Budweiser: Belgium for beer

I’ve probably drunk less than half-a-case of Budweiser in my life. I know, I know that’s very un-American of me and very, very un-Midwestern American of me. But Budweiser has brought me great joy, all the same. (And NO, Annie did not fall for me after a night of heavy Bud drinking either.)

I’ve enjoyed Budweiser’s ads, especially the Real Men of Courage ads – brilliant.

And I always enjoy being in a foreign country and seeing Budweiser listed under the imports. Do foreigners actually pay more money to drink American beer than their local flavor, which probably tastes better (and less filling), anyhow? Why? Does it help them capture some of the rugged, do-it-yourself boot-strap-pullin’ up, raw Americanism?

Alas, those days are gone. Now Budweiser is a Belgium beer. Even though it will probably start tastin’ greater and be less filling, I’m sad to see Budweiser go the way of so many other victims of American inflation.

Budweiser…(grabs bottle of Becks)…this ones for you.

In defense of OneDerWear

I never thought I would live to see the day someone came to the defense of disposable underwear. Today is that day. (And here I expected there to be peace on Earth.)

Morgan in response to my post on OneDerWear
:

You must take shower at night otherwise how do you get enough time to dry your washed underwear. I may start with a 10-pack disposable briefs, but I’m not occupying the same amount of space as the trip goes on. That regained space may be good for taking home a souvenir or two.
Nobody is tossing the underwear in the woods. The disposable is made of 100% cotton. Cotton is a biodegradable and renewable material. How is that not environmentally friendly? It is at least no worse than the detergent you flushed down the drain that pollute the water.

Morgan, Morgan, Morgan. Do ya work for OneDerWear?

In your comment you don’t say anything about how comfortable OneDerWear is. If you are in the underwear business, you should know that comfort is key. No one gives a hoot about the environment compared to comfort. Even so, your argument for the environmental-friendliness of OneDerWear seems a bit of a stretch.

The production and shipping of a single pair of disposable underwear probably does not use any less energy or resources than the production and shipping of a single pair of non-disposable underwear. Yet non-disposable underwear may be worn for years and the energy/resources consumed per wear are far less.

You talk as if it would be impossible to have a clean, dry pair of underwear waiting for you post-shower. That’s why I travel with three pair – one pair being washed, one drying, and one clean.

What I’m saying, Morgan, is that your arguments are weak and your underwear are uncomfortable. And if I ever see someone wearing OneDerWear, there is a good chance that – in the name of Mother Earth and not being lazy – that someone is going to get an atomic wedgie.

Unspeakably Uncivilized

I think sometimes news in other countries makes us feel more civilized. Makes us think, “That couldn’t happen here.” But it does. Anything unspeakable everywhere else happens in some fashion right here.

Cambodia and other SE Asian nations are infamous for their child prostitution. Well…

FBI arrests hundreds in child sex crackdown

We are no more or less civilized than anywhere else in the world. It’s sad that we are reminded of this so often.

Ever really thought about the banana?

Dan Koeppel has. He wrote a book on the fruit titled Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World.

Koeppel in the NY Times about bananas:

That bananas have long been the cheapest fruit at the grocery store is astonishing. They’re grown thousands of miles away, they must be transported in cooled containers and even then they survive no more than two weeks after they’re cut off the tree. Apples, in contrast, are typically grown within a few hundred miles of the store and keep for months in a basket out in the garage. Yet apples traditionally have cost at least twice as much per pound as bananas.

I’ll never look at ‘nanas the same.

Nike’s Marty McFly Hyperdunks take sneaker lovers Back to the Future

From myairshoes.com:

Nike will finally answer the cries of millions of sneaker fans- after years of waiting, speculating and begging - as it releases the Marty McFly Hyperdunks in limited quantities…Although not exactly the same as the ones worn by Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future, these McFly-inspired Hyperdunks may be the closest McFly fans will ever get to the mythological pair.

Really? Sneaker Fans have been crying for Marty McFly Hyperdunks? I’ll admit it, I’ve dreamed of purchasing a Delorean and I even took up skateboarding (until the first fall) after seeing the original Back to the Future, but this is taking Back to the Future fandom a little too far.

What, no power laces?

