A bit over a month ago, in this thread, we were discussing whether a "blow-in" meant an outsider new to the area, or specifically an outsider coming in seeking political office, that is, a carpetbagger. At the time we had four cites, and though all dealt with polititians, only the last of them, in 2004, suggested that the term was specific to politicians. It said that a candidate running in 1972 was tagged, by the locals, "with their own slang for carpetbagger: 'blow-in.'"

Yesterday's New York Times has a different read on the same 1972 campaign. It says, "To Mr. Sheehy, a young, liberal, antiwar candidate was not a good fit with a district dominated by [the towns of] Lawrence and Lowell, which had a special term of derision for a newcomer: 'blow-in'." Notice that this cites 'blow-in' not as meaning carpetbagger, which is specifically a newcomer politician but as a newcomer.

A bit of history of that campaign, from the same article. In 1972 the gentleman lived in the 3rd District, where two years earlier he was one of several who had run against the incumbant (of his own party) in the primaries. But another challenger had succeeded, and went on to win the general election. In 1972 the gentleman bought a house the 4th Dist., whose incumbent was aging. But before he moved in, the 5th Dist. incumbent announced his retirement, and the gentleman proceeded to run from in 5th instead -- much to the annoyance of many of his party who had been waiting for years for that seat to open.

But why does this old news get into the newspapers of 2004? Because the gentleman in question was named John Kerry. It would be interesting to check how "blow-in" is used in the local papers from 1972.

Dan Payne, Salon e-zine, April 12, 2004:

A down-on-its-luck aging mill city on the border of New Hampshire, Lowell was a slow melting pot of second-generation Irish, French and Italian blue-collar workers. Proudly xenophobic, they had a name for newcomers: "blow-ins." John Kerry was a celebrity, an outsider, a blow-in with no roots in their world.

Not definitive, though. We still need to find an actual usage, not a later much-report of the giving the the newsman's judgement of what that word means.

Politician, "Bolw-in?" I thought the term was "blow-hard!"

Ok, ok . . . it's late on a Friday night, and I'm tired (no, I've not even had ONE DRINK, although with all the references to good beer around here . . .)

but could a "blow-in" also be when several cheap quickie girls all go to the same party? Something akin to a "sit-in"?

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but could a "blow-in" also be when several cheap quickie girls all go to the same party? Something akin to a "sit-in"?

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I doubt they'd swallow that!

Quote "...(no, I've not even had ONE DRINK, although with all the references to good beer around here . . .)..."

Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845!

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Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:

I doubt they'd swallow that!

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You clearly haven't known the right sort of girls! Or perhaps I haven't?

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Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845; Fuller's 1845!

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Hmmm - and perhaps I haven't known the right sort of beer?!?!?!?

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You clearly haven't known the right sort of girls! Or perhaps I haven't?

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Well, this IS a seminal bit of information!

Quote "...Hmmm - and perhaps I haven't known the right sort of beer?!?!?!?..."

If you haven't drunk Fuller's 1845 (avalailable in the USA) then there's a fair chance you don't know just how wonderful beer can taste.

I've had a fair number of varieties (beer, not girls), but never that particular one. I'll put it on the shopping list for DH (dear hubby) to seek out!

Oh, you must, Caterwaller! My hubs (Shufitz here) and I did, and it is absolutely luscious. Really, it tastes nothing like beer.

BTW, our local liquor store gets cases of it just for us. They told us recently that someone dropped a whole case of it and broke all the bottles!

Now THAT is alcohol abuse!

AHhhh - you and Shufitz are married - got it.


Asa - I love your puns! Keep them . . err . . . coming!

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Asa - I love your puns! Keep them . . err . . . coming!

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Really, Caterwauler, a married woman admiring MY puns! Ohhh, I guess it's a good thing your hubby and my girlfriend aren't hear to see this!

here?

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Really, it tastes nothing like beer.

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Erm... I assume you mean it tastes nothing like most American beers.

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Oh, you must, Caterwaller! My hubs (Shufitz here) and I did, and it is absolutely luscious. Really, it tastes nothing like beer.

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I predict an outraged response from a certain individual (no names no pack drill as my Dad says - I've never worked out exactly why) along the lines of

"It is not Fullers that tastes of something other than beer but rather the noxious fizzy substances that are marketed under that name by such companies as..."


