Today, we are attending a car show in Bee Cave at the Galleria shopping center. There were so many cars that we won’t be able to see them all, but we can look at a sample of the more interesting ones. Ten Ten of Austin is catering, and our entertainment is (who other than) Steppenwolf.
Menu
CURRIED CAULIFLOWER – shiitake, coconut, basil
KING SALMON – Japanese potato salad, smoked ikura
SHORT RIB – ume chimichurri
PORK CHOP – Japanese curry, pickled vegetables
KING CRAB LEG – chili garlic butter, micro salad
ACORN SQUASH – black garlic, pepita crumble
DUCK BREAST – Japanese turnips, cippolinis
BAVETTE 7oz
RIBEYE 14oz
NY STRIP 7oz/14oz
Jump on the bus, and let’s get rolling.
1971 Jaguar XKE
1965 AC Cobra kit car.
1957 Cadillac Hardtop coupe. Almost too long to get in one frame.
1970 Ford Bronco
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop. The first Chevy V8.
2024 McLaren 750s
1936 Ford V8 coupe
1964 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. Texas style.
1971 Dodge D 100 pickup.
2024 Ford GT 3.5 L 600 horsepower Supersport.
1957 Ford Thunderbird.
1952 MG Midget.
1934 Ford V8 coupe.
1965 Volkswagon 21 window bus.
September 1966 Introduction to 1967 model year Cougar
1960 Corvette.
1957 Ford Mustang.
1931 Buick
1941 Ford V8 Delux Coupe
1965 Corvette
That concludes the tour of the cars. Now, it is time to eat and enjoy the music. I hope you have a beautiful week.
A bright new day is underway. (Is this poetry or what?) The Coffee machine senses the need for fast service. A mere touch of the start button sets a series of machinations in motion that end with an olfactory-pleasing mug of the life-saving elixir. Understanding the memory restoration properties of Columbia’s second most lucrative export, the first sip is taken.
The clock is set for November 8th, 1924. The location is Austin, Texas, and the duration is an hour. Another sip, a pull of the plunger, and we find ourselves at the University of Texas Memorial Stadium. We are here for the first game played in the new stadium. The teams playing each other are the Texas Longhorns and the Baylor Bears.
The crowd is estimated to be 13,500 people, and unfortunately for Texas, the Baylor team beat them 28 to 10. So, the underdog Texas team could not rise to the occasion and set a positive precedent in the new stadium. Just as happy Baylor fans were tearing down the goalposts, the alarm went off, and we were back on the couch.
I hear a text tone and see one from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with ‘under.’” Find a word that starts with “under” and use it in your post. Enjoy!
In an English safari park, keepers celebrate the arrival of a calf from the world’s most endangered antelope species, the eastern mountain bongo.
Born October 16th, first-time mom Othaya welcomed a male calf in the late afternoon. This was the first bongo calf born at Woburn Safari Park in over 10 years.
The calf’s father, Sonny – credit, Woburn Safari Park
It’s both a significant success for the park and global conservation efforts to save this species native to Kenya.
“Othaya the bongo has successfully given birth to her first calf on Wednesday afternoon. After a long labor, the large healthy male calf was born and was soon seen standing on wobbly legs in the deep bed of straw prepared for his arrival,” stated Tom Robson, Head of Reserves at the park. “Both mom and calf are doing really well.”
Sonny, the calf’s father, joined the four-strong bongo herd at the park last November and successfully mixed with the females. He wasted no time in doing his job and displayed breeding behaviors.
“The bongo is part of a crucial breeding program and we are hoping in the future our new calf will travel to another wildlife collection and start a breeding group of his own,” Robson added.
Once the mom and baby are ready, they will rejoin the rest of the bongo herd in the African Forest exhibit, where visitors will soon have the chance to see the calf in person.
The eastern mountain bongo species has been hunted almost to extinction in the wild, and with less than 100 individuals remaining, this birth is hugely important for the species’ future.
The lowland bongo, its near-cousin, is readily dispersed across the Congo region and southern West Africa and is not endangered. The mountain bongo, with its much deeper red coat, is found only on Mount Kenya.
It has been estimated that the eastern mountain bongo may go extinct within 2 decades without appropriate protections. However, several Critically Endangered species, like the West African lion, have recovered on the continent in recent years.
WATCH the story below from Africa News…
The good news in this story is the possible comeback of a species. Today’s JohnKu celebrates this accomplishment. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
This post ran on December 15, 2014. It may come in handy since it still rains, and we have time before the big freezes.
