Beer And Conversation With Pigweed And Crowhill

The boys drink and review a holiday ale from New Belgium, then discuss the erosion of public standards of conduct.  Is society allowed to expect basic standards of behavior?  What about business dress codes? Can McDonald's insist on a uniform, even though people could flip burgers in sweats and a t-shirt?  Was it right for Zelenski to speak to the Congress of the United States in a sweatshirt?  Aren't there any standards?  Hardly. And the few that exist all fly out the window if you mention gender identity. If you say your gender identity requires you to wear enormous pretend boobs, nobody is willing to tell you differently.  A recent example of this conflict of standards is the weird example of Sam Brinton. The man is a disgrace and a flaming weirdo, but because he's "gender fluid" he gets a pass.  On the other hand, elementary school teachers can be fired for doing relatively normal things.  There's no logic or sense to any of this. 

In this end-of-the-year show, the boys review their home-brewed Christmas ales, then discuss New Year's resolutions.  Lots of people use the new year as an opportunity to re-evaluate their lives and their goals and make adjustments. But some people think it's a waste of time because nobody ever keeps them.  The boys discuss popular topics for resolutions and ways science has shown that can make it more likely to keep your resolutions.  * Frame the resolution positively.  * Piggyback habits. That is, attach the new habit to an existing one, like "after I shower I will read for ten minutes."  * Link the new activity with something you want to do. E.g., I can only listen to audiobooks while I'm on the treadmill.  * Pick something small and manageable, esp. for the first week.  * Make it specific rather than vague -- e.g., go to the gym three times a week, rather than "exercise more". Use a number.  * Create a new habit to replace an old habit.  * Be accountable to som

The boys drink and review Honey Kolsch by Rogue Brewing, then talk about how the media treats mass shootings. As with so many issues in the news today, you have to peel back the agenda from the news coverage. Often the media can't even wait for the facts to come out before they start with their interpretations and explanations.  You can almost feel the hunger by the news organizations for a story that confirms their view of the world.  Mass shootings are almost always used as an excuse to promote new laws, even if the new law wouldn't have done a thing to stop the latest outrage, and even if there were already laws on the books that should have.  In story after story, if a shooting fits with the liberal media's agenda, we hear about it for weeks. If the story doesn't confirm their agenda, it quietly goes away.  It's all about identity politics. But only when that's convenient and fits the preferred template. 

The boys drink and review a peppermint Imperial stout, then discuss Christmas music.  What do scary ghost stories have to do with Christmas? It might be more complicated than you think!  Pigweed and Crowhill discuss their favorite songs, the duds, themes in Christmas music, and why the Christmas season is so special.  This is a light-hearted episode, sure to put you in the holiday spirit. 

The boys drink and review Unicorn Farts by DuClaw, then discuss what they love and what they hate in commercials.  We've become accustomed to the idea that we pay for free television by suffering through the commercials. Consumers want humor in commercials. Like in the Super Bowl. But what we get is posturing and lecturing by the woke.  There are several trends and themes in commercials that the boys review. For example, if there's a man and a woman in a commercial, the man almost always plays the part of the idiot, or loses the argument. It's also acceptable to make fun of a man's sexuality.  In some ways, the social agenda has become more important than the sale of the product.  Many commercials have a completely fake-feeling, forced emphasis on diversity, for example.  Commercials are an interesting indicator of the culture. What do today's commercials say about our culture? 

The boys drink and review a homemade batch of Krupnikas, a Christmas cordial, then discuss how states often sponsor morally questionable behaviors, like gambling and drug use.  Maryland voters recently approved a referendum legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Is this a good idea?  Some people try to put a positive spin on this by taxing the drugs and using the revenue for some good purpose.  Does decriminalization cut out the criminal element? Does that justify decriminalization?  And what about gambling? Is legalized gambling a good thing for society? Does winning the lottery actually help anyone? Does the lottery disproportionately affect the poor?  What happened to all the traditional arguments against gambling? Have we countered them, or just ignored them? 

Along with special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Space Dust IPA by Elysium brewing, then discuss a few short stories from The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury.  The premise of the collection is that you can see the stories in the collection played out by looking at the tattoos of a carny.  This podcast includes reviews of the following stories.  The Veldt - problems arise when spoiled children get addicted to their "smart room."  Kaleidoscope - a tale of how people react when facing certain death on their own in space.  The Other Foot -- all the Earth's black population has moved to Mars. The remaining population on Earth destroy the planet and come to Mars begging for help.  The Man - Space farers, moving from planet to planet, just miss "the man." The captain becomes obsessed with catching up with him.  The Rocket Man - Working in space is addictive. When you're in space you want to be on Earth, and vice versa. The story inspired Elton John's song. 

