Notice anything peculiar about this graphic from the AFP?



Either the AFP needs to learn its geography, or they're making a bold statement about the U.S.'s claim to Canadian territory...

[note: this AFP is the Agence France-Presse, not the Armed Forces Press]

Since this week's theme appears to be "top ten" lists, I submit my own. While it is not beer, it is something that goes very well with beer: NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL!!!

Here are your all-time greatest returns in Irish history, per... well... some guy on ndnation.com. Enjoy!

Okay, here's MY top-10 beer list in no particular order... Note that this list does not merely represent the top ten beers according to how they taste, but also strives to include some diversity of type and origin. Without further delay:


1. Guinness Stout - This should be (and is) on everybody's list. Best stout I've had, and I've had several.

2. Tetley's Ale - An absolutely fantastic cream ale. Pours a golden-amber color with a thick white head. Drinks smooth and has a nifty little aftertaste. Unfortunately, I fear that Tetley's is no longer being distributed on tap in America. I now can only find it in cans.

3. Yuengling Lager - Okay, this lager brewed in Pennsylvania is a regional brew and cannot be found everywhere in the States, but I'll still count it on my list. I'm not a huge fan of domestic lagers, but this one's got the formula down. It's not too dry, not to spicey, and it leaves no annoying taste in the mouth.

4. Delirium Tremens - This Belgian tripple has a high alcohol percentage of around 9% to warm your gut while you drink it. It has the spicey malt of a good Belgian white with an absolutely unique aftertaste of fruit overtones. Kindof expensive and usually served in a small glass, but this is the type of beer you sip.

5. Spaten Optimator - A German doppelbock, this beer has a dark brown color and an alcohol percentage over 7%. You won't really notice the higher alcohol, however, as this beer has a very complex taste with a toasty malt and perhaps even some caramel overtones. I can't drink a lot of this, but it's very good.

6. Belhaven - A creamy Scottish ale from one of the oldest breweries in the world. Belhaven is more lightly colored than Tetley's and has a slightly less dense head. It has a unique nutty taste in the body and finishes very clean. At least two of my friends have declared Belhaven to be their favorite beer after trying it for the first time.

7. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - I had to include a pale ale on the list. There's British pale ales, there's Indian Pale Ales from both America and Britain, but in the end I had to choose the good ole' American pale. Sierra Nevada is crisp and refreshing and does not bombard the drinker with too much hops like some of the IPA's.

8. Sam Adams Light - So here's my token light beer on the list, but this beer's certainly not a lightweight. At risk of ruining my credibility further, let me be so bold to say that I actually think Sam Adams Light challenges it's full-fledged sibling Boston lager. I like the wheat-based Sam Adams taste quite a bit, but sometimes it grows to be too much. Not so with the Light... I've been told to try the Sam Adams Boston Ale (which is not sold everywhere in the States), and I have a feeling it'd become my favorite of the SA franchise.

9. Beck's - Germany really has been shafted on my list (this is only the second German on the list), I realize. Well, Beck's is a great lager from Deutschland with a ton of hops. When I have the itch for a Beck's, nothing else will do.

10. Tsing Tao - Again, is this beer one of the top-10 tasting beers in the world? No, but I add it to represent the east. While Asia is not known for its beers, I'll take China's Tsing Tao over Japan's Sapporo or Asahi any day. With a fairly low alcohol percentage and relatively mild malt, Tsing Tao is easy to drink.

Honorable Mention:

Miller High Life - I almost didn't put this on the list, merely because I feared it would create immediate critics who would use it to discredit my entire list. I put this beer on my list, not because it's one of the best-tasting beers in the world (it's not), but because it is somewhat unique. Give me a Bud Light, a Miller Light, a Budweiser, a Busch, a Beast, or some other cheap domestic, and I really find little difference between them. But give me a High Life, and I can detect a taste to it that I have yet to discover elsewhere.

Okay, this isn't MY top-10 beer list*, it's the work of Bryce Eddings writing for About.com... GMail brilliantly included a link to the list in its contextual weblinks above my inbox yesterday. Anyways, here's the list and whether or not I've had the beer:

1. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - yep, I've had it and I love it

2. Fuller's ESB Bitter - nope, and I generally am not a huge fan of bitters

3. Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter - nope, but I like porters so this is going on my "to try" list

4. Pilsner Urquell - yep, and it might be my favorite pilsner out there, which isn't saying a whole lot

5. Guinness Stout - yes of course

6. Warsteiner German Pils - yep, it's a tolerable pilsner

7. Paulaner Hefe-Weizen - nope, but I'm growing to like wheat beers more and more, so I'll have to give it a try

8. Goose Island IPA - yep and it's decent, but certainly not the best India Pale Ale around; gotta love the hops though

9. Hoegaarden Belguim White - yep and it's better and spicier than a Blue Moon

10. Chimay Trappist Ales - Nope, I don't think I've had any of Chimay's ales, but my list of beers I've had but forgotten about is not short

...

In my humble opinion, this list was kindof piss-poor. I'll have my own list up soon enough. It'll be far more impressive. Count on it.

I do not particularly care for NBA basketball, unless the Pacers are involved, and so this post will be short and sweet.

Miami won. They had at least two games given to them by the refs near the end of the clock, with phantom foul calls against Dirk. Dallas did not deserve to win the series, anyways, because they do not understand the concepts of blocking out and rebounding. Miami was well coached by Pat Riley and they played defense.

But I also agree with Bill Simmons: Miami's brand of offense is boring to watch and their victory means we'll probably see more of the star-dominated, post-up offense for quite some time.

Enron? Halliburton? Some big oil company? No, no, and no.

This one's Fannie Mae, a government-sponsored mortgage company, and they have misreported their earnings by billions. Why the relative lack of media coverage or political hay? Oh that's right, Fannie Mae's fall can't be traced to George W. Bush or other "greedy Republicans."

One of the reasons that gay marriage opponents are fighting so hard for constitutional bans (state and federal) of gay marriage, is that America's younger generations are far more supportive of gay civil rights, such civil unions/marriage, adoption, equal opportunity employment, etc. With large majorities of younger adults supporting some form of gay civil unions, opponents know that time is running out for their cause.

Witness: the Ohio State University student body just elected their first openly gay president.

And no, this can't simply be chalked up to the liberality of youth. Because, as I've cited here before, studies also show this same group increasingly pro-life and anti-abortion.

Okay, I'm not endorsing Rudy either. But he does deserve kudos for forming an intelligent approach to the nation's energy challenges:

Drawing on his experience managing New York City's power problems, Giuliani spoke of the government red tape that makes it virtually impossible to build power plants, oil refineries and (especially) nuclear-power facilities.
Summing up U.S. energy policy since the 1970s, he was blunt: "We haven't done anything." We haven't drilled in Alaska. We haven't built oil refineries. We haven't ordered a nuclear power plant since 1978....

And there's room to reach out to the Left on building more nuclear plants now. The technology has grown safer - and nuclear use could reduce emissions that lead to global warming.

No, I'm not endorsing him, but he does have a decent pork-busting plan.

As reported on Instapundit about a week ago, Frist's plan, called the Stop Over-Spending Act, would have three prongs:

1. A faux line-item veto for the President... A real line-item veto was nixed by the Supreme Court several years ago, so this would just be a poor imitation. The way it'd work is that the President could recommend specific spending cuts to a budget bill before Congress, and Congress would be required to employ a speedy procedure to vote on those cuts one-by-one. Don't look for this prong to have any teeth. To give it real power would be to encroach upon the aforementioned ruling of the SC.

2. "the Stop Over-Spending Act would reestablish statutory caps for discretionary spending -- enforced by automatic, across-the-board spending reductions" ... I also don't accord to much hope in this measure. Since this provision would only have the force of a statute, there is nothing to keep future congresses from adopting a provision in a spending bill that overrides this provision. No, to do this right, it'd take an Constitutional amendment.

