Pot Luck

OMG! USC leading Stanford 20-17 (4.00 / 1)

halfway through the third quarter. I can't decide which team I want to win. Would it be better for the Ducks if USC wins? Or better if the Cardinal wins? The best, of course, is for the Ducks to just win all the rest of their games.

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by: caseyOR @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 02:23:26 AM UTC

Much better for Oregon if Stanford wins... (0.00 / 0)

That way the Ducks can have beating a Top 5 team on their resume.   Oregon is still very much in the National Championship race, and a convincing win (because they will win, and they will beat The Tree soundly, they've been overrated all year and this game proves it) over a #3 or #4 ranked Stanford in two weeks would be huge.  

Clemson is down 14 in the 4th, let's go Georgia Tech!  Alabama and LSU play each other (best for the Ducks if LSU wins that one), so one will definitely lose.  If Oklahoma State loses and the Ducks win out, Oregon is back in the National Championship Game.

USC leads 27-24 with 7 minutes to go.  Come on, Stanford!  Pull it out!

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 03:18:51 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Jay, power out in large swath of New Jersey. (4.00 / 2)

Any word from your family?

Lots of places have lost power. Pennsylvania, western Maryland, New York. Central Park has been closed because of falling trees. The wet snow on trees that still have their leaves is too much weight.

The Occupy demonstrators in all those eastern seaboard cities must be freezing.

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by: caseyOR @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 04:01:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

They're okay, thanks! :) (4.00 / 1)

My mother said this storm was worse on the trees on her street than the hurricane (which left them without power for days) was.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 13:52:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

And in the rematch... (0.00 / 0)

...of course, #2 Oregon beats #1 LSU 47-41 in double overtime to claim their first National Championship.

Whoo!

:-D

Come on, I need something like this for a change.  Rutgers blew their last best chance to finally make a BCS game, and just flushed their season down the toilet today.  Once again.  7-5 record and the Pinstripe Bowl, here we come!  Sigh.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 03:25:36 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

OT! (4.00 / 1)

Stanford scores first. Can USC answer?

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by: caseyOR @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 03:51:33 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

And they are tied again. (4.00 / 1)

Both teams score 7 in OT. Heading to OT #2.

Come on, Cardinal, break Lane Kiffen's heart. Please.

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by: caseyOR @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 03:56:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

What a way to end it... (0.00 / 0)

3rd OT, USC driving for what looked like yet another TD and a possible fourth (!!!) OT... but!  USC back fumbles into the end zone from inside the 5, Stanford falls on it.  Game over.  Wow.

Stanford wins 56-48 in triple overtime.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 13:57:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I saw part of that Rutgers game. (4.00 / 1)

It is bit early in the year for a snow game, isn't it? They were slipping' and sliding' all over the place.

Penn State beat Illinois 10-7 to make Joe Paterno the winningest Division I football coach ever.

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by: caseyOR @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 03:54:12 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Ha! New way to cook stewing hen - (4.00 / 3)

Age in refrigerator for at least one week, then debone the thighs and remove the breast meat. Cut up into strips and marinate for at least two hours. The marinade I used today was made with sweet vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Chinese 5 Spice, granulated garlic and granulated onion.

I caramelized 4 large storage onions, removed from the pan, kicked the heat up to 300 with a little more EVOO, then added the chicken pieces. Browned and added the marinade plus water and the caramelized onions. Simmered while I was picking some mustard greens, brassica greens, and radish greens and prepped them. Then, when the sauce was reduced and nice and thick, I added the chopped greens, covered and steamed until tender.

The thigh meat was still a bit firm, but the breast meat was melt in your mouth tender. These were 3 year old white leghorn hens.

Next batch I do, I'm going to put the winglets and drumlets in the marinade the night before I plan on cooking. I did those up today in the batch and the winglet I ate was passable, but the drumlet was still tough.

