The Wine Commonsewer

Superbowl Sunday

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Superbowl Sunday is big, maybe even more popular than the World Series. But there was a time when it wasn't so.

Football season was a bit shorter back in the day and the 1951 championship game was played the day before Christmas Eve. That means that football season was over. Before Christmas. Not like today where it drags into the baseball's All Star break.

Marking the beginning of a grand tradition, this was the first football championship game that was televised from sea to shining sea. Get this: after adjusting for the gift of inflation, a thirty second Bud Lite spot this afternoon costs five times more than buying the rights to televise the entire game did in 1951.

Televised or not, odds are good that most fans tuned in with an RCA or Zenith table radio as TV's remained a scarce and expensive commodity in 1951.

The Rams beat the Browns 24–17, at Coliseum in Los Angeles, which is the only venue to have hosted the Olympic Games twice.

1932 Olympics

We're doing home made frijoles, tacos, and from-scratch guacamole for Superbowl Sunday.

Enjoy yours.

As Ever,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Larry B & Betty H-G 

A Thought On MLK Day

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

John Salter, a former professor at Tougaloo College, once wrote,

No one knows what kind of massive racist retaliation would have been directed against grass-roots black people had the black community not had a healthy measure of firearms within it.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the original purpose of gun control was rooted in racism, but you get my drift. 

In debating what would become 42 USC Sec 1983, today's federal civil rights statute, Representative Butler explained,

This provision seemed to your committee to be necessary, because they had observed that, before these midnight marauders [the KKK] made attacks upon peaceful citizens, there were very many instances in the South where the sheriff of the county had preceded them and taken away the arms of their victims. This was especially noticeable in Union County, where all the Negro population were disarmed by the sheriff only a few months ago under the order of the judge...; and then, the sheriff having disarmed the citizens, the five hundred masked men rode at nights and murdered and otherwise maltreated the ten persons who were in jail in that county.

[1464 H.R. REP. No. 37, 41st Cong., 3rd Sess. p. 7-8 (20 Feb. 1871)]

Whole Content of Their Character speech here. Letter from Birmingham Jail is here.

As Ever,

TWC

tip of the glass to Oleg Volk (photo credit)

At The Stroke of Midnight (New Years Eve)

Jacob, Miles, Katie (behind the arm), Mackenzie, Hailey, & Jessie

Nothing Changes On New Year's Day

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Video here.

As Ever,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Denise Grace

Hamilton Mabie on the Coming New Year

New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. 

The Thanksgiving Sermon

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Ambrose Bierce defined turkey as follows.....

A large bird whose flesh, when eaten on certain religious anniversaries, has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude.

To be sure, roast turkey (or Kahlua pig, tamales, canned ham with pineapple and maraschinos, or Grandma's cranberry salad) is absolutely central to this uniquely American celebration of piety and gratitude. 

But the lavish meal, symbolizing the harvest, the change of season, and the reward of labor well spent, is just one component of this unpretentious day. It is also incumbent upon us, as we gather with family and friends to break bread and share wine, to give thanks for the many blessings we have enjoyed.

On this day of thanksgiving, we would also do well to remember that billions suffer oppression, violence, and poverty. Few have heard of Thomas Jefferson's vision for a free people. Most are immersed in cultures where concepts of liberty, tolerance, and freedom have little meaning. It is a mere accident of birth that finds us at the Thanksgiving table table consuming more calories in one meal than the average Ethiopian does in two months.

And for those who don't feel especially blessed this Thanksgiving consider that.....

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.

On a personal note, I am especially grateful to my clients because I earn my living in an agreeable way. I am grateful, also, to friends and family for your friendship, your love, and your kindness. And to you, Gentle Readers, who take time out of your busy day to drop by the website every so often. Thank you.

From Casa de las Rocas Grandes, may your Thanksgiving be filled with good wine, good food, good company and a couple of Kodak moments.

Salud!

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

The Thanksgiving Divorce

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

An old man in Phoenix rings up his son in New York two days before Thanksgiving and says.....

I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.

The son screams.....

Pop, what are you talking about?

In an agitated voice the father says......

We can't stand the sight of each other any longer. We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her.

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.....

Like heck they're getting divorced, I'll take care of this!

She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her father.....

You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?

She slams the phone down and the old man turns to his wife and says.....

Okay, Dear, they're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way.

As Always,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Angela H

Turkey Rap

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

No tricks, no gimmicks, these guys claim to do this with just their voices.

Can't see the video? Look here.

As Always,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Jon J in Hawaii

Harriet Beecher Stowe on Thanksgiving

The king and high priest of all the festivals was the autumn Thanksgiving. When the apples were all gathered and the cider was all made, and the yellow pumpkins were rolled in from many a hill in billows of gold, and the corn was husked, and the labors of the season were done, and the warm, late days of Indian Summer came in, dreamy, and calm, and still, with just enough frost to crisp the ground of a morning, but with warm traces of benignant, sunny hours at noon, there came over the community a sort of genial repose of spirit - a sense of something accomplished.

A PBS Thanksgiving

Gentle Readers,

And in other news, despite billions in ongoing tax subsidies for public television, there is trouble over at Sesame Street.

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer