Whisky

There is a liquid that exists, usually amber in color, which beguiles the spirit and soothes the mind. It can taste of peat or brine or even of seaweed, and often of the wood which surrounds it while it matures. There are combinations called blends created for smoothness and often for new flavors, and there are singles which preserve the uiniqueness and individual flavors buried deep within the liquid.

People, I have found, are easily and often unfairly separated into two opposing camps. Smokers vs. non-smokers, for example. Semite vs. anti-semite. Marina vs Mission (for the locals). Often these categories are meaningless and serve only to illustrate an isolated point or two, and even then they have to be qualified endlessly. With that disclaimer, let me say that there are two types of people: whisky drinkers and non-whisky drinkers. The distinction is obvious.

For all you non-whisky drinkers out there, allow me to explain how this works. Whisky is a alcohol from Scotland, and I'll explain below how it's made in case you wish to be educated on the finer things in life. The minimum you should know is that there are two kinds: blends and single malts. Single malts are inidividual batches, made in the same way, from the same barley, etc. Even though they are all whisky, different single malts can taste and feel very different - they're wonderfully uinique. Blends are combinations of different single malts. Often blends are made in order to make whisky more palatable for non-whisky drinkers, but there are several blends out there that are actually a quality combination of different single malts that produce a taste all their own. Making a good blend is an art, just as making a good single malt is an art.

Whisky is often enjoyed with cigars, and has been a favorite of many past men of note, like Churchill. It's also designed for sipping and reflecting or conversing, not getting drunk. That's just a waste of good whisky. If you want to get wasted, go get some Bud Light or something.

Whisky is made from malted barley, water, and yeast. The barley is soaked for a few days in vats of water, then spread out on a large surface to germinate. Germination is then stopped by drying out the barley in a kiln - which is usually heated by burning peat, a natural fuel in scotland, hence the peat tast of some whiskies. The barley is then gound up, put in hot water, and then yeast is added. Now you have alcohol, except of course it has to be distilled several times to separate the alcohol from the rest of the crap (known as the wash). Once you have a good quality, it is then put into oak casks and stored in cool dark areas for a minimum of 3 years, at which point it is officially whisky. Of course, usually you want something that's been maturing for at least 10 years to drink well, and the quality/type of oak cask matters too, since the whisky often takes on the color and flavor of the wood.

As you might have guessed, I am a whisky drinker. If you ever get the urge, please come on by and have a drink with me.

The Redskins

Yes, I am a native of Washington DC, and yes, I am a Washington Redskins fan. Through the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows, I have been loyal. Recently its been mostly downs and lows, however. My loyalty has been stretched recently since my second favorite team keeps winning Superbowls -- I refer of course to the Patriots.

As the football season nears, I feel compelled to begin posting about that most American of sports. Nobody else in the world plays anything like it, and even I admit that the whole concept is rather bizarre. It's like rugby, but with a lot more gear and rules. Plus, the game has gotten more complicated in recent years, what with the new illegal contact rules and the challenges for instant replay. Nevertheless it is fun, fun, fun.

Last year I was able to watch this purely macho enjoyment on a fairly large plasma television in HD. It was beautiful. Now however my roomate is leaving, and his television has gone as well. Being the cheap bastard that I am, I would rather just mooch off a friend. Thus, I will probably be making the trek to a friend's place every weekend, and on the occasional monday, to watch grown men beat the crap out of each other in High Definition. Oh yeah.

The problem with being a Skins fan on the west coast is that a) there aren't a lot of us AND b) they never show our games, except when we play west coast teams. Instead I rely on ESPN's live gamecast, which it looks like they might be making a pay service this year. Maybe I can persuade my friend to get the super-sports package that some cable companies offer....

The Skins are in trouble this year, but I have high hopes. I grew up in the glory days of Joe Gibbs and his three superbowls. He never let me down then, and I'm hoping he won't let me down this year. Of course he showed a pretty dismal performance last year, but there has to be some sort of a learning curve, after all he's been out of the game for over a decade. He's got Portis healthy and Betts as a great backup, which should help him with his running game focus. I think Patten and Moss were both great acquisitions, and with LaVar and Jansen both back in the line, our team stands a fighting chance.

Our weaknesses of course are significant. We've got no real pass coverage -- having lost our great corners. Our hopes now lie with Carlos and Sean. Sean of course kicks ass, and I have high hopes for him, but Carlos is a rookie and there's bound to be a learning curve there. Let's hope the defense can show a repeat performance from last year. Having Lavar should help, as he'll increase the pash rush pressure.

Our other weakness of concern to me is at quarterback. Patrick Ramsey is our starter, but he needs a lot of work. He's got a lot of heart, and I can see him really pulling through some great games, but he really has to work on his technique. He botches too many plays, particularly passes, due to small shit, like a misstep or a slightly wrong grip. He really needs to step it up. Brunell has been doing a great job in the preseason, and there's no telling what may happen come gametime.

