Memories of Ogden - Golden hour, Swamis © Robert Sommers 2026
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Eternally Grateful
I looked at Padres Brewers tickets for next week and just don't think I can afford to go again. Anybody with a spare ticket that they don't want to eat, please let me know. I will certainly contribute.
Sizzling
.jpeg)
We have been doing our nonstick cooking with a teflon pan that has seen better days and frankly, is no longer safe.
I did some research and NYT Wirecutter really liked the inexpensive but super nonstick OXO Obsidian carbon steel pan.
The OXO Obsidian Carbon Steel Frypan with Silicone Sleeve is slick, lightweight, well balanced, and comfortable to grip. It’s one of the very few carbon steel pans we tested that were slick enough to fry an egg without sticking, right out of the box. It also produced a stack of fluffy pancakes, crispy-skinned chicken breasts, golden sautéed carrots, and a perfect soft scramble with ease.
This is an excellent carbon steel pan for all home cooks. But for those who are new to carbon steel and are looking for an alternative to nonstick-coated cookware, it’s an especially good choice because it comes ready to cook, no preseasoning required, and its silicone handle cover provides a comfortable grip.
Their favorite in fact. What the hell, why not? Carbon steel has been the European standard for a long time.
I would give it a shot. Under sixty bucks.
It showed up today. Just gave it its first rinse and dry. I have never used carbon steel before. Fried up an egg in it. Worked like a charm.
I had heard a false rumor that it was tough on glass cooktops but that was debunked.
I know that you can't or shouldn't put too much overly acid things in them like lemon, tomatoes and vinegar. They get a funny metallic taste.
They should not be overheated or allowed to scratch the cooktop surface. This one is pre-seasoned and supposedly incredibly nonstick out of the box.
I had heard that it was a bit light but this 10" pan feels nicely weighted to me.
I don't think it will be much different than my Le Creuset skillet, although a bit more forgiving, I don't ever put soap in that one. Just baking soda in a pinch. Keep them oiled and seasoned. You can even use metal spatulas and tools with it.
If you are an old hand with carbon steel and have a good tip on its use, please comment.
Grifter in Chief
Immigration is such a hot button issue in this country right now. We certainly have the right to have secure borders but the immigration system that brought all of our forefathers (except you Native Americans) here is terribly broken and neither party has the political will and capital to fix it.
The Stephen Miller, Nazi like, let's throw the immigrant children out before they get any bigger attitude is beyond reprehension. Disgusting man.
Stephen Miller is leading an unprecedented and intense White House drive across a host of government departments to accelerate the removal of undocumented immigrant children from the US, using tactics that critics say are cruel and racist and, in some cases, flout federal law, the Guardian has learned.As deputy chief of staff at the White House, focused on immigration policy, Miller is seen as the mastermind and enforcer behind Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigration agenda.He is directing a whole-of-government approach that has been ramping up throughout Trump’s second term and is targeting a vulnerable population of undocumented children. Many abruptly find themselves denied access to legal immigration pathways in the US, with their applications fast-tracked and then rejected before being forced out of the country.
West Virginia Senator Jim Justice serves on the Senate Ag committee.
He now complains that ranching groups are telling him that Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma are costing cattlemen millions of dollars and choking supply chains. And that might even mean he loses a key voting block, egads.
Now these people like to talk about Jesus but their real god is money and this type of enforcement action is going to be hard to sell when it hits their wallets. One thing to do it in Minneapolis...
Ice has struck hard at meatpackers in Kansas, especially Dodge City. Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall is trying to put the brakes on without ruffling Trump, saying that ICE has to now coordinate with local law enforcement before commencing actions.
This is hitting way too close to home for the longtime Trump ass kisser, who is real danger of getting defrocked and losing his job.
Kansas, which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932 and has long been considered a GOP stronghold in federal elections, was recently moved from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican" by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
An Emerson College poll conducted September 15-16 found Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton leading Republican Sen. Roger Marshall 45 percent to 43 percent among Kansas voters surveyed.
Truth is that agriculture in this country will dry up and wilt without foreign labor, either temporary, legal or illegal.
Sorry Republican heartlanders, neither poor black people or poor white people are going to pick your crops at this point, no matter how hungry they get. They have lost the ability to work hard at manual farm labor. I know that you are yearning for the dust bowl times but that just ain't happening at present.
Blame what you want, video games, ADHD, permissive parents, I could care less. We have tried that. And all the trades are now suffering, not just farming. Texas latinos are now deserting Trump in droves.