3. Create a 2-year budget cycle... This is the most promising provision. The modern budget is so big and complex that Congress never passes it on time and the federal government usually has to operate at least a few months on continuing resolutions. This is no way to run a federal government. A 2-year budget cycle would give Congress time to get the budget in so agencies are operating on meaningful guidance, and time to analyze the effectiveness of past spending. My biggest concern with this provision is that Congress will simply take even longer to get the budget done and still not make it on time.

Read this article about Santonio Holmes and his recent arrest for domestic violence...

Holmes was drafted by the Steelers to play wide receiver. He led the Ohio State Buckeyes last year in receiving. He is unmarried, has three children, and has now been arrested more than once for a violent incident.

After his first arrest following the draft, the Steelers gave him a slap on the wrist. What will they do this time? And how was he able to get through OSU with this kindof attitude and record?

I think we all know the answer. College football programs across the nation are facing a serious problem. Athletic talent is giving some kids a free pass, that allows them to float through school with little academic challenge and with no checks on their behavior. The system not only condones problems like this, it too often encourages them by placing such priority on athletic prowess.

Notre Dame is one of a handful of exceptions around the nation, but even it has not been totally immune. The NCAA needs to get its act together and in a hurry.

Well, in a sense, the headline is true.

The federal government has received such an increase in tax revenues this year and last that Bush's initial pledge of cutting the budget deficit in half by 2009 may actually come true this year. This, even though spending is actually up about 8%.

But wait a minute: this can't be right! Bush cut taxes! For the rich! For the richest 1% in fact! If he cut the tax rates, how oh how could the federal government be receiving more revenue?

Apparently, the cuts triggered economic growth, as the Congressional Bugdet Office noted that wages and salaries are rising across the board, with the greatest increases coming at the highest end of the income scale. So now, even with the Bush tax cuts, those who make over $200,000 per year are paying 46.6% of total income taxes, as opposed to 40.5% before the tax cuts.

Another liberal myth laid to rest.

Now if only Congress would get on board with Bush's efforts to reform entitlement programs like Social Security, we might just avert disaster.

Regularly drinking coffee reduces the risk of liver disease, whether or not you're a heavy drinker. Plus, the more coffee you drink, the more your risk is reduced. Woohoo!

Of course, the study's researchers had to spoil our fun:

The report did not suggest alcohol users increase their coffee consumption or seek out drinks like Irish coffee that combine booze with coffee.

"Even if coffee is protective, the primary approach to reduction of alcoholic cirrhosis is avoidance or cessation of heavy alcohol drinking," the researchers said.

Theology on Tap is a lay-run program where young adults go to a pub or other venue to listen to speakers discuss matters of Catholic theology. Many cities and campuses around the country now have a TOT group.

Indianapolis has an active group, and I was granted the opportunity to create a website for the group. Check it out... It even has podcasts.

To read some great legal discussion on gay marriage, equal protection, gun rights, and other matters, check out IndyLaw Net's posts and comments this week.

When I saw this headline, and read the associated article which quoted a few Democratic congressmen, my reaction was outrage and disgust. I was so outraged, in fact, that I felt I could not write this post at the time, lest I should break this blog's decorum regarding profanity.

Here is the article's strongest quote:

"This is just to cover Bush's [rear] so he doesn't have to answer" for Iraqi civilians being killed by the U.S. military and his own sagging poll numbers, said Rep. Pete Stark, California Democrat. "Iraq is still a mess -- get out."

So there you have it! According to Pete Stark, this was just a stunt to help out President Bush. I'm sorry, but that idea makes Stark a fu**ing joke of a congressman, and I hope he gets creamed at the polls.

Rep. Stark should tell the families of Zarqawi's victims that this was just a stunt. He should tell this to the Shiites in Iraq, a group that Zarqawi has targeted for mass killings. He should tell this to the mothers and fathers who have lost their sons and daughters to Zarqawi's cowardly roadside bombs.

Why must so many Democrats try to use every event in Iraq for political gain?

...

