Accidental Writings

Gloom and Doom

2011-06-17T15:28:00.001+01:00

It's raining and cold in London. This typical mid-June weather reflects my mood.

Financial markets tanking (although not today, wheee!), ill-timed austerity and simply bad economic policies crippling the economies of Europe and the US, nihlist US Republican leader-of-the-free-world wannabees falling all over each other to see who can be more bigoted and un-American in the name of "patriotism," natural catastrophes left and right. Ugh!

It can only go up from here. Plus, I'll probably feel better when the sun comes out!

Meat and More Meat

2009-10-04T05:07:00.004+01:00

I had a new experience tonight at Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao in Atlanta. Basically, the deal here is that waiters hover around the dining room carrying spit-roasted meat on skewers, carving succulent slices beef, lamb, pork and chicken directly onto your plate until you're completely stuffed.

It's a chain, so it's somewhat "chain like," but no more so than Ruth's Chris or Morton's. The meat, however, tastes great. The danger is that because you can eat as much as you want, you can easily become over-stuffed. I did.

Sophisticated dining it is not, but the impeccable service and great food made for a unique and totally enjoyable evening.

Shangri-La

2009-09-21T07:30:00.001+01:00

During my Southern California sojourn, we dropped in for a drink and a (very expensive) snack at the recently re-opened uber-chic Shangri-La Hotel bar in Santa Monica. Apparently there's quite a bar scene there normally, but as we arrived at 3.3o in the afternoon, the place was dead empty, which was actually more than fine by me.

We took a quick nose around the lobby and pool area, and I quite like the hotel's art deco styling (reminds me of South Beach), especially in the bar, with the polished wood bar and tables.

Overall, I would probably like to stay here on a future visit.

Good-Bye to Muffin Tops

2009-09-19T09:58:00.001+01:00

Good news. If, like me, you're tired of seeing bare midrifts bulging out of too-tight jeans, help is on the way.

The Evening Standard reports that cosmetic surgeons in London have developed a procedure to eradicate the “muffin top” bulge of fat that spills over the waist of women's jeans. This problem appears to be particularly acute in the southeast of England, but no doubt it's reaching epidemic proportions in the USA as well.

Basically it's liposuction, but on surface layers rather than on deep layers of fat.

I've got an easier and probably less painful way of getting rid of this problem: don't wear tops that expose your stomach if you're overweight (that's what I do).

The Gap

2009-09-18T09:44:00.003+01:00

It's been a long time between posts. I have a thousand excuses, but mainly I was away for two weeks and too lazy to post, then never got back into the routine after returning.

Did spend two fantastic weeks in Malibu though with nothing but sun, sea and warm weather (and some wildfires too).

Anyway, I will try to get back to the usual semi-irregular schedule of posting, at least for the next two weeks!

Great Queen Street

2009-08-11T08:00:00.001+01:00

I tried a place called Great Queen Street (on Great Queen Street, natch) near Covent Garden. I found the experience totally enjoyable.

It's a loud, "buzzy" gastropub, simply furnished with bare oak floors and tables. They serve basically British food, unpretentious but with a little flair, sometimes described with words like "sturdy" and "robust." Beef, lamb, pork - even wood pigeon. They also had a fish stew of some sort. My beef was very good and I also tried a taste the chicken pie, which was fantastic.

Even the restaurant reviews seem to be good.

The knowledgeable, efficient and very friendly service made our dinner a very pleasant experience, and even the bill wasn't too bad (for London at least). Overall, a good find.

Abbey Road

2009-08-08T11:35:00.001+01:00

Forty years ago today, the Beatles shot their iconic "Abbey Road" album cover on a north London zebra crossing outside Abbey Road Studios. After all these years, tourists continue to dodge traffic to recreate the photo.

The BBC has done a brief feature on it and there's even a live webcam where you can watch people walk across and annoy drivers by stopping in the middle of the street to take photos.

Today at 11:35, the time the original picture was taken, fans are gathering to cross the street en mass in commemoration of the photo. That's happening just about now as I write this (totally serendipitous, as I only heard about this five minutes ago). I just looked at the webcam and the street is mobbed.

I have, of course, visited and walked across the crossing, but haven't yet gone for the photo-op. Perhaps it's time I should. It worked for these guys.

Ryanair Sucks

2009-08-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

But Michael O'Leary sure knows how to make money.

The NY Times published a good piece on the Ryanair chief and his unabashed philosophy that "passengers will endure nearly every imaginable indignity, as long as the tickets are cheap and the planes are on time."

And it's true! Ryanair continues to make money, although not as much as before, while its competitors struggle.

I have flown Ryanair more often than I would have liked (which is never), usually out of necessity. It always amazes me how people willingly subject themselves to abuse and discomfort. Travelling British Airways or other "full service" airlines provides enough trials, but the Ryanair experience truly tries one's limits.

Nonetheless, people continue to flock to the airline who's official attitude towards their customers is to treat them like shit, because they really don't care. Apparently they're right, but do they really have to be so mean?

Americans and Torture

2009-08-05T08:00:00.002+01:00

The Economist has published poll data showing how opinions towards the use of torture vary around the world. Based on polls taken in early 2008, the results show that:

Respondents in western European democracies such as Britain and Spain were most hostile to the idea of even some degree of use of torture, whereas residents in big but poorer countries such as Nigeria, Turkey and India seemed most willing to tolerate the idea. . . According to the polls, Americans are more willing to tolerate the use of torture than are Chinese.

Another shameful legacy of the Bush-Cheney-Rove era. 45% of Americans now think it's OK to torture people. America, I hardly know thee.

Tactics of the American Right

2009-08-03T08:00:00.001+01:00

I recently came across this quote from Nazi leader Hermann Goering, made during an interview at the Nuremberg Trials:

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.

Sound familiar? I guess we know where these guys got their playbook.

And of course, the politics of fear continues.

Freedom to Yell

2009-08-01T11:05:00.003+01:00

I've been reading a bit about the Professor Henry Gates arrest in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for what boils down to being black and yelling at a policeman.

Paul Gowder at the blog Uncommon Priors gets to the real essence of the issue - it should not be illegal to yell at the cops:

The racism is actually the least interesting part of this story, just because we all already know that none of this would have been happened had he been white.
No, the real interesting issue is this “disorderly conduct.” The cop’s stated reason for arresting Gates was that he was yelling at him in front of other people. Let me repeat it. That was the stated reason for the arrest. So riddle me this: since when do we live in a society such that yelling at a cop is sufficiently plausible as grounds for arrest that the cop can actually write it in the arrest report?
Let’s not be confused here: the cop did not claim that Gates was getting violent, or that he posed any threat to the cop or anyone else, including himself.

Another example of how far the police state has really evolved in USA. Remember the British historian that Atlanta police wrestled to the ground and arrested for jaywalking?

The Swimming Pool Did It

2009-07-15T09:30:00.003+01:00

A Polish woman has filed suit against an Egyptian hotel claiming that "stray sperm" in the hotel's swimming pool made her daughter pregnant. The London Paper reports a Polish travel industry source as saying, "The mother is adamant that her daughter didn't meet any boys while she was there and is determined to go ahead with the case."

The article concludes:

. . . legal minds will have to decide what is more likely – a medical miracle or a teenager lying to her mother to get out of trouble.

Another Paul Krugman Song

2009-07-05T18:08:00.002+01:00

I thought it was unusual when I came across the first Paul Krugman song, but now Loudon Wainwright III (yes, father of Rufus) has one too. It must say something profound about our current era that people start writing songs about economists. I just don't have a clue what that is.

USA Beats Spain

2009-06-25T09:00:00.003+01:00

Does the USA national team's shocking defeat of number one ranked Spain in the Confederation Cup competition mean that the team will actually stand a chance of doing well in next year's World Cup? Perhaps.

In 2002, the team delivered a sound performance, but disappointed in the 2006 competition. Nonetheless, the program has showed steady improvement over the past eight years, and most of the team play for European clubs, including at least five in the English Premier League.

So, is there a chance of a win in the 2010 World Cup? Probably not, but depending upon the draw, they should reach the quarter-finals, maybe even the final four.

D'oh!

2009-06-24T08:00:00.001+01:00

Now you can get Homer Simpson as the voice of your TomTom sat-nav system.

Their tag line is "Let Homer Simpson be your co-pilot." They say "driving with Homer is as easy as 1,2 … doh!"

Excellent!

Tennis Anyone?

2009-06-22T10:51:00.001+01:00

The Wimbledon fortnight begins today, and the British have again pinned their hopes and dreams on Scotsman Andy Murray. If he wins, he will be the first Brit to win since Virginia Wade in 1976 and the first British men's champion since Fred Perry won in 1936.

The British have become so desperate to win on their home court that even the English will cheer for Murray, despite the fact that he doesn't seem to care much for them. He once infamously said he'd support any team playing football against England, which didn't particularly endear him to English sports fans.

Fortunately, with Nadal out this year he may actually have a chance to lift the trophy. Fred Perry sportswear has even designed a new retro-style kit for him to wear, presumably to help him channel the former champion to guide him to victory.

I do hope that Murray wins, but I cannot help feeling that the next two weeks will follow the typical British/English sporting scenario: everyone works themselves into a frenzy of expectation for an epic victory, only to face bitter disappointment and humiliation in the end.

At least we can all enjoy the strawberries and cream in the meantime.

How Close Did We Come

2009-06-22T08:00:00.006+01:00

How far down the road to this did the USA travel in the past eight years?

Probably farther than most people think or would like to believe. Remember a government that:

Stole an election
Routinely and brazenly lied to its population to further its ideology
Used fear unashamedly to cling to power and further its agenda
Spied on its own people
Publicly branded dissent as treason and hounded critics as traitors
Assumed powers of arrest and detention without habeas corpus
Tortured prisoners
Invoked religious tenants as drivers of policy

Not possible you say?

Most Americans take our freedoms for granted. We cannot imagine our government, a body empowered by us to defend our freedoms, could possibly act in a way that would jeopardise them. The idea that the abuses most Americans associate with third-world regimes would happen in America seems outlandish. But they did.

Thankfully, America remains pretty good at self correcting. The country is beginning to get back on track. Nonetheless, it will always amaze me that those claiming to speak for freedom (teabaggers -- sorry, tea-partiers, Glen Beck, Limbaugh and the rest) continue to vociferously cheerlead for those who have done the most to steal those freedoms from us.

And remember, Dick Cheney is still watching you!

2009-06-20T10:07:00.000+01:00

Goths at the Beach

2009-06-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

Ever wonder what Goths do when it gets hot? Goths in Hot Weather shows you, and even ranks each subject's "goth" and "sweatieness" factors.

(Picture from Goths in Hot Weather)

Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan.

No TV!

2009-06-12T08:00:00.002+01:00

The big switch to totally digital TV happens in the US today, and the LA Times says that the Los Angeles area, the place many TV producers and studios call home, is "among the nation's top slackers" in preparing for the switchover.

More than 250,000 LA area homes have still not converted, and nearly 2.8 million homes across the US will receive only blank screens on Friday if they do not get a converter box for their old analog televisions.

The article also suggests that "some people might use the transition as an opportunity to give up on broadcast television, at least temporarily."

That sounds like a pretty drastic solution!

Wine Cellar Under the City

2009-06-11T22:27:00.008+01:00

Tonight we went to a very cool place in Budapest called Domus Vinorum where we tasted Hungarian wines (who knew?) and ate dinner in the restored ancient wine cellar.

I don't drink, so I cannot comment on the quality of the wines. My French colleague was predictably not impressed, the Brits couldn't wait to switch to beer (but that's no indication) and the Italians seemed to like it. Everyone did enjoy the Bikavér, or "Bulls Blood," the most famous Hungarian wine, though apparently many consider it mediocre. That shows how much we know.

The food was good, but not great. I managed to eat two desserts, so I have no complaints.

So, although nobody thought the wines or the food were anything special, we nonetheless all thoroughly enjoyed our evening in this unique setting. Our host should get most of the credit for this. He carefully explained the details of each wine and provided some amusing anecdotes to go with each one.

Of course, he also gave us a grappa-like apricot liqueur (Palinka?), which probably helped as well.

iPoo

2009-06-11T09:00:00.000+01:00

From Maybe You Shouldn't Buy That, now you can listen to tunes while you poo. Fabulous!

Reality Check

2009-06-10T08:00:00.002+01:00

On Fox News Sunday last weekend, Sen. Richard Shelby repeated the tired Republican party mantra that Obama is taking the country down the road to socialism. When asked by host Chris Wallace to elaborate, he stated "So, they intervene last fall in the bank crisis. No one has ever done it on that scale before."

Um, last time I checked, George Bush was president in the autumn of 2008 and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson was the architect of the banking bailout (not that there's anything wrong with that - although it could have been done differently and better).

So the truth, using Shelby's definition, is that the Republicans started us down the road to socialism (not that there's anything wrong with that). But of course, the Republican party does not often let the truth get in the way of their message.

It seems that the Bush years were so bad, even for Republicans, that their communal brain has blotted out those years altogether. In their repressed-memory reality, the US government has moved seamlessly from the Clinton years to Obama, and all of our problems are down to them.

When a Bush administration aide asserted a few years ago that "we make our own reality," I guess he really meant it!

Blunkett Gets Dumped Again

2009-06-08T19:11:00.004+01:00

Former UK Home Secretary David Blunkett got trampled by a cow while on walkabout yesterday when the cow decided to chase after Blunkett's seeing-eye dog. The MP and former government minister broke a rib and sustained sum bruising, but was otherwise all right.

He says that the incident his given him in new insight into Labour's problems and says he's a metaphor for what's happening to the Labour party: "I have a broken rib and am bruised all over but am still walking."

"Even the animals are angry with us," he said of his embattled party. That about sums it up, but for now, Gordon Brown's government continues to cling to life.

The dog, by the way, escaped unharmed.

Jesus Loves Guns

2009-06-06T10:57:00.005+01:00

A Kentucky pastor has told his congregation to bring their handguns to church later this month for a gun celebration. They will also raffle off a handgun for $1 a chance.

The preacher says, "As a Christian pastor I believe that without a deep-seeded belief in God and firearms that this country would not be here." Because we all know that Jesus loves guns, right?

I'm sure this will end well. No doubt we'll be hearing about this event on the evening news.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

In the meantime, watch out for this mob!

Man v. Machine

2009-06-04T08:30:00.001+01:00

It seems that I'm not the only one who tries to beat the sat nav system. The UK's Metro reports that 40% of people surveyed in Britain try to better the travel times predicted by their satellite navigation systems.

I guess it's just human nature. People look at the estimated arrival time and view it as a challenge. They want to prove to themselves that they're smarter than the machine.

By the way, I usually win.

Kerbside Singalong

2009-06-03T08:30:00.002+01:00

Just when I thought city living could not get more irritating, Boris Johnson and company have come up with more lunacy that will make it just that.

The Sunday Times reports that the mayor of London is backing a new scheme where "31 pianos are to be plonked around the capital to encourage people to gather for a singsong with strangers. They will be placed at prominent sites such as the British Library, the Natural History Museum, the Bank of England and Tate Britain."

A full-time piano tuner will zip around between pianos on a bicycle to keep them all in working order.

The article goes on to say that:

The organisers believe the scheme will encourage trust. Although the pianos will be chained to bollards and railings, members of the public will be trusted not to vandalise the instruments or steal the laminated songbooks.

Colette Hiller, director of the scheme, which is part of the Sing London festival [says] “We want people to treat the piano nicely, as they would a piano in their own home, to enjoy the songbooks with care and to cover the piano when it rains.”

Right. (Can you imagine how long these things would last in Manhattan?)

Anyway, now between wedging myself into overcrowded tube carraiges, dodging motorcycles and avoiding free newspapers being shoved into my face, I can listening to screaming Susan Boyle wannabes belting out show tunes on street corners courtesy of the Mayor of London.

Thanks, Boris.

Palm London

2009-06-01T17:30:00.001+01:00

Saturday night's dinner at the new Palm in London proved a great success. I will admit to a bit of scepticism before we arrived, and remained unconvinced that the New York steakhouse experience would travel well across the ocean. On that count, I was assuredly (and happily) wrong.

Although nothing can re-create the original (nor should it try), the space felt like a steakhouse should feel, despite the fresh paint and newly polished wood floors. Perhaps in eighty years it may even come to resemble Second Avenue - the ingredients are there.

Most importantly, the steak was the real thing and equal in taste to that served in the US. The prices are staggering, £69 for an 18 oz. New York strip (I expect that's somewhat due to importing the meat), but well worth it. The 14 oz. is more reasonably priced (relatively) at £49, and normally I think this should be big enough to satisfy my appetite.

