"How do you get your 'tip,' as you call it?" asked Ravenel, losing a little spontaneity from his smile.

"Roses," said Sammy, briefly. Four of 'em today. Means four o'clock at the corner of Broadway and Twenty-third."

"But the geranium?" persisted Ravenel, clutching at the end of flying Romance's trailing robe.

"Means half-past 5," shouted Sammy from the hall. "See you to-morrow."
- O Henry

Only UG would drink Old Joe's which was bought out by the Japs and now sold mostly overseas as "Four Roses."

I drink bourbon from Lynchberg and get my news from NPR. I know good whiskey when I taste it, good commentary when I hear it, and good writing when I read it. If I want to catch up on the world via the tube, I watch "The Simpsons." Foxes make nice coats, though. Keep a girl warm where ever she goes except California which is cold and its damp. :cool:

I've come to respect television exactly for what it is: entertainment. Anything produced for television has to keep the viewer's interest, has to hold it, has to maintain it, and has to do it every second to keep the person from hitting the button and going elsewhere. The result is 24 hours news that jumps the gun on stories, adds in a lot of fabricated drama, and reports incorrect information without taking the time to check it.

But you just keep on watching it and, because of that, there is no incentive to correct any of that. In fact, I promise you'll simply continue to see more of it.

Did you notice the 9/11 "breaking news" ticker hasn't left any of the screens even after the emergency is over? Do you remember what CNN/Fox/MSN/whatever was like before they had that?

The worst is when very little is going on during any given hour. That is when you get stupid reports about how warm it is, etc.

I cannot stand it that televisions in bars, break rooms, restaurants, airports, waiting rooms, lobbies, and even on the street are now tuned, perpetually, to a 24 hours news channel. I'd like, for just once, to be able to eat dinner out in peace and not be constantly reminded that the terror alert is currently "yellow", the market is down a couple points, and fifty cent has released a new album that is sure to take the youth market by storm.

They put TVs in our elevators at work a few months ago. They actually call it the "Captivate" network, which, I might note, is derived form the word "captive." The screen is split, with a commercial on the right side (often a Hummer) and some CNN Headline News style factoid on the left side. Most people watch the TV, because it's bright and shiny and has pretty colors. Captive is right. I have the urge to smash these TVs that are pumping commercials out at me as I am at work. I wonder if my employer gets a cut of the advertising revenue, or if it's just the building owners who do.

How tall is your building?

What, seriously, is the point of TV in a freaking elevator??

This is getting out of hand.

It's 11 stories. A long elevator ride that stops on every floor (I'm on 11) might let you catch a full minute of TV, if you like that sort of thing.

Wait until you get new gas pumps at your local station. Filling up at a new Shell in Tifton, Georgia, I was confused when I heard an advertisement for Dell computers come out of the blue the moment I squeezed the pump handle. I turned around and there it was on the pump display, in full color video with sound. After the commercial ended, can you guess what it did? Yep -- began showing highlight clips from that day's CNN coverage.

Having Blitzer try to get my attention to talk to me over my shoulder about the Iraq war while I filled my car up was a bit strange, to say the least.

There's TV on one of the ATMs I use. While you wait for cash, you can watch commercials. No CNN yet, though I'm sure it's coming.

Nonsense as usual, Mari, which is why I win so routinely when we argue. You didn't pick up on that I said a bottle and not my bottle -- an important distinction, I do think.

I don't mind blend Scotches but my usual spiritous tipple is the single malts.

Yeah, and you probably think "O Henry" is a candy bar, too. :crazy: