It’s not as if we don’t have enough to argue about these days. The border. The economy. Whether or not Taylor Swift should be added to the Chiefs' coaching staff. Do we really need another contentious debate to divide us? Even I‚ who spend my days gleefully lobbing truth grenades into the bunkers of conventional automative wisdom (ask me about electric cars sometime — or don’t!) could use a little peace. But this‚ my friends‚ is important. The eternal question You see‚ this Sunday is a very special day‚ in which more arguments will be won‚ lost‚ or fought to a draw than in almost any other. Forget the banalities of politics‚ religion‚ and how many cases of powdered eggs you need to get through the apocalypse. This Sunday‚ two rivals will meet in pitched battle to settle what I call “the eternal question.” Beans or no beans? My first taste of Texas chili wasn’t what I was used to at all. Beefy‚ hearty‚ thick but not too thick‚ with deep flavor tones‚ complex‚ spicy but not crazy hot‚ and earthy. Yes‚ yes‚ the Chiefs are also playing the 49ers. But the real stars here are our nation’s chili cooks. On no other day do we consume as much of the stuff as on Super Bowl Sunday. Who am I to judge this matter? I’m glad you asked. Down toward the bottom of my life’s great accomplishments — ok‚ so it’s a 3x5 card‚ but still — you’ll find that I’m a past Chili Appreciation Society International world chili champ. Please hold your applause. The Terlingua way The annual cookoff is held in Terlingua‚ Texas‚ right along the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. Every November‚ cooks who qualify via a points system in events all over the United States and abroad will gather to determine who’s got the best pot of “Red” for that year. If you’re a fellow car fanatic (or if you’ve seen “Ford v Ferrari”)‚ you’re familiar with Carroll Shelby‚ the inventor of the Shelby Cobra and Shelby Mustang. What you may not know is that Texas native Shelby was also a chili pioneer. He originated the cookoff with Dallas columnist Frank Tolbert‚ whom I first met while working on air at WFAA in Dallas. He was as authentic and irascible a Texas character as ever was dreamed up. Tolbert invited me to become a “celebrity judge” for one of the events‚ and I complied — and quickly fell in love with the culture‚ the people‚ and‚ of course‚ the chili. As a native Chicago boy‚ chili never really had any great appeal‚ as what I found locally was a pretty runny‚ soupy‚ spicy‚ hot-for-no-reason bowl of boredom. My first Texas judging was the culinary equivalent of Paul being struck from his horse on the road to Damascus. Holy schnikies! What I tasted wasn’t what I was used to at all. Beefy‚ hearty‚ thick but not too thick‚ with deep flavor tones‚ complex‚ spicy but not crazy hot‚ and earthy. And NO BEANS. Paul Brian Beans and chili don't mix Yeah‚ Yankee Boy was instantly hooked. I then made a life choice: I was going to start cooking in competition. Three years later I was lucky enough to win the whole shebang. I was quickly given a proper Texas education: “Anyone who knows beans about chili knows chili has nuthin’ to do with beans!” And it makes sense when you think about it. You see‚ if you cook beans in your chili‚ you failed high school chemistry. WHAT in the name of Sam Houston at the Alamo do I mean by that? Simply this: When you cook meat and beans together‚ starch is released from the beans. This starch‚ in turn‚ makes the meat mushy. Not yet finished with their flavor-destroying quest‚ the beans then proceed to suck up all the spices that the cook (cook‚ never “chef”) has obsessively perfected. The result? Fairly good tasting beans‚ and mushy‚ pretty tasteless meat. The two-pot solution Now‚ I realize there are some of you conceptually‚ philosophically‚ and even religiously bent on having beans in your chili. In that case‚ I can only say Godspeed and offer this bit of parting wisdom: Cook two pots. One of your meat and spices and another with those funny little orbs of starch that are the origins of more atmospheric pollution than John Kerry‚ Al Gore‚ and that absurdly annoying child Greta could ever dream up. Remember to spice them‚ too‚ because you still have that bean osmosis thing going on. Then mix them IN THE BOWL‚ along with whatever accoutrements you wish. By the way‚ there’s a secondary question that has to do with the meat you use. Hand-cut or ground? While CASI rules don’t prohibit hand-cut (cubed) meat‚ cooks 10-15 years ago