The slightly scaled-down menu includes USDA Prime American beef (NY strips and filet mignon only), British beef and lamb, Nova Scotia lobsters, fish and many of the traditional Palm side dishes and appetisers. Fried onions and cottage fries were identical to those served in New York and the creamed spinach was very good, but slightly different (I think it had cheese in it). The authentic New York cheesecake and Chocolate fondant deserts provided a fitting finish to a superb meal.

I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at the Palm. Best of all, now I do not need to wait until I travel to America to get the authentic New York steakhouse experience. I cannot wait to go back, but first I need to make some more money!

NYC Comes to London

2009-05-30T11:57:00.007+01:00

Of the many things I like in and about New York, I miss the steakhouses the most. So, imagine how thrilled I became when I heard the news Friday that the Palm was opening in London that night! I immediately got on the phone and secured a booking for Saturday night. Since then, I have been in a state of great anticipation, but also high anxiety driven by the fear that the London version will fail to meet the New York original's high standard.

I've always had mixed feelings about New York steakhouses the Palm and Smith & Wollensky branching out to other cities. It can only dilute the franchises, as the copies can never measure up the original - and they don't. They also run the risk of becoming chain restaurants like Chili's or Olive Garden, which I guess they really are, albeit with a much higher level of quality.

That said, because I do not go to New York often enough but do travel occasionally to other large American cities, I really like that I can eat at the Palm or Smith & Wollensky when I go to Miami, Chicago or Los Angeles. These restaurants are close enough to the originals that I always enjoy them.

So on balance, and especially as I live in London, I view the Palm coming here as an exceptionally good thing. Not that there aren't any good steakhouses in London. I have found a few fairly good places. None of these, however, come close to the experience at the Palm or its New York brethren.

I will give you a full report on tonight's meal next week. If the London Palm stands up to the original, and if my wallet can take it (which is highly unlikely), I'm hoping spend many happy evenings there eating steak.

In the meantime: your move, Smith & Wollensky.

Cameron's House

2009-05-27T19:44:00.003+01:00

For a cool $2.3 million, you can buy the house where Ferris Bueller launched his friend Cameron's father's Ferrari through the glass walls and into a ditch.

(Picture via The Telegraph)

Sunshine State

2009-05-23T14:36:00.014+01:00

Some observations from Naples, on southwest Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast:

Everyone drives huge cars and SUV's. I'm always amazed by the number of Cadillacs and Lincolns here (and I never knew Saab made an SUV).

White sandy beaches and warm gulf water suite me just fine.

The older age demographic of both locals and tourists is noticeable everywhere (and I'm contributing).

These alligators look like they could easily turn a small domestic pet into a tasty snack.

It may take me a while to get used to dinner at 4.30 pm.

Warm weather beats cold weather hands down.

A lot of people here still really like Dick Cheney.

Return to Prague

2009-05-18T08:28:00.001+01:00

It's been almost exactly one year since my last visit to Prague, and this time my stay is proving to be a much more pleasant affair. Last time, I found my hotel seriously sub-standard and to top it off, my trip coincided with the Champions League final causing me to miss all of the match, except the part where Chelsea lost.

This time I'm staying in a infinitely better hotel, the Pachtuv Palace, which overlooks the Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle. The room is great, the service personal and efficient and the location spot on. First rate all around. I'm enjoying myself despite the fact that I'm here on business and doing nothing else but work.

And, Chelsea has already bowed out of the Champions League (I'm still having a hard time talking about it), so I don't have that to worry about this time.

Walk of Shame

2009-05-17T13:52:00.008+01:00

A while back, I commented about how I found it amusing to watch people who have slept somewhere other than their own bed make their way home on Sunday mornings. Now I find that doing this actually has a name: the "walk of shame."

I came across it while reading a site called Texts from Last Night. Their hook is "Remember that text you shouldn't have sent last night? We do." Recipients of these text faux-pas forward them to this site for all the world to see. Very funny, and usually pretty vulgar.

Anyway, the text that caught my attention was:

The good thing about walking home in a dress on Sunday morning is that people mistake my walk of shame as a walk to God.

Pretty good.

And after doing a little more poking around, I found that the Huffington Post reported last summer that "the 'morning after' look has morphed from ignominy to desirability -- the walk of shame has become chic."

My favourite, though, is the report in Campus Delight (albeit fictitious) that describes a walk of shame hall of fame to be opened near Boston University. The piece says:

An independent alumni group of Boston University, long known throughout the Northeast as a party school, unveiled plans yesterday to open a ‘Walk of Shame Hall of Fame’. The Hall will honor BU students who have gained a certain amount of celebrity throughout the campus for shacking up with randoms, then making that long walk home the next morning in their nighttime attire.

(Photo from Campus Delight)

Maybe they should do this for real.

The Future of Portfolio Management

2009-05-13T08:28:00.005+01:00

Even though the world's financial markets remain in turmoil, recent rises in equity markets have re-kindled interest in stock-picking, with many investors desperate to make their money back.

An article in yesterday's Evening Standard highlights the difficulty in choosing a portfolio that will actually make money. They set out to discover "Who is better at picking shares in the midst of a major recession — a highly trained, media-friendly stockbroker, or the office cat?"

The result? Over the past six months, the stockbroker's portfolio beat the overall FTSE 100 return, achieving a 6% gain, but failed to match the cat's strong 14% gain over the period.

Separately, Metro reports that rattraders.com uses trained rats to choose whether stock prices will rise or fall by pressing levers. When they make the right decisions, the rats receive bonuses just like real traders, although the rats get food rather than cash.

Rattraders.com says:

Our program is a professional service to the financial industry; rats are being trained to become superior traders in the financial markets. Using our own methodology in accordance with well-established animal training techniques, our subjects learn to recognize pattens in historical stock and futures data as well as generating trading signals. We provide solutions for tick based trading data and day based data. RATTRADERS rats can be trained exclusively for any financial market segment. They outperform most human traders and represent a much more economic solution for your trading desk.

Potential cat-rat office politics aside, for those calling for serious reform in financial market practices, perhaps the day has arrived.

I know I'm putting my cat to work on my portfolio immediately.

More Frites Please

2009-04-29T15:08:00.006+01:00

Tonight I'm headed to one of my favourite London restaurants, Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte. It's a London offshoot of a Paris original that takes great pains to remain true to its Parisian roots.

The beauty is in its simplicity: no bookings, no menu, paper tablecloths and relatively low prices. Everybody eats the same thing: salad with secret mustard vinaigrette topped with walnuts followed by sirloin steak (cooked to order - go for rare, it's that good) and some of the best frites I've ever eaten. You do get a choice of deserts. I like the caramel ice cream.

It's no New York steakhouse, but of course it does not try to be one - nor should it. The atmosphere is thoroughly French and the steaks are excellent. The atmosphere is fun and informal, and the price is right.

I cannot wait for dinner!

New Look

2009-04-26T14:50:00.004+01:00

I've decided it's time to refresh the look of the blog. I aimed for simple, clean and readable. Hopefully this layout comes close to this.

I even impressed myself a bit (well, a lot actually) by modifying some html code in the standard Blogger template to get what I wanted.

Anyway, I'll probably tinker with it a little over the next few days as I become accostomed to the new layout.

Comments welcome. Let me know what you think.

UPDATE: If the whole thing goes to hell, you'll know I touched one bit of html code to many.

Right Track

2009-04-26T10:00:00.000+01:00

Limbaugh, Republicans and the tea-baggers can bloviate all they want, this graph tells the story in America today.

Attack of the Birds

2009-04-25T12:09:00.005+01:00

Today I spent a few minutes watching the Fox & Friends morning show on Fox News (I know, I know). One story they reported was the FAA's release of airplane bird strike data for the past several years. Fox reported the "shocking" number of 89,000 bird strikes on planes in America since 1990.

I'll admit that's a surprising number, but given the context of how many airline and general aviation flights that have taken place in America during the past nineteen years, perhaps I would not characterise it as "shocking."

Anyway, that's forgivable, especially as we know Fox sensationalises everything. But the trio of twits that host this show really lost the plot when the woman anchor (don't know her name, Gretchen something) called the strikes "attacks."

Attacks?! Who is this woman, Tippi Hedren? I suspect we'll now hear calls for a "War on Birds." I'm sure my cats would enthusiastically support it.

Alfred Hitchcock would be proud.

Pro-Torture

2009-04-25T10:00:00.000+01:00

New York Magazine lists the pro-torture brigade. No surprise, it's the usual suspects.

From what I can tell, the core of their argument is essentially "Well, it works!"

Everything that happened during the Cheney/Bush years comes down to this: In order to save our values and rights, we must destroy them.

Patriots one and all.