But even with that, this was by far the best chicken I've ever had.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 08:00:18 AM UTC

best chicken (4.00 / 1)

No wonder. It sounds heavenly.

Did you do that with an electric pan or slow cooker with temperature control?

After deboning, seems like you're more than halfway to a salmi. This term is something I heard just this week, in a BBC dramatization of a novel of bygone times. Maybe salmi is a general name for intensely flavored sauce of infinite variations. I don't think I've ever had it, and maybe I've never seen it on a menu. Things go in and out of fashion, and salmi might be an unfairly disregarded technique.

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by: count @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 09:25:51 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hey! You know I think you're right (4.00 / 2)

I hadn't thought of that, but I think I did innadvertantly make a salmi. I didn't use any wine, but that's just because I didn't have any. Normally I would have used a blush wine or at least beer.

My special project this winter is to learn how to make beer and to find or develop a recipe for a stout and a lager or other lighter beer that I like. I'm going to start out with grains that are already malted, but I'm going to do my own malting this winter as well.

Come spring I'm going to plant wheat, barley and hops so I have lots of raw materials come fall. I'm tired of having to buy beer at the store. It's one thing to have to buy my beer, quite another to have the choice.

Once I get this property paid for or under a purchase contract, I'm going to plant a small vinyard so I can make my own wine and vinegar just like my grandma used to do.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 15:43:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

what makes a stewing hen? (4.00 / 2)

are there different varieties of birds like the leghorn?

I bet stewing hens make good stock :)

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by: LeeN @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 11:55:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

A stewing hen (4.00 / 2)

is any chicken that has been used for laying and is past her prime. They're usually 2-3 years old. The reason why they're called stewing hens is that litterally, if you don't either stew them or treat them the way I did in the recipe above, the meat will be so tough you won't be able to bite into it. They're tough in a way that a Cornish X or other young chicken can not possibly be. They can be any breed of chicken. I'm liquidating my layer flock by selling stewing hens and eating them myself. I've got lots of different breeds our here, all but the leghorns are double duty breeds (meat and eggs). I'm eating all of the leghorns myself because they have a very small carcass. The carcass on a leghorn is about 2/3 the size of a bird like a Jersey giant, wyandotte, etc. The americaunas I'll be butchering are probably going to be between the leghorn and the heavier layers.

I remember when I was a kid you'd see stewing hens in the store every once in a while. Nowadays, you either have to know someone, keep birds yourself, or contact a farm producing eggs to get stewing hens, unless you happen to come across them at a farmers market.

The liability of the stewing hen, that is her tough meat, is also her greatest asset. For none other than the stewing hen (or an aged rooster), can withstand the long slow cooking that it takes to make real Coq a Vin. These birds, because they have more dark meat and are older, also have way more flavor than the Cornish X broiler. They make superior stock and soup. That's not dissing the Cornish X, I love my Cornish X. I love raising them and I love eating them. But the birds are suited to different jobs and just have different assets they bring to the kitchen. Cornish X are tremendous birds for quick cooking and roasting. But the stewing hen is the foundation of many a great recipe.


Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 15:34:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

thanks (4.00 / 2)

I remember them too ( stewing chix)The first time I ever cooked for someone other than me was a stewing chicken that I thought was a "regular" chicken :)

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by: LeeN @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 16:43:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

LOL OOOPS! (4.00 / 2)

Did their teath bounce?

If I knew how to use the pressure cooker, I'd roast one of those stewing chickens and then finish it in the pressure cooker. We used to do that with squirrels. Because we didn't know which were the young ones and which were the old pensioners. So I'd cook them all the same and we had a plate for the tough ones. When we'd come across a tough one we'd set it on the plate and the next day Harold would run them through the pressure cooker. 15 minutes or less and they were melt in your mouth tender.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 19:11:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

no but it was inedible (4.00 / 2)

Lee

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by: LeeN @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 20:09:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

my dog (4.00 / 2)

http://twitpic.com/7864d2

this morning getting up the snow/ice encrusted back steps This winter is going to be hard for her

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by: LeeN @ Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 11:33:18 AM UTC

Saw "Forks Over Knives" last night (4.00 / 2)

The DVD just became available through netflix. Entertaining.

