Random Sputterings 3.3.2002

elSicomoro · 03-03-2002, 02:42 PM

Quiero decir algun en español por un momento. No sé por qué...

After 48 seasons, today is the last day for basketball at Cole Field House at the University of Maryland. Beginning next fall, the Terps will play at the new Comcast Center. Fortunately, it will not go the way of the wrecking ball.

Speaking of new names...I wonder when our own F.U. Center will become the Wacko Center.

New Jersey DOES have its good points: New Jersey is easy to pick on. Lord knows I do it enough. But the place does have some redeeming qualities.

Like gasoline. NJ is one of only 2 states where the gas stations are full-service only (Oregon is the other state). I'm not sure why it is this way in NJ, although I have heard it is because the gas station attendants are unionized. (Though on the news this past week, they were talking about gas stations going self-serve.) In addition, NJ has some of the lowest gasoline taxes in the US. Friday, I got a full tank of regular unleaded full-service in NJ for $1.01 a gallon. The gas station near my house in Philadelphia is charging $1.07 a gallon for self-serve unleaded.

And now, let us talk about one of my favorite subjects: alcohol. I need to give a shoutout to Roger Wilco. Roger Wilco consists of two locations, both on NJ Route 73, just across the Tacony Bridge from Philadelphia (there is one on each side of the highway). We went to the location in Pennsauken, on the eastbound side of the highway. First off, the selection is simply awesome. Lots of beers from all over the world, including microbrews. Also, an extensive selection of liquors and wines. And the prices...well, here's an example:

6 pack of Michelob Amber Bock in Philadelphia--$8.99
At Roger Wilco--$5.29

12 pack of Bud Light bottles in Philadelphia--$11.99
At Roger Wilco--$8.99

40 ounce of Bud Light in Philadelphia--$2.89
At Roger Wilco--$2.09

The liquor prices are also lower. It is definitely worth the $2 toll if you are buying stuff for a party. Plus, they're open on Sunday.

I myself purchased some Young's Oatmeal Stout from London. It was pretty good, except for the fact that it was 3 months beyond the recommended date.

Oh, and lastly, the original purpose of going to NJ--White Castle. The two in the city of Philadelphia closed sometime in 1999. The closest one to us now is in Pennsauken, NJ. mmmm...*drools*

Fun in driving: Cloverleaf interchanges seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. However, they can still prove extremely useful sometimes.

Friday, I was driving over to the temp agency to pick up my paycheck. I was driving south on Route 1 and took the eastbound Street Road exit. As I was on the exit ramp, I realized I went the wrong way. No problem. I just took the Route 1 north exit, followed by the Street Road west exit. If that exit hadn't been a cloverleaf interchange, it would have been a pain in the ass to turn around. Plus, I'm easily amused.

Quick Quips

Holy shit! There's a Quizno's at 30th Street Station here in Philadelphia! Oh my god...they make Subway look like shit! Man, I haven't had Quizno's in almost 3 years.

The government encouraging people to marry...hmmm, I'll have to strongly protest that by not marrying Rhoda.

You know what? I want a fur coat. I don't know why, but that would just be pimpin'.

I need to head to Baltimore again soon. Rho needs to visit with family and friends. And I have a delicious crab cake dinner coming to me from a certain person on here.

Speaking of that...I must have been on crack on this particular day: I was at the grocery store and saw that Cabin Boy crab cakes were on sale. I knew damned good and well that they were no Phillips, but we had never had them before, so I decided to give them a shot. Big mistake...god, those were horrible. And we still have one more box...Rho can eat 'em...blecch!

There is a pay-per-view event on this coming Friday night. Depeche Mode--One Night in Paris. It's a film of their Paris concert late last year. They must be high if they think people are going to pay for it. And like morons, Rho and I will probably spring for it.

Wow...Alanis Morissette seems to get hotter with each record...heh.

Alright, well, that's enough for this edition, but here are some more words to ponder:

--contusion
--discombobulate
--dialysis
--wound
--Turkmenistan
--pyrite

MaggieL · 03-04-2002, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore

And now, let us talk about one of my favorite subjects: alcohol. I need to give a shoutout to Roger Wilco.
The liquor prices are also lower. It is definitely worth the $2 toll if you are buying stuff for a party. Plus, they're open on Sunday.