I'll leave the name of the brewery as an exercise for the rest of the board. Shouldn't imagine it will be too taxing for even the most recent among us to work it out and I'm certain Richard (oops!) will supply it.

Fullers is "okay"...

But I'm still trying to find an outlet for my favorite -- Old Peculier. It suddenly disappeared from the American market. I do hope our Brit friends here are not going to tell me it is no longer made.

I'm a real snob for good beers. Asa, when I get back to Portland you and I will have to invite these folks to come to Portland during brewfest to taste some REAL beer. I would hold some of those microbrews up against Guiness, Fullers, and just about any other contender except Old Peculier.

Theakston's Old Peculier is a beer that arouses high emotions. It's very strong and rather sweet and not my favourite. The Theakston family sold out some years ago to Interbrew (which is probably why their beers became know in the USA). However, the Theakston family bought the firm back a year or so ago and it may be that they are intending to retrench.

OP is not bottle-conditioned and is thus not as good in bottle as it is on draught. Fullers sell a range of beers in the USA but only their Porter and 1845 are bottle-conditioned.


There are some very good US craft beers on the market now, many of which are as good as some of the traditional English beers (and far better than Guinness which is no more than a useful standby). That the US craft beer revival (started because of CAMRA's influence, although few Americans realise this) has produced so many good beers in the 25 years or so since it started is a tribute to US initiative. Sadly it is not possible to match US craft beers against many British beers since most of them do not find their way across the Atlantic.

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Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:

Really, Caterwauler, a married woman admiring MY puns! Ohhh, I guess it's a good thing your hubby and my girlfriend aren't hear to see this!

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HA! In general, my husband knows I can't resist a good pun. I am quite happy with my current situation, Asa, but that doesn't mean I can't admire other people. I admire Kalleh's wit and intelligence, as well . . . doesn't mean I'm going to ask her out. (yet)

KIDDING!

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Originally posted by KHC:
_here_?

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Yeah, here. I cun't spill!

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Sadly it is not possible to match US craft beers against many British beers since most of them do not find their way across the Atlantic.

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Wouldn't that be a "coal to Newcastle" situation?

Richard complained of being unable to compare craft beers...

Richard, I hereby cordially invite you to come visit after we return to Portland. We will take you to some marvelous microbreweries and introduce you to a delightful array of brews to tantalize and entertain your pallate. (how do you spell that word???)

And perhaps a visit to that famous downtown Portland pub whose name I cannot now for the life of me recall, where in the basement you can find a cigar and single malt room with the best damn selection of single malts I have ever encountered.

If any of you here ever visit Los Angeles, you might want to visit the Tam O'Shanter Inn in the Los Feliz area where they have a most impressive beer list as well as about 40 different single malts, some dating 75+.

Asa inquired, Wouldn't that be a coals to Newcastle situation?

ASA! Where have you been? You live in Portland, fer goodness sake. I can think of at least five pubs off the top of me head in your area that have a highly respectable list of both Brit and microbrew. You can compare to your heart's content.

The Americans are justly proud of their achievements in brewing since the dread days of the 1970's when the only choice was between half a dozen versions of yellow chemical fizz. Sadly, it seems to me that there is always a degree of myopia in US achievments. The US is doing well = the US is the best. And that's not always true.

There is no city, of any size, anywhere in the USA that can begin to compare with London for its range of good pubs and the beers available in them.

London has between five and six THOUSAND pubs, with probably 95% of them selling cask-conditioned beer. It has a similar number of bars (not the same thing as a pub). No US city come close. To find a bar in a US city that has two cask-conditioned beers is a subject for celebration; to find the same in London would make the drinker wonder where the other beers were.

I don't know the stats, for bottle-conditioned beer in the USA but the UK has over 600 different kinds. It has around 1500 different draught beers. And remember, this is in a country that's a good bit smaller than Texas.

And you mention Portland as an example of a well-pubbed place; where I live, in a very small town, there are around a dozen pubs and in the borough itself many more. Go to http://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/public/Leisure/Tourism/Eating_Out/Pubs_Bars/default.asp for a list.

