Is America the greatest country in the world?

mcgruff10

Spiritual_Chaos said:

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

There has always been this thing, comparing Sweden and the US again, about us having "Systembolaget" (a government run chain of stores having monopoly on selling alcohol above 3,5%) that is like "unique" or odd or whatever.

But when i was in Philadelphia it seemed to the be the same system, with only certain places (Wine Store?) being allowed to sell Wines and hard liquer. And Beer being sold in separate stores. Isn't that a pretty similar system...

That is a Pennsylvania thing, Each state has their own rules. In New Jersey you can go to a liquor store and get wine, beer and vodka. 

Yeah i know, in NY it was different. But then it's not unheard of. I was surprised by it. Going from NY to Philly too, and having to re-adjust my liquor-buying ways. Bought my mom some wine from Pennsylvania, and my dad some american light beers. Haha.

Yeah it is a real pain in the ass. I think In Pennsylvania you can only buy cases of beer. 

mcgruff10

23scidoo said:

mcgruff10 said:

23scidoo said:

mcgruff10 said:

I do think America is the best in:
wine. (Napa cabs are superior imo)
craft beer. 
Bbq
vodka. (Tito s)

our national park system is also great.  From what I have seen in Canada I think their national park system is comparable. 

In wine??..come on Mike!!..not even third on the world..

What is one and two?  I think French wine is way overrated.  I do love Italian whites but to me California cabs are the best reds out there. 

Argentina, Chile, Greece and the new power on wine is Georgia..love Italian rose and Bourgogne wines are classics..

Greek and Georgian wine?! Say what? Red or white?

josevolution

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

1- Children kidnapped at borders
2- President sides with known murderer’s 
3- country is totally divided
it all adds up to a giant NO !

It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?

It def felt different when Obama was in office, did he publicly embrace known dictators? 
We’re kids being separated at the border in the same fashion as what happened this past summer ? But you know what my 403 was killing it before this latest set back so all is great in America..

So then, in 2 years in your opinion, snide comments aside, America has gone from a great country to a bad one?

Ok let's not use bad how about way different ? let me ask you do you find it to be still the same country ? 

23scidoo

mcgruff10 said:

23scidoo said:

mcgruff10 said:

23scidoo said:

mcgruff10 said:

I do think America is the best in:
wine. (Napa cabs are superior imo)
craft beer. 
Bbq
vodka. (Tito s)

our national park system is also great.  From what I have seen in Canada I think their national park system is comparable. 

In wine??..come on Mike!!..not even third on the world..

What is one and two?  I think French wine is way overrated.  I do love Italian whites but to me California cabs are the best reds out there. 

Argentina, Chile, Greece and the new power on wine is Georgia..love Italian rose and Bourgogne wines are classics..

Greek and Georgian wine?! Say what? Red or white?

Yes, Greek wine, first time you heard of this Mike??..you should check about Georgia..

Thirty Bills Unpaid

For gawds sakes people... Scruffy clearly doesn't know his butt from a hole in the ground when it comes to wine. He places ice cubes in his shiraz.

Give him Baby Duck and he'd be thinking he was drinking a royal reserve.

mcgruff10

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

For gawds sakes people... Scruffy clearly doesn't know his butt from a hole in the ground when it comes to wine. He places ice cubes in his shiraz.

Give him Baby Duck and he'd be thinking he was drinking a royal reserve.

Baby duck?
And I was drinking a cab last night!!!  Yeah I have never had greek wine, I don't even think any stores around me carry it.  I'll have to check it out.

cincybearcat

I gotta say...Ice cubes in wine makes no sense. It’s like drinking a good beer from a frosted mug...also a very bad idea

Damn iphone and the stupid mobile version of this site. messes up typing and then I can't even see my text and have to do weird crap just to be able to get the submit button to be on screen.  I can't believe it remains this bad.

cincybearcat

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

1- Children kidnapped at borders
2- President sides with known murderer’s 
3- country is totally divided
it all adds up to a giant NO !

It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?

It def felt different when Obama was in office, did he publicly embrace known dictators? 
We’re kids being separated at the border in the same fashion as what happened this past summer ? But you know what my 403 was killing it before this latest set back so all is great in America..