Farmers and ranchers, most of whom voted for the orange one, are caught in a triple quadruple whammy, tariffs, foreign imports, the cost of diesel and the cost of fertilizer, much of which comes from Canada, the new "worst" country on earth.
The Chinese are in no mood to buy soybeans from a man who demonizes them in such a public fashion, rightly or wrongly. And the American farmers mostly shut their mouths and those that don't go bankrupt can wait for the next fat government bailout check.
What I find funny is that for all the talk about immigrants, Trump wants to sell a card for umpteen dollars that will let them come to this country.
For a mere million bucks you can get a Trump Gold Card that will give you free passage. Plus fees of course.
Or you can go platinum if you are in the higher tier. It is almost comical but unfortunately true.
Foreign nationals can sign up now and secure their places on the waiting list for the Trump Platinum Card. When launched, and upon receipt of a $15,000 DHS processing fee and $5 million contribution, they will have the ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income.
Immigrants are all criminals, degenerates and subversives except of course for the ones that stick big money in our pocket. Come on in!
*
Yesterday Trump was miffed about the court’s ruling on birthright citizenship in June, which upholds the Constitution’s guarantee that those born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. In the 6-3 decision, Coney Barrett ruled that Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship violated the 14th Amendment. Kavanaugh concurred while Gorsuch dissented.
“It’s unfortunate what they did—not to me, to our country,” Trump told Time.
“Birthright citizenship. It’s becoming a major industry now,” the president claimed. “People are making millions and millions of dollars, and we’re losing trillions of dollars. And it’s become a corrupt business, all because of the Supreme Court decision.
Listen too him, he is not upset that about babies getting born here, he is sad that he is missing out on the grift. Someone is making shady money without him. Horrors!
And that is something he will not stand for.
*
*
This is my favorite - Trump Reprograms Government AI Chatbot to Stop Fact-Checking His Lies
After the tool’s launch on Tuesday, if you asked whether there was “widespread voter fraud” in the 2020 election, the chatbot would state that “No. Official findings did not show widespread voter fraud that changed the 2020 presidential election result.” On Wednesday, however, the chatbot refused to answer, CNN’s Daniel Dale wrote on X.
“I help with official U.S. government services and information. I do not provide political commentary. If you have a question about a federal program, benefit, form, or how to use a government service, ask that and I can point you to official sources,” the chatbot now replies.
The platform provided the same answer to a question about whether Trump had truly inherited the “worst inflation in history,” even though it had originally stated that inflation was not at a “historic high,” Dale posted on X.
Facts are so inconvenient, so political. So are lies, evidently.
Bad behavior
There's a good article at the New York Times on settlers in Israel not letting Palestinians back into their homes on the West Bank. The far right settlers are supposedly stopping Israeli soldiers from helping the Palestinians return.
The military said in a statement that soldiers had been unable to permanently return the family to their home, but also noted that troops had stopped a more serious incident from taking place. After the family entered the home, the military said, more than 100 “rioters” arrived and “severe violence” started, with rocks thrown at security forces, roads blocked and tires set on fire. The military said that additional personnel had been called in to try to disperse the settlers and that those forces had intervened to prevent the family from being harmed.
Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has soared, according to U.N. data, especially since the start of the Gaza war, which was ignited by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. So far in 2026, at least 23 Palestinians have been killed in incidents linked to clashes with settlers, according to the U.N. humanitarian office.
Netanyahu is continually minimizing settler violence but I think it is perpetuated by a handshake deal and a wink with the Israeli government. And I for one, think that it is disgusting.
There are some very good comments here but this one caught my eye particularly:
Brown Bombers
I watched it on Peacock.
Looking forward to the Brewers series.
Everything seems to be clicking right at the moment.
As for the Cubs:
Crow-Armstrong, who could be the unanimous NL MVP, went 0-for-7 across the two games against San Diego, striking out four times in the process. Bregman, the veteran leader in the clubhouse, went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts as well.
Hey Chicago, don't focus on that. Be happy that you actually scored a run.
*
That loud noise you hear in the background? That's all the Cub fans who have suddenly become South Siders. Go Sox.
*
Some faint but snarky praise from up Dodger's way.
Ultimately, it's bad news for the Dodgers that the Padres are moving on (though we can probably trust Milwaukee to make quick work of them), but it's still delightful that they helped to silence a common enemy.
Quick work of them? We swept Milwaukee at home this year in three games, 4-2 overall.
*
No way Palencia didn't intend to hit Cronenworth in the back last night after the Sheets home run. What an a-hole.
Speaking of Sheets, everyone is acting like the home run was a surprise. He did the same thing four days ago against the D-Backs. Guy is so strong.