text:
HOME > Chowhound > General South Archive >
Sep 26, 2007 03:21 PM

looking for nice date restaurant in Mobile AL

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. High dollar: Pillars, Ruth's Chris, Trellis Room @ Battle House. Mid dollar: Guido's in Oakleigh, Royal Scam, La Pizzeria.

    1. EarnBeau's list is okay, but I wouldn't reccomend the Royal Scam for a nice date restaurant. Its better for nights out with a group of friends. You should also consider Felix's. The atmosphere is relaxed but elegant. You don't get that stuffy feeling. Also, the bay views are quite lovely.

      1 Reply
      1. re: brandyerdmann

        I second Felix's. I had lunch there during a visit to Mobile in July. The food was delicious and the views were terrific. I would just make sure to get there before sundown.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
HOME > Chowhound > Home Cooking >
Dec 8, 2007 10:05 AM

Dairy/Nut Free Party Treats for Kids?

I teach 5th grade and am throwing a party for the kids soon but have two students with nut & dairy allergies. Do you know of dairy/nut free party treats that kids love?

Either homemade or purchased is fine. Thank you for your help!

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. How about Rice Krispy treats? Marshmallow and rice could use food coloring in the marshmallow and make these a variety of colors. Popcorn balls also a could add crushed peppermint candies or Jolly Ranchers for color.

    1. fruit slices can actually be quite fun- maybe add a yogurt dipping sauce with cinnamon or maple sugar or something for the ones who can eat dairy, and have a compote or chocolate or caramel based one as well?

      I'm not sure which section it's in, but someone posted a recent thread on party treats for their son, and got some great responses- one was popcorn drizzled in various things like chocolate, which sounds excellent!

      1. From the book "Food Adventures," the glorious combination of dried apricots + chocolate, layered.

        Or anything else + chocolate.

        How about a nut-free "party mix" for a non-sweet item?

        4 Replies
        1. re: brittle peanut

          Thank you for your suggestions chocolatestiletto and brittle peanut!

          Only problem with chocolate & caramel is that both have dairy in them. :(

          1. re: BakingandBooks

            Sorry -- I thought some chocolates don't have dairy, that's why I suggested them.

            How about vegan rice pudding in cute individual serving sizes? Mini vegan nut free cupcakes? Mini tarts made with shortening in the dough and fruit in the filling? Mini oatmeal raisin cookies? Smores (assuming you find dairy free chocolate)? Carrot cake or apple cake made with oil and no nuts?

            1. re: BakingandBooks

              I think you can make caramel without dairy...

              Jello Jigglers are fairly disgusting but always popular with kids. You can get all sorts of different molds for them, or cut them out with cookie cutters. Lime and cherry...festive!

              1. re: BakingandBooks

                oops, true, should have mentioned that you should use dark chocolate, most types of which have only various parts of cocoa plant, sugar and flavoring.

            2. Have you seen this thread in the "general chowhounding topics" board?
     Similar question raised there.

              1 Reply
              1. re: anzu

                Great ideas brittle peanut, thank you! And Anzu thanks for the link to that thread, much appreciated. :)

              2. I bet these would be a big hit

                I actually may make them this week for my son's birthday party at school. If I do then I'll start a new thread with a review.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2015-35
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2015
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
HOME > Chowhound > Prairie Provinces >
Sep 17, 2008 08:45 AM

Lunch in Kensington (Calgary)

I have a friend visiting for the day next week and she would like to go for lunch in Kensington - somewhere "unique and fun and offbeat". Any suggestions? We're not looking for anything highend, just good, simple eats followed by walking and shopping. Thanks!

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. Vero's is pretty good - it just opened a few weeks ago. Pulcinella for pizza is also tasty.

    2 Replies
    1. re: cmanten

      seconded- have heard good things about Vero and Pulcinella is definitely unique and dripping with atmosphere. When I get lunch in Kensington I usually hit Globefish (sort of the extreme edge of Kensington, on 14th St) or Sushi Zeal for sushi (Zeal is IMO underrated, I've been three times and liked what I got very much, and prices are very decent), get the Malaysian curry at Sungate Cafe (though last visit they were understaffed and I gave up without ordering- and though the curry is excellent, the space is pretty depressing), or the Shish Tawouk at Shawarma Station.

      1. re: John Manzo

        Ditto for Pulcinella and Globefish. I'd also recommend Heartland Cafe - the coffee is not great but I really like their sandwiches, qeusadillas etc and cakes, and the building has a lot of character.

    2. If you want unique and offbeat, I would go to Marathon. It's an Ethiopian restaurant. Get the lunch for 2. You share samples of their food. Its quite diffferent.

      1 Reply
      1. re: danniek

        We've tried all of the ethiopian restaurants in the city....Marathon is definitely one of the better ones (the other is the one on 17th but I'm blanking on the name).

      2. Are you talking about Fassil's? It is on my list to go to. Is it much better than Marathon, or around the same?

        2 Replies
        1. re: danniek

          Yes, that's the one. I actually liked it better than Marathon, but not by much.


text:
HOME > Chowhound > General Topics >
Mar 15, 2010 08:45 AM

Little Worms in Cod?

So the cod from my fish share this week had some little worms in it. I thought I had pulled them all out but after lovingly making cod cakes yesterday I found two more little worms on the plate next to said cod cakes and just couldn't bring myself to eat any. Am I crazy / unneccessarily squeamish???

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. Welp, worms in fish are common...swordfish being a typical worm farm. If you can see the worms they aren't typically parasitic but very off-putting. The worms die at high heat, as do parasitic worms but I urge you to do a little research to educate yourself as there a re quite a few parasites that infest/infect food items.
    The choice whether you want to eat them is yours from a squeamish standpoint but if you eat fish with ANY regularity, you have doubtlessly eaten worms. I'm sure most people wouldn't voluntarily ingest them but we tend to ignore the things we can't obviously see.

    My husband (a microbiologist) and I (a chef) have discussions at length about these types of things and, believe me, we have very different points of view on food in-general. He's a well-done meat kinda guy & I am a med-rare. Its all in the comfort level.
    But of course, I'm always right.

    1. Worms in cod, eh?

      No more cod for da' Khan.

      14 Replies
      1. re: Perilagu Khan

        T'were ever thus. I worked in a fish and chips shop when I was at UCB a good while ago and the owner was forever removing them from the planks of frozeen Icelandic cod we used. Little round things. Yuk. Still ate/eat the fish, though!

        1. re: buttertart

          You're a braver "man" than me, Gunga Din.

          If it has a rep for harboring worms, then I'm quitsville. And if that means I have to forego all fish, so be it.

          Incidentally, are worms more of a problem with ocean fish, or are they present in freshwater fish as well? I'd really hate to give up trout, catfish and salmon.

            1. re: buttertart

              Well, we need to clear this up. Are there any worm-resistent fish?

              1. re: Perilagu Khan

                If you weren't squeamish before, then definitely do NOT read this.

                1. re: ipsedixit

                  Beginning to sound like I'm going to give up fish. And that blows rocks.

                  1. re: ipsedixit

                    The photos with that article have nothing to do with sushi. completely unrelated to eating raw fish.

                    1. re: ipsedixit

                      Oh, that was great. If you wanted to turn off someone to eating fish for good those pictures could do it. Funny, under the picture of the maggot filled brain is the video to make sushi.

                      This information doesn't bother me at all. Nothing new here.

                    2. re: Perilagu Khan

                      There are fish that are less likely to have parasites...or could be, they're harder to see.

                      We've caught fish here in Florida, both fresh and salt species, for a very long time Ninety nine percent of the time the flesh is worm-free. The flesh is all that matters to me - external parasites or intestinal parasites are irrelevant.

                      Some of the species most likely to have a few worms in the flesh are speckled (sea) trout, amberjack and red grouper. Have not found worms in tuna, gag grouper or dolphin (the fish), flounder or most of the smaller snappers.

                      Never seen a parasite move, let alone crawl around, never seen one in a piece of cooked fish.

                      When I find one of those extra bits of protein while cleaning the fish, I just cut it out and go on. But I understand - the idea is most unappetizing. Best to just forget about it! :)

                      ps - re tilapia - have never eaten farm raised, they are easy to shoot in the wild with bow and arrow (for our younger folks), and because they are algae eaters can sometimes taste a bit like the bottom of the lake, or river.

                  2. re: Perilagu Khan

                    Fyi, Khan, I have found worms in salmon.

                    1. re: Perilagu Khan

                      Some freshwater fish are wormy, too.

                      1. re: elegraph

                        elegraph - many in fact. a few years back in the Ozarks on a float trip (city boy, pfff) caught some crawdads and had the bright idea of 'River Sashimi!' many many months and medical tests later at one of the finest hospitals in the region (Barnes) they narrowed it down to an uncooked parasite from said mudbug.

                      2. re: Perilagu Khan

                        there are more in freshwater fish then their are in seawater, parasites have a harder time adapting to the saltwater, and incidentally the parasites in saltwater fish arent adapted to human physiology and often times dont do anything to us, freshwater parasites though are more adapted to human physiology so you there are more chances of getting parasites from freshwater then seawater fish, as well as increased numbers of parasites since it easier to live in a freshwater environment then a salt water environment.

                      3. re: buttertart

                        b'tart - the fish n chips place on Shattuck near Hearst? by the fusty old lady bar? (both gone I think)

                        they were pretty good IIRC, first time I was ever given my choice of fish in the states.

                    2. Last year I returned some cod to whole foods that had worms in it. I knew the guy was right when we said that they are normally in there and they try to remove all and that it wouldn't hurt me, but I couldn't bring myself to eat it. So I don't think you are unnecessarily squeamish.

                      And in my mind, it's a big difference to say, "hey you've eaten them countless times and didn't realize it" to "here it is next to your freshly made codfish cakes, just ignore it and keep eating".

                      I'm curious to hear what others think.

