DISQUS

Works like a charm! Though I pointed my browser symlink at /usr/bin/x-www-browser to maximize my levels of abstraction.

Thanks much.

N.B. that is not an Olmert quotation. Later in the same piece:

What Olmert, who appears on the verge of indictment for fraud, did say in his “soul searching on behalf of the nation of Israel” was that he had made “mistakes” as a former right-wing hard-liner and that military power will not deliver his 60-year-old country from existential anguish.

“We could contend with any of our enemies or against all our enemies combined and win,” Olmert said. “The question that I ask myself is, what happens when we win? First of all, we’d have to pay a painful price. And after we paid the price, what would we say to them? ‘Let’s talk.’ ”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/opinion/01cohen.html

N.B. that is not an Olmert quotation. Later in the same piece:

What Olmert, who appears on the verge of indictment for fraud, did say in his “soul searching on behalf of the nation of Israel” was that he had made “mistakes” as a former right-wing hard-liner and that military power will not deliver his 60-year-old country from existential anguish.

“We could contend with any of our enemies or against all our enemies combined and win,” Olmert said. “The question that I ask myself is, what happens when we win? First of all, we’d have to pay a painful price. And after we paid the price, what would we say to them? ‘Let’s talk.’ ”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/opinion/01cohen.html

An addendum to comment #1:

The vast majority of states are winner-takes-all but this is decided by the state. Nebraska and Maine, I believe, are the only two not to award all electors to the candidate who wins a plurality of votes.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html#takeall

An addendum to comment #1:

The vast majority of states are winner-takes-all but this is decided by the state. Nebraska and Maine, I believe, are the only two not to award all electors to the candidate who wins a plurality of votes.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html#takeall

I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here, thinking the confusion is due to the typical conflation of evolution (fact) and natural selection (theory). When some folks say evolution is a theory, they actually mean natural selection is a theory.

So I give him a pass. And I don't think it would affect his presidency in the slightest, even if I'm wrong.

I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here, thinking the confusion is due to the typical conflation of evolution (fact) and natural selection (theory). When some folks say evolution is a theory, they actually mean natural selection is a theory.

So I give him a pass. And I don't think it would affect his presidency in the slightest, even if I'm wrong.

Looks like "wiktionary" is already in usage:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page

But, yes, LingoZ is a neat idea! Maybe neat enough for MGorman to vent spleen over.

Soon to be known as the "before I became addicted to beer" photo. :)

I forgot y'all were in Cali when I wrote my lengthy beer comment. You should have a solid selection of beers out there, better than back east. A very good local (to you) brewery is Anchor in SF. Check out their porter -- very good -- and their signature steam beer ("Anchor Steam").

I admit I'm a bit fixated on beer.

Soon to be known as the "before I became addicted to beer" photo. :)

I forgot y'all were in Cali when I wrote my lengthy beer comment. You should have a solid selection of beers out there, better than back east. A very good local (to you) brewery is Anchor in SF. Check out their porter -- very good -- and their signature steam beer ("Anchor Steam").

I admit I'm a bit fixated on beer.

Finally have a few free moments.

I am glad Dave made the distinction between ales and lagers, especially since lagers are the dominant American beer. I have found ales to be far more interesting in general, though there are some very good lagers out there, especially bocks (spicy), schwarzbiers (dark and malty), and pilsners (pale but hoppy).

I quibbled with Dave's beer ontology earlier, in terms of boldness. If you're going by maltiness or by color of the beer, stouts and porters are the boldest. Both are ales. The stout, according to Wikipedia, is short for a "stout porter", so I guess Dave and I are both right. I owe him a beer.

In terms of hoppiness, the boldest beer I have had is India Pale Ale (or IPA), which is slightly hoppier than a pale ale. If you're looking for an example of extreme hoppiness, try Victory's Hop Devil Ale. That's a little too hoppy for my tastes; the best IPA, IMO, is Bridgeport's IPA. Delicious and floral, you can really taste the hops.

Some good starter beers, in addition to the others I mention, are Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Lindeman's Framboise Lambic Ale, Boddington's Pub Ale, JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager, and Franziskaner Hefeweizen. So many more, too.

Brown ales are also good starter beers. Very smooth and tasty.

Also, if you get a chance, try as many Belgian beers as you can. Though they are often pricier than domestic microbrews, they are totally worth it. Tripels, dubbels, lambics, trappists... they're all worth a try. Some specific beers to look for: any of the Chimays, La Chouffe, and Leffe Blonde.

Please write us updates as you delve deeper into the wonderful world of beer.

Lastly, if you haven't yet, go to wikipedia and waste a few hours reading their various pages on beer. It's a friggin' treasure trove. (Though you might wind up reading about Chinese Communism or Marmots after so many clicks.)

Finally have a few free moments.

I am glad Dave made the distinction between ales and lagers, especially since lagers are the dominant American beer. I have found ales to be far more interesting in general, though there are some very good lagers out there, especially bocks (spicy), schwarzbiers (dark and malty), and pilsners (pale but hoppy).

I quibbled with Dave's beer ontology earlier, in terms of boldness. If you're going by maltiness or by color of the beer, stouts and porters are the boldest. Both are ales. The stout, according to Wikipedia, is short for a "stout porter", so I guess Dave and I are both right. I owe him a beer.

