Glibertarians.com 2018 Archive

Author: mexican sharpshooter

  • You know what really grinds my gears?

    You know what really grinds my gears? Disappointment. Kind of like below:

    I will resist the urge to point out thst it is not I that lacks taste.  On some level I decided I should be open minded enough to write something objective about Unfiltered Sculpin….

    …but this article is about disappointment.  They had no Unfiltered Sculpin, therefore this is my review of Breakside Lunch Break IPA.

    Left: sickeningly sweet. Right: unsweetened.

    Seriously, though. How hard can it be to stock things and stock things correctly? I did the retail thing before and I get that its demeaning, menial work.  Totally suited for somebody with a philosophy degree. Then people like Starbucks have to go, and make things with pretty much the same label. For example, their Cold Brew Coffee comes in multiple versions but the one I get is Black. I get the Black Unsweetened. The problem is—morons, who hire other morons to design the format of their bottles, run Starbucks.  In short, Starbucks are a bunch of morons. Here’s what I mean.

    Notice how they look nearly identical? I am in a rush and want some coffee in the morning because like most of us, I have an addiction to caffeine. I don’t want the dizzying high and the spellbinding low that comes from the ensuing insulin dump that comes from drinking several spoonful’s of sugar. I just want the buzz.

    I can hear you now, “don’t they teach people how to read in Mexico?” I don’t know, but they did teach me to read in Arizona and yes, I can just read the label. This is my own damn fault and I recognize that; I really do. I am half awake, in a rush, and quite frankly I am not the only one that misses this, as I often find the sweetened coffee in the place of the unsweetened coffee. That tells me the morons that run the local Kroger are also in the business of hiring morons that think there is no difference between sweetened coffee and unsweetened coffee, to stock their refrigerated beverages section.

    The worst part is I always find out by opening it and taking a swig. I expect to get a blast of burnt coffee and then BAM! Instant tooth decay. This is an outrage, and something should be done to prevent morons from creating confusing labels, so other morons can put the wrong product on the wrong shelf. Something like this:

    Don’t tell me libertarians never have any solutions to societal ills.

    Its not rocket surgery, Starbucks, just make it green or blue or something, and I will stop calling you morons….okay I’m probably not going to stop calling you morons.  I will, however buy from somebody else.  Turns out Stōk keeps it simple by having a red label (sweetened) and a green label (not sweet).

    As far as the beer goes, its not bad for an IPA. In the grand scheme of things it is disappointing that I can’t find Unfiltered Sculpin at the moment but I probably wouldn’t really like that either. Breakside Lunch Break IPA: 3.2/5.

  • You Win Again, Kentucky!

    So this one time I went to Kentucky….

    Relax it wasn’t like that. I was in Lexington for work and I rather liked the town. The first thing about Lexington I noticed was–horses. I mean, hello! It’s called an automobile. It is faster than your horse. The other thing I noticed, once I got out of the class I was in, is the glut of whiskey, and whiskey related things.

    This is my review of beers aged in Bourbon Barrels.

    Why put it into a barrel? Why not?  Even if I already gave you a pretty good rundown on barrels, expanding beyond stouts may be prudent.  Besides, the chances are pretty good at least one of you has three fingers of whiskey and an open bottle of beer. More of you probably switched to whiskey once your college football team managed to knock itself out of contention–already. You were going to do both, and quite frankly the people that sell mind altering substances know their buyer.

    Supposedly, this craze began 1992, when…

    Greg Hall of Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago produced a bourbon barrel-aged beer by filling six barrels that had previously contained Jim Beam with his beer. He premiered it at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver that fall, effectively debuting an entirely new style.

    So if you hate it, blame that guy. Stouts aren’t the only thing you can throw into bourbon barrels, they simply bode well with the smooth vanilla notes the wood imbues into the beer.  They even put wine in them for reasons I cannot give an intelligent answer.

    What I can discuss, however:

    This one was pretty good. I would think a pale ale would be overpowered by the taste of whisky, and I don’t think I was wrong. Still if you happen to sip whiskey you will probably like it. Full Sail Kentucky Cream Bourbon Barrel Aged Pale Ale. 4.0/5

    I rather enjoyed this one. While I normally don’t go for an IPA, the red varieties I do find interesting. This one stands up better than the pale ale due to the robustness in ale to begin with. The whiskey mutes out a lot of the hoppiness. Founders Dank Wood Red India Pale Ale: 4.2/5

  • Milch ist Eine Schlechte Wahl!

