He was elected at the nadir of the worst depression in history; 25% of the workforce was unemployed, two million were homeless. Yet in the face of this, he made us an optimistic and far-reaching New Deal, creating among other programs a federal minimum wage, social security, and the FDIC. He pulled us out of dire financial straits and, when our country was called upon to fight in World War II, he brought us to the cusp of victory. In his unprecedented thirteen years in office, he cemented his undisputed legacy as one of the greatest presidents in American history. But before he could achieve any of this, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a promise to keep — a promise to the "wet vote," whose indispensable support he had
called upon in 1932 during his first presidential campaign when he promised to repeal the
18th Amendment and end
Prohibition. And thus, as legend has it, immediately after his
first fireside chat from the White House in March 1933, Roosevelt turned to his two top aides and said, "
I think it's time for a beer." And
yes, indeed,
it was.
[more inside]
posted by churl
on Dec 5, 2009 -
32 comments
"Over the years, I've tried various sorts of infusions, with vodka and other liquors. Fruit and herb-infused are the best known, and are often wonderful. But what I like is
meat. Where's the infusion for people like me? I felt disenfranchised, and alone, especially after some research on the interwebs revealed a real lack of
meat-based liqueurs. It would be up to me to blaze the trail."
posted by the duck by the oboe
on Aug 27, 2006 -
44 comments
Where's
Waldo the Vodka?
Absolut Search: You have two minutes to find 82 vodka bottles in this crowded little illustration of a slice o' New York life.
(Flash; and, of course, preceded by an age-verification page. Don't even think about lying, you naughty kids.)
posted by Gator
on Jul 2, 2006 -
30 comments
Fatherland or Motherland.I was wondering why people say Motherland for Russia and Fatherland for Germany.I googled and didn't find an answer but did find an
artistamp exhibit that artistically tried to answer the question.
1,
2,
3,
4.And at the same site found a collection of other cool artistamps.
1,
2,
3,
4.
And also found a neat
gallery of cigarette packages from around the world.But my question still remains to be answered.(Oh,who cares,Motherland is where the
vodka is.)
posted by JohnR
on May 5, 2003 -
19 comments
Stop Wining Laddie - And Pass the Macallan! Why bother with sissy wines and beers when you can have whisky all through your meal? A new trend in dining is pairing
spirits and cocktails with food. Russian aristocrats still refuse to drink vodka unaccompanied by comestibles while modern Italians and Americans
cook with it. The Japanese love their straight Cognac and Chivas with everything bar sashimi and eccentric old Englishmen
stick with Port from start to finish. I guess they're all on to something, no? In case they're not, here, by way of consolation, is a wonderful interactive
food and wine matcher for the dullards and traditionalists among us. Cheers!
posted by MiguelCardoso
on Nov 5, 2002 -
15 comments
What's more refreshing than the blue screen of death? The Professor Solonin Vodka Company recently launched a new beer using a variation of the infamous Microsoft trademark -
Windows 99. Russian trademark law allows registration of similar, if not identical trademarks as long as they are in different product categories. If Microsoft decides to litigate, it's basically a whack of free advertizing for these jokers.
posted by grant
on Jan 3, 2000 -
0 comments
