Saturday, August 25, 2007

I'll have a #1 Value Euro-Mac Meal please

To Woo Europeans, McDonald’s Goes Upscale - New York Times

This story reminded me, in an oblique way, of a city back in the 80's; Carmel-by-the-Sea in California. They tried to ban restaurants defined as either "Drive In, Formula, or Fast-Food" Establishments. I remember visiting the town back in the day when I was attending a language school nearby. Carmel-by-the-Sea has plenty of other odd regulations as well. I remember the nice shops and that while the beach was nice the water was frigid.  I was also  a poor soldier and couldn't afford to eat there.  Not even an upscale euroMcDs.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The College Second Home - New York Times

The College Second Home - New York Times

I knew someone in college (back in 1983) who was living in a house that his parents had bought for his use while in school. Turns out that my university had a rule; freshman and sophomores had to live in the dorms unless they were locals, above a certain age, married, and so on. Since this was an actual house and not a small condo, there was a lot of extra room. He ended up renting most of it out to other guys on the football team, and was making the mortgage himself. As a side note, the guys in the house hosted parties every Saturday night; $3 a cup for all the beer you could drink (or stand.) These parties subsidized the rent, utilities, cable, and food supplies of all the housemates. The end analysis is that nobody in the house had to actually pay anything for their housing, the owning parents didn't have to pay the mortgage, and everyone was happy. Except for the neighbors, of course.

Ray Bradbury - Now and Forever - Books - New York Times

Ray Bradbury - Now and Forever - Books - New York Times:

Something I never knew before; that Ray Bradbury vigorously denies that Fahrenheit 451 is a metaphor for censorship but rather the insidious evil that is television,

"Though Mr. Bradbury’s critics have bristled at his comments that “Fahrenheit 451” was not a novel about censorship — a statement that the paper trail in "Match to Flame” seems to disprove"


I find that when giving talks about his works he has had to argue with high school English teachers about what the books mean. "Actually, Mr. Bradbury, this is what you really meant..." said the diploma-holder from Push-M-Through U. I have a hard time imagining the arrogance necessary for a English teacher to scrap with an author, standing in front of him, of one of his own works.