Dispelling the mystique of the ‘Green Fairy’: Part two

There seem to be numerous theories as to why the beloved drink absinthe was banned, but one that seems to ring true is more of a conspiracy. At the beginning of the 20th century, studies were published that claimed thujone was a neurotoxin, causing people who consumed the beverage to go insane.

The studies, as they were, got immense backing after a horrific murder that occurred in Switzerland in 1905. On August 25, 1905, a man named Jean Lanfray murdered his pregnant wife and their two children in a drunken rage. It was later revealed by police that he had drunk an excessive amount of wine and brandy, along with two ounces of absinthe. The fact that Lanfray had consumed wine and brandy was completely overlooked and during Lanfray’s murder trial, his attorneys argued that the two ounces of absinth Lanfray consumed were to blame for his murderous actions. Deemed a case of “absinthe madness,” the press went to town dubbing it the “Absinthe Murder.”

Many believe that it was pressure from wine producers, who saw the popularity of absinthe as a threat to their sales, which caused blame to be place on the liquor. By 1910 absinthe was banned in Switzerland. In the U.S., absinthe was mostly consumed in cosmopolitan cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco, and, of course, New Orleans. In 1912,when sordid stories of sex-crazed absinthe parties spread across the nation, absinthe was banned in the United States. Finally, in 1915, absinthe was banned in France. And although Pernod continued to produce absinthe in Spain, the drinks popularity declined, so did sales and the company ceased production in the 1960s.

In the 1990s high-alcohol green liquors began being produced in the Czech republic and labeled as absinth(e). These liquors were then exported to the U.K. and marketed with both questionable historical links and claims of “mind-altering” abilities. This did not last long as the directors of Liqueurs de France decided that enough was enough and petitioned to resurrect their pre-ban brand of absinthe.

In the United States, credit for the resurrection of real absinthe can go to Ted Breaux, Master Distiller at Viridian Spirits and the creator of Lucid Absinthe Supérieure. Breaux is a man on a mission who spent nearly two decades studying every aspect the tabooed drink, from authentic formulation to authentically formulating it. What many do not know regarding the legalization of absinthe in the United States is that since the Prohibition Repeal on December 5, 1933, technically absinthe has been legal. And once it was all ‘splained to the powers that be, absinthe was legally legal for sale in the United States in 2007.

The Daily Dose had several objectives for writing a two-part series about absinthe. We had set out to dispel ridiculous myths, reveal the facts, and remind people that absinthe began as a “commoner’s” drink. The modern-day snobbery and misconceptions regarding absinthe is comical and asinine. Absinthe is a strong, but delicious drink. And enjoying an absinthe cocktail is no different from enjoying a vodka cocktail. Speaking of which, readers can get delicious recipes by clicking HERE and check out the traditional preparation, explained by Mr. Breaux, by clicking HERE.

Find Part One Here

The Battle of Gettysburg: 150th Anniversary Tribute book

Fought over the course of three days, July 1-3 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. It was the bloodiest battle fought on American soil and it is said that visitors to the Battlefields of Gettysburg can still feel the presence of fallen soldiers. For Civil War history buffs this year will be an exciting time, as the 150th anniversary of this battle will be celebrated in grand style.

While many will travel to the hollowed grounds, for this special celebration that begins next week, many will not have the opportunity. “Gettysburg: Turning Point of the Civil War” written by the writers at Time, offers a plethora of information about America’s most historic battle.

The book takes readers through an hour-by-hour timeline, including a chapter for each of the three days of the battle. It contains maps, first-person accounts, and biographies of the commanding officers. The photographs and pictures, including a six-panel insert of Paul Philippoteaux’s Gettysburg Cyclorama depicting “Pickett’s Charge” places the reader at the battle. The book is a priceless treasure and is available online at Amazon ($21.78 hardcover, $9.99 Kindle) and major bookstores in the U.S. including Barnes and Noble.

The Most Badass Moments in World History

In support of HISTORY’s new epic miniseries, MANKIND THE STORY OF ALL OF US, HISTORY wanted to share the most badass moments in world history.

These exciting, jaw-clenching, action-packed moments shaped who we are today as a human race:

• Aztec Warriors Fight to the Death
• Shock and Awe: Constantinople Under Fire
• The Mongols Weaponize the Plague
• The Beginning of Modern Warfare
• St. Paul is a Wanted Man
• The Spartans Take Down the Mighty Persians
• Venetian Bank Heist

Key points covered throughout the MANKIND series include: surviving the Ice Age, discovering farming techniques, the sacking of Rome, empire-building under Genghis Kahn, inventing movable type, discovering the New World, the fall of the Aztec Empire, creating the Industrial Revolution, exploring space, re-engineering the human body, and much more. MANKIND THE STORY OF ALL OF US is narrated by Oscar Nominee Josh Brolin and premieres Tuesday, November 13 at 9 pm EST.