People with heart disease, diabetes and/or some cancers can heal themselves by eating a whole foods plant based diet. And people who eat a whole foods plant based diet can expect to avoid these diseases.

Features Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn with their research leading to the conclusion that animal products suck and so do processed foods.

Kate's sister who lives in Atlanta was very impressed by this film and has become vegan. Ozzy Osbourne recently became vegan after seeing the film. Bill Clinton became vegan after his heart arterial stint began clogging. Clinton wasn't featured in the film, and hasn't received much attention about his diet, but used the terms plant-based diet instead of vegan when referring to his change. The word vegan was nowhere to be seen or heard in the film, but that's OK. This clip is a great synopsis of the film:

Here's Bill Clinton talking about his plant-based diet.

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by: Crider @ Mon Oct 31, 2011 at 17:26:39 PM UTC

electronic versions (4.00 / 2)

The film is available at Amazon, $10 to purchase and download, $4 to rent ($13 to buy and $5 to rent at iTunes.)

The Kindle version of The China Study is $8, iBook version is $10.

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by: count @ Mon Oct 31, 2011 at 20:17:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Morgh e torsh... (4.00 / 2)

What I will be doing with the next chicken to come into my possession.

Sour chicken stew with herbs and split peas.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Mon Oct 31, 2011 at 23:40:27 PM UTC

Can you do that with a stweing hen? (4.00 / 2)

I'm searching for recipes to help sellmy stewing hens.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 02:06:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sure... (4.00 / 1)

After it's cooked the necessary way, I don't see why not?  Just cook it however it needs to be cooked, and then pretend they're leftovers.  ;)

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 04:05:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'll bet the breast meat and thigh meat (4.00 / 2)

would work good in that. A person could use the drumsticks, and the rest of the carcass to make stock, and then use that stock instead of water as the stewing liquid. Once the stock is made, the meat can be removed from the bones, and added to the stew right at the end (since that meat would already be cooked and fairly tender).

I'm going to have to make something like this over the weekend. I'll use a freshly butchered chicken (1-2 days old) and see if I can get away without having to age for a week.

I swear, as much as I love my Cornish X, the more I work with the stewing hens, for anything other than roasting or making fried chicken, those stewing hens rule.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 09:37:14 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

bet stewing hens would be good in a tagine (4.00 / 2)

that is cooked in the actual tagine.

"the Moroccan tagine is a classic example of form following function. Its distinctive lid allows for the constant return of condensation to the base, moistening ingredients and tenderizing tough fibers within the meat. And because it's crafted from durable cast iron, the tagine retains heat longer and cooks food more evenly and thoroughly"

Boy what I could do with your stewing hens.

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by: LeeN @ Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 12:07:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

A tagine sounds like a Moroccan dutch oven (4.00 / 2)

I'll bet you could do some fantastic things with those stewing hens. Especially with some strong spices. I think the stewing hens do better with those than the Cornish X do. The meat on those is so delicate in flavor that it can't stand up to strong spices. But those stewing hens, the meat's flavored more like duck or dove, especially the drums and thighs, but even the breast meat is way more strongly flavored. It's got what it takes to work right along side other strong flavors instead of getting overwhelmed and burried by them.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Tue Nov 01, 2011 at 17:11:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Orlando Brown death (4.00 / 2)

I thought the cause of death for footballer Orlando Brown wouldn't be determined for quite a while, but in fact the medical examiner's report was published a month ago.

Medical examiner: Orlando Brown died of diabetes complications

October 03, 2011
By Edward Lee

Orlando Brown, the Ravens offensive tackle known for his mean streak on the field and his loyalty off it, died from diabetic ketoacidosis.

