Changing the Country, Changing a Life--Keith Little

As one walks through life, there are few passersby who influence it so dearly. Keith Little was one of these men. 

Keith Little, the man, the character, the legend and the prominent spokesperson of the Navajo Code Talkers took the next step in his life on January 3, 2012.

Taken away silently from this world, Mr. Little was a voice. A voice of opression, a voice of humility, a voice of opportunity, a voice of the United States and a voice of humanity.

Although his mouth was washed out with soap for speaking his native Navajo lanuage, it was called upon in the neediest of times and the call was, against the odds of the deepest canyons, answered.

I simply and never could express what Mr. Little has meant to the Navajo people, the United States and the world better than he can himself.

Please take the time to watch a true, life-changing, American and World hero...Mr. Keith Little...

 http://www.navajocodetalkers.org/ (Mr. Little is the homepage video)

 http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.28922/ (watch as much of this as you can, please)

I hope the above is enough to begin to express what Mr. Keith Little and the Navajo Code Talkers have meant to and represnted as humanity.

"To protect my people, my land, my country."--Keith Little

The Day Boxing Died..Mayweather vs. Ortiz Result

Mark it on your calendars. Today, September 17, 2011 is the day boxing died.

The sweet science has gone as sour as sour has ever been tasted or imagined. 

You see, boxing is built on many things. Blood, sweat, tears, hardwork, and...and an unspoken rule. That rule is "we are men, we fight as men and we ahere to the rules of fighting men."

That rule, that simple rule, isn't defined in black and white, but includes that hitting your opponent the way Floyd JUNIOR (and he proved JUNIOR today) did to Victor Ortiz is completely unaccepatable. It is akin to stabbing your brother in the back. Floyd showed  his colors and they are two colors...green (which he'll admit himself) and yellow, which hel'll never admit, but he knows.

Floyd broke the rule and he broke boxing. He dropped Ortiz, yes, but he also dropped the other foot into the boxing grave. As an avid fan, I'm not buying another PPV. I can't imagine what the "average" fan is feeling or thinking about the sport "that once was."

Floyd's decison has wrapped boxing in a box that will be sent away never to be seen again.

Congrats Floyd. You killed boxing. Forever.

Ms. Rohr--The Legend and the Ice Cream Syndicate

For those who attended Pleasant Hill Elementary School during a certain and uncertain time, a legend undoubtedly skirts the lunchroom and is ingrained in the memory of many innocent, and not so innocent, grade school children .

That legend is Ms. Rohr who should be considered, if I were judging, as the penultimate lunch lady. 

As a timid but open child, every single lunch of grade school life was met with the fear and reward that Ms. Rohr handed out on a daily basis.

With arms jiggling under worn floral prints and short cropped gray hair fresh out of the curlers, Ms. Rohr made and broke the hearts of children.

As in life, especially with dictators and wives, there was nothing more important to Ms. Rohr than order. And that order revolved around three things:

1) A fast hot lunch line

2) Clean tables

3) An orderly ice cream line

Can you imagine standing in a line of third graders to get your lunch today? I think I would die. Let's give that a pass.

Clean tables? At the end of each table there would be a sponge, a bucket of gray water with cowering soap suds, and a child assigned to making sure each table of 25 grade schoolers had not a spot either under or below the table (this is a public school mind you). A crumb on the floor? Forget about it. NO ICE CREAM FOR YOU!!!

No ice cream? Deadly. Fierce. What was to look forward to? (The Tripping Game? Chasing Girls?)

Your quarter, nickel, and dime (or the common forty pennies) were no good. The store wasn't open if the table wasn't clean. PURE horror!

Bomb-pops, Mickey Mouse ice cream bars (with the delicious and sharable chocolate ears), and ice cream sandwiches were at the mercy of the poor soul who was in charge of the lunch table (I'm sure these people are CEOs, Harvard grads or....divorced by now....)

With the eye of a hawk, Ms. Rohr would patrol the tables looking for discarded bread crust on top of the table or crunched Doritos below.

Locking eyes with children, Ms. Rohr's glare and intention was clear. A clean table meant ice cream or a dirty table meant chiding of the sponge-bearing sap. Nobody wanted to sponge. 

If....if.... the standard of cleanliness was realized, especially at the tables I was sitting at, the ice cream corridor was open. Essentialy a miracle. 

And boy it may as well have been a party with Paris Hilton turned away at the door. If my pals, Erik Milcarek, Charlie Smith or Jim Burrows were working the ice cream stand (a BIG privledge and coniving move in itself), this is how it would go....