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review a smoked maple porter from Flying Dog Brewery, then discuss Daoism and the Tao Te Ching.  Longinus starts with a general introduction to Daoism, looking at it from three perspectives: as a philosophy, as a New Age, self-help system, and as a religion.  Daoism competed with Confucianism in China and was often repressed by the Chinese government.  Daoism is both practical and mystical, and often frustratingly vague. It can be approached from several different perspectives.  The Tao Te Ching, allegedly by Lao Tzu, doesn't have a plot or a narrative. It's a collection of wise sayings, somewhat reminiscent of the biblical Proverbs.  The boys review some of their favorite quotes from the Tao Te Ching, and reflect on its message and enduring value. 

In the November 2022 edition of "five for five", the boys drink and review a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout from Guinness, then discuss five topics in five minutes each.  1. Gabby Giffords and the courage to fight gun violence. What is the "courage" here? Who is going around threatening people who oppose gun violence? None of the things her group are advocating for require any courage at all.  2. Qatar's World Cup. Why is it in Qatar to begin with? Where are all the woke opposing Qatar's human rights? And to add insult to injury, two days before the start they reverse their position and decide not to have beer in the stadium.  3. The Paul Pelosi story. In two months we get two weird stories about Paul Pelosi, and in neither case do we get the straight story from the media. What the heck is going on? And why the tyrannical insistence that we believe the first-day version of events, which almost always turn out to be wrong?  4. Candace Owens and The Greatest Lie Ever Sold. Once again, th

The boys drink and review Glacial Drift, a spiced winter ale, then discuss the controversies surrounding Hunter Biden.  Hunter isn't really the issue. The question is whether the president of the United States has been compromised by foreign powers. It certainly looks that way. It seems that Joe is under the thumb of China and others.  What about the laptop? In hindsight, the old "this is Russian propaganda" thing seems to have "all the earmarks" of a cover-up, and both the FBI and the legacy media seem complicit.  Now it seems beyond dispute that Hunter used Joe's political connections to get lucrative deals, and kicked back some of the money to Joe, aka "the big guy."  The new GOP Congress may investigate it, but will anything come of it? Probably not.  The boys finish out the show with an installment of "Just Not Woke Enough."

The boys drink and review a 2-year-old bottle of Raison D'Extra, then discuss proposals to redraw state boundaries.  They start off with a review of federalism, and the idea that the country is a collection of states, not simply a mass of people, which is why tiny Rhode Island and sparsely populated Montana get as many senators as California.  What happens when residents of a state feel they don't fit in that state?  The idea is being tested in Oregon, where the conservative, agricultural residents of the majority of the state differ drastically from the urban liberals in Portland. They'd rather join up with Idaho.  A similar thing is going on in Maryland, where the conservative eastern and western ends of the state don't feel represented by the liberals in Annapolis.  But where does this end? Do county lines need to be redrawn? City lines? Neighborhoods?  The solution is not to keep redrawing lines, but to respect minority rights and making most political issues as local as poss

In this quick episode, the boys share their favorite Thanksgiving foods and thoughts about this quintessentially American holiday, and reflect on why it's important to be thankful and grateful.  Happy Thanksgiving! 

The boys drink and review Imperialis from Avery Brewing Company, then discuss bail reform.  The point of bail is to make sure that an accused person will appear at his court appearances. If you pay the bail and show up, you get the money back.  Unfortunately, bail has been set too high for many citizens, and they have to go through the ridiculous bail bonds process, which is a complete racket.  This has led some jurisdictions to eliminate cash bail in many cases. It's part of a larger movement that seeks to dial back police power, redefine crimes, and refuse to prosecute other crimes. Homeless camps are allowed to grow in our major cities. There's public defecation and urination. It's a horrible mess.  Bail does need to be reformed, but the liberal solution has been a disaster. 

The boys drink and review a fresh hop IPA from Stone Brewing, then discuss common biases in the way we think.  Cognitive biases are examples of ways in which our brains can point us down a non-rational path. But why do we have these biases? Why did they evolve?  Could it be that there are situations where it's better not to be rational?  The boys discuss as they review the following examples.  * Reactance * The framing effect * The availability heuristic * The sunk cost fallacy * Groupthink * Declinism * Self-serving bias  * The Placebo effect  * In-group bias  * The halo effect  * The curse of knowledge  * Anchoring  * Confirmation bias It's good to be aware of these departures from strictly rational thinking, but it's also good to be aware of why we have them in the first place. 