The state medical examiner ruled that the 6-foot-7, 370-pound Brown died of an ailment common among diabetics and caused by high blood sugar and lack of insulin.

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by: count @ Wed Nov 02, 2011 at 18:33:25 PM UTC

Wow (4.00 / 2)

He was only 40 years old.

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by: Crider @ Wed Nov 02, 2011 at 23:45:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

His apartment/condo bldg (4.00 / 1)

is one of Baltimore's most expensive addresses. I'm surprised he wasn't managing his diabetes, but apparently that was the case.

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by: count @ Thu Nov 03, 2011 at 00:56:44 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Did he know he was diabetic? (4.00 / 2)

Lots of people have high blood sugar and don't know it. I think it's not a common test either, which is a shame since it's so easy to give.

I was the one who discovered that Harold was diabetic, and if it hadn't been for my folks giving me a test kit for Christmas we would never have known. I only tested him because I was so fascinated by the machine that I was testing everyone I could get ahold of. Harold had been acting irrational for quite some time, but it never occurred to me that it could be high blood sugar. When I tested him, his blood sugar level was over 350. As soon as I saw that I knew what was going on and between my dad and I we got him to see an endocrinologist. Harold didn't have a regular doc, and normally an endocrinologist won't see you unless you're referred. But dad and mom were both diabetic and got their doc to get Harold an appointment with the doc who eventually treated him for the rest of his life.

Diabetes is so common and the test is so cheap, just pennies really at least for a check right then and there, that it still boggles my mind that it's not a matter of course that a person's blood sugar is checked every time they go in for a physical.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Thu Nov 03, 2011 at 02:26:32 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Excellent point. (4.00 / 1)

You probably nailed the problem.

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by: count @ Thu Nov 03, 2011 at 04:16:09 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Wow (4.00 / 2)

I made salmi of goat last night. I actually put the goat meat in the marinade the night before and I caramelized the oninons then too. But I browned some mushrooms and put everything together with chopped tomatoes last night and stewed it for an hour or so.

Yup, goat's my favorite meat.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Thu Nov 03, 2011 at 15:33:22 PM UTC

Blue Bell again (4.00 / 1)

Senator Loses 50 Pounds, 140 Characters at a Time

By Sunlen Miller
ABC News
9 hrs ago

"Facing sweet dilemma. Tx Senators are paying off World Series bet with BlueBell ice cream in a few. I say spluge," McCaskill tweeted today, "I meant splurge. And yes I did. Chocolate. Yum. Of course just cause it was celebrating the best comeback it World Series history!"

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by: count @ Fri Nov 04, 2011 at 20:02:16 PM UTC

Pfffttt! (4.00 / 1)

"the best comeback it World Series history!"

My eye!

Senator McCaskill must be unfamiliar with the 1986 World Series, specifically Game Six.

;)

Let Vin Scully tell it...

"So the winning run is at second base, with two outs, three and two to Mookie Wilson. (A) little roller up along first... behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it!

(three minute broadcaster silence...)

"If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow!"

:-D

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 08:10:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

And speaking of unexpected comebacks! :) (4.00 / 1)

In honor of one of the great rivalries in college athletics, tomorrow's meeting between the University of Oregon Ducks and that team up north, the lossington huskies...

"Huard, he's gonna go back to throw the ball...

"Sets up, looks, throws toward the corner of the endzone it is... INTERCEPTED!  Intercepted! The Ducks have the ball!  Down to the 35, the 40...

"Kenny Wheaton's gonna score!  Kenny Wheaton is gonna score!

"Twenty, the ten... touchdown!  Kenny Wheaton, on the interception!  A most improbable finish to the football game!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

:-D

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 08:21:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

And Happy Birthday, Jill! (4.00 / 1)

Anybody have a cake or anything?

I hear that Jill doesn't get older, she gets better!

:-D

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 08:37:11 AM UTC

This is intriguing... (4.00 / 1)

Watching this is a bit... fascinating?