So then, in 2 years in your opinion, snide comments aside, America has gone from a great country to a bad one?

Ok let's not use bad how about way different ? let me ask you do you find it to be still the same country ? 

It’s the same country. Some policies moving in a different direction. I do wonder m, if trump is president for 8 years what the US will look like. It concerns me

HesCalledDyer

dignin said:

Ummmm.....

https://twitter.com/zachgoudie/status/1052391085828399115

And suddenly Canadians are even friendlier than they already were.

mcgruff10

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

1- Children kidnapped at borders
2- President sides with known murderer’s 
3- country is totally divided
it all adds up to a giant NO !

It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?

It def felt different when Obama was in office, did he publicly embrace known dictators? 
We’re kids being separated at the border in the same fashion as what happened this past summer ? But you know what my 403 was killing it before this latest set back so all is great in America..

So then, in 2 years in your opinion, snide comments aside, America has gone from a great country to a bad one?

Ok let's not use bad how about way different ? let me ask you do you find it to be still the same country ? 

It’s the same country. Some policies moving in a different direction. I do wonder m, if trump is president for 8 years what the US will look like. It concerns me

Good point. I don’t really feel or see anything different in my neck of the woods except that Democrats are on the wrong side of the equation. 

Spiritual_Chaos

mcgruff10 said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

1- Children kidnapped at borders
2- President sides with known murderer’s 
3- country is totally divided
it all adds up to a giant NO !

It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?

It def felt different when Obama was in office, did he publicly embrace known dictators? 
We’re kids being separated at the border in the same fashion as what happened this past summer ? But you know what my 403 was killing it before this latest set back so all is great in America..

So then, in 2 years in your opinion, snide comments aside, America has gone from a great country to a bad one?

Ok let's not use bad how about way different ? let me ask you do you find it to be still the same country ? 

It’s the same country. Some policies moving in a different direction. I do wonder m, if trump is president for 8 years what the US will look like. It concerns me

Good point. I don’t really feel or see anything different in my neck of the woods except that Democrats are on the wrong side of the equation. 

Well, there are other things than "your neck of the woods" which should concern a thinking, breathing person. This is your elected president, the most powerful leader in the world:

“My uncle was a great professor at MIT for many years. Dr. John Trump,” he said. “And I didn’t talk to him about this particular subject, but I have a natural instinct for science, and I will say that you have scientists on both sides of the picture.”

Concerning climate change. Which affects everyones neck of the woods.

Halifax2TheMax

Spiritual_Chaos said:

mcgruff10 said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

1- Children kidnapped at borders
2- President sides with known murderer’s 
3- country is totally divided
it all adds up to a giant NO !

It's interesting that 2 years can swing so much.  Was the USA a great country before Trump?  During Obama admin?

It def felt different when Obama was in office, did he publicly embrace known dictators? 
We’re kids being separated at the border in the same fashion as what happened this past summer ? But you know what my 403 was killing it before this latest set back so all is great in America..

So then, in 2 years in your opinion, snide comments aside, America has gone from a great country to a bad one?

Ok let's not use bad how about way different ? let me ask you do you find it to be still the same country ? 

It’s the same country. Some policies moving in a different direction. I do wonder m, if trump is president for 8 years what the US will look like. It concerns me

Good point. I don’t really feel or see anything different in my neck of the woods except that Democrats are on the wrong side of the equation. 

Well, there are other things than "your neck of the woods" which should concern a thinking, breathing person. This is your elected president, the most powerful leader in the world:

“My uncle was a great professor at MIT for many years. Dr. John Trump,” he said. “And I didn’t talk to him about this particular subject, but I have a natural instinct for science, and I will say that you have scientists on both sides of the picture.”

Concerning climate change. Which affects everyones neck of the woods.

Somebody got a new picture book after executive time.
 

njnancy

oftenreading said:

njnancy said:

PJ_Soul said:

njnancy said:

PJ_Soul said:

oftenreading said:

PJ_Soul said:

I don't even care. I buy BC wines exclusively now, just to support the local economy. Luckily, BC wines are some of the best in the world too. Most Americans wouldn't know that though, apparently. I tried to find some BC wines when I was down there, and there was literally not a single bottle on the shelves in any of the stores I went to.