                      1. I've found worms in locally caught Halibut. Bought some fresh, squeezed a little lemon juice on it and bang, the buggers were crawling out of the woodwork.
                        Monger told me it's very common in fish, but ..... yuck.

                        1 Reply
                        1. re: janetms383

                          did you eat it after removing the worms?

                        2. I've read the deep sea fish don't typically have parasites and worms.

                          Otherwise sushi fish would be way too dangerous to eat.

                          2 Replies
                          1. re: tomishungry

                            What fish are you defining as deep sea? Just curious. Cod (not that there's a lot of it out there anymore, sadly) is pretty much a deep sea fish, isn't it?

                            1. re: tomishungry

                              Sushi-grade fish sold in the U.S. must be frozen to kill the parasites. Even in the fancy sushi places, the fish was flash frozen on a boat, to preserve freshness, and to kill any worms.

                              I've seen academic science papers where scientists troll through sushi restaurants, and count how many worms they can find in the fish. In almost every case they find worms in the sushi, but they're dead worms.

                              All this talk of sushi has me hungry. Might have to go out for sushi tonight!


text:
HOME > Chowhound > Greater Boston Area >
Aug 24, 2010 10:23 AM

New to Melrose...

I am new to Melrose and having some special out of town guests visit mid-Sept. We will only be able to go out to dinner once during their stay, so I was wondering which Restaurant you would say is the best in Melrose?

We are planning a lunch at Stearns & Hill, and one friend does not eat seafood, so Turner's is out.

I was considering Absolutely Fabulous, and still am, as it is convenient to our house and seems to have a lot of vegetarian options, which is also a consideration. But, I am leary after reading a lot of terrible reviews re: service.

So I ask you Chowhounders... given these considerations, where should we go for one great dinner in Melrose?

Absolutely Fabulous
454 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. "Great" restaurant in Melrose does not exist. There are, however, several solid options. My best recs would be Turner's for fresh, solid seafood fare and high quality raw bar or Mexico Lindo for very good authentic mexican (including plenty of veggie options). Sushi Corner is underrated by many, though the space is too confined for me to consider it a dining out option.

    Sushi Corner
    18C Essex St, Melrose, MA 02176

    1 Reply
    1. re: Bob MacAdoo

      An oops for the seasfood recs, did not read the whole original post. My apologies for poor CH etiquette!

      And as Almansa notes, Melrose is well situated for quick foodie trips to excellent Asian and Winchester options, as well as some high quality traditional Italian places in Saugus, Wakefield and Stoneham.

    2. Welcome!
      If, as you say, Turner's is out I suggest you try Mexico Lindo across Main street. There's lots of meat and poultry options:

      Or go a little further afield and head over to Rte.1N to Donatello's. It's pleasant white linen Italian restaurant. The food is very good and the staff is quite professional:

      I haven't been to AbFab so can't comment...

      1. Melrose is no culinary Mecca, but it is at least a very convenient location. You have Fuloon in Malden and Chilli (sic) Garden in Medford - both a stone's throw away and both with outstanding Sichuan cuisine. 10 minutes away in Winchester is Parson's Table - a locavore sport with probably the best all around cooking in the area. Also in Winchester is Imari Fusion - a pan-Asian restaurant with creative maki and good non-seafood options. I have only been once to Absolutely Fabulous and that was enough for me.

        Absolutely Fabulous
        454 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176

        1. There are several threads about choices in the Melrose, Malden and Wakefield areas on this board that you should search up (be sure to go further than last 12 months).

          FuLoon in Malden is a stand-out for the more authentically Chinese items on its menu (it also includes standard Americanized dishes, too, but that's not the focus). Personally, I love the manager (Diane Tang) and her efforts to make more authentic dishes accessible to non-Chinese folk. (Their dried bean curd leaf with pork belly remains a special delight I am happy to have popularized among Chowhounds.) Lots of threads on best choices can be found by searching.

          For something even more adventurous, Habesha is a relatively new Ethiopian restaurant on Main Street just north of the square.

          Stearns & Hill is meh; nice to look at, though.

          Absolutely Fabulous: haven't tried it given all the lemons on service issues and their refusal to have a proper website with menu (it just communicates a customer-hostile attitude, intentionally or not).

          Melrose is better than it used to be....

          375 Main St, Malden, MA 02148

          Habesha Restaurant
          535 Main St, Malden, MA

          1. I finally made it to Absolutely Fabulous a few weeks ago. I was a bit nervous when we walked in and felt like we were ignored as the server walked past us with no acknowledgement. But she came back fairly quickly and after that was friendly enough throughout the night.

            I was surprised at how unadventurous the menu was. I guess I expected it to be a bit less pedestrian Italian. We ordered fried calamari to start with, and it was fine. We'd had Silvertone's version a few nights earlier, and that's my favorite in the area. AbFab's version didn't top it, but it was passable.

            I'm having a hard time remembering what we even ate, which is out of character for me. I remember liking whatever it was I ate well enough, but also thinking that if I was going to go out for Italian (which I don't do often), there were other places I'd go first, like Ristorante Molise in Wakefield.

            We were there pretty late in the evening, and weren't asking much from the server, and as I said, she was friendly enough as well as competent. I wouldn't not go back because of service, but because I'm usually looking for more interesting options when I go out.

            I'll second the recommendation for Parsons Table, which is really excellent, and Winchester is only about 15 minutes away. Although, for that matter, so is Boston on a good traffic day.

            Absolutely Fabulous
            454 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176

            Parsons Table
            34 Church St, Winchester, MA 01890

            4 Replies
            1. re: Chris VR

              Coincidentally I found the leftovers in the freezer last night. I had a chicken cutlet with prosciuttio and mozzarella. Again, it was fine, just nothing to get excited about. Hubby had a porkchop, which he seemed happy enough with. I'm remembering we had dessert now, nothing that special either.

              I agree with skipping Stearns and HIll too, but that's based on one meal and one night there for drinks and appetizers. Our meal was SO awful, and I've not heard anything from anyone else to lead me to believe it's worth giving them a second chance. But I do have a gift card, so maybe I'll give it one more try.

              1. re: Chris VR

                Btw, I think not only Don Michele Caruso died, but there appears to be no effort to revive his pizzeria. What's interesting is that there has been no local coverage of this non-development, which is odd given how important the place was for the local politicos.

                1. re: Karl S

                  I've been surprised by that too! I thought at first it was going to be temporary but when I drove by yesterday and saw the sign still up and looking pretty permanent, I figured that was it. I did like their Zaza but it wasn't worth the baggage.

                2. re: Chris VR

                  I would skip Stearns and Hill, Last time I was there, the food was not awful, but the staff there is odd. When we arrived, they asked if we wanted to be seated a two top- I asked the hostess if that was in the bar area- and she said" This is Melrose, we do not have bars!" WTH???? And my brother went there with his family, ( kids 5 and 7- who do not eat off of any kids menu), and the hostess and waitress told them they did not have a kids menu. My brother said that was fine,they would not use a kids menu anyway. Then the waitress said she could ask the kitchen if they could prepare something the kids would like- my nephew piped up that he wanted the calamri, and baked haddock, and my neice said she wanted the shrimp scampi. Just hate the attitude there- Not sure where they think the restaurant is, but it makes me crazy.


text:
HOME > Chowhound > Home Cooking >
Oct 27, 2012 03:36 PM

How to make crispy chinese duck breast?

Hello people.
I was just at a chinese restaurant in Spain, where I tasted this amazing crisp duck breast. It was crispy and well done, and was served with either a hoisin sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

Pretty generic, but the crispiness was strikingly good. How do you make this?

I have researched quite a bit. So here is my triangulated but still theoretical method.

1. Use five spice powder as dry rub on duck breast.
2. Cut stripes in the fat.
3. Put the fat side down in a pan and sear it for a while.
4. Put it in the oven (for how long?)
5. Cut it up in pieces, pour over sauce and serve.

Is this about right? I´ve seen some recipes doing it all in the pan. And some recipes want you to marinade the breast first. Is that reccomended?

Because it seem to me that duck breast is far easier than making a whole peking duck. Where you prepare the duck in all sorts of ways with boiling water, resting etc. The key is, will the skin loosen from the meat, and become this crispy good shell?

I really prefer my duck to be well done. And I just hate it when fat is the same texture as jelly.

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. Yep, that's about right ...............
    It'll require about 7 - 10 minutes in the oven
    "Put the fat side down in a pan and sear it for a while"
    This is a very important step.
    You're going to need a few drops of preheated vegetable oil in the pan before you introduce the duck breast but the heat needs to be on the low side of medium and it needs to fry for just under 15 minutes. I say just under 15 minutes because when 15 minutes passes it's usually too done but if you watch it you'll know when it's time to move it to the oven.

    1. Give your duck skin a wash with a baking powder slurry.

      9 Replies
      1. re: ipsedixit

        Care to explain?

        And does anyone marinate their duck breast?
        i´ve seen some recipes claim you should marinate it in hoisin sauce. But that does not sound too effective.

        1. re: Ramius

          The baking powder makes for a crispier skin (it's the dirty secret shortcut for restaurants serving "Peking Duck" here in the U.S.)

                1. re: OCEllen

                  I'm thinking since ipsedixit noted that many U.S. restaurants use this method, it must work pretty well.

                  1. re: OCEllen

                    Chinese cooks have used cornstarch to make things crispy for a long time. Baking powder has baking soda and corn starch. Baking soda is akaline and browning is increased in an alkaline environment. Similar to how lye is applied to pretzels to make them darker.

                    1. re: Pookipichu

                      Reviving this thread again because of this tip. I am making duck breasts for family dinner tonight. I rubbed it in with five spice powder, salt and dry corn starch, Is that what you meant? then I slow fry it skin down in the pan.

                      1. re: Ramius

                        I just saw your post, I roast duck, I don't pan fry it, sorry for the late reply. What did you wind up doing?

