VIDEO: President & Michelle Obama eat lunch in the Asheville RAD

By GottaLaff

President Obama & his wife Michelle came back as promised to eat Barbeque at 12 Bones in the Asheville RAD. (River Arts District) He tried the Blueberry Chipotle & she, the Brown Sugar Rubbed Ribs with greens & baked beans. We are honored to share our neighborhood with the First Family.

Wow that sounds good!

I never get tired of watching the Obama family, especially at casual restaurants. Why is that?

And now I'm hungry. Thanks, Obamas.

Video- Raw Footage: President Obama's Surprise Lunch Stop

Damn that food looks good. Bonus added vid.

Republicans eat dog food

By GottaLaff

We always knew they were dogs:

Reid Wilson has the bizarre FEC find of the day: "Someone at the RNC spent $15 at a pet store on 8th SE and listed the expense as meals."

Apologies to dogs.

Raw VIDEO: Obamas Serve Meals at Soup Kitchen

By GottaLaff



What socialist, fascist Muslim terrorists the Obamas are, giving food out to hungry Americans when they could be hoarding it:

President Barack Obama honored Rev. Martin Luther King's legacy by serving meals to the needy on Monday.

Look at what they'll be eating at the White House state dinner

By GottaLaff

I've been working on our new site, and it's extremely time-consuming. Please forgive the slower pace of the posts today and the next few days.

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on the White House feast!

The president, first lady and their guests will dine on pumpkin pie tart or pear tatin with whipped cream and caramel sauce for desert during Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Nummm!

The politics of manure: Sludge makes its way to our kitchen tables

By GottaLaff

This is a hugely important, yet under-reported national environmental story. We are ingesting sludge, and that's no bullsh--, er, manure:

The story first broke in mid-June when tests showed elevated levels of lead in the [Obama's organic] garden. [...] In fact, many urban gardens have levels that exceed the EPA’s limits.

What’s of more danger are the tens of thousands of chemical compounds that are found in treated sludge — including hundreds of different prescription and over-the-counter drugs that we flush down our drains, cleaners and soaps — from home and industrial and processing wastes that use our sewers for disposal. Sludge is the end result of “treating” human and all other wastes entering our sewers, mainly by decomposition during storage, aeration and filtration in order to turn it into material for reintroduction back into the environment.

This year, U.S. farmers will fertilize their lands with 45 million wet tons of processed sludge coming from municipal and county sewage plants across the nation.

Mmm, yummy! Excuse me, can you pass the salt? I don't care for unseasoned sludge.

The sludge is used by farmers for fertilizer on crops that make their way directly or indirectly to our kitchen tables. [...]

But this sludge may not be as safe as we think.

In February 2008 [...] Judge Anthony Alaimo found that the sludge was responsible for killing hundreds of dairy cattle and contaminating the milk supplies in several states. [...]

Among those now wary of using sludge on farms are food suppliers H.J. Heinz and Del Monte, both of which do not accept vegetables grown using sludge as fertilizer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cutting-edge National Organic Program doesn’t allow organic farmers to use sludge.

Currently, there is a way to treat sludge that makes it safer for use in many situations. By heating sludge to over 800 degrees Fahrenheit all pathogens and many chemical compounds are rendered inert and the sludge is safe to use in nonfood crops (such as cotton and biofuels), land repair, golf courses and turf applications.

[...] It’s time for policy makers and legislators to take a serious look at the dangers of using sludge on farms.

I'm willing to bet that this story isn't sexy enough to attract much attention. I'll keep an eye on the Sitemeter, but judging from (lack of interest in) past stories like this, I sadly predict that Glenn Blech posts will mean more to readers than those about poisoning our bodies with hazardous waste.

Just sayin'...

H/t: AltaKocker

Sign O' The Times

I've been on the email list for our area freecycle for quite a while, and recently there's been an addition to offers of guinea pigs-

"For free to a good home, not for pet food or people food."

Yeah us!!! We're headed to a Peruvian economy!! I don't dare mention this to my sister because I'm sure she'll tell me they're quite tasty. {{shudder}}

Seniors cutting back on medications, food

By GottaLaff

Why is President Obama rushing into all this crazy, wacky health care stuff? Hey, relax, take it easy, we have all the time in the world... if you don't count the part where you die:

Some senior citizens are making drastic cuts to their medical and food budgets due to the recession, a U.S. survey suggests.

The survey by The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan senior group, conducted during a three-month period earlier this year, indicates 42 percent of seniors had either postponed filling their prescription medications or were taking a smaller dosage than prescribed by their physicians.

The survey of more than 1,040 respondents age 65 and older also says 62 percent had cut back on doctor visits or outpatient services and 77 percent had reduced their spending on food items. [...]

Thirty-two percent of respondents report that their drug plan increased its co-pay or co-insurance in 2009; 18 percent say they would have to postpone their retirement; and 6 percent report having to take Social Security earlier than expected due to job cuts.

