Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

Recipe time:

3/4 cup butter(It has been suggested that using 1 full cup of butter works best due to cookie dough dryness)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon hazelnut (or almond) extract *Edit- It has been suggested that the almond flavouring may be overpowering to the flavour of the cookie, feel free to add this ingredient to taste*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg (It has been suggested that using 2 eggs works best due to cookie dough dryness)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups bacon bits (if preferred, you can separate the dough into two parts and only make half of the dough into bacon cookies, in which case you’ll only want to use 1 cup bacon bits)

*An important note- Be sure to use real bacon bits, not Bacos

Result:

P1110504

Secondary result:

Fam_pepto_bismol_liquid_8_oz5715

Via.

Bush Pusher

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & Deficit, Energy and ConservationLeave a Comment

Addicts4Tom Friedman is right:

Two years ago, President Bush declared that America was “addicted to oil,” and, by gosh, he was going to do something about it. Well, now he has. Now we have the new Bush energy plan: “Get more addicted to oil.”

Actually, it’s more sophisticated than that: Get Saudi Arabia, our chief oil pusher, to up our dosage for a little while and bring down the oil price just enough so the renewable energy alternatives can’t totally take off. Then try to strong arm Congress into lifting the ban on drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

It’s as if our addict-in-chief is saying to us: “C’mon guys, you know you want a little more of the good stuff. One more hit, baby. Just one more toke on the ole oil pipe. I promise, next year, we’ll all go straight. I’ll even put a wind turbine on my presidential library. But for now, give me one more pop from that drill, please, baby. Just one more transfusion of that sweet offshore crude.”

It is hard for me to find the words to express what a massive, fraudulent, pathetic excuse for an energy policy this is.

Yup.  Friedman goes on to explain how Bush and the Republican Party are opposed to H.R. 6049 — “The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008,” which extends for another eight years the investment tax credit for installing solar energy and extends for one year the production tax credit for producing wind power and for three years the credits for geothermal, wave energy and other renewables.

As Friedman says, wind energy and solar energy are here — they are available now, unlike drilling in ANWR and other places, where we wont see any oil (and even then, not that much of it) for years, maybe decades.

But Republicans — and that includes John McCain — have been fighting the bill, having lined their campaign coffers with generous contributions from oil companies.

So why are we in the energy dilemna we’re in?  Now you know.

Where America Is Religiously

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

ReligionsYesterday, the Pew Forum On Religion & Public Life release the second part of a massive survey of American’s attitudes about religion.  This was an in-depth survey of 35,000 Americans.

The full report (PDF) is here, but there are some interesting (and what I think are encouraging) findings.

The topline summary, I suppose, is that Americans are not dogmatic about their religion and faith.  In other words, the Falwells and Dobsons are just that — the Falwells and Dobsons.

For example, the majority of Americans — a full 70% — believe that many religions (not just theirs) can lead to eternal life.  Even for evangelical Americans, this number is still a majority — 57%.

I should probably note that I am using the word "Americans" here deliberately.  I mean "Americans", and not necessarily "Christians" (some people believe the two are synonymous).  The breakdown of out religions, as Americans, is on the right.

And most Americans (64%) believe that their religion can be interpreted in more than one "true" way; this also holds true for the majority of self-described evangelicals (53%).

92% of Americans believe in God (or a universal force), which is what you would expect.  But when you dig deeper, you see that one-in-five Americans are not certain in their belief of God’s existence.  Americans are also split about the nature of God: 60% believe He is a personal God (an actual figure), whereas 25% believe is he is an "impersonal force" (an energy without a body).

How religious are we?  Not as much as some would like us to think.  55% said that religion was "very important" in their lives, and only 39% said they attend religious services once a week.

Religionpolitics_2Not surprisingly, those who say their religion is "very important" and/or attend religious service at least once a week and/or pray daily tend to skew conservative on the ideological scale.