The Left Blogosphere is alight tonight with righteous fury at the driver in Washington DC who ran over protestors at the local Occupy event in his SUV and didn't even get as much as a slap on the wrist.

They're dumbfounded that somebody could run people over with their motor vehicle and get away with it.  My question - don't these folks read the papers or watch the teevee news?  Does the phrase "the driver remained at the scene and was not charged" ring a bell?  It should.  It's repeated dozens of times a day all across the country.

I haven't commented much on this lately, but long time members here surely recall that this used to be one of my regular... themes, I guess you'd say?  How often this happens in America, and how disgusting it is.  Well if nothing else, maybe this will help bring some much needed awareness to the issue.  Let's hope these folks can bring the same outrage next time it happens to a cyclist on his way home from work or to their neighbor who was walking across the street to the grocery store, etc etc.

The all-too-common ghost bikes around here were all ridden by the 99%.  The woman who was killed just up the street, crossing Powell last year, was of the 99%.  Brett Jarolimek was the 99%.

And on and on and on...

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 11:35:47 AM UTC

The driver wasn't cited (4.00 / 1)

because the protesters were in the wrong. The report said that one of the protesters jumped on the hood of the vehicle. They either ran toward or jumped in front of the vehicle. If I was in that situation, I'd run over them too. I'd do it to get away from people who were threatening me. If that indeed was the casse then there is absolutely no way that the driver should be cited.

My brother was in just such a situation in NE Portland once late at night about 25 years ago. It was around 2AM and he was coming home from a friend's house. He stopped for a light and three men came into the intersection. Two flanked the car and a third stood in front. All three started pounding on the hood as well as grabbing the car and pushing it up and down while shouting profanities at him. He didn't wait for the light to change as there wasn't any cross traffic. He put the car in gear and held the clutch in while revving the engine. While he did that he pointed at each of the assailants and then pointed away, indicating that they could move or get run over. Two of the three moved, the third got his feet run over when my brother popped the clutch and got out of there.

If I was in the same situation that that driver was in, I'd run over the protesters to get away too. I ain't into hurting people unnedessarily, but I've watched too many crowds get ahold of someone in a vehicle like this and at the very least damage the vehicle if not pull the driver out and beat the crap out of them. The driver was justified in defending him/her self by getting out of there even if someone did get run over.

Here's a tip for people - don't want to get run over? Don't step into traffic when you have the red light. Also, don't jump on the hood of someone's vehicle.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 16:12:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Right. (4.00 / 1)

And if you believe that 'report,' I have a friend in Brooklyn who has shares in a local bridge you may be interested in purchasing...

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 17:26:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hey, I'm only going on the information you gave me (4.00 / 1)

if you believe that the report was false, why post it? Having been in a couple of accidents I'm familiar with how the police behave in a situation like this. I'm also aware that the driver can be charged later.

There were apparently witnesses, the police should have questioned at least some of them. If the witnesses indicated that the driver intentionally ran these people down, then the driver would have been cited on the spot with the possibility of more charges being brought later.

Even if the people struck hadn't jumped on the vehicle, if the vehicle had the green and the pedestrians didn't and they ran out in front of the vehicle and got hit, they are at fault and not the driver. There is no way that the driver should be charged with anything, although the driver's insurance will have to pay any medical bills incurred by the people who got hit. Even though they were at fault.

You know, that's why we have things like traffic lights and cross walk signals. It's to prevent things happening  like pedestrians running into the road or stepping out infront of a vehicle that can't stop because they're too close.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 18:54:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Agreed! (4.00 / 1)

These silly folks, tens of thousands of whom go out and become victims of motor vehicle violence in America every year.  What they need to do is stop getting hit by so many poor people driving cars!  They were askin' for it, being outside and not encased in thousands of pounds of glass and steel!

"They came from out of nowhere, officer!"

"They jumped right under my wheels, officer, I didn't even see them!"

