Well it has certainly been an adventurous time traveling from Fort Lewis to Indiana back to Washington and then ultimately to El Paso, Texas. My brother traveled with me on the last leg of my journey to my new duty station. I visited places that I've never visited before, and we survived my car breaking down in the Rocky Mountains. We may or may not have barely avoided a potential murderer, but fortunately we were rescued before it got way too cold. Regardless, I had a great time back in Indiana and am really grateful for my brother for braving this adventure with me.
While I was waiting around forever for my car to get fixed, I was looking up Fort Bliss just to see what my living situation would be like. I had an open bay in basic training, Vietnam era barracks in AIT which may or may not have been previously condemned, and Natick offered two joint bedrooms with a small kitchenette; so I felt pretty lucky having the kind of barracks room that I had in Fort Lewis. In Fort Lewis, I had my own bedroom and shared a common area with only one other person. That common area had a full kitchen and its own washer and dryer. Feeling spoiled I was nervous what laid ahead.
Fortunately, the room in Fort Bliss was fairly similar. The only real difference was that there was a shared laundry room for a floor, but that is a small price to pay for ... AIR CONDITIONING!!! After cleaning the place up and decorating it a little, I thought I'd share some pictures for anyone single moving to Fort Bliss who happened across this blog.
Full size kitchen with appliances.
Other side of kitchen. Comes with a small table.
Obviously, not my first choice in style, but overall its virtually the same from what I had in Fort Lewis - just a difference in layout. The sink has a garbage disposal, and the lights underneath the cabinets can create a nice ambience.
On the other side of the room, you can see how relatively small the kitchen is, but I don't really need it to be any bigger. There's enough room to comfortably fit a small table and chairs. Naturally, I had to add a little flair.
My bedroom.
My bedroom is about the same size as it was in Fort Lewis with a full walk-in closet. One nice feature with the barracks is that -if you choose- there is a wifi service provided. You have to pay, but it was nice to have something while I tried to figure out what cable provider I could get over here. And naturally, I had to add a little flair.
Well, I hope you enjoy a small taste of my new home for the next two years. I must say that missing Christmas for the first time really sucked, and I have zero intention of doing that again. Fort Lewis was a fun adventure, and I look forward to this one. It is getting close to midnight, so I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!
Admittedly, I haven't been following the Democratic presidential candidates as closely as the Republicans, but I now have a better sense of the candidates after the first Democratic debate. The Democrats have two clear front runners, and the Republicans don't. I'm going to force down the Republicans with who I want to win and who I think is going to win. It's really hard to say at this point, but I will boldly claim that I have a good sense of the landscape with social media. Of course any kind of prediction is pointless because whoever wins the primaries will face extraordinary scrutiny. I should point out that I am a registered Republican, but these are my honest assessments of the candidates.
Sen. Rand Paul, KY (R)
Most of my opinions of Senator Rand Paul are based from his father, Congressman Ron Paul. Ron Paul has been the most influential person in politics in my life introducing me to the ideas of Libertarianism. Rand Paul is very much like his father, but doesn't have some of the father's baggage (which I think is BS, but irrelevant). A conservative with libertarian leanings, he is the candidate I hope wins the presidency. He advocates a more peaceful foreign policy, reducing drones and ending our support of Syrian rebels among others. He promises a more frugal government and a desire to shrink the size of the federal government and bring that power to the states. I pretty much agree with him on everything. The other great thing is that he has the voting record to back up his promises.
Mr. Donald Trump
Oh boy! Mr. Donald Trump is most likely going to win the Republican nomination. He leads in every poll and admittedly has a great stage presence. His strongest issues seem to be on stronger border enforcement and bringing jobs back to America. Interestingly, he is the only other candidate aside from Sen. Paul to advocate a more peaceful foreign policy. The problem is he has zero political experience and there's no voting record to verify his stances. Ironically, I think his lack of political experience is what make him attractive. He certainly makes the Republican debates very interesting.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, VT (D)
To be honest, if it weren't for my friends on Facebook, I would never have heard of Senator Bernie Sanders. After watching the first debate, I can certainly see his appeal. My biggest problem with him -of course- is his call for Democratic Socialism. His other big issue is free college tuition for everyone, but I'm not sure if that's for every college institution. Regardless, I wouldn't have a huge problem with somebody in the White House who seems to genuinely care for other people even if I disagree with his means. I feel that a lot of his big proposals would meet heavy resistance in Congress simply because there's no way he can do these programs without raising taxes. Of course, I'll take him any day over the person who I think is going to probably win the presidency.