In the post below, I wrote about Dobson vs. Obama, and their conflicting views of biblical interpretation.  Most Americans (63%) believe that the Bible is the Word of God.  This number is highest among Christians, compared with other religions.  However, among Christians, there is disagreement over whether the Bible should be interpreted literally, word-for-word.  The majority of black (63%), evangelical Protestants (59%) believe the Bible should be interpreted literally, word-for-word; the majority of Catholics, Mormons and mainline Protestants think every word should not be interpreted literally.

What strikes me about that is the relatively high number of evangelicals who DON’T believe in literal interpretation — about 41%.

God only talks to some of us apparently.  Only 19% of Americans say that they receive specific answer to specific prayers once-a-week from God.  I think many of those 19% are lying (or rationalizing).

An issue that is big with me is proselytizing (a word I’m never going to learn to spell correctly).  36% of Americans say they share their faith with others once a month, although this varies widely among religions.  It jumps to 52% among evangelical religions and (no surprise here) 84% among Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Yeah, we noticed, guys.

Most Americans (58%) believe that the "culture of Hollywood" does not threaten their values, although that number goes down when you start talking about evangelicals and Mormons.  Most Americans (57%) don’t believe that abortion should be illegal in most or all cases, but that number goes down when you start talking about evangelicals and Mormons*.  And most Americans (60%) do not agree with the statement "Homosexuality is a way of life that should be discouraged", but but that number goes down when you start talking about evangelicals and Mormons.**

On evolution, Americans are split 48% (agree with it as the best explanation for existence of life) and 45% disagree.  This ties in hugely with one’s religious beliefs.  For example, 58% of Catholics, 77% of Jews, and 72% of unaffiliated (agnostic/atheist/etc) agree with evolution, compared to 35% of Protestants (evangelical and mainline combined).

And finally, religion and education.  One common theory is that as education increases, a person’s adherence to religion decreases.  From the survey, there is this helpful data:

Religedu

Hmmmm.  I guess one could say that evangelicals are less educated, compared with Jews and Hindus.  One could say that — but I’m not going to touch that with a ten-foot pole.

So where are we going, religiously?  Well, Europe has become very secularized over the last several decades.  America is a little slower, but it is heading that way.  7% of Americans say they were not affiliated with any religion as a child, but 16% say they are not affiliated with a religion now.  So Americans are dropping out more than they are finding faith.

If this stuff interests you, I strongly urge you to browse the full report.  It breaks down these issues by major sects (not just broad religions) — for example, 22% of those who are affiliated with the United Church of Christ believe government should do more to protect morality in society — and states — for example, 49% of North Carolinians attend church at least once a week (compared with 60% in Mississippi, and 23% in New Hampshire).

* I’m not talking about aborting evangelicals and Mormons; I’m talking about their opinions.

** Ditto

Dobson: Obama is “dragging biblical understanding through the gutter”

Ken AshfordElection 2008, Godstuff2 Comments

I’m going to assume this is a craven attempt for publicity, because on logical and argumentative grounds, Dobson isn’t saying much.  From the AP:

As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement’s biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution.

The criticism, to be aired Tuesday on Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio program, comes shortly after an Obama aide suggested a meeting at the organization’s headquarters here, said Tom Minnery, senior vice president for government and public policy at Focus on the Family.

The conservative Christian group provided The Associated Press with an advance copy of the pre-taped radio segment, which runs 18 minutes and highlights excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. Obama mentions Dobson in the speech.

"Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools?" Obama said. "Would we go with James Dobson’s or Al Sharpton’s?" referring to the civil rights leader.

Call to Renewal is also known as the Sojourners.  You can read the full text of Obama’s 2006 address here.

Dobson took aim at examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy — chapters like Leviticus, which Obama said suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination, or Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, "a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application."

"Folks haven’t been reading their Bibles," Obama said.

Dobson and Minnery accused Obama of wrongly equating Old Testament texts and dietary codes that no longer apply to Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament.

And that’s where the fundamentalists lose me.

