Beer… Momma Knows Best!

Hate to say this guys…But the ladies are kicking our butts in the sanctified world of better hops…

Don’t let them close to the grill and ribs!

No Glass Ceiling for the Best Job in Whole World

Turns Out Women Can Often Beat Men as Beer Tasters

…SABMiller PLC decided several years ago to reach deeper into its employee pool to find adept tasters, inviting marketers, secretaries and others to try their hand. The company concluded that women were drinking men under the table.

“We have found that females often are more sensitive about the levels of flavor in beer,” says Barry Axcell, SABMiller’s chief brewer. Women trained as tasters outshine their male counterparts, he says.

If practice makes perfect, men should have the clear edge in beer tasting, since they account for 72.8% of the world’s beer sales, according to market-research firm Datamonitor Group. But SABMiller, which makes Pilsner Urquell, Peroni and Grolsch in addition to Miller and Coors brands, says its empirical evidence shows that females are the superior sex when it comes to detecting such undesirable chemicals as 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, which makes beer “skunky.”

Finding the very best tasters is crucial to the beer industry. Tasting panels ensure that the beer spilling out of the tanks each day conforms with the specific characteristics for each brand—such as the mild fruit flavor in Coors Light or the dry finish of Peroni. Tasters also help brewers decide how long their beers will stay fresh on store shelves, and what new products to introduce.

Today, 30% of SABMiller’s 1,000 advanced-level tasters are female, Mr. Axcell says. The number of women tasters has roughly quadrupled in 10 years…

 

Republikkkan Hayaration on Thurgood Marshall

It all comes out eventually.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

The Kagan Hearings: Trashing Thurgood Marshall, posted with vodpod

 

Tesla IPO a Hot Ticket!

A good buy – but don’t bet the baby’s college education on it!

2012 Model S

Investors grab Tesla Motors IPO

Tesla Motors will offer up its shares to the public for the first time on Tuesday, testing investors’ faith in a company that has proven it can make functional and stunning electric cars but has never had a profitable quarter.

PayPal founder Elon Musk’s seven-year old auto company lost $55.7 million last year and $260.7 million since its inception. The company has performed so poorly from a financial standpoint that Musk recently said he lost his entire personal fortune on Tesla.

But investors are giddy about the Palo Alto, Calif.-based automaker’s initial public offering, prompting Tesla on Monday to increase the number of shares it plans to offer by nearly a fifth to 13.3 million.

Tesla, which will trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “TSLA,” priced its shares late Monday at $17 each, above the target range of $14 to $16. That allowed Tesla to raise more than $226 million in the IPO.

 

Republicans Attack Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall and Arthur Shores, February 29, 1956. Gelatin silver print. Visual Materials from the NAACP Records, Prints and Photograph

Like we couldn’t see this one coming… This has been rolling around in the Rethugly “Groupthink” for a while.

Kagan may get confirmed, but Thurgood Marshall can forget it

As confirmation hearings opened Monday afternoon, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee took the unusual approach of attacking Kagan because she admired the late justice Thurgood Marshall, for whom she clerked more than two decades ago.

“Justice Marshall’s judicial philosophy,” said Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, “is not what I would consider to be mainstream.” Kyl — the lone member of the panel in shirtsleeves for the big event — was ready for a scrap. Marshall “might be the epitome of a results-oriented judge,” he said.

It was, to say the least, a curious strategy to go after Marshall, the iconic civil rights lawyer who successfully argued Brown vs. Board of Education. Did Republicans think it would help their cause to criticize the first African American on the Supreme Court, a revered figure who has been celebrated with an airport, a postage stamp and a Broadway show? The guy is a saint — literally. Marshall this spring was added to the Episcopal Church’s list of “Holy Women and Holy Men,” which the Episcopal Diocese of New York says “is akin to being granted sainthood.”

