Check Out this Menu to Bring you Good Luck Through the Year:

New Years Day Good Luck Meal- Gagliardo Style:

With the New Year upon us I wanted to share with you my version of the southern tradition of a New Years Day Good Luck Meal. It has been said, and there are many versions to this superstition for the start of a New Year, that on the first day of the New Year to ensure good luck, certain things must be eaten.

Doing my research for this menu I heard many different combinations, but the two things every southerner questioned agreed on was black eyed peas and collard greens. Passed down many generations is the saying that if you “Eat poor on New Year’s, you eat fat the rest of the year.”

To round out this meal is corn bread and ham. The black eyed peas are thought to bring wealth because they look like little coins, the collards are lucky because they are green and represent money or “green” backs. Though questionable pork is supposed to be eaten for good health, most cardiologists would disagree but once a year shouldn’t hurt anyone if we are good the rest of the year, the corn bread rounds out the meal because all good southerners have corn bread at most meals and sticks to the theme of “eating poor” on New Year’s.

So this is my version on the classic southern New Year’s traditional Good Luck Menu, so give these recipes a try and let me know how they turned out by leaving a comment on my web site: www.gagliardosgrill.com.

Happy New Years all!   Chef Troy Gagliardo

Black Eyed Pea Mini Burgers with Manchego Cheese:

2-16 Ounce Cans               Black Eye Pea (whole-drained and rinsed)

1 Cup                                 Black Eyed Pea (pureed with can juices)

1 Each                                Egg (beaten)

½ Cup                                Panko Bread Crumbs

1/8th Cup                            Onion (small diced)

2 Clove                              Garlic (fine diced)

1/8th Cup                            Poblano (small diced)

1 Tsp                                  Tabasco Sauce

1 Tsp                                  Red Wine Vinegar

1 ½ Tsp                              Kosher Salt

½ Tsp                                 Black Pepper

1 Tbs                                 Cilantro (loose packed & fine chopped)

To coat                              Canola Oil

12 Slices                            Manchego Cheese (2”x2”x 1/8”)

12-15 Each                        Mini Burger Buns or dollar rolls

¼ Cup                                Roasted Pepper Mayo (1/4 mayo, 2 tbs roasted red pepper puree

 To Taste                           Roma Tomato (thin slice)

To Taste                            Collards (raw thin sliced)

Combine whole black eyed peas in a large mixing bowl with black eyed puree, egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, Poblano, Tabasco, vinegar salt, pepper and cilantro. Using a rubber spatula mix all ingredients to combine, portion mini burger into 12 to15 equal portions and form into thick patties.

Heat a large sauté pan to medium high heat and add enough canola oil to lightly coat bottom of pan, add half of the patties and sear on both sides until crispy golden brown, topping with the Manchego cheese after flipping from the first side.

Lightly toast buttered mini buns in sauté pan, smear bottom bun with roasted pepper mayo then place black eyed pea burger on bottom bun with melted cheese facing up, garnish with tomato and collard greens and place top bun on burger.

Wilted Collard Green Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette:

6 Cups                         Collard Greens (shredded)

To Taste                     Red Onion (sliced)

1 Cup                          Roasted Tomatoes (halved, oiled, seasoned and roasted)

8  Ounces                   Goat Cheese (crumbled)

3 Each                        Hard Boiled Eggs

1 pound                       Peppered Bacon

1/2 Cup                       Bacon Dripping

Two Clove                  Garlic

¼ Cup                         Red Wine Vinegar

To Taste                      Black Pepper

To Taste                      Kosher Salt

Wash greens by soaking briefly in a bowl of cold water, remove and cut collard greens into thin strips after removing hard thick stems, rinse greens again in fresh water. Spin greens on a salad spinner or drain in a colander or large mixing bowl lined with paper towels.

Toss tomatoes in oil and season with salt, black pepper and place on baking sheet, bake in oven at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour or until most of the liquid has been cooked out. Set aside to cool.

Bring small pot of  water to a boil, add eggs and cook for 18 minutes, let cool, remove shell, slice into circles, keep refrigerated until ready to assemble salad.