Our media has also failed us on this Zarqawi story. The day after we got Zarqawi, the editors and pundits shaped a theme for the story: it doesn't matter that we got Zarqawi; he's just one man and the insurgency shouldn't be changed much by this.

And perhaps they're right. But. We can't let them have it both ways. Recall that prior to Zarqawi's killing, the theme was vastly different. Then, pundits (and Democratic cynics) told this theme: Iraq is being torn apart by a virtual civil war... And what was the primary source of that sectarian strife in Iraq--you guessed it--none other than Zarqawi. He and his followers orchestrated the brunt of the attacks against Shiites in Iraq, including the infamous bombing of the Golden Mosque.

For the media to say that Iraq was involved in a civil war (caused by Zarqawi) and now say that his death doesn't matter, is either an act of ignorance or an act of malice. I'm beginning to wonder which.

The uncensored version of Google (google.com, as opposed to google.cn which is censored) was shut down for two weeks across the country ending 3 days ago in Beijing and Shanghai. The significance of this, of course, is that the outage overlapped with the anniversary of the Tian'an Men Square protests and massacre.

Tian'an Men's legacy still lives on, embodied as fear in the CCP's leaders. They feared their authority breaking and that is why they violently put down the '89 protests and that is why they censor any news of that event today.

When I was in China I met college students who had not even heard of the Tian'an Men incident and I've been told that many others have a skewed idea of what happened there.

The U.S. House has defeated net neutrality, in a vote that wasn't close: 269-152.

Great, now we get to see Verizon and AT&T (SBC) attempt to carve up the net for their own services and profits.

In a speech at the Brookings Institute, Newt Gingrich has said that if no clear frontrunner emerges by the fall of 2007, he'll enter the race for the '08 presidential election. I'd greatly welcome this, as it'd mix things up for the GOP, and Newt is a brilliant brilliant man.

His ideas on medicare and energy are innovative, and he's right in line with the conservative base when it comes to immigration.

Previously I would have said that Newt's got too much political baggage, but with congressional GOP leaders as disliked by the base as much as they are, Newt's now got a political opportunity.

Let the game begin!

Notre Dame's own Tommy Z. beats up this dude in 49 seconds. He get what he deserved for wearing an OSU jersey in the arena.

This was Tommy's pro boxing debut. In the fall he'll be playing his senior season in ND's hunt for the national championship.

So Google is expanding its challenge to Microsoft's software dominance, with yet another online application: Google Spreadsheets. I have signed up to beta test the service and while observations are still few, the service certainly shows promise. It's slow and lacks many of the features of Excel, but it is also extremely easy to use and innovative when it comes to net sharing.

...

Over the past two years Google has undergone an amazing expansion, adding dozens of features and services. They have added so much, but so much of that is still under beta, and much of what they've done seems underdeveloped and undermarketed. The "build it and they will come" philosophy has certainly worked for Google in the past, but now they are competing with the giants.

Here's my brief overview of some of the new services Google offers:

- Google Earth / Google Maps- Fantastic! It's the quickest, most feature-rich, and easiest satellite and mapping service out there.

- Google Finance - Also excellent. It has an uncluttered interface and is very efficient at doing some quick stock news and chart research. Needs some more features and some marketing though.

- Froogle - Eh. This is Google's attempt at a shopping search engine. I've used it once or twice but never actually purchased anything using it. I don't know anyone else who uses it. One of many Google services that could flounder if not bolstered.

- Google Video - Eh. Its selection is not as good as YouTube (the leader in video search right now) or of the other such services. It's a plus that you can download any of its videos in iPod or PSP format, but it seems to be impossible to do so with an embedded Google video. It's videos for purchase are no match for iTunes.

- Blogger - The best and easiest Blogging service out there. Let the kids use MySpace and LiveJournal.

- GMail - Completely dominant in a very short time. No other e-mail service comes even close in storage or ease of use.

