The Squirrel's Nut Cache - 9/30/2010

The Nut Cache - a collection of recent things I found interesting, or amusing, or nutworthy.

Everybody likes practical clothing, right? Things like jackets with sleeves that zip off so that the jacket becomes a vast, or pants with legs that zip off to make shorts. Useful things. Practical things. Things with multiple uses. Things like… A bra they can be used as a gas mask. Yes, that’s right, a gas mask. Actually, two gas masks. Yes, it’s the Emergency Bra! For just $29.95 you can have a bra that, in an emergency, can be converted into two gas masks. Who knows, it might be a bestseller, or it may just be a bust…

OK, so this one’s funny. Its last Thursday morning, and I’m sitting in my office. I am taking a break from my studies and my sermon preparation and I’m reading through the wire services (I’m always looking for stuff for the Nut Cache) and I see this story on the AP from the town where I went to high school; Frenchtown, Montana. It’s a story about a woman who drove off a bear with a zucchini. Well, immediately I went to the Missoulian’s website to get the local story… They got nothing. A couple hours later it pops up on the BBC’s feed, but still nothing at the Missoulian. About an hour after the BBC had the story, it finally shows up on the Missoulian’s web page… As a reprint of the original AP wire story! The next day, the Missoulian did finally have a local story about the bear and the zucchini. It’s a strange world where a story like that shows up and London before it shows up just 20 miles away!

I guess it’s an instinct that when you’re scared you run to some place where you feel safe. Birds head for the sky, animals head for their burrows, little kids run for home, and drug dealers, it seems, head for their stash… which just may not be the best place to run to when the cops are after you. It seems that two California drug dealers led the police straight to the warehouse where some 700 pounds of marijuana was being processed by 17 other people. OK, say it with me, “That’s why they call it ‘dope’!”

And here is another dopey story. It seems that the operator of an illegal marijuana growing operation is suing the landlord of the property he was renting and where he was operating the aforementioned illegal marijuana farm. It seems that, according to the complaint, the landlord failed to provide adequate security for the premises where the pot was being grown. It seems that the building got burglarized, and $35,000 worth of marijuana was stolen. The farmer claims that he was growing the pot for medical uses, but it seems he did not have any of the necessary licenses or authorizations required to be a legal medical marijuana producer. It will be interesting to see how this case turns out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the court determined that he was just blowing smoke…

The man comes home after an evening at the pub and having consumed perhaps a pint or two too many and tells his wife that there is a pink cat in the yard. Of course, the man’s wife easily dismisses the report of a pink cat in the yard as the ravings of a man who has consumed perhaps a pint or two too many. But, alas, the pink cat was very real. At first it was assumed that the colored kitty was the victim of some sort of prank (perhaps by some deranged communist?). Veterinarians who examined the animal determined her to be quite healthy, happy, and friendly to people. They also determined that the dye job had been done quite careful and skillfully – not exactly the work you expect from some prankster. Well it turns out that the cat, whose name, we now know, is “Oi! Kitty”, is the beloved pet of 22-year-old Natasha Gregory, who just happens to be inordinately fond of the color pink. Officials have determined that there was no abuse of the animal in this case, and so “Oi! Kitty” is now happily reunited with her owner, Natasha Gregory, and everything is just in the pink…

And the Nuttiness goes on and on...

Dearborn Four Found "Not Guilty"

And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

But Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." (Acts 5:27-32)

It was with great pleasure that I read the following press release from Michigan State Representative Tom McMillin:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2010

State Representative Tom McMillin

State Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) had the following statement regarding the verdicts given in the trial of the four Christian missionaries arrested at the Dearborn Arab American Festival:

Today in Dearborn, the jury got it mostly right in finding Paul, David and Nabeel innocent of disturbing the peace. The city of Dearborn, the Dearborn Police and especially the Dearborn Mayor owe them a huge apology immediately.