started to think that ground was the way to go to please the judges. Me‚ I’m rabidly ambivalent about what you like to put out for Uncle Phil as he screams about “that Swifty Swift woman or whoever she is!” at halftime. You can easily use a “tube” of 80-20 ground from your local MegaMart‚ or you can take the time to hand-cut your beef into small cubes‚ which is what I prefer when I’m cooking for friends or a party. Well‚ there you have it. And let the inevitable fireworks ensue. You can leave your comments below. I’ll be happy to respond‚ even to utterly erroneous opinions. The recipe One more thing: The almost inevitable follow-up question from folks is‚ “Do you share your recipe?” I do‚ but like anything in the Windy City‚ it’s got a hook to it. My recipe is available on the Allen Lynch Medal of Honor Veterans Foundation Page for a small donation – 100% of which goes to the veterans that fine organization supports. So there’s enough time for you to grab the recipe online‚ get your fixins‚ and offer your guests a bowl of chili that won the world’s championship. “Bon apetit” as they say in France‚ or “Don’t burp too loud” as they say in the greatest state God ever created. Paul Brian is a 35-year veteran broadcaster and one of our nation's best-known‚ respected and in-demand automotive industry experts. Look for his work in future installments of Align.

The war bill that the Senate tried to pass off as a “border” bill has been defeated — and it’s all thanks to conservatives around the country. “We collectively — the big‚ royal 'we' — killed the border non-security part of that bill‚” Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts tells Glenn Beck. And it’s all thanks to conservatives around the country who have awakened to the reality that our government is not acting in the people’s best interest — and taken action. “What I have been saying for the last 24 hours‚ Glenn‚ to friends around the country‚ is‚ 'Guys‚ this is an example of the good things that happen when we wake up‚'” he adds‚ noting that “we have to stay engaged.” One of the ways to stay engaged is to clear the Senate of the people who aren’t doing the right thing. “I don’t know how you feel about McConnell‚” Glenn tells Roberts‚ “but I think he’s got to go.” “Politically‚ he’s the icon of everything that’s wrong in Washington because what’s wrong in Washington — and it’s connected to the World Economic Forum‚ as you know — is that these people decide‚ just a handful of people‚ they’re going to tell us what’s best for us‚ and they demand that we eat it‚” Roberts says. “I actually think this defeat yesterday of this bill shows that there is‚ politically speaking‚ blood in the water‚ that his leadership is really weakened‚” he adds. Roberts believes this might precede a retirement announcement for McConnell. “Thankfully‚ as you know‚” he tells Glenn‚ “there are a number of good potential replacements who would fix the problem.” To hear the full conversation‚ watch the clip below. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling‚ thought-provoking analysis‚ and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

A UCLA professor was suspended for not providing special treatment to black students in the light of George Floyd's death. The professor is suing the University of California Los Angeles for more than $19 million over the well-publicized incident that garnered national notoriety. Gordon Klein – a lecturer of accounting at the Anderson School of Management – made headlines in June 2020 when he refused to give preferential treatment to black students. As Blaze News previously reported‚ Klein was asked by a student if black students would be given special accommodations because of George Floyd's death and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. "The student requested a no-harm and shortened final exam‚ and extended deadlines for final assignments and projects in consideration of black students' well-being in light of nationwide protests against police brutality‚" the Daily Bruin reported. Klein responded by writing:Thanks for your suggestion in your email below that I give black students special treatment‚ given the tragedy in Minnesota. Do you know the names of the classmates that are black? How can I identify them since we've been having online classes only? Are there any students that may be of mixed parentage‚ such as half black-half Asian? What do you suggest I do with respect to them? A full concession or just half?Klein asked the student if "a white student" from Minneapolis "might be possibly even more devastated" by the death of George Floyd.Klein then quoted Martin Luther King Jr.