 

The War in Washington – Glenn Becks MLK Day Facade

Hasn’t been this much racim walking the streets of DC since the KKK March of Aug 18, 1925. Think Beck ought to move his date up 10 days to coincide with something similar to his views –

The first Tea Baggers - Aug 18, 1925 KKK March on Washington

Beck ‘Hijacks’ MLK Anniversary for Tea Party Rally

With his critically maligned new thriller—accused by some of being a playbook for armed insurrection—perched happily at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, Glenn Beck is on to new provocations. His plans for a massive “take our country back” Tea Party rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, have caused great umbrage among King loyalists, stunned that the Parks Dept. would give the Fox host a permit for that day.

It’s not the first instance of Beck Kingsploitation, Devona Walker reports on Alternet, but usually he’s just used King’s words to promote and protect himself. “Now, he is actually hijacking King’s legacy for purposes that run counter to everything King stood for. This—even more than calling President Obama a racist—seems to be the most vindictive and spiteful move yet.” Liberal radio host Bill Press, too, pulled out all the stops, saying, “If you ask me, that’s like granting al-Qaeda permission to hold a rally on September 11—at Ground Zero. What the hell were those bureaucrats at the Park Service thinking?”

 

Get Yo’ Gun Bling Here!

With the SCUMUS 5 decision today to override the rights of State and Local Governments and allow anyone, anywhere to pack heat…

It’s time for the designer gun show, such that your gun matches your accessories.

Colt .38 Super "El Senador" Prized By Mexican Cartel Kingpins

I mean, if we are to descend into mayhem – then let’s at least go in style…

Taurus Bling in a Model 92 9mm

Too stock? Get y’er Ak here!

Gold Plated AK

More Ladylike?

Gold Scrolled PPK for the Lady 007

Something from the “Cartel Collection”?

Guns seized from Mexican Drug Cartel

Worried about a bunch of armed crazy people turning your town into the Wild West?

I’m going Old Skool…

 

Giant Negro Rehabilitation – Jack Johnson’s Possible Pardon

Jack Johnson was a turn of the last century prize fighter whose flamboyant lifestyle, penchant for white women, and racial politics of the time put him on a collision course with the powers that be – much as Muhammad Ali’s stand against the Vietnam War. A collision course that would see Jack Johnson jailed.

Hat Tip – The Grio

Fans fight for pardon of boxer Jack Johnson

A century ago, black heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson reached the pinnacle of his career when he defeated “Great White Hope” Jim Jeffries in Reno in what was billed as the “Fight of the Century.”

One hundred years later fans of the legendary fighter are still seeking a posthumous presidential pardon for Johnson, saying that his later conviction for transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes was steeped in racism.

The Johnson faithful will gather here July 2-4 for the centennial of the July 4, 1910, bout to celebrate his life. They also hope to build on a resolution passed by Congress last year urging President Barack Obama to issue the pardon.

 

What Happened to “Don’t Shoot the Piano Player”? Mexican Drug Hitmen Kill Music Star

Drug Thugs in Mexico continue their murderous rampage…

Mexican Singer El Shaka Shot Dead by Drug Thugs

Just hours after Mexican singer Sergio “El Shaka” Vega denied reports he had been murdered, he was shot dead by a suspected drug crew on his way to a concert. The popular star was a Grupero or narcocorrido singer who extolled the exploits of drug barons and their crews, and was the target of threats by rival gangs. Gunmen in a truck opened fire on Vega’s red cadillac in Sinaloa state, causing the singer to crash. The thugs then “finished Vega off” with shots to his head and chest, a passenger told a Mexican newspaper.

Earlier that day, Vega, 40, denied reports he was dead. “It’s happened to me for years. Someone tells a radio station or a newspaper I’ve been killed, or suffered an accident,” he said. “Then I have to call my dear mum, who has heart trouble, to reassure her.” He said he was entrusting his fate to God. At least 7 Grupero musicians have been killed in the last 3 years by suspected drug hitmen, reports the BBC.

 

Robert Byrd, Longest Serving Member of Congress

Briefly met Robert Byrd what seems like 1 million years ago when I was a technician servicing computer equipment on the Hill in my first job in the computer industry. Was working on some equipment in his office when he walked in, and unlike a lot of pols, said hello. This was the 70’s, and the country was still in a turmoil, told him my Dad was from West Virginia coal mining country, and remember asking him if he was related to the Virginia Byrds, a political dynasty which held sway in Virginia for near 60 years. He said something to the extent of “no, they don’t claim us – we’re the poor hillbilly coal miner Byrds”.

