Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Anachronism

Created by Danil Polevoy. Take a look at these old photos... something's a bit... OFF.





Thursday, December 9, 2010

Eggnog (with REAL egg)

Yesterday, I bought the book The Wicked West by Sherry Monaham. I'm super excited about the book since it goes almost hand in hand with a book I previously read titled, Soiled Doves by Anne Seagraves. Anyways, The Wicked West contains some liquor recipes from "the olden days" including Eggnog which is mostly enjoyed during the holidays. These days, raw eggs aren't included in the commercial eggnog you buy in stores, which is why you have to make your own at home. Unless you're using eggs straight out of a chicken, make sure to buy pasteurized eggs to avoid salmonella. Also, the addition of alcohol in your drink will lessen your chance for contamination.

Recipe of Eggnog
(Use a large bar glass)

Rich mill
1 fresh egg
3/4 tablespoon sugar
1/3 glass of ice
1 small jigger of white rum
1 jigger of brandy

Fill the glass with rich milk (half and half will work well; shake or stir ... the ingredients well together, and strain into a large bar glass; grate a little nutmeg on top, and serve. It is proper for the bartender to ask the customer what flavor he prefers, whether St. Croix or Jamaica rum. It is wise to be careful not to put too much ice into your mixing goblet, as by straining you might not be able to fill the glass properly, as it ought to be.


Cite: Monahan, Sherry A. The Wicked West: Boozers, Cruisers, Gamblers, and More. Tucson, AZ: Rio Nuevo, 2005. Print.

Monday, December 6, 2010

The Landlord's Game aka Monopoly

Monopoly is by far my favorite board game. The original Monopoly was actually called The Landlords Game. The Landlord's Game is based on the principles of Georgism. Georgism is quote,
"named after Henry George (1839-1897), is a philosophy and economic ideology that holds that everyone owns what they create, but that everything found in nature, most importantly land, belongs equally to all of humanity. The Georgist philosophy is usually associated with the idea of a single tax on the value of land. Georgists argue that a tax on land value is efficient, fair and equitable, and will accrue sufficient revenue so that other taxes, which are less fair and efficient, can be reduced or eliminated."


The first version of The Landlord's Game circa 1904. - notice, "Go" is know as "Mother Earth" and spaces charge you for "absolute necessities" such as coal, bread, shelter, clothing.


The second version of The Landlord's Game circa 1924 - notice some properties belonging to Chicago.

Magie, the game's developer who loved and supported Georgism, sold the game's concept to The Parker Brothers in 1935 for $500, which is equivalent to $7734.46 via 2009. Although The Landlord's Game originally took inspiration from New York City, the modern editions of Monopoly are classically based on Atlantic City.

The characters in Monopoly are listed:
  • Rich Uncle Pennybags aka Milburn Pennybags aka Mr. Monopoly- the main Monopoly character
  • Jake the Jailbird - the guy in jail
  • Officer Edgar Mallory - the police officer
  • Madge Pennybags - Milburn's Wife
  • Sandy, Andy, Randy - Mr. Monopoly's niece and nephews.
Milburn Pennybags is also named the 6th richest fictional character according to Forbes magazine. I didn't make this stuff up, guys.

For more info on different editions of Monopoly look HERE.