        2. I have best luck with crispness when I score the skin very deeply (but not into the flesh) in a cross-hatch (diamond) pattern, then start it in a very lightly oiled COLD cast iron pan on medium low heat. As it comes up to temp it will gradually start to sizzle and render fat. I usually pour off the fat a couple of times (save to sauté potatoes, etc) and when the fat is pretty much all rendered, if the skin is not yet mahogany brown I will turn up the heat for a minute or so till it is, then flip and into preheated oven to desired doneness (for me, medium rare). The cold skillet method takes awhile but it works amazingly well to render all the fat and not leave you with a layer of fat below your crispy skin.

          3 Replies
          1. re: GretchenS

            Gretchen pretty much nails how I cook duck breast for any style.

            I don't use a marinade, or dry rub, but would serve any sauce separately. Bear in mind any wet marinade is going to work against crispness of the skin.

            1. re: Harters

              That sounds like a problem to me. With your "any style" comment.
              The chinese style I had stands in clear contrast to the french style.

              I´ve seen several picture of the french style of cooking duck breast, and its absolutely not what I´m after. Pink and juicy and lightly brown in the skin.

              The chinese on the other hand was dark brown, with dark red and crispy skin. Well seasoned, and it had a bit of resistance to it when chewing - same sensation as bacon.

              Its actually okay if its even a bit dry, because thats what the sauce is there for. To make it moist again.

              But my one concern is, will the fat losen from the meat? The duck I got in that restaurant, the skin was just barely holding together with the meat. And I know in Peking Duck prepartion, you scorch the duck with boiling water, to losen the skin. And I was wondering if you need to do the same with duck breast? Put it in boiling water for a few seconds?

              1. re: Ramius

                Dunno if how I cook duck breast is a French style - I'm British and cook in accord with our culture. Cooking the breast as I do, means that much of the fat is rendered but I've never noticed that what remains of the fat is coming away from the meat. On the contrary, I reckon it stays there adding to succulence of the meat.

                Certainly dark red skin sounds like it's been given a rub of some sort. Your guess is as good as mine what the Spanish Chinese chef might have done with it. Of course, Spain is next door to France so there may be converging styles.

          2. So any good sauces I should make to this duck breast? I am thinking about just warming up some hoisin sauce with perhaps a bit of sherry and soy sauce to losen it up a bit.

            6 Replies
            1. re: Ramius

              Hoisin or plum would be the way to go, IMO.

              Sherry (or better with rice wine) and/or soy are good if you need to thin down the sauce.

              1. re: Harters

                Oh thanks for reminding me about the plum sauce. I have a jar of it that I have not used yet.

                Should I be using it as a bbq sauce? Rub the pre-seared duck breast with it, before I put it in the oven?

                1. re: Ramius

                  The problem I have with jarred sauces is that if you smear them on the meat, the sugar can burn and become bitter before the meat is cooked. I managed to ruin a lovely piece of belly pork in that way.

                  As you're trying to replicate your Spanish meal, then from what you've posted it sounds like the skin colour was coming from a dry rub, so I'd stick with your original idea of trying five-spice. I'd tart up the jarred sauce if it needs it and warm it through, then drizzle it over the duck as you serve it.

                  By the by, I'm curious about the place in Spain. There's no great tradition of Chinese cooking in the country as there has been minimal immigration. Was it a particulary well recommended place or just somewhere you came across?

                  1. re: Harters

                    There are chinese restaurants all over the world.

                    1. re: Ramius

                      There are. But the only ones I've knowledge of in Spain are really crappy ones in tourist resorts where they're catering for we north Europeans.

              2. re: Ramius

                My favorite chinese place does really great Peking duck and a version of fried chicken. I asked the owner about getting the skin crispy and he swears by keeping a fan blowing onto the skin so it is extremely dry when it is ready to cook. I'm not sure how he keeps the meat moist but that may simply come as a result of the fat content lying on top of the meat. He also has alot of MSG or sodium on his dry rub which must help with keeping the skin dry.

              3. With due respect to others with their suggestions....and without knowing exactly how the dish was presented to you in thoughts are what you describe is a duck cooked in the Cantonese Style, similar to the ducks you see hanging in the windows of Chinese Barbeque restaurants. These ducks are roasted whole while hanging. I suspect the breast was removed from the carcass to be presented to you on the dish. Traditional Chinese restaurants do not cook the breast off the carcass and do not serve it to temperature like Western dishes.

                8 Replies
                1. re: fourunder

                  I'd be surprised if this will have been a "traditional" restaurant.

                  1. re: Harters

                    And don't discount the restaurant taking a creme brulee torch to the skin.

                    1. re: Harters

                      Pressed Duck is pretty common in Sit Down Chinese least here in the States.

                      1. re: fourunder

                        What is "pressed duck"?
                        Cause my duck breast started pretty flat. But then it became very very round while roasting.

                        1. re: Ramius

                          Pressed Duck is most commonly known as *Wor Shu Opp* in Chinese American Restaurants. It is generally made by first, steaming or braising a whole seasoned/marinated duck...then allowing to cool and the breast is removed off the carcass. The breast is placed into a sheet pan, then another is placed on top to weigh it down, creating a *pressed form*. The most common way to serve it was to dip it into a cornstarch batter, or seasoned cornstarch....then deep fried to give it a crispy coating. Once done, it would be sliced into half inch pieces. It would be served with a brown mushroom gravy, but could certainly be served with any of the condiments mentioned thus far. You could also do the reverse process as suggested by others to take the pressed duck and crisp the skin in a pan and then transfer to the oven to complete the reheating process.

                          The reason why I believe this was the type of approach the restaurant used in preparing the dish you describe is simply this. The longer and slower approach to cooking the meat resulted in its tenderness....which cannot be done off the carcass in the short amount of time and high heat that you used.

                          1. re: fourunder

                            The duck did not have that coating around it, as it does in the picture here.

                            But if the duck breast was sliced of a whole duck. That doesnt make sense. Because the restaurant needed one days notice in advance if you wanted a whole peking duck. Which is made in the same way. So obviously, the restaurant must have made this duck breast on my order.

                            1. re: Ramius

                              It's not uncommon for any type of restaurant to have dishes that require two day preparation....or more simply, prepare in the morning and finish for dinner service. The amount of ducks they prepare could be based on history of previous sales on certain days it is offered. I would not assume it was cooked and made to order. Other types of meat, most notably pork belly require this type of approach for certain dishes or recipes.

                              As I indicated, you could remove the breast and crisp the skin, finish in the oven ....then slice and serve.

                              In general, restaurant require advance notice to know what to have prepared.....with Peking Duck, 24 hours air drying is mandatory before it is cooked......Pressed Duck does not necessarily require the same treatment or process.

                              1. re: Ramius

                                Did the duck skin look like this...or was it scored in the restaurant.


text:
HOME > Chowhound > General Topics >
Jun 5, 2013 02:11 PM

Has any good restaurant ever improved after being acquired by a mega-corporation such as Landry's or Darden?

I have just read that one of my favorite steakhouses Mastro's, has been acquired by Landry's. I can't help thinking that this is bad news for those of us who have enjoyed Mastro's. McCormick & Schmick was pretty decent until taken over by Landry's, but now has seriously declined. I can think f other decent restaurants that have gone the same route after being acquired by Darden's (Eddie V's in La Jolla for one). Is there any reasonable hope that a good restaurant such as Mastro's could actually improve, or even stay the same, or is it inevitable that once acquired by one of these mega-corps it's all downhill?

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. "Has any good restaurant ever improved after being acquired by a mega-corporation such as Landry's or Darden?"

    1. On CH, I think everyone will say NO.

      However, if we could be objective, there are things that will improve-

      - "sourcing" will become standardized;
      - employee relations will be codified;
      - the restaurant itself will have a larger financial cushion, particularly for the slow season[s];
      - sales data will probably be used to tweak the menu;
      - and advertising should have a larger budget.

      In aggregate, if the recipe ingredients are more consistent, and the employees are both happier and more secure, then the restaurant itself should then be "better" overall.

      Of course, many will disagree with my basic tenets.

      7 Replies
      1. re: Kris in Beijing

        Although your 5 points are all true, I'm not sure that any is necessarily an improvement.
        1. I'm pretty sure that for many menu items (produce, fish, dairy, even meat), local sourcing may be preferable to sourcing from large, national sources.
        2. Well run independent restaurants have manuals and rules which guide their employee relations. Good, well run, busy independent restaurants tend to have happy employees.
        3. True that the Landry's, etc. have larger financial cushions, but good, well-run indy's usually have established customer bases and weather downturns pretty well.
        4. All well managed restaurants tweak their menus using sales data.
        5. A larger advertising budget may increase restaurant profitably, but will not necessarily improve either employee benefits or the patron experience (food).

        To my mind, the very best restaurants are usually privately owned (sometimes with some investor backing), where at least some in-house staff (diningroom and/or kitchen) have significant ownership, and local sourcing is used when it's better than that otherwise available (no one will complain if an LA restaurant gets its meat from Lobel's in NYC!).

        1. re: josephnl

          I can't speak to restaurants - but coming from the coffee world, as an employee I would far rather work for Starbucks than the vast majority of independent coffee shops. Whether or not independent establishments have manuals and rules for employee relations - large corporations are typically better positioned to offer benefits and sick/vacation days.

          1. re: josephnl

            The "well run" is the crux here.

            Also, as you probably noticed, most of my comments were more BoH and not food per se-- so not exclusively about the customer experience.

            I'll maintain that "economy of size" -- particularly with employee benefits and management -- is a benefit.
            Seen too many 2nd Gen owners kill both restaurants and reputations [that's not just true for the culinary world, either].