"No longer apply"?!?

Wait, wait, wait.  I thought the Bible was the Word of God.  Now you’re telling me that the Word of God no longer applies, Mr. Dobson?

Oh, I see.  Only some parts of it no longer apply.  Well, okay.  Which parts?  Who decides that?  Hmmmmm?

"I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology," Dobson said.

"… He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter."

Sez you.

Obama’s point, and it was crystal clear, was that everyone has their own worldview — Dobson has one, Sharpton has another — and it would be wrong for the government — the law — to promote or endorse one worldview to the exclusion of others.

Why is this concept so difficult for Dobson to understand?  It’s at the core of American freedom.

But Dobson wasn’t done….

Dobson reserved some of his harshest criticism for Obama’s argument that the religiously motivated must frame debates over issues like abortion not just in their own religion’s terms but in arguments accessible to all people.

He said Obama, who supports abortion rights, is trying to govern by the "lowest common denominator of morality," labeling it "a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution."

"Am I required in a democracy to conform my efforts in the political arena to his bloody notion of what is right with regard to the lives of tiny babies?" Dobson said. "What he’s trying to say here is unless everybody agrees, we have no right to fight for what we believe."

No, he’s NOT saying that.  Here is what Obama actually said:

Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.

Now this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do. But in a pluralistic democracy, we have no choice.

In other words, Dobson, Obama believes that you DO have the right to fight for what you believe.  But your argument (particularly with abortion) has got to be more than "because God says so".  And that’s because people intuitively understand you as saying "because MY God says so".  And YOUR God doesn’t rule in a pluralistic society.

So fight on, Dr. Dobson.  You have the right to do so.  I believe that, so does Obama.  But you can’t WIN the fight by appeals to your interpretation of the scripture.

Where The Hell Is Matt? (Again)

Ken AshfordYoutube1 Comment

I don’t know why I find these videos so awesome, but I do.

Two years ago, I posted a video of a guy named Matt Harding, dancing all over the world.  The video has been viewed on Youtube over 9,000,000 times.  Here’s the video again:

Well, the globetrotting Matt was at it again in 2008, and came out with a 2008 video a few days ago.  It’s been viewed on Youtube over 1.5 million times already.  This time, the Internet sensation has been joined by a cast of hundreds.  This is guaranteed to make you smile (again).

Nice life…

UPDATE:  Brett (in the comments) is right…. this is great because it’s (a) silly and (b) has an uplifting one-world feel to it.

EW’s Top 50 New Stage Classics

Ken AshfordTheatre1 Comment

Broadway_shows_2These are the best new plays (1983 – present) according to the folks at Entertainment Weekly:

1. Angels in America (1993-94)

2. Rent (1996)

3. August: Osage County (2007)

4. Doubt (2004)

5. Jersey Boys (2005)

6. Fences (1987)

7. Glengarry Glen Ross (1984)

8. Avenue Q (2003)

9. The Heidi Chronicles (1988)

10. The Producers (2001)

11. The Coast of Utopia (2006-07)

12. The Phantom of the Opera (1987)

13. The Lion King (1997)

14. Frost/Nixon (2007)

15. Les Misérables (1987)

16. Wicked (2003)

17. Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (1987)

18. Elaine Stritch at Liberty (2001)

19. Six Degrees of Separation (1990)

20. Three Days of Rain (1997)

21. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (1998)

22. Into the Woods (1987)

23. M. Butterfly (1988)

24. Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk (1995)

25. Falsettos (1992)

26. Dinner With Friends (1999)

27. La Cage aux Folles (1983)

28. Speed-the-Plow (1988)

29. The Piano Lesson (1990)

30. City of Angels (1989)

31. Three Tall Women (1994)

32. Prelude to a Kiss (1990)

33. Hairspray (2002)

34. Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983)

35. Stomp (1994)

36. The Substance of Fire (1991)

37. This Is Our Youth (1996)

38. Noises Off (1983)

39. Grey Gardens (2006)

40. Fires in the Mirror (1992)

41. Cirque du Soleil: O (1998)

42. subUrbia (1994)

43. Spring Awakening (2006)

44. Wit (1998)

45. Sunday in the Park With George (1984)

46. Rabbit Hole (2006)

47. Burn This (1987)

48. Fool for Love (1983)

49. Topdog/Underdog (2001)

50. Chess (1988)

On the whole, I think it’s a pretty good list.  But I’m going to take issue with a couple of things. 