Slice raw bacon into strips and cook in sauté pan until done but not crispy, remove bacon with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Slice red onions into thin half moons strips

Leave bacon dripping in pan, dripping should measure out to be about a1/2 cup, warm sauté pan over medium heat add garlic, red wine vinegar and cook until vinegar reduces by half, season with pepper, dressing should slightly thicken when stirred.

Assemble salad by placing collard greens in a large mixing bowl and pour the warm bacon vinaigrette over the greens and toss to coat, place desired amount of greens for salad on a plate and top in this order, red onion, roasted tomatoes, bacon, hard boiled eggs and goat cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Red Pepper Buttermilk Corn Bread:

1 Cup                          Yellow Corn Meal

1 Cup                          All Purpose Flour

2 Teaspoons               Baking Powder-heaping Teaspoons

1 Tsp                           Kosher Salt

2 Tsp                          Black Pepper

1 Cup                          Buttermilk

1 Each                        Large Egg

½ Cup                        Roasted Red Peppers

1/2 Stick                     Unsalted Butter-melted

1/4 Cup                       Canola or Vegetable Oil

To Loosen                  Water-cold, enough to slightly loosen batter

To make the Corn Bread:

In a large mixing bowl combine the corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper. In a   separate bowl combine the milk and butter with the egg using a wire whip. Slowly add the milk and egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together with a wire whip. Once the batter forms add the water and finish combining using a rubber spatula.

Pre-heat oven to 400, place an iron skillet in oven to heat. Remove the skillet from the oven and add the 1/4 of oil. Then pour in the corn bread mixture then top with the roasted peppers and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick can be inserted into the center and removed clean.

Honey Bourbon Glazed Ham:

1 Each                        Ham Steak

1 Tbs                          Black Pepper

1 Tbs                          Ancho Pepper

To Coat                      Canola Oil

2 Tbs                          Onion (minced)

1 Clove                       Garlic (minced)

½ Cup                        Jack Daniels

3 Tbs                          Honey

2 Tbs                          Brown Sugar

¼ Cup                        Water 

Warm canola oil in sauté pan over medium heat, add onion, garlic and cook until soft 3 to 5 minutes. Add Jack Daniels and raise heat to medium high. Cook stirring frequently until reduced by half, add honey, brown sugar, water and cook until thickens, remove from heat and set aside.

Heat grill or grill pan to medium high heat, spray pan with pan spray and add ham steak that has been seasoned with black pepper and ancho pepper. Sear on both sides to warm through and to create grill marks, brush both sides with Honey Bourbon Glaze several times, serve cut into strips.

seeking  friendship  from males   ..my sexual preference is you be gay  or bisexual

hola   chrisi192001@yahoo.com

tony JOJO

Chef TROYS SMORES PECAN PIE IS REALLY GREAT!

The hardest for me was cracking open the Pecans a friend gave from her trees.

 I made 3 pies and everyone went home with the reciepe

                                                    
        Great  Thanks

                                                    
     CRUISELADY

HELLO FOLKS,

WELCOME ALL OF THE "KEEPING THE FLAME ALIVE CREW' TO MY BLOG. THIS IS YOUR SPACE TO COMMENT ON RECIPES, MY "TUESDAYS WITH TROY" SEGEMNTS EVERY WEEK OR TO ASK QUESTIONS.

ALL OF YOU THAT USED TO VISIT MY RESTAURANT "GAGLIARDO'S GRILL" ARE WELCOME TO ASK ABOUT THOSE PRECIOUS RECIPES THAT WERE SPECIAL TO YOU AND WOULD LIKE TO TRY YOUR HAND AT MAKING THEM AT HOME.

CATCH ME TOMORROW ON FOX NEWS RISING AND GET A FEW SNACK IDEAS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY.