          2. re: Kris in Beijing

            having room mates that were working for Olive Garden (at different times), a Darden chain, i can tell you for sure that their employees are NOT <<happier and more secure>>.
            having EVERY server be part time with no benefits and no ability to get enough hours of work to survive doesn't make ANYBODY happy. it just allows the corporation to get away without paying any benefits at all.

            also, even though << employee relations will be codified;>> the managers will easily be able to arbitrarily threaten, mistreat, and exploit their employees (codified or not).

            both of the room mates ended up finding jobs in more upscale restaurants that gave them more hours of work, more support from runners and bussers, uniforms that looked better, had nicer and more reasonable managers, and also had patrons that were much better tippers.

            i don't know whether to call the more upscale restaurants that they went to "chains" or not because they were owned by companies that operated 3 or 4 restaurants, not hundreds of restaurants.

            1. re: westsidegal

              Agree with you completely. With exceptions (such as the aforementioned Starbucks), the mega restaurant corporations are notorious for hiring part time employees and thus avoiding the need to provide any benefits.

              No...I don't consider a group of 3 or 4 restaurants under the same ownership in the same category as the Darden or Landry's groups each of which owns many chains of goodness knows how many restaurants.

              1. re: josephnl

                This is an important piece of the puzzle. My time in food service was limited to my teens and coffee shops - so I'm hardly an expert. So it's good to know that Starbucks is essentially the exception to the rule. In theory, the corporate model would appear to give that kind of security to staff but clearly too many still take advantage of their employees.

                Don't know this at all from personal experience of how the bulk of their employees are treated - but when Nate Appleman talks about his job with Chipotle, he's mentioned the amazing benefits/quality of life that the job there affords him compared to more prestigious cheffing positions. But again, I don't know how this related to the average Chipotle employee.

                1. re: cresyd

                  I don't know anything about Chipotle, but clearly there are exceptions to all rules. In my op however, I'm not talking about chains...some of which are quite good, and others serve an important need. My op is talking about a well established very good restaurant being taken over be a mega such as Darden which owns many, many chains!

          3. So it’s clear, I come at this from a thought out, educated, experienced, and fought for point of view. Dartmouth v. Woodward caused enough problems. Citizen’s United will destroy the Nation if not modified. The concept of lettin’ an entity have the rights of a soul with a heartbeat yet hide behind the curtain simply can’t end well.

            I want my dinner cooked by a guy who has an interest in the ultimate return. I want some soul on the plate. I have no faith in a meal cooked by someone denied a fair wage, offered no health insurance (especially when the corporation intentionally reduces his/her hours to avoid having to pay for it – REALLY? Grow some balls and do the right thing!), and forced to stick to some LCD formula even though the ingredients change every day. I mean, you guys are ‘hounds, do you treat January tomatoes the way you do August tomatoes?

            I assure you the restaurant’s quality will decline and your local economy will eventually suffer. Even if the place makes a ton of money. The money gets shipped out and the lousy food still gets served.

            Be a ‘hound and respect the Chow. Let us know how those frozen potato skins taste in a few months?

            1 Reply
            1. re: MGZ

              And then you have the other side of the coin. Two regional chains that have gone private. Both located side by side in front of our mall.

              Smokey Bones, formerly a Darden attempt at cheap booze and lousy BBQ with lots of flat screen TVs. Management took it over and it has not bad mild Que with an improvement in the well liquor.

              Shells Seafood. One sauce covered all pasta and seafood. Would only order oysters on the half shell. Chain folded, management bought signage and location. Multiple sauces, fresher seafood, specials based on availability. My go to for visitors looking for "safe" seafood. Like retirees from the Midwest.

              I cannot attest to how management treats their employees versus corporate. But one former tenant who was a waiter at Smokey Bones liked the change.


text:
HOME > Chowhound > Ontario (inc. Toronto) >
Jun 28, 2013 06:51 PM

Lunch in Peterborough

Next week we will be married 36 years and are looking for a nice place for lunch in Peterborough. And ideas ? love curry, itailian, pub food, but not fish.

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. I don't think you could go wrong with St. Veronus Cafe & Tap Room.

    1. There's a running discussion on PTBO and region's best eats here:

      St. Veronus is a good choice, though their best items are mussels and beer. If those aren't at the top of your list of delicious eats then look elsewhere. (Though those items are very delicious there!

      If it's a nice day, then I would recommend the patio at Kettle Drums. Their pizzas are amazing. The patio is nice. Elements also has a nice patio and the indoor space is great as well. They serve mostly tapas, which are pretty tasty (having only gone once.)

      If it is Thai curry you are after then Cosmic Charlies. Indian Curry? Then Curry Village. For casual pub then Old Stone. All of these have above average though not mind blowing food.


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
The Chris Pine Network
The premier Chris Pine fansite since 2007

est. june of 2007 the chris pine network is the premier fansite for everything on actor chris pine 24/7.

Video Spotlight

Latest Gallery Additions

One thought on “NEW Rise of the Guardians ‘Legends’ TV Spot”

  1. Tara

    Easter kangaroo. Too funny. Chris is so very good in this.

Comments are closed.


text:
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.

This is related to this question.

I found this verses from Qur'an.

Surah 19:1-7

  1. Kaf- Ha-Ya-'Ain-Sad.

  2. (This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya (Zachariah).

  3. When he called out his Lord (Allah) a call in secret,

  4. Saying: "My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble, and grey hair has spread on my head, And I have never been unblest in my invocation to You, O my Lord!

  5. "And Verily! I fear my relatives after me, since my wife is barren. So give me from Yourself an heir,

  6. "Who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya'qub (Jacob) (inheritance of the religious knowledge and Prophethood, not the wealth, etc.). And make him, my Lord, one with whom You are Well-pleased!".

  7. (Allah said) "O Zakariya (Zachariah)! Verily, We give you the glad tidings of a son, His name will be Yahya (John). We have given that name to none before (him)."

Assuming God (Jehovah) never revealed these things to Muhammad (no offence to Muslims), how did Muhammad know about Zachariah's prayer? Did he compose it? We know very well that there are many twisted stories of the Bible and Torah in Qur'an. I assume that Muhammad overheard these stories from the Jews and Christians around him and recited these stories whichever parts he remembered, which leads to incomplete story or sometimes even twisted.

If Muhammad did not compose this, there must be some traditional stories or some unauthentic books on this account.

share|improve this question
Muhammad could read but was not in love of books. While listening to Christian preachers, particularly in the market of Okaz, during his youth, he heard many Bibilical stories and this may be one of them. –  Seek forgiveness Feb 15 '13 at 9:50
I found this link about Okaz. –  Mawia Feb 15 '13 at 10:16
There is a more general question about how union served dialog was recorded. If someone could link to it, I think it would have the same answer, albeit minus the Muslim perspective. –  Affable Geek Feb 15 '13 at 12:18

2 Answers 2

up vote 2 down vote accepted

From a Christian perspective, the most interesting aspect of the question is not "How did anyone overhear this prayer," but rather, from whence did this tradition arse?

Luke 1 tells the story of Elisabeth and Zechariah. The text begins by saying:

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Furthermore, the prayers that Elisabeth and Zechariah offer are only indirectly referenced. The Angel of the Lord says:

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

At this point, in the earliest manuscripts (for the Gospel of Luke predates the Qu'ran by 600 years), we know that the Angel of the Lord is privy to the contents of the prayer, but we, the reader are not. As such, there is no biblical basis for observed dialogue of any kind. Any interpretation that seeks to "fill in" this prayer, would, from a Christian perspective, be theologically an "innovation," something that is normally frowned upon. The most likely explanation, then, seeing as their is no Scriptural support, is that this prayer was in fact composed by someone else - and Muhammed himself seems as likely a candidate as any other.

To be fair to Muslims, if in fact the Qu'ran was dictated to the Prophet by Gabriel, then it would not be surprising that the Angel of the Lord would have revealed this to Gabriel - but from a Christian perspective (which tends to deny the Gabrielic recitation), this would be pure composition.

In Luke, the focus of the story is not on Zechariah, but rather the birth of John the Baptist (Yah'ya in Muslim scriptures). When Zechariah is told that he will have a son, he, like Abraham's wife Sarai 2000 years earlier, essentially laughs- but unlike Sarai, Zechariah is punished by losing his power of speech. The miracle only comes after the birth of John the Baptist, when Zechariah confirms that in fact the Angel of the Lord had spoken with him.

share|improve this answer

There was this question on this site: “Was Jesus Crucified?, which I believe was closed and deleted. There were some good answers for that question which made many things clear as to why Quran deviates from Bible on many events and one of this is because Mohamed was more influenced by Gnostic and other literatures than by actual Bible account of the events.

There are some references from Quran to the events in Bible, which when seen even from neutral perspective clearly shows ignorance of the geographical location and historical dates of these events.

One example is the story of Samaritans and Moses where Muhammad places the Samaritans at the time of Moses when such people had not existed at that time.

Another place he confuses Mary, mother of Jesus with Miriam, sister of Aaron and Moses. These two women lived 1500 years apart. The Quran says.

She brought (the babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms), They said: “O Mary! Truly a strange thing has thou brought! “O sister of Aaron, thy father was not a man of evil, nor your mother a woman unchaste!” Q. 19:27-28

This is repeated in verse 66:12 where Muhammad calls Mary, daughter of `Imran.

The reason for this is because Mary and Miriam are both translated in Arabic as Maryam. Muhammad heard Jesus’ mother was Maryam and also Aarron’s sister was called Maryam. He thought the two are one and the same.

Also Muslims say that Jesus was not crucified but God deceived them by planting a lookalike on cross.

Why would Muhammad say something that is contrary to all Gospels? That’s because Muhammad’s knowledge of the Scriptures was based on hearsay. He personally had not read the Bible.

At the time of Muhammad, there were Christians groups in the Northern Arabia and Damascus who were called Nestorian. They thought that it is impossible to kill the Son of God. Based on this belief they had developed a doctrine that maintained God must have tricked the Pharisees and the person who was crucified must have been someone else who took the resemblance of Jesus. That is how Muhammad came to know about the story of crucifixion. His knowledge about the Bible was superficial as well as sketchy and shows that he had very little understanding of the Bible.

