This is one of those posts where you know that so many will not understand what is being said. My disclaimer to those who view this post as racist: educate yourself on racism, read some books on the subject, I will be happy to recommend some just email me here, open your mind to the idea that you may not understand the many forms of racism, I am not a racist, and I do not tolerate racist ideology.

There are so many Americans that just do not get it. This t-shirt illustrates the fact that so many do not get it. It is unfortunate that a lot of these Obama t-shirts do not have anything to do with our United States, the presidency, or democracy in any way. Is this a display of ignorant black Americans worshiping a man? I certainly hope not, we are in great need in this country now, eight years of a failed presidency, men and women dying for years overseas at war, high unemployment, declining economy, Americans loosing their homes, just to mention a few, not a lot of room to relish in a “not-so-black” man being elected. Barak Obama will be our 44th president, and likely a very good one. It is my hope that Obama helps many black americans in this country get over their race, and the idea that many of the mentioned blacks consider themselves “African-American”. My ancestors immigrated to the United States from Ireland, Scotland, and England, as many other peoples did. I do not refer to myself as Irish-American, or English-American, because I am not, I am American. I have been to Ireland, Scotland, and England, and I am proud of my families heritage. I appreciate the hardships my ancestors  and the determination to leave their countries and ultimately provide a better life for me,  but I know no more of being Irish or English than a hole in the ground. Suffice to say that most black Americans have never been to Africa, nor do they have any clue as to what life is like there any more than an understanding of what it is like to be a slave. If most black Americans went to Africa they would likely not know what to do with themselves after taking in the beauty, and would cherish more their home country, the United States.

It seems that many black Americans need to change the perception they have of their own race. Stop referring to oneself as “African-American”, instead be proud to be an American, because in truth that is what one is. We are all Americans who were born and live in the United States, there is nothing wrong with claiming it, and in fact is a more accurate description of who you are! Don’t believe me? Go to Italy, France, or China and ask some stranger from that country where they think you are from.

“Brotherhood” is another racial divide. Enough with brotherhood already. Many black Americans, will blatantly refer to one another as “brother”, but not refer to another person of a different race as “brother”. This is a display of racism in a true form, and shows a weakness in personal character to attain a false sense of belonging. Do you want to be a “brother”? Go volunteer at the local United Way or Boys and Girls Club and be a true brother or sister to a child of any race in need of a stable, mature figure in their life. This “brotherhood” thing is very selfish, short sighted. To crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea, was a phrase intended to encompass a people, not a race.

I do hope Obama can lead the many black Americans in this country who “need” so badly a figure like him. Again, Obama is not even “black”, funny that so many black Americans feel such liberation, I suppose if separation from man is needed the people who should feel true liberation are children from racially mixed parents. Many black Americans are their own hinderance in this society, and perpetuate racism. Obama bringing these types of people to an understanding that he does not stand for “black” or “white” could be this countries greatest gift from him. The real question is this: are these types of people ready to accept his gift? God bless America.

• George Washington was the only founding father to commercially operate a distillery. 
• At peak production, the distillery utilized five stills and a boiler and produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey, yielding George Washington a better-than-average profit of $7500 in 1799. This made the distillery one of the most successful economic components of Mount Vernon. 
• The distillery is located down slope from the millrace of Mount Vernon plantation’s gristmill (built in 1771 and reconstructed in the 1930s). The gristmill and distillery complex also included a cellar for storage, a malt kiln, a cooperage for making barrels, hog and cattle pens, and quarters for millers, distillers, servants, and slaves. 
• The 75-by-30-foot distillery was among the largest structures of its kind in the eighteenth century. No operating distillery from the eighteenth century exists in America.