    One of the problems I find with my preferences is that it is simply too damn hot for me to be drinking the type of beer that I normally go for. When it’s 110 degrees outside, the last thing I want to drink is milk. I hate the stuff. The way it coats your mouth, the full feeling, probably sourced from a few dozen Holsteins… On a hot day it’s a bad choice and let’s be real—I get a lot of hot days. A close second is an IPA but given my purchasing habits no longer revolve around what I want to drink and what serves a sufficient writing prompt, I have to choke that down from time to time. But imperial stout? I could but it’s just not refreshing, and quite frankly I am drinking copious amounts of beer because I am thirsty.

    This is my review of Colbitz Heide-Braurer Schwartzbier.  Cue the Space Balls-related puns.

    This beer reminds me of a friend of mine who got into Black Lager about ten years ago during college. We would take advantage of the $0.50 wings Tuesdays on Buffalo Wild Wings and get a bunch of wings. Until that one day it occurred to me I got a free T-Shirt if I did the Blazing Wing challenge. The challenge was only to eat 24 within their time constraint of an hour. Later they made it more difficult where you had to eat fewer of them, but had to do it in a few minutes.

    So…um…would ya?

    So I did it, and had a Sam Adams Black Lager or two along with it.

    Word to the wise–do not do this to yourself. You might think it’s a good idea to eat 24 ghost pepper wings, with the capsicum burning your lips the entire time. The pH balance in your stomach altering ever so slightly that you feel like your insides are digesting themselves. The mild acid reflux, the stench of fried chili grease oozing from your pores. Then there’s the morning after…. I was in ROTC at the time and had PT at 0600 the morning after. They accepted my stupidity as an excuse for missing it, because they were laughing too hard to stay serious enough to admonish me at the time.

    By the way, I didn’t get a free t-shirt.

    Eventually we made it a weekly thing. I didn’t do the challenge again, because as it turns out I am not that much a glutton for punishment, but the Black Lager thing continued.

    What is Schwartzbier anyways? You may not know it, but it is apparently one of the oldest styles around.

    Schwarzbier, literally “black beer,” is probably the longest continuously brewed beer style in the world, with its known ancestors close to three millennia in age and with definitive origins in the modern brewing cradle.

    Today’s schwarzbier combines Old World rusticity with the graceful smoothness of lagerbier, and a clean roasted edge with German malt complexity. It’s deep, ruby-black color and modest strength makes schwarzbier the lager equivalent of basic stout.

    The origin of schwarzbier lies in what perhaps the most significant historical brewing region in the world: southeastern Germany, including some of Bavaria, and portions of the former Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. The most famous, and arguably the most important, development from there was the invention of pilsner beer less than 200 years ago in Plzen, Bohemia. But the true gems from the region are the ancient, but modernly polished styles: schwarzbier and the smoky rauchbier.

    There is concrete evidence that crude schwarzbier was being brewed there as long ago as the ninth century B.C. (and undoubtedly, well before). This proof comes from an 1935 archaeological discovery seven miles west of Kulmbach in Northern Bavaria. The venture unearthed an Iron Age Celtic tomb that dated to about 800 B.C. That grave held an amphora with some residual brewing material and the charred crumbs of partially baked wheat bread, known to be the raw material for Celtic and Germanic brews of the time. Since this discovery places the oldest evidence of brewing in Central Europe in Kulmbach, and that beer was black, we can deduce that the world’s oldest, and still-produced, style of beer was schwarzbier.

    The result is something that has the dark roasted complexity of a stout (minus the lactose) combined with the refreshing nature of lager.

    Serve it cold, in tall mugs with a group of friends. This one in particular was actually pretty inexpensive for a six pack of pint cans and like all German beer is made in compliance with the Reinheitsgebot, assuming that means anything to you at all. Colbitz Heide-Braurer Schwartzbier 3.5/5

  • ¡Otra Vez, El Martes Enlaces por la tarde!