There are some good ones and some crap ones, and all tend to be overpriced, with the good ones at the extreme. Most good BC wines aren’t worth what they’re asking. 

I think they are (the good ones, that is... Luckily my sister is a sommelier, so she knows which winery has a good or bad batch in any given year. One year a wine can be award winning, and the very next year the exact same wine can be crap; that is true for cheap and expensive wines alike; some years the best wine on the shelf might be an $11 bottle, and the next year it could be the $40 bottle (although I would rarely buy anything that costs more than $20 - there is no need to go higher, because there are plenty of great BC wines for less than that) ... But I don't see the BC wines as any "worse" priced compared any other country's wine in BC stores. It's ALL way overpriced. FFS, I bought a couple bottles of wine in the US - the same bottles that would have cost about $15 here cost $6 there! Booze is so expensive in BC, it's insane.

Could your sister recommend any non-alcoholic wines? De-alcoholized wine. California used to make some decent ones - Ariel - but they don't make them anymore and the other stuff available is shit. Hoping she might know. I'll throw in USA/Canada to be thread appropriate.

And I put ice cubes in red wine also - it's good for your heart but bad for migraines (the wine, not the ice cubes). 

Thanks Ali.

I'm afraid not Nancy. She's never even tried any non-alcoholic wines and doesn't know anything about it. :(

Thanks anyway. Used to be able to get Ariel by the case each month - then it just disappeared. Demand not high enough, or not profitable enough. 

Looking around online, I saw this article. It seems to be updated as of October, and they are still listing Ariel, though I didn't actually try to order any, so I don't know if it's still valid. There are a couple of others listed but they may fall into your category of "crap". 

https://www.wineturtle.com/best-non-alcoholic-wine/

I'll check it out - thank you very much. 

njnancy

mcgruff10 said:

@njnancy
I am not sure where you live in nj but every liquor store that I have been too in monmouth county (howell area) has a non-alcholic wine section.  I think "frei" is one brand.

I'm in Bergen County - across from Manhattan. Sutter Home makes Fre'. I think they were the first to come out with a NA wine.  The non-alcoholic wine is usually found by the Martinelli sparkling juice and mixers, if a liquor store has any by me. 

I can find Fre' in most supermarkets so I'll get a bottle sometimes. It's not really that good, but it is the most reliable. 

Thanks. 

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

There has always been this thing, comparing Sweden and the US again, about us having "Systembolaget" (a government run chain of stores having monopoly on selling alcohol above 3,5%) that is like "unique" or odd or whatever.

But when i was in Philadelphia it seemed to the be the same system, with only certain places (Wine Store?) being allowed to sell Wines and hard liquer. And Beer being sold in separate stores. Isn't that a pretty similar system...

That is a Pennsylvania thing, Each state has their own rules. In New Jersey you can go to a liquor store and get wine, beer and vodka. 

In New Jersey, you can buy wine beer and liquor in most supermarkets, bodegas, bars also. Just not till after 12 on Sunday here in Blue Law Bergen County.

This group prohibits the sale of liquor in private stores, limiting it to government-owned outlets only:

• Alabama.
• Idaho.
• New Hampshire (sold tax-free, attracting many out-of-state customers)
• North Carolina (stores are run by individual counties and cities)
• Pennsylvania.
• Utah.
• Virginia.
• Washington.

There are also alcohol content laws by state, as well as other rules. 

Didn't realize how complicated booze buying was. Not sure if it's gotten stricter since I stopped drinking or if I was unaware because of New Jersey's ample availability. 

Spiritual_Chaos

njnancy said:

mcgruff10 said:

@njnancy
I am not sure where you live in nj but every liquor store that I have been too in monmouth county (howell area) has a non-alcholic wine section.  I think "frei" is one brand.

I'm in Bergen County - across from Manhattan. Sutter Home makes Fre'. I think they were the first to come out with a NA wine.  The non-alcoholic wine is usually found by the Martinelli sparkling juice and mixers, if a liquor store has any by me. 

