Power To Save The World

Gwyneth Cravens grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Sandia Mountains in the distance. With Sandia National Laboratories close by, she worried that the Soviets were going to bomb her home into oblivion. As she got older, like many Americans, she associated nuclear power with nuclear bombs and thus became anti-nuclear. After relocating to Long Island, she joined protesters in successfully preventing the Shoreham nuclear power plant from ever coming on line. It's now something she regrets.

In the early 90's, while visiting friends and family back in Albuquerque, she met Dr. D. Richard "Rip" Anderson, a scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, and his wife at a party. She struck up a conversation with him that would ultimately lead her over the next decade through a tour of the entire nuclear power industry: uranium mines, research labs in Idaho, Three Mile Island, power plants, old weapons test sites, and waste disposal sites. Although she didn't visit Chernobyl, there's a chapter that analyzes what went wrong and why it couldn't happen here. Cravens covers radiation, mining, fuel supply, politics and regulations, costs, risk assessment, waste storage, improvements in reactor design, safety, terrorism, baseline energy demand, and contrasts the nuclear industry with coal. The end result is: "Power To Save The World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy."

This is an amazing book. Cravens, a novelist by trade, is able to make a book about physics and engineering, which could be dull to non-technical readers, a compelling read. We're there as she makes her journey through the nuclear world. Vivid descriptions and colorful anecdotes break up the science lessons and statistical evidence presented to destroy the myths and allay the fears that people (including herself) have regarding nuclear power.

The most illuminating portion of the book for me was the fact that we are awash in radiation from natural sources. The universe, our planet, and everything we eat, exposes us to radiation. Had a banana lately? Anything with potassium in it harbors Potassium-40 atoms, which emits beta radiation. Feeling sick now? You shouldn't. Cravens tears apart the belief that radiation exposure is harmful at all levels as all the evidence shows that low level exposure is harmless and that there is a threshold that must be passed before damage occurs. However, regulations have been established that all radiation is bad, hence the great lengths that power plants and waste repositories must go through to insulate the public. For example, the EPA states that the neighbors of nuclear power plant must not be subjected to more than 15 millirems of radiation. All American nuclear power plants emit 1-2 millirem/year. By contrast, a chest X-ray exposes you to 10 millirem. Dental X-ray 29 millirem. A roundtrip flight from NYC to LA gives you 3 millirem. The granite in Grand Central Station exposes people to 540 millirem (assuming you were there round the clock). People living in Denver are exposed to 700 millirem/year (the higher the altitude, the less atmosphere there is to shield you, not to mention all that granite). Yet there are no cancer clusters among Grand Central workers, dental technicians, airline pilots, flight attendants, or the residents of Denver. By comparison, cigarette smokers who have a one pack per day habit expose themselves to 8,000 millirem/year. Tobacco plants, it seems, have an affinity for radionuclides.

While she defends the science of nuclear power and defends the engineering incorporated into structures, she doesn't brown nose the corporations that own the power plants. She acknowledges that they've miscommunicated, kept things hidden, and made poor strategic decisions. The industry is over regulated. And while that's forced workers to adopt a culture of safety (a good thing she argues) it's over the top. I worked for a chemical company that would've been shut down if it had to report every single little spill that happened. A few milliliters of a non-reactive substance is harmless. So too are the "accidents" at nuclear power plants that you read in the paper or hear about from shrill anti-nuclear groups. But even water leaks that don't come into contact with the reactor are required to be reported. Do you tell your health insurance company every time you blow your nose? In fact, if the chemical, oil, and coal industries had to live up to the standards imposed on the nuclear industry, they wouldn't be able to stay in business due to regulatory expenditures. "Cheap coal" would be an oxymoron.

There's just so much in this book. I could go on and on and on about the material in this book (especially about radiation) but time, space, and my kids prevent me from doing so. I strongly recommend that everyone read this book (it's in paperback now too) to get the facts about nuclear power. Or go to Cravens' website.

At the end of the book, Cravens visits a clinic to determine her level of exposure after ten years of researching her book. After visiting uranium mines, Three Mile Island, a couple nuclear power plants, nuclear research sites, bomb test sites, and waste repositories, her test results came back negative.