SEE YOU SOON,

CHEF TROY

HELLO FOLKS,

WELCOME ALL OF THE "KEEPING THE FLAME ALIVE CREW' TO MY BLOG. THIS IS YOUR SPACE TO COMMENT ON RECIPES, MY "TUESDAYS WITH TROY" SEGEMNTS EVERY WEEK OR TO ASK QUESTIONS.

ALL OF YOU THAT USED TO VISIT MY RESTAURANT "GAGLIARDO'S GRILL" ARE WELCOME TO ASK ABOUT THOSE PRECIOUS RECIPES THAT WERE SPECIAL TO YOU AND WOULD LIKE TO TRY YOUR HAND AT MAKING THEM AT HOME.

CATCH ME TOMORROW ON FOX NEWS RISING AND GET A FEW SNACK IDEAS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY.

SEE YOU SOON,

CHEF TROY

11/272008 - Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope that you are having a great day so far and in the process of getting ready for a wonderful meal with family and friends.

I hope that you started out your day with the crew here in Fox News Rising. If you did, you didn't see two familiar faces - Anna and Mark - but you did see one familiar face that you may not have expected to see....

MINE!

Imagine that, huh?

Yes, I actually got a chance to co-host this fun show, and yes, it's as much fun for us working with the great team on- and off-air as well as it is for you tuning in.

The differences? Well, for one, you don't have to wake up at 1:45 AM in the morning to get ready for FNR. Between not being able to sleep (I was up most of the night despite trying to get the customary 8 hours of sleep) and getting up at a time when I usually go to bed...well, it was, shall we say, an experience I won't forget quickly? :-)

Now, it was cool because I got a chance to see how the show comes together before the bright lights come up. It's the collaboration of a lot of talented professionals that bring the FNR set to life every morning. Everyone gets a chance to see Tera give our Forecast on the Fours regularly, but they don't get a chance to see her putting together the forecast by using her meterological acumen at 2 AM. People see how spiffy the set looks, but they never get a chance to see the production team putting together the camera shots for the sights and sounds that come to you 3 hours every weekday morning. Heck, I don't usually get a chance to see all of that - nor do I usually get a chance to see Dao Vu carving into pecan pie before sunrise - but it brings a new level of appreciation for the show, cast, and our viewers to see it all come together from a new perspective. I knew that they did a good job from the moment I started working with them, but being here from the beginning to the end just puts a new viewpoint in place for me. Hopefully, I can share that with you.

Now, I could never be Mark Mathis. He's wild, he's zany, but he is certainly special and when you think of Fox Charlotte, one of the first names that come to mind is Mark Mathis.

But while I filled in for him today, I didn't feel as though I was sitting there in place of Mark - I felt like I was sitting there in place of you. I felt like one of the many viewers of the show got a chance to ride shotgun on FNR through me, so I hope that you enjoyed the ride.

If you get a chance to come along tomorrow, just remember that I don't see it as sitting in place of Mark - I'm sitting there with you.

And if you get a chance to check out my latest on The Root at www.theroot.com, check out what I said about "The Elephant in the Room This Thanksgiving" at http://www.theroot.com/id/49042

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for tuning in and I hope to see you tomorrow on Fox News Rising before you head out to shop on Black Friday.

TCNGB

Hello Everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!

Check out my weekly segment, "Tuesday's with Troy" tomorrow and to get inspired to do something with your turkey day leftovers.

On the menu:

Turkey Salad Sandwich with a Green Chili Mayo

Turkey Cobb Collard Green Salad

Salad Sandwich

Creamed Corn Casserole with Ham and a Stuffing Crust.

Hey if you can't get up that early at least check out my website for the recipes;

www.gagliardosgrill.com

or set your DVR to record the show.

I hope you enjoy the show...see you soon!

Chef Troy Gagliardo

Union West Rotary is hosting the Indian Trail Christmas Parade, Sun. Nov 30th at 2PM on Indian Trail Road.  Come out and enjoy the decorated floats and festivities!  If you would like more information about the parade you can visit our website at www.rotaryclubofunionwest.org.  We will be kicking off the parade with Running of the Reindeer!  This is not a race, but a walk or run to the end of the parade route.  Folks will be wearing their antlers in support of our town! 

