Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 26, 2010

Good Food and Drink

7


Mountain Views News Saturday, June 26, 2010

TABLE FOR TWO 

By Peter Dills

Happy Fourth

Protecting Cyberspace as a 
National Asset

A recent government proposal to give 
the President broad powers to shut down 
the Internet in case of a declared cyber-
emergency is currently being debated. While 
the need for the government to be able to 
take swift and decisive action in the face 
of serious cyber-threats that threaten our 
national infrastructure is becoming more of 
a necessity these days, would-be opponents 
of such sweeping powers worry about the 
potential for misuse. During the recent 
unrest in Iran, the Iranian government tried 
its level-best to shut down Internet access 
in order to keep unfavorable reports about 
its activities from reaching the outside 
world. The government didn’t fail in its 
efforts to staunch the flow of information 
for lack of effort but they failed for the lack 
of a concerted, pre-planned effort. Would-
be opponents of the proposed law also 
worry about the potential for whatever 
administration that happened to be in 
power at the time might be tempted to crack 
down on their opponents through use of 
the new legislation. Whether these fears 
are unfounded or not, the fact remains that 
this new proposed does give wide-ranging 
powers to the government to do things 
that would’ve been very difficult to achieve 
previously. The actual legislation (titled 
the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National 
Asset Act” or PCNAA) would require 
private companies such as ISP’s, software 
companies, search engines and hardware 
manufacturers to immediately comply with 
any emergency measure or action put into 
place by the Department of Homeland 
Security or face serious fines and penalties. 
As ominous as this simple directive sounds 
on its face the practical implications of such 
a plan could run far deeper than they appear 
at first glance. The basic justification for this 
proposed legislation is the need to counter 
the very real threat of an attack on our 
national infrastructure. Other governments 
with the same concerns have similar 
legislation granting similar powers to their 
respective governments already in place but 
at this point we may want to step back and 
ask ourselves if we really want to emulate 
their leads on this issue. The Chinese 
government currently has the ability to shut 
down parts of their Internet for reasons of 
National Security but that might not go over 
so well with the freedom-loving American 
public for various reasons. As more and 
more of our collective lives and business are 
centered on cyberspace activities, the need 
to protect our digital infrastructure becomes 
more pressing as time goes on. Failure in 
this endeavor is simply not an option but 
success cannot come at the expense of our 
liberty and our privacy. Since this mission 
is mandatory the challenge our government 
now faces is how to accomplish these ends 
without sacrificing who we are.

Hot Dogs and Parades, isn’t that what it’s all about for the 4th of July? 

I did a little research and here are a few fun facts about the Hot Dog. 

• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport consumes six times 
more hot dogs, 725,000 more than Los Angeles International Airport and 
LaGuardia Airport combined.

• In 2007, consumers spent more than $4.1 billion on hot dogs and sausages -- the equivalent of 
more than 1.5 billion pounds -- in United States grocery stores. 

• Americans will eat enough hot dogs at major league ballparks this year to stretch from RFK 
Stadium in Washington, D.C. to San Francisco’s AT&T Park. That’s more than 22 million dogs. 

• New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city, beating out Chicago and Los Angeles. 

• Use a spatula or tongs to cook your hot dog on the grill. They can lose moisture and tasty juices 
when pierced by a fork. 

• On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from 
D.C. to L.A. over five times. 

We know were the best parade is, but what about the best Hot Dog? I have two places for you. The first 
is The Market Grill in Monrovia. Why do I like it? They make the buns right on the spot and they are 
New England Style, it is the same bun that you would use for a Crab Sandwich. There are three dogs to 
choose from - The Naked Dog at ($3.95), the Dirty Dog with chili for ($4.50) and The Mad Dog with 
bacon and green chilies for ($4.75)

 The newest in delivering dogs is Slaw Dogs, conceived by local entrupuerner Raymond Byrne and 
his mother. I went against my own rule of visiting a brand new restaurant. After all, why not, it’s a 
hot dog, or so I thought. The menu is huge and that little Japanese guy that you see eating 50 dogs in 
twenty minutes on ESPN would be proud. Slaw Dogs is much more than just the proverbial dog, its 
menu boosts links, sausages, bratwurst and hot dogs. The real attraction are the toppings, let me just 
say the possibilities are endless. Here is a sample: chili...celery...cheese... Russian dressing... carrots... 
garlic mayo.. Feta... olive mix... mustard, cole slaw... can I stop now; I think you get the idea. You can get 
the “original” Slaw Dog for ($4.99) that comes with chili, cheese, mustard or go all out as I did and get 
the “Green Monster” at ($5.59) this was a good choice with roasted green chili, chipotle mayo, grilled 
onion, pepper jack and spicy garlic salsa. 

