Updates
November 29, 2016: funny how things worked out. A reader noted that "there are so many other polls that show similar or different results" when I persisted in showing one of the very few (almost the only poll) that showed Trump defeating Hillary. Interesting, huh? The ABC poll that showed Hillary 15 points ahead, which was the outlier of all such polls, was later shown to be a "manipulated" poll.
Original Post
Yes, there are a gazillion polls to choose from. It's my understanding that the Rasmussen poll may be the most reliable and the most quoted. I don't think "anyone" quotes the USC-LA Times poll.
I never planned on posting a presidential poll at all. I'm not sure what made me decide to post any presidential poll at all, but the decision was made when I saw the poll for the first time. It had been linked by the Drudge Report, and Drudge continues to link it once in awhile, maybe every 7 to 10 days.
These are the reasons I started posting this particular poll, once I decided to post a poll, pretty much in order of importance:
- the Los Angeles Times is the most liberal national newspaper in the United States; it is much more liberal than The New York Times; when the Drudge Report linked an LA Times poll -- now that is a story in itself
- USC is my alma mater (not particularly important; coincidental, but may be important in my subconscious; I don't know)
- the poll is very, very easy to "read"; even middle school students should be able to read it
- the poll is not a single snapshot in time; the entire timeline is shown
- the survey is "re-taken" every day (I assume there are other pollsters who do this on a daily basis with no change in polling technique)
- every morning when I get up, I know that poll will be there, like clockwork, and the polling question, methods, etc., will have not changed -- sort of like the "McDonald's" of polling
What makes the poll interesting to me is that it is simply not what I would expect from the Los Angeles Times. In fact, it turns out others are asking the same question, and the Times had to explain in an article today why they continue to post the poll.
I am truly curious to see if the Los Angeles Times continues to post the poll through the end of October.
I am also curious to see if the USC-Los Angeles Times poll turns out to reflect the actual results on election day.
So, I guess the bottom line for posting this particular poll is because it was absolutely not what I expected in the LA Times. Now I'm curious to see how it plays out.
And I probably won't post it if near the end it consistently shows Hillary ahead of Trump. That's like writing a story about a dog that bites a man. Hardly newsworthy. Or interesting. (Later: that's a pretty good analogy -- about a dog biting a man -- LOL.)
Note: this post may be edited in the future to add some things I had not thought of while writing this iteration. I won't delete anything, but there may be more to add. I think the reader had a very, very interesting question. Sometimes I don't even know why I post something. I once had a professor tell me that if you can't put something in writing, you don't understand the issue.
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Brisket
Updates
October 7, 2016: a reader sent me this article on brisket in the WSJ which appeared about 18 months ago. Very, very interesting. After all my years in Los Angeles, I never connected brisket with corned beef.
Original Post
I had a religious experience earlier this evening. If you do not see the Bakken blog tomorrow morning, you will know what happened. Well, you may not know exactly what happened but if anyone asks you what happened to "the Bakken blog" -- just say, "I don't know, he simply went away after some religious experience."
It started two nights ago. The neighborhood had a "neighborhood nite out" party, sort of like #BlackLivesMatter but maybe better hashed with #TexasLivesMatter.
This was the first neighborhood party I've attended after living her three years.
Speaking of hash, I was sorely disappointed with the food and drink. I was disappointed in how the chairs and tables were arranged. I said to myself, I am going to make sure this doesn't happen again at the next neighborhood party.
The big disappointment was food. No Texas barbecue. You have got to be kidding. No Texas barbecue at a Texas neighborhood party. Also, no music, but that's a different story altogether. I guess I will have to put together a CD for the next neighborhood party of hire our oldest granddaughter to be the DJ.
But no Texas barbecue. I have never made brisket before (or pulled pork for that matter). It was time to learn.
I went to Albertson's down the street and talked to my favorite fishmonger / butcher. I told her I had not made brisket before but was going to learn today. That was 9:30 a.m. this morning after getting the oil changed in my Honda.
I asked her what "brand" brisket was best. She said Albertson's only carried one brand. We walked over to the brisket, and then she saw the tri-tip and suggested maybe I wanted to try tri-tip. She called the apprentice butcher over to get his opinion. He said he was from "Jersey" and had been in Texas only three weeks; he said they don't make much Texas bbq/brisket in "Jersey." After a bit more discussion, we all decided to use brisket and not the tri-tip.
I got the other ingredients and slow-cooked the brisket for six hours. Tonight, at 7:30 p.m. Central Time my wife and I had the brisket. That's when I had the religious experience. I'm not sure my wife had the same experience but she said it was the best brisket she had ever had. She suggested a bit of "liquid smoke" next time. She added a bit of Jack Daniels Original No. 7 Recipe Barbecue Sauce and wow, it was heavenly. I had never tried that barbecue sauce before; my wife must use it as a secret ingredient in something of which I am unaware.
So, now I've got that part down, the brisket. Later, maybe next week, we move to beef ribs.
For those who want to learn how to do brisket, start with this video, then do some recipe searching, and pick the recipe you want. But the video below is 95% of everything you need to know. In the video, he suggests an hour for every pound of brisket. I did six hours for 3 1/2 pounds of brisket in a slow cooker because we are not allowed bbq grills as such in the apartment complex.
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The first photo: the ingredients. Note the garlic. Six cloves is what 3 1/2 pounds of brisket calls for. By the way, for the record, the 3 1/2 pounds of brisket was marked $22 and change. For some unknown reason, the cashier took $5.00 off at the cash register. Maybe it was on sale. I don't know.
The second photo: I needed a grill and a skillet to caramelize all the onions. You have no idea how much I love this kitchen. A few details to flesh out, but it's exactly what I want in a kitchen. The most important thing: everything -- literally everything is in arm's reach. But yet it seems to have a "big kitchen" feel.
The third photo: after 6 1/2 hours: the jus and onions to the left; the brisket to the right.
The fourth photo: jus on toast as an appetizer -- until my wife came home an hour later. I did not want to have this religious experience without sharing it with my wife. Under foil, the brisket stayed hot for another full hour after coming out of the slow cooker.
The fifth photo: a sampling of how the "pulled brisket" looked to the right.
And the surprise from my wife:
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