Saint Paul Caves

Sam Adams Reinvents the Pint Glass

2007-06-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Beer snobery being all the rage these days, there is a specialty glass for every thing. The fine people at Sam Adams have invented the perfect pint glass for the good old lager. What was wrong with the regular pint glass you ask? Well I don't know, but with cancer cured and all what else would scientist do if they weren't searching for a better way to drink beer?

If you read the artcle in the Boston.com website this glass maximizes the coldness and optmizes the head... Optimizes the head is my own reading of their description about the amount of foam on top of the beer.

Global Warming Good For Beer part II

2007-06-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post I told you about glacial melt being used to make beer in Greenland. Now Texans are harnessing the power of the sun to make beer. I have never before seen such a wise use of the menencing star stationed so dangerously close to our home planet.

2007-04-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Alanis Morissette's Humps

More fun with you tube...

2007-04-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

You suck at Guitar Hero

Check this kid out! It makes me want to cry.

2007-04-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

That Beatboxing Flute Guy is Sweet!

I found this when I was looking for the "Sesame Streets" trailer. There are more than enough clips of this guy to keep you going on YouTube for an evening.

2007-04-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Sesame Streets

I love mashups! Check out this lost Scorsese masterpiece.

Picure fun!

2007-04-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying springtime in the Twin Cities!

I remembered my camera for trips to two very good picture spots last week, Harriet Island and to courtside seats at a Timberwolves game.

Michele, my belle. These are words that I remember well:

2007-02-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

I know I don't post here that often, but every once and a while I find a story sooooo good I just can't help myself. Today it is Representative Michele Bachman (R, MN-6) and her crazy talk. She was quoted as saying that Iran has a secret plan to divide Iraq and then said that her words were misconstrued.

You make the call!

Rep. Michele Bachmann, in a Feb. 9 interview with the St. Cloud Times:

"Iran is the troublemaker, trying to tip over apple carts all over Baghdad right now because they want America to pull out. And do you know why? It's because they've already decided that they're going to partition Iraq.
And half of Iraq, the western, northern portion of Iraq, is going to be called ... the Iraq State of Islam, something like that. And I'm sorry, I don't have the official name, but it's meant to be the training ground for the terrorists. There's already an agreement made.
They are going to get half of Iraq and that is going to be a terrorist safe haven zone where they can go ahead and bring about more terrorist attacks in the Middle East region and then to come against the United States because we are their avowed enemy."

From Bachmann's statement Friday afternoon:

"I am sorry if my words have been misconstrued. ... Although it is difficult to ascertain Iran's intentions toward Iraq, they are clearly not in the U.S. interest. ... If Iran is allowed to freely operate in Iraq and continues to thwart the U.S. and the Iraqi government, then we may very well see a de facto partition in which the Western Anbar province continues to house and develop terrorists."

2006-11-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

Rumsfeld Called Out On Lies About WMD

This is the video of Donald Rumsfeld getting OWNED by a CIA guy at a speech. I can't wait to see him answering questions before a hostile congress.

2006-11-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

America, F*** Yeah!!!

YouTube Fuck Yea!

2006-11-13T17:26:00.000-08:00

Paul R Nelson for Congress, Terror commercial

Okay well this one starts out a bit slow, but by the end you will agree that Paul R Nelson is a special kind politician.

2006-11-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

more Wrong Kind...

there will be more...

2006-11-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

Best Ad of 2006

Paul R Nelson. Remember that name. He is the man responsible for the most outrageous ad of a outrageous year. Please let me know if you have seen other good ones.

Republicans Lie in Maryland Too

2006-11-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

In case you missed the election day story about the Maryland Republican Party hiring homeless people from Philadelphia to hand out decietful sample ballots claiming the top Republicans were actually Democrats in heavily democratic precincts. Here is the WaPo follow-up that says the the candidates themselves knew about the dirty trick campaign. It was such a vital part of the plan that they sent Governor Ehrlich's wife to give a welcome address to the unsuspecting crew.

ITMFA

2006-11-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Rumsfeld resigns. Who would have thought that Donald Rumsfeld would not want to testify in front of a Democratic Congress? And who is surprised that Karl Rove leads the public information campaign off with misinformation. Last week George W Bush Said that he wanted Rumsfeld to stay to the end of his term. Now that we are talking about handing over the Capitol Keys to the Democrats Rummy is out and we are talking about how a "Gates defense Department" will change course in Iraq.

Wait a minute! I still want to hear some answers from Donald Rumsfeld... And Dick Cheney for that matter.

I am all for moving ahead and finding answers that work, but let's find out the truth before we allow a pass on the actions of men like Donald Rumsfeld. Democrats were elected to make government work for the people again. Let's move ahead on real health care reform and raising the minimum wage. But please, not at the expense of justice.