1) Walk up to the ice cream cart

2) Pretend to drop .40 in the hand of the vendor

3) Take an ice cream

4) Go back for a second ice cream (.80 saved at this point)

4) Go to J.J. Peppers and buy a pack of gum-stained baseball cards or 10 Bazookas

5) Be happy

The point?

If the lunch lady is the law and the ice cream kid is your friend you gotta a pretty good deal going. There is much to give, much to have, and the ability to duck jiggling arms, curled hair and having friends makes for good times. 

Or...that being a kid was good. Take your pick. 

How to Memorial Day BBQ--10 Tips

The proof is in the belly pudding. I know how to barbecue pretty darn well. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a pitmaster by any stretch, but living in Arizona gives me a chance to practice the hobby year round. Here are some tips for your Memorial Day...specifically relating to baby back ribs.

1) Charcoal--I know many of us have gas grills these days, but make an investment in your culinary evolution, if you can, to have a charcoal grill on hand for weekends, holidays and when you have the time. I don't use charcoal for everyday grilling, but for special occasions and meat that just NEEDS it like ribs, there's no alternative. If you want to go for the win, get lump charcoal instead of briquettes. If you do briquettes, do Kingsford. Also, try to get a Weber grill. The price difference that you see at the store has to do with the metal makeup of the grill. A grill like Weber is better metal, lasts longer, burns better etc. 

2) Don't boil your falkin' ribs--If you boil your ribs before you put them on the grill, you are messing up from step one. Boiling takes away the flavor among many other things. Don't do it. Just don't; seriously.

3) Time--To get some great barbecue, you need to spend time. See next step.

4) Smoke it--Smoking your meat (save your jokes) is key to tender, fall-off-the-bone-flavorful-perfection. However, it takes time. Get a little smoking box and wood chips of your desire (for ribs I use a combo of Hickory and Apple--just my personal preference). Smoking takes time...enjoy the smell, the atmosphere, your signifcant other, your family and your friends. 

5) Chimney starter--Most people mess up trying to get their charcol hot. Don't douse it with lighter fluid...if you do, you'll taste it. Instead spend the $10 and get a charcol chimney starter. There's no other option. Common sense, do you want to douse chemical starters on something that you are cooking with? This isn't 4G or high-speed internet....there's no fast(er) way to do it. Kick back, relax, (hopefully) you won't die by trying to take a shortcut or be faster. One of the joys of BBQ is that it takes time, effort and patience...try those three traits for size.

6) Dry Rub--I'm a big proponent of using a dry rub to get your ribs the way you need them. Brush oil (vegetable etc.) on your ribs before you put on the rub. This helps them soak up the flavor, break down the meat etc. Store bought rubs are fine or search the internet if you have time to make your own concoction...or ask me and I'll give you the bomb-sha-bomb-sha-bomb homeade recipe.

7) Music--All-American, no British, top 40 or rap--Pull up iTunes, bypass the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Lady Gaga, (alright, I'll make an exception for Bruno Mars' Lazy Song) and instead relish in the joy of American bands. The Beach Boys, Tom Petty, and John Mellencamp mixed up with a little Guns and Roses and Mo-Town. I love British, hip-hop and Top 40 a lot, but for barbecuing (especially on Memorial Day) leave that for your next playlist.

8) Side Dishes--If you are smoking your meat, leave your side dishes for the gas grill, boiling water or the microwave. If you put your side dishes on while you are smoking; guess what? Your corn on the cob will taste like the smoke you are using. Plus it is faster and just as flavorful to use the "common" methods, by and large. 

9) Watch It--Watch everything. The heat on your grill (try to learn the heat patterns), the time (a few conversations and/or drinks make you lose track), and the overall timing of what you are doing (or lack thereof) can make or break your grilling. You want everything to be done at the same time...can you do it? Can you master it? Can you?

10) More beer etc.--Be sure you have 3-5 more alcoholic beverages more than what you are allotting for yourself. This is just common sense. Warm weather, the smell of barbecue, family and friends, the beginning of summer, your friend that says "just one more." You get it.

Happy Memorial Day. God Bless America. Be safe. 

10 Round One NBA Playoff Predictions (or things to watch)Amare vs. Garnett. Young vs. Old. Dumb vs Wise.

The NBA is the greatest league on earth. Everything about the game is simply amazing and the 2010-11 season likely will go down as one of the best in NBA history. There are so many exciting players, story lines and building dramas. This is year one (for the layman NBA fan) and year three (for the avid fan) of another NBA golden era. For those new or old to the game, I think you'd appreciate these 10 things to watch/predictions in round one of the NBA playoffs (I'm going to do at least one for each series)

Click to read more ...