Of course you know, every once in a while the PSP sends somebody over to Roger Wilco to look for PA licence plates, and radio descriptions of the smuggler's cars to a partner at the nearest bridge.

Quote:

Alright, well, that's enough for this edition, but here are some more words to ponder:
--contusion
--discombobulate
--dialysis
--wound
--Turkmenistan
--pyrite

I'm building a list or fun words from Stephenson's "The Diamond Age". http://chroot.ath.cx/fade/etexts/ste...DiamondAge.htm

So far:

faience
gallimaufry
concinnitous
propaedeutic
enchiridion
paroemiological

And while we're doing words, wouldn't it be "Quiero decir *algo*?

Undertoad · 03-04-2002, 09:50 AM

Last I'd heard, the program to try to stop PA buyers from crossing the bridge is no more. But just in case, if you really want to hose them, just load your car and drive around Jersey for a few minutes. Make sure to speed as the liquor cops are not permitted to do so. Do not permit anyone to search your car; in PA, they can't search without probable cause or a search warrant.

03-04-2002, 10:43 AM

I think that's the way it is in the entire United States, Tony. Something about some fourth amendment or something. You'd be surprised what they can use as "probable cause" though. Speeding. Being belligerent in any way. Shit like that. At best, you've got a wrongful arrest suit. At worst, you've wasted a day while the cops tear apart your car.

The key is to ask yourself "What is it exactly that I want to accomplish by doing this?" - and then act accordingly.

russotto · 03-04-2002, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Undertoad
Last I'd heard, the program to try to stop PA buyers from crossing the bridge is no more. But just in case, if you really want to hose them, just load your car and drive around Jersey for a few minutes. Make sure to speed as the liquor cops are not permitted to do so. Do not permit anyone to search your car; in PA, they can't search without probable cause or a search warrant.

Just don't go to the nearest bridge. You've got at least four to choose from.

But Dave has a point, failure to kneel at the zipper is still probable cause for anything, up to and including roadside execution.

Undertoad · 03-04-2002, 02:47 PM

You guys. The PA liquor laws are not enforced by the Pennsylvania State Police. They are enforced by the PLCB, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Its enforcement division consists of a couple of cars. The staties don't get involved.

So now not only can they not speed, but if they do speed they will be hauled over by the *competing* law enforcement agency, y'unnerstan?

The fine for getting caught is huge, just huge. But now you know everything you need to know to avoid being caught. The few bucks in savings are worth the civil disobedience and everyone knows it.

Hubris Boy · 03-04-2002, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore

I need to head to Baltimore again soon. Rho needs to visit with family and friends. And I have a delicious crab cake dinner coming to me from a certain person on here.

Play yer cards right and I might even buy ya a beer to wash them down with.

elSicomoro · 03-04-2002, 09:03 PM

Very good points, folks! However, for the record, I didn't say WHERE I drank the alcohol.

And PA tags are not an issue for us.

I wonder just how that is enforced from state-to-state. Back home in St. Louis, it was nothing to buy beer in Illinois on Sunday (when it was still against the law in Missouri). Or driving into DC from MD and vice versa. In fact, I didn't even know it was illegal to transport alcohol or cigarettes across state lines until I moved to Maryland (and I saw some guy get jacked for it...although, he was going to resell cigarettes in MD after buying them in NC).

It really just depends on if it is worth it to you. Given where Tony and Maggie live, I wouldn't expect them to do something like that (unless Tony is throwing a kegger for the Cellar folks

). But if you live near the Delaware, you could pay $57 for 3 cases of beer in PA...or cross the bridge, pay $36 plus $1-3 for the toll (or nothing if you use I-95), maybe a dollar or two for gas...

elSicomoro · 03-04-2002, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hubris Boy
Play yer cards right and I might even buy ya a beer to wash them down with.

So long as it's not Natty Boh.

Maggie: La palabra es "algo." Lo siento...necesito mejorar mi español. No lo he utilizado mucho recientemente.

MaggieL · 03-04-2002, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore
And PA tags are not an issue for us.

Oh, right...I forgot: you're now living in PA except for PennDOT purposes. :-) More of that "civil disobediance" stuff... :-)

Quote:

Maggie: La palabra es "algo." Lo siento...necesito mejorar mi español. No lo he utilizado mucho recientemente.