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DED

Phoenix Arrives On Mars Sunday Night

On Sunday night, if all goes well, another NASA probe will land on Mars, bringing the number of active craft on the planet or in orbit up to 6. The Phoenix mission is different in that it will land near Mars' north pole. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey Orbiter mission discovered water-ice buried beneath the surface. Given that Mars' past was much wetter than it is today, did life ever arise there? Is there life there now? Phoenix will try to answer these and other questions.

Of course, there are some that already believe that there is life on Mars. I'm not referring to the Face of Mars, but more "mundane" discoveries. ALH84001, a meteorite whose origin was traced back to Mars, contains chain-like structure that could be the remnants of fossilized bacteria. Although tests for organic material have revealed amino acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). However, the results aren't conclusive. There's still the possibility that non-biological processes could be involved or the meteorite was contaminated from contact with Antarctic ice.

But the life on Mars debate goes back even further. When the Viking probes landed on Mars, soil samples were tested for the presence of organic materials. Basically, the soil was dumped into solutions of water and nutrients. The amount of CO₂ in the test chamber increased. The onboard gas chromatograph (GC) didn't detect any sign of organics but Gilbert Levin, the experiment's designer, said that the amount of microbes could've been below the threshold detection limits of the GC. Others counter that superoxidants in the soil could've produced the observed reaction. A recent re-examination of the Viking data suggests that extremophiles, a form of life unknown during the 70's, might account for the observed results.

Phoenix will try to settle the matter once and for all. But while there are a lot of us that hope it discovers signs of life, past or present, there are those who hope it doesn't. Nick Bostrum wrote an essay for MIT's Technology Review (TotH: David Brin) explaining why he hopes that Phoenix doesn't find anything. For those of you not interested in registering or reading the lengthy article, I'll summarize it.

The foundation of Bostrum's piece is Fermi's Paradox. To paraphrase, considering the age of the universe and assuming the existence of life is at least somewhat commonplace, where is everybody? We should've been contacted by someone by now. UFO sightings and alleged abductions notwithstanding, we don't have any evidence that intelligent life exists outside of Earth. For the sake of his piece, Bostrum doesn't show any interest in the positive explanations (I define "positive" to mean "yes they exist, but....") that are offered in Wiki. Instead, he sticks with the negative explanations.

Bostrum has labeled the event that has thus rendered us alone "The Big Filter." What is The Big Filter? The Big Filter is some event that wipes out life everywhere in the cosmos and has left us in our current situation: all alone. He doesn't know what it is exactly, but it results in any of the negative explanations in the Wiki entry. The Big Filter either occurs in the distant past, inhibiting life from arising in the first place, or at some point in the future, destroying civilizations before they can expand beyond their homeworld.

If Phoenix doesn't find any signs of current or past life (expected to be microbial), then it means Earth, and humanity, has survived its encounter with The Big Filter and is free to prosper in the galaxy.

If Phoenix does find life, or signs of past life, on Mars, then the universe has the natural propensity to create life, but, in keeping with Fermi's Paradox, it doesn't survive long enough to spread. That means that Earth and humanity still has to face the challenge of The Big Filter and there's no reason to believe that we are any different than any other civilization that has come before us. Whether civilizations self-destruct, or run out of resources before they escape the confines of their homeworlds, or are eradicated by some external threat, the odds are against us and we're doomed.

Of course, there's no guarantee that if the The Big Filter lies in the past, we won't go extinct anyway. Unless we can strike a balance between aggression and compassion, wisdom and folly, intelligence and ignorance, enlightenment and fear, then the universe is probably better off without us.

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DED

2008 Connecticut Craft Brewers Beer Festival

Saturday was the 14th annual Connecticut Craft Brewers Beer Festival in Naugatuck. After some overnight showers, the sun came out and provided us with a beautiful day. Although there was a threat of showers for late afternoon, they held off. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 60's.

I didn't have to deal with the food lines at all this year as I joined Bob over at Adam's house for a pre-beer fest 1/2 lb burger with a healthy covering of a onion and mushroom concoction that was delicious. Coupled with a late lunch, I was all ready to go.

We met Cooper and Chris at the beer fest and proceeded to systematically make our way through all four tents. We compared notes and made recommendations. We all have different palates: I'm the malt guy while Cooper and Adam are big on hops.