Mankind The Story of All of Us - Sneak Peek

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

The text of Governor Corbett's proclamation is as follows:

Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, 2012

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania embraces the 2012 National Hispanic Heritage Month theme "Diversity United, Building America's Future Today"; and

WHEREAS, the Latino-Hispanic American community's values - deep and abiding faith, love for family and strong work ethic - are America's values, and the contributions from this community have helped make our county great; and

WHEREAS, Latino-Hispanics bring together the rich traditions of communities with centuries-old roots in America. Their diverse and vibrant culture includes elements originating in Spain, North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean; and

WHEREAS, Latino-Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority group in the country, the fastest growing minority community in the Commonwealth and make valuable contributions to the Commonwealth through business and industry, government, education, the sciences, arts and faith; and

WHEREAS, Latino-Hispanics have served with honor and distinction in many conflicts since the Revolutionary War and have made enormous contributions to our diverse society by sharing their talents, attributes and deep connection to their family values, culture and tradition.

THEREFORE, I, Tom Corbett, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, do hereby proclaimSeptember 15 – October 15, 2012 as HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH in Pennsylvania.  I join with all Americans in celebrating the many achievements of Latino-Hispanic Americans and recognizing their contributions to our nation.

TOM CORBETT, Governor

Fun Facts About New Mexico’s History

1. Santa Fe is the highest capital city in the United States at 7,000 feet above sea level.
2. The province that was once Spanish New Mexico included all of present day New Mexico, most of Colorado and Arizona, and slices of Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Wyoming. The Original American Territory of New Mexico that congress created in 1850 included all of New Mexico and Arizona plus parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. The boundaries of present day New Mexico were drawn by congress in 1863 but New Mexico didn't become a state until 1912.
3. Each October Albuquerque hosts the world's largest international hot air balloon fiesta.
4. Las Cruces makes the world's largest enchilada the first weekend in October at the "Whole Enchilada Fiesta".
5. Lakes and Rivers make up only .002% of the state's total surface area. The lowest water-to-land ratio of all 50 states. Most of New Mexico's lakes are man-made reservoirs. A dam on the Rio Grande formed the Elephant Butte Reservoir the state's largest lake.
6. The Rio Grande is New Mexico's longest river and runs the entire length of New Mexico.
7. The world's first Atomic Bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 on the White Sands Testing Range near Alamogordo. North of the impact point a small placard marks the area known as Trinity Site. The bomb was designed and manufactured in Los Alamos.
8. White Sands National Monument is a desert, not of sand, but of gleaming white gypsum crystals.
9. Hatch is known as the "Green Chile capital of the world".
10. New Mexico is home of Philmont Scout Ranch located in Cimarron.
11. Grants was at one time known as the "Carrot capital of the country" until the process of cellophane wrapping began and California took over title. More recently Grants has been known as the "Uranium capital of the world" and produced the bulk of the nation's uranium supply during the post-World War II and Cold War era.
12. New Mexico is one of the four corner states. Bordering at the same point with Colorado, Utah and Arizona.
13. The Palace of Governors in Santa Fe, built in 1610, is one of the oldest public buildings in America.
14. More than 25,000 Anasazi sites have been identified in New Mexico by archeologists. The Anasazi, an amazing civilization who were the ancestors of the Pueblo, where around for 1300 years. Their great classical period lasted from 1100-1300 AD.
15. The state of New Mexico shares an international border with the country of Mexico.
16. The leaves of the Yucca, New Mexico's state flower, can be used to make rope, baskets and sandals.
17. 1/4 of New Mexico is forested, and the state has 7 National Forests including the Nation's largest, the 3.3 million acre Gila National Forest which includes the Gila Wilderness.
18. The largest fire in the state's history was ignited on May 4, 2000 in the National Park Service's Bandelier National Monument, when a controlled burn meant to clear away dry brush and prevent future wild fires leaped out of control due to high winds. 25,000 people, including all the residents of Los Alamos, were forced to evacuate their homes.
19. In 1950 the little cub that was to become the National Fire Safety symbol Smokey the Bear was found trapped in a tree when his home in Lincoln National Forest was destroyed by fire. In 1963, in Smokey's honor, the New Mexican legislature chose the black bear to be the official state animal.
20. The word "Pueblo" is used to describe a group of people, a town, or an architectural style. There are 19 Pueblo groups that speak 4 distinct languages. The Pueblo people of the southwest have lived in the same location longer than any other culture in the Nation.
21. The Navajo, the Nation's largest Native American Group, have a reservation that covers 14 million Acres.
22. To a certain degree New Mexico's Indian Reservations function as states within a state where tribal law may supersede state law.
23. New Mexico's State Constitution officially states that New Mexico is a bilingual State, and 1 out of 3 families in New Mexico speak Spanish at home.
24. In some isolated villages, such as Truchas, Chimayo', and Coyote in north-central New Mexico, some descendants of Spanish conquistadors still speak a form of 16th century Spanish used no where else in the world today.
25. The Palace of Governors in Santa Fe is the oldest Government Building in the United States.
26. At Lake Valley, miners discovered silver in veins so pure that the metal could be sawn off in blocks, instead of having to be dug out by traditional methods.
27. The father of modern rocketry Massachusetts scientist Robert Goddard whom some called a crackpot, came to New Mexico in 1930 to test rocket-ship models. From those humble beginnings the aerospace industry became one of New Mexico's leading industries.
28. To test the latest rockets White Sands Missile Range was created on the same land where the first atom bomb had been exploded.
29. After WWII Los Alamos and Albuquerque had many new laboratories. Hundreds of highly educated Scientists and Engineers moved in the state. New Mexico soon had a higher percentage of people with Ph.D.s than any other state.
30. 1 out of 4 workers in New Mexico work directly for the Federal Government. State and local governments are also major employers.
31. Public education was almost non-existent in New Mexico until the end of the 19th century. As late as 1888 there was not a single public college or high school in the entire territory.
32. Two important aspects of New Mexico's economy are scientific research such as the nuclear energy research carried out at Sandia National Laboratories and mining of natural resources such as oil, natural gas, uranium, potash, copper, coal, zinc, gold and silver.
33. New Mexico has far more sheep and cattle than people. There are only about 12 people per square mile.
34. Since New Mexico's climate is so dry 3/4 of the roads are left unpaved. The roads don't wash away.
35. During the height of the so-called lawless era of the late 1800' when Lew Wallace served as territorial Governor, he wrote the popular historical novel Ben-Hur. First published in 1880, it was made into a movie in 1959 starring Charleton Heston.
36. Saint Paul's United Methodist church in Las Cruces has 7 bell choirs.
37. The world famous Santa Fe Opera has an open-air (outdoor) theater situated dramatically outside of the capital city in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains.
38. The town of Deming is known for its annual duck races.
39. Cimarron was once known as the "Cowboy capital of the world". Some of the old west's most famous names, such as Kit Carson and "Buffalo Bill" Cody lived there. A quote from the Las Vegas Gazette illustrates how lawless Cimarron was. "Everything is quiet in Cimarron. Nobody has been killed in 3 days."
40. Roswell the states 4th largest city was founded in 1869 when a professional gambler established a lone store on the cattle trail.
41. Moon Rocks can be found at the International Space hall of fame that is located in Alamogordo.
42. Tens of thousands of bats live in the Carlsbad Caverns. The largest chamber of Carlsbad Caverns is more than 10 football fields long and about 22 stories high.
43. Taos Pueblo is located 2 miles north of the city of Taos. It is one of the oldest continuously occupied communities in the United States. People still live in some of its 900 year old buildings.
44. New Mexico's largest city Albuquerque was founded in 1706 as a Spanish farming community. It was named after a province in Spain.
45. New Mexico's capital city Santa Fe is the ending point of the 800 mile Santa Fe Trail.
46. The City of Truth or Consequences was once called Hot Springs. In 1950 the town changed its name to the title of a popular radio quiz program.
47. The town of Gallup calls itself the "Indian Capital of the World" and serves as a trading center for more than 20 different Indian groups. Every August it is the site of the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial
48. New Mexico was named by 16th century Spanish explorers who hoped to find gold and wealth equal to Mexico's Aztec treasures.
49. Native Americans have been living in New Mexico for some twenty thousand years. The Pueblo, Apache, Comanche, Navajo, and Ute peoples were in the New Mexico region when Spanish settlers arrived in the 1600s.
50. On the same desert grounds where today's space age missiles are tested, ten-thousand-year-old arrowheads have been found. New Mexican history has ranged from arrows to atoms and has embraced Indian, Spanish and Anglo cultures. Few states can claim such a distinctive past.

VH1 to recognize 20th anniversary of the L.A. Riots

VH1 today announced VH1 Rocks Docs will recognize the 20th anniversary of the L.A. Riots with “UPRISING: Hip Hop and the L.A. Riots.”

It’s been 20 years since the L.A. Riots, the four days of unrest, looting and rage that paralyzed Los Angeles and sent racial shockwaves throughout the country. After decades of racial tension in South Central Los Angeles, VH1's Emmy Award-winning VH1 Rock Docs explores the connection between the violence manifested on the streets during the 1992 riots and the rage expressed in Hip Hop.