Off Topic background checks

Under the laws in my state you are entiltled to the results of any background check done for employment reasons.

These companies simply collect public records and consolidate them.

I have to pass on the fruitcake. My own belief is that there is only ONE fruitcake in the world, passing endlessly from one person to another over the years. But if you can collect many many fruitcakes best of luck on your endevor.

Just my two cents but I believe that the sorry (and justified) reputation that fruit cake has now is because making a good one has become a lost art.

Drifting back to the days of yore (late forties, fifties) I can recall a process that took a couple of days and filled the house with delectable smells and warm fuzzies. There was always a couple to be given away and finished cakes were stored away in a dark place to age (with rum or Jack Daniels set in the center of those destined for the adults) and the result was something so tantalizingly delicious that the kids couldnt wait to get it on their plate. Sweet, fattening, and decidedly decadent, but a once a year treat that everyone looked forward to.

The assembly line goo of today carries with it the taste and smell of kerosene and other factory fluids and in no way deserves to be called by the same name.

My poor dead granny has to be raining tears of disappointment right about now.

I will second LP on this as the true art of making fruit cake is fast disappearing :-(. I have asked my dear mother to send me her recipe from England before she shuffles off this mortal coil so that her recipe can live on! One of her fruit cakes is to die for and is a labour of love that takes a couple of months (at least) before the creation is ready for serving. I haven't been able to sample one for over 13 years and I truly miss them at this time of year.

I don't know the quantities yet but the process involved soaking the fruit for two days in good quality sherry to plump them up prior to baking the cake. Once baked the cake was sealed in a cake tin to mature. A couple of days before it was due to be eaten it would be taken out of the tin and skewered from the top in several places to about half the depth of the cake and the remaining holes were filled with brandy. The holes were refilled a couple of times over the course of several hours to ensure a good 'permeation' of the cake. After that a layer of marzipan (almond paste) was applied and before the final coat of sugar paste (soft icing) was added she would paint the marzipan with vodka to make the sugar paste stick better.

To bite into such a creation is an experience believe me! They were never 'dry' and the flavours would come at you in waves with subtle nuances that are hard to describe. The perfect way to eat it would be to take a bite of fruit cake and a bite of very mature cheddar (or other strong flavoured) cheese and chew them up together and once swallowed wash them down with a sip of good whisky or brandy and repeat as required............hic!

If you're not familiar with it, you might enjoy Truman Capote's short story "A Christmas Memory." Scrounging the ingredients for fruitcake, including bootleg whiskey from Mr. Haha Jones, is a prominent theme.

Ned Simmons

No, they are the Government, a commercial enterprise. The US government has been sold to commercial interests, read the newspaper (another arm of the government, although they vehemently deny it).

They are mostly tracking where you go (both locally, as when shopping) and when travelling out of town. They try to figure out what you buy, even on a microscale, by reading the sales tickets at the grocery (and other) stores. So, they know how many rolls of toilet paper you buy every year. They also have info on patterns of buying major items like cars and home appliances. This actually has some use other than for purely statistical sales forecast purposes, as they can point advertising to you.

The government can buy into the database just like any other enterprise, and it is obvious if they are looking for very specific things like cities traveled to, reading certain magazines or newspapers, etc. that they can select people for further scrutiny.

Jon

A very good story. Heartwarming & sad at the same time. Thanks for the link.