I do not wish to denigrate the amazing efforts that the US craft brewers have made nor the vast improvement in taste of some of the followers of good beer. But the fact remains that 60% of Americans drink Budweiser and most of the rest drink Miller. Most bars sell nothing but chemical fizz.

And I am speaking from experience, not hearsay, as I have been to the USA many times.

Next month I will be in Orlando and, unless I trek out to the Orlando Brewery, doubt very much whether I'll be able to find a decent drink of beer in the whole, massive town. In a similar-sized city in England there would be thirty or forty pubs (at least), all selling good beer.

If you want to talk beer, the site that I find the most erudite and friendly is here http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/index.php?s=90b1b5d234d71ad319768252b900869c. Both Kalleh and I have met some of the contributors and enjoyed many a good pint with them.

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Originally posted by jo:
Asa inquired, Wouldn't that be a coals to Newcastle situation?

ASA! Where have you been? You live in Portland, fer goodness sake.

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Sorry, Jo! I'm not a beer connaissewer. When I do drink something called beer, it's Tsingtao, from China! But, in your defense, I'll admit that Portland is a US brewer's hotspot.

Orlando, RE? WHY!?!? There's no "there" there!

Next month I will be in Orlando and

I once spent a month in Orlando one week back in the '90s.

ah, yes. Yellow, chemical fizz... also known as Uncle Adolph's piss. I shudder when I see Coor's lite, or Miller lite, let alone the non-lite crap.

http://www.pubclub.com/pacificnw/portlandpc.htm gives you a sort of introduction to pubs in Portland. From experience I can tell you that this is actually about 15% of the total number of pubs (not to be confused with bars).

Moving right along, you might want to take a peek at http://www.mcmenamins.com/ I wandered this site a bit and learned that nearly every pub has a cask conditioned beer. Now before Richard jumps on the "a cask cond....etc." I learned by calling my friend who still works there that the main brewery located at Edgefield has 50!! cask conditioned beers, which they send out to the various pubs in the chain, featuring a different one at each pub and a different one every week.

Am I prejudiced about Portland? You betcha. And seven years ago while Morgan (my late husband) was still living we went to the brew fest where we found 35 different cask conditioned beers to sample, in addition to the over 200 microbrews available. Good thing we took the bus home.

I would point out that you Brits have several hundred years on us regarding pubs and brewing. However, I concede without argument that when it comes to the general populace, beer tastes are gaggrous in the extreme.

My offer to take you beer tasting in Portland still stands.

"There is no city, of any size, anywhere in the USA that can begin to compare with London for its range of good pubs and the beers available in them."


I keep finding more and more reasons to visit the UK. And maybe I'll buy some shoes while I'm there!

Quote "...Orlando, RE? WHY!?!? There's no "there" there!..."

It just happens that the conference I am attending is in Orlando, that's why!. Sadly the organisers don't seem to consider the quality of the local beer one of their criteria for selection.

And Jo, as I have conceded, the USA is catching up very well in the brewing stakes - hustle is what Americans do best. It's just that, with hundreds of years start (as you correctly say) we are at present ahead. I went to a (very small) local beer festival a couple of weeks agod and they had fifty cask-conditioned beers. A decent sized festivalt will have hundreds.

Having said which, the march of the fizz factories continues unabated and, if A-B and their evil clones have their way, we will all be drinking their foul, vomit making, chemical fizz as well. A-B are spending millions of pounds every year promoting their muck and, obviously this promotion is influencing those who know no better.

And thank you for your offer. I have already had the great good fortune of sampling some wonderful beers in Chicago, thanks to Kalleh and Shufitz. It's really a question of where my work takes me. So, if you need a trainer/facilitator in Portland, just say the word!

Quote "...I keep finding more and more reasons to visit the UK. And maybe I'll buy some shoes while I'm there!...

Air fares have never been lower. And of course, apart from beer, the world's finest shoemakers are in London - Lobbs in St James's Street http://www.johnlobbltd.co.uk/history/history.htm

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Originally posted by Richard English:
And of course, apart from beer, the world's finest shoemakers are in London

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You know, somehow I had a feeling they might be. After all we invented shoes.

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Originally posted by BobHale:

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Originally posted by Richard English:
And of course, apart from beer, the world's finest shoemakers are in London

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You know, somehow I had a feeling they might be. After all we invented shoes.