Go ahead,Rushpublics, "stall", "kill"... literally.

White House stomachs are growling

By GottaLaff

Now they know how a good number of starving Americans feel. Oh wait. Starving Americans don't go to functions, and they're lucky to get "tiny portions":

Heard in the CQ newsroom...

Members of Congress from both parties are grumbling about the "tiny little portions" of food served at White House functions. While some speculate the lack of food could be due to money constraints, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was overheard saying it might be about President Obama's love of exercise and keeping fit.

ObamaDiet

By GottaLaff

You are what you eat:

After feeding him for the last 18 months at Washington events, [Anita] Ellis, co-owner of Avalon, a union catering company here, appears to have a pretty clear idea.

“He’s remarkably careful,” she said. “He doesn’t like sweets that much but fish, fish, fish, some chicken and things with spice. He will eat hamburger occasionally. He’s a very, very healthy eater and does like Italian food.”

Ms. Ellis generally took her cues from the Obama advance team when figuring out what to serve. She said they would always ask her to have the spicy chicken pizette -– chicken with fontina cheese, grilled onion and sweet and hot peppers.

The food was usually hors d’oeuvre size since most of it was consumed in the Green Room following a campaign event. So the monkfish, salmon, halibut and scallops came on skewers. The Caesar and Greek salads were served in edible cups made of Parmesan cheese.

There were vegetarian beggars purses filled with wild mushrooms, artichokes and tomato; bits of sausage and artichokes on skewers; bruschetta with goat cheese, tomato and basil; baby paninis or crostini and scooped out wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano filled with knobs of the cheese on one side and olives that had been marinated in fennel and lemon and orange peels on the other.

While others in the group might be drinking soda, Ms. Ellis said, she is sure the President-elect drank only water.

A man after my own healthy heart.

Great. Now I'm hungry.

KBR gave troops ice tainted with ‘traces of body fluids and putrefied remains'

By GottaLaff

Support the troops:

A former technician who worked for contracting company KBR in Iraq has filed a class-action lawsuit saying the company “exposed everyone at Joint Base Balad in Iraq to unsafe water, food and hazardous fumes from the burn pit there.” Joshua Eller’s suit includes particularly disturbing charges about KBR’s indifference to proper sanitization and the disposal of human remains:

The lawsuit also accuses KBR of shipping ice in mortuary trucks that “still had traces of body fluids and putrefied remains in them when they were loaded with ice. This ice was served to U.S. forces.”

Eller also accuses KBR of failing to maintain a medical incinerator at Joint Base Balad, which has been confirmed by two surgeons in interviews with Military Times about the Balad burn pit. Instead, according to the lawsuit and the physicians, medical waste, such as needles, amputated body parts and bloody bandages were burned in the open-air pit.

“Wild dogs in the area raided the burn pit and carried off human remains,” the lawsuit states. “The wild dogs could be seen roaming the base with body parts in their mouths, to the great distress of the U.S. forces.”

What does it take to throw these putrid little sadistic slugs at KBR into prison, serve them the same quality of food and water as they've given our military, and then finally, throw away the key?

Obama-Mania: Tourism Business Booming in Obama's Chicago

By GottaLaff

(M. Spencer Green/AP Photo)

Every city has its tourist attractions...

But this year, they are hitting some newly ascendant Windy City hotspots -- including Hyde Park Hair Salon & Barber Shop, Manny's Deli, 57th Street Books, Valois Cafeteria and Medici on 57th -- all allegedly frequented by hometown boy Barack Obama, who was elected president three weeks ago.

The signs are everywhere: Obama-mania is here.[...]

From delis to barber shops and business offices to bookstores, visitors have been seeking out the Illinois lawmaker's favorite Chicago stomping grounds, sending business spiking throughout town.

There he goes, affecting the economy again before he even takes office.

Chicago's official tourism Web site lures travelers to "Presidential Chicago: Experience the city the Obamas enjoy." The Illinois Bureau of Tourism has launched a three-day tour of the "President-elect Obama Trail," taking visitors to 14 attractions from the state capital of Springfield, where Obama launched his presidential campaign, to his Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago.

Don't forget the "do":

"We have a lot of Europeans and people from different countries coming in just to get their hair cut by Barack's barber or in Barack's barber shop," Coye said, citing a "big spike" since Election Day, with about five people a day coming in, as well as numerous others driving by to take pictures.

"We try to get it as close as possible," said Coye, on duplicating the Obama 'do'.

Vendors drop by the barber shop trying to make a buck, too:

[O]ne man [was] seen walking into Coye's barber shop recently selling wood carvings engraved with the words, "Barack Obama and the Book," accompanied by a picture of the president-elect and the Holy Bible.