The Will of the People

2009-04-24T19:57:00.004+01:00

This was the view on 1 February before many realised the extent to which torture was institutionalised. I wonder how much prevailing opinion has changed today.

Soul Searching

2009-04-24T18:30:00.005+01:00

As usual, Krugman says what I think much for concisely and with more simple elegance than I ever could. In Friday's New York Times column, Reclaiming America's Soul, he makes a strong case for why not holding those accountable for making torture America's policy is an enormous cop-out.

Key paragraph:

The fact is that officials in the Bush administration instituted torture as a policy, misled the nation into a war they wanted to fight and, probably, tortured people in the attempt to extract “confessions” that would justify that war. And during the march to war, most of the political and media establishment looked the other way.

It’s hard, then, not to be cynical when some of the people who should have spoken out against what was happening, but didn’t, now declare that we should forget the whole era — for the sake of the country, of course.

The most telling phrase that sums up the essence of today's political reality:

Still, you might argue — and many do — that revisiting the abuses of the Bush years would undermine the political consensus the president needs to pursue his agenda.

But the answer to that is, what political consensus?

Of course, the Republican view of bi-partisan consensus is "do what we want, and if you don't do what we want, you're partisan." Will they ever wake up and realise that America doesn't like their policies. That's why we voted them out!

Report Card

2009-04-24T13:58:00.000+01:00

I've been reading Robert Reich's blog and have come to appreciate how clued-in he his. He's published a report card on Obama's economic policies as the administration comes up on its first hundred days. The full post makes good reading, but summarised, his verdict is:

The 10-year budget gets an A. It's an extraordinary vision of what America can and should become, including universal health insurance and environmental protections against climate change.

The stimulus package gets a B. Good as far as it goes but doesn't go nearly far enough.

The last grade is for the bank bailouts. I give them an F. I'm a big fan of this administration, but I've got to be honest. The bailouts are failing.

I agree on all counts, especially his conclusion: good but not good enough.

Exposing Double Standards

2009-04-23T17:05:00.000+01:00

Kevin Drum gets it right and Andrew Sullivan sums it up perfectly:

When the Republicans impeached a president for committing perjury in a civil suit, it was about the rule of law. But when it comes to holding a president accountable for war crimes in his public capacity, it is about criminalizing political differences. Do these people even hear themselves?

Although I understand the current US government's desire to "look forward," I find it difficult to accept the reluctance to rigorously investigate criminal acts of the previous government and prosecute if laws were broken. Sure, the wingnuts on the right will cry that these actions are politically motivated and divisive, but the US remains, as far as I can tell, a country of laws.

Hilzoy says it best:

If most people tried to make the case that prosecuting their criminal acts was just "looking backwards", or a sign that the prosecutor was motivated by a desire for retribution, they'd be laughed out of court. Imagine the likely reaction if your average crack dealer were to urge the judge not to dwell on the past. . .

The US legal system rests on the foundation that no one stands above the law, especially those who govern. The current government has an obligation to quash the Bush/Cheney paradigm of "it's legal if the president says it's legal" before the cracks in our Constitution cause it to crumble.

The President must lead the nation on this, but if he does not rise to the challenge, the responsibility falls to the congress to act quickly and decisively.

Has the USA truly become a banana republic?

Tweeting Cats

2009-04-21T14:44:00.002+01:00

Cats on the internet are getting out of control. Not only have cutesy cat videos become ubiquitous, more cats are blogging (as you know, so is one of mine), and now they are Twittering.

The UK's Metro reports that an cat owner has rigged up his cat flap to report the comings and goings of his feline friends. The article says:

One clever cat owner has rigged up a cat flap that only allows authorised cats (identified using RFID tags) through, and sends real-time information about the cat-flap usage to the internet.

Naturally, this being 2009, the information is sent directly to Twitter, so the entire world can follow the cats' daily peregrinations via messages like 'Gus is out to sit on the porch' and 'Penny is in to vomit in owners shoes.'

Now, while I do admit that this is fairly ridiculous thing to do, I do think it's a pretty clever use of Twitter, which is a fairly ridiculous thing anyway.

Wait until Aggie hears about this! I'm worried that she'll start tweeting with the rest of the kitty twits and posting them on her blog. Yikes.

The Truth is Out There

2009-04-11T09:21:00.004+01:00

. . . or not.

The LA Times carries an article about the infamous Area 51, where conspiracy theorists and UFO aficionados think the government keeps captured aliens and their spacecraft.

Oh, and some think this is where the government staged the "fake" moon landings (I was surprised to find that 7% of Americans think the moon landing was faked).

Now, intelligence agencies and the military have declassified some information about cold-war era activities there and some of the men who worked at Area 51 have gone on the record with their stories.

Turns out that it was mostly super-secret spy plane testing, but an interesting story nonetheless.

Paul Krugman Song

2009-04-10T18:15:00.005+01:00

This video has been around for a while now, but I thought I'd share this great song about my very favourite economist. Enjoy.

Rush and the Wingnuts

2009-03-30T07:35:00.002+01:00

Wacko Andrew Klavan wrote an opinion piece in the LA Times Sunday saying that he knows with "certainty" that liberals who oppose Rush Limbaugh have not actually listened to him, even if they say they have.

He goes on to berate and insult Rush's detractors:

You don't need to listen to him. You've heard enough to know he's a) racist, b) hateful, c) stupid, d) merely an outrageous entertainer not to be taken seriously or e) all of the above.

Now let me tell you the real answer: You're a lowdown, yellow-bellied, lily-livered intellectual coward. You're terrified of finding out he makes more sense than you do.

I listen to Limbaugh every chance I get, and I have never heard the man utter a single racist, hateful or stupid word.

Now, I don't know who this guy is or who he's actually been listening to, but I have listened to Rush Limbaugh. I also watch Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck sometimes too (ick!) because I like to know what these guys are thinking (I use the term loosely) and saying.

After listening, I believe that regardless of whether or not he really is any of these things, Limbaugh says things that make him appear to be a) racist, b) hateful, c) stupid, d) merely an outrageous entertainer not to be taken seriously and e) all of the above. Also f) delusional, g) deranged and h) untruthful.

But perhaps I'm wrong about d). People really do take these guys seriously. It's scary.

TOTUS

2009-03-29T09:00:00.006+01:00

I've been reading a lot about how President Obama makes extensive use of teleprompters, even for brief presentations or announcements.

Of course, because of this, it's now become a meme of the right-wing idocracy that he needs a teleprompter because he cannot speak extemporaneously or form coherent thoughts without it. The more extreme among them expose the theory that teleprompters are necessary because the vast left-wing conspiracy secretly running the country uses them to control what he says.

Never mind that their guy could barely string two words together and their great Alaskan hope has proven herself totally incapable of uttering an even remotely comprehensible phase, but I digress.

Anyway, Barack Obama's teleprompter (TOTUS - the Teleprompter of the United States) has a blog, Barack Obama's Teleprompter's Blog: Reflections from the hard drive of the machine that enables the voice of the Leader of the Free World

Now we can get the real scoop without the presidential filter, directly from the source.

Aggie 2.0

2009-03-28T15:59:00.007Z

Crikey! Now one of my cats has decided to become a blogger.

Yesterday she e-mailed me to tell me she didn't like the brand of food we use.

The next thing you know she'll be sending me tweets from Twitter. I wonder if she will let me be her Facebook friend?

I will draw the line at a mobile phone though.

The Life of Aggie.

Clean Gas

2009-03-27T12:54:00.004Z

At last, a baseball park giveaway item that we can really use.

MLB.com's Benjamin Hill reports that the Lake Elsinore Storm, a California minor league team will be giving away fart absorbers to go with their their weekly "Fat Tuesday" all-you-can-eat food promotion. According to the team's press release:

You can probably deduce that All-You-Can-Eat ballpark food might lead to substantial gas emissions, which is where corporate sponsor, Subtle Butt, enters the picture. Made of activated carbon fabric, each disposable 3.25" square shield is held onto the inside of the underwear with two self-adhesive strips. Subtle Butt effectively filters flatulence, absorbing and neutralizing its odor.

Therefore, the first 250 fans in attendance at every "Fat Tuesday" ballgame (the first is on April 14, mark your calendars) will receive a free product sample of Subtle Butt.

At fist I thought this must be a joke, but this product really does exist. You just tape it to the inside of your underpants and blast away odour free!

The View From Above

2009-03-25T15:47:00.004Z

From the BBC:

An 18-year-old has secretly painted a 60ft drawing of a phallus on the roof of his parents' £1million mansion in Berkshire. It was there for a year before his parents found out. They say he'll have to scrub it off when he gets back from travelling.

