Double Whammy

Finally, a product that combines two of my most-hated things: beanies and hipster beards.

Stella!

I just learned something interesting: Stella Artois, the beer with the pretentious commercials I have to sit through when I see a foreign movie at one of my local Landmark Cinemas, is nicknamed 'wife beater' in England! That's a different cultural interpretation!

From what I've read, its high-ish alcohol content allegedly makes British men get all 'aggro', though in truth, it's obviously the innate qualities of the louts who drink it that make them act out. However, some of the theories here are rather amusing--some people even think it has 'special chemicals' that turn a normal peace-loving chav fellow into a raging animal:

"I reckon it is true. My Mum used to work in a pub and the effect that stuff had on some of the guys in there was just awful. One in particular found himself with his hands round his girlfriend's neck after a night in it. He hasn't touched it since because he thinks it was because he had been drinking Stella that night. I think maybe it just brings out the very worst in someone, it doesn;t necessarily make them go home and beat seven shades out of the missus. My boyfriend had been drinking it one night when his usual lager was off and we had such a huge row on the way home, I've never seen him so argumentative.

"I think they should be allowed to conduct some kind of study into it, despite what it may do to the sales, because if there really is something in it which makes people behave aggressively, they should either change some of the ingredients or make people fully aware of the risks."

"In my last bar I was forced to change Stella to another lager because everybody who got drunk on it just ended up fighting. When the new lager was introduced there were no longer any problems. So in my experience it is true."

"It really do make some people very aggressive, my local pub will refuse to sell it to some customers."

"A policman told me it is true. It is well known to make men aggresive and abusive."

And my very favorite:

"Good question man, I always get in trouble when drinking that stuff, it couls be from the water they use to make it. Another side effect of Stella, it makes me poop really bad the next day. Anyone else have that problem?"

More information here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494149/Where-did-wrong-beer-wife-beater.html

Worlds Collide

The new season of Mad Men premieres this Sunday, and the season opens at Thanksgiving 1964 (so I have read). That means the reality of the show is now in the era of full-on Beatlemania (they hit the US in the winter of that year, and their first movie came out in August).
Who will be the first Beatle fan among the show's characters? Keep in mind, most adults of the time didn't concede any talent to the group until later, after "Yesterday" and albums like Rubber Soul were released.

I think we can rule out any of the real "grown ups", like Don, Betty, and Joan. Peggy is likely to want to be seen as being a serious career woman, so I don't think she's going to reveal herself as a fan, and she probably doesn't care.

Last seen dancing in Season One

Obviously, Roger Sterling's taste runs toward minstrelsy, though maybe his child bride Jane will tell him not to change the channel when they're on the radio.

Paul Kinsey might have an inclination toward the fab four later, but now I see him as a Coltrane and Dylan guy.

Pete and Trudy Campbell could be the dark horses of the group--they can be surprising.

Maybe gay German Kurt--he could have seen them in Hamburg in the early days, when he was friends with Astrid Kirchherr and Klaus Voorman (speculation).

But the one character who I will bet will be the show's representative Beatlemaniac is:

Sally Draper!

Walking

Yesterday, I called our insurance company about switching our apartment insurance to the new place (since we're responsible grown-ups, we have apartment insurance these days), and after being asked a bunch of building infrastructure questions I didn't know the answers to (Knob and Tube, or Romex?), the agent said she noticed that they weren't insuring "our car". Of course, we don't have a car, and have never had one.

The lady I talked to seemed to have a hard time understanding how you could get by without one, an opinion shared by about 90% of people in the U.S. It was funny when she said "So, do you just...stay around...where you live?"

The answer, is yes, sort of, but we live in the middle of the city, and most things we ever need are within walking distance, so we don't need to get in a car to do any normal activities. And I think the thing that most people don't realize is that they're not going to great, otherwise-inaccessible places in their vehicles most of the time. If I'm not driving to a big suburban shopping center or eating at a chain restaurant off the highway, isn't that a good thing? Most people don't really use their cars to (as Beebo says) "go into nature" and get away from overdeveloped cities and suburbs. They just spend a lot of time on highways and in giant parking lots. And I have a feeling that if I did have a car, I would restlessly get in it and drive extra miles to do shopping, just because I felt like I could.

Getting back to my conversation with the insurance lady--the funny thing about living in 2010 in Seattle, rather than 1992, is that people now feel compelled to congratulate you for your small carbon-footprint lifestyle, since people have gotten the message about all that ecology stuff (thanks Al!). Under the surface, however, I know they're still thinking "I would hate to have to live that way!" But the woman from St*te F*rm did talk to me (she was chatty) about her brother, who had moved to a neighborhood in town and hardly ever used his car anymore, choosing to walk and take the bus. He'd lost weight and was in better shape than before, and he loved his new routine. Which I guess indicates that more people are changing their minds.