My first stop was Olde Burnside for their Ten Penny Scottish Ale, a favorite. They had Penny Weiz Scottish Wheat Ale on hand. In order to sell me on it, the guy from the brewery said that it resembled Blue Moon. The problem is, I'm not a Blue Moon fan. I considered coming back for it later but I never got around to it.

BruRm @ Bar was there with three cask conditioned ales: Damn Good Stout, Bar Pale Ale, and Reekie Tartan Scottish Ale. Last year's Raven Haired Beauty and Smoked Porter were absent unfortunately. I went with the stout. I found it too be a little too sweet with the coffee overtones a little too strong and the finish had some extra yeastiness to it. Bob got it as well and said that it was likely the cask conditioning that did it. Adam, Bob and Cooper said that the beer served at the brewfests were always better tasting than what they served at the bar.

This was the first year Butternuts Brewery was there. They served up their wares in cans. Yes, cans. Apparently people in the craft beer industry have come to the belief that canning technology is good enough now. Bob told me that Minnesota prohibits glass bottles from being used on their lakes but cans are ok (because they float better?). New England Brewery has had a measure of success selling their brews in Minnesota because they switched to cans a couple of years ago. Anyway, I tried the Porkslap Pale Ale. My first impression was "pork soda." It had a bit of a ginger ale feel to it. I can't say that's a recommendation.

I needed something malty after that so I grabbed a Gonzo Imperial Porter from Flying Dog. Others in the group went for the Double Dog IPA and gave it a thumbs up.

Chris recommended the Lobster Ale from Belfast Bay, a late addition to brewfest. It was terrible. I poured it out. That's how bad it was. I think it was some kind of American pilsner but I could be wrong.

Now I was desperately in need of a good beer to wash that swill out of my mouth. Harpoon was there. I sampled their Red Rye Ale, one of their 100 Barrel Series. It was very good, especially for Spring.

Chris wanted to make it up to me so he suggested the Old Yankee Ale from Cottrell. And he did. This was a nice crisp, hoppy beer. The website says that it's an American Amber Ale. I'd imagine that it would be good for spring and summer bbq's. They also had a bock, though I don't know the name and it's not listed on the website. My first impression was "bacon!" Bacon beer, mmmmmmm. It must've come from the smoky flavor. Curious.

I've never had any of Trout River's offerings before. Although the name is familiar, I'm not sure that it's available outside of Vermont. I'll have to keep an eye out for them. I had their Scottish Ale which was really good. Not too sweet at all. I then had their Hoppin Mad Trout, a pale ale. Despite its name, it wasn't overly hoppy at all. In fact, I'd say that it matched the style just fine.

Ipswich is another brewer that I've heard of but never had. I sampled their Summer Ale which was crisp and clean. The website says that it's an unfiltered blonde ale.

Cambridge House, a brew pub in Torrington, was there. I went with Three Steves Stout and it was good.

Hartford Better Beer Company made their first Naugatuck appearance this year. I haven't had them since the Brass City Brewfest last fall, so I picked up a glass of their Praying Mantis Porter. Still yummy.

Another last minute addition was Pennichuck Brewery. They were so last minute that their name didn't even appear in the menu that attendants receive upon entrance. Anyway, they're from New Hampshire and are just making inroads to CT and NY. I went with a dark lager named Feuerwehrmann Schwarzbier, which translates to Firefighter Black Lager. This was a very good offering. Plenty of malty goodness balanced with a lager bite.

And last, but certainly not least, Blue Point Brewing made their first visit to Naugatuck. I was hoping to clean my palate with some of their Blueberry Ale but, due to the lateness of the day, they didn't have any cold. So the rep from the company gave me a bottle to take home. Sweet! So, I settled on the Toasted Lager. This was a good choice to end the day. A good mix of hops and malt.

And there you have it. Another fine afternoon of people enjoying quality brews in a public setting free from tyranny, social conservative oppression and frat boy rowdiness. Even the police officers hired to monitor the event seemed to be having a good time. It's enough to restore one's faith in humanity, even if only for a few hours.

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DED

Heavy Metal In Baghdad

This intrigues me.

FILM SYNOPSIS

Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.

Here's the movie trailer.



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DED

The High Cost of Salt and Beer

Even infrequent readers of my blog know that I'm a beer aficionado, so when prices go up I'm going to be affected. But the rice shortage is impacting me too. Not because I'm a huge consumer of rice, but because of its impact on salt. Potassium Chloride salt to be exact.