Money and Happiness

2009-03-15T18:33:00.003Z

I knew it! Apparently money can buy happiness after all.

The LA Times reports that a recent study of more that 350,000 Americans shows a strong correlation between happiness and financial well-being.

Of course it's a bit more complicated than that, but the data show that those living in geographical areas with low unemployment and higher relative incomes report higher levels of happiness.

The happiest place? Utah (go figure), with an unemployment rate way below the national average. Hawaii is next, for obvious reasons, but also with high income and employment.

Bring up the rear with the worst sense of well-being is West Virginia, followed by Michigan, Ohio, Mississippi and Kentucky, all states who's economies have tanked.

So if I save my money and move to Mississippi, will I feel rich and happy?

Fat Chav Insurance

2009-03-01T15:22:00.004Z

I'm sure that motor insurance claims adjusters see some amusing claim reports. However, the Telegraph reports that a claim submitted to insurer AIG in the UK aroused enough interest for the claim handler to leak it onto the internet.

In the claim form, the claimant not only describes the driver of the car he hit as a"fat chav who definately (sic) does not have whiplash," he includes a cartoon drawing of the scene with cars labeled "fat chav" and "me," and the other driver saying "Ooooh I'm a freeloading fat chav who doesn't have whiplash."

AIG says they are investigating the leak, but I suspect they've got more important things to do, given they're about to report a $60 billion loss this quarter, the largest in corporate history!

Time to Rough It

2009-03-01T14:00:00.009Z

Both the UK's Guardian and the New York Times tell us that Americans' toilet habits are ruining the planet.

It seems that Americans only like to use soft and fluffy toilet paper on their pampered and delicate backsides. Unfortunately, this luxury has an environmental cost. 98% of American toilet paper comes from virgin forests, while 40% of the loo rolls used by Europeans comes from recycled paper.

The Guardian quotes Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defence Council saying:

"Future generations are going to look at the way we make toilet paper as one of the greatest excesses of our age. Making toilet paper from virgin wood is a lot worse than driving Hummers in terms of global warming pollution." Making toilet paper has a significant impact because of chemicals used in pulp manufacture and cutting down forests.

Fortunately, Greenpeace has launched an awareness campaign including a downloadable ecological ranking of toilet paper products that can help us choose wisely. Hollywood also did its part during the Academy Awards: the toilet paper used in the Kodak Theater’s toilets was 100 percent recycled.

Even though I'm American, I think I'm off the hook as I live in London where the toilet paper is rough-and-ready. Nonetheless, I'll be checking its ecological credentials today. And next time you see that cute little puppy playing with the loo roll, just think ecological destruction.

Pork Products

2009-02-24T07:30:00.001Z

Former Mystery Science Theater 3000 writer and host Mike Nelson is trying an all-bacon diet, although he says he "will allow non-bacon fluids such as beer, wine, martinis and water" to prevent dehydration.

Sounds like this would go well with McNuggetinis, although they're probably not allowed, as I guess a McNugget is technically not bacon.

How about a bacontini?

(Picture from Just Add Bacon.com)

The McNuggetini

2009-02-22T13:58:00.005Z

I have stumbled upon what is sure to become a taste sensation: the McNuggetini.

This fantastic drinky-poo features chocolate milkshake, vanilla vodka, barbeque sauce and, of course, McDonald's Chicken McNuggets.

It will allow you to satisfy your trailer-park-urges to get drunk and eat junk food under the cover of stylish urban sophistication. It's genius.

Here's the recipe from the blog This Recording:

2 McNuggz (plus more for snacking)
1 tub McDonalds Brand Barbeque Sauce (plus more for licking off pinky finger)
1 lg. Mcdonalds Brand Chocolate Milkshake (plus more for bringing all the boys to the yard)
1 bottle Vanilla Vodka (recommended brand: Absolut)

Open the McDonalds bag. Eat one McNugg each, followed by two bites of the Filet-o-Fish (make sure you don’t tell anyone that you eat Filet-o-Fishes).

Mix three or four shots of vanilla vodka in the McDonalds Brand Chocolate Milkshake, followed by one shot each directly into your mouth.

Rim each martini glass with McDonalds Brand Barbeque Sauce, and pour milkshake/vodka mixture into the glass.

Garnish with a McNugg (which is to be swiped along barbeque sauce rimmed glass after the milkshake has been finished, and consumed with pure, unadulterated glee).

Yummmm!

(Picture from This Recording)

Skid Marks and More

2009-02-17T18:55:00.002Z

Apparently, hygiene trumps tradition in the kilt-hire business.

The Scotsman reports that companies who rent out kilts increasingly require their customers wear underwear with their kilts, which goes against long-standing Scots tradition. According to the article:

The companies have introduced the clause because of the habit of some men to return extremely soiled garments. While the firms dry clean the garments before they are hired out again, some kilts are so dirty they are unhygienic for staff to handle.

Although I have never considered hiring a kilt to wear, after reading this, I surely will not!

Late Nights and Early Mornings

2009-02-08T11:40:00.002Z

One thing I especially enjoy about getting out early on Sunday mornings is occasionally seeing those who have spent the night sleeping in somebody else's bed (or not slept at all) struggle to get home inconspicuously.

Most amusing are the women in flashy faux-designer dresses with smeared make-up and bed-head desperately trying to maintain some degree of dignity while stumbling down the stairs to the tube at 7.30 am.

Ah, life in the city!

Winter!

2009-02-02T11:12:00.006Z

I awoke this morning to find that a cruel northeast wind from Russia had delivered six inches of snow to central London. And it's still snowing. Yikes!

This is by far the most snow I have seen in my eight winters here, and the city does not cope so well. Railways and buses have stopped running, airports have closed and the tube service has been severely curtailed.

In the American mid-west, where I grew up, we'd shrug off a six-inch snowfall as a non-event - a blanket of snow usually covers the ground from December through February. When it happens only once every ten years, however, I can see how it causes such disruption.

Pictures Via Sky News

One thing for sure, I'm liking it less and less.

Next Stop Pottersville

2009-01-25T11:45:00.005Z

Thanks to Frank Rich, I now know what I found so creepy about seeing Dick Cheney in that wheelchair. He's Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life." I can't believe I never noticed it before.

No More False Choices

2009-01-22T19:00:00.001Z

In one of the most telling lines in his inaugural address, Barack Obama implicitly denounced restricting civil liberties in the name of national security, saying he would “reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.”

This both exposes and marks a big departure from the Bush-Cheney approach, which consistently presented Americans with false choices in order to further their flawed and dangerous political agenda.

Security or freedom, stay in Iraq forever or "cut and run" like cowards, free markets or crippling regulation, privatised social security or a bankrupt government, economic prosperity or responsible environmental policies. We could have one or the other, never both or never an alternative.

It's hard to believe after eight years of living with a lying, misleading and untrustworthy government, but it looks like the people in charge now respect us enough to tell the truth. Plus, they actually seem to have an interest in governing effectively, rather then simply pursuing policy to achieve political gain!

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

2009-01-21T09:28:00.003Z

Barry couldn't get him out of town fast enough.

I wonder what they'll do with Dick Cheney?

A New Dawn

2009-01-21T08:53:00.006Z

The world wakes up to a renewed America today.

(Picture Via NY Times)

Now the hard work in Washington really begins, as everyone now realises how much damage the Bush years did to both America and the world.

I listened to the inaugural address, and while the new President gave a generally strong performance said all the right things, I wouldn't call it a stirring speech. It really did not hit me emotionally - he's no Bill Clinton in that respect. Nonetheless, the country does not need a great orator, it needs a strong leader, and by all indications, that's what we've got.

I'm still having a hard time with the whole spirit of cooperation thing that Obama's pushing. Intellectually I realise that consensus and non-partisanship provides the surest path to success for the Obama agenda, and therefore support it wholeheartedly. Emotionally, however, I want sweet revenge on all Republicans and anyone who had anything to do with the Bush years and their destructive policies, divisiveness and fear-mongering.

Fortunately, we've got this guy!

Resolutions (Belated)

2009-01-09T07:30:00.007Z

I gave up making New Year's resolutions many years ago, mainly because I found them impossible to keep. Nonetheless, I periodically try to make changes in my life that I hope will improve it, and the beginning of the new year seems as good a time as any.