During his youth days while listening to Christian preachers in the market of Okaz, he heard many Biblical stories, but because he did not read that book personally, he confused many of its events as also the protagonists and this may be one of the reason for Surah 19:1-7.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.


text:
Georgia economy lag predicted

  • Follow Latest News

ATLANTA — The Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University predicts the national economy will lag until Congress reaches a long-term agreement on federal taxes and spending. Unemployment, meanwhile, will stay above 8 percent until at least the middle of 2014, according to center’s latest quarterly report.

Analysts say the Capitol Hill stalemate makes businesses and individuals reluctant to spend, particularly on big-ticket items. That uncertainty means real GDP growth will continue to slide through at least early 2013, the center said, picking up only after an agreement.

The fear revolves around the so-called fiscal cliff at the end of 2012. That is Congress’s self-imposed deadline for a deal. If there is no agreement, a host of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts go into effect before a new Congress convenes.

Comments (0) Add comment
ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules of civility. Posts and comments do not reflect the views of this site. Posts and comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Flag as offensive" link below the comment.
soapy_725 08/31/12 - 11:12 am
Brilliant deduction from our Atlanta

brain trust. We don't have to worry about a "fiscal cliff", we have Obamagog to save us. He is only waiting for us to cry out to him for salvation.

We may be in the middle of the 7 years of tribulation. Half way through, the Anti Christ world dictator will reveal himself as savior. Score one for the "mid trib" predictors. The POTUS has eight years divided into two four year portions. The time is right. Obama has already advocated "abominations in the sanctuary".

Back to Top
Top headlines

GRU monkey death raises questions

Georgia Regents University acknowledged in a statement that it has been placed on probation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International.
Search Augusta jobs


text:
Instruments Stolen, Friends Step Up

Plus, CEA voting ends soon, Strangetunge hosts winter party and College Hill Coffee Co. turns 8

0 Comments · Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Friends and fans of local musician Justin Todhunter step up to help after a post-Christmas break-in left him without his prized instruments. Plus, CEA voting ends soon, Strangetunge hosts a winter party and Tracy Walker and Chris Collier help College Hill Coffee Co. celebrate its eighth birthday.

CEA and Best New Bands Lineups Confirmed

Plus, Tweens get busier and Chris Comer gets funky

0 Comments · Monday, December 30, 2013
The lineups for January's Cincinnati Entertainment Awards and "Best New Bands" showcase solidify, Tweens gears up for an even busier year in 2014 and Jazz pianist Chris Comer gets funky.

Releasing 'Spirits'

Hank Williams tribute released, CEA voting open and Best New Bands showcased booked

0 Comments · Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Spirits of Hank, a live recording featuring numerous local Country/Roots musicians playing the eight songs music legend Hank Williams recorded at Cincinnati’s Herzog recording studios, is released. Plus, CEA voting is open and the 'Best New Bands' showcase is booked.
by Mike Breen 12.13.2013
Posted In: Live Music at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
cea14_ballot 600x600-14

Voting for Cincinnati Entertainment Awards: Now Open

The nominees for the 17th annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards were announced Wednesday and now the polls have opened and it’s time for you to vote for your favorite Cincinnati area musicians. The public is invited to vote (once per email address) in 16 categories ranging from Blues, Jazz and Folk/Americana to Electronic, Hip Hop and Metal/Hard Rock. You can also vote for the “Best Live Act” and in a brand new category — “Best Music Video.” Links to each of the videos are included with the online ballot, so you can watch them all before you vote. (If you’d like to check out all of the acts in each category, CincyMusic.com, the staff of which was a great help on the nominating committee, has provided a page with links to their CincyMusic sites.) The “Album of the Year,” “New Artist of the Year” and “Artist of the Year” categories are decided by the CEA nominating committee. With the annual slew of complaints about which artists were or weren’t nominated, the CEAs are also, for the first time ever, allowing music fans to vote for whomever they want, nominated or not. The “Best Band/Musician That Wasn’t Nominated” category is open to any active band/performer who has played shows locally in the past year and does primarily original material, regardless of genre. Or talent. Write in those artists we’ve so tragically wronged by not being able to nominate every single act in Greater Cincinnati; once an artist receives enough write-ins, they’ll be added to the drop-down menu. (We are vigilant about ballot stuffing and tampering, including in this new category. So don’t be an a-hole.)Another annual tradition is people contacting us to ask about the nominating process and how someone goes about receiving a nomination. Here is the still (and forever) applicable response we gave last year. Click here to start voting for the 2014 CEAs now. The deadline for voting is Tuesday, Jan. 14 at midnight.On Jan. 26, the awards will be presented at our annual CEA ceremony/party, which is returning to Covington’s Madison Theater and will feature numerous live performances. Stay tuned for ticket and other info updates, including details on our “Best New Bands” showcase at Corryville club Bogart’s on Jan. 18. Happy voting!

2014 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Nominations

Nominees for the 17th annual CEAs again demonstrate strength, diversity of local music scene

26 Comments · Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The 2014 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, now in their 17th year of honoring musicians from the Greater Cincinnati music scene, are coming up in January and we have the nominees. Study up and get ready to vote starting Dec. 13.

The State Alumnus Now a Hunk of 'Burning Love'

0 Comments · Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Some comic actors are better identified by their characters they portray, like Ken Marino: You may know him as Auggie’s slacker step-dad; a Jewish summer camp counselor/unlikely virgin; or a Los Angeles caterer and future Soup R’ Crackers franchise owner.
by Mike Breen 02.19.2013
Posted In: CEAs, Local Music, Live Music, Music News at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Broadcast Gets Air Dates

The 16th annual Cincinnati music celebration begins airing locally this Saturday

The 2013 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards ceremony/party late last month at Covington’s Madison Theater was filmed on high-quality video and this Saturday, for the first time in the 16-year history of the CEAs, fans who want to relive the performances and presentations (or those who missed it altogether) will have a chance to watch the show on television. The show includes the short but very sweet live sets from Bad Veins’ Ben Davis, The Dopamines, Gold Shoes, Ricky Nye, Jess Lamb and Culture Queer, as well as an all-star presentation of songs from the Come Play the Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams at Herzog EP put together by the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation. Saturday at 9 p.m., thanks to the Intercommunity Cable Regulatory Commission, the full show will be aired on ICRC TV, available in select communities in the Cincinnati area via Time Warner Cable channel 4. The show will be rebroadcast on the same channel Monday at 8:30 p.m., March 1 at 10 p.m. and March 2 at noon. (Check here — in the column on the left — to see if the broadcast is available in your area.)For those in Cincinnati proper, you can watch the CEAs on Time Warner channel 24 on Feb. 27 and on March 6 at 9 a.m. A Northern Kentucky broadcast is also in the works, as is the ability to watch the program online. Stay tuned to this here music blog for the latest updates. If those air times don’t work for you, you can also purchase a copy on DVD. Simply email melissa@icrctv.com to inquire about delivery and prices. (Program reference number is 16534.) To relive the ceremony in photos and words, click here.
by Mike Breen 01.31.2013
Posted In: Local Music, Live Music, Music News at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
ben veins cea photo ronny salerno

Bad Veins Splits in Two

Cincy Indie Pop duo loses drummer; frontman vows to carry on with new lineup

One of Cincinnati's finest Indie acts, the brilliant Bad Veins, has split in two. Last night, BV's singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist Benjamin Davis took to the group's website to announce that founding member, drummer Sebastien Schultz, has decided to "move on from his time with Bad Veins." Schultz — previously the drummer for local Indie rockers Cathedrals — had been a member of Bad Veins since almost the very beginning; Davis' first Bad Veins show was a solo affair opening for late Cincy duo wil-o-ee. As the pair told me for a 2008 CityBeat cover story, Schutlz was at the show (though he left early) and joined shortly after. He's played on all of BV's releases, including the most recent LP, The Mess We've Made, and toured extensively with Davis for the past five-plus years. Thankfully for BV fans, this is not the end of the group. "The show must go on!" Davis said in his website post, expressing excitement for Bad Veins' future:"I’m going to use this opportunity to do something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and take Bad Veins in a bigger direction, adding others members, bass, keyboard etc. I’ve already received a number of offers from musicians to join but haven’t made any decisions yet. If anyone has any recommendations, hit me up! The plan is to get back on the road this spring!"We had heard rumblings about the split prior to this past Sunday's Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Davis ended up opening the show solo (with taped backing), closing his set with a great, orchestral version of The Muppets' "Rainbow Connection." (The CEA show was filmed and will be airing locally on cable; a special, limited-edition DVD will also be available — stay tuned.)Bad Veins is booked to play an all-ages show presented by the Counter Rhythm Group on Feb. 16 at Rohs Street Cafe in Clifton Heights along with PUBLIC and The Ridges. More info is available here.
by Mike Breen 01.29.2013
Posted In: Live Music, Local Music, CEAs, Reviews at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

CEAs 2013: Local Music Love Fest

Sixteenth Cincinnati Entertainment Awards was another epic celebration of local music