When my house was built in the early 70's, the builder cut corners. Instead of using standard "L" grade copper pipe, he used "M" grade. The latter is suitable for closed circulating systems (heaters) but not for open systems. I have acidic water. It came up with a pH of 5.5 when I had it tested. Granted, the pH of well water is affected by various conditions, and 5.5 was probably on the extreme end. Anyway, the acidic water slowly ate away at the thinner walled pipe and led to pinhole leaks in my water lines. Fortunately, the way my house is set up, all of the leaking occurred in the garage. The acid would react with the copper pipe closest to the water source. Other than ruining insulation and sheet rock in the ceiling, we avoided any major damage.

Solution: We replaced the accessible copper pipe with flexible plastic pipe (cross-linked Polyethylene) which is unaffected by weak acids. The pH of the ground water would then be neutralized with a water softener/deionizer. Unfortunately, the water softener requires salt. Sodium Chloride is the standard, but I was concerned about introducing excess sodium into our diets so I opted for Potassium Chloride (KCl). Although at $9 for a 40lb bag it was twice the price, the relatively low consumption rate made it worth it.

But that was a few years ago.

Last month, I paid $16 for that same bag at Lowe's. I was in Agway with the kids the other day and I overheard one of the staff explaining to a customer that the price was now $24/bag. Why? China.

95% of KCl produced is used as fertilizer. It's referred to as potash (though the name is a catchall for potassium-based fertilizers). The clerk went on to say that China can't seem to get enough fertilizer for its rice crops (you remember the rice shortage, right?) and its causing a spike in demand for KCl worldwide.

Reminds me of the cement, copper, and steel shortages that were due to China's growth. Anyone seeing a pattern yet?

So, I can either pony up the money for KCl, switch to NaCl and elevate my family's blood pressure, or turn the unit off altogether and hope that my water's low pH doesn't attack the remaining copper pipe in the inaccessible parts of my house. And there's all the talk that acidic water is bad for you (though it doesn't stop people from drinking soda), but I've had a tough time finding unbiased info (most sites are trying to sell you something) on whether or not really weak acids (pH 6) are detrimental. For now, I'll spend the extra money on KCl.

Ok, now for the bad beer news. As I mentioned a couple of months ago, beer prices are going up. Well, if you drink swill, probably not so much. After all, it's so watered down that there's hardly anything in there. But if you're a craft brew drinker, you're looking at higher prices. Anyway, that article explains the situation (quadrupled hops prices! high gas prices! corn ethanol madness!) and offers tips on what you can do to "cope," including brewing your own beer (which I recommend).

Now for the good beer news (didn't want to make this all doom and gloom): the 2008 Connecticut Craft Beer Festival is Saturday, May 17th. I think I've got a 50/50 shot of making it this year. If I do, I'll be sure to report back here with my findings.

Specifically for Mike: Blue Point is now the #50 craft beer maker (in terms of volume) in the country. See this report.

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DED

Tagged Again

Mike tagged me with a meme from way over in his neighborhood. It's another one of those social memes you'd expect to do in high school or college at some kind of social mixer, possibly to find an inroad with a member of the opposite sex, except that this one geared towards an older crowd. Same maturity level though.

1) Ten years ago I was...

...engaged to the future Mrs. DED. We were living together in a two bedroom apartment in South Norwalk. I was employed by an internet advertising agency to build web sites for large corporations. I was still in Death Penis, though the group was spiraling towards break up. I was also enjoying my new found hobby: beer brewing.

2) Five things on today's to-do list:

1. Get my son ready for school
2. Get my daughter up, dressed, and fed so that we can go...
3. Grocery shopping
4. Help my son with his homework
5. Make dinner

I could go on and on but you get the idea.

3) Things I'd do if I were a billionaire:
A billion dollars doesn't go as far as it used to. There was a time when you could raise and army, hire an evil genius and take over the world. But not anymore. I suppose I'd buy an island or a mountain and build a fortress off of the grid, complete with RC aerial drones or tanks to keep out the dreck. Any money left over would be invested in some venture to make spaceflight more accessible to the masses. Maybe I could take over Mars instead.