Thanksgiving is only a little over a week away...so its time to start planning your menu.

Any chef will tell you that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday of the year, it’s only logical; it’s all about the food.

Most of us have family traditional recipes we have to serve every year and I am no exception. I have to grill my turkey and I have to have my late grandmothers Italian Rice Dressing...I call it Gramma G's Dago Dressing.

Tomorrow on Fox News Rising I will show you how to make this dressing along with a new classic in my house, my Chocolate Pecan S'Mores Pie with Roasted Marshmallows.

I will top the meal off with my Chili Spice Rubbed Boneless Turkey Breast with a Cranberry Orange Glaze that is sure to impress just about any turkey hater out there.

So tune in tomorrow for my four segments beginning around 6 am and about every half hour after that.

Don't be a turkey hater...tune in to Fox News Rising this and every Tuesday for "Tuesday's with Troy!

Peace & Bacon Grease:

Chef Troy Gagliardo

Hello Everyone,

Before you watch "Tuesday's with Troy" each week on Fox News Rising you can receive weekly updates that are sent out through Chef Troy's web site a day or two before the show. The updates include the menu that Troy will be preparing that week along with a link to the written recipes.

We will also send out updates about appearances, new recipes and videos, pictures, stories and more.

If you would like to receive these updates go to:

www.gagliardosgrill.com

Then click on the "Contact the Chef" page and send an email including any emails addresses that you want these updates sent to, and you will begin receiving personal updates that can only be found on Chef Troy's web site.

So join the "Keeping the Flame Alive" Crew today by visiting  Chef Troy Gagliardo's web site.

See you Tuesday,

Troy Gagliardo

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        mrmajestic
Nov 5, 2008 | 9:16 AM

Bye, Good Riddance!

    mrmajestic
Nov 5, 2008 | 7:03 PM

Some people show their knowledge when they blog while others show their ignorance.

          mrmajestic
Nov 5, 2008 | 7:15 PM

Do away with the IRS and the existing tax code. A flat tax of 15% on purchases does away with income taxes. If you are a consumer, you are a tax payer. The more stuff you buy the more often you pay it. That would be real income for the government from the 45% of Americans who pay no taxes. In addition we would get money from the 12 million illegal aliens, that pay no taxes now. It would put more money in the your pocket, as well as the government, and companies could quit spending 10% of their income to tax preparers.

  mrmajestic
Nov 5, 2008 | 9:32 PM

The richer would spend more money, therefore more tax dollars. You don't want to pay taxes, limit your purchases. A truly fair tax. Think of the money the government would save without the IRS. No audits, no back taxes, no enforcement problems.

        mrmajestic
Nov 6, 2008 | 5:54 PM

McCainsupporter:

Take the joint out of your mouth and put it out in the ash tray. I think you've had enough.

            mrmajestic
Nov 7, 2008 | 7:29 AM

Moonbaby,

Your posts differ from morning to evening in scope and reasoning. Perhaps you shouldn't smoke so much weed that it skews your perception. You were one of the very first bloggers after the election to go after Obama with race card comments. You promised to leave and start a new state, yet here you are today, bashing those of us who have been here for several years. I guess I know that you don't practice what you preach. Perhaps you are radical muslim. Get her JQPublix. She's the bad guy!

  mrmajestic
Nov 7, 2008 | 7:55 AM

If you love the New Yorkers so much, why don't you move there? I had hoped that your level of embarassment from all the lies you told before the election would stop you from blogging. Your monthly cheque must have come in. Is it a physical or mental disability?