• George Washington began commercial distilling in 1797 at the urging of his Scottish farm manager, James Anderson, who had experience distilling grain in Scotland and Virginia. He successfully petitioned George Washington that Mount Vernon’s crops, combined with the large merchant gristmill and the abundant water supply, would make the distillery a profitable venture. 
• In February 1797, the cooperage at the mill was converted for distilling and two stills began operating.
• By the following summer, the makeshift distillery was so successful that Anderson lobbied George Washington to increase the number of stills. 
• Construction began in October of 1797 of a stone still house large enough for five stills. The foundation was large river rocks brought from the Falls of the Potomac and the walls of the distillery were made of sandstone quarried from Mount Vernon. 
• Anderson’s son, John, managed the production assisted by six enslaved African-Americans named Hanson, Peter, Nat, Daniel, James, and Timothy. The enlarged distillery was working by the spring of 1798. 
• That George Washington was willing to commit to distilling by building such a large structure is evidence of his desire to pursue the most innovative and creative farming practices of the day. Despite having no prior experience in distilling, he quickly became acquainted with the process. 
• The finished product was contained in barrels manufactured at the site and marketed to local farmers in Alexandria, and supplied the needs of the Mount Vernon plantation as well. The distillery produced a great quantity of waste and this slop was fed to over 150 hogs and cattle penned at the site.
• George Washington’s death in 1799 halted the brief success of the distillery and within a decade the building fell into disrepair and many of the stones were taken away to use in local construction projects. 
• In George Washington’s will the Gristmill, distillery and all associated buildings are left to Lawrence and Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (Washington’s step-granddaughter and her husband). 
• In 1932, the property was purchased by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Gristmill and miller’s cottage were reconstructed and the distillery outlined. Both were opened as a state park. 
• 1995 – The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association enters agreement to restore the mill and research the property.
• 1997 – An archaeological survey of the area uncovered the “footprint” of the distillery, revealing an unusually large structure and a well-preserved site. 
• 1999 – Mount Vernon began an archaeological and documentary research program to find out as much historical data about the building as possible. 
• 2001 – The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) provided a generous donation that allowed Mount Vernon to begin a five-year program of archaeological and documentary research, with the goal of reconstructing and interpreting George Washington’s distillery. 
• 2002 – Restoration completed at George Washington’s Gristmill and the site is dedicated April 12. Archaeology work continues at the distillery. 
• 2003 – Investigation continues as archaeologists dig down to the eighteenth-century construction layer.

Pint

Originally uploaded by phroto

United Kingdom law requires certain steps be taken to ensure that a pint of beer is indeed a pint. Though this can be achieved using so-called “metered dispense” (calibrated pumps), the more common solution is to use certified one-pint glasses. Until recently these had a crown stamp and number etched upon them, however EU directives have stated that the glasses instead now, must have PINT with the letters CE etched on them, for synchronisation in the European Union (although the Conservatives have campaigned to have dual markings of crown and CE). The number relates to the authority certifying the capacity of the glass. Selling beer in unmeasured glasses without using some other form of calibrated measure is illegal. Half-pint and one-third pint glasses are also available, and are subject to the same laws. UK law currently prescribes that a pint serving of beer must be at least 95% liquid.
Despite this emphasis on accurately measured glasses, it is common for drinkers to be served less than a full pint of liquid – either because too much of the glass is taken up by a foamy “head”, or simply because the customer has been sold a short measure. This allows publicans (who are often under pressure from a management company) to “sell” more beer than is actually in the cask or keg and hence save money. At present, those selling “pints” up to ten percent short will not be prosecuted in the UK.
For those wishing to avoid this practice while still serving beer with a large head, “lined” or “oversized” glasses are available. These have a line near the top (usually labelled “pint to line”) to which the beer should be poured, with the head forming above it. In the past a number of breweries supplied these glasses to their pubs; this is now rarely the case and lined glasses are found mostly at enthusiasts’ events such as beer festivals, serious cask ale pubs, and breweries’ own bars. The use of lined pint glasses in pubs is advocated by the Campaign for Real Ale.

The number refers to the Weights & Measures Authority in the area where the glass was stamped/manufactured.

6 Birmingham
76 Manchester
116 Buckinghamshire
234 Lancashire
236 Gwent
303 West Yorkshire
366 Hereford & Worcestershire
371 Sandwell
414 Derbyshire
478 St Helens
562 Bury
883 West Sussex
1110 Kingston-on-Thames
1207 Sheffield
1535 Waltham Forest
1545 Warwickshire
2037 and 2043 are in a series allocated to “trusted” glass suppliers who are given their own numbers