Federal judge rules NSA’s warrantless wiretapping unconstitutional

in

CAN I GET A WOOT?

Article here.

Since the Court’s 1967 decision of Katz v. U.S., 389 U.S. 347 (1967), it has been understood that the search and seizure of private telephone conversations without physical trespass required prior judicial sanction, pursuant to the Fourth Amendment...

Those delay provisions clearly reflect the Congressional effort to balance executive needs against the privacy rights of United States persons.

...a case involving installation and monitoring of a beeper which had found its way into a home, that a private residence is a place in which society recognizes an expectation of privacy; that warrantless searches of such places are presumptively unreasonable...

John Dvorak’s Perfect Flank Steak Recipe

in

Apparently there is only one way to cook flank steak properly and John knows how to do it. This was a topic of conversation on TWIT a couple weeks ago and I forgot to post it. I make this post mainly for my own archival purposes but here it is if anyone else cares as well.

This is a simple recipe I’ve been bragging about on the Twit podcast. I’ll reprise all my old Boardwatch and other recipes over the next month. Perfect Flank steak (London Broil) Ingredients: 1 1/2- 2 pound flank steak soya sauce (Japanese style) sumac (powdered) Mesquite fire Directions: Put whole flank steak into a shallow pan the bottom of which has 1/8-inch of Japanese style light soya sauce (Kikkoman is perfect for this). Cover the top of the meat with more soya sauce. Let stand (turning several times) in the marinade for 15-20 minutes but no longer as it begins to cook the meat. Have ready a mesquite charcoal fire going in a barbecue grill. Make sure there are enough embers to produce flames from the charcoal. Toss the flank steak on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side (this has to be adjusted with meat thickness). The meat should be cooked rare but should be nice and seared on the outside. Slice the meat across the grain at a sharp angle and in thin slices. Layer the pieces on the plate so the red center of each piece shows. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sumac over the slices. Sumac is a lemon-flavored Middle Eastern spice found at International grocers. It’s not critical to the success of this dish, but it’s a great flourish. This dish can also be accomplished under a good broiler but never picks up the wood flavors and it is more difficult to sear. You need a hot temperature to make the recipe work. When you start to nail this recipe, it’s exceptionally spectacular. It takes a couple of shots to get it down. I’ve seen variations on the presentation where the meat is topped with chimichurra or placed on top of a mixture of crushed tomatoes, garlic and basil. Whatever is done, the marinade/cooking process is the most critical aspect of this dish. This goes well with a salad and a good rice dish.

OK, some points. For some reason if you let this meat sit in the marinade too long it changes its texture completely and doesn’t “cook” but actually cures like a ham. I would advise anyone who starts to get this recipe down to try marinading the meat for two hours in the soya sauce. You’ll see what I mean. It’s gets weird. Anyway, that’s what I meant. I suspect that more traditional marinades which include oil whould lessent this problem, but I have experimented with a lot of alternatives and this simple approach is still the best. I’ve manged to make this acceptable with broiling although it’s not as good. So a gas grill should work, but make sure it is as hot as it can be. Smokers do not work unless you first grill the meat at high temps. You can grill it for a shorter period then slow cook it for a half hour and if you nail it the result is spectacular, but it’s even more risky. And, yes, it should be rare or the meat gets too chewy. Let me put up a sub blog or another forum with all this stuff so the readers can contribute recipes and they won’t get lost here. I think the next recipe will be instructions on how to cook Iranian-style rice, whcih I consider the best in the world. It’s also brain-dead easy although it violates everything you’re told in this country about cooking rice.

Link to the original post by Dvorak.

Tuscan Whole Milk - Amazon Reviews

in

This delightful piece comes to us courtesy of BoingBoing:

It seems the mischievious crowd of folkd over at ytmnd.com have gotten a hold of a gallon of milk being sold on Amazon and decided to write some reviews for it, 344 of them...

"One of the insurmountable obstacles in my life has been how to get a gallon of Tuscan Whole Milk from Gristedes back to my apartment without finishing it first. Up until now it was necessary to buy a second gallon. Amazon has changed all that. Now I can get my Tuscan Whole Milk at my apartment in a sealed cardboard box that will protect it at least as far as the elevator. From that point the "No Milk Guzzling" sign in the elevator holds me back. In the short walk to my apartment door I may down a pint or two but for the most part the gallon stays intact. This has changed my life immeasurably for the better."

"I had a problem where my roof was leaking. I poured some Tuscan Whole Milk over it to seal it up and it just flowed right into the hole and didn't do anything. I now have milk constantly dripping down from the ceiling and it has stained the drywall as well. The milk trapped in the ceiling is now rancid and smells horrible. It has also induced a pest infestation problem. The pest control company won't deal with it because of the odor is unbearable in the house. My wife and children are now leaving me as well. This product has ruined my life. Do not buy this product, I suggest some roof caulking or tar instead."

"At first I was struck with despair when my cat got into my gallon of Tuscan whole milk, but what was once consternation quickly turned to joy as seconds later my cat became Halle Berry dressed in a black leather cat outfit. I cannot thank the creators of Tuscan whole milk and Gristedes Supermarkets of New York for the limitless pleasure which ensued."

Tropical Storm Chris Update: Strengthening

in

Tropical Storm Chris continues to strengthen this morning, with maximum sustained winds now at 65 mph, just 9 mph short of hurricane strength. It is expected to become a hurricane later today or early tomorrow.Chris is churning west-northwest just north of the Leeward Islands. It is a very compact storm with tropical storm force winds extending 75 miles mainly northeast from the center. Even though it is close to the northern Lesser Antilles, the effects are minimal because of its compact size; weather observations from Anguilla and St. Kitts and Nevis indicate winds are generally blowing at just 10 to 20 mph.

On its current projected path, Chris will pass a short distance north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands during the day and into the evening hours. Radar out of San Juan, Puerto Rico is already showing the outer bands of Chris sweeping through the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico itself. These squalls will be accompanied with short-lived bouts of heavy rain and gusty winds.

Tropical storm warnings remain posted for Anguilla as well as for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A hurricane watch has now been posted for the Turks and Caicos along with the southeastern Bahamas. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible during the next 36 hours.

Residents of the Bahamas and south Florida should monitor the progress of Chris closely. Air Force Hurricane Hunters will investigate Chris again this afternoon.