     

Then on the other hand, there are people who don't think for themselves, seeking out obscure quotes from people you've never heard of, griping about government, while still collecting a check for a "disability" that stops them from working, but doesn't affect their deer hunting or riding 4 wheelers. STAY ALERT! Those are the ones to look out for. They walk among us and they vote. They're too old to REPRODUCE.

mrmajestic
Nov 1, 2008 | 12:49 PM

But wait, three months ago, McCain did the same thing and I searched both your names, and you weren't all up in arms about that. Why is it OK, if its McPain, but not Obama. Double standard?

 mrmajestic
Oct 29, 2008 | 9:59 PM

Cook,

It's hard for me to get a handle on the real person inside of the cut and paster. I've looked at your response to postings and I find such brainiac phrases as: HA, Good One, Here's One for Ya, Git-r-Done. When you make the occasional eight to nine word sentence structure, it is often filled with "I" or "me". I deduce that you're not really happy and perhaps are going through an identity crisis of sorts. Perhaps its because the best years have passed you by, or you're feeling the shock of closing in on age 60. I wouldn't have to hypothesize, but the real Cook Substance isn't there...only uncredited quotes from some obscure, non-mainstream, "person" that flows on a once or twice per day regime. Tell us who you really are and what you think. It's really hard to tell, based on your scant few words alone.

Delete mrmajestic
Oct 30, 2008 | 11:09 AM

Axe, Go to the news blogs under Cook's name. He's posted this same blog about ten times. He's running on his record. I think the record has a skip and he's too old to figure it out. I get the impression that he is an equal opportunity blogger. He spreads his message of hate to more than one audience. Haters have to move around. Nobody wants em around for too long.

mrmajestic
Oct 30, 2008 | 11:15 PM

I learned early on that OldGI wasn't a racist. He defended himself much to ardently and was willing to quit blogging on the political scene to prove his point. Neither democrats nor republicans, liberals or conservatives, will elect our new president. The majority of the American voters will vote their conscious. Some people will love the outcome, others won't. After the election, we will still have each other as blogger friends and we'll go about life, trying as best we can to get by. The socialism has already started with the buyouts. Blaming the next president, for what this president has done is counter-productive. We've got a long way to go to recapture the image that America was the greatest nation on earth. It will take each one of us, doing our part to allow that to happen.

mrmajestic
Oct 25, 2008 | 7:54 AM

Bigordon

What you are preaching is separatism. Your military records are being accessed over this weekend, by the military you work for. You can expect being questioned next week. You should know, as a soldier, not to print anything like this on a public blog.

He's getting his money from his American majority voters. They send him this money because they believe in what he is doing. You fringe players are only promoting racism and a separatist mindset. Separatists mindsets are why the waring factions are fighting each other in Iraq. Is this what you want for your country?

 mrmajestic
Oct 24, 2008 | 3:56 PM

Cook2712 writes:
"Does someone being a Demacrat or being Black give them a free pass for everything? I dont think so !"

The racist heart beats strongly in your chest doesn't it Cook? The election is over. Obama has triumphed. Don't blame Obama or the Democrat party. Blame George Walker Bush. He was the one who fornicated the Republican Party, while Richard Cheney threw gas on the fire. Alberto Gonzales was Bush's beetch and Don Rumsfeld planted the seeds that created more terrorists than we have ever seen. NOW YOU WANT ME AND THE REST OF THE AMERICAN MAJORITY TO STEP UP AND VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO VOTED WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION 90% OF THE TIME. ARE YOU NUTS?

 mrmajestic
Oct 24, 2008 | 7:24 PM

Yes there are catfishingdude. You look at their past behavior as an indicator of their future behavior. You can divide the vote as one party or the other, or you can look at the majority of Americans voting their wishes.

 mrmajestic
Oct 25, 2008 | 8:40 AM

The sky is falling. The sky is falling. Our only savior is Lord McCain and Lady Palin. The folks who brought you the moose hunting extremeist, who wants to wipe out the Polar Bears and drill baby drill. That drilling won't produce anything for ten years. I'm going to halt-my-campaign-John, postures and plays the role of Chicken Little, showing his true colors and his understanding of the economy. We saw through that really quickly and thats why you are seeing red states turn blue. You can fool some of the people, all the time. You can fool all of the people, some of the time. You can't fool all of the people, all of the time. Cook, it's good that there aren't people like you in real government. You jam the cogs with useless conspiracy crap and you perpetuate talking points (Headlines), even when they make no sense at all. Those are the laughable points, because they all return to a specific talking point, that's been regurgitated from the national GOP. I know the letters are similar, but it doesn't make you the party of God. I know, I know.....You don't want no negro.

