Uhhhhhh. Not again.
”Hello.” I answered. I don’t know how this gag still has legs but if they’re going to keep doing it… “Its 0300.”
”It 1400 in Abu Dhabi. Mr. Swiss have several business interests on the Arab peninsula. You know damn well your obsession with sleeping in why you still work for government funded industry instead of being truly successful like Mr. Swiss.” Prathiba was on roll.
“Cry more, pussy.”
That was a bit harsh to wake up to.
”What do you want?” I asked.
”Mr. Swiss record instructions for you on a video. I send to your email inbox.” Prathiba answered.
”You could’ve just sent the video, and I’d watch it when I get up in 3 hours.”
”Maybe, but if do it that way, I don’t get a chance to ruin your morning.”
…
”Touchè. Are we done here?” I asked.
*hangs up*
___________________
“Okay are we recording?”
”One second, Mr. Swiss…okay”
”That was three seconds.”
”Sorry, Mr. Swiss.”
”Don’t apologize, we do Swiss precision here. Do better.”
”Yes, Mr. Swiss.”
”Oh, and don’t wear that again. You totally kill that Dom outfit, and it may help maintain our office culture of fear but Sheik Mohammad Hussein Al Dha’haria asked me why there is a whore in my office this morning. Had to talk my way out of that one.
”Yes, Mr. Swiss.”
Swiss waved Prathiba away.
“The Emperor’s Triumphant Return” – Artist unknown, 6 AD
”Mex! I am afraid between multiple lines of business in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Catalonian Separatist movements, that Triad asshole in Hong Kong, and an Israeli company trying to take the Saffron market from Iran we will not have time for an Oktoberfest this year. I realize this is something you look forward to each year, but this isn’t about you.
Its about me.
Having conquered the world of Maskrugstemmen, I have taken an interest in chariot racing. Why? Because its fucking awesome.
You are still however, expected to do something Oktoberfest related before October. This recording is over…
…okay how do I end it?”
Swiss pushed a button on his desk.
”Prathiba. Kill the feed!”
_____
In no particular order:
Walter Station Brewing Waltoberfest: 3.6/5
Malty. Locally produced (to me at least) so no skunk at all. My only issue was the price tag. $17 for a 4 pack so I grabbed a single. A solid offering.
Joesephbrau Oktoberfest (Trader Joe’s house brand): 2.4/5
They make a good Pilsner and a perfectly cromulent Heffe so when I say this was disappointing I’m not coming from a place of disgust for the Trader Joe’s contract brewer. Refreshing, but could’ve used more malt and a bit less simulated skunk.
Great Divide Hoss Oktoberfest: 2.1/5
Hoss is based on the Märzen lagers of Germany. Rich, layered malt notes, with hints of cherry and dark fruits, dominate, while the unique addition of rye imparts a slightly earthy, spicy character.
Another disappointing offering. I like creativity in brewing but this style just do it by the book, guys. Better to repackage this one as “amber lager”.
Half Acre Lagertown Oktoberfest: 2.8/5
I had this one last year, and was not impressed. I am pleased to report this year’s offering is much improved!
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbier: 2.1/5
They apparently used the wizards at Corporate Market Redundancy Marketing Services, Inc to name this one. Too bad they didn’t leave enough room in the budget to brew beer. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
903 Brewing Marzen is the Case That They Gave Me: 3.2/5
Hard to hate on this one, other than its name. Refreshing, malty, no skunk. Nicely done.
PROST!
Better to repackage this one as “amber lager”.
What makes you think they don’t?
What makes a beer “Oktoberfest”?
Whether or not it has the word “Oktoberfest” on the label.
👏 Golf 👏 Clap 👏
Hier.
Look for the section “Oktoberfestbier”.
Fuck off, slavers.
Part of the Reinheitsgebot, along with allowing only the nobility to brew with wheat. There’s a reason that it’s generally been ignored and mocked in the US.
That German propensity for overregulation really hamstrings them.
They’re such Deutschbags.
OK, I’ll bite. Why was it banned for half the year?
I poked around.
The best explanation I can find is that in the 16th century (the restriction dates to 1553) folks understood that beer brewed in Summer was generally bad in some way. I also found some talk of concerns over fire hazards from heating water to boiling related to Summer being dryer than Winter in the Munich area.
We know now about yeast and other “stuff” related to brewing. The Summer beer was probably brewed too warm even for ales and probably had more contamination thanks to more mold/pollen/other “stuff” in the air.