Please ask questions about the National intelligence estimate that led to the Iraq War.

History is watching... too dramatic? yea, I'll stick with ITMFA.

She's not kiddin'

2006-09-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

It looks like Sarah Silverman sceen tested for the new Wonder Woman movie. Cartoon Vulgarity ensues.

What is the GWOT?

2006-08-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

...and why does mean that I have to back to Iraq?

There is still no draft, but don't tell that to the Marines that are being recalled into service. Yep that's right. Involuntary recall is being used to cover for the fact that no one wants to volunteer for the War in Iraq.

The excuse Col. Guy Stratton chief of the USMC "manpower mobilization" uses is refreshingingly old' school. "The authority is until GWOT is over with," Stratton said. "Until we're told to do otherwise, we'll use it."

GWOT? what? oh! ...The Global War on Terror! I almost forgot about Iraq being the war of terror. For so long I was thinking that we were stabilizing democracy in Iraq and then going to get out. I had almost forgotten that Iraq is the "honey pot" that we will make into a "front" in the GWOT.

Please take the time to explore The Dark Side produced by PBS' FRONTLINE. It analyzes how Iraq became central to the GWOT. Keep thinking about what has happened over the last 4 years. Reality will be harder to remember as move ahead. I started writhing true statements in a notebook (ala Winston Smith) when the war started.

War is Peace!

Global Warming. What is it good for?

2006-08-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Beer that's what! Yep. The industrious inuits of Greenland have figured out how to use the melting ice cap. They are making beer with it. The water has been frozen for 2000 years so it is free from today's pollutants. If you would like to give it a try you will have to go to Denmark and Watch out for the alien microbes!

My New Personal Hero

2006-07-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

I found it pants wettingly funny that the Strib closed it's article with the fact that Norm calls his Dad his personal hero. The irony is brilliant! He uses a "I respect my father" line to dodge his lack of military service, but now we see what he was really talking about. He respects a man that can live in a different state than his wife and have sex with women half his age. Now that is a personal hero that seems well suited for the Norm.

Summertime and the living is...

2006-07-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

It is hovering around 90 degrees with a humidity that can only be described using small words. Small words, because big words get lost the haze. There is very little rational thought in this weather. Yesterday I biked to worked and got caught a downpour that soaked me to the bone and surely ruined my shoes. It was the best I have felt in days! I hope tonight brings some more rain.

I am too hot to write about politics. I will just say that I am keeping all options open in the AG race. I like the idea of a new woman one the scene, but I think that some people resist getting into elections for the right reasons. Let's see what happens.

Blah, blah, blah. The reason I really wanted to post today is to plug the upcoming Summit Beer 20th anniversary Celebration. The Summit Big Brew is a concert at Harriet Island on Sept 30th from Noon to 10pm. It is Loaded with great bands and I am almost certain they will have good beer! Currently, Cake, Soul Asylum, The Suburbs, Richard Thompson, Tapes 'n Tapes (who will be on Letterman tonite), The Alarmists and more are slated to play. Get it in your calendars. I look forward to seeing you all there. Tickets can be purchased at the Summit Brewery for $20 beginning August 7th. You can also purchase the tickets online somewhere, but they will cost you more and you will not walk away with any cool Summit shwag.

One down, one to go

2006-06-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

Amy Klobuchar recieved the DFL enorsement today here in Rochester. She is a great candidate and will be a great Senator.

Now we need to work hard to finish off the top of a great ticket by endorsing Mike Hatch for Governor. With a top of the ticket like that the DFL will be doing it's part to win the nation back from the Republicans.

Let's here it for ...CATO?

2006-06-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

That's right. I am in agreement with the Cato Institute. First I read in the Atlantic Monthly (which requires a membership or I would hook you up with the link), that the minds at Cato are speaking against unwise tax cuts. Then I stumble onto a report authored by the Univesity of Minnesota's own Dale Carpenter against the Federal Marriage Amendment. But anyone with a brain can see that this is a political game for the congressional elections. So 'nuff said about that.

Read my earlier post in the strib!

Who's Your Daddy?

2006-06-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Senator Coleman’s Counterpoint in Friday's Star Tibune explains why he did not investigate corruption on the Australian Wheat Board. But I really don't care. What I want to know is why does he refuse to investigate corruption in Washington DC. His committee is the perfect venue to look into the congressional scandals and abuses of executive power going on today, yet he uses all his power to redirect the focus away from real issues that threaten our democracy. It is clear to me that he is working for Karl Rove and not the people of Minnesota.

Constitution-smashtitution.

