Monthly Archives: July 2020

VOTING BY MAIL.

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It is very hard to vote by mail in some states, especially in the South. In Mississippi, you have to have an excuse for requesting an absentee ballot, your reason has to be accepted by a state official, and you have to make your request at least 30 before the election. Mississippi also has an unusual 2-tier voting system. It was put in the state Constitution in 1890 for the purpose of preventing African-Americans from getting elected to statewide office. The stated purpose of the 2-tier voting system was: “to secure to the State of Mississippi White Supremacy.” It seems hard to believe that laws like this are still the law in the South. Here in California, voting by mail is easy, and this year it will be even easier. In May, Governor Newsom ordered that every registered voter in California be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot prior to the November election. If you haven’t already registered to vote for the November election, you can do so by mail or phone. Just go to the website of the California Secretary of State.


How Medieval Is Mississippi? Last year, 1 in 14 students in Mississippi public schools was subjected to corporal punishment. Corporal punishment offenses include: failing to turn in homework, failing to tuck in your shirt, and laughing in a hallway. In 2019, the Mississippi state legislature passed a new law prohibiting teachers from beating physically disabled students. Think about that – until last year, schoolteachers in Mississippi were allowed to beat disabled children! Mississippi’s laws and ‘traditions’ have not enriched the people of the state or improved their lives. Mississippi is the poorest state in the U.S. Per capita income is $20,000 a year, about half the per capita income of California. Mississippi also has the lowest life expectancy of any state. Average life expectancy in Mississippi is 75. In California, it is 82. This difference is largely due to obesity and tobacco use. Mississippi has the second highest obesity rate in the U.S., 37% of the population. Cigarette taxes in Mississippi are among the lowest in the U.S., and smoking is permitted by state law nearly everywhere, including bars, restaurants, stores, day care centers, and doctor’s offices.

FACE MASK ‘TYRANNY.’

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Nobody complains when their kid’s school conducts mass shooting drills.

Nobody complains when their kid’s school installs metal detectors and requires everyone entering the school to go through them.

Nobody complains when their kid’s school installs bulletproof classroom doors, doors that are locked from the inside at the start of class.

Nobody complains when their kid’s school hires poorly paid security guards with guns. (We don’t have armed guards at the school where I teach, but the school’s mascot is a ferocious cartoon bulldog.)

Nobody complains about ads in their kid’s school newspaper for bulletproof backpacks and hoodies.

But what happens when people go to big box stores with their kids to buy those bulletproof backpacks? Clerks stop people at the door and tell them that they have to put on face masks in order to enter the store. Then people go nuts. They shout that this is tyranny and say that they have a Constitutional right to go into a store without wearing a face mask. Sometimes they also physically assault the store clerks. Then they are thrown out of the store and have to buy their bulletproof backpacks elsewhere. We don’t have any big box stores here in Berkeley, but you can buy bulletproof backpacks at Bed, Bath, and Beyond at El Cerrito Plaza. Bulletproof Backpacks.

The Constitution. There is nothing in the Constitution about face masks. It is amazing what some people think is in the Constitution. For example, the majority of Americans believe that the Constitution requires that the President has to be born in the United States, but that isn’t true. The President of the United States can be born anywhere in the world. Lots of presidential candidates were born in foreign countries. John McCain ran for president against Barack Obama. McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, which was never part of the United States. Ted Cruz ran for president in 2016, and he was born in Canada. George Romney, Mitt Romney’s father ran for president in 1968. As a child, George Romney faced a lot of discrimination because he was born in Mexico. When he went to school in Los Angeles, other children taunted him by calling him ‘Mex’, but when George Romney ran for president, the fact that he was born in Mexico was not an issue. In 1968, the frontrunners for the Republican nomination for president were Romney and Nixon. The Republicans chose Nixon. After Watergate, a lot of them regretted that they didn’t pick Romney.

Mark’s Face Mask Advice. If you don’t wear a face mask because you fear that your brain won’t get enough oxygen and that you will become irrational, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but that horse is already out of the barn.

SALES OF $100 CHOCOLATE BARS ARE COLLAPSING.

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Due to the Covid epidemic, sales of very expensive chocolate bars have fallen off the cliff. Chocolate bars that sell for $100 or more are mostly sold in places that are now closed, places like luxury resorts, cruise ships, and duty-free shops. However, you can still buy most of these products online. Here’s where you can buy a To’ak Art Series chocolate bar. To’ak Chocolate. It’s $450. That seems like a lot of money (at least to me) for one chocolate bar, however, their packaging is much, much nicer than mine. Gift wrapping is extra. I don’t provide free gift wrapping, but if you are willing to pay me $450 for one of my chocolate bars, I will gift wrap it for free. To’ak Art Series Chocolate Bar.

SUR LA TABLE DECLARES BANKRUPTCY.
Sur La Table will be closing 50 of their 120 stores due to their recent bankruptcy filing. Like a lot of other chain stores that have recently declared bankruptcy, Sur La Table had a lot of junk debt. This is something that I predicted in my April newsletter. I expect that many more companies with heavy junk bond debt will be doing the same. I hope Sur La Table won’t close their Berkeley store. I like to browse around there, but I rarely buy anything there. They sell Fran’s sea salt chocolate covered caramels, an excellent product and Barack Obama’s favorite candy, but they cost $100 a pound. Sur La Table is the place to go in Berkeley if you want to buy a $500 kitchen knife or a $5,000 home coffee maker. Coffee Maker. I am not sure who buys this stuff. Although Berkeley is a college town, I don’t often see people of college age at Sur La Table, but then, how many college students buy $500 kitchen knives and $5,000 coffee makers?

ZEBRAS!

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I think zebras are fascinating animals. Have you ever wondered why zebras have stripes? As improbable as this may sound, it is a form of camouflage. Zebras are very vulnerable to predators. Zebras don’t have claws; they don’t have sharp teeth; and they can’t run very fast. Zebras travel in herds, and their stripes make it difficult for lions and other predators to focus an attack on an individual member of the herd. The herd looks like a moving blur. I don’t know of any other animal that uses this method of camouflage. Take a look at the photo below. Which of the zebras in this photo is looking at the camera?

NEW IN THE CHOCOLATE ROOM.

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Orange Cranberry Muffins.

I made orange muffins a couple of months ago, but I was disappointed with the results. There wasn’t enough orange flavor in them. The problem was that I used orange juice. Now I am using orange zest, and these muffins are much better. Orange zest has more flavor in baked goods than orange juice.

ABOUT ZEST.

What is zest? Zest is the fine shavings or scrapings from the rind of oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruit.
Preparation. Always wash oranges for zesting thoroughly to remove both dirt and wax. Many growers spray wax on oranges to make them shinier.

What to zest. Only use the outermost skin of the orange. Never use the white pith beneath. It is bitter and should not be eaten. You can freeze zest for future use. Orange and lemon zest freeze very well because of the natural oil in it. Add zest to beverages, baked goods, pasta, and vegetable dishes for a flavor boost!

What tool do you use? I recommend a microplane zester. They sell for around $10 on Amazon.

What is the best kind of orange for zesting? In my opinion, the best oranges for zesting are the ones that you steal from a tenant’s orange tree, which is what I do. They are also the cheapest oranges! Likewise, the best lemons for zesting are the ones that you steal from a tenant’s lemon tree, which I also do. If you don’t have any tenants or if your tenants don’t have orange trees or if your tenants won’t let you steal their oranges, then navel oranges from the supermarket will do just fine.