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Top Ten Things Not to Do in the Rain
10 If you are in the rain driving your car, do not engage cruise control. If you do, at best, you may have a spin-out. At worst, your car will continue at a constant rate of speed as you slide off the highway into the old river gorge swollen with rain water and moving at fifty miles an hour.
9 If you are in the rain driving your car, do not cross a puddle of unknown depth, especially if you see the back fin of an unidentified fish. If you do, at best, rescue will come before the car sinks. At worst, you and your car will be the subject of the six o’clock news as the Coast Guard boards your temporary boat and claps you in irons
8 If you are in the rain and don’t have an umbrella, do not hold a paper over your head. If you do, at best, you will end up wet and ink-covered. At worst, you might be mistaken for a person with a paper mache head and have to deal with parents of children who are sure you are from a different planet.
7 If you are in the rain, do not try to run to minimize the effects of the raindrops. If you do, at best, you will simply get wetter faster due to your increased velocity. At worst, running in a downpour has all the makings of a two-reel comedy, especially if you slip and fall into a puddle as you step off the curb. (You know a cellphone camera will catch that underwear flash and all)
6 If you are in the rain and standing with people to get on the bus, do not mention the rain. If you do, at best, those around you will think you are an idiot for discussing the obvious. At worst, you may just be lucky enough to get under an umbrella and then be told to move since you have made your umbrella mate uncomfortable with your observation of “wow, some rain, huh.”
5 If you are in the rain and carrying anything, do not think you can keep it dry by shoving it under your clothes. If you do, at best, you will have a cold, wet lump next to your skin. At worst, those around you will think you have taken something illegally and turn you in to the police, who decide not to step out of their car in the rain but rather Taser you from inside the vehicle.
4 If you are in the rain, do not try to eat your sandwich on the go. If you do, at best, you will have to eat it too fast to save it from melting. At worst, you will be too slow, and the best part of the sandwich will run down the sleeve of the arm connected to the hand wrapped around the sandwich. This part of the sandwich will only be discovered when you raise your arm to ask a question of the visiting executive from the home office, who will naturally think you rolled in something terrible.
3 If you are in the rain, do not think your dog will perform as they usually do on a walk. If you do, at best, you and the dog will be in for a frustrating experience. At worst, your dog will associate rain with your disappointment and may want to help by leaving a surprise at the door before walking if it is raining outside to show you there is no need for the walk.
2 If you are in the rain and you have a flat tire, do not try to change it yourself. If you do, at best, you will be soaking wet and dirty. At worst, you might just be part of a freak accident where the car slips off the jack and rolls down an embankment, only to become airborne until it lands on a person’s roof below and stops in their living room. (While they are watching the six o’clock news about an earthquake in Asia) Okay, I’ll admit it’s not realistic, but it could happen. Why take the chance?
1 If you are in the rain, do not remove your shoes to prevent your Italian leathers from getting wet. If you do, at best, you will only step on some stranger’s gum. At worst, you may step into a puddle that, if you had your shoes on, you would have tried to avoid, only to discover someone let their pet piranhas loose for a run down the street without their leashes. The sad part is the piranhas were let loose before their tapir dinner.
Today, we will get a taste of the safety services offered in Travis County. We are catered by Buenos Aires Cafe in Austin, and our entertainment is Billy Joel.
Menu
POLLO AL HORNO – Marinated free-range chicken breast roasted, fresh herbs & spices served with polenta & wilted spinach
GNOCCHI – Pumpkin-cinnamon, sweet potato-chipotle, cilantro-jalapeno & potato-herb gnocchi tossed with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, haricots verts, Parmesan, finished with crema & house-made parsley, red pepper, & balsamic reductions
CANELONES CASEROS – Two handmade herb crepes filled with spinach, onions, provolone, & mozzarella, finished with béchamel & marinara, topped with shaved Parmesan
MILANESA AL PLATO – Two breaded & fried Certified Angus Beef cutlets, house fries or Yukon gold mashed potatoes, field greens
PASTEL DE PAPAS – Argentine style “Shepherd’s pie” Certified Angus ground beef, hard-boiled eggs, green onions, raisins, green olives, red bell peppers & herbs topped with mashed potatoes; baked until golden
NAPOLITANA – Two tender breaded Certified Angus beef cutlets blanketed with ham, baked mozzarella cheese, and house-made marinara sauce, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, field greens
SALMON – 6oz Grilled citrus glazed Scottish Salmon, grilled asparagus, portabello, finished with organic field greens and cherry tomatoes
FETTUCCINE ALFREDO- Fettuccini tossed in our smooth and creamy Parmesan sauce
Let’s jump on the bus.
