Southwest apologizes to mom on Calif. flight
Fri Oct 30, 10:39 pm ET
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A spokesman for Southwest Airlines says the carrier has apologized to a mother who was kicked off a plane along with her unruly 2-year-old earlier this week.
Spokesman Chris Mainz said the airline called Pamela Root on Friday to apologize. He says Root also will receive a refund and a $300 travel voucher.
The crew bounced Root and her son Adam off the San Jose-bound flight because passengers could not hear preflight safety announcements.
Root says she was confident Adam's screams of "Go! Plane! Go!" and "I want Daddy!" would subside after the plane took off Monday in Amarillo, Texas.
The 38-year-old mom said she hoped to be compensated for the portable crib and diapers she had to buy for the extra night away from home.
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Hmmm. They're in Amarillo, TX. So where'd they stay the night before they boarded? They didn't need a portable crib for that night, so why for this night? Most hotels can provide this amenity anyway. Nice excuse to get a new baby accessory for free. Reimbursed for diapers? Wouldn't she have had to spend money on diapers anyway, at some point in time? I say big KUDOS to SouthWest Airlines for having the cajones to do what most of us wish was done more often. Control your child or get off the plane, lady. Or off the bus or out of the store.
10/31/2009
10/30/2009
Let's Do Some Math With Obama's Stimulus Plan
Oh boy. My sarcasm is on full boil right now. Just read a news article that stated Obama's stimulus plan of 787 billion dollars has "saved or created" about 650,000 jobs and is on track to meet its goal of saving or creating 3.5 million jobs by next year. OK, that's awesome that jobs are being created and/or saved. But hmmmm... who's got a calculator handy? My calculator says that it will cost $225,000 for each job that's saved or created. Forget the costs of saving all those CEOs' multi-million-dollar-a-year jobs, that's not part of the equation. So who has the demographics handy for the United States and can provide the number of people who currently have jobs, so we can do a breakdown of what it's going to cost us in taxes to pay for these new jobs?
Also I'd like to see a breakdown of whether this will ultimately cost us more to have this many people working, or if it would have been cheaper to keep them on welfare or unemployment? My initial calculations suggest that, based on a family of 4 receiving welfare and food stamps to the tune of about $1200 a month, that same family could live for 15 years for the same cost of creating one job ($225,000) that very possibly won't exist in another 15 years. Assuming the worker in the family remains gainfully employed in that job. Remember, a minimum wage job (let's assume minimum wage is $8 per hour) only pays $16,640 per year before taxes and insurance withholdings. Less take-home than the $1200 per month from welfare and food stamps. Hmmmm... what's wrong with this picture?
I'm thinking, here in my world where my house payment is 40% of my take-home income and I'm STILL getting all my bills paid, having been gainfully employed steadily for the last 12 years and being responsible... I'm thinking that this over-hyped stimulus plan is really designed to create and foster an even wider gap between the lower classes and the upper classes at the cost of those of us in the middle.
Not to mention everyone who isn't going to get a cost of living increase this next year as a result of all this so-called stimulus... Social Security recipients, VA benefits recipients, most Government workers, military, etc. Gas prices have gone up, electricity prices have gone up, food prices have gone up. So what if housing prices have gone down? How does that help people who already have mortgages or rent payments? It only helps those who already have the money to buy a house. Shrug... doesn't seem to be much of an all-inclusive stimulus plan to me, just seems like it's going to benefit the people who already are doing OK. Hmmmmmm... Thoughts, anyone?
Also I'd like to see a breakdown of whether this will ultimately cost us more to have this many people working, or if it would have been cheaper to keep them on welfare or unemployment? My initial calculations suggest that, based on a family of 4 receiving welfare and food stamps to the tune of about $1200 a month, that same family could live for 15 years for the same cost of creating one job ($225,000) that very possibly won't exist in another 15 years. Assuming the worker in the family remains gainfully employed in that job. Remember, a minimum wage job (let's assume minimum wage is $8 per hour) only pays $16,640 per year before taxes and insurance withholdings. Less take-home than the $1200 per month from welfare and food stamps. Hmmmm... what's wrong with this picture?
I'm thinking, here in my world where my house payment is 40% of my take-home income and I'm STILL getting all my bills paid, having been gainfully employed steadily for the last 12 years and being responsible... I'm thinking that this over-hyped stimulus plan is really designed to create and foster an even wider gap between the lower classes and the upper classes at the cost of those of us in the middle.
Not to mention everyone who isn't going to get a cost of living increase this next year as a result of all this so-called stimulus... Social Security recipients, VA benefits recipients, most Government workers, military, etc. Gas prices have gone up, electricity prices have gone up, food prices have gone up. So what if housing prices have gone down? How does that help people who already have mortgages or rent payments? It only helps those who already have the money to buy a house. Shrug... doesn't seem to be much of an all-inclusive stimulus plan to me, just seems like it's going to benefit the people who already are doing OK. Hmmmmmm... Thoughts, anyone?
