US Boat Washes Up in Spain

This is a cool story.  Almost.  Two men were washed overboard on their boat of the coast of Massachusetts three years go and the boat has just now washed ashore in Spain.  Read the article for the whole story.  So, two points.  First, this is really cool in understanding how ocean currents work and perhaps a testament to the builder of the boat for it to have survived intact for three years in the harsh North Atlantic ocean.  Very cool indeed.  But then, there is the part about the insinuated miracle.  The older man, only a year removed from heart surgery, was fortunate enough to have a inflatable life preserver float next to him after being thrown overboard.  Oh, boy, here we go with this miracle crap again.  First of all, why bother saving the men after throwing them overboard.  Wouldn't it have been easier for god to simply keep them on the boat in the first place.  Second, these are supposedly experienced men out on the sea off the coast.  They note that these waters are often rough and unpredictable.  Then why the hell weren't they wearing life preservers to begin with?  If you ask me, they were stupid, and damn lucky to be alive.  Don't go spouting all this miracle nonsense.

The Legacy of Joe Paterno

I have been horribly derelict in my blogging duties over the last several  months.  I have, however, been finding myself writing blogs in my head at times when I am not near the computer and I say to myself, "you need to write that down."  Well, here is one of those times.  I meant to write about this days ago, but better late than never.

PZ Myers wrote a blog about Paterno and his legacy.  In this blog he simply asked the question, "How many football games do you have to win to make up for one broken child?"  Yes, if you judge Paterno's legacy solely on his on field accomplishments and try to weigh those against the molestations of children after the reported Sandusky incident, then absolutely, the man's legacy is wanting.  But let's not discount the off the field things.  He gave many young men an opportunity to get an education that may not have gotten the chance otherwise.  Were some rules bent for eligibility and grades on occasion?  I'm sure they were.  Show me any major college program where that does not happen.  Let's not judge him against what all other coaches have done.  So, in that respect, the harsh judgement is perhaps, not fair.

However, let's take a look at the Catholic priest scandals.  There are quite a number of priests in positions of authority, while not having committed any of the crimes, knew about them and did not report them, or did not follow through on such reports.  We judge those men harshly and demand that action be taken, not only the Catholic Church, but by authorities as well.  Those men are tarnished, and their legacy's found wanting.  Why should we give Joe Paterno a pass for doing the exact same thing?

The Guinness Difference

I just got back from a business trip to Dublin, Ireland.  While there, I had the pleasure to enjoy a vast quantity of Guinness.  I've always heard people say that the Guinness in Ireland is so much better than what we get here in the States.  I would have to agree wholeheartedly.  I think there are several reasons for this.  First, the Guinness in Ireland is simply fresher, but I'm not sure that alone is sufficient.  I also heard (no idea if this is true) that the Guinness brewed for export to the U.S. is brewed in Nigeria.  If so, that changes two important ingredients (this applies no matter where it is brewed, except in Ireland).  First, the water source will be different.  Being a home brewer myself, the mineral content of the water can have a direct affect on taste.  Second, the Guinness brewed in Ireland is all brewed with Irish hops.  I suspect that the hops used in Nigeria (or whatever) would be imported from Europe and is simply not the same.

After having sampled the Ireland Guinness, I did have a Guinness (or three) at my local bar last night.  It was clearly inferior to the Ireland Guinness, but even then, the Guinness here is still a damn good beer.

Insomnia Beer

I am a beer snob.  I don't drink any beer that has "light" in its name.  I don't drink beer out of a can.  I don't drink beer out of a bottle that has a twist cap.  I like trying foreign beers and I like trying regional and local beers when I travel.  One of my favorite beers is Four Peaks Kiltlifter.  It was my regular beer of choice at one of the bars I frequent.  During the first couple of months when I started to frequent this bar, I started having bouts of insomnia.  I eventually narrowed it down to the nights when I had been to the bar, and narrowed it down even further to the beer itself.  I changed beers for a few weeks and the insomnia went away.  This was very disappointing, but ultimately necessary.  Unfortunately, I need to add another beer to my insomnia beer list.  Smithwick's.  I've had a few while visiting Ireland and had very poor nights of sleep.  The good news is that if I stick to just Guinness, then no problems.  Yay!  Fortunately, I have a short list of favorite beers that don't give me insomnia.

To be Thankful to...

Another Thanksgiving is upon us.  Thanksgiving is a holiday that I never really gave much thought to.  For me, spending time with my family wasn't that big of a deal because, well, we were always home and together anyway.  It always seems like a lot of work for 10 minutes around the table.  Anyway, as my life as changed, through marriage, separation, and divorce, the meaning of Thanksgiving has changed a bit for me.  So, here is who I am thankful to.

