Video by Philip Robert

Roll35.com is imminent. We will be launching today, today, today, today, ok, maybe tomorrow. We’re working our tails off and the site will be live soon. Roll35.com the Social Networking Publishing Company of the 21st Century.

The Charles
Schulz Philosophy

The
following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz,
the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic
strip.

You don’t
have to actually answer the questions. Just
ponder on them. Just read the post straight
through, and you’ll get the
point.

1. Name the
five wealthiest people in the
world.

2. Name the
last five Heisman trophy
winners.

3. Name the
last five winners of the Miss America
pageant.

4. Name ten
people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer
Prize.

5. Name the
last half dozen Academy Award winners for best
actor and actress…

6. Name the
last decade’s worth of World Series
winners.

How did you
do?

The point
is, none of us remember the headliners of
yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields. But the
applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are
forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried
with their owners.

Here’s
another quiz. See how you do on this
one:

1. List a
few teachers who aided your journey through
school.

2. Name
three friends who have helped you through a
difficult time.

3. Name
five people who have taught you something
worthwhile.

4. Think of
a few people who have made you feel appreciated
and special!

5. Think of
five people you enjoy spending time
with.

Easier?

The
lesson:

The people
who make a difference in your life are not the
ones with the most credentials.. the most
money… or the most awards. They simply are the
ones who care the most!

Pass this
on to those people who have made a difference in
your life, like I did.

“Don’t
worry about the world coming to an end today.
It’s already tomorrow in Australia
!”

“Be
Yourself, Everyone Else Is
Taken!”

Dave spent 9 months wrestling with United Airlines over the damage to his $3500 Taylor Guitar with United stalling and blocking all his attempts. Finally Dave told the final United representative that he was going to write and distribute three songs worldwide about his experience.

Here’s the first video:

This is really a pretty sad commentary on the level of customer service at United Airlines. In Dave’s version of the story he tried to talk to three United employees on the ground in Chicago when the incident happened. Their response was to duck their responsibilities and avoid listening to the complaint.

Dave’s video is fun. It takes a great poke at United Airlines, and they’ve apparently apologized for the incident. Better yet Dave’s music has now come to the attention of a much larger audience with his youtube video going viral in a matter of only 3 days.

As I’ve recently come to appreciate Acoustic Guitars can be highly personal. Musicians take great care of their instruments. The more they play them, the more worn they become, the more they’re cared for. To have one damaged in this manner with complete disregard by a company such as United is a travesty.

Maybe Dave will buy a new (or used) Taylor guitar online. He probably won’t fly United again for a long time.

Last month I posted about magic coke bottles, and received a comment asking for the secret. There really isn’t a secret, it’s all about balance.

Glass coke bottles are some of the most distinctive soda bottles ever devised. The hourglass shape combined with a series of ridges around the bottle make this trick possible.

The top bottle’s edge is set into the valley between two ridges on the middle bottle which is laying on its side on top of the bottom bottle. When you look at the entire contraption from the side you’ll see that all of the bottles line up through the center, and the top bottle is tilted on edge.

I’ve discovered that 16oz bottles work better than 8oz bottles. These little buggers were tricky.

My big brother David used to do this trick all the time. He taught me how, and now whenever I find empty coke bottles its a fun way to amaze people. How does it work? It’s Magic

The first time I saw this commercial I thought to myself Does KFC think we’re stupid? If you go into the grocery store to buy all the ingredients required to make this meal then yes, you’re going to spend more than $10. That’s not what you’re going to spend to make that meal though. With 5lbs of flour you’ve got enough flour to do this meal ten times!

Kurt Michael Friese has a great article at Grist.org where he takes on the KFC challenge and breaks it down to a cost of $7.94 for the meal with 3 extra pieces of chicken and a chicken carcass to make soup (or gumbo) with later.

I have to agree with everything Kurt says in this article except for his comment where you can make red beans and rice in 30 minutes. Not the way I make em!

I don’t particularly care for fried chicken so here’s a great recipe for french chicken in a pot from Cooks Illustrated.

Serves 4. Published January 1, 2008. From Cook’s Illustrated.

The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4 1/2- to 5-pound bird. A 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-pound chicken will take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pound bird will take close to 2 hours. We developed this recipe to work with a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds. Use the best chicken available, such as a Bell & Evans. If using a kosher chicken, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt). If you choose not to serve the skin with the chicken, simply remove it before carving. The amount of jus will vary depending on the size of the chicken; season it with about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice for every 1/4 cup.
Ingredients
1 whole roasting chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back (see note)
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion , chopped medium (about 1/2 cup)
1 small stalk celery , chopped medium (about 1/4 cup)
6 medium garlic cloves , peeled and trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
1/2 – 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.

2. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about 3/4 cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Serve chicken, passing jus at table.

What do you think about the KFC challenge?