Beer And Conversation With Pigweed And Crowhill

P&C review Country Ride Pale Ale from RAR, then invite special guest Longinus to the show to discuss "celebration of life playlists." Longinus' playlist includes ... * A Love Supreme by John Coltrane * Sometime Ago/La Feista by Chick Corea * All Blues by Miles Davis * Song of Loving Kindness by Gary Bartz * Boogie Nights by Heatwave * September by Earth, Wind, and Fire * Brick House by the Commodores * Staying Alive by the Beegees * Red Barchetta by RUSH * Closer to the Heart by the TREES * Wait until Tomorrow by Jimi Hendrix * Magis Bus by the Who * Goodtimes by Led Zeppelin * Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers * Waiting in the Van by Bob Marley * Sugar Mountain by Neil Young * Judy Blue Eyes by CSN * Bad Moon Rising by Credence * Ventura Highway by America * Dixie Chicken by Little Feat * That isn't funny anymore by the Smiths * Heard Through the Wall by Del Amitri * After the Rain by Cockburn * Block Cow by Steely Dan * Weary Kind by Ryan Bingham Crowhill organize

The boys drink and review 2 award-winning beers from Heavy Seas, then special guest Longinus joins them at the bar to review Pedro Paramo, a Mexican novella. This is part of the P&C "shortcut to the classics" series. Pedro Paramo is a confusing book. The structure, timing, the use of punctuation, who's speaking, and even whether people are alive or dead is never quite certain. The book is named after the central character, Pedro Paramo, who is a powerful and tyrannical landowner in the town of Comala. He's also the father of Juan Preciado, the novel's primary protagonist, who is sent to Comala by Dolores Preciado, his dying mother, to get what they're owed. On his way to find Comala, Juan meets Abundio Martinez, another of Pedro's illegitimate sons. Comala is a ghost town in two senses. Not only is there almost no one there, it's full of ghosts. Rulfo's work is an example of magical realism, where seemingly impossible things happen and are accepted by the charact

Did the Democrats provoke the assassination attempt against Donald Trump with their over-the-top language? They repeatedly called him Hitler, a threat to democracy, a dictator, that this will be the last election, etc.? Did that inspire the Trump shooter? It's easy to imagine. Everyone has had the sophomoric argument about going back in time and killing Hitler before he took power. If you're faced with an actual Hitler -- right here and now -- what are you going to do? Aside from that, how could this have possibly happened? Why did the Secret Service fall down on the job? The level of incompetence demonstrated by the Secret Service is almost unbelievable. Was it all just a big cluster frack, or was the Secret Service in on it? What's the role of DEI in this disaster? Was the Secret Service encumbered by a bunch of unqualified DEI hires? The head of the Secret Service had a mission to promote women. That was the chip on her shoulder. Did that become more important than fulfilling the actual mi

P&C drink and review Crabtown Classic, a local Vienna Lager from Jailbreak Brewing, then discuss Julian Assange. The Assange case brings out the contrast between freedom of the press and national security. Assange had a libertarian streak and was suspicious of authority -- especially governmental authority. He believed information should be free, particularly when it exposes the misdeeds of governments. Many believe Assange was supporting whistleblowers, and that his case was a test case for freedom of the press. Some of the things Assange revealed allegedly betrayed "sources and methods" and compromised national security. Assange's prolonged legal battle over extradition from the UK to the US raises concerns about fair trial standards, the potential for politically motivated charges, and the treatment of whistleblowers and journalists under international law. Is Assange a whistleblower deserving of protection, or a criminal who recklessly endangered lives? The debate is central to the c

P&C drink and review a Pretzel Wheat Beer from Aldus Brewery, then discuss how "the left" has changed over the last few decades. In many areas, the left of the 60s and 70s has been turned on its head by the modern, woke left. The contrasts become clear when you think about the attitude towards ... * Authority and government * War * Drugs * Free speech * Multinational corporations * The working class * Individual rights * The rule of law * Civil liberties * Free markets * Individualism Wokeism has replaced the liberalism of the 60s. The woke require lockstep conformity to a far-left perspective on race, gender, sexuality (and maybe climate, and vaccines), or we'll ruin your life. There's no individual rights. There's no free speech. You must comply.

The boys drink and review Phantasm Double IPA from Elder Pine brewery, then discuss all the other ways humanity might come to an end -- other than global warming. Here's a list of other ways the world might come to an end, starting with natural causes. * Asteroid Impact * Supervolcanic Eruption * Gamma-Ray Burst * Magnetic Pole Reversal * Global Pandemic * Solar Superflare * Going back into the ice age * Loss of pollinators or other essential critters * Methane Clathrate Release But that's not all. There are also human causes. * Nuclear War * Artificial Intelligence * Biological or Chemical Warfare * Environmental Collapse * Technological Catastrophe * Economic Collapse * Resource Wars * Cyber Warfare * Collapse in human fertility * Lack of confidence in the system * Universal Islam or Liberalism

