Wednesday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Wednesday, September 25, 2024
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16 comments
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About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a retired Professor of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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Chalk this up to random musings on psychology. Over the years I’ve noticed that coffee mugs have gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. This morning I walked into the breakroom kitchen to get my coffee and one of the guys came in and put his very large mug into the microwave. “Third time I’ve had to heat it up today! Always happens…”, he said. I didn’t ask, but wondered why he just doesn’t get a smaller mug? In fact, I get my coffee cup from the company provided china sets in the cabinet right next to the microwave. The biggest is about 12 ounces and the smallest 10 or 8. I always take the smallest. I sit down, have my coffee and it’s hot the whole way through. Then, if I want another cup a couple of hours later, I refill that one. What’s the point in letting half or two-thirds of it get cold and reheating it?
Random political thoughts of the morning:
– Favorability ratings: Harris 47.3% Favorable, 46.5 Unfavorable. Trump 43.0 Favorable, 52.4 Unfavorable. Question: How do these ratings translate into vote polling? Doesn’t seem to be a lot of correlation.
– Living in Texas, we are not bombarded by ads; however, why are the Democrats not going negative on Trump WRT to his supposed strengths: the economy and foreign policy. Negative partisanship works. But it seems as though they let him get away with his BS on those two topics.
@MarkedMan: Same goes for wine glasses. We have wine glasses handed down from decades ago and they are pretty small (maybe 4oz). Today’s glasses can easily hold 10-12 oz. We use the small ones to incentivize lower consumption.
Here is a great (and detailed) analysis of J. D. Vance
“DavidLurie”
Here is a sampling (there is lots more):
and this:
and this
Too now, Vance is become an extreme Catholic of an atavistic version. I suppose he still thinks evolution comes from the Devil though.
@MarkedMan:
Two years ago, for some reason we had an exchange of mugs at the office. I got one that is tall, narrow on the bottom, and widens toward the top. I think it’s as big as 15 regular mugs as regards capacity. I like it because of the unusual design, and because I can use it to drink juice or soda or water in addition to coffee or tea.
The thing is I don’t fill it to the top when I get coffee. I put in abut as much as fits in a regular sized mug. Because, yes, otherwise it grows cold before I finish it.
@Scott: The purpose of the larger wine glasses, at least in theory, isn’t to add more wine, but rather to provide a volume for the bouquet to concentrate.
@MarkedMan: About 20 years ago I tried to improve my knowledge of wines. I read, I studied, I tasted. The education never took. I find I’m just as happy with box wines as anything else. So I’m a peasant who quaffs. Oh well.
@MarkedMan:
Most of the places I go to now offer 9 ounce pours. The theory was good but just didn’t hold up especially where the wine is offered through draught beer systems.
@Scott: I have a real taste for beer, but little for wine. I can tell the difference between different batches of the same beer at my local breweries, and I once noticed a difference in a beer I had only had a half dozen times, then a four year gap (an offering from Brewery Ommegang whose production had been transferred to a different plant when Duvel bought them). But wine? It’s red or white. It has bubbles or it doesn’t. If it’s white? Maybe sourness, oakiness, and harshness. If it’s red? Tannins. Intensity. That’s about it. My go to bottles are all relatively cheap – Bogle Old Vines or Merlot for red, and there’s a couple of different whites but lately we really like Vino Verde.
My wife hasn’t been able to drink reds in years, so it’s usually box wine red for me.
RE: wine sizes…every time we go over to Europe, I’m struck by how logical it is to offer different sizes of wine. We were in Germany not long ago and you could order a 1 dl., 2 dl., or 3 dl. pour of wine.
In addition to recognizing that not everyone wants a glass with half a bottle’s content, it also allows the diner to order portions suitable for a course–small glass of one wine with appetizers, and a small glass of another with the meal.
@MarkedMan: What are you? Some kind of furriner? Or Democrat? This is ‘Murica, bigger is always better. Come outside and look at muh pickup truck.
I was reading part of the transcript of one of Trump’s rallies in Pennsylvania. I’ think I’m starting to understand one element of his appeal. He tells people he will personally solve their problems. Your auto insurance is too high? He will, as your president, halve it. That is his solution. No details, he’ll just solve your problem. The fact that it is nonsense doesn’t matter to them. And he somehow conveys to them that he cares about them on a personal level, even though the list of people that Donald Trump cares about consists of Donald Trump, and possibly Ivanka. A lot of the people at his rallies are unhappy with their personal situation in life. They want the government to fix things, but only for them. They need to know that the “others” are to blame, and that someone will go after the others. And make sure that the others are worse off than they are. IMO Trump is a savant in getting people to fall for his lies. It’s not just the rubes at his rallies. He has spent a lifetime convincing people to invest in his casinos, his DJT stock, etc.
I don’t know if you can combat his appeal to his followers. I would like to see a Harris ad where she tells people what a president can’t do. A president cannot replace the federal income tax with tariffs. A president cannot do anything about high insurance rates. Insurance isn’t even regulated at the federal level, by law the states have that authority. And a president can’t punish people who didn’t support her.
@Pete S: That’s because “provide a volume for the bouquet to concentrate” was always just a cover story. More wine was always the goal just like more ABV is the goal of home/craft brewing.
[…]
ETA: “They want the government to fix things, but only for them.” Ayup!
@MarkedMan:
I just recently switched from big mug to china cup. 6 ounces maybe? I fill it with water first, nuke it for a minute, then coffee. I don’t exactly know why I decided on the change.
Back when I was working in restaurants and also writing the restaurant review column in the paper (ethics? Say what?) I had a pretty good palette for wine. But it’s something you kind of have to stick with and I never cared enough to make it a lifelong thing.
It’s good to know your limitations. I would never spend $1000 on a bottle of wine because I don’t have a palette sufficiently educated to differentiate between a top shelf red Bordeaux and a decent California Cab. Of course if that attitude got around here in Vegas, restaurants would be very sad. I guarantee you that 90%+ of guys who order a $1000 Dom or Cristal could not differentiate them from a $100 Veuve Clicquot yellow label in a blind taste test. As always, drink what you like.
If you’re liking Vino Verde, try its grown-up sibling, Albarino. (That’s the Spanish, for Portuguese, make the ‘b’ into a ‘v’, insert random ‘h’ and turn the ‘o’ sound into ‘oo.’)
@gVOR10: Hah! I’ll park my Mini Cooper in the bed of that truck!
Check out the original Mini comparison! It really would fit in the bed of that truck. Of course, with the extended cab shown here, you’ld have to leave the tailgate down.
@just nutha:
Yep. The giveaway is there when you watch video of actual vintners who carry around sturdy little 4 oz. glasses. Or, not that you see this much anymore, but a sommelier who carries basically a spoon.