Wait. Isn't Obama a Muslim? Strike that. A terrorist Muslim? That whole Bible thing must be a mistake, a ploy, just to make a working stiff a few dollars. Da noive...

Meanwhile, our president-elect better start watching his cholesterol. Bacon's full of the stuff. Yum, bacon. Mmmmm:

Business also is booming at Obama's favorite neighborhood eateries, including the historic Valois Cafeteria. [...] Visitors to Valois frequently ask for "The Obama Special" -- egg whites, bacon and hash browns -- which Obama still eats about five times a week, sending in an aide to pick up his breakfast at about 7:30 most mornings, according to Chronopoulos.[...]

"A lot of people don't eat egg whites," he noted. "I remember one time he came in, just ordered his lunch, sat by himself, said 'hi' to people," Chronopoulos recalled about an Obama visit three years ago. "He seemed like a normal guy, just a regular Joe."

An autographed photo of the president-elect, along with a business card from his Senate office, now hangs on the back wall at the cafeteria.

"To Valois, Thanks for the great eats!" Obama signed it.

Down the block, at another restaurant, we get a chance to see more high-fat faves and wish we all had Obama's metabolism:

One of his favorites, along with the breakfast omelettes and bacon cheddar burgers, is the "Garbage Pizza," complete with pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, ground beef, green peppers, mushrooms and onions. [...]

"If it's good enough for Michelle Obama, it's good enough for my wife," said Sibery, who naturally asked for -- what else? -- the "Garbage Pizza."

"Pan or thin crust," asked his waitress, wearing, of course, an "Obama Eats Here" t-shirt.

"What does Obama have?" responded Sibery.

"He has the pan," came the server's reply.

"So that's what I had," he said. "It was wonderful. A little pricey, but very good."

And very big, too.

"I had the small and it was huge," Sibery noted. "I don't know how he stays that thin."

And what is sure to be a popular attraction:

Obama's daughter Malia has also left her mark on the eatery. In green crayon, she followed a restaurant tradition of scrawling her signature onto an upstairs wall.

Meanwhile, back at Manny's Deli:

One patron asked this reporter if Obama was coming back into the deli, but sadly, it was just a writer hungry to try the famous corned beef. However, key Obama aides, such as incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and senior adviser David Axelrod, are regular customers.

There are a lot more little vignettes in the article. Fun read. And filling.

Today Obama Quietly Bought Food for a Widow and a Disabled Roofer in Need

By GottaLaff

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., makes a call to a voter during a stop at the Obama Kansas City campaign office in Kansas City, Mo. Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

How many ways can I say "I love Obama"? Bestest, sweetest, most caring candidate ever! TPC and family must marry him. Now.

BrotherJonah was a roofer who became disabled, with injured feet. He was out scrounging for scrap metal today (against his doctor's orders), to get enough food money to last him and his landlady through the weekend.

BrotherJonah shares a house in Colorado Springs, Colorado with a widow who he calls Miss Johnnie. He came home and found the woman was crying and showing him a table full of Chinese food. He thought one of our friends or my relatives had come over and bought for them. But the real story was much more interesting.

Obama volunteers were canvasing in the area and knocked on the door of Miss Johnnie. She is a registered Republican, but told them she was supporting Obama. She then started to tell them her troubles, including how her husband was a Vietnam Vet who died of Agent Orange. One of the volunteers was a Marine and a Vietnam Vet. The volunteer then started making calls on his cell phone. Soon, he handed the phone to Miss Johnnie. It was Barack Obama.

The woman told Barack about her daughter Michelle, a Marine who had been deployed to Iraq twice, and whose scheduled discharge may be delayed because of the Stop Loss rules. She talked about her continous troubles with the VA concerning her husband's medical bills. She talked about the difficulty of getting the VA to cover medical expenses that she had paid out of pocket, and the nitpicky paperwork errors by the VA. She told him about her difficulty affording food.

About 20 minutes later a very large order of Chinese food came to the door.

The delivery man was a recent immigrant and didn't speak English, so he called his boss, who told them that Obama had called and put the order on his personal credit card.

Brotherjonah came home and had only been able to buy a half gallon of milk, enough food for one meal and some cat food. Instead, they had enough food to last until Monday.

Brotherjonah wrote:

"He was there in a way that really counts. McCain has a fake falsified made-up "Joe the Plumber" who turns out to be a white-collar person named Sam and not even a plumber...

Obama now has Miss Johnnie the Viet-Nam Widow and a Real Joe the Ex-Roofer with Busted Feet. That's why Obama wins. He's Real, his concern for the people is Real, and the people who supporting him, WE'RE real too."

I know BrotherJonah as a person who regularly posts on the www.alfrankenweb.com website. This account did not come from the campaign office or a reporter - it came directly from the disabled ex-roofer.

I hope it was okay to copy this entire post and put it up here. I didn't want to change a word of it. Besides, everyone should be aware of this story. Everyone.

Tears.