Star Wars - The Force Awakens

In theaters, a year from now.

Gobble Gobble

Visited Stonewood Farm in Orwell, Vermont on Tuesday.  Run by the Stone family for the last 25 years, they'll put more than 15,000 turkeys on Thanksgiving dinner tables this Thursday.

The 1,500 or so in this barn got a one-month reprieve.

Stonewood Farm ~ Orwell, Vermont

The New Yorker ~ Mike Twohy

Excessive drinking, alcoholism and taxes

The Centers for Disease Control, a federal government agency and arm of the Department of Health and Human Services, just released a new study which reports that excessive "binge" drinkers aren't alcoholics or alcohol dependent.

"This study shows that, contrary to popular opinion, most people who drink too much are not alcohol dependent or alcoholics," said Robert Brewer, M.D., M.S.P.H., Alcohol Program lead at CDC and one of the report's authors. "It also emphasizes the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to reducing excessive drinking that includes evidence-based community strategies, screening and counseling in healthcare settings, and high-quality substance abuse treatment for those who need it."

Why is the CDC splitting hairs between excessive drinking and alcoholism? Excise taxes.

The wonks in Washington, DC would be hard-pressed to raise taxes higher on alcoholics, who are considered to have a disease defined as "alcohol use disorder" by the American Psychiatric Associations' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5. But if they can classify the much larger population of heavy drinkers as "excessive," they create a big taxable target.

With beer, wine and liquor spending in the United States estimated at $100 billion annually, excise taxes on alcohol, as well as tobacco and firearms, are charged to raise federal, state and local revenue, under the guise of making us virtuous.

The current administration is not only looking out for us, but for themselves as well. Before the much ballyhooed government shutdown when kids' White House tours and National Park visits were roped off and cancelled, the State Department wasted no time stocking up on booze for its embassy staff and entertainment before sequestration took effect.

11:11 AM on November 11

Anthem Veterans Memorial

Great Seal of the United States

The Anthem Veterans Memorial in Anthem, Arizona, consists of five pillars, representing the five branches of the U.S. military. At precisely 11:11 AM on November 11, Veterans Day, the sun streams through ellipses in the pillars, illuminating the Great Seal of the United States.

Henry Graves Supercomplication

The Henry Graves Supercomplication. 

Patek Philippe's greatest watch of all time. A one-of-a-kind supercomplication, commissioned in 1925 for Henry Graves, Jr. and eight years in the making, it features 24 complications, including a map of the stars over Manhattan's Central Park along with Westminster chimes.

Expected to sell tomorrow for $15 million at Sotheby's in Geneva.

Postscript: An anonymous buyer paid $24 million at auction.

I've got a pen and I've got a phone

The Wave ~ Michael Ramirez

The Elephant in the Room ~ Liniers