4) Three bad habits:

1. Staying up until 2AM to watch west coast hockey teams
2. Cookies
3. Going back for seconds

5) Five places I've lived:

1. Shirley, NY
2. Syracuse, NY
3. Atlanta, GA
4. Stamford, CT
5. Norwalk, CT

There are several more, but this should suffice.

6) Six jobs I've had in my life:

1. Newspaper delivery boy
2. Cashier
3. Environmental Analyst
4. Metal Finishing Technical Service Representative
5. Quality Control Chemist - Raw Materials
6. Website Programmer

There are several more, but this is a good start.

Ok, that takes care of that. I tag Eduardo, Jim, and Toast (he likes memes). It's optional. If you guys don't feel like it doing it, I won't hold your feet to the fire. I'll leave that to Mike. :)

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DED

Born Standing Up

Surprise! Another book review.

Way back in the late 70's, around when I hit double digits, Steve Martin was the funniest person I'd ever heard. His act, unlike say Richard Pryor, wasn't too blue for someone my age to listen to. Or at least that's how my parents felt. I listened to "Let's Get Small" and "Wild and Crazy Guy" and died laughing. When I got older, I snatched them from my parents for my own collection, where they still are today (Sorry Mom and Dad!). I would then try to relate his act to my friends, mercilessly butchering it of course. I roared at his appearances on Saturday Night Live and I think I may have even caught his HBO special. Steve Martin was the comic hero of my pre-teens and his transition to movies ("The Jerk", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid", "The Man With Two Brains") kept it going (except for that horrendous drama "Pennies From Heaven") for several more years. But by the late 80's/early 90's, his sense of humor and mine had diverged. His films were no longer "must see" but rather a coin toss as to whether or not they were cringe-worthy. I've passed on all but two ("Bowfinger" and "Novocaine") of Martin's two dozen or so works since 1991's "L.A. Story." "Cheaper by the Dozen"? Don't think so.

While visiting my parents this month, my mother loaned me a copy of "Born Standing Up." It's a memoir about why Martin got into stand up comedy, and why he left it.

The book opens with his early performances as the opening act at the "Coffee and Confusion" club in San Francisco in 1965. Unfortunately, the club was typically empty when he went on stage and, despite his protests, he had to perform anyway.

From there, we're introduced to his unhappy childhood, salvation at Disneyland, mixing magic and comedy, getting caught up in the 60's, paying his dues on Berry Farm, an impressionable young man dating Mitzi Trumbo, the daughter of Dalton Trumbo, writing for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, appearing on the Tonight Show, the meteoric rise of his popularity, the loneliness of touring, and the absurd benefits of fame. And when the man is at his peak, he recognizes it for what it is and stops.

Sprinkled throughout the book are pieces of his act and how they originated. Poetry reading got tossed once he realized flower power ran out of gas. The banjo appeared early and not always for humor. "Grandmother's Song" and "flair pens" go way back. Stage props were always there. His look even changed. He started out clean cut, grew a beard and his hair to blend in with the times (pictures provided) and went back to clean cut and put on a suit all by 1972. The white suit didn't come about until years later when his success had gathered him audiences of 2,000+. He was worried about being visible from the back because so much of his act was visual.

All along the way, Martin shares humorous and humbling anecdotes from his life. He relates advice he received that he stuck with ("look better than they do") and some he ignored ("Lose the arrow through the head"). During the darker memories, he doesn't wallow around in self-pity. It's more like he brings us to these nadirs not because he wants to, but because he has to. It's part of the story. His story. But he doesn't dwell there. He shows us and moves on.

This is a book that I highly recommend for all fans of Steve Martin's stand up years. I really enjoyed reading about how it all came together. I might even see if the turntable still works and throw on one of his old albums. If you still have fond memories of him from that time (and you're not completely put off by his movie choices today), then check it out.

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DED

A Dreamcatcher in Spook Country

Two book reviews.

In Dreamcatcher, four men, friends since childhood, are out hunting in the woods of Maine. A lone hunter stumbles upon their cabin sputtering nonsense about mysterious "lights in the sky" while being plagued with the worst case of gas ever imaginable. It's Stephen King so you know what's coming.

The first third of the book is great. King hooks us right in and then beats a frantic pace: a snowmobile barreling through the woods with the reader being dragged gleefully through the snow. We can't help but stay up late turning those pages to find out what happens next. He seems merciful when he idles down the pace for the middle third so that we can catch our breath and brush off some of that snow.