Me neither....one odd word is enough for me to lose a whole sentence for a minute or two...and at typical *spoken* Spanish rates you can get lost really fast that way.

SteveDallas · 03-05-2002, 10:59 AM

Oh man, booze purchases in Pennsylvania, one of my favorite topics!

I wish I had saved the article I read a couple years back about the practice of stopping people who had bought booze out of state. I believe the court ruling was, basically, yes it's illegal, but the PLCB doesn't have the authority to stop a car on the highway.

It never ceases to amaze me that the opposition to any change in our bizarre alcohol sales system is so vehement. The idea that private employees, as opposed to the current state ones, will somehow be less concerned about carding underaged drinkers, seems ludicrous. Also, the idea that the sale of even beer or wine (to say nothing of liquor) at grocery and convenience stores will be a prelude to the end of civilization as we know it in Pennsylvania seems equally stupid.

Griff · 03-05-2002, 11:48 AM

This is a case of Ignorance of the Law being Bliss. I almost never buy booze in PA because, living on the border, I do all my shopping in New York. I'd assume there is no cost savings as New Yorks tax rates are pretty oppresive. We used to cross the border for beer when PA had a 21 drinking age while NYs was still 18 but we knew we were "smuggling". I never knew that PA had a problem with all out of state purchaces,... thats just stupid.

New York purchased yesterday- The Glenlivet 1 liter $46.99 ....$50.51 after tax

Undertoad · 03-05-2002, 12:30 PM

That smuggling was one of the things that made me a (small-l) libertarian.

We had the MD border when I was a kid, and it was in my youth that the federal law was enacted that "encouraged" the states to raise their drinking ages to a uniform 21. During the debate, a study was done of the rates of teenage alcoholism and drunken driving between PA and MD in similar types of communities. It found that the rates were lower in MD, where the drinking age was lower.

But this fact held no sway amongst the legislators. Real social science was not relevant. The knee-jerk opinions of the masses was the only concern. The feds passed the legislation even though it would increase drinking problems and drunken driving.

SteveDallas · 03-05-2002, 03:11 PM

Heh yeah Tony, I remember how whenever I got close to the legal drinking age, NC would up it tantalizingly out of my reach. I was relatively young at the time of my wedding (21) and missed by less than a month the embarassment of not being able to drink champagne at my own wedding. (Leaving aside the fact that I'd prefer to have a beer, or a martini, or some good Scotch, rather than any kind of wine.)

You know, alcohol abuse is a really serious problem on many college campuses. I'm waiting for somebody to stand up and point out that it has become the big problem it is now largely SINCE the drinking age was raised to 21, and to ask if it's possible that there's a connection there somewhere. I'm waiting, but I'm not holding my breath!

russotto · 03-05-2002, 03:32 PM

For some reason, it's always Sunday when I want to buy a bottle of wine. Across the bridge, to the liquor store, to the gas station, back across, the deed is done. PLCB be damned. Maybe I'll start buying it with a credit card and using EZ-Pass just to wave it in their faces :-)

As for "alcohol abuse" on college campuses: One big thing is they define all underaged drinking as "alcohol abuse". Move the drinking age from 18 to 21, and you create a whole lot of "alcohol abuse" -- which is good for some people, because it gives the authorities something to justify their budget over.