10/25/2009
Science Meets Art
Or, Swiss Steak ala Kathy. Well. OK, yup, I'm gonna bore you with another recipe. So I like to cook :) Had a pair of huge chuck steaks I didn't know what to do with. No propane for the bbq, and while they're really, really good cooked ala restaurant-style "roasting," I also didn't feel inspired to come up with something else new to use all the leftover steak there'd be later on. So I looked around the house only to find just a few of my favorite ingredients and barely a smattering of stand-bys. Hmmmm.
So here's what you can do when you've got meat, flour, spices, an onion, a couple cans of mushrooms, a couple cans of tomato paste and a stray can of golden mushroom soup:
Thaw the meat. Lay it out on a plate and spice it up, rubbing in the spices on both sides. I used onion salt, pepper, garlic powder and just a wee bit of chili powder. Then dredge the meat in flour. Put some oil (maybe a little more than just covering the bottom) in your heavy duty frying pan (or whatever heavy kettle you have) and heat it to where it's not quite smoking. My frying pan of choice is, of course, an old cast iron workhorse. If little water drops will sprizzle and spurt when you flick 'em into the oil, it's just right. Turn on your exhaust fan ;) Put the steaks in and sear them until nicely browned on both sides. Turn down the heat to mid-way, put the steaks in your oven roaster and set aside. Turn the oven on to 350 or thereabouts. While the meat is searing, drain the mushrooms, and slice the onion. Put these prepared ingredients into the frying pan, covering with a lid. Let them saute awhile, stirring occasionally, 'til the onions are soft-ish. Then pour this mixture over the meat. If there's any oil in this mixture, drain it off first. There shouldn't be any oil, tho.
Get out a bowl and put the golden mushroom soup and a can of water in it. Then add the 2 cans of tomato paste. Mix it up then taste it. Think awhile about what flavor you're looking for. It is on the sweet side, as is. I added beef bullion powder, onion salt, garlic powder, some chives, a bit of basil, a bit of chili powder and some pepper. Since I don't measure much of anything, all I can say is "some" means a little to start, stir it up and taste it, and adjust accordingly :) Too many years of cooking to taste rather than following recipes, I guess :) I did use what looked like about maybe two tablespoons of beef bullion powder. This will be a bit thick, so add some water... maybe equivalent to half a soup can's worth. Pour this over the steaks, cover and bake for an hour. You can bake it for two hours if you want, just turn down the heat a bit and watch it for getting too thick and sticking during the second hour. Clean and foil-wrap a couple nice potatoes and throw them in the oven beside the roaster if you want. Another win with the big appetites sharing the meal :) Does this ol' gal's heart good to know I still have the touch. I'd guesstimate this could serve at least 4 really hungry people, these steaks were each about 8" x 8" and an inch thick. Chucks are fairly tender cuts anyway, so this meal melts in your mouth. People generally cook round steaks in a similar manner to this, because that tough cut will turn out tender. But I want to find something slightly different to do with the rounds I have in the freezer, so chucks it was for tonight.
Leftovers can be frozen for later :) Please pardon my vagueness regarding temperatures and times... my stove doesn't do what the knobs say it's supposed to do, so what might be "hi" for you is probably "medium" for me. I've ruined a few cakes in the process of getting to know my stove, needless to say. My recipes are the place where science meets art... one discipline can step in to balance out a deficit in the other. *grin*
So here's what you can do when you've got meat, flour, spices, an onion, a couple cans of mushrooms, a couple cans of tomato paste and a stray can of golden mushroom soup:
Thaw the meat. Lay it out on a plate and spice it up, rubbing in the spices on both sides. I used onion salt, pepper, garlic powder and just a wee bit of chili powder. Then dredge the meat in flour. Put some oil (maybe a little more than just covering the bottom) in your heavy duty frying pan (or whatever heavy kettle you have) and heat it to where it's not quite smoking. My frying pan of choice is, of course, an old cast iron workhorse. If little water drops will sprizzle and spurt when you flick 'em into the oil, it's just right. Turn on your exhaust fan ;) Put the steaks in and sear them until nicely browned on both sides. Turn down the heat to mid-way, put the steaks in your oven roaster and set aside. Turn the oven on to 350 or thereabouts. While the meat is searing, drain the mushrooms, and slice the onion. Put these prepared ingredients into the frying pan, covering with a lid. Let them saute awhile, stirring occasionally, 'til the onions are soft-ish. Then pour this mixture over the meat. If there's any oil in this mixture, drain it off first. There shouldn't be any oil, tho.