Robert Byrd, longest-serving member of Congress, dead at 92

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, the self-educated son of a coal miner who became the longest-serving member of Congress, died early Monday at age 92, the senator’s office said.

Byrd, a nine-term Democrat, was known as a master of the chamber’s often-arcane rules and as the self-proclaimed “champion of the Constitution,” a jealous guardian of congressional power.

His speeches were laced with references to poetry and the Greek and Roman classics, often punctuated by the brandishing of his pocket copy of the national charter.

He was also known as the “King of Pork,” using top positions on the Senate Appropriations Committee to steer federal spending to his home state — one of the nation’s poorest.

Byrd relished the title.

“Pork, to the critic, is service to the people who enjoy some of the good things in life, and I’ve been happy to bring to West Virginia the projects to which they refer. I have no apology for it,” he said.

He was an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, calling his 2002 vote against a “blind and improvident” authorization of military action the proudest moment of his career…

Robert Carlyle Byrd was born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr. on November 20, 1917, in the North Carolina town of North Wilkesboro. His mother died when he was a year old, and he was adopted and renamed by his aunt and uncle, Titus and Vlurma Byrd.

He started his political career by running for the state House of Delegates in 1946, while working as a butcher and welder. He won a seat in the House of Representatives six years later, was elected to his first Senate term in 1958 and won his ninth in 2006, three weeks shy of his 89th birthday.

“If it’s the Lord’s will, the people will send me there. Why? This Constitution needs a champion,” he said before the 2006 vote.

As the senior senator of the majority party, Byrd served as the Senate’s president pro tempore — third in line of presidential succession, behind the vice president and speaker of the House.

While he set two endurance records in Congress, he was only proud of one in the end. The other was for his 1964 filibuster against the Civil Rights Act, when he spoke for 14 hours and 13 minutes in an effort to derail the law.

He opposed civil rights when he first ran for office, a stance he came to regret later in life. He blamed “that Southern atmosphere in which I grew up, with all of its prejudices and its feelings,” for his opposition to equal rights, which included joining the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s.

He called the move “the greatest mistake of my life,” an “albatross” that would always shadow his career.

“It’s a lesson to the young people of today, that once a major mistake has been made in one’s life,” he said, “it will always be there, and it will be in my obituary.”

 

The Sno’ Ho’ Dissed By College Kids

Picked up on a live Mike were the comments by Cal State students after suffering through a Sno’ Ho’ babble…”Now we know what is the dumbest of the dumb”!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

PALIN CONTROVERSY! – CSU Students Call Palin “D…, posted with vodpod

 

President Obama’s Accomplishments

Why does the right hate President Obama so much?

I mean other than that “color” issue…

The simple fact is, President Obama has accomplished more, in a shorter time than any President since Roosevelt. Handed a country that had been screwed into virtual economic collapse by conservative stupidity, greed, and avarice – he has steadfastly moved the dime forward.

Scary shit for Rethugs and conservatives. A President who actually leaves the country a better place than when he took office.

18 Months into office the catcalls and howls about “accomplishment” are nothing more than political posturing. It took a lot longer than 18 months for Rethugs to drive the country into the dumpster. And it is a fact of life it takes a hell of a lot longer to unscrew something than it took to screw it up in the first place.

The reason all those Rethugs running for office are shouting all those coded, and not so coded racist comments is the brutal fact that not a single conservative policy initiative during the entire 8 year Bushit Administration fully supported in lockstep by a Rethugly majority Congress and Senate…

Was a success.

History repeats itself for conservatives in that when you have failed when elected to positions of power…

Run on race, and the always dependable racism of a segment of the American populace, and the fears of another.

A coalition of bigots and cowards.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Rachel Maddow: Obama getting a lot done, posted with vodpod

 

The Real Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill

Hat Tip to NewsOne for this one!