To Kathy, for being a good friend over these last 4+ years, and for introducing me to a whole host of new friends through the Parrothead Club.  I now have people that I know and care about (and care about me) all over the United States, from Southern California, to Salt Lake City, Iowa, Rocky Point, and numerous places in between.  Yes, I lived a pretty solitary life, even when married, and I am very thankful to her to have given me this opportunity to meet so many others.

To Rick and Julie, for also being good friends over these same 4+ years.  For letting me share a bit of your family with you, whether it be a house boat trip, trips to Rocky Point, Key West, or even being able share with you the marriage of your son and daughter-in-law.

To Annette and Eric, for sharing your home in Rocky Point and allowing me so many opportunities to come and visit and enjoy some raucous times with good friends.

To so many other of my AZPHC friends.  You guys have become like family to me.  Welcoming me into your homes and allowing me to share in all the joys, triumphs, and a few tragedies.

To Jen, who I have known since grade school, and now have an opportunity to know so much more.  I am very much looking forward to tomorrows.

To my kids, Isaak and Emma, while I have missed the opportunity to watch them grow up on a day to day basis, I am very proud of who they have become and enjoy seeing the growth and maturity in them every time I do get to see them.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

One Million Moms is Fucking Scary

So, there is this group out there called One Million Moms.  First off, they are an activist organization that is trying to clean up the moral failings of America.  They are also a "Project" of the American Family Association.  Take note, any activist organization that uses the words "Family" or "Justice" is likely to be a right wing crack pot organization.  Oddly enough, the AFA is such an organization.  Anti-women, anti-gay, and pretty much every over nasty and disgustingly wrong aspect of morality you can think of.

Anyway, this OMM group has called for a boycott of Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls ice cream.  They have called for a boycott of DWTS sponsors because ABC actually mentioned what the meaning of transgendered was.  DWTS is now accused of promoting the pro-homosexual agenda.  They are claiming credit for the cancellation of "PB Club."  That is Playboy Club, but apparently they can't bring themselves to spell out Playboy.  Adult toys being sold on Pharmacy websites.  Etc., etc.

One of their bigger campaigns is to have Google and Disney pull their support of the "It gets better" campaign to help counter the bullying experienced by LGBTQ youth in this country that has led to numerous suicides.

You can scroll through the various list of things they find offensive.  Basically, this is just a branch of the hyper-bigoted AFA.

My Issues with Obama

Before I get accused of being an Obama sycophant, I just probably take a few sentences and mention all the things that his administration has done that has really disappointed me. 

First, his failure to tackle the torture issue.  Under Bush, the US committed torture.  Plain and simple.  There are two parts to this.  One, Obama did nothing to look into the prosecution of those that committed torture.  Two, it now appears that we have outsourced our torture to other nations by shifting "enemy combatants" to other countries that may not be so unkind to certain interrogation techniques. 

Second, Obama claimed to want to be a very transparent administration.  While this administration is indeed far more transparent that probably any President before, this Administration has fought just about every attempt by the public to gain information via the Freedom of Information Act by citing the States Secrets Act.  As a side note, shame on the courts for granting just about every request made by the Obama Administration.

Third, signing the extension of the Patriot Act.  This is one of the most unpatriotic and unconstitutional pieces of legislation ever written and both Dems and Repugs alike extended it with nary a wimper as to how much of our rights have been forfeited.  The existence of the Patriot Act alone is indication that the terrorists already won.

Fourth, his massive clamp down on marijuana and medical marijuana.  Massive savings at pretty much every level of government, from towns up through the Feds, would save billions of dollars a year by simply ignoring much of the petty, misdemeanor possession charges.  Police would be redirected toward other crime prevention.  Prosecutors could focus more on felony cases.  Less money would be spent on incarceration and courts.  This alone would probably be a non-trivial stimulus to the economy.

Fifth, his inability to take control of the true message during the all of the deficit an debt ceiling debacle.  The Republicans set the message early and Obama had no choice but to give in to their whims or else the GOPers would have crashed the economy.  He is finally getting now, but the Repuglicans are brazen now.

Sixth, his ordering of the killing of the American born terrorist, al-Awlaki.  When I wrote that blog, I wasn't  sure how I felt about that act, but now I believe it was illegal and leads us down a slippery slope.  Not unlike what Bush did with the torture memos.  At the very least, al-Awlaki should have been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for various crimes.  Treason being one of them.  Then issuing a request to the Yemen government to apprehend him and extradite him to the US.  Had al-Awlaki been killed in that attempt, so be it.  But at least the due process of law for an American citizen would have been followed.  Also, if there was any evidence that he rejected his citizenship, then the Administration should have asked a court to reject his citizenship.  This would have opened up the drone attack as a true military operation against a sworn enemy of the US.