 mrmajestic
Oct 21, 2008 | 8:06 AM

The point, Emily is as plain as the KKK sticker on Cook's truck. He doesn't see Colin Powell as former Secretary of State, or the fact that he is known as the least biased political figure in the world. He only sees a black man. All black men stick together, and he sees this as just one more. On another blog I pointed out that the majority of Americans will be voting Barack Obama in, as our new president. The majority, something that Cook is distancing himself from, more and more every day.

mrmajestic
Oct 21, 2008 | 9:07 AM

"If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him."

All you profess is black, black, black. Your mindset died out in the 1960's. What do you care about religion? You haven't darkened the foyer of any church in years, unless you are taking your computer and blogging at church. The timestamp on your blogs tell me that. Have you noticed the readership has ceased recently? You are to blame. You fill the blogs with useless reams and reams of bigoted spewings and your tight little group of (4)fellow rednecks rallye your cause. Obviously you don't work. You're probably collecting some sort of stipend from the government and claiming a false handicap. Get a life. Hating people because of their color is no longer vogue.

mrmajestic
Oct 21, 2008 | 3:52 PM

I too voted today....about an hour and a half at the Clemmons Library. I was just wanting Cook to be my scapegoat, for all that is wrong about blogging, but I believe you have really hit the nail on the head. Be honest, do you classify me in the aforementioned reasons to quit? You never really know how you are percieved, without some input from others.

 mrmajestic
Oct 24, 2008 | 2:35 PM

"Does someone being a Demacrat or being Black give them a free pass for everything? I dont think so !"

The racist heart beats strongly in your chest doesn't it Cook? The election is over. Obama has triumphed. Don't blame Obama or the Democrat party. Blame George Walker Bush. He was the one who fornicated the Republican Party, while Richard Cheney threw gas on the fire. Alberto Gonzales was Bush's beetch and Don Rumsfeld planted the seeds that created more terrorists than we have ever seen. NOW YOU WANT ME AND THE REST OF THE AMERICAN MAJORITY TO STEP UP AND VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO VOTED WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION 90% OF THE TIME. ARE YOU NUTS?

mrmajestic
Oct 19, 2008 | 1:23 PM

Man, Cook, you are just so eloquent in your ability to preach to the choir. Too bad your "choir" only reaches, at best 15 people. Much like your candidate, you pass the talking points back and forth amongst yourselves, to pump up the testosterone levels so you can pretend to be flabbergasted over every turn of the election. You can then pretend that Sarah Palin, is something more than she actually is. In the end, Obama will win, because he stayed on message throughout his entire campaign. After the election when you sit around and wonder just who to hold responsible: Remember it was the majority of the American people, a group that you seem to be distancing yourself from.

mrmajestic
Oct 14, 2008 | 10:12 PM

When you count on someone else to do the math for you, often they come up wrong, but you read the headlines and that's what they told you, and so you repeat the same. I did the math for myself. Everyone would end up with about $420.00 dollars. That's why I never repeat something I haven't verified for myself. I can only count on me, to make sure I get the truth.

mrmajestic
Oct 16, 2008 | 11:35 PM

"majestic, you should distance yourself from a guy who attacks "white" people constantly and who has proclaimed himself a "black racist." He also called the Constitution a "worthless piece of paper." I don't think you're on the same page."

Bleech, I don't think you're in the same book.

If you're referring to Axe, I choose my own friends and those who I care to associate with. Your input is mostly lost on me.

If you're referring to Obama, you're spewing nonsense and hate. You and the other 23% supporters of McPalin are in for a rude awakening on November 5. Where will you white flight out to? Please tell us you'll be leaving the country. You spend wayyy too much time spreading negativity and every time Axe puts out some "truth and wisdom" you attack him as being racist. You're wearing that scarlet letter pretty predominately. You're like a small-mouth bass. You're capable of putting up a fierce battle, but when you're pulled up to the boat, it turns out you're not worth the time.

mrmajestic
Oct 17, 2008 | 8:13 PM

"I survived the chaos that was Jimmy Carter, I'll survive BO."