Get out a bowl and put the golden mushroom soup and a can of water in it. Then add the 2 cans of tomato paste. Mix it up then taste it. Think awhile about what flavor you're looking for. It is on the sweet side, as is. I added beef bullion powder, onion salt, garlic powder, some chives, a bit of basil, a bit of chili powder and some pepper. Since I don't measure much of anything, all I can say is "some" means a little to start, stir it up and taste it, and adjust accordingly :) Too many years of cooking to taste rather than following recipes, I guess :) I did use what looked like about maybe two tablespoons of beef bullion powder. This will be a bit thick, so add some water... maybe equivalent to half a soup can's worth. Pour this over the steaks, cover and bake for an hour. You can bake it for two hours if you want, just turn down the heat a bit and watch it for getting too thick and sticking during the second hour. Clean and foil-wrap a couple nice potatoes and throw them in the oven beside the roaster if you want. Another win with the big appetites sharing the meal :) Does this ol' gal's heart good to know I still have the touch. I'd guesstimate this could serve at least 4 really hungry people, these steaks were each about 8" x 8" and an inch thick. Chucks are fairly tender cuts anyway, so this meal melts in your mouth. People generally cook round steaks in a similar manner to this, because that tough cut will turn out tender. But I want to find something slightly different to do with the rounds I have in the freezer, so chucks it was for tonight.
Leftovers can be frozen for later :) Please pardon my vagueness regarding temperatures and times... my stove doesn't do what the knobs say it's supposed to do, so what might be "hi" for you is probably "medium" for me. I've ruined a few cakes in the process of getting to know my stove, needless to say. My recipes are the place where science meets art... one discipline can step in to balance out a deficit in the other. *grin*
Pretty Darned Good Baked BBQ Chicken
Been super busy lately, but finally did take some time to cook a meal for a change. Came out pretty good, so thought I'd share a recipe that should be a hit with those who like bbq chicken. I like making up recipes and usually they turn out palatable, but this one was a hit with everybody.
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Breasts
Pat dry 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts or 6 thighs or however many of whichever you want. Rub them down all over with a light coat of mayo, then sprinkle them on both sides with the following:
A bit of salt and pepper
Some garlic powder
Some oregano, some basil and a few crushed pepper flakes.
Place them in whatever baking pan they'll fit in, and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.
While they're baking, take a cup of whatever cheap boring BBQ sauce you have, Safeway store brand 2-for-a-buck works just fine, and pour into a flat container. Add a pinch of dry mustard, a few red pepper flakes, a pinch of chili powder, a bit of garlic powder and some pepper and mix up. When the chicken has cooked 20-25 minutes, remove it from the oven and coat it in the BBQ sauce. Place back in the baking pan and bake for another 20-25 minutes. The BBQ sauce will be nice and sticky and the meat will be moist and flavorful.
The application of the mayo helps make a glaze on the chicken so the moisture stays in, and it allows the spices to stick and actually flavor the meat rather than falling off and just flavoring the pan drippings. Don't be afraid of using the basil and oregano with the BBQ sauce, it really does work nicely. The layer of mayo is also a great trick for halibut steaks, stuffed sole and baked salmon - keeps the moisture in and helps make a nice glaze. Don't overdo it, just coat it lightly with your hands.
Alas, time to get ready for work. Stay tuned for my return to regular posting :) And... have a GREAT DAY!!!!
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Breasts
Pat dry 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts or 6 thighs or however many of whichever you want. Rub them down all over with a light coat of mayo, then sprinkle them on both sides with the following:
A bit of salt and pepper
Some garlic powder
Some oregano, some basil and a few crushed pepper flakes.
Place them in whatever baking pan they'll fit in, and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.
While they're baking, take a cup of whatever cheap boring BBQ sauce you have, Safeway store brand 2-for-a-buck works just fine, and pour into a flat container. Add a pinch of dry mustard, a few red pepper flakes, a pinch of chili powder, a bit of garlic powder and some pepper and mix up. When the chicken has cooked 20-25 minutes, remove it from the oven and coat it in the BBQ sauce. Place back in the baking pan and bake for another 20-25 minutes. The BBQ sauce will be nice and sticky and the meat will be moist and flavorful.
The application of the mayo helps make a glaze on the chicken so the moisture stays in, and it allows the spices to stick and actually flavor the meat rather than falling off and just flavoring the pan drippings. Don't be afraid of using the basil and oregano with the BBQ sauce, it really does work nicely. The layer of mayo is also a great trick for halibut steaks, stuffed sole and baked salmon - keeps the moisture in and helps make a nice glaze. Don't overdo it, just coat it lightly with your hands.
Alas, time to get ready for work. Stay tuned for my return to regular posting :) And... have a GREAT DAY!!!!
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