I obviously don't believe any of this, but hey.  It's sad that we can't even agree on something as simple as "cars should never be used as a deadly weapon against other people."

;)

Last word's yours, have at it.

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by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 21:06:04 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

By using the statement (4.00 / 1)

"Motor vehicle violence" you appear to think that the only reason anyone would hit a pedestrian is because they intentionally want to hurt someone.

That ain't the case Jay. I would argue that the oposite is the case.

Other than in the very rare case, cars are NOT useds as a deadly weapon against people.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 22:23:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Here is a story from (4.00 / 2)

USA Today that says the driver was cited and released. It appears the investigation is ongoing.

The protestor quoted in this article says they were standing in the street and the driver gunned the car and ran them over. It does not sound like this was like what your brother experienced, Joanne. Had I been in Pete's situation ( you just have the one brother, right?) I quite likely would have done what he did. This, though, is very different. I don't care if the light is screaming green, you don't run into people on purpose.

More than once I have yielded to pedestrians. Where is the sense in hitting them? And if, as it seems happened here, you come upon people standing in the street, absent a real assault on you and you car, it is never okay to run into them. Never. That action is using your car as a weapon. And that is never legal, no matter what color the traffic light.

This is not a situation where the driver was tooling down the street and people suddenly darted in front of him.

There are times when a car hits a person and the driver is not at fault. Someone dashes in front of the car, a kid chases a ball, a bike rider runs a stop sign or traffic light. People cross in the middle of a dark road at night wearing dark clothing. These are sad, very sad, but usually not the car driver's fault.  This D.C. case does not sound at all like these.

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by: caseyOR @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 21:47:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

There is also this quote from a witness (4.00 / 1)

"They probably thought the driver would either stop or be able to stop, but it didn't appear that was the case."

So, which is it?

It could be either that the driver, wanting to hurt people in the road and not caring if they were hurt or not, or a person or people who deliberately put themselves in the path of a moving vehicle and the driver wasn't able to stop in time.

Which is it? We probably won't ever know because the media probably won't follow up.

If the protesters who were hit were in the road and the driver could have stopped, then it's the driver's fault. If the protesters moved in front of the vehicle and the driver didn't have time to stop, then it's the protesters' fault for getting hit.

As to the driver gunning the engine, I've got a take on that. My pickup is a stick. It luggs in first gear, even worse if I start moving in second. The ONLY way I can get the truck to move from a stop is to gun the engine and then slowly let out the clutch. That would easily be seen as an agressive move by a pedestrian if I'm getting ready to move forward as they clear the cross walk.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Nov 05, 2011 at 22:20:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

USA Today article (4.00 / 1)

Whatever that article said when you posted the link, it now says the driver was not cited and will not be charged.

From another article:

Occupy DC protesters ticketed after jumping in front of car

Police and Occupy DC protesters clashed during a heated protest Friday night outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and three protesters were ticketed after jumping in front of a moving vehicle.
...

One driver thought he saw a gap in the ranks of the protesters and accelerated at a green light, according to police.

Did people "jump in front of a moving vehicle"? An accelerating moving vehicle? Sounds screwy to me. I'd like to know who that driver is. I'd also like to see YouTube of the incident. In any case, far as I know, a green light does not legalize a driver's accelerating in hopes of getting through an imaginary "gap" in pedestrian traffic.

I'm familiar with that venue and the surrounding area, which is well lighted at night. Even at meetings of allegedly sedate and responsible academics and professionals, the streets and sidewalks are full of people who aren't necessarily obeying all traffic signals, and drivers are well advised to be more attentive to human beings than traffic lights.

Furthermore, at this event more than events I have attended, the police presence undoubtedly was more robust than usual. My vote, the cops screwed up. I'm reminded of the early confrontation at the National Air and Space Museum, when a journalist for a conservative magazine joined the protestors and attacked a cop so he would have something to write about.

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by: count @ Sun Nov 06, 2011 at 21:09:00 PM UTC

[ Parent ]