- Google Talk - Eh. Another example of Google spreading themselves too thinly. This service has potential, but right now it's nothing special. Look for it to be neatly incorporated into Google's other services though. (think of chatting with somebody collaborating with you on a Google spreadsheet)

- Calendar - Cool. This is the brightest of Google's new services. You can create a calendar and then share it to select groups of people or with the general public. You can even designate certain people to be able to edit it. Very useful.

The Indianapolis Star's Gary Varvel is brilliant:

The results of this survey are fantastic, and I use that term in its more literal sense!

Google actually has a line, "don't be evil," written into their corporate policy. In many regards, such as the company's fight to keep customer search data out of the hands of the government, Google has upheld this principle. However, Google's cooperation with China's censorship regime has caused many to criticize its ethical stance.

Now Google's co-founder, Sergey Brin, has said that Google's involvement in China is not a closed question. He has stated that if Google cannot get its censored version "to work" well enough, the company will consider pulling the censored version altogether. While that statement is cryptic, it shows that Google is watching the China situation carefully. Good for them.

Senate to consider letting Hawaiians pursue sovereignty

June 3rd marked the 17th anniversary of the massacre at Tian'an Men Square in China. Hundreds, if not thousands, of pro-democracy protestors were killed by the Chinese communist government.

This video graphically illustrates the bravery of the protestors and the violence used against them.

Many of my blog readers--among the most brilliant well-read individuals on the planet--have probably already read these two columns. But for those of you who have not, I leave you some weekend reading.

The first is by Ruth Marcus writing in the Washington Post. Titled, "How to do nothing, Washington-style," the column is a veritable training guide to understanding the tactics of today's Congress. Wonder why Congress is accomplishing so little? Well, it's because members are too busy watching their own butts and they've mastered deferring on the issues that matter.

The second is by the WSJ's stately Peggy Noonan. Reading the political tea leaves, she says the time may be ripe for the emergence of a viable third party in American politics. She adds the caveat, however, that the right political personality must emerge to lead the movement, citing Ross Perot's failure in the past. Here's the money quote:

The problem is not that the two parties are polarized. In many ways they're closer than ever. The problem is that the parties in Washington, and the people on the ground in America, are polarized. There is an increasing and profound distance between the rulers of both parties and the people--between the elites and the grunts, between those in power and those who put them there.

On the ground in America, people worry terribly--really, there are people who actually worry about it every day--about endless, weird, gushing government spending. But in Washington, those in power--Republicans and Democrats--stand arm in arm as they spend and spend. (Part of the reason is that they think they can buy off your unhappiness one way or another. After all, it's worked in the past. A hunch: It's not going to work forever or much longer. They've really run that trick into the ground.)

Last term President Bush pushed an anti gay marriage amendment, despite the fact that the Senate was unlikely to support any such measure. In fact, the vote fell far short of the 67 votes necessary to pass and presently it is unclear whether or not there is even a normal majority of 50 votes in support of it.

Nevertheless, President Bush has decided to once again push the amendment this term.

Shame on him. While I do not begrudge him for sincerely opposing gay marriage, I do begrudge him for pushing this fruitless endeavor when there is so much else that Congress needs to get done. Just as was the case last term, this is an obvious political tactic to energize the "values" base of the party.

Further, even if there was a possibility that the Senate could pass the amendment, it is still unnecessary for opponents of gay marriage to pursue it. The National Journal's Jonathan Rauch argues such, saying that the Supreme Court--under its current composition--has no chance of legalizing gay marriage nationally, and the Defense of Marriage Act already allows states to refuse to ratify gay marriages from other states. DOMA has been upheld in every circuit court in which it has been challenged, including in the liberal 9th circuit.

Finally, Rauch poses an interesting question to pro-life, anti gay marriage Republicans:

Two questions for anti-gay-marriage, anti-abortion Republicans: If states can be allowed to go their own way in defining human life, why not allow them to go their own way in defining marriage? Where constitutional amendments are concerned, why is preventing gay couples from marrying so much more urgent than preventing unborn children from being killed?

[hat-tip to Kristine for the Rauch article]

Update (6/7/06): Senate rejects the amendment; only 49 votes in favor... no surprise here