Not resolutions exactly, but here's my top ten list for 2009:

Procrastinate only when appropriate
Spend more time in sunny places (with appropriate sunblock of course)
Write
Talk less and take more action (thanks Elvis)
Listen to new music
Watch more films
Stop complaining
No drama (like Obama)
Lose thirty pounds (two stone and a bit)
Make more money (need to work a little on the details of this)

Any other suggestions?

Too Cold

2009-01-07T07:30:00.000Z

This week is shaping up to be an especially cold one in London. Fortunately, at least we've had some sunshine to go with the frigid temperatures instead of the usual dreary cloud and rain (although we've had some of that too!).

The older I get, the less I appreciate cold, wet and grey days, and I now detest snow of any sort (no matter what Jeffrey says). Maybe the eight London winters have started to take their toll. Or perhaps my recent visits to California, however infrequent and brief, have made me realise how nice it could be to live with beautiful weather.

Whatever the reason, I've been daydreaming of warm sunshine a lot this week.

Perhaps it's time for another trip?

Too Cool

2008-12-30T18:30:00.000Z

I know that I've said I'm too sophisticated to care about seeing celebrities (and I am), but you may want to know that I have been in close proximity to a few well-known personalities in the past few months.

I sat near Jude Law in an airport lounge, stood behind Paul McCartney in the security queue at Heathrow (yes, they made him queue and even frisked him) and sat across the aisle from Orlando Bloom on a flight.

Of course I did not take pictures or acknowledge them in any way. I'm way too cool for that.

Last Call

2008-12-29T08:00:00.000Z

UK's Metro tells of a pub landlord who, after spending his whole life in the pub where he was born, decided he wanted to spend eternity there as well.

The article explains:

The 83-year-old's last order was that his ashes were laid beneath the flagstone floor of the pub. His final resting place is now under a plaque reading "Stand here and have a drink on me."

A fitting end!

Rick Roll

2008-12-27T08:00:00.000Z

Have you been Rick Roll'd yet?

Once again, I'm incredibly behind the curve. I just just found out about this popular internet meme that has been going on for some time now. Even more embarrassingly, until I heard about the Rick Roll, I didn't even know what a meme was.

As this article in the Guardian explains:

It's called the "rick-roll". You're innocently browsing an apparently useful website and see a link to something else that might be of interest, but when you click through to that destination you instead find yourself confronted with Astley's boyish smile, his manly croon, his awkward 1987 dance-moves.

The link was a fake, a trap, a dummy with the nefarious purpose of...bringing you face-to-face with the ridiculous.

You can find out more about this phenomenon here.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T08:00:00.001Z

Calfornia Christmas

2008-12-24T08:00:00.003Z

Goodbye clouds and rain!

Today I'm leaving for California. Normally, I spend Christmas in the cold, snowy Midwest, but this year my extended family and I will impose ourselves on relatives in Monterey County. It's not the warm sunshine of Los Angeles, but it will still be pretty nice.

And hey, it sure beats the usual.

It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life

2008-12-22T18:45:00.000Z

Since I first watched the film sometime in my early teens, I've been a great fan of Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. For those who have never seen it, Stewart plays George Baily, a frustrated small-town businessman with unfulfilled dreams.

When faced with financial ruin, George attempts suicide, thinking that the world would be better off if he'd never been born. Fortunately, his guardian angel saves him from death and shows him what the world would look like if indeed he had never been born, causing George to appreciate how full and important his life has actually been.

This is truly a brilliant film and, although a bit schmaltzy, never fails to entertain and lift my spirits, even after twenty or thirty viewings. At least that's what I always thought.

Wendell Jamieson in the New York Times posits a different take on the film. He says:

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a terrifying, asphyxiating story about growing up and relinquishing your dreams, of seeing your father driven to the grave before his time, of living among bitter, small-minded people. It is a story of being trapped, of compromising, of watching others move ahead and away, of becoming so filled with rage that you verbally abuse your children, their teacher and your oppressively perfect wife. It is also a nightmare account of an endless home renovation.

I must admit he's right. I should have realised this earlier, especially as my favourite line in the film is when George says to Mary: "You call this a happy family? Why do we have to have all these kids!" And surely anyone can see that alternate-world Pottersville is a much more fun and exciting place than exceedingly dull (film) real-life Bedford Falls.

Maybe the real message of the film is "Sure, life sucks, but it's all you've got, so make the best of it!"

Not that it matters. I still love this film and can't wait to see it again!

Speed Racer

2008-12-20T09:00:00.001Z

UK's Metro reports that a man in Cleveland has been fined for driving his motorised sofa to a Browns game. It seems the sofa's owner usually just drives his "go-kouch" around the parking lot during the pre-game tailgate parties, but this time he decided to drive it down the street to the stadium.

He encountered problems when a police officer cited him for driving an unregistered vehicle and having expired license plates. Kill-joy! Although I think he should have got credit for even having license plates at all, expired or not.

Here's the video:

Of course, this is far from the worst driving offence I've seen reported. I especially like the story of the Estonian man arrested twice by police. CNN reported a police spokeswoman as saying, "We arrested the same blind man driving his car again on Saturday. . . He was drunk."

Presented Without Comment

2008-12-19T14:38:00.006Z

(thanks to WhatCrisciLikes)

$50 Billion Pyramid

2008-12-18T19:00:00.004Z

In these times when institutions and individuals have lost billions by over-leveraged investing in complex financial derivatives, it's interesting to see that some people still manage to lose money the old-fashioned way--in a pyramid scheme.

When federal agents arrested Bernard Madoff in New York last week, it brought an end to what may be the largest fraud scheme in Wall Street history in which investors may have lost up to $50 billion.

In the same vein, I've since learned about an even more unsophisticated way to lose money: a ponzi crawl.

The Urban Dictionary defines a ponzi crawl as:

A pub crawl that adds a new person to buy a round at each location. Each new person is promised that they will get free drinks at all the future bars if they buy this round. Obviously, whoever joins the ponzi crawl last gets screwed!

Let's get some suckers to buy us beer on a ponzi crawl this weekend.

While increasingly complex and sophisticated ways to swindle people out of money will continue to emerge, the tried and true remain steadfastly reliable.

A Very Chav-y Christmas

2008-12-16T18:30:00.002Z

The Evening Standard reports:

A SCHOOL has created a "Chav Nativity" play containing alcopops, Jesus turning water into lager and Mary labelled a "slapper". . . In it Mary tells the Archangel Gabriel to "stop dissin' me yeah? I ain't no Kappa-slapper" when he informs her she is expecting a child, before her cousin Liz encourages her to go through with the pregnancy because of the "extra benefits".

Instead of a stable, Mary and Joseph break into a garridge (sic) where the Three Wise Men or "these free geezers", as they are known, come bearing gifts only to have Joseph reprimand them for not bringing Adidas and Burberry instead of "Frankenstein an' myrrh".

Students studied the play set in "Beflehem" in drama lessons focused on use of language, but of course, some parents have objected. Seems they're concerned about the school condoning improper speaking. I think they need to lighten-up and focus on something important.

You can read an extract of the play in the article here. My favourite line: Gabriel says to Mary, "You got one up the duff, you have."

This is really brilliant. I wish I were clever enough to write stuff like this.

Dining with the Rat Pack

2008-12-14T11:00:00.000Z

During my recent California sojourn, I had dinner at Dan Tana's Restaurant, the self-proclaimed "ultimate Hollywood hangout" with "a client list that reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood."

I'm always skeptical of restaurants that hype themselves this way, but apparently, proper A-list celebrities actually do eat here.

More importantly, Dan Tana's delivered on both food and experience. The small dining room with red leather banquettes and the professional and efficient waiters make it feel like you're back in 1965 - I half expected Dean Martin (a regular customer in his day) to walk in any minute.

And while some have criticised the food, predominately old-school southern Italian red sauce and garlic, as mediocre, we found our dinners to be quite tasty. My fried calamari starter was great and the New York strip steak (named after actor Dabney Coleman) stood out as possibly the best I've had anywhere.

Although we didn't see any celebrities (that's not why we went anyway - we're way too sophisticated for that), we enjoyed a great meal and a terrific time. Hat tip to my pal Steve for taking us there! I can't wait to go back.

A Milestone

2008-12-13T12:15:00.007Z

The site's visitor counter just passed 500!

Now I know that many of these visits are from me. Although the counter does not include visits from my browser, sometimes I check-in on the site from other computers (vanity).

And granted, I've noticed that many visitors leave after only one second, so they either landed here by mistake or really don't like what they see.

Nonetheless, people have come, and have come from many diverse geographies. Improbably, some even stay to read this stuff, which amazes me given the craptacular nature of the material.