However the guilty decision for Negeen Mayel's charge of failure to obey a police officer is extremely disturbing to me. I met with the ACLU here in Michigan recently to make sure we had good laws protecting citizens' right to video police officers and their activity and they said we have the model for other states. But based on today's decision, it seems that police in Michigan can get cameras turned off before doing questionable things (like making an arrest that was just found to be bogus by the jury). And how did the police have the right to tell Negeen Mayel to turn off her video camera and how can he touch her....for what reason? The video she took made it clear the police stepped way out of bounds.

Now - for all this charade, the city of Dearborn needs to be dealt with firmly....unless they plan to try to secede from the union and have their own laws. This is the United States of America and we here in the USA have something called Freedom of Speech. Dearborn - get used to it!

If you’re not familiar with this case, it involves four Christians; Nabeel Qureshi, Negeen Mayel, Paul Rezkalla, and David Wood; who were arrested at an Arab Festival in Dearborn Michigan for preaching the gospel to Muslims. Police reports indicated that the actions of the four Christians were inciting the crowd and could possibly have led to a riot. Videos taken by the four, however, showed quite clearly that they were engaged in peaceful exchanges with people who wished to speak with them. In fact, it was quite clear from the video that Nabeel Qureshi, in particular, exhibited great patience and skill in defusing hostilities and avoiding pointless arguments.


I am not at all surprised at this acquittal. Actually, I’m still dealing with a sense of unbelief that the charges were not dropped weeks ago, as soon as the videos taken by the four were made public, since the videos clearly showed that the charges being brought were false.

I join Representative McMillin in being disturbed by the conviction of Negeen Mayel for failure to obey a police officer, and I fully expect her conviction to be overturned on appeal.

I have long been, and continue to be, a strong supporter of law enforcement; however any authority can be abused. Citizens are only required to obey the lawful orders of law enforcement personnel. If, for example, a police officer ordered you to rob a bank, you would be correct to disobey such an order, since the police officer has no lawful authority to order you to disobey the law. Indeed, “I was just following orders” was not considered a valid defense for the Nazis to use for their illegal and immoral actions at the Nuremberg trials, was it?

Ever since the broadcast of the Rodney King video tapes, and the subsequent trial of the officers involved, there have been those in law enforcement who do not want their actions recorded. Yet it is clear to me that such recordings do more to protect the rights of free citizens than just about anything else, including the presence of eyewitnesses.

Since it should’ve been clear, and most likely was to the police officers involved, that their actions in arresting Nabeel Qureshi, Negeen Mayel, Paul Rezkalla, and David Wood were not lawful, it is understandable why they would not want those actions recorded. But their desire to not be recorded as they violated the Constitutional rights of American citizens makes Negeen Mayel’s refusal to obey their unlawful orders that much more heroic.

And yet, despite this acquittal by a jury, Dearborn officials continue to issue statements such as this one from Mayor O’Reilly, as reported by the Detroit Free Press:

Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly Jr. said Friday night that he respects the decision, but the missionaries were anti-Muslim bigots pulling a publicity stunt to gain attention on YouTube in order to raise money.

"It's really about a hatred of Muslims," O'Reilly said. "That is what the whole heart of this is. ... Their idea is that there is no place for Muslims in America. They fail to understand the Constitution."

Mayor Riley is certainly right about one thing, someone is failing to understand the Constitution!

I continue to follow the story, and I look forward to someday soon being able to rejoice in Negeen Mayel’s eventual and inevitable acquittal!

The Squirrel Can Cook - Chicken Curry Wraps

The word “curry” to most of us means exotic spices from India. The word actually means “gravy” or “stew” and refers to a dish with a spicy sauce, and not to the spices themselves. In fact types of curry are popular all across South Asia, and each culture uses different spice blends.

Be that as it may, most “curry powder” that we buy in America are a distinctly Indian blend of cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, and other spices that we got by way of our British cousins. What we think of as “curry” is actually an Anglo-Indian fusion of flavors.

This is a very basic and quick curry that is great served over hot rice. We’re going to take that Anglo-Indian fusion just a little bit further by wrapping our chicken curry and rice in a warm flour tortilla.