Because it was known (erroneously) at the time it was not possible to produce good and wholesome beer during the warmer months.
Since they didn’t have refrigeration, there wasn’t much they could do in the way of fermentation temperature controls. Lagers in particular do not do well with warmer ferments (producing off-flavors). As a guide, here’s a modern fermentation schedule for a lager. Ale yeasts do better, but still don’t like very warm temperatures. If you start getting over 65-70 F, then there’s really only a couple of saison/Belgian yeasts that will deal well with it. As they didn’t know about yeast at the time the Reinheitsgebot was written (it being added was one of the few amendments to the Reinheitsgebot), they just knew it didn’t taste as good.
Whether or not it has the word “Oktoberfest” on the label.
[insert Sean’s avatar]
UCS is not wrong
”Touchè. Are we done here?” I asked.
*hangs up*
He had to do the needful.
They apparently used the wizards at Corporate Market Redundancy Marketing Services, Inc to name this one. Too bad they didn’t leave enough room in the budget to brew beer. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ouch.
Swiss said they had it on tap at his local watering hole. He said more or less the same thing.
Nothing to do with beer, but I get a trifle annoyed that all the local Oktoberfests seem to happen in September. By the time the weather turns autumnal and puts you in the mood, they’re all over. 😒
The original Oktoberfest starts in September, too.
Ummmmm. I hate to break it to you GT, but September is when zee Germans have it as well. Munich’s ends the first weekend in October.
Then it should be Zeptemberfest.
The original Oktoberfest was entirely within October. It was a celebration of a marriage of a Bavarian noble. It turned into an annual event.
Eventually, Munich residents petitioned to have the celebration moved into September for better weather for drinking outside. The celebration moved to entirely in September.
The modern festival splits the difference. It starts in September, and runs for at least two weeks. It ends the first Sunday in October or German Unity Day (October 3rd), whichever is later.
Filthy peasants complaining about their naturally chilled beers.
I lived in deepest darkest Bavaria for three plus years. September is definitely better than October for sitting around and drinking bier outside.
OT. TMC is showing the “Milagro Beanfield War” later today. It is an outstanding 1988 offering with an Oscar winning score and marvelous visuals. I highly recommend it. Oh yeah a couple of no namers like Freddy Fender, Sonia Braga and Christopher Walken are in it as well.
That was required reading for me in college. I didn’t care too much for the book at the time.
The apple fests, pumpkin fests, beer fests, and haunted houses aren’t enough?
Good morning, Mexi!
Cool stein. I guess I’ll have to break out my Bavarian flag one and sample some Oktoberfests as well.
Too bad about the GD offering. I’ll see if Walter Station or 903 have made their way here yet.
Hiss is not bad, its just not Oktoberfest.
I remember Hoss being a rye (IPA IIRC). Did they rebrand it?
(I haven’t seen Great Divide locally for a while now).
Not sure. The only rye IPA I could find is called Showdown.
https://absolutebeer.com/reviews/showdown-rye-ipa/
Some searching found a label listing it as a Rye Lager. So not an IPA, but a rye.
I thought this was a Rye IPA, but I see it listed as a Rye.
I’ve had it. It’s good.
To be sure, democracy as a theoretical notion deserves our unwavering support
Slovaks have been voting in a knife-edge parliamentary election on Saturday that could radically reshape Slovakia’s approach to Ukraine and create deep rifts within NATO and the European Union.
The frontrunner, former Prime Minister Robert Fico, has made no secret of his affinity for the Kremlin during the election campaign. He has criticized the West for supporting Ukraine and adopted a strong anti-US message, even accusing Slovakia’s President Zuzana Čaputová of being an “American agent.” He has said that if elected, he would stop sending weapons to Ukraine and block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.
On election day, Fico accompanied his mother to the polls in the capital, Bratislava. He told reporters that he wants to see that Slovakia “not be run by amateurs and bums without experience. So they won’t drag us into adventures, whether it’s migration or military.”
Fico’s left-wing populist SMER party has been leading for months, although opinion polls published earlier this week showed SMER neck-and-neck with the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party.
The liberal PS party, led by the EU Parliament Vice-President Michal Šimečka, is pushing for a completely different future for Slovakia – one that includes a continued strong support for Kyiv and strong links with the West.
“Whatever happens in this election, whatever government comes out of this election, we will continue to support Ukraine,” Šimečka told reporters outside a polling station.
Experts said that misinformation and Russian propaganda have become prominent during the election campaign, with social media companies criticized for not doing enough to stop it.
However, we cannot stand idly by as the wrong people win elections.
left-wing populist
Wait wut? Aren’t all these populists supposedly right-wing?
I plan to continue my complete indifference to Slovakian politics.
Are you up to the challenge?
Fico is a commie and a bore to have at your dinner table. He was at the dinner before my wedding.
BUT HE HAS THE RIGHT OPINION ON THIS ONE ISSUE!!!111!!!
Two issues. It seems he’s right about immigration too.
Slovakia has been ruled by someone else pretty much it’s entire existence. They’ve only been independent for about 30 years and a lot of them are not thrilled at ceding power to Brussels now that they are independent, though they do like all the aid they get.
Never forget the Twitter files. Even the progs at Twitter called bullshit behind the scenes when experts claimed Russia disinfo was widespread on the network in 2016.
WooHoo!
No print failures and I was able to remove the work pieces without disconnecting the print plate – so I can print again without having to relevel. (Relevelling means a full cleanup as thought I were packing the printer up. The more I can avoid having to do that, the more I can print)
👍🏼👍🏼
I’ve gotten the next print out – no failures there either.
It’s soaking in alcohol and I cleaned up the printer.
I like the clear, low-odor resin. Even if it’s not the reason for my improved successes, it looks cool and doesn’t smell as bad as the regular resin.
I spoke too soon on there being no failed prints. Letting the slicer pick the orientation of some of the parts resulted in no details on one pair, and on support removal damage on another.
Luton Town claim first Premier League win – over Everton naturally. Who’s the Everton fan here again?
Fico has called on the Slovak government to stop supplying weapons to Kyiv, and said that if he were to become prime minister, Slovakia would “not send another round of ammunition.” He is also opposed to Ukraine joining NATO.
While in opposition, Fico has also become a close ally of Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban, especially when it comes to criticism of the European Union. If Fico wins, he and Orban could gang up together and create obstacles for Brussels. If Poland’s governing Law and Justice party manages to win a third term in Polish parliamentary elections next month, this bloc of EU troublemakers could become even stronger.
Oh, no! They could somehow impede the EU’s ability to rule the region by decree. Not acceptable.
Trumped up charges
“The defendant either purchased a gun in violation of the law and his conditions of release, or seeks to benefit from his supporters’ mistaken belief that he did so,” the prosecutors wrote on Friday. “It would be a separate federal crime, and thus a violation of the defendant’s conditions of release, for him to purchase a gun while this felony indictment is pending.”
The prosecutors note that Trump re-posted a video asserting he bought the weapon, and that a video shows him with the gun.
“The defendant should not be permitted to obtain the benefits of his incendiary public statements and then avoid accountability by having others—whose messages he knows will receive markedly less attention than his own—feign retraction,” the prosecutors argue.
The gun discussion catching prosecutors’ attention doesn’t mean Trump will be charged with any additional crimes. Yet if the judge were to look into violations of his release and find he broke his bail terms, Trump could face consequences including having to await his trial in jail.
Maybe they will try to yank Palmetto’s FFL for allowing him to handle the pistol.
He should be looking at single action army Colts, not Glocks.
I guess we’re going to find out whether or not he actually bought the gun.
I will happily wager he didn’t buy the gun.
Milley basically commits treason but Trump gets in trouble for it.
What a world.
I’m struggling with stripping 2A rights based on an accusation, not a conviction.
Powerline posts a powerful reminder at the wretchedness of DiFi.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/09/chinas-doll-departs.php
“In 2018, the San Francisco Democrat served as impresario of the “Summer of 82” hearings starring Christine Blasey Ford, who was “100 percent certain” that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had attacked her back in high school.”
Oddly, this topic came up in conversation this week. I discovered that there are still people who are absolutely certain that Kavanaugh tried to rape her.
CNN’s headline in my newsfeed for dead DiFi included “Live updates”. Are they expecting her to rise again after a couple of days?
Obligatory.
I’m expecting thunderbolts to shoot out of her outstretched hands.
Fenix ammo has thoughts on Diane’s passing.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2023/09/29/feinsteins-death-celebrated-by-novi-ammo-shop/71003854007/
This week Powerline hits it out of the park with the very first meme.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/09/the-week-in-pictures-code-violation-edition.php
😂
Oh, wait. I’m in PA. 😖
THe rhino one was subtle and awesome
I tried to get things done then tune into the USC Colorado game before it became a blowout. I didn’t make it.
And in the end the Buffs made it a game.
Thanks for doing double duty today MS. Also, my condolences to your liver.
Hear hear!
*bangs garden rake in table
Yeah, it tough getting wasted every weekend.
I just stumbled over this website
“Roadside Architecture”
Historical signs, lots of neon. Also, they mention “Relight the Night” which apparently restores and preserves old neon signs. Very cool.
Ha! I agree, it had to be said. Dude is dressed like a toddler. If he dresses like that, what does he write?
https://notthebee.com/article/take-a-break-from-the-madness-and-watch-this-tennessee-representative-hilariously-roast-a-slovenly-journalist-for-his-lack-of-fashion-sense
Lazy fuck Zoom reminder. Although Mojeaux, sloper, and me had a ton of laughs just the 3 of us last week, my tummy is feeling better and I may actually drink to excess tonight, so come join the fun. It was the cromulentest of times, it was the cromulentest of times.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87821224358?pwd=eW55MTRDbDNtQkh2aHd3M1Nmenlzdz09
Initial D is a famous street racing manga and anime. It was never my thing, but it basically gave us the Fast and Furious franchise. Naturally we can’t have anything as unpolitically correct as ICE engines or non-closed course street racing. (Mind you real street racing on blind cornered mountain roads is not what I’m suggesting either.) This is from the same author.
Allow me to present this season’s latest.
MF Ghost
Hard pass.
I’m not a fan of street racing on non-closed roads, period. Too loud, too dangerous. Unless you are in a truly remote place, then, maybe.
I say just make October 1 – Thanksgiving “the autumn holidays” and then Thanksgiving – New Year’s can be the “winter holidays” and we can all goof off from October through New Year’s because it’s “the holidays.”
What are you, German?
Wallonian.
That’s totally made up.
Totes
Don’t want to be mistaken for having Flemish ancestry.
I see you’ve been monitoring my remote workstation.
Despite the overwhelming disadvantages in specs, Kanata makes it to the top 15 while racing top-tier supercars, demonstrating his phenomenal skills.
Of course he does.
Earlier today I picked up an order at the local grocery store. Everything went as it normally does, but the person loaded an additional bag in the back of my car. I figured “Great, they made a mistake and I got part of someone else’s order”.
Turns out it was some sort of corporate celebration of their to-go system. In a reusable bag too small to be useful there was: an advertizing magazine for the store I already shop at; a packet of seasoning whose ingredients include stuff I can’t eat; a box of microwave popcorn – which I can’t eat; a bag of mix nuts – which I can’t eat; and a mini peat planet with lavender seeds.
I don’t know where I can put the planter where it would get enough light and I’d remember to water the flowers.
Got a kitchen window near the sink?
That window is … problematic.
I’m debating putting it in the office on a shelf in my cube.
Orphans. The answer is always orphans. Give one a sticky note that says “water plant at 7:00 AM daily” and your problems are solved.
How do you get your own windowsill planet? I want a windowsill planet!
I bought mine from ThinkGeek ages ago.
It’s a Mars. (And taking up the space on the kitchen windowsill GT wants me to use for my plant)
Fine, I’ll ask…why no popcorn or nuts?
Carbs.
The nuts in question are coated in some sugar-based flavorant, and I’m not wasting my daily carb budget on popcorn, or regular corn for that matter.
”some sugar-based flavorant”
Ick.
You could donate all the free stuff you were given. 🤷
I haven’t decided on the disposition of anything yet.
I would have been fine not getting anything rather than being given work in finding a proper home for it.
Milley basically commits treason but Trump gets in trouble for it.
It takes a true patriot to sell out his commander in chief.
All right, which one of us was this?
McAfee is still lurking?
When I read that, his was the first name that came to mind. But I had some fun with it.
Jeebus, don’t let Swiss gaze at this one.
Ok, I cleaned the outside of my suv. That’s enough activity for the day.
Reckless
As a government shutdown looks increasingly likely, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is sounding the alarm about the damage it could do to the U.S. economy.
“It’s really reckless and will impose immediate harm, which will intensify over time,” Yellen said in an interview with NPR on Friday.
