the guy. Based on this, based on this. I’ve seen church prayer chains that are easier to understand than this.”
GOP Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio asking impeachment hearing of witness William Taylor questions about his testimony on President Trump’s action regarding Ukraine

“This sham hearing is not only boring, it is a colossal waste of taxpayer time & money. Congress should be working on passing USMCA, funding our govt & military, working on reduced drug pricing & so much more.”
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham denounced the impeachment inquiry hearing on Twitter

Neither witness “had direct contact with the president…that’s a problem.”
CNN legal analyst Jeffery Toobin, a staunch critic of the Trump administration

“This is even bigger than the president. This is an attempt to overthrow the federal government from the inside.”
Jenna Ellis Rives is a member of the Donald Trump 2020 advisory board

For example, in 1983, when my father was president, the Organization of American States asked him if he’d send U.S. troops to Grenada to free the hostages there.

My dad called a group of nine others into the Oval Office to discuss the idea. The Senate, the House, the intelligence community and the State Department were all represented.

After discussing what the U.S. should do, if anything, the group decided to put it to a vote.

As my father later told me, the vote was 7-3 not to intervene in Grenada. But 48 hours later what happened? We were in Grenada.

One of the senators who had been at the meeting reached out the next day to my father.

“Mr. President,” he said. “We voted 7-3 not to go into Grenada. You were part of the three, not part of the seven. You lost the vote.”

“Yes, that’s right,” my dad said. “But I’m the president of the United States and my one vote trumps your seven.”

When it comes to foreign policy, the president – whoever he is -can always trump the vote of the secretary of state, the ambassador to China or a third- or fourth-level bureaucrat.
Michael Reagan

“For those who find the hearings far from riveting but watch out of obligation or amusement, here’s a modest suggestion to pass the hours productively: Count the important things your representatives could and should be doing otherwise.

“They could seal the border and fix the immigration mess. They could get back to that huge infrastructure program that everybody in Washington said they wanted.

“Pelosi could pass the new NAFTA deal, with even the unions blasting Dems for doing nothing. Nearly eight in 10 Americans believe prescription drug prices are “unreasonable,” according to a recent survey, and both Congress and the White House want action, but there is no agreement on actual legislation.

“And heaven forbid that anyone should mention the debt and deficit.”
Michael Goodwin, NY Post

“Oh, I’m actually working. I have a job. I just came from a hearing on vaping illness, voting.”
Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.). Some members of Congress—including Republicans who had called on House Democrats to open the impeachment investigation to the public—said they didn’t plan to watch much, if at all.

“We’ve got a full slate. I can’t just tell ’em to hold my day open so I can watch TV.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.)

“I don’t think there’s any question that we have to take up the matter. The rules of impeachment are very clear, we’ll have to have a trial. My own view is that we should give people the opportunity to put the case on.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that the Senate cannot dismiss the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, meaning there will be a trial

“Democrats must apologize to USA. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said that ‘United States Ambassador Gordon Sondland did NOT link financial military assistance to a request for Ukraine to open up an investigation into former V.P. Joe Biden & his son, Hunter Biden. Ambassador Sondland did not tell us, and certainly did not tell me, about a connection between the assistance and the investigation.’”
President Trump

“My message was, would be, look, you got hired to do a job. You don’t get the days back once they’re lost — every day’s an opportunity to make something good happen. And I would say I’ve got lawyers and staff people handling the impeachment inquiry and they should just have at it, meanwhile, I’m going to work for the American people. That’s when I would do.”
Bill Clinton when CNN’s Jake Tapper asked him if he had advice for the president given his own experience

I think “all the time about what kind of president I would have been, and what I would have done differently, and what I think it would have meant to our country and the world. So of course, I think about it. I think about it all the time.  I will certainly tell you, I’m under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it. But as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans.”
Hillary Clinton discussing a possible 2020 run for president during a BBC interview

“I get so mad about people not taking a stand. The left wants to use religion against you like you shouldn’t act like this and stuff but I’ll tell you this — the Devil knows the Bible as good as we do. It comes a point when you gotta take a stand. We don’t have two parties anymore. We have good versus evil. When you got one party that says it’s OK to kill babies and by the way, this is the first time I’m ever seen a liberal get mad about chopping up a baby.”
Hoyt Deau Hutchinson was charged with criminal mischief in the slashing of a towering “Baby Trump” balloon and said it was a matter of good versus evil

OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK

School Passes Out Flyers To 7-Year-Olds About Pre-Pregnancy Services And Free Birth Control

Anti-Veteran campuses

MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK

Milwaukee’s universally dumb idea

MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK

Trump is really in big trouble this time

MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK

Capsule living

 

Impeachment trolls; Schiff conjures up guilt; safety in schools; tracking former priests; and Veterans on canvas

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Here are this week’s highly interesting reads: 

Today’s highly interesting read (11/15/19): Impeachment Theater of Trolls

Today’s highly interesting read (11/14/19): Report on School Shootings Shows We Need Trump to Keep Students Safe

Today’s highly interesting read (11/13/19): Trickster Adam Schiff conjuring ‘guilt’ out of thin air

Today’s highly interesting read (11/12/19) : USA TODAY TRACKS FORMER PRIESTS

UPDATE: Today’s highly interesting read (11/08/19): Watercolor artist’s 50-portrait series of veterans