On Sunday night, hundreds of local musicians — as well as the many of the fans who love them — had Covington's Madison Theater packed to capacity to celebrate the 16th annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. It was another love fest, as the music, laughs, camaraderie and drinks flowed throughout the tight three-hour ceremony/party CityBeat founded over a decade and a half ago as a means of honoring Greater Cincinnati's music makers (and, originally, local theater artists and productions). Though it has lessened over the years as more people have grown to understand the CEAs better, there is still plenty of griping about the awards every year. The vast majority of complaints are about who gets nominated. It's understandable in light of the talent that is overlooked annually. Having so many talented and deserving artists in our city making quality music is a good problem to have. But if every worthy musical act in the Tri-State area were to be nominated for a CEA each year, the categories would include dozens of nominees and the show itself would have to be a sleepover affair. You think the Oscars are too long? Sit through one 16-hour CEA show and you'll be begging for a witty Billy Crystal musical number.Like every year, the sport of CEA bashing is quickly forgotten once inside the venue for the ceremony. The awards celebration is the one time of the year where fellow musicians from every genre — some friends already, some friends-to-be, others perhaps only known via social media messages — gather in one place. There doesn't seem to be a ton of competitive spite within our music scene and the musicians I've talked and worked with, for the most part, are always pretty down to earth. (As if on cue, the griping returned right after the show — a comment on Sunday night's blog post featuring the winners of this year's awards deemed the whole program an embarrassment. Sixteen years of my life, wasted! Oh, anonymous trolls, where would you be without the internet?)The CEAs can't help but become a communal love fest. (Yes, the drinking probably helps this quite a bit, as well.) In general, there seems to be a lot of internal support amongst local musicians, and it feels like external support and appreciation (outside of jerky, anonymous comments) is on an upswing. The CEAs are always a great reflection of that community spirit. Ben Davis of Indie Pop duo Bad Veins kicked off the CEAs with his trademark taped accompaniment, but without bandmate, drummer Sebastien Schultz. Davis' performance was still compelling, capped off by that timeless ode to magic and mystery, The Muppets' chestnut, "Rainbow Connection." The singer/multi-instrumentalist set the tone (and the bar) for the night's performances, which included plenty of revelations and some fun, novel surprises. Those unexpected moments are always the performance highlights of any awards show and this year's CEA lineup and production provided loads of highlights. Local Boogie Woogie torchbearer Ricky Nye rumbled through a great set of rollicking Blues, building up to a cool collaborative climax as Blake Taylor and Jonathan Reynolds of fellow CEA "Blues" category nominees 46 Long joined the pianist/singer. Nye and 46 Long had been embroiled in a mock online feud leading up to the show. Music heals! (Nye ended up winning the category.)International Punk sensations The Dopamines gave the show a jolt with their explosive performance, launching into Guided By Voices' "A Salty Salute," but only after bassist Jon Weiner managed to insult nerds and "old fucks" in his introduction (they're "Punk," he reminded everyone later). From there, the trio launched into a mini-set of their own adrenalized anthems with fiery swagger. Fans were made.The same can be said for singer Jess Lamb, the soulful vocalist who wowed the crowd with a few hypnotic songs, joined by her guitarist and bassist (who doubled on throbbing kick-drum). The sparse set-up belied the soaring sounds conjured, guided by Lamb's remarkable voice. Lamb was nominated for a CEA in the R&B/Funk/Soul category, a testament to her unique sound, which comes closer to resembling Florence and the Machine than, say, Usher. We may need to create an "Alternative/Soul/Rock" category to accommodate Lamb next year. The Hip Hop/Rock band Gold Shoes are also keen hybridizers, and their CEA performance was a great display of the group's unique spin on Hip Hop fusion. The band provides a dynamic backdrop that's spiced with elements of Funk, Rock, Pop, Jazz and beyond. But the group isn't just providing a playground for frontman Buggs Tha Rocka to unleash his tight, captivating flow. The group writes melodic songs with strong, unique chorus hooks. Their CEA performance was a clinic on how to combine Hip Hop with other types of music without sounding like a cheap Pop grab (" … featuring Adam Lavine!"), Gym Class Heroes or, God help us all, Limp Bizkit. The Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation, which provided a great experience for VIP ticket buyers in the balcony, reminded everyone of the Queen City's place in shaping popular music with a segment presented by the group's president, musician Marvin Hawkins. After talking a bit about the organization's plans to continue honoring the area's rich musical past in 2013 (expect a lot of King Records-related events in honor of the locally-based groundbreaking label's 70th anniversary), Hawkins joined a host of local Roots musicians for a spin through a pair of songs from the recent collection, The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, a project spearhead by Bob Dylan that involved writing songs from a cache of unearthed lyrics written by the American music icon. The all-star band assembled — including Magnolia Mountain's Mark Utley and Renee Frye, David Rhodes Brown and Sylvia Mitchell — expertly played songs they had recorded at the Music Heritage Foundation's downtown headquarters, in the same space once occupied by Herzog studios, the site where Williams recorded "Lovesick Blues" and other classics. The CEA show itself ran smoothly and first-time host Ted Clark proved to be a great fit for the show. Clark's deadpan, sardonic humor — familiar to those who flock to his "live talk shows" at MOTR Pub — was reminiscent of Zach Galifianakis and sometimes he had great lines that were maybe to subtle for the CEA's "party atmosphere." But from those of us paying attention — bravo, Mr. Clark.There was an array of entertaining acceptance styles from the winners, ranging from choked-up and sincere to pumped-up and enthusiastic to more matter-of-fact. Wussy had a huge night, taking home the Album of the Year (for Strawberry) and Artist of the Year CEAs, capped by some funny lines while accepting. Drummer Joe Klug joked that, for anyone doubting they deserved the Artist award, Wussy "played Little Rock, Ark., four times in the past year."The award presenters — a collection of local music supporters and personalities, mostly from radio and press outlets, as well as sponsor reps — did a great job hammering home the "support local music" message of the CEAs' mission. But presenter and CityBeat Arts and Culture Editor Jac Kern provided one of the funniest bits in CEA history with her tribute to Beyonce — via a soon-cut-off lip-synced performance of the National Anthem. Culture Queer capped off the show (or warmed up the after party?) with a set that captured the fun of the night, rocking out a trio of quirky, animated Electro Indie Art Pop gems with their trademark film backdrop. The sprightly CEA trophy hostesses came out for some dancing on finale "Born Again," their funky get-ups matching CQ's twitchy, offbeat anthem — and the jubilant, colorful energy of the entire night — perfectly.Click here to see who won what and here for some photos from the event. The CEAs were filmed this year and will be airing on local cable soon. Keep an eye on this blog for dates and times.
by mbreen 01.27.2013
Posted In: Live Music, Music News, CEAs at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
wussy_photo_jim bennett

Cincinnati Entertainment Awards: The Winners

The winners from tonight's epic CEA blowout at the Madison Theater

It was another epic Cincinnati Entertainment Awards ceremony tonight at the Madison Theater, as a full house celebrated some of the best Greater Cincinnati music has to offer. And drank. A lot.The show went off great, with some excellent live performances from nominees and lots of fun from new host Ted Clark. I'll have more on the CEA show tomorrow (the afterparty is still in full effect as I type this), but gotta give props to CityBeat's own Jac Kern, who provided one of the funniest moments in CEA history before presenting the CEA for Hip Hop. Beyonce ain't got nothing on you, Jac! More tomorrow (fear not — the show will actually be broadcast on cable this year; details coming soon), but, in the meantime, here's who won what at tonight's ceremony. Wussy — which has been on a serious roll since releasing the fantastic Strawberry near the end of 2011 (it made the cut-off for this year's awards, since the album came out around the same time as the last CEAs) — had the best night, taking home both the Artist of the Year and Album of the Year CEAs. Congrats to all of the nominees and winners and everyone who showed up to party. Y'all are crazy. 1 Country - Mason James
2 Jazz - Blue Wisp Big Band
3 Singer/Songwriter - Kelly Thomas4 World Music/Reggae - The Cliftones5 Metal - Pulse8
6 Blues - Ricky Nye7 Alternative/Indie - The Seedy Seeds8 Hip Hop - Gold Shoes9 Folk/Americana - The Tillers
10 Rock - Buffalo Killers
11 Bluegrass - Rumpke Mountain Boys
12 Electronic - You, You're Awesome
13 Live Act - 500 Miles to Memphis
14 Hard Rock - Chakras
15 R&B/Soul/Funk - The Cincy Brass
16 Punk - Switchblade Syndicate

17 Best new Artist – DAAP Girls
18 Album of the year - Wussy's Strawberry19 Artists of the year - Wussy


text:
CitySquares helps you find local businesses in your neighborhood

Latest reviews

Creative Car Audio

Kenwood X500-1 Class D Power Amplifier for Car
I am so very impressed with the service I received by Auto Stream lab. I gave them a call last Sunday for installing a hands free kit and they were the most polite of all the services I have asked on the phone. So they talked nicely and came at my place within 30 minutes and installed a hands free kit for my car. I was so impressed by their precise work that I let them install a Kenwood X500-1 Class D Power Amplifier for Car in my car and I love it. These guys are simply awesome.

K Bell Signs Inc.

California Sign Company

Company Signs are our faces and they need to be wisely designed and decoratively highlighted. I was impressed by K Bell Signs for enhancing my company Signs in an impressive and attractive manner. Their repair and maintenance is equally good.

AAA Town Car

Portland Airport Taxi

I was coming to Portland on an important business trip and the flight was itself delayed. I needed a car service urgently. I didn’t know who to call at such short period when a co-passenger asked me to call AAA town car. As soon as I got off the plane, I called AAA and asked them for a ride to Highland Avenue. Before I even came out the exit door at the airport, the car sent by AAA was right there waiting for me and I managed to reach the meeting in time. Looking for Portland Airport Taxi? AAA is who you need to contact, this is top class service.

Hartin Tree Service Fort Worth

I am glad that I find such a professional tree service like this. The finished result after the tree trimming is amazing, now my trees looks so wonderful and everybody ask me who is the tree contractor which create this beauty. Thanks for all!