But it dawns on me that some of this landscape seems familiar. We're given backstory on the protagonists, a group of men who've been friends since childhood, albeit a bit more distant (It). We get the long-winded side trip flashback, a King staple, where the boys confronted an evil back then (though it was a different evil) and now, as adults, face an evil alien threat in the woods (Tommyknockers). And then there's the psychotic government agent who becomes obsessed with one of the protagonists (Firestarter) and starts to hunt him down. Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers of our age. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he began re-using some elements of past stories. But I was willing to let all this slide if the book ended well.

The final chase consumes the last third of the book, but it drags. And when the crisis is resolved, it felt anti-climactic. Although King doesn't use the old "it was all a dream" cliche, the ending, for me at least, was just as insulting. I had to re-read it a couple times just to make sure I was reading it right. Maybe this was some kind of catharsis for King. He wrote this story while recovering from an accident where he was struck by a minivan (which is paralleled by one of the characters here). I haven't read any other of his post-accident works and after reading this I'm not sure when I will. Dreamcatcher rates 2 out of 5 stars.

After reading Pattern Recognition (I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars), I couldn't wait to read Spook Country.

Hollis Henry, a former member of a 90's alternative rock band, is trying out a second career as a journalist. She's been sent out by Node, a magazine that she isn't sure exists, to do a piece on "locative art" (think geocaching meets VR). One of these artists introduces her to Bobby Chombo, the man who runs the servers where said art is hosted. The problem is he's extremely paranoid and her boss insists she find out why.

There's also Tito, a runner for a really small organized crime family. And he's being tracked by a guy named Brown, who's a covert operative of some kind with a strong sense of nationalism. But rather than get in Brown's head, we get his prisoner, Milgrim, an Ativan addict who speaks Russian. We meet other characters along the way, but the story focuses on Hollis, Tito, and Milgrim.

The story starts out slow. It took about 100 pages before it picked up. There wasn't any sense of danger looming over the characters nor was I able to determine what they were after that was so important. The three main characters are mild. Hollis seems capable of some decent snark but Gibson never really lets her loose. Tito's utilization of his Santeria faith is compelling when there's action, but it's sorely underutilized. He's a mushroom most of the time. Milgrim's Atvian experiences are intriguing but his objective seems to be avoiding a beating from Brown.

There are some minor characters which try to save us from these mild mannered and mellow trio. Chombo isn't one of them. He's annoying. But most of the characters in the novel get along so well that there's hardly any conflict.

We do find out what everyone is after. It's partly based on reality. I remember reading about the item in question in the news, but it never really seemed to garner the attention it deserved. I don't want to spoil it, but it concerns the Iraq War. The premise is believable, and what the characters set out to do seems cool but there's never any real danger. The plan is so well executed that when the story's climax comes along, I was left saying, "Oh, that was it."

William Gibson founded the cyberpunk sub-genre of science fiction, but there's really nothing in this novel that comes across as sci-fi. It's been said that the world has caught up with Gibson's vision and I have to agree. There's nothing here to chase away sci-fi phobic readers. But will they want to read it? Gibson's prose continues to be efficiently rendered, sparse yet beautiful. But as it's presented here it amounts to an ornately decorated cardboard box. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. A middle of the road Gibson novel is still better than most of the schlock out there.

One thing that really bugs me is that if I, or any other unpublished writer, submitted this manuscript to an agent we'd be rejected because there's no hook to draw in the reader. I had a character die from gunfire in the first chapter of my novel and a publisher (who read just the first 3 chapters) said it was too slow! Gibson, a successful author, gets away with it.

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DED

Chuck Hagel on The Daily Show

Chuck Hagel, another Vietnam Veteran serving in the Senate as a Republican, was on The Daily Show Monday night to promote his new book, America: Our Next Chapter.



It's a shame that Senator Hagel has opted not to run for re-election. While Democrats may be chomping at the bit to get his seat, there's no guarantee that they'll get it. Senator Hagel hails from Nebraska, not the bluest of states. While Nebraska's other senator is a Democrat, he's been described as one of the most conservative of Democrats and has been slow in coming around to Hagel's POV on Iraq.