    Brett requested the afternoon off. So I have the links and I must say, CNN’s Spanish site is ridiculously buggy. You know when you go to your local paper’s site and that annoying pop-up begging asking you to support “Journalism”? It’s that for every freaking link.

    Still not Mexican.

    Before I begin, I am nauseated by Ted Cruz as much as the next guy, but this… Beto O’Rourke arrested in 1990s for burglary and DWI It’s only funny because that whole, “I don’t think this is going to go over well with voters…in Texas,” thing keeps coming up with this guy.

    This NAFTA deal has likely been discussed elsewhere but here’s the Spanish version.

    Luego de trece meses de conversaciones, Estados Unidos y México sentaron las bases para un acuerdo bilateral de libre comercio. El pacto entre estos dos países resuelve un obstáculo clave para reanudar las negociaciones con Canadá en el marco del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte. Los presidentes Donald Trump y Enrique Peña Nieto elogiaron los términos del acuerdo, que durará 16 años y se revisará dentro de seis. Ione Molinares tiene las reacciones desde la capital estadounidense

    _____

    After thirteen months of talks, the United States and Mexico laid the groundwork for a bilateral free trade agreement. The pact between these two countries resolves a key obstacle to resuming negotiations with Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Presidents Donald Trump and Enrique Peña Nieto praised the terms of the agreement, which will last 16 years and be reviewed within six. Ione Molinares has the reactions from the American capital.

    Maybe Trudeau will come around after being insulted by both the US and Mexico? In other news, a 10 foot long squid found washed ashore in Oreogone. No word on the whereabouts of SEA SMITH.

    I will point out this is in *Shudders* Argentina and most of us are old enough to remember the rolling blackouts thing. But this puts that into a new perspective.

    Con estas palabras, el secretario de Modernización municipal, Marcelo Cossar se sumó a los cruces derivados de un informe que hizo la Policía sobre zonas oscuras en la ciudad, al que bautizó “bocas de lobo”.

    “Un foco prendido o un foco apagado no tiene nada que ver con que Córdoba tenga el 25 por ciento de las cocinas de cocaína que hay en el país”, disparó, además, Cossar.

    “Somos concientes de que en algunos sectores de la ciudad tenemos un problema de alumbrado y todos los días trabajamos para solucionarlo, pero acá te afanan y te matan a plena luz del día, en cualquier barrio de la ciudad”, cuestionó el funcionario, muy cercano al intendente Ramón Mestre.

    _____

    [T]he secretary of municipal modernization, Marcelo Cossar joined the crossings derived from a report made by the police about dark areas in the city, which he named “bocas de lobo”.

    “A spotlight on or off light does not have anything to do with Córdoba having 25 percent of the cocaine kitchens in the country,” Cossar also fired.

    “We are aware that in some sectors of the city we have a lighting problem and every day we work to solve it, but here they work hard and kill you in broad daylight, in any neighborhood of the city,” the official questioned. close to the mayor Ramón Mestre

    That’ll work wonders for tourism….

    Last but not least, it is primary day here in Arizona. Hopefully, this Arpaio guy doesn’t win, goes back to his hole and stays there….

    En esta contienda, el exalguacil del condado Maricopa, Joe Arpaio, enfrenta a dos mujeres: a la favorita de las encuestas, la representante Martha McSally, quien lleva dos periodos en el Capitolio de Washington DC, y a la exsenadora estatal Kelli Ward.

    Quien gane la primaria se enfrentará a un demócrata en un desafío más duro de lo tradicional en este estado mayoritariamente conservador, pero en el que los analistas están percibiendo cambios que podrían hacer que el escaño republicano cambie de manos.

    _____

    In this race, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio faces two women: the favorite of the polls, Rep. Martha McSally, who has served two terms in the Capitol of Washington DC, and State Senator Kelli Ward.

    Whoever wins the primary will face a Democrat in a tougher challenge than traditional in this mostly conservative state, but in which analysts are perceiving changes that could make the Republican seat change hands.

    The Democrat in question is Krysten Sinema, who I am neither endorsing nor expect to win. They’ve been saying Arizona demographics will eventually change their congressional delegation since the 1996 when Bill Clinton won the state in the midst of an economic boom. Trump won by 4 points in 2016 despite the population here being 30% Hispanic and likely insulting all of them.  Somehow or another team blue just can’t get over that hump.  Who knows?  I’ll let you decide why.