Baltimore Twins Movers

We have used the moving services of Baltimore Twins Movers and we would like to share here that we are very happy with their home moving service. It turns out that this company is a leader in the mover industry! Thanks!


text:
Sunday, November 22, 2009

David B. Hillis is a native of Jefferson county, Indiana; and was born on the 25th day of July, 1825. He is a son of the late David Hillis, who was quite a distinguished politician, and at one time Lieutenant-Governor of Indiana. Colonel Hillis was educated at the University of South Hanover, Indiana; studied medicine at Madison, Indiana, and, at the age of twenty-one, commenced the practice of his profession in Jackson county, of the same State. For eleven years, he gave to his profession his undivided attention; and, at the end of that time, had attained a good standing among the members of his fraternity. In 1858, he abandoned his profession to engage in mercantile pursuits. Moving West, he located in Bloomfield, Davis county, Iowa, where he continued in business till the summer of 1860, when he removed to Keokuk, Iowa, and there, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Oscar Kiser, established himself in the dry-goods business. In August, 1861, he was appointed an aid de camp to Governor Kirkwood. This position he held till the 14th of March, 1862, when he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 17th Iowa Infantry. In August, 1862, Colonel Rankin tendered his resignation, and on its acceptance Lieutenant-Colonel Hillis was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment. During the siege of Vicksburg, he resigned his commission, and returned to civil life. He left the service with much credit.

In continuing a record of the services of the 17th Iowa Infantry, I shall try to be honest and impartial. Several Iowa regiments have done as well; but I believe none have done better. Close on the heels of the battle of Iuka, was the battle of Corinth. In the former the regiment was disgraced, but in the latter it "atoned for its misfortune:" so said its commanding general.

"General Orders No. 145.

Head-quarters Army Of The Mississippi,
Third Division, District West Tennessee,
Corinth, Mississippi, October 23d, 1862.

"The General Commanding cannot forbear to give pleasure to many, besides the brave men immediately concerned, of announcing in advance of the regular orders that the 17th Iowa Infantry, by its gallantry in the battle of Corinth on the fourth of October, charging the enemy, and capturing the flag of the 40th Mississippi, has amply atoned for its misfortune at Iuka; and stands among the honored regiments of his command. Long may it wear, with unceasing brightness, the honors it has won.

"By order of Major-General W. S. Rosecrans."

And long has the noble regiment worn its honors with unceasing brightness, baptizing them in eight hard-fought battles; but, not so much did those brave men atone for their conduct at Iuka, as did General Order No. 145 atone for that of No. 130, of the same commanding general. That "the conduct of the 17th Iowa at Iuka formed a melancholy exception to the general good courage of the troops" must stand a lie in history. Colonel Hillis was present at neither Iuka nor Corinth.

In the pursuit of the enemy after the battle of Corinth, the hardships endured by the troops were great. They suffered on the march from heat and thirst, and at night, from the cold. They had few rations, too, and suffered no little from hunger; but not so much on this march, as they did in the pursuit of the enemy after the battle of Iuka; for then a large sum was offered for a small ear of corn. The 17th Iowa returned to Corinth after a nine days' march, and went into camp.

The history of General Grant's campaign against Vicksburg through Central Mississippi, which was organized in November, 1862, is well known. The 17th accompanied the forces of General Grant on that march, moving first by way of Davis' Mills, and arriving at Moscow, on the 18th of November. On the 30th instant, the march was resumed in the direction of Grenada, Mississippi, and continued southward until about the middle of December. On the 21st of that month, the 17th Iowa started on the return, arriving at Holly Springs on the 24th instant, and going into camp at Lumpkin's Mills.

If this campaign failed in its object, it was not void of interesting and amusing incidents. Here the 17th first became expert in the art of foraging; and it was said by some officers of the regiment that their men could "fall out," butcher, dress and quarter a hog, and resume their places in the ranks, without losing "the step." With these shrewd, hungry boys, orders of "no foraging on private account will be allowed" were totally disregarded, no matter from how high authority they emanated. Even before the eyes of general officers, hogs would be turned loose from their pens, and bayoneted and butchered. Fresh pork and sweet potatoes were great luxuries, for the indulgence of which the men willingly periled their personal liberties. On one occasion, General Sullivan endeavored to oppose force against force; but he was soon knocked over by the accidental blow of a clubbed musket, and the hog borne off in triumph. The camp-making of the troops, when they halted for the night, too, was amusing. Camps were usually made in spacious fields, surrounded by strong Virginia fences; but, in ten minutes after the command "stack arms" was given, not one rail would be left upon another for half a mile round. The work was done with system, and on the principle of squatter-sovereignty; for, after the rails were thrown in piles, one would squat on them, while the other members of the mess would remove them on their shoulders to the proper quarters.

After the last named march, and that one to Memphis for supplies, the 17th Iowa was ordered into camp at Bray's Station, on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Here it remained for about six weeks; and this was the only real rest the regiment enjoyed up to January, 1864. On the 8th of February, 1863, the regiment marched to Memphis, and, on the 2d of the following March, left with its division for the vicinity of Vicksburg. In the next four months, it saw its most arduous service.

Moving down the Mississippi, the division stopped for two days near Grand Lake, Louisiana, some thirty miles above Lake Providence, and then, re-embarking, sailed up the river to the Sand Bar, just below Helena. On the night of the 6th of March, while encamped near Grand Lake, that place was visited by a most frightful thunder-storm. The wind blew with the violence of a hurricane, and swept nearly all the tents from their fastenings. The strong hawsers, too, which held the transports to the shore, were snapped, and the boats forced out into the stream. Without any means of controlling them, (for the fires were all out) they came very near wrecking; and not a few fine-skinned officers, who preferred quartering in a state-room to remaining with their commands, were frightened well-nigh to death. "They did not mind going into battle," they said, "but deliver them from another such a ride as that." Some thought they could boast of having been, for once, in peril.

The 17th Iowa next joined in the Yazoo Pass Expedition, an account of which will be found elsewhere. In this movement the regiment did not suffer a single casualty, though one of the boats, on which a portion of it was embarked, came near sinking in fifty feet of water. It had struck a snag, and the hold was half filled with water, before the accident was discovered. The confusion which followed was alarming. The boat at once made for the shore, and no sooner reached it than men, knapsacks, boxes and barrels, and guns with fixed bayonets, all left the hurricane-deck together. The distance was some twenty feet; and how it happened that no one was killed is surprising.

The transit by steamer from the Sand Bar to Milliken's Bend, and the march across the country from that point to Bruinsburg and round to the rear of Vicksburg, follow next in the history of the 17th Iowa. On that march it bore a proud and note-worthy part in two bloody battles.

One incident which occurred while en route for Milliken's Bend, I should not omit to mention; for by the accident the whole regiment came near sinking in the Mississippi. When nearly opposite the mouth of White River, the fleet bearing the 7th Division was hailed by a Federal gun-boat. While the Rose Hambleton, on which the 17th was embarked, was turning to answer the challenge of the gun-boat, she was struck by the boat following her, near the after gang-way, and her guards and a large hole in her hull stove in. Had any other than soldiers been on board, the boat must have gone down; for the hole knocked in her hull was large enough to drag a horse through. The men were aroused from sleep and hastily moved to the opposite side of the boat, and in this way the lower edge of the hole was raised above the water. This all happened at mid-night. The Mississippi was swollen out of her banks and the nearest land was miles away.

The regiment crossed to the east bank of the Mississippi on the morning of the 1st of May, 1863, the day on which General McClernand routed the enemy at Thompson's Hill, or Port Gibson, and with its division pushed on with all dispatch to the front; for it was then supposed that the enemy had sufficient strength to give much trouble. The battle-ground was passed over during the forenoon of the next day, and that night the enemy was brought to bay on the hills across the north fork of Bayou Pierre, and about eight miles north of Port Gibson. But he was dislodged next morning with only slight skirmishing, and the pursuit was continued to Hawkinson's Ferry, on the Big Black River. Here the 17th Iowa rested a few days, and then, with its division and corps, resumed the march in the direction of Raymond. Near Raymond on the 12th of May, where General Logan's Division so handsomely and signally defeated the enemy, the regiment was double-quicked to the front, and thrown into line of battle; but the enemy yielding his position it was not brought into action. Two days later it was one of the three regiments that did the chief fighting at the first battle of Jackson.

On the evening of the 13th of May, 1863, the 17th Army Corps under Major-General McPherson, bivouacked at Clinton, and, at day-light of the following morning, marched for Jackson, with the 2d Brigade of the old 7th Division in the van. For many hours, a drenching rain had been falling, and for nearly two days scarcely an ounce of food had been tasted. The roads were heavy, and by a Potomac general would have been pronounced impassable; but the Union army was to camp in Jackson that night. The column moved on slowly, a strong line of skirmishers feeling the way before it. Finally, descending a wooded hill, it came to an open country, and within plain view of General Johnson's army, drawn up in line of battle. On the right of the road, the country was open and, from a low bottom, gradually ascending; but, on the left and not far in advance, it was undulating and covered with a young growth of oak timber. It fell to the lot of the 17th Iowa to fight here. On the right was the 10th Missouri, in the centre the 80th Ohio, and on the left the 17th Iowa. The balance of the division was drawn up in line by brigades to the rear, and within easy supporting distance.

The guns of General Sherman were already thundering on the south side of the city, and were being answered by those of General McPherson; and down the road, which separated the right of the 17th Iowa from the left of the 80th Ohio, the shell and solid shot of the enemy flew in rapid succession. Near one o'clock, the entire line of the 2d Brigade began to advance slowly, while its skirmishers drove in those of the enemy. No guns were fired, except those of the skirmishers and the artillery, till we were within three hundred yards of the enemy's line. Here a halt was ordered and bayonets fixed. The 17th was lying under the crest of a small hill; beyond was a ravine, and a little further on, the chivalry — one Georgia and two South Carolina regiments. In an instant the artillery ceased firing, when the order was given, and the charge made. Colonel Hillis simply said: — "Boys, when I tell you to go down there, I expect you will go."

The enemy stood for a moment, and then fled in confusion; but not till he had strewed the hill-slope with eighty of our dead and wounded. The regiment went into the fight with only three hundred and fifty men, and the contest was of not more than ten minutes' duration.

