Have a good evening, ma'am.

Gee, Detroit has problems? Who would've guessed? Sure, it's hemorrhaging population faster than Chernobyl. And municipal officials are so corrupt that even fellow Democrats have to prosecute them. And Afghanistan is safer. And some abandoned neighborhoods are reverting to forest. But any city can have an off century.

Yes. Good point.

Yeah, I sometimes put celery seed and bay leaf in the dip. I don't bother with flipping the meat because I'm usually gone or busy while it cooks, and it'll get tangified at the table. I should add that eastern N.C. barbecue is as good as Lexington style, and the mustard-based South Carolina variety isn't bad, either.

acetech: People who can also teach. People who can't, indoctrinate.

By the way, if you don't feel like firing up the grill, you can make pretty decent barbecue in a crock pot. Get the biggest pork shoulder that'll fit. Rub it down with 1 tbsp. cayenne and 1 tsp. each of salt, dry mustard, and black pepper. Let it sit overnight in the fridge. Spritz the pot with cooking spray and put the meat in, fat side up, with 1 tbsp. of liquid smoke and 1/3 c. cider vinegar. Cook it all day on low. Slice and serve with Lexington-style dip.

Mother of 4: Below you wrote, "One of the mistakes Surtr and his new syncophant Bill904 are making is that they conflate demographic data with moral principle." Another is that they confuse demographic data with fact. Surtr evidently had a jolly time brandishing his "Fun facts about Hispanics." But while Mexico has endured a very high murder rate, for example, Spain and Costa Rica have had very low rates. His observations and these say nothing valid about "Hispanics," which is a mostly meaningless term anyway. As James Butler said elsewhere, give 'em hell.

Mother of 4 -- You are obviously a woman of refined sensibilities and open mind. Actually I hail from Vermont, but lived all over, and retired down here; so my bubbacue sauce isn't up to native standards. But I'm gaining.

Hey, Rats 'n' Mice: Your playmate Surtr has chosen an interesting screen name for a pompous racist. It comes from the Old Norse meaning "black" (a cognate of the German "schwarz" and English "swarthy"). And it's the root of Surtsey ("Surtr's island), a volcanic islet near Iceland that emits noxious gases.

And in some cases they're better informed.