A big fear is a government shutdown could tip the U.S. economy into a recession. “I don’t want to predict that,” Yellen said. “But I think it’s a risk factor.”
——-
“If it seems like we’re suffering from political paralysis — and this inability to keep the government open seems to be a symptom of that — there could be a psychological toll that it takes,” she said.
A longtime government policymaker, Yellen has been in government during previous shutdowns. But, she said, the run-up to this potential shutdown seems different.
“The problem is a very small, extreme group of Republicans that are holding a continuing resolution hostage in the House,” she said. “I haven’t seen something like that before, that such a small group of people could inflict such damage on the American people and the American economy.”
Irrational emotion based unconstrained spending is the bedrock of a sound economy. Any attempt to tap the brakes is willful wanton destruction and treasonous sabotage.
Can’t
Understand
Normal
Thinking
“that such a small group of people could inflict such damage on the American people and the American economy.”
Are there more or less than 12? ‘Cause that’s the number on the FOMC.
The Democrats will see to that.
Yellen noted the White House Council of Economic Advisors estimates a shutdown would reduce quarterly annualized economic growth by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points every week it goes on.
Fake “economic growth” is fake.
Yeah, that sounds like (part of) the government spending piece of “GDP”.
So the President consulted some White House staff who can be fired at will for not towing the lion, and those staffers concluded the President’s enemies were doing bad things by not doing what their boss wanted to do?
I am First and you are second.
We are not the same.
Tweet summing up Sars-Cov-2 coincidences
The complete lack of interest in the origins of covid among our elite leaves me going down conspiratorial paths because it’s the only explanation that makes sense. Either that, or they were just damned happy to have the pandemic to get rid of Trump and to push their agenda. Never let an emergency go to waste and all that.
I believe it was an accident that they made hay out of.
✓ Kill off lots of old and weak people.
✓ Kill the economy for the icky people.
✓ Put the more well-off icky people closer to poverty.
✓ See how compliant the populace will be (note: pretty fucking compliant).
✓ Remove any DIY/cheap options for cure.
✓ See how many lies the populace will swallow (note: pretty much all of them).
✓ Fucking children up — bonus!
✓ See how censorious we can get (note: pretty damn censorious).
Their initial response was too slow for it not to have been an accident, but they figured out how to turn it into a massive social experiment.
Too bad his screenshots are partial and you can’t read the whole thing.
I can’t imagine a worse game.
https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/09/the-smiths-have-just-got-their-own-unofficial-text-adventure-game-for-c64-and-oric
*clears throat*
You sure about that? Between that and the Pac Man port, it killed the home game console until the NES.
One guy spent a matter of weeks on it. For such a small team, and a small timeframe, it at least ran.
Have you ever tried to play it (or the Pac Man port)? I owned both.
Those were dark times for video games.
In Hell, the devil will have a video game room. The Smiths game will be there.
LOL
I have a mysterious urge to drink all the beer.
It came on suddenly, this urge.
I’ll share my beer, but you cannot have all of it.
Their initial response was too slow for it not to have been an accident, but they figured out how to turn it into a massive social experiment
Accident or not, it seemed to me they went into scramble mode pretty damn hard, as if they knew (or thought they did) what they were dealing with. Maybe it just wasn’t the strain they thought. Maybe next time.
Russel Brand has apparently joined the parade of newly suicidal public personalities. In his newest Rumble, he goes after Hillary and the media with a laser-like focus, and brings receipts. He uses the Jen Psaki interview as a jumping off point – former democrat spokesperson pretending to interview current democrat politician… propaganda much?
The ground he covers is largely familiar here, but the voices he quotes are remarkably strident. He quotes some fully black-pilled Taibbi articles, among others. He starts with Clinton describing why Putin is uniquely evil and must be opposed with hundreds of millions in aid to Ukraine. He invades foreign countries. He meddles in elections. He has political rivals killed…..
Then…..
He proceeds to document times when Herself was dramatically worse on all counts.
Dang, son!
Scathing indictment of the media for failing to be.. well, the free press.
It’s cute how much attention Brand gets for holding opinions that people around here had years ago. Going off the reservation is the worst thing you can do. They really hate that.
I like JBP, but it’s so uncomfortable when he gets things too right.
Yes, romance novels are about taming the monster.
Of course, I hearken back to something RC Dean said once (please, you all know you’re in my spreadsheet):
Alpha males are utterly useless for anything other than fucking or fighting, but they are absolutely indispensable for those.