The 17th stood panting on the spot but just now wrested from the enemy, when General Crocker, with hat in hand, came riding up. "God bless you, colonel," and then turning to the regiment, he added: "don't let any one tell me the 17th wont fight." This was Colonel Hillis' first hard-fought battle; and his gallant conduct secured the love and admiration of his regiment. Among the dead were Lieutenant John Inskeep and fifteen others; and I regret that want of space prevents me giving their names. Captains L. W. Huston and C. P. Johnson, and Lieutenant John F. Skelton were among the wounded. Captain Johnson and Lieutenant Skelton, with the other severely wounded, were left in hospital in the enemy's lines.

As General Crocker predicted, the Union army camped in Jackson on the night of the 14th of May. On the following morning, the 17th Army Corps marched back in the direction of Vicksburg; and, on the day succeeding that, was fought the stubborn battle of Champion's Hill. The 2d Brigade camped at Clinton, ten miles west of Jackson, in the evening of the 15th instant; and it was rumored that, for its gallantry at Jackson, it had been detailed as a sort of body-guard to General Grant, who, during that night, had his head-quarters established at Clinton. But day-light, on the morning following, was ushered in by the booming of cannon away off in the direction of Vicksburg; and as the brave boys of the 17th looked at each other, they seemed to read in their faces mutual concern and anxiety; for, I care not how reckless men may be, the first thought of entering battle is chilling and repulsive; and he who is constantly boasting of his valor is the one of all others to be watched in action. It proved as all expected, for orders to move immediately and rapidly came instantly; and the regiment, foot-sore and weary, was off again for the scene of action.

At Champion's Hill (for I cannot drag out the story longer) five hundred men snatched victory from a self-confident enemy. The Union lines, on either side of the Jackson and Vicksburg road, had been overpowered, and the troops were fast yielding their last position, when the 17th Iowa and 10th Missouri coming up succeeded, after five successive charges, in turning the scale of battle. Before the 17th was fairly in line, it raised a shout, which, being taken up along the entire line, led the enemy to believe that the Federal reinforcements did not number less than fifteen thousand men. This seems improbable; but a Confederate quarter-master, who was taken prisoner, afterward declared that the Union reinforcements could not have been less than that number. At that point, General Grant came near being defeated; but he had ample reinforcements near at hand, and had the enemy been successful there and followed up the attack, their defeat in another position would have been even more disastrous than it was. Though General Grant in his official report declares: "Expecting McClernand momentarily with four divisions, including Blair's, I never felt a doubt of the result," yet, when he was seen coming down from the hill from which his forces were being slowly but surely pressed, his countenance wore an expression of sadness and doubt, such as the 17th never saw it before. It was just at this instant that the 17th Iowa and the 10th Missouri, passing their general, went under fire; and I believe that I do no injustice in claiming that these troops acted the chief part in turning the scale of battle at Champion's Hill.

Though the 17th Iowa was not engaged more than thirty minutes before the enemy fled, yet its loss, in killed and wounded, was fifty-nine. Corporal J. R. Holt and privates James Kain, John Kirkland, Ezra Stoker and William Turner were among the killed. Corporal H. W. Mulford, a young man of exemplary habits and promise, was one of the mortally wounded.

Among the regiment's spoils in this victory, were the colors of the 31st Alabama, and four guns of Waddell's Alabama Battery. The regiment also captured more than three hundred prisoners. That night it encamped on the battle-ground, and the next day, with the 10th Missouri, buried the dead, and cared for the wounded. It arrived in rear of Vicksburg in the morning of the 20th instant; and, from that day till the surrender of the city, did its full share of duty on the skirmish line and in the trenches.

In personal appearance, Colonel Hillis is attractive. He is not a large man, but is strongly and compactly built; and steps promptly and firmly. His complexion, hair and eyes are dark, the last being full and lustrous. On first acquaintance, one would think him a little haughty and aristocratic; but his sociableness and congeniality soon remove this impression. As an officer, he ranked high, and, had he remained in the service, would have been promoted in a few weeks to a brigadier-general.

Colonel Hillis has good business talent, and a fine education. He is also somewhat of a politician, and makes a pretty and forcible extempore speech.

SOURCE: Addison A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, p. 321-30

No comments:


text:
The Canadian Jeiwsh News

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Member Login:

Obama hardens his position on Iran

Tags: Columnists

Amid escalating speculation that Israel was on the cusp of launching a pre-emptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, President Barack Obama of the United States and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel met in Washington, D.C., on March 5 to discuss that contentious issue

With Israel having declared its implacable opposition to a nuclear-armed Iran, the debate over Iran’s capabilities and intentions has grown exponentially.

Indeed, Iran’s quest for a nuclear arsenal has supplanted the Arab-Israeli conflict as the overriding problem facing the two allies and has become a test of Israel’s strategic relationship with the United States.

And in a year when Obama is seeking a second term in the White House and his Republican rivals are falsely accusing him of being soft on the Iranian regime, Iran has pushed aside all other issues in Israel’s dialogue with the United States.

Netanyahu, who has described Iran as an existential threat, arrived in Washington after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

In a preview of his message to Obama, Netanyahu demanded that Iran must abide by certain conditions before renewed international talks on its nuclear program get under way. Saying that Iran’s leadership is cynically playing for time to deceive the world, Netanyahu insisted that negotiations should resume only after Iran ends its nuclear activities. Netanyahu called on Iran to stop the enrichment of uranium, dispose of its current stock of enriched uranium and dismantle an underground facility in Qom.

Rejecting Netanyahu’s ultimatum, Obama said that Iran would never agree to it. The following day, the United States, Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain announced they had accepted Iran’s offer to launch a fresh round of discussions. These negotiations are expected to begin in April.

Prior to this announcement, the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed “serious concerns” about the possible military dimensions of Iran’s atomic program and disclosed that Iran has tripled its production of higher-grade enriched uranium.

Of added concern to Israel was the news that in last week’s Iranian parliamentary elections, the majority of seats were won by candidates loyal to Ayatollah Ali Khameini, Iran’s hardline supreme leader, who has branded Israel a malignant ”cancer” that must be excised from the Middle East.

Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama – the ninth and arguably the most important one in three years – occurred after a series of high-level Israeli-U.S. consultations on Iran took place.

To ascertain how the Obama administration might react to an Israeli strike, Israel sent three senior officials to Washington: Tamir Pardo, the director of the Mossad; Ehud Barak, the defence minister, and Moshe Yaalon,  the vice-premier.

Obama dispatched three envoys to Jerusalem: Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and National Security Adviser Tom Donilon.

Upon returning home, Panetta was reported to have said that an Israeli attack would most likely occur this coming spring. Dempsey, meanwhile, warned that a strike would “not be prudent at this point” and could destabilize the region. These comments were obviously designed to discourage Israel from taking action.

Donilon kept his opinions to himself. But shortly after his visit, the New York Times published an intriguing op-ed piece by Israel’s former chief of military intelligence, Amos Yadlin, on this highly charged topic.

Yadlin pointed out that Israel’s “military ingenuity” should not be underestimated, argued that a non-nuclear Iran was “the best guarantee” for long-term Mideast stability, and stated that Israel needed “iron-clad” assurances from the Obama administration to induce it to exercise restraint.

Yadlin’s article, which was probably part of an orchestrated Israeli plan to convince the United States to harden its policy on Iran, ran alongside a flurry of stories suggesting that time was running out on diplomacy, that Israel was seeking a clear answer from Washington concerning its “red lines” on Iran’s nuclear program, and that Israel had ceased sharing its plans on Iran with the United States. Still other articles left the impression that the Obama administration was “buying time” and that Washington disagreed with Israel’s assessment that economic sanctions against Iran had been or would be ineffective.

With tension rising, Obama tried to cool passions by saying that Israel had not yet decided whether to act militarily, that he was not “bluffing” about attacking Iran if it built a nuclear weapon, and that he was committed to preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge.

In a bid to stiffen Netanyahu’s resolve on the eve of his discussions with Obama, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel would act in its own best interests and would not be influenced by outside powers.

To no one’s surprise, Obama urged Netanyahu to give diplomacy a chance, requested restraint from Israel, spoke of the dire regional consequences of a strike on Iran and warned that “too much loose talk of war” only benefited Iran by driving up oil prices and creating a measure of sympathy for Iran in Muslim lands.

Yet, in a significant hardening of his position, Obama said, “My policy here is not going to be one of containment. My policy is prevention of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.”

Obama also pleased Netanyahu by observing that Iran is as much an American issue as an Israeli one, and that Israel has the sovereign right to make its own decisions on national security.

Netanyahu, who has used Holocaust imagery to describe Israel’s bitter confrontation with Iran, laid down markers as well, saying that Israel “must always have the ability to defend itself, by itself,” and that Israel will always be “the master of its fate.”

Although Netanyahu claimed that neither diplomacy nor sanctions would nudge Iran to abandon its nuclear program, he acknowledged that he has not made a decision on striking Iran.

In the wake of Netanyahu’s visit, it remains to be seen what Obama’s response would be should Israel resort to force in the future.

Obama, who inherited unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is loath to make new military commitments in an era of economic uncertainty, is certainly not the first U.S. president who prefers diplomacy over war.

Obama’s hawkish predecessor, George W. Bush, one of the most pro-Israel presidents in history, rejected an Israeli request for refuelling aircraft and bunker-busting bombs to attack Iran.

To compensate Israel, Bush bolstered Israel’s ballistic missile defences and stationed an advanced radar station in the Negev Desert.

Like Bush, Obama has upgraded defence relations with Israel. Last week, Israeli President Shimon Peres noted that Israel and the United States have never had better security co-operation.

In telltale signs that Israel and the United States are co-ordinating their respective positions on Iran, Israel announced that its chief of staff, Gen. Benny Gantz, is due to visit Washington later this month for consultations, and Obama instructed Panetta to consider an Israeli request for upgraded bunker-piercing bombs.

This column will appear in the March 15 issue of The CJN

© 2015 - CJNEWS.COM, all rights reserved.