I've been trying to figure out a place to park a fairly substantial sum of money that I can't risk but also don't like the sub-2% interest rates I'm getting on. By the by, I remembered Premium Bonds, a UK government bond I used to invest in when I was a college kid (invest in = put 20 pounds I had saved over the week into). I called National Savings & Investments, who administer the Premium Bonds program, and was told that Americans living in America were not really eligible. Why not? Because the US Post Office won't deliver mail sent about Premium Bonds due to US law.
A little puzzled, I emailed the Post Office about it, not really expecting an answer. Yet, this morning, here it is:
"Thank you for contacting us about investing in "premium bonds" run by the United Kingdom government.Lottery and raffle tickets are not permitted mailings within our Postal Service. This prohibition is based on a Federal law (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302) passed by Congress and signed by the President of the United States. "Lottery or raffle is a scheme or promotion, whether lawful under the laws of any state, which, on paying a consideration, offers a prize dependent in whole or in part on lot or chance."We have no authority to grant exemptions to this law, and are specifically mandated by Congress to enforce it.If I can be of assistance to you in the future, please don't hesitate to contact me.Thank you for choosing the United States Postal Service®."
A bond run by a foreign sovereign in which the person investing can't lose any money is a violation of US gambling laws? Really? And what of free speech?
* UPDATE: A big thumbs up to USPS service, by the way. I'm very surprised they had something cogent to say.
UPDATE 2: The relevant case turns out to be Horner v. United States, 147 U.S. 449 (1893), in which a very similar bond issued by the imperial government of Austria was ruled to be a lottery within the statute's remit. As for what I think is one of the main reasons why a premium bond is not a lottery, the Supreme Court had this to say, citing an earlier case with yet another premium or bonus bond:
The court further remarked that it had been vigorously argued, that because the money ventured must all come back, with interest, so that there could be no final loss,
it could not be a lottery, and added: "At some uncertain period determined by the revolution of a wheel of fortune, the purchaser of a bond does get his money repaid; but we do not think this
deprives the thing of its evil tendency, or robs it of its lottery semblance and features. The inducement for investing in such bonds is offered of getting some `bonus,' large and small,
in the future, soon or late, according to the chances of the wheel's disclosures. The investment may run one year or it may run thirty years, according to the decision of the wheel. It
cannot be said this is not a species of gambling, and that it does not tend in any degree to promote a gambling spirit and a love of making gain through the chance of dice, cards, wheel or
other method of settling a contingency . . .
4/22/2009
4/21/2009
Home cooking
Ozersky's current twitter post:
"Last Meal: Corned beef sandwiches on onion rolls. Home cooking is boring."
My answer - yes, if you don't bother to cook.
"Last Meal: Corned beef sandwiches on onion rolls. Home cooking is boring."
My answer - yes, if you don't bother to cook.
4/20/2009
Simple weekend dinner
I can hardly claim credit for most of this weekend's dinner, given that the chicken dish is a Colicchio recipe, but I still think I did a bang up job cooking.
For the chicken, simply brown the chicken, and reserve. Add mushrooms (it's supposed to be morels, but I didn't have them), asparagus, and some sort of oniony thing (again, it's supposed to be ramps, but I didn't have them either). Cook until soft, add the chicken back, and then add a couple of tablespoons of chicken stock at a time until you have a nice glaze.
The game is to add the chicken stock slowly, in part to keep the chicken skins nice and crisp.
I served this with a simple salad of thinly sliced cucumbers and watercress, dressed with a classic vinaigrette.
For dessert, I had two slabs of wedding cake/duncan hines doctored with sour cream sitting in my freezer. I sliced two rounds into thirds, and made some layers with cooked rhubarb. I added a few streudel crumbles and confectioner's sugar. Actually pretty darned tasty, though it could have done with a topping of greek yogurt for some extra tang.
For the chicken, simply brown the chicken, and reserve. Add mushrooms (it's supposed to be morels, but I didn't have them), asparagus, and some sort of oniony thing (again, it's supposed to be ramps, but I didn't have them either). Cook until soft, add the chicken back, and then add a couple of tablespoons of chicken stock at a time until you have a nice glaze.
The game is to add the chicken stock slowly, in part to keep the chicken skins nice and crisp.
I served this with a simple salad of thinly sliced cucumbers and watercress, dressed with a classic vinaigrette.
For dessert, I had two slabs of wedding cake/duncan hines doctored with sour cream sitting in my freezer. I sliced two rounds into thirds, and made some layers with cooked rhubarb. I added a few streudel crumbles and confectioner's sugar. Actually pretty darned tasty, though it could have done with a topping of greek yogurt for some extra tang.
Taverna Kyklades
I note that Frank Bruni raves about Astoria's Taverna Kyklades on his blog today. Given the other choices in the area (and most notably, Agnanti) I think he's just wrong.
Also, Kyklades smells, as I have mentioned on this blog before, and mention again in Bruni's comments.
Also, Kyklades smells, as I have mentioned on this blog before, and mention again in Bruni's comments.
Restaurants of the month
I thought it would be nice to list the restaurants I visited this month, as I work on my end of credit-card cycle budget process:
Christos Steakhouse - We just bought a steak to cook at home, but from that experience, think it's probably a solid restaurant.
Mojave - Sister restaurant to Agave in Manhattan, this is our stand-by place for a quick meal with a nice tequila.
Xai Xai Wine Bar - Neat wine. Too expensive.
Daniel - The weakest of the four great New York City French restaurants, but still a very great restaurant with high ambitions.
Sushi of Gari - Not as good as Yasuda if one is after purity, but Gari's amazing twists on traditional sushi are exceptional (and the plain old sushi is pretty good too).
Porter House New York - Do you want Per Se's view onto Central Park for a fraction of the price, and to get a fantastic burger to boot? Porter House at lunch is the answer.
Motorino New York - excellent artisanal pizza.
Sripraphai - The best thai restaurant in New York, though the menu is hit or miss.
Christos Steakhouse - We just bought a steak to cook at home, but from that experience, think it's probably a solid restaurant.
Mojave - Sister restaurant to Agave in Manhattan, this is our stand-by place for a quick meal with a nice tequila.
Xai Xai Wine Bar - Neat wine. Too expensive.
Daniel - The weakest of the four great New York City French restaurants, but still a very great restaurant with high ambitions.
Sushi of Gari - Not as good as Yasuda if one is after purity, but Gari's amazing twists on traditional sushi are exceptional (and the plain old sushi is pretty good too).
Porter House New York - Do you want Per Se's view onto Central Park for a fraction of the price, and to get a fantastic burger to boot? Porter House at lunch is the answer.
Motorino New York - excellent artisanal pizza.
Sripraphai - The best thai restaurant in New York, though the menu is hit or miss.
Motorino Neapolitan Pizza
We were in Williamsburg, Brooklyn over the weekend to meet some friends at Duff's Bar, and we were hungry. Luckily, I realized we weren't too far from Motorino Neapolitan Pizza, one of the new breed of artisanal, Italian style pizzerias sweeping through the city.
Without waxing too lyrical, Motorino is excellent. A light, charred, crust, with a perfect chew. Good sauce, and excellent mozzarella (including di bufalo, if you'd like). If I had any complaint at all, it was that the pizza's dusting of pecorino was a little too strong, but that's not really a serious gripe.
I haven't been to the grand-daddy of all the artisanal pie shops, Una Pizza Napoletana, but I don't see how it could be too much superior. And at $10 for a margherita, this is good value.*
*Please spare me the whining about how $10 for a small pizza is too much, and back in 1998 you could get a slice for a buck. This is good pizza, made with good ingredients, baked in an amazing custom oven. It's not $1 a slice pizza.
Without waxing too lyrical, Motorino is excellent. A light, charred, crust, with a perfect chew. Good sauce, and excellent mozzarella (including di bufalo, if you'd like). If I had any complaint at all, it was that the pizza's dusting of pecorino was a little too strong, but that's not really a serious gripe.
I haven't been to the grand-daddy of all the artisanal pie shops, Una Pizza Napoletana, but I don't see how it could be too much superior. And at $10 for a margherita, this is good value.*
*Please spare me the whining about how $10 for a small pizza is too much, and back in 1998 you could get a slice for a buck. This is good pizza, made with good ingredients, baked in an amazing custom oven. It's not $1 a slice pizza.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