I think the test to see if you're truly a walker is: do you walk to get places, or just as a recreational exercise? If you think of it as a valid means of transportation, then you're a real walker in my book.

Superman's carry-on

As seen on the Las Vegas strip.
I assume he can get it into the overhead compartment without assistance.

Are you prepared for Y2.01K?

Y2.01K Checklist for survival

The year 2010 bug arose from the fact that most old mainframe computers from the early 2000s still running keep track only of the last three digits of the year. The computer assumes the first three digits are 2 and 0 and 0. To the computer, 2009 is just 9. That means the computer will interpret 10 not as 2010 but as 2000, throwing the date calculation off by 10 years.

Because it is impossible to foresee exactly what problems will have to be dealt with at the turn of the decade, the American Red Cross has developed a checklist to help everyone handle Y2.01K in the best fashion possible:

Because many types of electrical equipment have embedded chips in them that control vital operations, the American Red Cross suggests that you first "check with manufacturers of any essential computer-controlled electronic equipment in your home to see if that equipment may be affected." This includes garage door openers, electronic locks, consumer electronics, security and fire systems, appliances and programmable thermostats.

If the equipment will be affected, it should be dealt with according to the manufacturer's instructions. The second thing the organization suggests is to stock disaster supplies for yourself and all who live with you. This will include nonperishable foods and water as well as an adequate supply of non-prescription and prescription drugs that you and your household regularly use.

"At least a gallon [approximately 4 -liters] of water per person per day to drink and a gallon per person per day for hygienic purposes should be stored," suggested Christopher -Thomas, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross.

Because computer systems may fail at banks, the American Red Cross suggests that you keep extra cash on hand as well in a safe place. "Withdraw your money from your bank in small amounts well in advance of 12/31/09 to avoid long lines at the bank at the last minute," the Red Cross said.

A few days or so before 12/31/09, the American Red Cross also suggests filling your gas tank. However, you should keep in mind that your car may have embedded chips that control vital functions such as power brakes, power steering, electronic fuel injection and other functions.

In case power fails in your area, the American Red Cross says that it would be wise to have alternative cooking methods planned. However, "We recommend you don't use camp stoves inside the house because this is how many fires start," Thomas said.

If power goes out, so may the heat. Having extra blankets, coats, hats, gloves and other articles of warm clothing will be a must since the Y2.01K problem will happen during the heart of the winter season. If lights go out due to power failures, flashlights--not candles--should be used for lighting purposes. Make sure you have a good supply of fresh batteries as well.

Last but not least, the American Red Cross asks that you check with local emergency service providers to see if more information is available on how your community will be handling the Y2.01K problem. No matter how serious Y2.01K may be, Thomas believes that everyone should be prepared. "We have to be prepared for the possibility (of a disaster)," said Thomas. "And the American Red Cross--though hoping for the best--is prepared for the worst."

Voting Machines, part two

Regular "Foulard" reader Stephanie lives in the only state where the old-fashioned voting machine is still used, as far as I can tell.

"In this New Yorker magazine cover from 1956, election officials tally votes registered on the counters visible on the back of a gear-and-lever voting machine. These machines were last manufactured in 1985 and remain in statewide use in Louisiana and New York. They are being phased out under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which provides aid to states to acquire new voting equipment."

http://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/votingmachine.html

But it looks like today's election is the last for the New York voting machines:
http://aplfriends.blogspot.com/2009/10/loss-of-lever-voting.html
Here in Seattle, we've finally gone over to mail-only voting. Last year's presidential election was the final time Beebo and I got to go to the polls. But Beebo's name wasn't on the list, so she got a provisional ballot--which was a lame way to go out!

Hipster beards again

Here is a photo of a local hipster band. I'm assuming that the guy on the right is a new member of the group.

Do girls really like guys with bushy, unkempt beards these days? Does that make these guys the sexiest band around?

It's time to declare war on...

Hipster beards!

Most-requested Cocktails (Part 2)

Okay, here's that Piscolabis recipe
you were all asking for. ENJOY!

How you can tell the economy's really in the crapper

See's Candy seems to have stopped offering the exclusive Gift of Elegance Collection™.

Now what will the rich man eat while being chauffeured around town?

Cocktail recipe request

"We're here--and perishing for a Piscolabis!"

Most-requested Cocktails (Part 1)

Ingredients:
Brandy, Italian vermouth, Angostura bitters

Check back for more recipes of
today's hottest cocktails!

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