George Carlin on stuff

George Carlin died. He left a lot more with us than just a bunch of stuff, including this line on stuff, “There stuff is shit and your shit is stuff.” from this bit on stuff…

(found this clip on WorldHum)

A curious grandma and a can of pepper spray don’t mix

“I’ve got a Grandma story,” Mom said. “Your Aunt bought her a can of pepper spray…”

Sparing you some of the details, Grandma is okay, but my Aunt now has a stained sink in her bathroom.

Journalism student captured and released, translator still in jail

James Buck is a journalism student at UC Berkely. When he was in Egypt, he and his translator were jailed. Buck text messaged his way out of prison, but his translator is still there.

I’ve never tried to report on political unrest or war, but I have had to enlist the help of many kind-hearted translators over the last few years. Most of them are college students who I meet by going to the local university and trying to sucker someone into helping me. I would feel awful if I got them in trouble.

Buck feels awful. He writes about his ongoing, guilt-ridden nightmare here.

Mohammed Maree (pronouned mar-EYE) is a student of veterinary medicine. He’s a kind man with a quiet, gentle voice who held my hand as we ran through the streets under police siege. When we got hit with tear gas, Mohammed negotiated safe houses for us to go in and wash our eyes. He always worried about my camera. When a passing train a few feet away was hit with rocks and I cowered in fear, he covered my body with his.

Mohammed was not a journalist before his home city erupted in riots and he saw me, a frightened American kid being roughed up by a crowd of protesters. He yanked me away and guided me to safety. When I couldn’t understand people’s distressed cries in Arabic (which was most of the time), he translated. It’s still unclear what his motivation was for helping me, at such a high personal risk. He once vaguely suggested he was merely returning a favor, “When I was in America, someone helped me.”

Buck’s site with more details and updates and info how we can help.

Update: I just found this. Buck credits Twitter with expediting his release. (Note to self: Get twitter account)

A thousand words

Flip-flop prosthetic. Pailin, Cambodia.

Undemocratic disasters or Let’s invade Myanmar

Myanmar, 100,000 killed by cyclone

China, 10,000 killed by earthquake

Myanmar, China, cyclones, earthquakes – all undemocratic.

I’m not saying that disasters struck Myanmar and China because of their lack of democracy. That would make me no different than off-the-wall preachers claiming Hurricane Katrina was the price New Orleans paid for its “celebrations of sin”, or 9/11 a result of fowl coming home to roost. But I would like to say, these uncontrollable disasters are an opportunity for nations, not to capitalize on, but to reach out to the people of Myanmar and China.

The scale of the disaster in China, although massive, is much smaller than that of Myanmar and the Chinese government is probably more capable of responding to a disaster than the U.S., so I think heaping them with moral support and funding will be enough, but Myanmar is whole other story.

The Myanmar government will not allow the full wave of international aid into its country. This could result in 100’s of thousands of preventable deaths as disease and starvation set in. This is the kind of country that should be invaded, not by dropping bombs, but by dropping food and supplies. Why not have an air raid on Myanmar? What, are we afraid of their air force? Do they have an air force?

Excerpts from a CNN piece on the disaster in Myanmar:

Adm. Timothy Keating, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, was on the first of three U.S. aid flights allowed into Myanmar this week.
He described meeting with a Myanmar three-star general who opened up a map of the country and pointed to the areas worst-hit by the cyclone.
“[He] characterized activity there as returning back to normal — his words,” Keating said. “[He said] people are coming back to their villages, they’re planting their crops for the summer season, the monsoon will come and wash all the saltwater out of the ponds.
“His manner, his demeanor, his attitude indicated something less than very serious concern.”
A former Yangon resident now living in Thailand told AP that angry government officials told him that high-energy biscuits rushed into Myanmar on the World Food Program’s first flights were sent to a military warehouse.
Speaking on condition of anonymity over fears for his safety, he told AP that the biscuits were exchanged for what officials said were “tasteless and low-quality” biscuits produced by the Industry Ministry.

Why would a government stand and watch as its people die needlessly?

(Insert lengthy critique of U.S. government during Hurricane Katrina here, which pretty much erases the footing of the rest of the argument)

My theory: They are afraid of exposing their people to democracy and compassion, which breeds more democracy and compassion, which erodes at the fear and power that these jackasses hold over their countrymen.

I guess what I’m saying is…Let’s invade Myanmar!

Who’s with me?

Time magazine is.