Pork Burgers

I bet most of you have never heard of a pork burger. Neither had I until I moved to Southern Illinois. I'll never forget the first time someone told me they were going to a fund raiser cookout to get a pork burger. You're going to get a what?? Of course the culinary curiosity in me followed along. When we arrived at he "Pork Burger" sale, my olfactory nerves were greeted with the most scrumptious smell. Oh snap I thought... I'm getting myself one of these things. The rest is history.

Now for those of you not in the know. A pork burger looks a lot like a regular hamburger. Except of course the patty is made of pork rather than beef. Let me assure you that the similarity ends there. The taste is heavenly. It's really hard to even put in words. You would expect it to taste like, say, a breakfast sausage patty. WRONG. However, it doesn't taste like a burger either. It's really more like the savory taste of a beautiful pork chop only in a burger patty. I know... Crazy right!

Let's just say if you ever get a chance to try one, don't miss out.


-Jeff

It's been a while. Well more than a while since I've picked up the "pen" to write anything. It's been a rough couple of years. Finding out my mom had stage four cancer and her subsequent passing really took the wind out of my sails creatively. You don't realize how important someone is in your life until they are gone. My mom was my number one fan. It didn't matter what I was involved in, or how bad I sucked at it. She was still proud of me. It makes me smile to think about how she would grab my arm, squeeze, and give me words of encouragement. Oh how I miss her smile and giving her big hugs.

It's been over a year now that moms been gone. The pain that I feel is still strong, however, I find myself smiling at memories more than crying lately. This weekend my wife and I set out to hit the garage sales in our town. This was something my mom and dad lived for during the summer. Mom could find the best deals. At several of the stops, I found items that I knew my mom would have been interested in. It shook me up a little at first. The memories of calling to see if she wanted me to pick something up. I managed to hold it together and instead smile at the thought of how mom would have reacted to the nugget I had found. It was good.

I've experienced death in many ways. I've lost grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and as an EMT patients. However, nothing can prepare you for the loss of a parent. I thank God that I'm healing and recovering my desire to write creatively. Hopefully, I can get back in the saddle again.


-Jeff

Grandpa Time!

I'm excited to share with you that as of last week, I'm a grandpa! It's a surreal feeling. One part of me says, "I'm too young to be a paw paw." The other half is so amped it can't contain itself. I find myself looking forward to all the things that me and the little guy will do together. To be perfectly honest, the strong feelings that I have developed in such a short time, I thought would only be reserved to my own children. Not that I didn't think I wouldn't love the little guy, It's just a much deeper love than I expected. I'm not sure I can even explain. The love I feel for him is every bit as deep as my own kids, but different. (I'm sorry, I know that isn't helpful.)

One thing is for sure.... I'm looking forward to all the good times that I'm going to have. I have to laugh because my daughter is afraid that I'm going to make him a nerd. (She uses the term very lightly in reference to my love of Star Trek, Star Wars, etc.) I jokingly (Well, sort of jokingly) told her that I wasn't going to go by grandpa or paw paw. I said to her that I was going to have him call me Jedi Master and I would call him padawan. I wish I could have captured the look on her face, it was priceless.

Needless to say, I'm sure that I will teach him things that his mother doesn't approve of. I did it with my own son, why wouldn't I do it with my grandson. His mother and grandmother will just have to do as much damage control as possible. However, it's doubtful that they will be able to totally erase my influence on the little man. Say a little prayer for them if you would. I will do my best to not overly stress them, but I'm sure it will happen.

Let the fun begin!

-Red

I knew we were getting stupider

Perhaps you've heard of the Antikythera mechanism. For those of you who have not.... It is a rather interesting artifact that was recovered from the Antikythera wreck, a shipwreck off the Greek island Antikythera, in 1901. Initially the complexity of the machine was not known because it had corroded into a mass.

It wasn't until the device was studied with a modern x-ray that its significance and complexity began to be understood. Scholars attributed the device to the Greeks and dated it to the early 1st century BC.  Interestingly enough, this complexity and workmanship wasn't seen again until the 14th century.

Sophisticated imaging techniques have further unlocked the complexities of the device. The article that spurred me to this writing claims that the device is "1500 years ahead of its time" and that its like "Finding a functional Buick in medieval Europe". The article goes on to say that its compactness actually bests the later designs.

