By Dead Presidents Daily
“Samuel Morse (left) sent his famed telegraph message from Washington to Baltimore on May 24, 1844, and it’s often mentioned as if it were the very first message ever relayed by telegraph, but it isn’t so. It was a public demonstration of the revolutionary communications technology (the “Victorian Internet”), and so of course was widely publicized.”
Continue reading “”What hath God wrought.” at Dead Presidents Daily.
By Joe Drape (The New York Times, 5/17/2011)
The message of Kegasus, Lord of the Infieldfest: “A 10-hour party to celebrate a two-minute race.”
Excessive drinking at the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, reached its nadir in 2007 when videos of young men racing atop portable toilets in the Pimlico Race Course infield as beer cans rained on them went viral. There was safety to consider, and the threat of lawsuits loomed.
So in 2009, the Maryland Jockey Club, which runs the race, banned the tradition of allowing patrons to bring their own beer. It was a marketing disaster. Instead of the 112,222 people who showed up the year before on race day, only 77,850 came.
The race organizers decided they needed to, well, correct their overcorrection. Two years ago, the racetrack engaged an advertising agency and gave it a mission: make the Preakness entertaining for young people again.
So this year, Kegasus — an ad gimmick that was half a beer-bellied man, half a horse — was named Lord of the Infieldfest. He has trumpeted $20 bottomless beer mugs, as well as a bikini contest and big-name musicians.
His message is summed up with a catchphrase: “A 10-hour party to celebrate a two-minute race. Now we’re talking.”
Continue reading “At Preakness, Not Everybody’s Idea of Fun” at The New York Times.
If you’re planning to swear at the Mount Royal Tavern be prepared to pay 25 cents a word
By Frederick N. Rasmussen (The Baltimore Sun, 5/16/2011)
Better watch what you say if you’re planning a night of boozy revelry at the venerable Mount Royal Tavern, which recently installed a “Cuss Bucket” for those getting a little too loud and creative with their profanity.
“It’s a bar, and I don’t mind a ‘hell’ or a ‘damn’ — they’re allowed to use them — but when people start yelling the other profanities, that’s it,” said Ron Carback, who has owned the bar in the 1200 block of W. Mount Royal Ave. with his partner, Chris Kozak, since 1985.
Mount Royal Tavern owners Chris Kozak, left, and Ron Carback instituted a "cuss bucket" months ago. Patrons must deposit 25 cents whenever they swear, bartenders must deposit a dollar. (Jed Kirschbaum, Baltimore Sun)
Not that the two men are prudes, killjoys or trying to replicate the sanctity of the Baltimore Country Club. But they did think something had to be done in the name of civility in confronting the endless barrage of blue language that was on the increase in the high-ceilinged barroom, which is popular with residents of Bolton Hill and Reservoir Hill and nearby Maryland Institute College of Art students.
“I thought we needed a little civility around here,” said Carback, who came up with the idea of the cuss bucket, which is actually a large plastic pretzel jar with a sign taped to it: “Mount Royal Tavern Cuss Bucket. 25 cents a cuss.”
But while customers pay 25 cents a word, bartenders pay a stiff tariff of a dollar per profanity.
Continue reading “Mount Royal Tavern Installs ‘Cuss Bucket'” at The Baltimore Sun.