Our ingridents are:

1 pound of chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into large pieces
1 14-ounce can of low-sodium chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 Tablespoon of curry powder
1 teaspoon of dried mustard
½ teaspoon of ground ginger
2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour
(Not pictured) 3 Cups of cooked rice
(Not pictured) warm flour tortillas (burrito size)

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in you cast iron skillet and cook your chicken over medium-high heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until the pieces are cooked through and the outsides are just beginning to brown. Remove the chicken and set it aside.

Reduce heat to medium; add another tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic with the ½ teaspoon of ground ginger until the onions are tender and slightly translucent.


Now add the two Tablespoons of flour and stir to combine, and then add the chicken broth, curry powder, and dry mustard. Return the cooked chicken to the skillet, bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat.

Into a warm tortilla, spoon 1 cup of cooked rice and 1 cup of the chicken curry and wrap using a “burrito wrap”


Should make 6 to 8 wraps, how many you eat is entirely up to you! Enjoy!

The Squirrel shall not live by bread NUTS alone!

The Squirrel's Nut Cache - 9/23/2010

The Nut Cache - a collection of recent things I found interesting, or amusing, or nutworthy.

They say that all is fair in love and war, but, it seems, all is not fair in love and police work. Officer Jason Moore and his accomplices, two police dispatchers, were fired from the Fort Myers Police Department after it was learned that they faked a crime report so that Officer Moore could meet up with his ex-girlfriend, Officer Chelsea Berden, who, it seems, didn’t want to talk to him. (Huh? I wonder why?...) "Officer Moore apologized for his actions and stated that he was in love with Officer Berden and just wanted to talk to her." Well, now Officer Moore is out both a girlfriend and a job. OK, here is Squirrel’s advice for lovesick police officers: get a clue!

Ah, the perils and pitfalls of a pluralistic society… Have you ever heard of the “Church of Body Modification”? ("The Church of Body Modification represents a collection of members practicing ancient and modern body modification rites. We believe these rites are essential to our spirituality. Practicing body modification and engaging in body manipulation rituals strengthen the bond between mind, body, and soul. By doing so, we ensure that we live as spiritually complete and healthy individuals." I'll not link to their site. Google if you must...) I hadn’t either. Nor, it seems, had the officials of Clayton High School in rural North Carolina, when they disciplined 14-year-old Ariana for violating the school’s dress code by displaying her visible nose piercing. It seems that young Ariana and her mother belong to the aforementioned “religious” organization, and are claiming that Ariana’s First Amendment rights to freedom of religion have been violated. The American Civil Liberties Union has now contacted the school district to express their support of young Ariana’s predicament. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out in the courts, if it gets that far. (Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this one. We can discuss it in the comments if you wish...)

“We have 10 wayward gnomes here,” said Helena Police Chief Troy McGee. The gnomes were found along the trail near Helena, Montana. None of the 10 gnomes match the descriptions of gnomes known to be wanted by the police. Chief McGee encouraged anyone missing a gnome to contact the Helena Police Department. Nobody knows where these garden gnomes roamed…

So, you want to teach your parishioners that God can be found in places other than the pews of the church building. Excellent idea. A truth that needs to be communicated. So you plan to conduct a service on a nice peaceful beach along the lake… During goose season… Goose hunting season… “All of a sudden, a few of us noticed just three geese flying by and right then, bam, bam, bam. One of the geese falls in the water,” said the Rev. Timothy Schenck, who is the rector of the Episcopal church. Now, Rev. Schenck and some of his parishioners are pressing the town to ban hunting on that beach. Now, me, I would have just asked the congregation to turn to Genesis 9:3 and given thanks to God for providing recreation for the hunters and food for them and their families!

In the Pacific Northwest, the humidity is often high… In fact “cold and damp” are the most heard adjectives used to describe conditions along the coast. Because of these cold and damp conditions, people’s feet rarely leave their socks, and their sock-clad feet rarely leave their shoes. When feet do leave their shoes, a pungent aroma is often detected. When the aromatic feet in question belong to an 18 year-old-girl, a young man would be advised to make no remarks about the aforementioned odor. The girls here in the Pacific Northwest are tough – tough, but sensitive. Insult their smelly feet at your own risk.

And the Nuts just keep piling up...