The signpost is up ahead. A poster for the event.
Lots of folks.
The motorcycles of the sheriff are always a big draw.
The park police are here.
Many patrol vehicles.
A big fire truck with jaws of life.
E.M.S. unit.
A fire simulator unit to give you the feeling of being in a fire.
A multi-patient E.M.S. unit for disasters.
The mother of all S.W.A.T. vehicles.
Lakeway police vehicles
Tents to visit.
A band that is really a duo.
Of course, the bookmobile.
Along with other games, a haunted jump house.
We have seen a lot, and now it is time to relax, have food, and listen to the music.
The message on the control pad was clear in its meaning. The lone word, “Chill,” meant coffee would be delayed. Drumming fingers on the kitchen counter does no good whatsoever. An eternity passes until the slow drool of lifesaving elixir begins from the twin spouts.
Finally, I take a first sip, which comes just as the caffeine warning light in my head starts to rotate. The calm after the storm is a relief. Unfortunately, the calm lasts a brief two seconds before the Westminster chimes of the doorbell send the hounds of Baskerville into a frothy barking frenzy at a decibel level that manages to destroy every lightbulb in the place.
The only thing to do is open the bedroom door and toss a jar of peanut butter inside. Once the baying hounds pass the doorjamb in pursuit, the door is slammed, and silence returns. The security system is the next item of attention.
The turret machine guns are set to stand by, the boiling oil cauldron tipping mechanism is turned off, and the automated arrow launching pods are unarmed. In addition, the Trebuchet, ballista, and falling rock device are switched to manual. The claymore mines are set to manual, the mote net rolled back, and the concertina wire retracted. The Iron gate is raised, and the bolts are thrown on the front door.
Standing there is a guy with a chill expression and two massive ears. He is munching a carrot and asks me, “Eh, what’s up Doc?” He hands me an envelope, turns and disappears. Inside the envelope is a message from Linda Hill. It reads:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “chill.’” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
It’s a worldwide paradox: why is it so common for hospital food to be essentially bad for you?
Tackling the problem head-on, Boston Medical Center—already one of the greenest hospitals in the nation—has opened two extensive rooftop gardens. These gardens give patients and physicians access to fresh food while adding green space to the hospital campus.
BMC had one rooftop garden, through which it supplied fresh foods to its cafeteria and inpatient catering. Now, a second one, utilizing the ample rooftop space of the hospital campus, can also provide fresh foods to underserved communities, cementing BMC as a place of healing, whether through a shot in the arm or a vibrant kale salad.
Through a partnership with Boston Area Gleaners, fruits and vegetables cultivated in the 4,915-square-foot grow space will be distributed to local non-profits and community centers twice weekly during the growing season. This will address food insecurity and increase access to essential fresh foods across Boston.
Called the ‘Newmarket Farm,’ it triples BMC’s total grow space and quadruples the amount of produce BMC expects to grow annually. The new garden will specialize in growing vegetables, including collard greens, kale, and arugula, as well as culturally relevant crops, including Aji Dulce peppers, bok choy, and callaloo.
It will also advance BMC Health System’s commitment to sustainability. The green space reduces heat-absorbing pavement in the community and slows stormwater runoff impact, as plants collect and retain rainwater directly. The garden operates while reducing water waste through high-tech irrigation that waters the crops directly at the root.
“Our rooftop farms increase green space in our community, reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint, and strengthen at-risk local food systems. We are proud to expand fresh food availability in the local community while adding more pathways to support critical clinical programs, like the Preventive Food Pantry, in our hospital,” said David Maffeo, Senior Director of Support Services at BMC.
“The Newmarket Farm models how hospitals can further invest in the health of our communities while building environmentally resilient spaces.”
BMC has a program called Food Is Medicine, which works with a local grocer to craft labeling formats that speak directly to citizens’ disease risks and/or desire for knowledge about better nutrition.
For example, food items that may help control blood sugar are expressed on the packaging as being better for diabetics, or foods that may help lower blood pressure are labeled as potentially heart-healthy.
The city’s cultural diversity has seen the labeling materials printed in a variety of languages, from Vietnamese to Haitian-Creole.
The good news in this article is space is being put to use for the good of the community and hospital patients. Today’s JohnKu talks about clear thinking. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