First of all, I think they tend to give higher ratings to shows which are more current and haven’t stood the test of time (even the short time).  For example, Frost/Nixon and Jersey Boys probably deserve to be on this list, but at numbers 14 and 5, respectively?  No, I don’t think so.  Same perhaps with Coast of Utopia.  (I would agree with the placement of August: Osage County at #3, but I think Spring Awakening (#43) got reemed a bit).

Secondly, while I agree with the top four (and in that order, too!), I think several shows got screwed.  Spring Awakening (as I’ve already mentioned) and Burn This (#47).

Also, there are at least two shows on the list which shouldn’t be there at all: Stomp (#35) and Cirque du Soleil: O (#41).  Sorry, but if there’s no acting, it’s not theater.  It’s dance, it’s circus, it’s an entertainment piece, but it’s not theatre.  Oh, and same with the Elaine Stritch show (#18).  That’s a concert, people.  And Speed The Plow wasn’t a classic, even a new one.

Why isn’t Cats on the list?  It’s a shitty show, but it is undeniably a classic.  Well, that’s because it opened in 1982.  (I also thought Amadeus should be on the list, but it turns out that was 1981, and Little Shop of Horrors was 1982).  No, I don’t think they overlooked anything major (maybe… maybe Spamalot).

Finally, anybody other than me note the conspicuous absence of Disney musicals on the list, save for The Lion King?  You know why that is?  Because they suck (save for The Lion King).  Just my two cents. 

Feel free to weigh in….

Rush’s Not-So-Subtle Racism

Ken AshfordDisasters, Race, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

Here’s the big fat one, on his radio show, talking about the recent floods:

Limbaugh: I want to know. I look at Iowa, I look at Illinois—I want to see the murders. I want to see the looting. I want to see all the stuff that happened in New Orleans. I see devastation in Iowa and Illinois that dwarfs what happened in New Orleans. I see people working together. I see people trying to save their property…I don’t see a bunch of people running around waving guns at helicopters, I don’t see a bunch of people running shooting cops. I don’t see a bunch of people raping people on the street. I don’t see a bunch of people doing everything they can…whining and moaning—where’s FEMA, where’s BUSH. I see the heartland of America. When I look at Iowa and when I look at Illinois, I see the backbone of America.

Well, I don’t know where Rush got his info about Katrina and New Orleans.  I mean, how do you go about "raping people on the street" when the street is submerged under 6 feet of water?

Of course, Rush ignnores the fact that the Katrina disaster was a disaster on an unheard-of scale.  I say that not to belittle what has been going on in the Midwest, but the two are hardly comparable.  The death toll in the Midwest stands at 24;   The immediate death toll from Katrina was roughly 1,800 (the exact number isn’t known, and the toll continues to rise from long-term deaths).

But Rush makes the comparison anyway.

Applesandoranges

But we all know what Rush is saying.  It was the black people in New Orleans who were doing all the raping and pillaging and "whining", as they watched their friends, family, and neighbors drown.  But the good ol’ white people of middle America?  They’re not doing that.  And why?  Because they are the backbone of America.

Of course, the people in middle America aren’t complaining about the lack of FEMA, because (unlike Katrina), FEMA is there.

It’s sad when disasters expose the worst side of our nation’s inherent racism.  Remember this from the Katrina coverage?

Katrinaaftermathandracism

Yes, the young (black) man "loots" soda from a local grocery store, while the upscale (white) residents "find" soda within a local grocery store.  Got that?

