Delightful Dining

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I've found the antidote in Los Angeles:

Good Riddance to Clamshell?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Knickers, Please

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!"