The mechanism was designed to predict the movement of planets, moon phases, and would even account for leap years.

This device clearly shows that our ancient ancestors were capable beyond our dreams. For this writer,  it highlights how much knowledge has been lost to us. It's no wonder we can't figure out how the pyramids were built. (It's easier to say aliens built them) Which brings me to the title of my blog. Are we really getting smarter? Or are we still getting stupider?

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Here are some links to further explore the famed Antikythera device.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

http://io9.com/advanced-imaging-reveals-a-computer-1-500-years-ahead-o-1492104535

-Red
www.jeffjake.com
www.facebook.com/jeffreyrjake
Twitter @MortisG187

Do you want the blue pill? Or the Red?

In the movie the Matrix, Neo discovers that while in the Matrix he can quickly have skills implanted into his brain. My favorite part is when he wakes up and says, "I know Kung Fu." While implanting skills is not yet a reality, their is a pill that may be available to us in the near future that could help us to learn new skills. Skills that normally would have to be learned at a very young age.

For instance, some languages have sounds that must be learned in a developmental stage or you just won't be able to master them. For example, the rolling R of Spanish. If you didn't learn it watching public television shows or in school... You just ain't gonna be able to do it.

Well that may all change now with some research being conducted by Dr. Takao Hensch with Harvard. The experiment revolves around a persons ability to hear with perfect pitch. (the ability to accurately name any musical note you hear) The article indicates that only 1 in 10,000 have the ability. It also says that if you don't develop this ability at a young age, you can't as an adult. However, Dr. Hensch may have found a pill that changes all that.

He has taken the epilepsy drug Valproate and given it to control groups. He then put them through online ear-training exercises for two weeks. What he found was that the group taking the drug, and not the placebo, had significant improvement. Apparently restoring the brain's plasticity normally lost after childhood. HOW COOL IS THAT!

Who knows, in another 50 years maybe we will be able to take a pill and "poof" you now know Kung Fu.

Here is the link to the original article.

-Red
www.jeffjake.com
www.facebook.com/jeffreyrjake
Twitter: @MortisG187

The Horrific Beast of Enfield Illinois

I must admit that I'm taken in by shows like Finding Bigfoot or TV specials on The Loch Ness Monster. I've always wondered if there could be something lurking out there that we haven't seen yet. It's pretty obvious from some of the "extinct" fish we've been pulling out of the ocean that we really don't know what could be out there. (Do you have chills yet... LOL)

While I'm sure most of you have heard about the Bigfoot or Nessie, I'd be willing to wager you have NOT heard of the beastie that I read about today. Apparently around April of 1973, the small town of Enfield Illinois was harassed by some sort of bizarre creature. The critter was described as having three legs, a grayish, slimy epidermis, short claws, and reddish eyes. Creepy!

This abomination apparently first attacked a young boy while he was playing outside. Initially the report was chalked up to a wild imagination, however, thirty minutes later, the thing attempted to get into the neighbors house. When the man of the house opened the door, he was startled to see what was standing in front of him and did what any red blooded man would do. He got his pistol and blasted it.

Over the next few months several others claim to have seen the beastie. During one sighting the website claims a recording of the things scream was recorded. (Why is it all these things have a scream. Have you seen Finding Bigfoot?)

Anyway, here is the link to the page so you can read the story yourself. Drop a comment and let me know what you think? Real OR Hoax?

http://www.americanmonsters.com/site/2010/03/enfield-horror-illinois-usa/

-Red

www.jeffjake.com

Be sure to check out my latest sci-fi book, The Valiant Incident. Available now from AMAZON!

Shock Troops

I was surfing the other day and came across a rather disturbing image. Apparently the Taiwanese government has developed a new uniform for their special forces. The outfit looks more like something you would see in a science fiction movie rather than marching on a 21st century battlefield. Here are a few pictures of the new uniform…..

Pretty intimidating stuff huh? The uniform incorporates bullet proof armor and a ballistic face mask. For all your combat survival needs. I'll be honest, now that I really look at the face mask, it almost looks like some sick S&M set up. I guess they're into that kind of thing.

-Red

www.jeffjake.com

www.facebook.com/jeffreyrjake

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