Episode 39: We Can Hope

In deference to the season, Geezer temporarily forswears anti-religion screeds.










Offer good this episode only.

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Democracy In Play
Three questions:
The nominees for president of the two major parties will be determined, for all practical purposes, after the South Carolina primary, following that in New Hampshire and the Iowa caucuses. Those states have a total population of about 8,200,00.
*Why does our system allow three small states to make decisions for a nation of over 300,000,000 inhabitants?
*Why is there not a single national primary day, preferably much later in presidential election years?
At the time our Constitution was written, most Americans were illiterate, so the framers strove to place a buffer of educated (or at least literate) legislators between the voting public and the designation of their representatives. Senators were to be selected by their state legislatures, presidents and vice presidents by an Electoral College. Senators have been chosen by direct vote for over three decades now.
*So, this procedure being responsible for the occupation of the Oval Office by the present incompetent, why does the College still exist?

*************************************************************************************** Girls Gone Wild
*Certainly you're aware of the queasy misadventures of the Spears known as Britney, she who keeps forgetting her underwear, her children, and the location of her latest rehab clinic.
Probably you know of her 16-year-old baby sister Jamie Lynn, she who plays a virginal teenager on TV and is now pregnant.
But did you know that the girls' mother, name of Lynne, has finished her memoir titled Pop Culture Mom. It's about parenting. They've delayed publication.

*A 33-year-old woman in Connecticut was arrested for sexual assault. More specifically, she was accused of groping Santa Claus at the Danbury Fair mall. Police were able to identify and capture her because she was on crutches. They were not able to explain how she came to be sitting on Santa's lap in the first place.

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Oops!
The restaurant chain Legal Sea Foods trumpets its slogan "If It Isn't Fresh, It Isn't Legal" in ubiquitous radio and print ads. In one that appeared in the Journal News, a large photo showed two happy fishermen holding a huge fish weighing probably 150 pounds. The caption relates that the two brothers, who have been"...commercial fishermen for over 24 years, finally caught a fish good enough for Legal Sea Foods."
Problem is, the scaly creature they gleefully display is a tarpon, unfit for human consumption.

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Borscht Belt Banter

*My wife and I went back to the hotel where we spent our wedding night. Only this time, I stayed in the bathroom and cried.

*We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

*Jewish women like Chinese food so much because Won Ton spelled backwards is Not Now.

*Jewish mothers don't drink. Alcohol interferes with their suffering.

*A beautiful young woman knocked on my hotel room door all night. I finally had to let her out.

*In Jewish tradition, a fetus isn't considered viable until it graduates from medical school.

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Back On Air
Geezer isn't of that demographic that gathers most of its information about what's going on in the world from late-night talk and comedy shows, but he's delighted that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are defying the writers union to return to the air. The hosts of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report announced their decision in the joint statement in which they said they would prefer to return with their writers. Since "we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."

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A Public Service
Admit it - you have only the vaguest idea what a caucus is and not a clue about how the Iowa version works (coming this Thursday). Lemme 'splain.
Voters aged 18 and older gather at churches, libraries, and community centers. Registered Republicans and Democrats caucus differently, needless to say.

Caucus-goers of the G.O.P. (a.k.a. the Black Or White Party), simply drop the names of their preferred candidates in a the pot and tabulate the results.

Democrats, who see shadings of grey in every issue, break into sub-groups according to their candidate preferences. If any of those candidates have less than 15% of all the people at each gathering, his or her supporters must coalesce with other groups. Once everyone is in a group with at least 15% of the total, delegates to the county convention are apportioned according to the size of each preference group.
Got that?

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Zeytinyagli Pirasa (Leeks in Olive Oil)
Here's a useful side dish that provides both a starch and a veg. It's modified from a recipe in The Sultan's Kitchen, a Turkish cookbook. To cut calories, use Pam cooking spray instead of olive oil and a package of Splenda instead of the sugar.
Serves 4 - 6

2 pounds leeks
One-quarter olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
One-quarter cup Israeli couscous
One-quarter cup Italian parsley, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
2 cups hot water

Cut off the roots and the upper two-thirds of the green parts of the leeks. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Discard the tough outer leaves and wash thoroughly , removing the dirt found between the leaves. Cut the leeks crosswise in one-inch slices. Set aside.

In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about two minutes, or until soft. Add the leeks, carrots, parsley, sugar, and lemon juice. Add the salt and stir. Pour in the hot water, cover the pan, and simmer for ten minutes. Add the couscous and simmer another ten minutes, or until the leeks are tender.

Transfer the mixture to a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate for one hour. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

************************************************************************************* Away
Jo thinks talking too often about our travels is boastfulness bordering on vulgarity. I shan't say another word.