Thanks Coca-Cola!

Some say that we can thank the Coca-Cola company for the way we imagine the modern day Santa Claus.

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Originally Santa Claus was dressed in furs or cloth suits of red, blue, green, or purple. Each country portrayed him in a different color. At the beginning of the 1930's, the burgeoning Coca-Cola company was looking for ways to increase sales of their product during winter, then a slow time of year for the soft drink market. They turned to a talented commercial illustrator named Haddon Sundblom, who created a series of memorable drawings that associated the figure of a larger than life, red-and-white grabed Santa Claus with Coca-Cola. These advertisements of Santas holding bottles of Coke became a perennial Christmastime feature which helped spur Coca-Cola sales. The success of this advertising campaign helped invent the image of the modern Santa Claus that is now accepted across the world.

Google Maps

This is pretty cool. Starting at 10 a.m. today, Internet users who click on the "Street View" box on Google Maps (maps.google.com), will be able to peek at images from streets in Boston and surrounding communities. The views were stiched together from images taken by Google employees over the past year from cars and vans equipped with cameras..
Oddly enough they even included Nahant, but not Lynn, Salem or any other North Shore community...
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Check it out, and maybe u will see yourself walking down one of the streets in Boston!

Buffyverse

MY LIFE IS NOW COMPLETE

I just bought the complete series of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and ANGEL on DVD

Las Vegas: Coke vs Pepsi

Holy crap, this made my week...okay, maybe year!! Some genius in Las Vegas put together a map outlining all the hotels that serve Coca-Cola or Pepsi! Next time I’m in Las Vegas, I’ll know exactly which Pepsi Hotels to avoid!!! Now I gotta get this guy to come to Boston to do the same thing, because if I know ahead of time which you serve, I won’t go into your establishment if its pro-pepsi. I’m serious, this is coming from a kid who picked his college on weather they served coca-cola or not…

To view the full map, go here: http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/coke-or-pepsi.htm

Greenway Parks are Open

If you haven't noticed, or if you never venture in to the North End, both parks are finally open on the Greenway! Too bad they are opening right in time for winter....

Here's a link to see what the full park looks like according to the MTA: http://www.masspike.com/bigdig/parks/nendpark.html

Bulfinch Triangle

Here's a few diagrams showing what Bulfinch Triangle, AKA that Empty Space across the street from the Banknorth Garden, will look like when finished, or more likely if it's finished. All I care about is when the hell are they gonna put in the Stop n' Shop?!?! They've been promising us this for the last 4 years! The people of the North End need it, STAT!

http://bostonreb.com/blog/2007/10/23/think-boston-is-in-a-real-estate-funk-bulfinch/ -The Boston Real Estate Blog by John Keith

Damages

So last night was the season finale of Damages on FX. Does anyone watch this show?? From looking at the ratings, I guess not. But I thought this was the best show on tv this year. Here’s a quick summary of what the show is about and what most people missed! Hopefully it will come back for a 2nd season…

The premiere episode begins with Ellen Parsons running through the streets, visibly stained with blood on her hands and face, and in a state of shock. The police arrive and take her in for questioning, but she refuses to give any information; she simply demands to see a lawyer. Using a bloodied business card found on her with the words "I was warned" and her signature on the back of it, they contact someone who tried to employ her once, and clues start to unfold.
With that the show shifts to its main focus, a timeline six months in the past. It first introduces Patty Hewes, a ruthless lawyer, then details how Ellen came to be one of Patty's associates. Hewes is in the midst of a huge class-action lawsuit against Arthur Frobisher, and is willing to do anything — and use anyone necessary — to win it.
The story shifts back and forth between two timelines, providing connecting details (for example, six months ago, a pair of miniature Statue of Liberty bookends is given as a gift, while in the present it is seen as evidence, i.e., a murder weapon).