Savannah's St. Patrick's really is insane. (Police riot force training for Savannah's St. Patrick's Day) It seems unlikely, but Savannah's had some form of a parade since 1813.
Atlanta PD says it's their highest drunk-driving night of the year. From the state highway safety office:
Lurking behind this all-American tradition when everyone merrily claims to be Irish for a day is a startling statistic that no one wants to share for even a moment: Last year on St. Patrick’s Day, nearly half of all drivers involved in fatal crashes nationwide had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of (.08) or above. In Georgia, a dozen people will die as a result of alcohol-related crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to be about celebrating Irish heritage, not seeing who can drink the most green beer. Just like on Cinco de Mayo, Halloween and most recently, the Super Bowl, about half the fatal crashes on St. Patrick’s Day involve at least one driver with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
Bad luck doesn’t begin to describe it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that over the past 5 years, 851 people lost their lives in vehicle crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, from 6pm on March 16th to 6:59am on March 18th. Out of that number, 327 were killed in crashes that involved a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher. In 2007 alone, 91 people were killed in crashes involving a driver who was legally drunk.
I am definitely over St. Patrick's Day. When I was younger, it was because I couldn't get into my favorite pubs/bars because they were jammed and charging crazy covers. Now, it's just because I am an old fart.
Duelling "Obama" cafes set up on the same block in Toronto
David sez, "When it launched early last month, the Obama Cafe, at 1226 Danforth Avenue, was the city's first Obama-themed business. But it wouldn't be alone for long: just a few doors down, at 1236 Danforth, an internet shop formerly known as the United Internet Cafe got a new red, white, and blue sign of its own, and a new name, just in time for the American president's trip to Ottawa: Obama Cybernet Ltd. (or, if you go by their website, which advertises that 'yes we can help!' with your computer needs, the Obama Cybernet Cafe."
I have a strong need to post to livejournal but no access from work. Could someone look up the procedure for posting by email for me?
Paid, Permanent and Plus users can post by email or text message. On your Mobile Post Settings page, start by setting an allowed sender address and an authentication method (PIN, PGP or GPG public key).
Oops. Oh, well. Thanks anyway, The Scola.
Okay, so I can't post to lj about why I'm feeling like a lousy teacher and a failure and am drowning in self-pity, so instead I'll try to distract myself by reading the board.
NOW you guys all decide to get lives? Come back! Dance for my amusement, Internet people!
I am now nostalgic, because my favorite Italian restaurant closed just after their big St. Patty's day bash last year. I know, Italian. But they were both Irish and it was an Irish themed restaurant, it just served mostly Italian food. Plus corned beef on this day. Plus the best Irish soda bread ever.
But they closed and the city bought them out and tore the restaurant down so they can make a better entrance to their city hall. Boo.
They're part of what I consider home about this place. When the Rodeo Chedeski fires nearly wiped it out, it wasn't until after it was all over and I saw their restaurant, unharmed, on CNN that I cried.
Anyway, I would usually be going to their place today, but I'm not. Bummer.
I'm going to Toronto next week for training! I'm glad it was postponed from February.