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Yet many here in the USA think Phil Knight (Nike)invented them, and that Henry Ford invented the automobile, and the Wrights invented the aeroplane, and Samuel Colt invented the pistol, and on and on and on... You see, they don't teach history here, they teach "UStery!".

"It is not Fullers that tastes of something other than beer but rather the noxious fizzy substances that are marketed under that name by such companies as..."

Bob, you definitely crack me up! And, did you see, down the thread Richard did post something quite similar!

I admire Kalleh's wit and intelligence, as well . . . doesn't mean I'm going to ask her out. (yet)

Anytime, baby! And, I am kidding, too!

I just spent some time in Orlando at a meeting and will never be able to understand what is supposedly attractive about that state. They call it "living in paradise." I found the humidity oppressive, even in October!

As far as the beer, here is a recent limerick I posted on OEDILF. I know it doesn't really define "alcoholism" so well & probably only those who know Richard will get it, but I had lots of fun with it anyway!

There appears to be quite a big schism
In the treatment of alcoholism.
"Cold turkey!" say some,
And rehab's the hum.
Or...give 'em some Bud and you'll fizz 'em!

"Yet many here in the USA think Phil Knight (Nike)invented them, and that Henry Ford invented the automobile, and the Wrights invented the aeroplane, and Samuel Colt invented the pistol."

On three of your four, I'd disagree that "many here think" as you say. On the Wrights, I'd suggest that they did invent the airplane.

Obviously almost any invention is the result of a series of incremental steps by various people, each building upon those who went before, and thus one can always quibble that some earlier or later step constituted the act of "invention". To say that the Wrights invented the airplane -- that is, powered flight -- does not denigrate the efforts of those who went before. Newton expressed this well.

What the Wrights invented - and patented - was a succesful means of roll control. Pitch and yaw had already been figured out by others, but wing warping was what made the flying machine controllable, and THAT was the missing link. All the other pieces were already in place. Later the Wrights got into a patent infringement suit with Glenn Curtiss, who invented a better system, the aileron, which is in common use to this day. The suit dragged on for decades, and eventually financially ruined Orville after Wilbur's death.

BTW, Phil Knight didn't even invent Nikes! His coach, Bill Bowerman had the idea!

The commonly accepted defition of a successful, heavier-than-air flying machine is one that will lift itself, and a passenger, from the ground and return him of her to a point at the same or a greater height. This the Wright's achieved and by that definition they are the inventors. And they justly deserve the credit. And, incidentally, they should also be given credit for having designed the first motor light enough, and powerful enough, to do the job. Earlier inventors had stumbled at that hurdle.

The first man-carrying flight was by the Montgolfiers (using a balloon); the first man-carrying glider (as opposed to a kite) was probably Sir George Cayley (or more properly, his coachman); the first powered model was probably Stringfellow's.

". . .I admire Kalleh's wit and intelligence, as well . . . doesn't mean I'm going to ask her out. (yet)

Anytime, baby! Wink And, I am kidding, too! . . . ."

Now, Kalleh - maybe we should provide something NEW for the men to go on about! Afterall, Beer may be better than women in many instances, but women are definitely more complex!



I must also say, regardless of the precise details of what the Wright brothers brought to aviation, they were daring inventors and scientists, and we in OHIO, their HOME STATE are very proud of them!

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I must also say, regardless of the precise details of what the Wright brothers brought to aviation, they were daring inventors and scientists, and we in OHIO, their HOME STATE are very proud of them!

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Orville's home state, CW, - Wilbur was born in Indiana! But yes, they DID apply rigorous science to the problem of flight better than the rest. They also built what was likely the first wind tunnel for studying lift and drag.

And RE, you're actually saying that something WAS invented over here?!?!?

All of which leads me to ask about the definition of "invention."

"BTW, Phil Knight didn't even invent Nikes! His coach, Bill Bowerman had the idea!"

Did anyone ever suggest that Phil Knight invented a type of shoe, as opposed to a brand name?