03-03-2002, 02:42 PM	#1
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Random Sputterings 3.3.2002 Quiero decir algun en español por un momento. No sé por qué... After 48 seasons, today is the last day for basketball at Cole Field House at the University of Maryland. Beginning next fall, the Terps will play at the new Comcast Center. Fortunately, it will not go the way of the wrecking ball. Speaking of new names...I wonder when our own F.U. Center will become the Wacko Center. New Jersey DOES have its good points: New Jersey is easy to pick on. Lord knows I do it enough. But the place does have some redeeming qualities. Like gasoline. NJ is one of only 2 states where the gas stations are full-service only (Oregon is the other state). I'm not sure why it is this way in NJ, although I have heard it is because the gas station attendants are unionized. (Though on the news this past week, they were talking about gas stations going self-serve.) In addition, NJ has some of the lowest gasoline taxes in the US. Friday, I got a full tank of regular unleaded full-service in NJ for $1.01 a gallon. The gas station near my house in Philadelphia is charging $1.07 a gallon for self-serve unleaded. And now, let us talk about one of my favorite subjects: alcohol. I need to give a shoutout to Roger Wilco. Roger Wilco consists of two locations, both on NJ Route 73, just across the Tacony Bridge from Philadelphia (there is one on each side of the highway). We went to the location in Pennsauken, on the eastbound side of the highway. First off, the selection is simply awesome. Lots of beers from all over the world, including microbrews. Also, an extensive selection of liquors and wines. And the prices...well, here's an example: 6 pack of Michelob Amber Bock in Philadelphia--$8.99 At Roger Wilco--$5.29 12 pack of Bud Light bottles in Philadelphia--$11.99 At Roger Wilco--$8.99 40 ounce of Bud Light in Philadelphia--$2.89 At Roger Wilco--$2.09 The liquor prices are also lower. It is definitely worth the $2 toll if you are buying stuff for a party. Plus, they're open on Sunday. I myself purchased some Young's Oatmeal Stout from London. It was pretty good, except for the fact that it was 3 months beyond the recommended date. Oh, and lastly, the original purpose of going to NJ--White Castle. The two in the city of Philadelphia closed sometime in 1999. The closest one to us now is in Pennsauken, NJ. mmmm...drools Fun in driving: Cloverleaf interchanges seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. However, they can still prove extremely useful sometimes. Friday, I was driving over to the temp agency to pick up my paycheck. I was driving south on Route 1 and took the eastbound Street Road exit. As I was on the exit ramp, I realized I went the wrong way. No problem. I just took the Route 1 north exit, followed by the Street Road west exit. If that exit hadn't been a cloverleaf interchange, it would have been a pain in the ass to turn around. Plus, I'm easily amused. Quick Quips Holy shit! There's a Quizno's at 30th Street Station here in Philadelphia! Oh my god...they make Subway look like shit! Man, I haven't had Quizno's in almost 3 years. The government encouraging people to marry...hmmm, I'll have to strongly protest that by not marrying Rhoda. You know what? I want a fur coat. I don't know why, but that would just be pimpin'. I need to head to Baltimore again soon. Rho needs to visit with family and friends. And I have a delicious crab cake dinner coming to me from a certain person on here. Speaking of that...I must have been on crack on this particular day: I was at the grocery store and saw that Cabin Boy crab cakes were on sale. I knew damned good and well that they were no Phillips, but we had never had them before, so I decided to give them a shot. Big mistake...god, those were horrible. And we still have one more box...Rho can eat 'em...blecch! There is a pay-per-view event on this coming Friday night. Depeche Mode--One Night in Paris. It's a film of their Paris concert late last year. They must be high if they think people are going to pay for it. And like morons, Rho and I will probably spring for it. Wow...Alanis Morissette seems to get hotter with each record...heh. Alright, well, that's enough for this edition, but here are some more words to ponder: --contusion --discombobulate --dialysis --wound --Turkmenistan --pyrite

03-04-2002, 09:03 PM	#8
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Re: Re: Random Sputterings 3.3.2002 Very good points, folks! However, for the record, I didn't say WHERE I drank the alcohol. And PA tags are not an issue for us. I wonder just how that is enforced from state-to-state. Back home in St. Louis, it was nothing to buy beer in Illinois on Sunday (when it was still against the law in Missouri). Or driving into DC from MD and vice versa. In fact, I didn't even know it was illegal to transport alcohol or cigarettes across state lines until I moved to Maryland (and I saw some guy get jacked for it...although, he was going to resell cigarettes in MD after buying them in NC). It really just depends on if it is worth it to you. Given where Tony and Maggie live, I wouldn't expect them to do something like that (unless Tony is throwing a kegger for the Cellar folks ). But if you live near the Delaware, you could pay $57 for 3 cases of beer in PA...or cross the bridge, pay $36 plus $1-3 for the toll (or nothing if you use I-95), maybe a dollar or two for gas...