I can find Fre' in most supermarkets so I'll get a bottle sometimes. It's not really that good, but it is the most reliable. 

Thanks. 

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

There has always been this thing, comparing Sweden and the US again, about us having "Systembolaget" (a government run chain of stores having monopoly on selling alcohol above 3,5%) that is like "unique" or odd or whatever.

But when i was in Philadelphia it seemed to the be the same system, with only certain places (Wine Store?) being allowed to sell Wines and hard liquer. And Beer being sold in separate stores. Isn't that a pretty similar system...

That is a Pennsylvania thing, Each state has their own rules. In New Jersey you can go to a liquor store and get wine, beer and vodka. 

In New Jersey, you can buy wine beer and liquor in most supermarkets, bodegas, bars also. Just not till after 12 on Sunday here in Blue Law Bergen County.

This group prohibits the sale of liquor in private stores, limiting it to government-owned outlets only:

• Alabama.
• Idaho.
• New Hampshire (sold tax-free, attracting many out-of-state customers)
• North Carolina (stores are run by individual counties and cities)
• Pennsylvania.
• Utah.
• Virginia.
• Washington.

There are also alcohol content laws by state, as well as other rules. 

Didn't realize how complicated booze buying was. Not sure if it's gotten stricter since I stopped drinking or if I was unaware because of New Jersey's ample availability. 

njnancy

HesCalledDyer said:

dignin said:

Ummmm.....

https://twitter.com/zachgoudie/status/1052391085828399115

And suddenly Canadians are even friendlier than they already were.

^^This^^

njnancy

Spiritual_Chaos said:

njnancy said:

mcgruff10 said:

@njnancy
I am not sure where you live in nj but every liquor store that I have been too in monmouth county (howell area) has a non-alcholic wine section.  I think "frei" is one brand.

I'm in Bergen County - across from Manhattan. Sutter Home makes Fre'. I think they were the first to come out with a NA wine.  The non-alcoholic wine is usually found by the Martinelli sparkling juice and mixers, if a liquor store has any by me. 

I can find Fre' in most supermarkets so I'll get a bottle sometimes. It's not really that good, but it is the most reliable. 

Thanks. 

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

There has always been this thing, comparing Sweden and the US again, about us having "Systembolaget" (a government run chain of stores having monopoly on selling alcohol above 3,5%) that is like "unique" or odd or whatever.

But when i was in Philadelphia it seemed to the be the same system, with only certain places (Wine Store?) being allowed to sell Wines and hard liquer. And Beer being sold in separate stores. Isn't that a pretty similar system...

That is a Pennsylvania thing, Each state has their own rules. In New Jersey you can go to a liquor store and get wine, beer and vodka. 

In New Jersey, you can buy wine beer and liquor in most supermarkets, bodegas, bars also. Just not till after 12 on Sunday here in Blue Law Bergen County.

This group prohibits the sale of liquor in private stores, limiting it to government-owned outlets only:

• Alabama.
• Idaho.
• New Hampshire (sold tax-free, attracting many out-of-state customers)
• North Carolina (stores are run by individual counties and cities)
• Pennsylvania.
• Utah.
• Virginia.
• Washington.

There are also alcohol content laws by state, as well as other rules. 

Didn't realize how complicated booze buying was. Not sure if it's gotten stricter since I stopped drinking or if I was unaware because of New Jersey's ample availability. 

Thanks for the laugh. 

oftenreading

njnancy said:

HesCalledDyer said:

dignin said:

Ummmm.....

https://twitter.com/zachgoudie/status/1052391085828399115

And suddenly Canadians are even friendlier than they already were.

^^This^^

Yeah, well,  not according to everybody here  

mcgruff10

@Spiritual_Chaos   Zoodles!!! Zucchini olive oil, garlic , pesto and parm. 

Spiritual_Chaos

mcgruff10 said:

@Spiritual_Chaos   Zoodles!!! Zucchini olive oil, garlic , pesto and parm. 

Haha. Was close to take a picture of the cauliflower I ate today for lunch and upload. But forgot.