Saturday, September 14, 2024
Boar's Head, formally the Frank Brunckhorst
Co., has closed its Virginia plant that is the source of the listeria
outbreak that has killed nine people so far. The company has interested
me for a long time. In 1995, it claimed trademark infringement and got
an injunction against an unaffiliated beer company that produced
Weinhard’s Boar’s Head Red. Frank Brunckhorst Co. v. G. Heileman Brewing Co.
(875 F. Supp. 966). By the way, trademark law was maybe my favorite
subject in law school, because it’s all in the eyes of the beholder.
The
decision is legally correct. The average consumer could easily believe
that the beer came from the cold cuts company, that confusion the basis for infringement. What got me, however, was
naming anything “Boar’s Head” in the first place. Maybe I’m a squeamish
city boy, but how can you not think of “Lord of the Flies” when you
hear Boar’s Head? The image is hardly an appetite stimulant.
. . .
I
don’t expect everyone to have a clear perspective on American politics.
I grant that there are semi-sane reasons to vote for Donald Trump,
primarily based on deficiencies in the opposition. The New York Times
quotes a Trump voter in Arizona with a more personal point of view: “His
family is stalwart; they’re amazing, I think that tells a lot about him
as a person.” She failed to specify, however, whether she had Trump’s
first, second or third family in mind.
. . .
Here’s a daily double. The U.S. was named the top country for tourism in 2024 (https://www3.weforum.org/
and Central Park, two crosstown blocks from where I am perched, has been voted the top tourist destination in the country.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Friday, September 20, 2024
Be sure to wave when you pass by.
If we want to go for the trifecta, Una Pizza Napoletana, 150 Orchard Street, has been named the best pizza in the world for the second time in three years.
My first visit is forthcoming.Sunday, September 15, 2024
This
is great stuff. More numbers than you’ll probably know what to do with.
Enough to keep you up late going back and forth. The Washington Post
analyzed publicly available voting registration data from around the
country. What first and last names align with which political
party. I know that the URL is enormous and that you may need to copy it
into your browser, but you will be so glad that you did.
There’s
a place where you can search party affiliation by first or last name,
assuming there is a critical mass. Alans, a little bit Republican; not
enough Gotthelfs. Redemption from Goldenberg, my mother’s family name,
decidedly Democrat.
. . .
Meryl, what were you thinking?
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Anne Frank famously wrote: “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” Not only did her own fate belie this, everyday myriad contrary examples arise.
“Seeking social media stardom for their underage daughters, mothers post images of them on Instagram. The accounts draw men sexually attracted to children, and they sometimes pay to see more.”
It may be a gross generalization, but liberals usually care about fairness. I’ll let the other guys speak for themselves. This concern doesn’t always have satisfying results. Here’s my story.
About 42 years ago, I was employed at a major international accounting and consulting firm as a consultant on computer systems design and utilization. A request for proposal came in from the Hong Kong municipal administration, then still answering to the British government. It wanted a comprehensive review of its computer systems usage and recommendations for improvement.
I was assigned to the proposal writing team, focusing on the needed human resources. Of course, bottom line was an important consideration with our hefty billing rates. We were gathering staff from several offices, all destined to spend weeks or more in Hong Kong. By the way, for some reason we had the inside track and I was giddy with the prospect of luxuriating in a ritzy Hong Kong hotel, something that actually took 30 more years to achieve.
I played around with different staffing arrangements, aiming for a palatable cost estimate. For one iteration, I excluded myself to demonstrate how “fair” I was. Sure enough, that’s the one that sold, my selfless integrity intact (you stupid jerk). There was some slight consolation when I learned that the guy to whom I transferred most of my prospective tasks was robbed immediately upon leaving the Hong Kong airport.
I’m opinionated, without doubt. However, my restaurant reporting is more positive than negative. Am I so easily pleased? Hardly. I often simply keep the bad experiences to myself.
We went to dinner tonight with Barbara and Bernie, cousins of cousins, at Jupiter, 20 West 50th Street, actually the sunken plaza at Rockefeller Center where the skating rink is. A favorable mention in the New York Times and the attractive setting brought us there and maybe I should stop there, but those are the reasons that I have to unload.
The iconic setting of Jupiter should attract the Holy Lander along with the tourists. The Italian menu is relatively familiar, simple and somewhat expensive, but not punishingly so, although the portions did not follow the elevated prices. Our problems (maybe their problems) fell into two areas, the menu itself and the service.
The menu lists four Italian white wines by the glass and by the bottle, but Soave and Pinot Grigio, the most familiar varieties, were not available. Similarly, they ran out of focaccia, at $8 an order. Mind you, we were in the middle of Manhattan, not Manhattan, Kansas, in the middle of the week, not at the end of a busy holiday weekend.
Service had its own gaps. Salt and pepper only after requested; requested grated cheese never appearing. Long intervals for our food, but attempts to serve us what was ordered at other tables. When the manager came over to commiserate with us, he offered to remember us next time without slashing a penny off tonight’s check.
The Upper West Side's Power Couple drive off into the sunset to visit the second and third generations for the weekend. Actually, we headed east to Massachusetts where the Sun rises, a less poetic destination.
. . .
Former President Donald J. Trump, speaking on Thursday at a campaign event in Washington, said that “if I don’t win this election,” then “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss.”
On behalf of the Jewish people, I will say “You’re welcome.”
I don't know if it has todo with book banning or anti-Jewish sentiment, but my school age grandchildren have never heard of Anne Frank
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