This one examines some of the impact of the oil spill on daily lives in Louisiana.

 

Faux Reporter Drop-Kicked Out of Iraq By Military for Treason

Faux News scum selling out our Military again in an effort to create casualties and thus embarrass the Obama administration. These scumbags will sink to any level – including providing information to th enemy to kill our own people.

Military kicks Geraldo out of Iraq

Fox News Channel correspondent Geraldo Rivera is being expelled from Iraq for broadcasting details about future U.S. troop movements in the country, according to the Pentagon.

A primary obligation of the hundreds of reporters traveling with coalition forces in Iraq is to refrain from disclosing sensitive information about military operations.

The veteran correspondent, who was temporarily accompanying the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, violated the rule during a live broadcast on Fox television.

“He was with a (U.S.) military unit in the field and the commander felt that he had compromised operational information by reporting the position and movements of troops,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Reuters.

After the disclosure, members of the 101st Airborne were in the process of escorting Rivera out of the combat zone, a Pentagon official told CNN.

“He will be dropped at the Kuwaiti border,” the official said.

Fox News in New York had no immediate comment, according to Reuters.

In the broadcast, Rivera instructed his photographer to tilt the camera down to the sand in front of his feet so that he could draw a map.

The Fox correspondent then outlined a map of Iraq, and showed the relative location of Baghdad and his location with the 101st Airborne unit.

Rivera then continued with his sandy diagram to illustrate where the 101st would be going next.

“He went down in the sand and drew where the forces are going,” said a stunned senior military official. “He gave away the big picture stuff.”

They ought to be using his ass to “test drive” some of those roads in a Toyota…

For IEDs.

 

“Hayta”ration as a Platform

One of the things the Tea Baggers group has been wildly successful at is letting Republicans let out their inner bigot.

Yet another example of the stream of invective and racism pouring our of Rethugly mouths…

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

Jan Brewer: Most Illegals Running Drugs

While “a lot” of illegals hopping over Mexico’s border into Arizona are looking for work, most are running drugs for cartels, says Gov. Jan Brewer in comments yesterday that elicited a chorus of critics who slammed her for everything from political posturing to racism. “I believe today, that the majority of the illegal trespassers are under the control of organized drug cartels and they are bringing drugs in,” Brewer said.

Brewer’s office later backpedaled, saying most human smuggling run by drug rings, which “are by definition smuggling drugs.” Malarkey, one Mexican senator tells theAP: “Traditionally, migrants have been needy, humble people who in good faith go looking for a way to better the lives of their families.” Border Patrol acknowledged some illegals are carrying drugs, but that most “drug smuggling is done by people who intend to do that. That’s their livelihood.” AG Terry Goddard, Brewer’s presumptive Democratic opponent, said Brewer “does not understand the difference between illegal immigration and the organized criminals who are members of the violent drug cartels who pose a very a real danger.”

 

Red State Sale? Bankrupt Greece Selling Islands

Geez – I always wanted my own Island!

With conservative s massive whining about the budget deficit – I think Greece has hit upon a solution! Considering the Red States that so many conservatives run are net welfare whores in terms of Federal Dollars being given to them far in excess of what they pay in…

Let’s sell them!

For SALE – Former Southern State, beautiful (somewhat) pristine beaches, (usually) mild weather, complete with political leadership which stays bought. CHEAP! Complete with Riviera, slightly leaky oil wells, an inexpensive (now unemployed) workforce, and blue(ish) water. A real fixer-upper deal!

Bankrupt Greece Selling Islands

What’s a country with no money and thousands of islands to do? Greece is trying to pay off some of its massive debt by selling or offering long-term leases on some of its 6,000 islands, only 227 of which are inhabited, the Guardian reports. The country, which received a $135 billion bailout from the European Union last month, has also put its rail and water systems up for sale.

“I am sad—selling off your islands or areas that belong to the people of Greece should be used as the last resort,” said the director of one property agency. “But the first thing is to develop the economy and attract foreign domestic investment to create the necessary infrastructure. The point is to get money.”