So, thanks to all of you who take the time to read this drivel. I'll attempt to keep posting on a not-too-irregular basis, which I hope will provide you with at least some mild amusement.

City of Water

2008-12-12T18:25:00.000Z

I am fortunate to travel to Venice fairly regularly. Although I have not visited for a few weeks, I've found the pictures of the recent flooding there pretty scary. While the city normally experiences some flooding during high tides, this month's floods are the worst in decades, and the city has been virtually under water for nearly two weeks.

The Venetians, of course, have reacted with their usual aplomb, and have remarkably tried to live their lives as normally as possible. And while the city's mayor warned-off tourists last week, hotels are now trying to lure them back with special offers and free rubber boots.

Events like this remind me of this beautiful and unique city's fragility. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to enjoy it now -- who knows how long it will be around?

California Dreaming

2008-12-10T18:30:00.006Z

As much as I like London in Winter, sometimes it gets a bit tiresome.

Returning to London can seem especially harsh after spending nearly a week in the southern California sunshine and warmth.

Is it possible to be homesick for someplace that's never been your home?

Perhaps it's time for a change in scenery.

That's All Folks

2008-12-04T18:25:00.005Z

Is this the best epitaph ever?

I spotted this headstone while wandering through the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, now called Hollywood Forever Memorial Park, during a recent visit to Los Angeles.

For those who may not know, Mel Blanc provided the voices for Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and the other Warner Brothers cartoon characters. The epitaph echoes the famous sign-off from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Very witty and appropriate!

I've since learned that it this is in fact a very well-known, even famous, epitaph. Still, it was new to me and I got a good laugh from it. Note the carrot placed at the base of the tombstone, presumably left in tribute by a fan. Nice touch.

Many personalities from the entertainment industry lay buried in this cemetery located adjacent to Paramount Studios, including famous names from "old Hollywood" like Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Peter Lorre, and Tyrone Power. It's a uniquely Hollywood place and well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Delightful Dining

2008-11-30T07:05:00.004Z

Remember this?

I've found the antidote in Los Angeles:

Good Riddance to Clamshell?

2008-11-16T08:30:00.002Z

I have never understood why the manufacturers of consumer electronics insist on wrapping their goods in impenetrable plastic, making the merchandise tantalisingly unobtainable. Often, nothing short of a power saw can pry the wrapper open.

Now, thanks to this article in the New York Times, I have learned that this packaging is called "clamshell" and that there is a reason for this madness.

In an attempt to boost sales, manufactures switched to this type of packaging from boxes so that customers could see the products on retailers' shelves. At the same time, they made them impossible to open to prevent these items from disappearing out the door in shoplifters' pockets.

Fortunately, help is on the way. Realising that more than 6000 people in America a year sustain injuries serious enough to send them to the emergency room, some manufactures, including Sony and Microsoft have launched efforts to make their packaging more user-friendly.

Let's hope they succeed!

Meet the Buttertons

2008-11-15T00:20:00.000Z

I just saw an ad for "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" that features a retro-sitcom family called the Buttertons, who's favourite food is, no surprise, butter. Apparently the campaign has been running for quite a while now, but I've never seen them as I don't watch TV in the US very often.

Now, like the Buttertons, I've always enjoyed butter excessively - it's one of my favourite food products. So while this still photo from the ad is meant to be exaggerated and ridiculous, it looks pretty delicious to me!

The Two Ari's

2008-11-13T12:00:00.003Z

I'm sure that everyone now knows that Barack Obama's soon-to-be White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, was the model for the Josh Lyman character on the West Wing. For me, that alone should be qualification enough for the job.

However, I was surprised to find out that Rahm's brother, Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel, is the model for the acerbic and foul-mouthed agent Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven on the TV series Entourage.

I am mega-impressed that both brothers have managed to become TV characters, but even more so that they are two of my very favourite TV characters.

For your amusement, here's a site of Ari Gold quotes. Filthy and side-splitting.

The Politics of Penne Pasta

2008-11-04T08:00:00.003Z

On the night of the 2000 US presidential election, we dined on one of my favourite dishes, Penne alla Vodka, while we watched the unfolding TV coverage. I remember enjoying this tasty meal as the apparently good news arrived from the early returns. Confidence grew, and it looked like the beginning of an enjoyable evening.

As the night wore on, good news turned to bad and joy turned to disappointment. The delicious meal that I enjoyed earlier that evening no longer sat so well with me. Since then, each time I face a plate of Penne alla Vodka, memories of that night flood back and my stomach begins to churn.

Given this history, I'm not sure why that, as I plan for this year's election night dinner, I am considering tempting fate by putting Penne alla Vodka back on the menu. Perhaps I am hoping it will exorcise the ghosts of 2000 once and for all.

On the other hand, perhaps it's too risky. This election remains way too close, and I don't want to do anything that may tip the balance. I think we'll go with the chicken.

Election Day Approaches

2008-11-02T10:35:00.006Z

As the US election night gets closer, I've been thinking about how to spend the evening. Spending the night, actually, as the time difference means the first polls do not close until midnight UK time and the last not until the early morning hours.

I have been feeling more and more nervous about the outcome and my previous cautious optimism has now given way to high-anxiety. It gave me no comfort to read in the NY Times that many other Americans share these feelings with me.

Nonetheless, I am looking forward to election night and the ensuing TV media frenzy that accompanies it in all of its excessive glory. Fortunately, Chelsea play AC Roma in a Champions League match that evening, so that should divert my attentions for a couple of hours until before the polls close.

Now I just need to decide what coverage to watch. It looks like CNBC Europe will broadcast the NBC News feed, so it will probably be between them and CNN. Certainly I will not watch Fox News, unless it turns out to be a Demoncratic landslide. Then it might be kind of fun.

A Goldilocks Moment

2008-09-27T08:00:00.001+01:00

Upon entering my hotel room on a recent trip to suburban Venice, an unexpected choice confronted me. My room contained three single beds side-by-side.

My first thought was "I feel like Goldilocks. Which one should I choose?"

I decided to try all three, but unfortunately, I did not experience the satisfactory outcome that Goldilocks achieved.

Bed one: too hard. Bed two: too hard. Bed three: too hard.

In the end, none were "just right," so I chose the middle.

The porridge, however, was another matter altogether. . .

So Long 161st Street & River Avenue

2008-09-24T08:00:00.005+01:00

Until I read about it in Monday's New York Times, I had completely forgotten that this was the last season for storied Yankee Stadium.

Reading the article rekindled dormant memories of the stadium where, while living in New York during the eighties, I spent many nights and afternoons drinking warm-ish and semi-flat beer from cardboard cups and eating dirty-water dogs.

I vividly recall seeing Dave Righetti pitch the first Yankee no-hitter in 27 years against the Red Sox on July 4, 1983.

During those years, I also enjoyed the lightning fastball of Ron Guidry and revelled in the circus surrounding Billy Martin's repeated comings and goings as Manager.

Although the Yankees of those years played great baseball and won a lot of games, they failed to win a World Series title. Fortunately, this did not diminish the experience at the ballpark.

Thinking about those days makes me wish I had made one last trip to see a game this year. Unfortunately, I didn't think about it. Living 3,500 miles away in another country has allowed my interest in the Yankees to drift away.

The new Yankee Stadium will undoubtedly provide a great venue for a ball game, and while I am sure I will like it, it will never replace the original.

Someone commented that the "the ghosts will simply walk across the street" to the new stadium. Maybe, but somehow I don't think so.

Moving Downmarket

2008-09-22T08:58:00.004+01:00

Without commenting too much on the merits (or not) of the US Government's "Cash for Trash" free bank-recapitalisation proposal, many fear that the wholesale wealth destruction and taxpayer-funded costs from the current financial markets turmoil may ultimately usher in an era of lower living standards.

FINTAG's Newsletter asks "Will Century 21 become the new Bergdorf Goodman?"

Having worked across the street from the downtown New York Century 21 Store for more than ten years, I've shopped their countless times, so I think I'm OK with that. I will just need to sharpen my elbows for my next visit.

As the New York Times says: "Goods, Yes; Services, Not Necessarily"

Music From TV to Me

2008-09-08T19:04:00.005+01:00

Every once and a while I re-discover how amazing the internet really is.

For a while (well, a few years actually), I had been wondering about a song used as background music for a Vodafone TV ad that aired back in 2002. I kind of liked it and wouldn't mind having it on my i-pod; however, I had no idea of the song's name or who recorded it.