    At any rate here are some tunes.  If you don’t like my music its, cool. I’m under and over it.

    Need help converting it to Murican?

     

  • Bottoms Up

    It was Friday and nothing seemed to be of interest.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted, so I did the sensible thing and found the one with the label with the most colorful, eye catching label possible.

    This is my review of Hop Valley Brewing Co Reveal Pale Ale:

    Seriously look at that rainbow, isn’t it fabulous?  I like what they were trying to tap into here.  The rainbow is a symbol known to brings positive feelings for centuries.  One of the oldest is the flood story.

    Here God tells Noah his rein of terror has ended, and the flood waters will recede, and the Earth shall flourish once more.  God promised that he will never again flood the world to destroy it and left a rainbow as the symbol of this promise.  Next time he will just use fire and throw everybody into a flaming pit.  Crazy stuff, really.  We are reminded of this promise every time it rains, after all we need the rain but not enough to flood the Earth and kill us all.  God remembers, that’s why there is a rainbow.

    The rainbow is also a symbol of fulfillment.  Think of what lies the end of the rainbow, the prize that awaits the person willing to seek out the source.  The pot of gold of course!

    Rainbow symbolism has such a powerful meaning to each of us and graciously bestows the energy of blessings. The symbolism of a Rainbow intuitively tells us to hold onto hope, to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that sacred blessings open to us when we are following our hearts desire.  And the symbol of the Rainbow tells us that we are guided to our hearts desire when we open to spirit to let us guide us.

    The rainbow itself it composed of seven colors–all the same colors representing the seven Chakras.  To learn more about the colors and their spiritual meaning, click here.

    Do you cry out for magic? Do you feel it dancing in the light?  Is it cold?  And have you lost your hold to the shadows of the night?  I have good news for you.

    While you turn that last link up, let me tell you something, this beer is good.  It has a pleasant hop balance with, dare I say, a fruity finish.  If you like the Pale Ale, but not the India variety, you might fancy this one.  Hop Valley Brewing Co Reveal Pale Ale  3.8/5.

     

     

     

     

    PS:  Yes, I do know what else the rainbow means.

  • Another Lazy Saturday

    Climate Change strikes Phoenix… again.

    Recently Phoenix was hit with a few storms, and one occurred over a Saturday afternoon.  No problem.  I can just hang out here, right?   Sure.  This however was no ordinary Saturday, it was one where we had one of these, and I simply didn’t want to go outside.  Would you go outside during one of these?

    Probably not.  So it was one of those afternoons where I tell my kids to go somewhere else in the house and find something to put on for noise.  Sadly, I didn’t have the remote.  I never have the remote.  Why? Because I am not normally interested in what is on TV; live sports, DIY, and Food Network being an exception.  So I don’t care what is on because I’m probably just going to ignore it anyway.  My wife picked a Netflix show called, GLOW.

    This is my review of Unity Vibration Raspberry Kombucha Beer.

    I hope you appreciate this is a free service I provide.

    Prior to the storm I went to Sprouts and found this while waiting for the butcher to finish my order.  I can’t watch women wrestling in the 80’s while sober; its just weird.  Kombucha seemed an appropriate choice.

    You heard me.  Its about women wrestling—in the 80’s!

    The story begins where two actresses are at their aerobics class.  I paid little attention to the dialogue, but they’re both out of work and the story line takes off when one later finds out the other slept with her husband.  Cue the main conflict.  One is significantly more attractive in the opinion of many that recall the 80’s fondly–specifically, she’s a buxom blonde.   Next they add in more conflict at the audition, where two women are questioning why are they there.  They are both relived to find out it isn’t porn, but mildly disturbed it is wrestling.

    The director of this whole thing is a hilarious composite of 80’s tropes between the thick glasses, the power-stache, alcoholism, and womanizing.  He embodies the type of toxic masculinity that quite frankly is missing from popular culture.  Yes, he’s a dick, but he’s kind of the glue that binds all these people together and frankly that’s probably why you will watch beyond episode 1.

    Coming to Comicon!