Bill Bowerman had a long and extremely successful career couchingd long-distance runners at the University of Oregon. From the web: "Bill Bowerman, the legendary University of Oregon track coach from 1949-1972, introduced to the U.S. the importance of jogging and fitness. He lead the University of Oregon to four NCAA team championships and coached 64 All-Americans, 24 individual NCAA champions and 33 Olympians - including American running legend Steve Prefontaine."

Bowerman spent years tinkering with shoe-designs to give runners a competitive edge. "One bright early morning in 1971, Bill and his wife Barbara sat down for breakfast. Staring at but not eating the waffles that lay before him, Bowerman was in the midst of an athletic epiphany. Soon he was pouring rubber into Barbara's waffle iron, creating the modern running outsole." "He and Knight each put up $500 and made and sold 330 pairs of the shoes. From those early successes, of course, Nike was born and both Bowerman and Knight became larger than life."

How is this word-related, you ask? Because of a story I've heard, probably apocraphal but too good to pass up. A blue story, as it happens, so it appears here in invisible type. Bowerman's athletes, though at first reluctant to put a foot into one of his shoe-creations, concluded that "it looked really weird, but felt amazingly good if you were lucky enough to get into one." On that basis, they nicknamed it "the vagina."

I would be so bold (I'm usually pretty bold) as to suggest that Jazz music, Gospel music, and of course BLUES were all "invented" here in The States. Also, free lending libraries (I know, I know, I just can't stop with the library thing), Coke (the soda, and probably a few forms of the drug), and Sesame Street.

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Originally posted by BobHale:

You know, somehow I had a feeling they might be. After all we invented shoes.

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er... you did all realise that was joke, right?

Quote "...And RE, you're actually saying that something WAS invented over here?!?!? ..."

I have never failed to give credit where credit is due. There have been many things invented in the USA (some of which, Coca Cola, for example) I would keep quiet about were I an American.

My objection is, and has always been, the all too frequent assumption, by Americans, that everything was invented in America. My recent tirade about the incandescent light bulb was in response to the inaccurate claim that this was an American invention.

My objection is, and has always been, the all too frequent assumption, by Americans, that everything was invented in America.

Ahhh....this is a joke, right? It seems to me to be vice versa!

Now, Richard, are we really going to get into the lightbulb again? Let's see, lightbulbs, beer, epicaricacy, Schadenfreude, double dactyls...these are a few subjects that we seem to go back to time and time again.

Asa is right; it all goes back to what is an invention (just like for 'epicaricacy' it all depends on what is a word).

And, we Americans have had a few better inventions than Coca Cola. However, no American on this forum has ever asserted that the Americans have invented everything, right? Look how modest we are about our beer. We are forever saying how much better your beer is and how bad Bud is.

Regarding some comments by Richard:

"... inaccurate claim that this was ... " As you know, there are others here who disagree with you; the positions need not be re-re-re-debated.

"the all too frequent assumption, by Americans, that everything was invented in America."
It's not my experience that Americans all-to-frequently make that assumption.

"The first man-carrying flight was by the Montgolfiers (using a balloon)"
I wouldn't think "flight" applies to non-powered motion. (The distinction is much like that of saying that a ship "sails" [even though its motive power may not be sail-power] but a raft "floats".)

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"The first man-carrying flight was by the Montgolfiers (using a balloon)"
I wouldn't think "flight" applies to non-powered motion. (The distinction is much like that of saying that a ship "sails" [even though its motive power may not be sail-power] but a raft "floats".)

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So what will you do to categorize human-powered flight? While the Brits pioneered it with Puffin, and there was a nearly successful Japanese one, the US engineer Paul McCready built the first truly successful one, and a team from MIT built the one that holds the absolute distance and endurance records. Since Puffin didn't stay aloft long enough to win the Kremer (British) Prize, did they NOT invent human-powered flight? We could really saw long-eared rodents in half (spit hares) here!

Quote "...I wouldn't think "flight" applies to non-powered motion..."

Then what name would you give to a the act of lifting a person from the ground and maintaining him or her in the air without support?

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Then what name would you give to a the act of lifting a person from the ground and maintaining him or her in the air without support?

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Skydiving.

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what name would you give to a the act of lifting a person from the ground and maintaining him or her in the air without support?

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Levitation?

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Then what name would you give to a the act of lifting a person from the ground and maintaining him or her in the air without support?

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Eh, it's all done with mirrors.