In the net and on the stringer, before he knew he was even caught. Good fishin there Axe!

mrmajestic
Oct 10, 2008 | 7:00 PM

Great Post!

"We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!"



I know this. You know this. A few of the other bloggers will see it and commiserate. How do you truly tap the masses and will they join you and I to make the US a better place? With the internet, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, and the like, why can't we have instant on-line voting so that every law, is truly by the people.

mrmajestic
Oct 9, 2008 | 9:28 PM

9/10ths of the people who don't want Obama as president, because he is a black man and for no other reason. There are a few that stand on the principles of how they feel about abortion. I assumed you were one of the first. I know what occurs when we assume. My mother told me a thousand times. Don't quit blogging for a mistake I made. I admit the mistake and I apologize.

mrmajestic
Oct 14, 2008 | 9:34 PM

All's well that ends well. I'm a 55yr. old white man. Up until about five years ago, I was as prejudiced as they come, but in true life it wasn't getting me anywhere. I made a point to myself and my creator, that I would be more accepting, more tolerant, and that I would treat others as they treated me. It isn't easy, but you have to look at the opportunities any segment of society, has and if they aren't the same as you, how they think will be different from you. I try to give most people the benefit of the doubt. However: When it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, poops and eats it, its usually a duck. I'm surrounded by ducks.

mrmajestic
Oct 16, 2008 | 10:50 PM

I'm more accepting of my own erratic behavior, than I am of others. I can look in the mirror in the morning and still see the little kid who used to ride his bike to school on most days.

mrmajestic
Oct 17, 2008 | 10:22 AM

Farmtruk,

This is OldGI's blog. He and I are fine. I made an apology. I wasn't asking for forgiveness. You don't like my response? TFB

mrmajestic
Oct 17, 2008 | 8:34 PM

Justme07, Haven't seen you blog much lately, are you doing OK?

" I am intelligent enough to know that if you are looking for a specific response, you go to a certain place to ask the questions."

You ask me a question, then you start quoting talking points that you've heard from the McFailin campaign. That isn't using your brain, that's reading the headlines. If you want to speak on an intelligent level, then look at his record, post it, and then discuss why you don't think its good enough. You're candidate is failing miserably, so you, like the other "spoons" start to lash out at the other candidates' supporters. You boys need a good presidential candidate like George Wallace. Oh wait, that attitude died out twenty years ago. The real world comes real slow to the south.

mrmajestic
Oct 17, 2008 | 8:45 PM

Listen folks, I like a spirited discussion and not all of my quotes are based on fact. I read fairly extensively and I've traveled all over the world. I came back to the south, because most of the people are honest and hardworking and it's a great place to live when you're not visiting elsewhere. I mean no harm, but like many of you I am somewhat opinionated. I don't want to get shot over it, so let me know if you are offended. If I think you have a valid point and I have offended, then I'll step right up for an apology. I've been wrong before and have no problem admitting it when I am. I'll give JustMe07 credit for giving me enlightenment several months ago. I think of most of you as friends, as much as you can be, without ever meeting each other.

mrmajestic
Oct 16, 2008 | 11:53 PM

Wolfpackman,

Being white and for change from the status quo, doesn't win a lot of friends, in this blog. Everyone I know that is for Obama, all seem to be right on track with my thought processes. It really boggles my mind, when the McPalin camp tell me their candidate is not only doing a good job, but is winning in the polls, when that information is just a computer tap away. They bleech me out knowing their candidate is tanking. I'm hoping for white flight of a few folks after the election.

The Aging of Presidents

Much has been said about the aging of the President of the United States during their terms in office.  Below are just a few examples (pictures on the left were taken their first year in office, pictures on the right were taken during their last year in office):  


                          Ronald Reagan

                                Bill Clinton

                     George W. Bush

  And now with state of the a