‚ and asked‚ "Remember that MLK famously said that people should not be evaluated based on the 'color of their skin.' Do you think that your request would run afoul of MLK's admonition?"A student took a screenshot of the email conversation‚ and it quickly circulated online.UCLA students claimed Klein's email was "backhandedly racist" and that it undermined the Black Lives Matter movement. The same day as Klein wrote the email‚ a Change.org petition was launched‚ and it demanded Klein be "terminated for his extremely insensitive‚ dismissive‚ and woefully racist response to his students’ request for empathy and compassion during a time of civil unrest."The petition — with more than 21‚000 signatures — read‚ "His behavior is not reflective of the equity‚ respect‚ and justice that UCLA stands for as an institution."Two days later‚ Anderson School Dean Antonio Bernardo announced that Klein was suspended and an investigation was initiated into the "troubling conduct." "Providing a safe‚ respectful and equitable environment in which students can effectively learn is fundamental to UCLA’s mission‚" Bernardo declared. "We share common principles across the university of integrity‚ excellence‚ accountability‚ respect‚ and service. Conduct that demonstrates a disregard for our core principles‚ including an abuse of power‚ is not acceptable.""I deeply regret the increased pain and anger that our community has experienced at this very difficult time‚" Bernardo added. "We must and will hold each other to higher standards."Klein was reinstated less than a month after the incident. However‚ Klein alleges that the public backlash had caused irreparable damage. Klein derives significant income from his expert witness practice.The College Fix reported‚ "He has testified‚ for example‚ in several high-profile court cases‚ including Michael Jackson’s wrongful death‚ Apple’s acquisition of Dr. Dre’s Beats headphones‚ and the valuation of General Motors’ assets in bankruptcy."Klein’s attorney – Steve Goldberg – told the College Fix this week‚ "He was one of the top damages experts in the country who was historically bringing in well over $1 million dollars a year and trending upwards when it happened.""That practice went to ashes right after he was suspended‚" said Goldberg‚ a member of the Markun‚ Zusman &; Compton law firm.Klein‚ who continues to teach as a full-time lecturer at UCLA‚ is suing the university for "well over $19 million in damages."Klein's lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial on March 4 at the Santa Monica Courthouse.Klein‚ who joined the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 1981‚ first filed a lawsuit against the school in September 2021.UCLA did not respond to repeated requests for comment by The College Fix. Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

South Korean video game director Hyung-Tae Kim has been accused of making the design of his female character too much of the focus in his latest project‚ "Stellar Blade."The role-playing-style video game focuses on the main female character‚ Eve‚ one of the few remaining humans left standing in defense of Earth after an alien takeover.It is the character's design‚ however‚ that has some gaming critics seething over the apparent sexism. "I play Stellar Blade for the plot‚" account ReignOfPride sarcastically noted to its 287‚000 followers with an attached picture of the character.Video game journalist Karim Jovian said that "Stellar Blade just has a stellar ass that’s about it." Of course‚ the game had yet to come out.The game's developer spoke to Games Radar and noted that his character design has actually "become somewhat of a brave thing to be going for or attempting.""I personally think that compared to movies‚ animations‚ manga and so on‚ people are especially strict towards games. In games‚ there's all the views that people have [which are] not always positive about unrealistically beautiful characters‚" Kim continued. "Honestly‚ when I play a game I would like to see someone who is better-looking than myself. That's what I want. I don't want to see something normal; I want to see something more ideal. I think that is very important in a form of entertainment. This is‚ after all‚ entertainment targeted for adults‚" he added. \u201cI play