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review two beers from Springfield Manor Brewery, then discuss the disappointing results of the 2022 midterm elections.  The proverb says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick," and that's certainly the case here.  What in the world happened to the Red Wave?  The modern Democratic Party has gone so far past the insane label that it's hard to believe anybody would vote for them. But ... apparently a lot of people don't feel that way.  Republicans severely under-delivered. Why?  Part of it is candidate quality. Some of the Republican candidates were not that great, and some of them were too Trumpy. Abortion also played a larger role in the vote than many polls predicted.  One lesson from the midterm election might be that the country wants normal, and both parties are offering crazy.  Despite the poor showing, there are some good things from the election. First, this might be the end of Stacey Abrams and Beta O'Rourke. Second, Democrats are losing t

Mr. Energy, who knows a bit about wine, returns to the show to review three Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons, and discuss some basics about wine.  The boys discuss white vs. red grapes, vintages, tannins, price vs. value, etc., as they drink their way through three cabs.  What's the right way to buy wine? Is there a price where you can be sure you're getting good wine? And what about pairing wine with food? Do you have to drink red wine with red meat?  How should a newbie approach the topic? What do you do if you want to bring good wine to a dinner party?  Wine can get so complicated. What's the role of aging with wine? Should you turn up your nose at wines with a screw top? What do you do if you try a wine and don't like it? And what do you do when the waiter comes to the table and presents the cork?  P&C and Mr. Energy try to demystify the topic. 

Along with special guest Mr. Energy, the boys drink and review The Glutenberg, a gluten-free IPA, then discuss energy policy.  In a previous episode, the boys made fun of California for requiring more electric cars in the very same week they asked people not to charge their electric cars because the grid couldn't handle it.  Mr. Energy -- an old friend who has covered energy issues for decades -- wanted a chance to chime in on the topic.  While he shares some P&C principles, like the need for a market-based approach, an all-of-the-above approach to energy, and the need for a national energy policy, he disagrees with the boys on a few points, especially related to global warming.  The discussion is lively and interesting, and Mr. Energy brings some good news about the future of modular nukes! 

With special guest Longinus, P&C drink and review Bloodline, an IPA by Flying Dog, then discuss Vlad the Impaler and Dracula.  The boys discuss the origins of vampire stories and the association between vampires and Dracula.  Bram Stoker loosely based his story on Vlad the Impaler, who was a 15th-century badass in the general area of modern-day Romania.  P&C review the basic historical situation and life of Vlad, and his reputation for cruelty. Some reports say he was a psycopath, worse than Caligula and Nero.  Stoker's book (and a few contemporary works) introduced many of the elements of the modern-day vampire story. No reflection in the mirror. Doesn't sleep at night. Fear of crosses and holy objects. Can change into a wolf or a bat. Is seductive and sophisticated.  The boys then review a series of Dracula movies based, to one degree or another, on Stoker's work.  To celebrate Halloween, they wrap up the show with a series of 2-sentence horror stories. 

As part of their ongoing and popular "shortcut to the classics" series, Pigweed and Crowhill, with special guest Longinus, review Tell Tale Heart IPA, then discuss Poe's life and works, including his connection to Baltimore, Maryland.   They review several Poe short stories and poems, including The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Raven.  For each story, the boys give a brief review of the basic details, then delve into some interpretation and commentary.  The stories play off common horrors: being buried alive, tortured, crushed to death, betrayed by a friend, falling into madness, your dead body carved to pieces, and losing the love of your life. Poe uses them all perfectly, creating suspense and horror out of common experiences, echoing normal human reactions, but in a unique and frightening way. 

P&C drink and review yet another offering from the Pastryarchy -- an Almond Brittle Imperial Stout -- then discuss the Republican Party's "Commitment to America."  Newt Gingrich famously engineered a Republican revolution with his Contract with America. Contemporary Republicans are trying to imitate that strategy with their Commitment to America. It's an attempt to put forward a positive message.  The boys love the idea but are not impressed with the details.  Overall, the commitment expresses nice sentiments, but it doesn't provide enough detail. The Contract with America put forward ten specific pieces of legislation which people could read. The Commitment to America is just a bunch of vague sayings with no details.  The Commitment also seems to tread on federalism, promoting to make changes that are not in the federal government's purview.  Overall, the boys are not pleased with the effort. It seems too wishy-washy.