    Another reason is you might find “Wolf Girl” strangely compelling, as she is the only character not playing a character within a character.  She’s just “Wolf Girl.”  The rest of the girls are hilarious stereotypes that outside the context of 80’s culture would never be seen anywhere.  Some are okay, the Valley Girl, and the British girl named, “Britannica,” for example.  Others are intentionally offensive, such as the Hindu girl playing a Libyan Terrorist, the Asian girl playing a character named, “Fortune Cookie,”  and a Black Actress as the character called, “Welfare Queen.”

    Most of the plot revolves around the actresses learning to wrestle, finding a character to play, the blonde lady coming to terms with being a headliner for a wrestling show, having nobody else to pair in the act but with her former home-wrecker friend, and her former home-wrecker friend being unable to find a character.  That is until she figures out how to counter the blonde’s character as an All-American, Apple Pie type appropriately named, “Liberty Belle.”

    …I was wrong, this is coming to Comicon near you!

    Naturally, her nemesis is a Soviet agent named, “Zoya the Destroyer.”

    The show is filled with good one liners.  Once they actually get around to performing in front of live audiences does the plot start to slow down.  They could’ve stopped there, but they didn’t.  If you get to this point, you’re probably just going to finish the season just to find out what happens.

    So what in the hell is Kombucha?  It’s a probiotic tea fancied by the crunchy vegan types at Whole Foods and Sprouts.  Its meant to replace the “good” bacteria in the digestive tract.  I don’t recommend it unless you simultaneously spent the weekend snorting a Z-pack and are lactose intolerant.  In this situation, they simply let the bacterial cultures ferment until it comes to a high enough ABV they can reasonably market it as beer.  It’s not beer.  It’s an affront to humanity.

    So the bottom line, this show is silly but you might like it, so check it out before they make it suck like the X-Files.  This drink is also silly, and you’ll probably hate it.  Try it at your peril.  Unity Vibration Raspberry Kombucha:  1.1/5

  • Spring BIF — Last Call

    By Nephilium:

    The box arrived, albeit with some damage.  Thankfully MikeS listened to the suggestion to ship cans, and everything in the package survived:

    Revelation Ale Works Cherry Sour(below):

    This pours a clear red with a huge pink head. The aroma is a hint of cherry, and a bit of funk with some acid in the back end. The head sticks around for a while, then fades out. Bright sour notes, with notes of sweet and tart cherries coming through. Lactic acid is the
    one I’m picking up the most of, with a sharp sour note in the back of the throat. Light bodied, with lively carbonation makes this an excellent summer beer.  Overall: 3.75/5.00

    Drekker Broken Rudder Irish Red (right):

    Pours a clear brown-amber, a bit light for a red ale, with a white head.  Aroma is of caramel, with a touch of roast. Mild flavor, roasted notes, some caramel notes, and a touch of malt sweetness.  Just enough hops present to prevent it from getting cloying, with just a hint of earthy notes in the finish. The beer has a full mouthfeel, with moderate carbonation.  Overall a solid Irish red. Overall: 3.5/5.00

    Revelation Peanut Butter Stout (below):

    Aroma is moderate peanut butter, pours an opaque black with a thin ring of tan head and some dusting on top of the pint. Almost no carbonation present (though this may be due to the can and shipping), flavor is mildly sweet with a touch of roast, and a finish of peanut butter. I’d like to try this one properly carbonated. Overall 3.25/5.00*

    Drekker Pushing Daisies (right):

    Pours an opaque orange-yellow, with a thin white head. Bright aroma, with hints of citrus, clove, and chamomile. Nice carbonation levels, with a moderate body. Flavor starts a bit sweet with a touch of creamy wheat. It finishes with a nice spice and floral finish. Overall
    a solid witbier.  Overall 3.75/5.00

    Fargo Woodchipper IPA (below):

    Aroma is of pine, with some floral notes.  Pours a clear amber with a white head. This is definitely on the hop forward side, with just a touch of sweet malt notes coming through with a kiss of caramel before pine, pith, and bitterness come through.  The bitterness lingers for a while, with some earth noticeable in the finish. A bit light in body, but overall a solid IPA. Overall 3.75/5.00

    Fargo Mighty Red Imperial Red Ale (right):