In terms of hoppiness, the boldest beer I have had is India Pale Ale (or IPA), which is slightly hoppier than a pale ale. If you're looking for an example of extreme hoppiness, try Victory's Hop Devil Ale. That's a little too hoppy for my tastes; the best IPA, IMO, is Bridgeport's IPA. Delicious and floral, you can really taste the hops.

Some good starter beers, in addition to the others I mention, are Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Lindeman's Framboise Lambic Ale, Boddington's Pub Ale, JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager, and Franziskaner Hefeweizen. So many more, too.

Brown ales are also good starter beers. Very smooth and tasty.

Also, if you get a chance, try as many Belgian beers as you can. Though they are often pricier than domestic microbrews, they are totally worth it. Tripels, dubbels, lambics, trappists... they're all worth a try. Some specific beers to look for: any of the Chimays, La Chouffe, and Leffe Blonde.

Please write us updates as you delve deeper into the wonderful world of beer.

Lastly, if you haven't yet, go to wikipedia and waste a few hours reading their various pages on beer. It's a friggin' treasure trove. (Though you might wind up reading about Chinese Communism or Marmots after so many clicks.)

Sam Adams is a domestic microbrew, though it is possibly the most well-known and well-traveled microbrew. It's good stuff for being widely available.

I don't have time for a full comment at this moment -- and it's killing me, because I love beer and can't wait to talk brew with you -- but I disagree with Dave on a couple points. For instance, I would say that a stout is bolder than a porter, though that depends on how you're measuring boldness. If judging by hoppiness, an IPA (India Pale Ale) trumps most porters and stouts. But I'll save that for my real comment. Maybe tomorrow morning.

My (quick and dirty) advice? Keep on doing what you're doing: buy sample packs and drink with friends in case you don't like what you've got. No two beers are the same and Dave's rundown of the various kinds of beer is good, though it gets even more granular than he let on. It took me many months to get hooked on beer, and even then I never really got the full range of beers until I moved to Seattle -- the Pacific Northwest is a hotbed for microbrews, and there's no lack of liquor licenses.

I'm forcing myself to stop typing right this instant. More later.

Sam Adams is a domestic microbrew, though it is possibly the most well-known and well-traveled microbrew. It's good stuff for being widely available.

I don't have time for a full comment at this moment -- and it's killing me, because I love beer and can't wait to talk brew with you -- but I disagree with Dave on a couple points. For instance, I would say that a stout is bolder than a porter, though that depends on how you're measuring boldness. If judging by hoppiness, an IPA (India Pale Ale) trumps most porters and stouts. But I'll save that for my real comment. Maybe tomorrow morning.

My (quick and dirty) advice? Keep on doing what you're doing: buy sample packs and drink with friends in case you don't like what you've got. No two beers are the same and Dave's rundown of the various kinds of beer is good, though it gets even more granular than he let on. It took me many months to get hooked on beer, and even then I never really got the full range of beers until I moved to Seattle -- the Pacific Northwest is a hotbed for microbrews, and there's no lack of liquor licenses.

I'm forcing myself to stop typing right this instant. More later.

I used to be a huge Tool fan (and now I am simply a huge tool).

I tend to think they peaked at Undertow though I can appreciate their more proggish offerings. Lateralus was pretty damned good and fortunately lacked the sort of "gaggy" tracks that disrupted Aenima. I could not get into 10,000 Days.

Were you ever on the Tool-list or involved with other online Tool communities? We may have run into each other in the past, if so.

Where would you classify bands like Tool and Kyuss? They seem to be on the cusp of metal and alt-rock. They're about as metal as I get, though I dig Black Sabbath and appreciate pre-Black album Metallica.

I used to be a huge Tool fan (and now I am simply a huge tool).

I tend to think they peaked at Undertow though I can appreciate their more proggish offerings. Lateralus was pretty damned good and fortunately lacked the sort of "gaggy" tracks that disrupted Aenima. I could not get into 10,000 Days.

Were you ever on the Tool-list or involved with other online Tool communities? We may have run into each other in the past, if so.

Where would you classify bands like Tool and Kyuss? They seem to be on the cusp of metal and alt-rock. They're about as metal as I get, though I dig Black Sabbath and appreciate pre-Black album Metallica.

Translated into Kindergarten English:

*fingers in ears* LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!

Translated into Kindergarten English:

*fingers in ears* LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!

Daniel,

Where did you see or hear that Pelosi is gauging the amount of impeachment support she has? All that I've read to date indicates that she considers impeachment totally off the table. So I am quite curious. Thanks.

-Mike

Daniel,

Where did you see or hear that Pelosi is gauging the amount of impeachment support she has? All that I've read to date indicates that she considers impeachment totally off the table. So I am quite curious. Thanks.

-Mike

10.times do
puts "Ruby rocks!"
end

10.times do
puts "Ruby rocks!"
end

I haven't believed since I was a child, but I would say that I definitely filled the void with elevating romance. I was that "that kid" in college who idolized Jim Morrison and filled notebooks full of horrible poetry about true love. Yeah, you know the one.

I'm not sure anything is filling the void now, to be honest. I'm pretty much skeptical, cynical, and agnostic across the board. If I had to choose something, I'd say it's Justice or Order.

I haven't believed since I was a child, but I would say that I definitely filled the void with elevating romance. I was that "that kid" in college who idolized Jim Morrison and filled notebooks full of horrible poetry about true love. Yeah, you know the one.

I'm not sure anything is filling the void now, to be honest. I'm pretty much skeptical, cynical, and agnostic across the board. If I had to choose something, I'd say it's Justice or Order.