Rush would probably look at the second photo and proclaim the two people to be self-motivated can-doers who embody the spirit of America, even in the face of terrible tragedy.  And he would probably look at the first photo and proclaim the black guy is a common street thug, taking advantage of tragedy to rip of whitie.

Can’t believe that guy still has a radio show…..

The Country I Love

Ken AshfordElection 2008Leave a Comment

"Country I Love":

They’re running it on a very aggressive 18 state play that includes Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Virginia. 

The ad does a good job of reminding people that Obama’s mom was white, and that he’s not — you know — a Muslim (as many wingnuts suggest), or an effete ivory tower liberal (as many of the same wingnuts suggest).  It’s too bad he has to (subtly) put this message in his ads, but it’s the right ad to run in the above-mentioned states.

My Problem With Basketball

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

One of two things happen:

(1)  It’s a close game, which means that you sit there watching for an hour before it gets exciting in the last quarter, or (more likely) the last minute

OR

(2)  It’s a blowout, in which case you sit there waching for more than an hour just waiting for it to end.

I think I watched my first televised basketball game in its entirety the other night — Game 6 of the Celtics-Lakers matchup.

Glad the Celtics won of course.  But it was a #2.

Liveblogging The Tonys

Ken AshfordTheatre1 Comment

8:00 — Opening with The Lion King.  We’ve seen this before, haven’t we?

8:04 — And it’s still going….

8:07 — Original cast of Rent?  Cool.

8:09 — Best Featured Actress in a Play — I picked Laurie Metcalf (November), but it’s Rondi Reed (August: Osage County).  She was pretty good, but not the best in the cast.

8:15 — Wow, Crybaby looks really good.  Gotta see that.

8:23 — Best Featured Actor in a Play —  I picked Raul Esparza (The Homecoming), but it’s Jim Norton (The Seafarer).  I read the play a few weeks ago — it’s phenomenal.

8:26 — Excerpt from Passing Strange.  Okay, I still don’t know what it’s about.  But I like the music.

8:37 — Best Musical Direction — I like John Lithgow.  Bartlett Sher for South Pacific.  Okay, well I’ve got three wrong so far… out of three.  I like South Pacific; I’m just tired of it.

8:40 — It’s Jack Klugman.  He’s not long for this world.  Sadly.

8:41 — Excerpt from Gypsy.  Another show I’m not a big fan of.  But Patti Lapone.  Yeah, she was meant to play this part.  Better than Ethel Merman.  Which isn’t saying much.

8:53 — Wow.  I didn’t get Best Orchestrations, Best Book of A Musical, Best Play Revival, and Best Choreography (all presented earlier) right.

8:56 — Best Score — In The Heights.  The rap acceptance speech.  Nice.  Odd.  But nice.

8:58 — Excerpt from South Pacific.  There is nothing like a dame…. that’s okay. But I hate Some Enchanted Evening…. this whole segment is as corny as Kansas in August.  Where’s Mary Martin when you need her?

9:09 — It’s Kristen giving the award for Best Featured Actress In A Musical.   I guess the chick from In The Heights, but it’s Laura Benati from Gypsy.  Awwwww, she cried.

9:12 — Excerpt from Grease.  Ugh.  From that awful TV show.  They’re doing "Grease (Is The Word)" from the movie.  And it’s awful!!  The second song was better.

9:22 — Why it’s that well-known Broadway actress  — Brooke Shields??

9:23 — Best Actor in a Musical — Boyd Gaines from Gypsy.  Hey, I’ve seen Robin De Jesus before.  He was in Camp.  Anyway, I got yet another one wrong.

9:25 — Marisa Tomei.  I’m in love again.  Excerpt from The Little Mermaid.  Sigh.  Another Disney show.  Thank God it’s not getting much acclaim.  Sierra Boggess is good though.

9:28 — Faith Prince singing from A Catered Affair.  Eh.