    Pours a clear reddish-amber with a thin white head.  Aroma starts off with caramel, and then fades to piney hops.  Mild hop presence then the aroma would indicate, Nice caramel notes, a touch of roast, and then a mild earthy bitter finish.  Moderate body, and nicely inviting. Not sure it really reaches Imperial levels (at only 6.6%), but a solid Red. Overall 3.50/5.00

    Rhombus Iconic Blonde (below):

    Pours a clear, pale straw with a white head. The aroma is a touch of grain, with a bit of something sharp behind it. Light bodied, just a touch of malt sweetness, and a bit of floral hop notes. Crisp and refreshing on a hot day. This is a very solid blonde ale. Just the thing to reach for when you just want a clean, cold beer.  Overall 3.75/5.00

    Rhombus Derailed – Strawberry Rhubarb (right):

    A mild sour aroma starts off, with a touch of strawberry lurking behind the tartness.  The beer pours a hazy pinkish-straw with a full white head. Bright sour flavor, with both the rhubarb and strawberry coming through.  There’s enough lively carbonation to lift the flavor off the palate and keep the beer light and refreshing. Overall a very good fruited sour.

     

  • ¡El Martes por la tarde enlaces Mexicanos!

    “No dear, your father isn’t a coke-head. He simply loves Hostess Donettes more than he loves his family.”

    Once again, I have been asked to provide links on account of Brett being unavailable  snorting lines of cocaine  because you all just love the Spanish Shtick.

    Technically, this happened in Spain, not Mexico, but it is certainly notable when others appropriate American culture.

    Las autoridades de Santiago de Compostela, en el noroeste de España, calificaron como “una barbaridad y un atentado a la cultura” lo que se encontraron en la mañana de este lunes: alguien vandalizó una de las figuras que decoran el exterior de la catedral de la ciudad y la pintó como si fuera un integrante de la banda de hard rock KISS.

    La imagen de la figura, que rápidamente corrió por redes sociales, causó conmoción dentro y fuera de la ciudad, declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

    ______________________________________________________

    The authorities of Santiago de Compostela, in the northwest of Spain, described as “an outrage and an attack on the culture” what they found on the morning of Monday: someone vandalized one of the figures that decorate the exterior of the cathedral of the city and painted it as if it were a member of the hard rock band KISS.

    The image of the figure, which quickly ran through social networks, caused commotion inside and outside the city, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

    Si me contrató, el trabajo estaría hecho.

    In case you wanted to see a video of the drone that apparently tried to kill Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, CNN has not confirmed if this is authentic, but they went ahead and published it anyway…

    Speaking of Little Nicky, he wants to assure everyone this is clearly an attack from the far right, in both Venezuela and Columbia.  Apparently the Alt-right is run amok there too.

    El mandatario venezolano precisó que los autores materiales del suceso ocurrido este sábado están detenidos. “Han intentado asesinarme el día de hoy y no tengo duda de que todo apunta a la derecha, a la ultraderecha venezolana en alianza con la ultraderecha colombiana y que el nombre de Juan Manuel Santos está detrás de este atentado”, enfatizó el gobernante. Los hechos ocurrieron en Caracas durante el aniversario 81 de la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana.

    ______________________________________________________

    The Venezuelan leader said that the material authors of the incident that occurred this Saturday are in custody. “They have tried to assassinate me today and I have no doubt that everything points to the right, to the Venezuelan ultra-right in alliance with the Colombian far right and that the name of Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack,” the president emphasized. The events occurred in Caracas during the 81st anniversary of the Bolivarian National Guard.

    A Colombian human trafficking baroness was arrested in Colombia.  Normally I’m not going to say that you must click the link, but you might actually want to check this one out.

    Una mujer colombiana apodada ‘Madame’ era presuntamente la cabecilla de una red de trata de menores en Cartagena de Indias que llegó a tener en su poder a 250 víctimas, muchas de ellas adolescentes de la comunidad afrodescendiente y venezolanas entre 14 y 17 años. Liliana del Carmen Campos Puello fue detenida el pasado domingo en la operación Vesta I liderada por la Fiscalía, descrita como el golpe más importante contra la prostitución que se haya realizado en Colombia.