Dancing Matt

A video of a guy who quit his job to go travel around the world, and danced a jig in every location. It's just cool. I really want to go to all of these places -- I'm very jealous. And when I do go around the world I have often thought about how I can record the journey. Clearly a diary or travel blog of sorts will be in order. But also perhaps a video? I never thought of a music video though.

I swear, I forgot about the pipe bomb!

In a bizarre story, a college student was detained in Oklahoma City airport after a pipe bomb was found in his luggage. He says he "forgot" about the pipe bomb.

WTF?? I don't care who you are, you don't "forget" about a pipe bomb! This is not a pair of friggin nailclippers. What does "forgot" mean anyway? He forgot to take it out of his suitcase? What the hell was a pipebomb doing in his suitcase to begin with? This whole thing is just absolutely bizarre.

Gaza and Terrorism

It is still amazing to me that Ariel Sharon is initiating a pullout of Israeli settlers from Gaza, and even having them forcibly removed. This is the same guy who was once viewed as the settlers greatest ally in the Knesset, the same one who was forced to leave the Defense Ministry for actions better left undescribed. So, why is this happening? I submit to you that it is simply because of this: Sharon has come to realize that Israel cannot win this fight the way they are fighting it. They need to change tactics. He's still thinking like a military man, and he's right.

There are those who criticize him for "letting the terrorists win" - they say he's getting soft. I think that argument, while well intentioned, is completely without merit. It fails to distinguish between the underlying cause and the tactics used to fight for that cause. And while nobody that I know condones suicide bombings or any violence against civilians, I also fully believe that kicking hundreds of thousands of people off their homeland isn't quite a nice thing to do either, and I think they're justified in wanting restitution. However, what I believe is not really important. What's important is that they believe it, and believe it with a fervor that continues unabated.

The hypocrisy here, by the way, is kind of tragically amusing. Civilians die every day in Iraq due to violence, and not all of it comes from jihadists (despite what you read in the US press). We also let hundreds of thousands of people die in countries all over the world due to starvation and malnutrition, while at the same time destroying tons of rice and grain a year in order to subsidize the agriculture industries of different countries. But I digress.

Sharon knows that by leaving Gaza, he removes the 'Israel is interfering' excuse so that Palestinians can come up with their own functioning governmnet, and he increases the efficacy of the army because of the more limited and specialized function they will play with respect to Gaza. While I've always been in favor of giving the Palestinians their own state, I'm not quite sure this is what I've had in mind. To be honest, it's kind of scary.

Basically, Gaza is to become a large open air prison, without wardens. Yes, it's true, although the analogy is not particularly pleasing. Palestinians will be left to manage their own affairs, but on a land with no resources or industry. Thus, they will be completely dependent on Israel for their entire economy. In addition, all land and sea borders will still be controlled by Israel, as will things like immigration, sharing of water, etc. I see how this is in Israel's interests, and the removal of settlers is necessary for a just peace, and I applaud this move by Sharon.

But I wonder what impact this will have on the Palestinian psyche? How will they react? I imagine there will be two camps: one will say "we need to focus on building a working community here", and the other will say "look - we're winning. let bomb them some more.". I think there will be some of the latter regardless. To a certain bitter extent, they are right. I wonder what this says about the US in Iraq? How long will the resistance there stand around and fight when years afterwards we still have dozens of bombings a day? I really hope we don't have to do what the Israelis did in Gaza, cuz I just don't see how that holds a future for it's inhabitants.

Two Quickies (in a row!)

So I made a promise to post book reviews, but I have not been doing so. Really it's not that big of a deal, since I don't even know who I promised -- I guess I promised my readers, but what does that really mean? I don't even know who reads this thing. And since the promise isn't personal in any way, i don't feel bad breaking it. I guess that might be ethically unsound, but Kant I think would agree with me. And I'll take him over Hume.

Over the past week I read three books, the first two of which I will give a brief review here in case I don't return to post a more in-depth one of them, although that remains my intent. But honestly, intent does not hold up in a court of law, so I see no reason why it should hold up in a blog. Regardless, here they are: two quickies.

Everything is Illuminated
by Jonathan Foer
Is it? I'm not sure. This book is amazing and disappointing at the same time. It's amazing to see talent in such raw form -- there really are the seeds of a fantastic writer here. His facility with the English language is great, the creativity seeps through every page, and his story holds together because, like any good storyteller, his characters are very believeable. However, it's disappointing in that it's not quite mature. For example, he does great things with language in his prose, but I almost got the feeling that he was forcing changes in style and rythym just to prove that he could. It did not quite flow, although it was well done mechanically. His main characters were well sculpted, but some of the peripheral characters seemed out of place - tossed in to make the story move along. You get my point - he just needs to add a dose of honesty to his writing.

Mountains Beyond Mountains.
This one hails from the non-fiction realm. If you want to be really inspired, I mean really inspired, then this is a good book to read. Either that, or you'll feel miserable because you're constantly comparing your life to Paul's life, and realizing that your life is worthless. In my case, I alternated between the two. Paul Farmer, as you might have guessed, is the hero of this tale. And it is indeed non-fiction -- I read this book to get an idea of his life before reading some of his works on public health. Overall the writing in this book is average, the storytelling is good but not great, and the author has one heck of a bias. But then again, you don't read this book for its questionable literary value. You read it to learn about Paul Farmer - a real life hero. And there it does not disappoint.