03-04-2002, 09:50 AM	#3
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Last I'd heard, the program to try to stop PA buyers from crossing the bridge is no more. But just in case, if you really want to hose them, just load your car and drive around Jersey for a few minutes. Make sure to speed as the liquor cops are not permitted to do so. Do not permit anyone to search your car; in PA, they can't search without probable cause or a search warrant.

03-04-2002, 10:43 AM	#4
dave Guest Posts: n/a	I think that's the way it is in the entire United States, Tony. Something about some fourth amendment or something. You'd be surprised what they can use as "probable cause" though. Speeding. Being belligerent in any way. Shit like that. At best, you've got a wrongful arrest suit. At worst, you've wasted a day while the cops tear apart your car. The key is to ask yourself "What is it exactly that I want to accomplish by doing this?" - and then act accordingly.

03-04-2002, 02:47 PM	#6
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	You guys. The PA liquor laws are not enforced by the Pennsylvania State Police. They are enforced by the PLCB, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Its enforcement division consists of a couple of cars. The staties don't get involved. So now not only can they not speed, but if they do speed they will be hauled over by the competing law enforcement agency, y'unnerstan? The fine for getting caught is huge, just huge. But now you know everything you need to know to avoid being caught. The few bucks in savings are worth the civil disobedience and everyone knows it.

03-05-2002, 10:59 AM	#11
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Oh man, booze purchases in Pennsylvania, one of my favorite topics! I wish I had saved the article I read a couple years back about the practice of stopping people who had bought booze out of state. I believe the court ruling was, basically, yes it's illegal, but the PLCB doesn't have the authority to stop a car on the highway. It never ceases to amaze me that the opposition to any change in our bizarre alcohol sales system is so vehement. The idea that private employees, as opposed to the current state ones, will somehow be less concerned about carding underaged drinkers, seems ludicrous. Also, the idea that the sale of even beer or wine (to say nothing of liquor) at grocery and convenience stores will be a prelude to the end of civilization as we know it in Pennsylvania seems equally stupid.

03-05-2002, 11:48 AM	#12
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	This is a case of Ignorance of the Law being Bliss. I almost never buy booze in PA because, living on the border, I do all my shopping in New York. I'd assume there is no cost savings as New Yorks tax rates are pretty oppresive. We used to cross the border for beer when PA had a 21 drinking age while NYs was still 18 but we knew we were "smuggling". I never knew that PA had a problem with all out of state purchaces,... thats just stupid. New York purchased yesterday- The Glenlivet 1 liter $46.99 ....$50.51 after tax

03-05-2002, 12:30 PM	#13
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	That smuggling was one of the things that made me a (small-l) libertarian. We had the MD border when I was a kid, and it was in my youth that the federal law was enacted that "encouraged" the states to raise their drinking ages to a uniform 21. During the debate, a study was done of the rates of teenage alcoholism and drunken driving between PA and MD in similar types of communities. It found that the rates were lower in MD, where the drinking age was lower. But this fact held no sway amongst the legislators. Real social science was not relevant. The knee-jerk opinions of the masses was the only concern. The feds passed the legislation even though it would increase drinking problems and drunken driving.

03-05-2002, 03:11 PM	#14
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Heh yeah Tony, I remember how whenever I got close to the legal drinking age, NC would up it tantalizingly out of my reach. I was relatively young at the time of my wedding (21) and missed by less than a month the embarassment of not being able to drink champagne at my own wedding. (Leaving aside the fact that I'd prefer to have a beer, or a martini, or some good Scotch, rather than any kind of wine.) You know, alcohol abuse is a really serious problem on many college campuses. I'm waiting for somebody to stand up and point out that it has become the big problem it is now largely SINCE the drinking age was raised to 21, and to ask if it's possible that there's a connection there somewhere. I'm waiting, but I'm not holding my breath!

03-05-2002, 03:32 PM	#15
russotto Professor Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,788	For some reason, it's always Sunday when I want to buy a bottle of wine. Across the bridge, to the liquor store, to the gas station, back across, the deed is done. PLCB be damned. Maybe I'll start buying it with a credit card and using EZ-Pass just to wave it in their faces :-) As for "alcohol abuse" on college campuses: One big thing is they define all underaged drinking as "alcohol abuse". Move the drinking age from 18 to 21, and you create a whole lot of "alcohol abuse" -- which is good for some people, because it gives the authorities something to justify their budget over.

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