    El operativo ha puesto de relieve un problema que siempre a estado asociado con esta ciudad del Caribe colombiano, la más turística de la nación. La escena de un señor blanco rodeando con su mano la cintura de una chica negra mucho más joven que él por alguno de los parajes cartageneros más concurridos, como la Torre del Reloj o la Plaza de Coches, es una imagen habitual habitual que ilustra el problema del comercio sexual en la ciudad amurallada.

    ______________________________________________________

    A Colombian woman nicknamed ‘Madame’ was presumably the leader of a trafficking network for minors in Cartagena de Indias that reached 250 victims, many of them teenagers from the Afro-descendant and Venezuelan community between 14 and 17 years old. Liliana del Carmen Campos Puello was arrested last Sunday in the operation Vesta I led by the Prosecutor’s Office, described as the most important blow against prostitution that has been made in Colombia.

    The operation has highlighted a problem that has always been associated with this city of the Colombian Caribbean, the most tourist in the nation. The scene of a white gentleman encircling the waist of a black girl much younger than him by one of the most crowded places in Cartagena, such as the Clock Tower or the Plaza de Coches, is a common habitual image that illustrates the problem of the sex trade in the walled city

    Here’s one (in English) for all you Musk haters.  In a Tweet today, he made public his intention to make Tesla private.

    ¿Se gustan musico con enlances? ¿No tengo otra opción aquí?

    Como say what?  Need somebody to translate?  Fine, here.

  • BIF — Not Just a guy from Back to the Future Part 3

    The final BIF submission is by MikeS, and I said, its a doozy:

    First; apologies for my tardiness both in shipping and in getting everything drank drunk drinked quaffed.  Life got in the way.

    ron73440 sent me some really good beer as well as some nice swag; including a pint coozie that has already seen a fair share of use.  I don’t have the palate of a professional reviewer, so bear with me.

    Here we go…Glibs beer tasting; “Life on the Farm Edition”:

    No, this is not George Jones’ lawn tractor.

     

    O’Connor Green Can Golden Ale

    Crisp and clean. Refreshing. Mild citrus aftertaste. Good lawn mower beer.  If you have a friend who refuses to drink anything other than BMC, and you live by O’Connor, have them try this.  3.7/5

    O’Connor Norfolk Canyon Pale Ale

    Very similar to Green Can, just more hops. Decent. Passable PA. I’m sure PA fans would like it. 3.1/5

    Three Notch’d Hydraulion Red

    Nice reddish-gold color. Can’t explain taste very well. A tish sweet…caramel notes?  Damn good. 4.1/5

    Midnight Brewery Rockville Red Irish Red Ale

    Slightly different than the Hydraulion.  Not as much sweet (not that the Hydra’ was overly sweet).  A little more carbonation. A little less flavor than the Hydra’.  Honestly, a little bland. 3.2/5

    Belhaven Scottish Ale

    Good beer.  A little sweet.  Smooth. What is that I’m tasting…malt I think?  Like the malt in a malted milk. Not a lot, just a touch.  And the faintest bit of dryness on the backend. This is going down pretty quick.  I like this beer. 4.3/5

    Midnight Brewery Not My Job English Brown Ale

    Not bad.  Almost “light” considering it’s a brown ale.  This is one of those beers that would shock your friends who think all dark beers can be cut with a knife.  But there is something there I don’t quite like…a dryness at the end. It’s not a deal breaker, just not what I expected.  3.5/5

    O’Conner Odis Black as Sin Stout

    First off; I tried shining a very bright light through the glass.  No go. This is black as an IRA bomb maker’s soul. First taste was like toast dipped in coffee…without the soggy grossness.  So far I’m digging it. Not a heavy beer like some stouts can be. It’s an approachable beer for people who like craft beer, but think they don’t like dark beer.  3.6/5

    _____

    In honor of MikeS, I wanted to make sure the one I featured today, was something he could find in his neck of the woods.  After all, most of his comments on my articles contain some variant of the words “I,” “can’t,” “find,” and “that.”  In that order.  Let’s just say I was feeling a bit ironic while completely ignoring the definition of ironic.