The one I finished most recently is Old School, by Tobias Wolff. I really enjoyed it. More on it later.

Death by Gaming

This is ridiculous. This man actually refused food and drink in order to play Starcraft for 50 hours in an internet cafe in South Korea, before dying of exhuastion. I have several problems with this.

1) Starcraft!?!? Are you kidding me? Of all the games to die playing, this really make this whole scenario even more tragic than it already is.

2) He did this at an Internet Cafe. Don't you think that if you played games so much that you got fired from your job and you are willing to play for 50 hours straight, that you'd buy your own cheap computer to play games on? I'm guessing he could afford it, since these things are pretty cheap and ubiqutous in South Korea.

3) Just the whole damn thing seems really really odd. I mean really. 50 hours. That's more than two days straight, with no rest. I can't even stare at a computer screen for more than 1-2 hours straight without giving my eyes a rest.

A Day Off

Recently I took the day of work. It was a beautiful day in San Francisco, and I spent it in a wonderful fashion. First let me clear up a misconception. Those of us who are young working stiffs, not too far from college, often dream that when we take a day off, it'll be like Ferris Bueller on steroids. We'll drive a Ferrari, eat at an amazing restaurant by conning a stuck-up prick, and be in a parade before solving our best friend's lifelong problems by trashing his father's most prized possession. Unfortunately, that just does not happen (to most of us anyway. if you're different, please give me a call next time you take the day off work.)

I slept in. Just a simple thing, but oh what a great start. Then I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Now one thing I've found about chocolate chip pancakes -- it polarizes folks like few other things can (with the possible exception of Microsoft). Either you like them, or you're too polite to say out loud that it's one of the dumbest concepts you've ever heard of, and something you think should only be on the IHOP menu for the 6 year old kids with irresponsible parents. Well I'm here to tell you that these (when made properly, of course) pancakes represent one of earth's most perfect foods.

After the pancakes, I watched some of LOTR, specifically the Two Towers (if you don't know what LOTR stands for, then get off my weblog now. NOW!) These three movies are some of the best ones produced in the past decade, and watching them on the plasma TV while eating chocolate chip pancakes is exactly what days off should be like. Well actually I should probably be devoting my time to healing the sick, or enriching my mind, or working out. But honestly, sometimes you just have to let things slide. I could already tell it was going to be a great day.

Next I went downtown. Since this is already going to be a long entry I can tell, I'll just cut it short halfway through the day, and continue the rest at a later date. Anyway, I caught the J-Church a few blocks from my house. With the aid of www.nextbus.com, I didn't have to wait for eons wondering when the train would come. Seriously folks, if you live in SF don't bother looking at the MUNI schedule, cuz you know even the MUNI drivers have never seen it. NextBus offers a technological solution that is easy and practical -- GPS tracking on certain MUNI lines. Perfect for not waiting.....I just wish I had known about this last winter.

The MUNI ride was uneventful, and I read my book during the majority of it. I used to listen to my iPod on journeys of this nature around town, but since I lost it a few weeks ago, I've been learning live a life that is iPod-less. It's lonely and scary at first, but you get used to it. Seriously though, it's amazing how something so new had so quickly become an indispensible part of my life. I had not realized how much it actually cut into my reading time. I'm back to at least one book a week now, and closing in on two (i know, i should post reviews of these more regularly. i promise to get to it soon. recent reads this week include "Everything is Illuminated" and "Mountains Beyond Mountains").

Gotta run. Perhaps I'll finish this tale up another time.

Robin Cook Dies, Age 59

Widely regarded as one of the most able Parlimentarians of his time, it's a real shame to see Robin Cook die so damn young. He was smart, able, and principled.

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It is believed he was taken ill while walking with his wife Gaynor near the summit of Ben Stack, at around 1420 BST, Northern Constabulary said. Mr Cook was flown by coastguard helicopter to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, where he was pronounced dead, said an NHS Highland spokesman.

The Labour MP for Livingston was considered one of the Commons' most intelligent MPs and one of its most skilled debaters. He spectacularly resigned from Tony Blair's Cabinet in March 2003 over the Iraq crisis.

But many people regard Robin Cook's finest moment in the Commons as his devastating analysis of the Scott report on the arms-to-Iraq scandal

Some of Mr Cook's enemies regarded him as arrogant and distant, while his supporters believed he should have led his party.
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Whether or not you agree with his stand against the Iraq war, he certainly deserves credit for being one of the few politicians around, not just in the UK, that is willing to stand on principle and not compromise what he believes. Of course, he also had some personal scandal that kind of throws doubt on the whole "man of honor" theory. Whatever the conclusions, Labour has lost someone of great importance, and the entire Commons should mourn this loss.