My daughter and I couldn’t decide on a sweet potato fries or regular fries so we did a combo at ($4.99), 
it was good, but I can’t give these the Peter Dills way thumbs up on them. Raymond was honest enough 
to say that they came out of a bag, much like the 
Counter and 38 degrees; the sweet potatoes are frozen, 
but acceptable. I wish someone in the area would make 
them fresh, then, I would get really excited. The star 
of the show was the corn on the cob for ($2.99), man, 
was that good! I read a few things on the Internet about 
the prices being a little high. I don’t agree, the prices 
are reasonable and there are combos and kid plates 
available. For you hamburger lovers there are choices 
in that arena as well. All and all I think even for you on 
the fence hot dog lovers give Slaw Dogs a try. Come on, 
I know you’ve chowed down a few Dodger Dogs and a 
Costco Dog or two. 

Take the training wheels off.

Happy Independence Day, as we consider the soldiers 
that are an ocean away.

May our protectors be protected.

Please listen to 790 KABC Talk Radio every Sunday 
afternoon at 5 PM, for Dining with Dills. E mail me at 
thechefknows@yahoo.com


WRITING SERVICES 

 Could you use help in preparing written communications for your business? I have 
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 Current work includes writing the column, “Looking Up with Bob Eklund,” in 
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For writing samples and resume, see my web site: www.bobeklund.com. Bob Eklund 
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SIERRA MADRE’S FARMERS MARKET!

Wednesday 3-7 pm Fresh vegetables and seasonal fruits from California family farms. Specialty foods, 
vegetarian and vegan dishes, ethnic foods and hot food - Everything you’ll find at the farmers market has been made or 
picked fresh, is pesticide-free and preservative-free. Free public parking on Mariposa. 


REMEMBRANCE

EDITH SHANE TIMES SQUARE NURSE

This beautiful Obituary was submitted by Aaron R., a close and valued friend of 
Edith Shain.

Edith Shain died at her home in Los Angeles, 
California at the age of 91. She is universally 
recognized as the VJ Day Times Square 
Nurse. The iconic picture of a sailor kissing 
a nurse in Times Square in 1945 not only 
represents the end of WWII but also the 
beginning of the Baby Boomer generation. 
The picture has appeared on the front cover 
of LIFE Magazine more than any other photo 
and is celebrated as the most recognized 
photos of the 20th century.

Born in NYC on June 29, 1918 to a Turkish 
explorer who was featured in Geographic 
Magazine as one of the greatest explorers 
who travelled the world by foot. He ended 
his journey when his traveling partner was 
malled by a Bangladesh tiger. Edith. at 
only 4 foot 9. attended NYU during 1945 to 
obtain her nursing degree with intentions 
of joining the service as an Army Nurse 
after graduating. She worked at the then 
prestigious Doctor's Hospital (which no 
longer exists) as a psychiatric nurse. When 
she heard the news on the radio that WWII 
had ended, her nursing friend, Lucille, and 
she went to Times Square that morning to 
celebrate as the Nation would later collect. 
When she exited the subway with her 
girlfriend, an unknown sailor grabbed and 
kissed the then 27 year old nurse which was 
photographed in spontaneity by the acclaimed LIFE Magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstadt. The picture 
appeared as an inside small picture that encapsulated the historic day the following month in LIFE Magazine. 
Edith, who subscribed the the magazine at the time, was "embarrassed" when she saw the photo of herself 
and would not tell the world who she was until she wrote to Eisenstadt ("Eisie" as she would call him) in 1982 
and told him she was the famed nurse that held the curiosity of millions throughout the decades. Eisie would 
testify that Edith was indeed the mystery nurse in the photo and they became good friends until his passing 
at the age of 98 years.

Edith moved to Los Angeles, California in 1947 and became an elementary school teacher. Over a dozen men over 
the decades had written to Edith claiming to have been the sailor. In retrospect, Edith would laugh and tell her 
public that she simply did not know who the sailor was because her eyes where closed. "It was a long long kiss, but 
I figured since he was fighting for our country, I would let him kiss me." The kiss became immortal and is even 
resilliant amongst today's youth. The image recently appeared in the movie "Night Out At the Museum." Edith 
attended the 60th anniversary of the celebration of VJ Day in Times Square which is celebrated August 15th. 
The President to the Times Square Alliance claimed that it was the largest attendance of photographers in any 
event he had seen in the city. Edith accredited her good health and longevity to a healthy diet, cardio exercise 
and a good attitude. She was grand marshall of numerous parades commemorating Veterans nationwide, 
she laid the wreath at the 
WWII tomb in DC, and 
has appeared in numerous 
television appearances. She 
received a proclamation 
from the President of the 
United States claiming the 
photo to be a symbol of 
world peace. A 25 foot statue 
was erected in San Diego, 
California of the famous 
kiss by the acclaimed artist 
Seward Johnson of Johnson 
& Johnson. People who 
know the picture loved 
the photo, however, when 
people met Edith personally, 
they found out that the 
historic iconic figure was 
just as beautiful as the photo 
itself. She is survived by her 
three sons, grand-children, 
great-grandchildren.


Happy Hour 322 

Great food under 5 bucks! 

$5 martinis ~ $3 Pints of imported beers 

$3 cocktails ~ $3 vino's 

 4pm - 6:30 Tues thru Sun 

 

Early Bird Dinner Special 

 20% off your check every day 4:00 
- 6:30

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Great Live 
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