2006-05-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Congressional leaders have found a common enemy in George W Bush. He sent the FBI into the Rayburn Office Building and raided the office of a memeber of Congress. Now I am not going to defend the alleged actions of William Jefferson, but his actions do not give new powers to the executive branch. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have released a joint statement condemming the actions of the executive branch.

The implications of a new Presidential power to rifle through the offices of memebers of Congress have frightened even the Republican House leadership. When it is all said and done we all value our freedoms. If we don't stand up for each other who will?

I can't find a link to the statement so here it is:

"No person is above the law, neither the one being investigated nor those conducting the investigation.

"The Justice Department was wrong to seize records from Congressman Jefferson's office in violation of the Constitutional principle of Separation of Powers, the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution, and the practice of the last 219 years. These constitutional principles were not designed by the Founding Fathers to place anyone above the law. Rather, they were designed to protect the Congress and the American people from abuses of power, and those principles deserve to be vigorously defended.

"Accordingly, the Justice Department must immediately return the papers it unconstitutionally seized. Once that is done, Congressman Jefferson can and should fully cooperate with the Justice Department's efforts, consistent with his constitutional rights.

"In addition, the Justice Department must immediately cease any further review of the documents it unconstitutionally seized, ensure that those who have reviewed the documents do not divulge their contents to the investigators, and move in Court to vitiate the search warrant."

Road Trip!

2006-05-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Town Hall Brewery made a list of top 50 places to have a beer in the country.

Mistakenly left off the list was Eric's house. The dude knows his beer and will sometimes share.

So who is up for a little beer trippin'?!?

Longing for Thoughtful Governance.

2006-05-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Lori Sturdvant got it right in her opinion piece today. Using a metro-wide sales tax to build public infrastructure was a great idea that died at the hands of political cynicism.

Steve Kelley had a good idea and in a perfect world the process should have polished the idea into something that works for everyone. It seems reasonable that the rate could have been decreased or phased in... at least considered.

But the debate about the Twins Stadium did not happen in a perfect world. It was in a world where building a 42,000 seat stadium and building the system to get people there are separate conversations. Where even suggesting they be linked is controversial!

You want to plan for the future? Why do you hate baseball?

On Missed Opportunities

2006-05-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Yea, so I don't really blog all that much. I hit the blog area of my favorites and I find myself reading capital brew-ha-ha and then following his trail of beer. I can't call those opportunities missed, because the choice was to post something about nothing to be read by no one or drink good beer. No opportunity cost, it past my personal CBA.

In order to miss an opportunity there has to be a chance for something better if a different choice is made. Take for example passing a half-assed stadium bill that is not even the best offer the team has made over the last several years and designating a tax for it without addressing ANY public infrastructure issue.

Building places people congregate (read: sport stadiums) without building the infrastructure to support it is stupid. Stadium solutions that do not address transit options are missed opportunities. Need I go into the whole we need to think of a future with less gas?

We should have built a Twins stadium and a Gopher Stadium along with the Central corridor and develop a good deal with a transit componet for the Vikings Stadium. That is a missed opportunity that we have to live with for years.

If the East Metro delegation had held together... It should be noted that there is no East Metro Delegation. It is an idea that Sharon Marko and Randy Kelly had worked to forge in the waning days of the 2005 session and never has really seemed to fit. But let's assume that Ramsey, Washington and Dakota County legislators worked together as well as Hennepin and Anoka or the Range Delegation. Their 10 votes in the House for the stadium (Charron, Entenza, Lesch, Lillie, McNamara, Mahoney, Meslow, Scalzie, Slawick, Thao) could have forced a real commitment to the Central corridor and true metro-wide development.

Steve Kelley even made the link in the Senate bill! All they had to do was work together and work smart and everyone would be happy. But today we have a crappy stadium plan that was passed in a very divisive manner that will have something for everyone to hate for years to come. I think there were very good ideas that were drowned out of this final bill. I think we missed a wonderful opportunity.

Yikes!

2006-04-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

All I wanted to do tonight was to come home from a long day to catch the midnight rerun of The Daily Show, maybe check the news on the world WIDE web. Then the top two stories on my yahoo homepage grab me by the scruff of the neck and told me to start another blog and join the WTF chorus.

The administration is circling around Rumsfeld AND Is setting the stage for a war with Iran. How do we stop. Does anyone have a good idea? Are we ready for a march yet?

Check out how NewsMax spins the fact that Generals have spoken out against the Washington War Machine:

"Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division forces in Iraq, said he declined an opportunity to get a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general and return to the wartorn country as the No. 2 U.S. military officer because he could not accept Rumsfeld's tough management style.

He said he does not believe Rumsfeld has been sufficiently accountable for the plan that led to the invasion of Iraq and the ousting of Saddam Hussein, although he also said that "we have no option but to succeed in Iraq."