    So Pabst went and made a Pale Ale?  I must confess, I went into it assuming it was going to smell like urine.  I don’t know about anyone else around here, but I for one am familiar with the scent of urine, and this my friends does not smell like urine.  This is a bit overhopped in the style preferred by the hipsters this product is aimed at.  Now whatever hops they picked for this doesn’t seem to suit the style of beer, but that’s okay.  This isn’t going to win any blue ribbons, unless the participant ribbons nowadays are blue.

    The question is….Can MikeS find this at his local merchant of mind altering beverages?  Pabst American Pale Ale:  2/5.

  • Jai Alai

    Before I begin, lets get it out of the way since it comes up from time to time:

    Am I Mexican? No, I am not from Mexico, but my family originates from a town split by the Gadsden Purchase. I happen to descend from somebody that resided on the north side. I am no more Mexican than any of you who happen to know which country your (great…) grandparents got of the boat from and lived in a neighborhood populated entirely by immigrants from the same country. Ultimately, the avatar is a reference to a character from 3:10 to Yuma.

    Now for the part that was actually questioned:

    I am not Carlos Hathcock, but I think I mastered basic marksmanship.  Pistol (left) and Rifle (right).

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. Control your breathing…

     Cool?

    The grocery store in my neighborhood was closing down. For some reason, the clerk explained, the lease Safeway held for the last 30 years was not renewed. This meant that everything was 25% off.

    Everything?

    Yes, everything.  Including things I normally think are likely too expensive for what they are. Other things included brisket, scotch whiskey, artichokes, frozen salmon…

    This is my review of Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai IPA:

    I always thought this was some kind of extreme handball. Originating in the Basque region of Spain where players simply caught and threw a ball against a wall in the church courtyard, later evolved into an actual sport. If you were at all a part of the social scene in South Florida during the 70s, you were watching Jai Alai (pronounced Hī a Lī). The sport is almost dead today, but interest spiked about ten years ago when back in the day, the Most Interesting Man in the World made a few gamblers happy.

    Part of the reason it died out was a players strike that lasted three years, and Whitey Bulger whacking the World Jai Alai president. It is a sport people gamble on after all…but in all fairness gambling is probably the biggest reason people still play it.

    The Fronton:  That is the front wall. It is made from granite for reasons to be touched on shortly. The arena itself, called the Cancha, is composed of the granite Fronton, a back, and left walls each made from concrete. There is no wall to the right, but there is an out of bounds line and a fence to protect the crowd. There is also a foul area on the Fronton itself, that is made from a different material and makes a different sound when struck. Foul balls are not playable.

    The Cesta: This is the big curved basket worn on the right hand. Each is made from woven wooden reeds grown in the Pyrenees. It is attached via a leather glove to the right hand of the player and fastened together with a leather strap called a ‘cinta.’ The Cesta allows the player to both catch and throw the ball in “one fluid motion” as required by the rules. Judges are stationed to make sure the player does not hold the ball, and throws it fluidly. It is also handy for putting a wicked spin on the ball to outwit your opponents.

    Are you left handed? You may play Jai Alai with your right hand. Because of the way the Cancha is set up, it is too dangerous to play left handed for both spectators and players. Consequently, no Cesta will be made for a left hand. If you want an advantage in a dangerous sport by being wired up backwards—stick to boxing.

    The Pelota: That means ball, en Español. The ball itself is made from a metal core, hard wound Brazilian rubber, string, and wrapped in goatskin. It is approximately ¾ the size of a baseball, or similar to a lacrosse ball should you actually be familiar with a lacrosse ball. One thing to take away; it is harder than a golf ball and hurled at speeds averaging 150-180 mph. The pelota is exchanged at 15 minute intervals and the cover replaced because of how quickly it gets worn out in a game. This is why the Fronton is made from granite; the ball would otherwise tear apart other materials.  Yes…I am linking this site as a reference.

    The rules: Ever watch prison inmates play handball in the yard? That’s pretty much it, just without the stabbings. Here’s a good rundown.

    So is it any good? If you happen to like heavy citrus IPA, yes. This is more orange/tangerine rather than the overpowering grapefruit variety that everyone loves to hate. Not my first choice but it does pique my interest in Cigar City’s other offerings, should any ever become available near me. Cigar City Jai Alai IPA: 3.5/5