Finally, I decided to see if I could find the song. It took about three minutes. I found a site called Song of the Salesman, a database of music from UK television commercials, searched for "Vodafone" and found the song in about thirty seconds.

This is a very cool site. I guess I didn't need to wait six years to find it -- the ease in which I found the song makes me feel silly for procrastinating. But hey, I didn't have an i-pod back then, so it really wouldn't have mattered.

Oh yeah, the song is "Bohemian Like You" by The Dandy Warhols

Discover The Dandy Warhols!

My Library

2008-09-07T19:45:00.003+01:00

I have finally started to enter my books into LibraryThing. It's a slow and laborious process that will probably take me months, buy I'm determined to do it. As a consequence, the sidebar on this blog titled "What's On My Nightstand" that I've set up to let you know what I'm currently reading (or attempting to read) will not accurately reflect my current reading list.

The widget that powers this utility shows my most recent entries into LibraryThing, so as I progress through the thirty-year catalogue catch-up, it will show the last five books I have entered. Once I have completed the process and start entering what I'm currently reading, it will again become accurate.

Not that I expect that any of you care, but just wanted to keep you up to date!

Bye-Bye Blighty

2008-09-05T18:24:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago, I commented about how many British had opted to take their holidays in Britain rather than travel abroad. Well, after a cold and rain-soaked August, sentiment has shifted. So long to Blighty's dreary shores and hello to the sunny Med.

The Evening Standard reports that bookings for foreign holidays have soared by more than 150%. The article says:

Sun-starved Britons who holidayed at home this year to help save the planet and ease the credit crunch are now rushing to book overseas trips. Travel firms say there has been a huge "never again" backlash after a rain-drenched August, during which thousands of families decided not to fly to cut their carbon footprint. . . Many customers booked as soon as they got home from this year's summer trip.

Jonathan White, managing director of VFB Holidays, said: "We've spoken to lots of people who have sat through the wet weather here. Their view is simple: blow the recession: We need to get away somewhere warm. . .we've already opened our 2009 bookings and are hearing from people who've returned from rain-soaked UK holidays vowing 'never again'."

So, bugger austerity and saving the environment. The masses are voting with their feet and they want sunshine on their holidays! Looks like Boris Johnson was right all along.

Fred Mertz

2008-08-06T09:07:00.008+01:00

Maureen Dowd's NY Times column today describes John McCain as "pea-green with envy" over the attention and adoration given to Barack Obama. The article quotes a Senate colleague as saying about McCain,

“His image of himself was always the handsome, celebrity flyboy. Now somebody else is the celebrity,” the colleague continued, "while John looks in the mirror and sees his face marred by skin cancer and looks at the TV and sees his dashing self-image replaced by visions of William Frawley. . ."

I'm pea-green with envy that I didn't make the Fred Mertz-McCain connection.

After further reflection, I've come up with some suggestions for a potential Mertz administration which would markedly improve upon today's lot.

Captain Binghamton as Secretary of Defense. . .

. . .and for Attorney General. . .

Summertime

2008-07-22T16:15:00.008+01:00

This year, an interesting phenomenon is overtaking Britain: many British are forsaking overseas holidays to spend them in Britain.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Bookings to European destinations from the U.K. are falling. . . "People in the U.K. are trading down, and British resorts stand to benefit from that," said Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, an industry body. "The sinking pound makes the sector much more appealing for Europeans looking for a bargain."

Leading U.K. politicians are following suit. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who usually holidays on Cape Cod in the U.S., will stay at home in the eastern English seaside town of Southwald this summer. Conservative opposition leader David Cameron, who also usually vacations abroad, is heading for Cornwall on England's southern coast.

Now, heading for sunny Greece or Tuscany for one's holiday has become downmarket. It's cool to stay in the UK away from the masses. It's environmentally friendly and frugal, especially in these tough economic times.

Goodbye St. Tropez, hello Skegness!

The problem is, it rains a lot in Britain (and it's cold too), which makes it difficult to enjoy the beach properly.

Boris Johnson, London's recently elected Mayor, has bucked the trend. In a commentary for the Daily Telegraph, Boris skewers politicians who think it is their duty to holiday close to home and says that he will go somewhere "as sunny and foreign as possible."

Boris says, "I am going to take a holiday abroad, and in my view it would be absurd, hypocritical and frankly inhumane to do anything else."

I'm with him!

The Ugliness Begins

2008-06-19T20:03:00.002+01:00

The Texas Republican Party has found itself red-faced for allowing a vendor to sell this button at its state party convention last weekend.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the vendor has apologised and the Texas GOP has denounced him, pledging to donate the $1,500 it received in rent for his stall to a charity. Pretty lame, really.

This not-to-subtle reminder of reality might give us sneak peak at what's to come as the campaign unfolds over the next several months. While many of us like to think that we've moved beyond race, the unfortunate truth remains that even as America contemplates electing a black president, racial tensions have not entirely abated and an often-suppressed undercurrent of racism persists in many parts of the country.

Until Republican party leaders take racism seriously (fat chance - remember the Republicans are the party of fear), there will be no shortage of those willing to exploit racial prejudice for political gain.

Just Slightly Ahead of Its Time

2008-06-18T20:08:00.000+01:00

Speaking of technology of the future: Maxwell Smart and his innovative and multi-use 1960's mobile.

When the real thing came along about twenty years later, it wasn't any smaller and it didn't have the added benefit of also serving as a shoe!

It took a while to get where we are today.

Move Over Al Gore

2008-06-18T19:41:00.003+01:00

It appears that Al Gore didn't invent the internet after all.

The New York Times reports that Belgian Paul Otlet first outlined the concept of the internet and the world wide web in 1934. The article says that:

In 1934, Otlet sketched out plans for a global network of computers (or “electric telescopes,” as he called them) that would allow people to search and browse through millions of interlinked documents, images, audio and video files. He described how people would use the devices to send messages to one another, share files and even congregate in online social networks. . .

. . .Otlet (pronounced ot-LAY) described a networked world where “anyone in his armchair would be able to contemplate the whole of creation.”

Although Otlet’s proto-Web relied on a patchwork of analog technologies like index cards and telegraph machines, it nonetheless anticipated the hyperlinked structure of today’s Web.

The concept grew out of a project he started in 1895 to catalogue all of the world’s published knowledge and he eventually accumulated more that 12 million entries. His “mechanical, collective brain” was his solution to the obvious limitations of his paper-based system.

It makes we wonder how many other seemingly impossible ideas (both good and bad) in today's world may become commonplace in the not-too-distant future.

The Real Cone of Silence

2008-06-17T19:43:00.003+01:00

The BBC reports that scientists have created a design for a sound cloaking device. According to the article:

Scientists have shown off the blueprint for an "acoustic cloak", which could make objects impervious to sound waves.

The technology, outlined in the New Journal of Physics, could be used to build sound-proof homes, advanced concert halls or stealth warships.

Of course it's all theoretical, but the Spanish scientists who developed the blueprint say they would like to make and test the cloaking material in a lab as the next step.

Who knew that Mel Brooks and Buck Henry were so far ahead of their time?

Bush in the UK

2008-06-16T13:05:00.007+01:00

George Bush visited the UK on Sunday and and received a warm and friendly welcome all around!

Knickers, Please

2008-06-16T12:27:00.006+01:00

The Chairman of Ascot Racecourse has issued strong guidance about the strict dress code for the Royal Ascot race meet this year, including a tightening of the code for the Royal Enclosure after receiving complaints that standards are slipping.

Royal Ascot is a famous thoroughbred race meeting attended by the Royal Family and many consider it one of the most important social events on the calendar. Of course, most just go to guzzle obscene quantities of booze and make sometimes-questionable sartorial statements.

To clarify things for guests, race organizers helpfully included a leaflet outlining the dress code with event tickets and have published a guide on their website featuring photos of "suitable" and "unsuitable" attire, designated by green checkmarks or red x's.

The Telegraph reports:

In a humorous "A to Z of Do's and Don'ts, women are also advised to keep their underwear under wraps during the five-day meeting starting on Tuesday.

"Knickers," it says. "A definite yes, but not on show please ladies."

The same guide warns that streaky tan lines are "a total fashion faux pas", and that how a hat looks "from the neck up is the most important and can make or break an outfit".

Men are also expected to adhere to the code, which means they must wear either black or grey morning dress, including "a waistcoat, with a top hat, which must be worn at all times in the Royal Enclosure".

I guess this woman didn't get the message! What would the Queen say?

UPDATE for American readers: In British English, knickers = women's underwear, as in "That bird's got no knickers on!"