Hagel's opposition to the war in Iraq is probably the most prominent issue that got him into the national spotlight. He refuses to toe the party line and has called the Iraq War one of the greatest blunders in US history (see video). For a Republican to take a stand against the Iraq war in this political climate is nothing short of brave. We've seen the depths of depravity this administration can resort to when reality-based dissent is uttered.

It is this courage, to pick conscience over politics, that will be sorely missed. It's something sorely lacking in the Republican party these days. If the party is to save itself from the three headed hydra of the fundamentalist Christian agenda, corporate profiteering, and neoconservative imperialism, it needs people willing to stand up to these groups and say, "No!"

The Democrats need more Republicans like him. Yes, Hagel gets along fine with W on other issues and he gets high marks from the American Conservative Union. Democrats may think that they'll be enjoying politically brighter times come November, but complacency has undone them before. The shouldn't forget the 90's, when people got fed up with Democrats and voted in Newt Gingrich and his "Contract With America." The Karl Rove era followed and, well, you know the rest. Democrats need sane opponents, not a party so consumed with partisan rancor that it's willing to destroy the Constitution and the country in order to achieve its goals.

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DED

Beer In Review: Yes, More Porters

The daffodils are just beginning to poke up through the ground. I warned them that while the calendar says Spring, the forecast for the weekend weather is forecasting lows in the mid-20's. So I better finish up these porter reviews.

First up is Ithaca Beer Company's Gorges Smoked Porter. This brew has a nice dark brown body. Backlighting a pint glass will reveal some rich ruby hues. There is an ample amount of head, tan in color. It has a mild roasted malt aroma. The website claims that "The distinctive smokey character comes from the use of special beechwood smoked malt from Bamburg, Germany." Yes, it comes through and I believe that's what smooths out the otherwise robust hops (US Northern Brewer). It finishes clean. A very tasty beer. I was pleasantly surprised. 6.3% ABV.

This is a seasonal offering so it may already be off the shelf. If not, expect it to go on sale to make room for Spring.

Otter Creek already has an excellent porter so it came as a surprise to me that they were offering another one. But, as part of their World Tour of Beer series, they're offering a Baltic Porter. After drinking one of these, I can see why they brewed another porter. This is a great one.

On the pour we get ample creamy head and a roasted malt aroma. The quintessential dark brown body is a little reluctant to reveal its ruby hues to the light. Chocolate and roasted malts are plainly evident to the tongue. Surprisingly, it's not very robust at all and then a little sweetness takes over and rides your tongue to the finish.

The website admits to using "2-row, Munich, Caramel, and special German hulled barley malt, Carafa," which may have something to do with the taste. But then they go on to say, "Not only did we take extra time to brew this beer with a special 'step mash' process, it was also fermented longer, with a lager yeast." There's nothing really exotic about the "special step mash process." In essence, that's just a multi-step infusion process where the malt grains are steeped at different temperatures to let different enzymes play with the starches to get the desired sugars.

The lager yeast, now that's different. Normally one would use an ale yeast, typically London or Irish. Anyway, end result great beer.

Otter Creek is available throughout the Northeast, out to Ohio, and as far south as North Carolina. Residents of Sacramento, California and Portland, Oregon are also lucky.

Lastly, there's the DED of Winter Porter, my latest homebrew in case that isn't obvious. ;) The pour yields alot of creamy, tan head, though it does eventually settle. As I raise my glass, there's a faint vanilla bouquet. As is the style, dark brown body with a faint red hue visible if you shine a bright light on it. There's a smooth blend of malt on the tongue, with Fuggles and Kent Goldings hops waving "allo" from across the room. Vanilla and cinnamon peek out from the malt just before the finish, lending the brew a seasonal feel.

It's one of the best batches I've done and I credit the decision to go with a secondary fermentation. As a result, there's no yeast bite, which means that the added vanilla and cinnamon flavorings don't get trampled in the mix.

I'll see if I can take a picture of it and provide an estimated ABV determination later.

1. Anchor Porter
   
2. Baltic Porter
   
3. Smuttynose Robust Porter
   
4. Stovepipe Porter
   
5. Coal Porter
   
6. Road Dog Scottish Porter
   
7. Gorges Smoked Porter
   
8. Gonzo Imperial Porter
   
9. Black Bear Porter
   
10. Santa's Butt Porter
    
11. Saranac's Caramel Porter
    
12. Samuel Adams Honey Porter

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DED