The boys drink and review White Chocolate Dream Blonde Stout by Black Beauty Brewery, then (starting at 3:43) discuss the history of blacks and the GOP. The Republican Party (GOP) started with the explicit intention of stopping the spread of slavery in America. The first Republican president was Abraham Lincoln, who freed the slaves. Democrats have a horrible record on votes that affect black people. Most Democrats votes against the 13th amendment (to free slaves). No Democrats voted for the 14th amendment (making freed slaves citizens). No Democrats voted for the 15th amendment (giving slaves the right to vote). The first black Senators (in 1870) were Republicans. The first black Representatives (in 1871) were Republicans. The first 23 black Representatives were Republicans. The first black Democrat Senator was in 1993! Democrats founded the KKK. Democrats started Jim Crow laws. By percentage, more Republicans than Democrats voted for the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Given all this, why d

The boys drink and review St. Bernardus Ale, then discuss the obesity epidemic. Why is it that videos from the 1920s up to fairly recent times show mostly slim, fit people, but everybody at Walmart is fat? What has happened? According to Dr. Peter Attia, the standard American diet is a solution to a business and marketing problem, in four parts. 1. Quantity. Too many people were undernourished and we need to produce calories at scale 2. Cost. We don't want food to cost too much 3. Storage. It has to be non-perishable and portable 4. Taste. It has to taste good We've definitely solved that problem, but we've created another. About 43 percent of U.S. adults are obese. What happened? P&C review the stats and the possible explanations.

The boys drink and review Hare Chaser Grapefruit IPA from Flying Dog brewery, then discuss the ignorance of most protesters. You would think that if a person is willing to take time off of school or work, jeopardize their education or job, or their future, to clash with police, to protest an injustice -- that they might know something about the topic! The Ben Franklin Players come on the show to illustrate a common experience with modern protesters. When a pro-Palestinian protester says "from the river to the sea," odds are good he doesn't know which river or which sea. Then we have to consider the different treatment protesters get from law enforcement. Damage public property, steal and burn the U.S. flag and assault police officers? That's free speech. Pray outside an abortion clinic? Jail. P&C discuss the protest culture and our response.

#1 -- (2:58) Is it even possible that the Secret Service is as incompetent as they were in Pennsylvania? The security failures were epic and strain credulity. Could competent, trained professionals be this bad? The boys review some of the emerging details and wonder what in the heck went wrong. Was the Secret Service complicit in the attempt, or were they impossibly incompetent? And what about the DEI component? What were those short women doing trying to protect 6'3" Trump? #2 -- (17:40) Is Ben Shapiro right about Social Security? Ben argues that the program was never designed to support people for 20 years of retirement. As life expectancy increases, shouldn't the retirement age? The boys are big fans of Shapiro, but aren't convinced of his argument for several reasons. Listen in. #3 -- (23:18) Pigweed calls BS on the "my life is hard" narrative. Everyone these days has to have a persecution narrative. Society is expecting too much. It's so hard. "Everybody told

The boys drink and review Pigweed's Seal Team 6 -- a homebrewed Black IPA -- then discuss eugenics. Humans have been breeding animals and plants for a very long time. Most of the foods we eat are the result of thousands of years of careful breeding by farmers, and "man's best friend" was bred from wild dogs. Why shouldn't we do the same with humans? Sir Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin who was very influenced by The Origin of Species, proposed just such a plan and called it "eugenics." Darwinism convinced Galton that an organism’s most important characteristics must be biological rather than shaped by environment or experience. The idea caught fire with the intellectual elite. John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger and Alexander Graham Bell all promoted the idea to one degree or another. The Supreme Court even weighed in. In upholding a Virginia law that permitted compulsory sterilization of individuals thought unfit to rep

The boys drink and review Crowhill's homemade gin, then give a broad overview of liquors. P&C discuss ... Fermentation vs. distillation The history of liquor Liquor vs. liquer and fortified wines What "proof" means White vs. colored liquors The main types of liquor - Vodka - Gin - Tequila - Rum - Whiskey (vs. whisky) - Brandy The science of getting drunk The science of hangovers ... plus a few anecdotes and common myths about liquor. Does red wine need to breathe before you drink it? Does the shape of a glass make a difference? Can "hair of the dog" cure a hangover?

The boys drink and review Brooklyn Brewery's Sunny Pale Ale, then discuss Star Wars and the enduring influence of the hero's journey. The Star Wars movies struck quite a chord with the public. On the one hand, it seems like silly kid's stuff. On the other hand, Pigweed's literature professors referred to Star Wars as a classic example of the hero pattern, or quest journey. The lives of Jesus, Moses, King Arthur, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, and many others follow a very similar pattern. Their stories follow a very predictable pattern that includes the call to adventure, resistance to the call, the role of the mentor, facing a challenge, winning the prize, then bringing that achievement back to the people. There are other background elements to the life of the hero, like a suspicious birth, the absense of parents, some connection to royalty and maybe divinity. Star Wars follows this myth in each individual episode, and across episodes. Some people have said that Star Wars has aband

