Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Lots and lots going on in the world today. Almost too much for one poor blogger to manage. Please keep in mind that the New York Times and Chicago Tribune require a free registration to view its stories . . .

GADAFFI/QUADDAFI/KHADAFY REDUX
As I have said before, the Houston Chronicle has become my favorite newspaper. More than any other newspaper I review, the Houston Chronicle chooses to highlight the sort of "news" that really describes our world. For instance, the Chronicle picked up an article from the Los Angeles Times (a Tribune publication) explaining that legislators in South Korea have begun a drive to change the English spelling of their country from "Korea" to "Corea." They say that the Japanese changed the spelling when they occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945. The Japanese rationale is supposed to be to avoid having Korea appear before Japan in English-language lists. First, it is hard to imagine that the South Koreans, with an insane dictatorship sharing their peninsula, don't have anything more important to worry about. Second, why didn't the Japanese just change their name to Aaajapan, and be first over everyone? Silly Japanese.

ALTERED STATES
Sometimes, it all just comes together. The following are four articles from around the country (Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Boston) that all tie together in their discussion of altered states. Must be one of those days . . .

America's Finest Newspaper carried a story today about a company that imports and distributes beer, then collects the kegs and ships them back abroad. First, these folks are doing God's work (as Franklin said, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy), so you ought to know about them. Second, their process for tracking the kegs is called the Kegspediter System. That rules!

If you don't want to explore the uses of the Kegspediter System, it might be useful to review an article in today's Tribune (registration required). Bob Skilnik, author of the very fine History of Beer and Brewing in Chicago, 1833-1978, reviews the history of beer in America. It is an interesting article. However, the important thing is Skilnik's list of breweries trying mid-19th and early 20th Century beer formulae:

Augsburger: Formerly brewed by Jos. Huber, Point is test marketing a reintroduced Augsburger that is "100% barley malt, hops, water and yeast."

Capital 1900: Apparently the original Schlitz formula.

Huber Premium: Matured five weeks before sale, which contrary to the Budweiser claim, is better than drinking immediately.

Berghoff Original Lager: Mmmmm. Good.

Point Special Lager: All-American beer, including use of American hops. Also great with Thai food.

Another great beer resource is the Joe Sixpack column in the Philadelphia Daily News. It appears every other week, but really discusses beers that many people don't know.

While the center of the country was concerning itself with beer, Seattle was holding entire elections with direct impact on the ability to alter your state. Two issues on the ballot in yesterday's election were whether to tax coffee drinks (lattes, etc.) to fund early childhood education, and the official stance of the authorities to small-scale marijuana possession. The good people of Seattle resoundingly defeated the measure to add an extra $0.10 tax to their caffeine, and seem to have approved the measure that would require the Seattle Police Department and the City Attorney's Office to make small-scale marijuana possession -- when for personal use by adults -- their "lowest law-enforcement priority." Maybe this is why people in Seattle get so confused at traffic lights . . .

Finally, the dangers (I suspect) of all of these altered states is made clear in today's Boston Globe. This is generally a sad story about a horse from a riding school outside Boston that wandered into a road and was hit by a car. The amazing thing is that whoever hit this horse drove away. "Whoever struck this animal, clearly they had to know they struck a horse," Notwithstanding the absolutely miserable drivers in Boston, I gotta think the person driving the car was altered in several ways . . .

MEL BROOKS KNEW ABOUT THESE GUYS
The International Herald Tribune today carried a story about Black Native Americans and some of the history of slavery in Indian Territories. It immediately made me think of Blazing Saddles, where the Indians speak Yiddish, and let the Black settlers pass because, "they're darker than us!" I guess Blazing Saddles isn’t the historical documentary I always took it to be.

FAST TIMES AT FAR ROCKAWAY
The New York Times (registration required) ran a story today about surfers who catch the waves that hurricanes further south send up to New York. They go out to Rockaway in Queens and surf.

LIKE A DARE
Finally, this is a little trashy for me, but my buddy FT in Washington was all hot and bothered about it and his own blog is too highbrow for it. Well, my blog is not too highbrow for anything, let alone a good daughter finds mom and new husband in bed, divorces husband, and serves as bridesmaid for mom and ex-husband's wedding story. I would start chanting JER-RY! JER-RY! now, but the happy couple(s) are Britons, not Americans. By the way, the quote of the tale comes from the daughter, who sayeth, "I think it's a mug's game. I've lost a husband, but I've gained a father." Now THAT'S putting a positive spin on things.

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