Alaska is Classy

I’ve been told that Alaska is one of the trashiest places on the planet. Obviously, you can find trashy people everywhere, if you look hard enough. However, some places surely outpace others.

Alaska state troopers have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin’s boyfriend on drug charges.

Sherry L. Johnston was arrested Thursday after troopers served a search warrant on a Wasilla home. The 42-year-old Johnston has been charged with six felony drug counts.

Johnston is the mother of 18-year-old Levi Johnston. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP nominee for vice president, announced in September that her 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, was pregnant and Johnston was the father.

Classy.

Alaska has the highest per capita incident of alcoholism, rape, and suicide in the United States, partially attributable to controlled substance abuse.

Mother of Palin daughter’s boyfriend arrested – Seattle Times

DEA – Alaska

Ultimate Irony

As banks in the west tread water and get bailed out by taxpayers, Hamas is establishing a new bank in Gaza.

Hamas approves first Gaza bank under its authority – Reuters

Proofreading

WTF USAToday?

WTF is ‘Agrilculture’?

Brad Pitt’s Softbank Ad for Japan

Brad Pitt starring in the weirdest ad you’ll ever see for a cellphone carrier:

High Society

Taken in 1937 by Margaret Bourke-White

Moustache

The word “moustache” or “mustache” derives from 16th century French moustache, which in turn is derived from the Italian mostaccio (14th century), dialectal mustaccio (16th century), from Medieval Latin mustacium (8th century), Medieval Greek moustakion (attested in the 9th century), which ultimately originates as a diminutive of Hellenistic Greek mustax (mustak-) “moustache”.

Moustache – Wikipedia

$700 Billion Bailout Celebrated With Lavish $800 Billion Executive Party

GEORGE TOWN, CAYMAN ISLANDS—Amid the bleak backdrop of imminent economic collapse, worried observers got some good news last October when executives from the nation’s top 10 failing companies celebrated the historic $700 billion government bailout with an ultra- extravagant $800 billion party aimed at restoring confidence and bolstering their resolve.

Held October 4–7 on all three of the Cayman Islands, the historic economic-stimulus celebration, spokespeople said, sent an important signal to the world that Wall Street was weathering the crisis in style.

$700 Billion Bailout Celebrated With Lavish $800 Billion Executive Party – The Onion

Thank you Bernard Madoff

Thank you Bernard Madoff.

Now all of my mother’s half-brained friends who mindlessly watch ABC’sThe View are going to think that hedge fund managers are shady. Your newsworthy fraud is now so widely-discussed that Elizabeth Hasselbeck has felt the need to weigh in. Great PR for the industry.

WaMu Files For ChapLev

SEATOWN—Citing fallout from the subprime mortgage disast, WaMu was forced to file for ChapLev this past Septems. “We tried to negosh our way out of total insolves, but we’re in a pretty bad resesh,” WaMu spokesperson William “Dubs” McClough said. “This could turn into full-on economic depresh. It’s riddonk.”

WaMu Files For ChapLev – The Onion

Wassail

Wassail is a hot, spiced punch often associated with Christmas. Particularly popular in Germanic countries, the term itself is a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon term, wæs hæil, meaning, “Be healthy”.

While the beverage typically served as “wassail” at modern holiday feasts with a medieval theme most closely resembles mulled cider, historical wassail was completely different, more likely to be mulled beer or mead. Sugar, ale, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon would be placed in a bowl, heated, and topped with slices of toast as sops.

British Pubs named ‘Pig and Whistle’

The Norse word for Barley was ‘byg’, as in modern Danish. This terminology still persists in areas of Britain formerly part of the Danelaw, for example the ‘Bigg Market’ in Newcastle on Tyne, the former barley market. Today many British pubs are still named ‘Pig and Whistle’ which is a corruption of the name of an early Medieval feast known as the ‘Byggen Wassail’ celebrated at the end of the barley harvest, malted barley being the main ingredient of ale.

Wassail – Wikipedia

It seems the Germans, with their Glühwein, are really celebrating Christmas in a more historically-accurate manner than those who drink non-alcoholic mulled fruit juice.

Spain: Get Out

Spain is suffering outsized effects from the global financial crisis and the collapse of the real estate market. Spain had a huge construction and real estate boom that was unsustainable, and now they have to send temporary workers home because there is no work to be had.

They’ve instituted a voluntary repatriation program, mostly for those from Morocco and Eastern Europe. Those who elect to leave can receive a lump-sum payment equal to the amount they’d accrued in their unemployment insurance account, and they get a free plane ticket home.

Pretty sad.

I just came upon an ad for the program:

(If you’re thinking about going back home… – Voluntary Repatriation Program)

(Get informed.  Choose your own future.)

It’s kind of depressing that those who came to Spain for a better life now have to leave.

Nice Shots

Some relatively recent shots from TheSartorialist:

(click individual images to enlarge)

Quintissentially French.

Nice shirt.

Fantasy Wish List

Harry’s of London Cashmere Slippers, $550:

Available at Mario’s
1513 6th Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98101
206.223.1461

University of Washington and Apple Give Away Free iTunes Music

Just received this in my email box:

(click to enlarge)

Interesting way to get those youngins’ listening to the legal variety.

Paseo Now in Ballard

Paseo has reigned as king of sandwiches for years now, and now they’ve got a new location in Ballard:

Paseo (Ballard)
6226 Seaview Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107

Paseo (Fremont)
4225 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 545-7440

(click to enlarge)

Cuban pork sandwiches.

Paseo in Ballard

Beware of lines.