9:29 — Excerpt from Young Frankenstein — Mel Brooks can’t write music.  It’s always derivative.

9:43 — Well, that was a nice, albeit short, review of the best play nominees.

9:44 — Best Director of a Play — Anna D. Shapiro for August: Osage County.  Yay!  And I got one right!  Nice tat!  Awwww, she’s crying.

9:54b — Best Actor in a Play — Mary Louise Parker presents the award to Mark Rylance in Boeing-Boeing.  I had picked Larry Fishbrune for Thurogood.  Wow.  Best.  Acceptance.  Speech.  Ever.  What the hell was that?!?  I loved it!

9:57 — Best Actress in a Play — Well, this is easy.  Deanna Dunagan for August: Osage County.  Of course.  One of the best performances I’ve ever seen.  Phenomenal.  They’ll be talking about it for years to come.  Amy Morton was also incredible.  Too bad they were in the same play in the same year.

10:00 — Excerpt from In The Heights.  I guess it’s a rap musical.  I like it.  Hmmm.  Wow, I really like it.  Lots of energy and great dancing.  Ok.  It’s not all rap.

10:11 — Best Play — August: Osage County.  Of course it won.  Yes, Tracy: "They decided to produce and American play on Broadway with theatre actors."  Nice.

10:14 — Lifetime Achievement to Sondheim.  Mandy looks like Santa Claus.

10:17 — Excerpt from Sunday in the Park with George.  Looks like an interesting revival.  I’m still a fan of the original.

10:22 — Well, I’ve got many many picks wrong so far.  The only ones I got right were Best Play (August: Osage County), Best Actress in a Play (Deanna Dunagan), Best Direction of a Play (Anna D. Shapiro), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County) and Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Michael Yeargan, South Pacific)

10:28 — Best Revival of a Musical — South Pacific.  Okay, I got that right too.  Oh, they showed Mary Rodgers (Richard Rodger’s daughter).  I met her when I did Once Upon A Mattress.  Nice lady.

10:31 — Excerpt from Xanadu.  Nice number, but they could have picked one that conveyed some of the humor of the show.

10:37 — Why so many ads for bipolar disorder pills?  They think theatre people are crazy?

10:42 — Tribute to Rent, which is closing soon.  Original cast.  Hi, Idena.  Well, that was nice.

10:45 — Oh, God.  It’s Liza.  "For sho many of ush, theatre ish our home."

10:47 — Best Actor in a Musical — Paulo Szat from South Pacific.  I guessed Tom Wopat.  Now, why is Stew nominated?  He didn’t act, did he?  Didn’t he play himself?

10:50 — Best Actress in a Musical — David Hyde Pierce gives the award to…. Patti Lapone (Gypsy), as I predicted.  I would have loved Kerry Butler to win, but Patti is an all-star.  Why is she YELLING INTO THE MICROPHONE?!?

10:55 — Okay, let’s wrap it up.

10:58 — Best Musical — In The Heights.  Well, good.  It looked good.  Heather told me not to discount it.  She was right

Well, I got 7 out of 26 right.  Sucky.

And that’s a wrap….

The Forecast Calls For Smoke

Ken AshfordLocal InterestLeave a Comment

Smoke?!?  Really?

Never heard that before.

But sure enough, that’s what the forecast says: "Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms possible. Areas of smoke reducing visibilities at times."

The reason, as it turns out:

Smoke and haze wafting over the region from two North Carolina wildfires should begin to clear later this morning, according to the National Weather Service.

The sources of the smoke were likely from a 40,000-acre, lightning-sparked blaze in the central Outer Banks about 50 miles west of Nags Head, N.C., and a nearly 1,000-acre fire near Suffolk along the North Carolina border, weather experts said.

Winds blew smoke west-northwest to the Danville area, affecting Pittsylvania, Halifax, Henry and Patrick counties, as well as Caswell, Rockingham and Stokes counties in North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.

OK then.  I suppose they get this kind of forecast in the West Coast.  It’s just a new one to me.