Stellar Blade for the plot\u201d\n\nThe plot: — (@) Aforementioned critic Jovian took to the streets of New York to ask residents about the potential sexism of the character and whether she looked like the real-life counterpart."She looks 14‚" a woman with green hair told the reporter. Another woman said that developers had "messed up" for focusing on the physics of "how the character moves."Two other respondents claimed the game had "over-sexualized" the character.Despite the disdain of the critics‚ the main character is actually rendered from a real woman‚ Korean model Shin Jae-eun. The collaboration between developers at Shift Up games and the model have been quite public‚ in fact‚ with the production team even releasing footage of the motion capture/body scan of the 32-year-old. \ud83d\udfe1Wanna know a fun fact before jumping into #NewYear2024 ?? \ud83e\uddd0\n\nIn #StellarBlade‚ our protagonist Eve body figure was actually based on a 3D scan of the Korean model Shin Jae-eun! \ud83e\udd2f\ud83c\udf1f\n\n@StellarBlade currently has a release window scheduled for 2024‚ follow us to stay\u2026 — (@) Shift Up games has faced allegations of butting heads with feminist employees recently as well. In August 2023‚ the company was accused — by a person purporting to be a former employee — of firing them for being a feminist."The company that made the game (SHIFT UP) removed the work of two women because they were FEMINIST. I'm a victim and a former employee of this game company‚" the now-deleted account wrote on X.Developer Kim is known for producing content in an over-the-top anime style. His X account is full of age-restricted content and sexual images."When it comes to the design‚" Kim explained‚ "we put special attention on the back of the character because the player is always facing the back of the character when they're playing.""That's what they see the most of‚ so we thought this was pretty important."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The sheriff of California's San Joaquin County shared some bad news with the owners of 88 cars that were towed and impounded after a major street-takeover bust last Friday in Stockton.Seems the little angels in the illegal "sideshow" — which consisted of meeting at a predetermined intersection‚ blocking it off‚ and doing endless donuts and other dangerous stuff while a big crowd gawked and recorded it on video — had been calling the sheriff's office and wanting their rides back.Sheriff Patrick Withrow‚ however‚ has a very different plan in mind — and he bluntly told them on video‚ "No need to keep calling."First off‚ authorities are holding on to all the impounded cars "indefinitely until they are processed‚ and the District Attorney advises they are no longer needed for prosecution‚" he said. But even worse for the street-takeover connoisseurs was Withrow's promise that "we will be looking into the merits of seeking a destruction order for any vehicle deemed to be a public menace." Ouch.Check out the sheriff's message below: See on Instagram What's the background?KXTV-TV reported that last Friday night's street takeover at the intersection of Country Club Boulevard and Pershing Avenue "ended with crowds of people detained and law enforcement in riot gear.""It was just an unreal scene from when I got there‚" Michael Garcia‚ who lives near Stockton's American Legion Park‚ told KXTV in regard to the sideshow bust. He added to the station that "people were there sitting down‚ detained." Image source: KXTV-TV video screenshot KXTV said law enforcement stopped nearly all sideshow drivers and participants‚ which resulted in more than 150 people detained and 88 cars towed away.Withrow told the station his department used a new tactic to stop the street takeover in its tracks: "They're becoming more and more violent‚ and so we feel that this is the best way to contain it. We were able to find out ... where it was going to occur and fairly quickly get people in place and then swoop in on all sides of that intersection there."What's more‚ Withrow told KXTV that "we've already found guns‚ firearms‚ and stuff like that from some of the vehicles at the scene — and from our video evidence‚ we know that we're going to find a lot more."As you might guess‚ not everyone was on board with the street-takeover bust. Meet one guy the station identified as "Nicholas‚" a sideshow spectator who gave the sheriff and his deputies a piece of his mind: "I think it was a little excessive‚ to be honest. I don't think it should be this much just for kids sliding around in some cars." Image source: KXTV-TV video screenshotNicholas added to KXTV‚ "Y'all want the kids to stay out of trouble‚ y'all want money for the city? Give us a legal pit. We wouldn't be outside if we had a legal pit for real."The station said deputies seized so many cars that they had to store them outside the sheriff's office's headquarters‚ which necessitated staff to work overtime in order to prevent anyone from getting to the cars.Withrow remained unmoved by complaints and doubled down‚ telling KXTV that street takeovers are "irresponsible‚ it's criminal‚ and you're going to be held accountable for it. If you don't want to be held accountable‚ if you don't want to lose your vehicle‚ if you don't want to go through all the costs of defending yourself in court‚ then don't attend these sideshows."(H/T: The Auto Wire) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A transgender individual sued an ex-boyfriend in an effort to get surgically removed testicles returned. However‚ the testicles that were housed in a mason jar in the ex-boyfriend's refrigerator next to the eggs had already been discarded. Brianna Kingsley‚ 40‚ filed a small claims petition in August alleging an ex-boyfriend "retains possession of my surgically extracted testicles‚ preserved in (a) Mason jar‚ kept in (the) fridge next to the eggs."The ballsy suit demanded the immediate return of the “human remains specimen” as well as damages of $6‚500. The ex-boyfriend – 37-year-old William Wojciechowski – filed a counterclaim seeking $6‚500 in damages because he alleged to have been "humiliated" by coverage of the case by "worldwide news outlets."District Judge Jeremy Bowie noted that Kingsley had an opportunity to retrieve the surgically removed testicles when an Oakland County sheriff’s deputy accompanied Kingsley to Wojciechowski's home in January 2023. Kingsley had reportedly just gotten out of jail for violating a personal protection order the ex-boyfriend had filed against Kingsley. The couple allegedly broke up in December 2022. "We allow a one-time visit with a sheriff’s officer in situations like that for people to go back to get their belongings‚" Bowie said. "Ms. Kingsley failed to retrieve the testicles from the refrigerator at that time. ... If they were so important to her‚ she had the opportunity to grab them‚ and she didn't."Wojciechowski told the judge that he had discarded the testicles in July."They were rotting in my fridge‚ and it was disgusting — I’ve got food in there I wanted to eat‚" Wojciechowski explained. "She didn’t keep them in a biohazard container like she was supposed to."Kingsley said the testicles were stored in a mason jar in the fridge "because I deal with trauma with comedy. Shakespeare did it."Kingsley reportedly made a TikTok video in 2022 unboxing the testicles and displaying them in a biohazard bag. Bowie told Kingsley‚ "Specifically why I asked you: I can put a dollar amount on‚ say‚ if you were missing work at $16 an hour. But as to testicles‚ I can't really put a number on it."The Detroit News reported‚ "Kingsley‚ who clutched a small black comfort dog throughout the hearing‚ said the March 23‚ 2022 surgery at Henry Ford Hospital cost $20‚000‚ although she said because she's disabled‚ the state footed the bill.""But the state paid for that; you didn't‚" Bowie said. "You're not going to be unjustly enriched."Kingsley replied‚ "They were my testicles. ... We're talking about my nuts. ... I wanted them in my fridge — not his. ... He denied me access to my own body parts. I don't think that can be quantified. The damages were the loss of these nuts." In Pontiac's 50th District Court on Wednesday‚ Judge Bowie ruled against both Kingsley and Wojciechowski. Both were denied the $6‚500 that they had requested.Bowie noted that Kingsley failed to attend a hearing earlier on Wednesday on charges of destruction of property. Kingsley is accused of damaging Wojciechowski's front door.Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Putin’s Bolshevist historical revisionism was on full display in his interview with Tucker Carlson.

To help Kennedy qualify for ballot eligibility across the U.S.‚ the DNC claims the super PAC backing him will collect signature petitions in each state.

Megyn Kelly Destroys Dem Claims Biden's Mental State is Being Questioned Because of 1 Line in a Report

Deadspin Sued Over False 'Blackface' Accusation