Especially You, HedonismBot!: Westvleteren Blonde

And we’ve opened the Winter Beer Supply.  Thank God.
We debut the WBS on a sideways note, as we’re drinking the least acclaimed and respected beer from, perhaps, the most acclaimed and respected brewery in the world.   The Abbey of Saint Sixtus, which produces Westvleteren beer, produces three different brews–a dubbel, a quadrupel, and a [...]

Especially You HedonismBot!: Storm King Stout

Among the many fabulous breweries in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, perhaps the most well regarded is Victory, in Downingtown, which is a little less than an hour from Center City.  The brewery is most well known for its HopDevil Ale, a nicely bitter IPA, with good malty body and a floral scent.  They also have [...]

The Way We Watch

There has been debate for years about whether baseball should have instant replay.  Football has its red challenge flags (which, frankly, has always seemed a little hokey to me), and basketball reviews “buzzer” plays at the end of each quarter, and hockey reviews questionable goals.  Baseball, however, to this point has resisted this technological advent.  [...]

Do They All Die?: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Last week, we looked at Cormac McCarthy’s book, No Country for Old Men.  To start off this week, we take a look at the Coen brothers’ cinematic adaptation of the same book. 
As with the book, the movie focuses on the three characters of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who finds the money, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) who chases [...]

Barack Obama: Hand and Heart

So, a couple of days ago, there was a mini-controversy surrounding Democrat Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who was accused of keeping his hands at his sides during the Pledge of Allegiance.  In addition, while all his competitors placed hand on heart and said the pledge, Obama kept his mouth silent and shut.
As it turns out, [...]

Ed Wade Continues to Bring Veteran Relievers to Phillies

Astros (and former Phillies) GM Ed Wade completed a trade with current Phils GM Pat Gillick last night, sending Geoff Geary, Michael Bourn, and minor league third baseman Mike Costanzo to Houston for closer Brad Lidge and infielder Eric Bruntlett.  [Link]
Personally?  It’s hard to tell what’s happening with Lidge.  His numbers were mostly good in [...]

Mr. Thursday’s Book Shelf: PATHOLOGIES OF POWER

“First, to what level of quality can medical ethics aspire, if it ignores callous discrimination in medical practice against large populations of the innocent poor? Second, how effective can such theories be in addressing the critical issues of medical and clinical ethics if they are unable to contribute to the closing of the gap of [...]

Nutter Wins Race, Philadelphia Declared ‘Utopia”

Michael Nutter is Philadelphia’s mayor-elect, defeating Republican opponent Al Taubenberger in what could have been described as a clean, but unfair, fight.  Nutter gathered 83% of the votes, which comes in shallow of the hoped-for 85%, but it bests the Philadelphia mayor’s race record, set by Ed Rendell in 1995 (77%). 
Naturally, upon his election, criminals [...]