P&C drink and review a summer ale, then discuss OnlyFans. The site serves as a medium for paid content. It's not only about sex. It can be used by artists, musicians, authors, and so on. But it's largely about sex. There are some possible benefits to women who choose to do "sex work" on OnlyFans. There are no pimps. They can set their own boundaries. They're at less risk for STDs. And it's possible to make a lot of money. But the possible benefits are outweighed by many negatives. Once a woman has agreed to do this work, she's lost an important part of her dignity, and it's hard to go back. They start to think "oh well, I guess I’m this kind of girl now.” While women can set their own boundaries, they will be constantly pressured to do more. The woman who does this kind of work on OnlyFans becomes a sexual object, and she will be treated that way. Sexual harassment is part of the job, and it gets very ugly. You’re no longer a person. You're a product that e

Agenda 47 is a series of policy initiatives Trump intends to enact if elected. In the telling of one hair on fire liberal commentator, Agenda 47 includes ... * massive deportation * death sentence for human trafficking * close dept of education * put prayer in school * close race based advantage programs * end affordable care act * ban gender affirming care for adults and children * term limits for congee * investigate Biden crime family * pardon Jan 6ers * increase juvenile sentences, strengthen immunity for police, deploy national guard in woke cities * reassessment NATO * Muslim travel ban * Freedom cities * End federal EV mandates * Drill of gas and oil domestically * increase tariffs on Chinese goods * extend 2017 tax cuts * extend right to conceal, carry * get Europe to pay back money we gave to Ukraine * remove federal subsidies from woke Universities The boys review each of these items to determine if they're as scary as the frightened liberals imagine. They also discuss Joe Biden's debate

Join us in this episode as we delve into the fascinating world of relativity, exploring the groundbreaking work of Albert Einstein. We cover both special and general relativity, discussing the profound implications these theories have on our understanding of space, time, and the universe. Whether you're a physics enthusiast or just curious about the cosmos, this episode offers insightful explanations and thought-provoking discussions. With special guest Longinus, Pigweed and Crowhill start the show with a review of a famous Belgian beer.

With literary contributor Longinus, the boys drink and review Furious George Hefeweizen from Crooked Crab Brewing, then continue their "shortcut to the classics" series with The Time Machine. After a brief biography and sense of Wells' historical setting, the boys review the plot, then give their analysis. The story follows the journey of an unnamed protagonist, referred to as the Time Traveller, who invents a machine capable of traveling through time. He demonstrates the machine to a group of friends and then embarks on a journey to the distant future. The Time Traveller arrives in the year 802,701 AD, where he encounters two distinct species: the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are gentle, childlike people who live above ground in a seemingly idyllic society, but they are frail and lack intellectual curiosity. The Morlocks, on the other hand, are sinister, nocturnal creatures who live underground and maintain the machinery that supports the Eloi's lifestyle. As the Time Traveller explore

The boys drink and review Southern Cross ESB from M8 Beer Company, then go through reader questions and comments. Questions include ... * Why aren't there more women in dangerous jobs, and should they be if we really want equity? * Does dating a trans woman make you gay? * More on cats vs. dogs * In your show on evolution you casually dismissed creationists. What's up? * A reprise of the pendulum show. Are things shifting towards conservatism? * Have people had enough with mass immigration, but here and in Europe? * Do we really have government of, by, and for the people? * Is "Memories of my meloncholy whores" representative of Marquez in general since it does not include magical realism. * Did you notice that Marquez did not use quotation marks to designate speech? * Did the news covering racism cause the George Floyd madness, or did the George Floyd madness cause the news to cover racism? * We had a suggestion for a show on the poison of victimhood. * Why did we give any cre

P&C drink and review Little Mac IPA from Antietam Brewing then discuss the downward slide of a famous scientific magazine that was founded before the American Civil War! It would be nice to have a reliable standard to find out what's actually going on in the scientific world. Scientific American magazine used to be that. Recently it's gone woke, and now it's no longer that beacon of scientific judgment. Some signs of their recent wokeness. * Michael Shermer's column was rejected because it might hurt someone's feelings. * Scientific American slandered E.O. Wilson with a woke diatribe. * They promote the transgender nonsense. * They have claimed that football is racist, and and that denial of evolution is white supremacy. * They want federal oversight of homeschooling. The revered old magazine has gone too far to the left and has fallen off the woke end of the spectrum. Steven Pinker tweeted: “Unscientific American | Another noble American institution run into the ground when cl

P&C drink and review Extra Strong Boi Imperial ESB from Black Flag Brewing, then discuss the curse of the smart phone. Can grown adults stand in line at the Post Office any more without being distracted by some electronic device? The boys review some of the history of electronic devices in our lives, then talk about the perils of the modern state, where everyone is connected all the time. Jonathan Haidt identifies several problems with smart phones. Social Deprivation -- Smartphones act as experience blockers, reducting time spent in physical play or face-to-face interactions, which are crucial for healthy social development. Sleep Deprivation -- Excessive use of smartphones, especially late at night, leads to insufficient sleep, further exacerbating mental health issues. Attention Fragmentation -- Constant notifications and messages interrupt focus, making it difficult for teenagers to concentrate on tasks. Addiction -- Apps and social media platforms are designed to exploit psychological vulnerabil