Classic VW Beetle James Bond Commercial

The Roger Moore look-alike. The soundtrack. The gadgets. It's got it all, and it's in espanol.

CKY

U.S. World Perspective, Circa 1881

I just found a copy of Harper's Introductory Geography, which was published in 1881. It was used in one-room schoolhouses across the country. The most interesting map had to be that showing South America, with Bolivia fronting the Pacific and Patagonia being its own country. Here are some excerpts:

On American Indians vis-a-vis Caucasians: "[T]he savage Indians live and roam about. They are proud, selfish, and cruel. They spend their time in hunting the buffalo on the plains, going on the war-path against some other tribe or against the white settlers, or in the warm, sunny weather lazily sauntering around their wigwams, while the women perform the labors of the family, grinding the corn and cooking the food.

What a contrast to this savage creature is the civilized white man, who, in the same zone, is engaged in tilling the soil, carrying on commerce, or working with the tools of the mechanic, and thus providing for himself a comfortable home!"

On Alaska: "There is not much to be told about Alaska, for it is a very cold region, and there are few inhabitants except Indians and Esquimaux. It was bought of Russia by the United States, and seems to be valuable only for its fur-seal fisheries."

On Mexicans: "[T]he mestizos are very ignorant, and, although active, are more fond of amusement than of work. They are wild and quarrelsome too, and keep their government in trouble almost all the time by their lawless conduct."

On Central America: "Between Mexico and South America is a country called Central America. It consists of small states, which are very often at war with one another."

On Patagonia: "Patagonia is a poor, cold, rocky country, whose uncivilized, half-starved people lead most wretched lives."

With this as textbook material, is it any surprise how America treated Native Americans and Latin America over the next 100 years?

CKY

Family Guy's Chris Griffin Sings Friends & Lovers

CKY

Citroen SM As Art

If this isn't art, I don't know what is.

From flickr.

CKY

Sicilian Police Car Junkyard

CKY

Citroens And the Eiffel Tower

From 1925 to 1934, the Eiffel Tower advertised for Citroen.

DS in front of the Tower.

Working H van below the Tower.

Old Citroen.

AX.

Old ad.

2CV near the Tower.

CKY

Camino (Oakland) Restaurant Review

Three. Word. Review:

• Salty
• Cold
• Overpriced

CKY

Anchor Steam Earthquake Upside Down Label

My favorite piece of Anchor Steam memorabilia is a bottle of the beer with an upside down label affixed to it. According to the great Herb Caen:

"...Onward: If you see Anchor Steam Beer around with the labels affixed upside down, you have found yourself a collector's item and a most unusual brew. At the time of the quake, Anchor's power went off as two batches of brew were brewing. The beer produced after the power returned five hours later was what the experts called "overbrewed," signified by the upside-down label..."

-San Francisco Chronicle, December 12, 1989

More of Our Favorite Ethicist

The first thing I read in the Sunday NYT is the Ethicist column in the magazine. Now, we get more Randy Cohen! Starting this week, every week, he'll write a blog piece about ethics as it relates to a current event. This week, the ethics of adopting abroad, a la Madonna in Malawi.

CKY

Vicky Cristina Barcelona's Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto

What is up with Penelope Cruz movies and red cars? I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night and it was a true snoozer. The only reason I stayed awake and watched it to the end was to catch another glimpse of Javier Bardem's character's red Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto.


CKY