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Originally posted by J Rorick
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Yep. I spent 18 years on a corporate expense account. I saw some of my peers abuse the privilege but I was never favorably impressed when I was the dinee and never overcame my ingrained fiscal conservatism. I still flew coach, even when first class was authorized, arrived at the same time as folks upfront. Just me. -
We are all good then...$2000 for bottle of wine is insane. Expense account or not.Originally posted by Atticus View Post
The most expensive wines are so rarely drunk few can claim to be expert on how they taste. On the occasions they are opened, it is usually courtesy of a generous host. It is poor guestmanship to lob aspersions on any proffered bottle, let alone one that cost as much as your car. What’s more, several scientific studies have shown that even professed experts are hardly better than chance at identifying different wines. The entire industry hangs on the word of the critic Robert Parker, whose scores are a benchmark against how wines are priced. A Princeton economist came up with an algorithm based on weather data from the grape crop’s growth period that nearly exactly mimicked Parker’s scores.Last edited by Conor Dary; 10-24-2020, 10:49 PM.Comment
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I remember this story....the Stonehaven was great...and a super buy. I think I bought 2 cases.
LAST month, I flew to California to be a judge at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. The event attracted wines from 16 countries and 22 states in this country, many of them places no one normally thinks of as sources of good wine.
A few days ago, when the final results were faxed to all 42 of us -- importers, distributors, sommeliers, wine writers -- who had been judges, what particularly interested me, aside from the fact that we got through a record 2,783 wines, was the number of moderately priced wines that did well.
Consider that both the best merlot and the best syrah in the show cost $8. What's more, both were from the same Australian winery, Stonehaven Vineyards. The merlot was a 1999; the shiraz, a 1998. Of course, in that part of the world, syrah is called shiraz.
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I've had the good fortune to have dined in a few restaurants where it would not have surprised me to have someone at a nearby table order such a bottle but it would have been notable if known.Originally posted by Conor Dary View Post
Of course there is inflation. The first such place I went to was my HS senior prom dinner at Ernie's Restaurant in 1976 in San Francisco. I'd never been in such a swank place in my young life but took my date there because I'd read in Herb Caen that when working together in Tahoe, Frank Sinatra told John Denver to go to Ernie's when he got to SF. In any event, a random inflation calculator says in 1976 a $450 bottle of wine would have done the same job as a $2000 bottle today.
Ernie's in '76 looked just the same as it did when featured in Hitchcock's Vertigo in 1958. (Which, spoiler alert, was not actually shot at Ernie's - it was a Hollywood set - imagine that . . .)
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Which means it would have been obscenely priced in 1976 too!Originally posted by bad hammy View Post
In the gas wars of 1960, gas was 20 cents a gallon. Today that would be $1.76, which is just what I paid last week at the local box store discount station. It all works out.
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Members of Pence’s Inner Circle Test Positive for Coronavirus
Along with Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, another staff member and a Pence adviser have also tested positive, according to people briefed on the developments.
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"Mike Pence will not quarantine after four aides test positive for coronavirus"
Published CNBC, Oct 25 202010:16 AM EDTUpdated 4 Min Ago
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@ABC
News has confirmed at least 5 individuals in the Vice President's orbit have tested positive as of last nightComment
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Meanwhile....
Mark Meadows: “We’re not going to control the pandemic, we are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.”
Jake Tapper: “Why aren’t we going to get control of the pandemic?”
Meadows: “Because it is a contagious virus”
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North Carolina church ordered to close due to virus outbreak
A North Carolina health official on Saturday ordered a large church to close its doors temporarily because of concerns it is helping spread the coronavirus by disregarding social distancing measures.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/nort...213756071.htmlComment
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Even though my city/state and most of my country is pretty free of covid, I'm happy to cope with virtual lockdown for the foreseeable future. We still need to social distance/wash hands/wear maske (in certain situations) for quite some time. Until a vaccine is developed and available. As everyone with a brain knows that is probably at least two years away.
But happy to be watching some track athletes on TV (well ok it's Kellie Wells & Lavonne Idlette on the new series of the Amazing Race)
- but it will do for the time being...)Comment
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It's scheduled to be available in March (USA) and most people who want it can have it by summer. My fear is that so many people will NOT get it, the pandemic will easily reach into 2022.Originally posted by Vault-emort View Post
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Headline - Delta has banned 460 anti-maskers
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“Birx said Monday she observed Bismarck hotels, restaurants and grocery stores, and found residents in the city were the worst she has seen at mask-wearing and social distancing during her prolonged 38-state tour of the country.”
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