Sec. of State Hillary Clinton
Let me start things off by saying that I truly despise this woman. She has a very globalist-minded agenda, but it's the acts that she committed as Secretary of State that I find atrocious. Granted, her political experience on paper makes her the most experienced and qualified candidate, but the scandals that she is involved in are truly horrendous. Benghazi, the email server, and the Clinton Foundation just to name a few. I don't trust this woman to be serving in the best interests of the country. Sadly, I think a lot of her support is based solely on identity politics. It would be very cool if we could have the first woman president, but that doesn't make her qualified to be president. With that said, she has such a powerful political machine. The fact that I haven't heard of any other democratic candidate (and I'm a pretty big political junkie) in the news makes me pretty sure that she is going to win the democratic primary at the very least.
Aside from the candidates, the primary issue that I think will define this race (and perhaps which side will win) is how to handle the Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare). The Republicans want to repeal it and replace it with an entirely new program. Sanders wants to expand Obamacare and perhaps go for a more universal socialized healthcare. Clinton just wants to rework Obamacare and try to solve its faults without scrapping the program entirely. While I generally agree with the Republicans' solution, Sanders has an equally compelling argument. However, I would say that Clinton is offering the simplest and most pragmatic solution.
Or my fears of identity politics will dominate the race.
I am waiting for the first Democratic primary debate before I make a comment on the election, so in the meantime, I'll talk about something that is sure not to draw controversy, one of my true passions in life: Chipotle. A Qdoba recently opened in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and it only reaffirmed my love for Chipotle. It's healthy. It's fast food. It's delicious. I would even dare say that my love for Chipotle borders on zealotry!
Started in 1993 in Colorado by Steve Ells (a modern day prophet?), Chipotle was limited to Colorado until it received major investments from McDonald's allowing it to grow into the juggernaut it is today. By the mid 2000's, Chipotle became it's own entity once again and grew even more. The restaurant prides itself on serving cruelty-free meat and only the freshest ingredients. Qdoba is alright, but you can truly taste the difference in Chipotle.
In spirit, Chipotle goes much farther back into biblical times. When Moses and the Hebrews were wandering the desert, God gave them Chipotle. Manna is after all just unleavened bread aka a tortilla. When Jesus said that all that was unclean is now clean, he of course was referring to carnitas. Some even posit that the reason why the Babylonians and the Romans conquered Israel was so that they too could get some Chipotle! Of course all of these accounts can be found in the Bible ... somewhere in the back.
In all seriousness, Chipotle is -without a doubt- my favorite fast food restaurant. With that said, I really wish it would follow Qdoba's model and serve breakfast and queso!
Alright, I am about to confess one of my darkest secrets ... I watch anime. There I said it.
Not all anime mind you. There are still some cultural differences that I just can't fully appreciate - mostly the humor. A lot of anime seems like the tired old tropes of scantily clad women who are quite endowed and oddly have a monkey's tail or the characters over emote which I find terribly annoying. I did used to watch anime when I was younger: Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, and the Pokemon television show. I got bored of watching Pokemon at the same time my fad with the Pokemon video games faded. Gundam Wing I still kind of like because it avoids all of the anime tropes that annoy me and had some themes that were interesting. Lastly, I did watch Dragon Ball Z all the way through, but dang, if those grunts and battle noises weren't super annoying. I did check out Dragon Ball Kai years later, and I must admit that made DBZ much easier to watch since a lot of those grunts were omitted. But all in all, I never really could get into other animes other than the popular westernized ones.
All of this began to change upon the discovery of TeamFourStar's YouTube series, Dragon Ball Z Abridged. I am linking the 29th episode because that was the first one I watched.
When I saw this for the first time, I must have been literally rolling on the floor laughing. It poked fun at all of the annoying things in DBZ, and I must admit that I was able to appreciate the original series better. Naturally, I had to watch all of the other episodes and waited in anticipation for the 30th episode to come out. These fans of a beloved childhood cartoon gave me renewed interest in anime. If you watched DBZ when you were a kid, I can't recommend these videos enough.
Long story short, I had a roommate in college who recommended that I watch Death Note. I watched the first episode and I thought it was interesting, but I never gave it another chance -mostly because I was way too busy with college. That changed when I saw it appear on Netflix. Having a greater appreciation for anime again thanks to TeamFourStar, I finally decided to watch it. I was disappointed that I had waited so long. It was actually a really good show. I love villains with a god complex, and the morality play was really fascinating. I hated how the show ended, but it was a really fun ride.
One thing that I have noticed when it comes to anime is that I have to watch the English dubbed versions. It's just hard for me to enjoy the visual spectacle when I have to read text at the bottom to understand the plot. However, that was not true for the next anime I discovered on Netflix which was Attack on Titan. Starting with a spectacular opening score, the show quickly grabs your attention. While I definitely appreciated the few English dubbed episodes I watched on Toonami, I didn't really care about the dialogue when these extremely unsettling titans started attacking and eating people including the protagonists.
And then I discovered what is without a doubt my favorite anime and possibly one of my favorite television programs, Berserk. The animation is a bit dated, but all I can say is that I found this because of a YouTube video about the top ten WTF anime endings (Berserk was #1). Again, Berserk had zero of the annoying tropes I find in a lot of anime, and the story was just one of the best stories I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Heck, this show may even get me to read manga because I want to know what happens next in the story!
Nonetheless, the reason why I am confessing my sins is because I recently watched the latest Dragon Ball Z movie: Resurrection F. I'm not going to write a review for it because I went to see the movie out of pure nostalgia, and I don't think I can really recommend watching it for any other reason.
I will admit that the voice acting is real good and the animation is stellar, but the entire movie can be summed up as Goku learned how to turn his hair color to blue and fought Frieza who figured out how to turn gold. I'll give you a lucky guess who wins at the end. The movie was basically one big television episode.
If nothing else, the movie does compel me to check out the new Dragon Ball Super show which just started airing recently.
Well I am glad to finally get that weight off of my chest. In the end, I'm just trying to say that despite my initial distaste for anime, over the last year I have begun finding an appreciation for it that didn't exist. Out of this new appreciation, I am discovering new stories that are truly unique compared to a lot of other fiction.
I have been a redditor for five years, and it is with a heavy heart that I leave Reddit and move on. Like Digg before it, Reddit is a popular link aggregator that really allows one to truly appreciate the internet. I am able to get better insight with current events, and the subreddits enhance my viewing of my favorite television shows, movies, and other interests. More than a website I also participated in the Secret Santa and donated to their philanthropic causes.
Those were the reasons why I loved Reddit. While I certainly didn't have a problem with the website cracking down on illegal activities (child porn, terrorism, etc), it's become clear that they are now cracking down on free speech as a result of their advertisers. The downvoting from other users for merely expressing an opinion was certainly frustrating, but in an effort to stop spammers, popular subreddits won't allow users to post if they have a low or negative vote count. The voting system used to work by simply promoting the highest rated comments and posts to the top, and now it is impossible for me to post in certain subreddits merely for expressing a belief in God or daring to ask a question and having those downvoted into oblivion. Aside from the users, now the owners are trying to ban "offensive" content. The problem with trying to ban "offensive" content is that "offensive" is a really hard word to define. What offends me is probably different from what offends you. With the election coming up, I foresee this as being a tool to silence conservatives.
These problems have been going on for a while, but I didn't want to give up Reddit so quickly because it was still a very valuable website in obtaining news and information. I've tried several clones, and I think I finally found one that is actually pretty good. Voat is basically a Reddit clone, but -at least for now- it is no where near the behemoth that Reddit is. On the plus side, there is no active efforts of censorship. On the negative side, the content just isn't as plentiful. I still find myself visiting subreddits for some of my favorite TV shows. Hopefully, that will change as time goes on because the site is still fairly young.
The reason why I am switching to Voat is because I feel that free speech and an open exchange of ideas is what makes us better as a society and -for me- helps me learn so much more. I don't really have many friends that I talk philosophy, current events, or politics with, and to some chagrin, they actively shun these discussions. Fortunately, on the forums of these sites, I am able to converse with people from a multitude of different backgrounds each with a unique view on a topic. These debates allow me to escape certain logic traps that ensnared me and help me learn more about everything. Even though I don't necessarily like it, offensive speech is important (especially if it has a point) because we have to be able to confront ugly ideas and either explain why they are bad or concede that maybe there's a greater nuance. Silencing such speech only makes society dumber and emboldens those with bad ideas because no one tells them why they are wrong.
Sorry in advance, but this is going to start off as more of a rant than a blog post.
I recently acquired the additional duty of being a barracks manager and had the undertaking of signing over an entire building. Part of signing over a building was ensuring the interior was clean. My goodness! I'm not perfect, but I cannot believe the level of filth that people can live in.
I can be lazy with taking out the trash, but if it starts to smell, then my laziness goes away immediately. Rarely, do I let it get to that point, but I certainly wouldn't tolerate it. Worse still, I definitely would not proceed to put trash on my counter top because my trash is overflowing. I can forgive people not knowing how to clean stains, but not taking out the trash is just bad.
Now with that out of my system, I thought I'd share my favorite cleaning products that have made my living areas nice and clean. With just these four products, I've been able to clean just about everything and removed all stains. Note: this blog has received zero endorsements from any companies. These are simply my personal recommendations based upon my experiences.
The first cleaning product on my list would have to be Clorox wipes simply because they are the easiest and most widely used cleaning product that I own. As the labeling suggests, these are great for counter tops, appliances, little stains on the floor, certain furniture, and even bathroom fixtures. It can't do everything, but they are very easy to use and convenient. Clorox wipes are my first line of defense against most stains. Usually, I can clean most stains on my counter top and clean dust off of surfaces using just this product. The color and smell make no difference to me. I usually buy a multi-pack in order to save money and trips to the store.
For reflective surfaces such as mirrors, windows, and stove tops; nothing beats the power of Windex made of vinegar. I don't know exactly why, but I found the vinegar based formula to be much more useful than the original blue formula. Obviously, you'll need paper towels for most surfaces and possibly a scrub pad for harder stains. Normally, if a Clorox wipe cannot easily clean up a stain, I'll use Windex with paper towels or a scrub pad instead of wasting multiple Clorox wipes. The advantage of Windex over Clorox is simply that Windex won' leave any streaks. Streaks aren't noticeable on counter tops and most surfaces, but on reflective surfaces such as mirrors, it'll be apparent that you'll prefer Windex.
In the unlikely and rare event that Windex cannot remove a stain, I move to my next level of defense which is CLR - calcium, lime, and rust. This is my heavy artillery, and I primarily use it to clean my toilet bowl and bath tub. A lot of my initial cleanings from when I first move into a room will primarily use CLR too. I rarely use paper towels with this product. I typically will use a scrub pad or a sponge. Main reason is because if I am having to use this for a stain, paper towels may not be strong enough. Plus I like to save paper and not waste huge amounts when it's not too hard to clean a sponge.
Last and not least. Easy-Off off oven cleaner is my nuclear bomb of cleaning products. Almost used exclusively for the inside of my oven, in very rare instances I will use this on tough stains. I think the only times I've used it for stains has been on a stove top and because I was lazy with some metal. The stains I used it on were before I discovered CLR.
A word of warning: I once had a plastic bowl that I was frustratingly trying to remove a stain out of and this product actually ate through the plastic (should've read the warning label). Also, I do find the yellow can to be better than the blue one, but the fumes produced by this cleaning product are no joke (the blue one produces no fumes). This can easily make you gag and burn your eyes. With that said, despite all of these negative things, the positives easily outweigh them which is why I still highly recommend this product.
A sequel of sorts to -one of my favorite movies- Terminator, the humans have just defeated Skynet only to discover its final weapon, a time machine. John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor only it seems like this has already happened, yet something has also changed.
Apologies for the plot summary being a little confusing because that was perhaps my biggest gripe with this movie. Ironically, the whole parallel timelines creates some of my favorite bits where they recreate scenes from the first Terminator movie but add a twist. The parallel timelines device does make me like this movie moreso than Terminator 3 where the characters affirm that they actually have choice instead of being doomed to fate; however, it causes a lot of confusion and unanswered questions (perhaps purposely done since this causes several headaches for Kyle Reese). I won't divulge too much into it because it would spoil the movie, but the confusion and unanswered questions center primarily around John Connor and the T-800 terminator.
For those wondering about how Arnold Schwarzenegger's age would be dealt with, the creators of this film actually invent a fairly clever idea. The terminators have actual human tissue surrounding them, so it must also logically age (contradicting The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but season 2 can be ignored). On that note, Arnold again nails the terminator performance showing both heart and humor. Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney do a great job portraying Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese respectively. They bring an original performance that feels faithful yet not a cheap imitation which makes perfect sense since -technically- these are not the same Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese that we've known before. I wish they could have done a little more with JK Simmon's character, but he had some great moments as well. Lastly, Jason Clarke did a phenomenal job as John Connor especially since his character underwent some big changes throughout the movie.
Lastly, I want to address the controversy that this didn't get a "hard R" rating. This movie proves that you can have an entertaining and action-packed movie that's not filled with nudity and swearing. The nudity is discretely concealed by smoke, fog, or well-placed objects. And of course since most of the violence is between robots, there's not a lot of blood. An "R" rating is needless and would probably cost the studio money. An "R" rating wouldn't have made this movie better.
I don't know if I really want to see this movie again except to possibly try and piece some more clues together to figure out the story, but I was definitely entertained throughout the whole movie. Great action, great special effect, and great character moments keep you engaged the entire time. It's definitely one of the better movies this summer but just not enough for me to give it 4 stars. As I said earlier, I think the only thing that made me not like this movie more is that the plot was fairly confusing due to either plot holes or questions that are never answered. Perhaps these questions will be answered in a sequel.
Note: There is a mid-credit's scene.
I give this 3 stars out of 5
1 star = I hated it. Avoid it at all costs.
2 stars = I didn't like it, but you might.
3 stars = I liked it. Doesn't warrant a repeat viewing.
4 stars = I really liked it. Has rewatchability.
5 stars = I loved it. Make plans to watch it.
Random scenes playing as we sleep, a portal to our subconscious, or perhaps a journey into another world? Dreams are very mysterious, yet we experience them almost every night. Sometimes I wake up with tears in my eyes because I witnessed something very beautiful. Sometimes I wake up sweating in fear because I witnessed something frightening. Sometimes I wake up and can't remember any details of my dream but know I had dreamed something.
My dreams (literal not metaphorical) have influenced me in ways that would require several blog posts to explain. Some have been so vivid that I can't help but hearken back to my previous post about reality. My greatest fears have been shaped by nightmares I've had. My greatest ambitions have been shaped by some of the most beautiful dreams I've had. Interestingly, I still remember these dreams as if they were actual memories. It makes me pause and legitimately question what is real. I know this world where I'm typing up this blog is real because of an innate feeling, but if these dreams can affect me so emotionally and affect the choices I make in life, aren't they real in some capacity? Of course, my greatest goal in life is recreating a scene in one of my most vivid dreams.
My dreams often combine the ordinary with the fantastical.
Some of my dreams are more fantastical. Recreating scenes from my favorite fiction or fan fiction. Sometimes I am a super hero, a knight (a la Game of Thrones), and many other larger-than-life roles. Many times my dreams combine different elements and aspects from various fictions creating really fascinating visions. It's even more fascinating when people I know play as different roles. I wish I kept a dream journal to record some of these dreams, but I can forget these very quickly upon waking up and at best can only remember a few instances of it.
Sadly, I won't get into my more
vivid dreams which I could almost confuse as real memories because they are
deeply personal to me. With that said, I still ponder the possibility if these
visions were more than simple byproducts of random eye movement (REM). My
dreams that mesh my experiences with my favorite media can be byproducts, but
my really vivid dreams forged out of pure inception cannot be merely explained
as such. Where did these dreams come from? A question I may never answer.
Nevertheless, I strive everyday to steer away from my nightmares and to bring
my beautiful dreams into reality.
After supposedly taking down the last HYDRA base, Tony Stark creates Ultron in order to protect the world. Unfortunately Ultron has a different idea of what that means.
Hype was probably the only problem this movie had. It certainly lives up to it, but it certainly didn't exceed it (granted my hype may have been greater than most). Regardless, this movie is great. It doesn't waste any time showing off the Avengers as the movie starts off with the storming of a HYDRA base. It does a great job exploring the personal relationships between the Avengers and we even got to see the other Avengers (War Machine and Falcon) get some screen time as well as some cool moments. Lastly, James Spader as Ultron is truly a treat. Unlike Loki, Ultron can definitely hold his own against even the mightiest Avengers and has some of the funniest moments in the film.
I feel I must address the two main criticisms I have heard in other reviews that are so wrong that it bothered me. Iron Man's "retirement" at the end of Iron Man 3 is easily explained as the motivation behind the Ultron project. How these critics missed that shocks me. The other issue deals with Thor's "spirit quest". Without spoiling anything, it is definitely not pointless. It informs the other Avengers what the infinity stones are and sets up the next Avengers movie and possibly other Marvel films.
How does it relate to the TV show, Agents of SHIELD? As of this review, I haven't seen the episode that is supposed to tie-in to this movie (it will air April 28, 2015), but the TV show does tease Baron Von Strucker and Dr. List - the latter being more prominent in the TV show - who are the main HYDRA leaders seen in the movie. Not much else. Thor and the other Avengers are still certainly clueless about Coulson's resurrection. I'm not sure if Quicksilver or Scarlet Witch may be Inhumans - they are simply Strucker's experiments in the movie. SHIELD does play a role in the movie, but none of the actors show up in the movie - which makes me wonder how Fury acquires a certain BIG item.
There is a mid credit's scene which is going to make you wish it were 2017 already, but there is no end credit's scene.
Between the action, the character's relationships toward one another, as well as the welcome additions of Ultron, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Vision; this movie rocks. It should also be mentioned that Hawkeye finally gets the attention that was sorely missed in the first Avenger's movie. The plot was fantastic and the visuals were stunning. At two and half hours, I forgot how badly I needed to use the restroom. With that said, my only complaint -besides wanting more- was that Captain America's last line of dialogue was cut mid-sentence. When you see the movie, you'll know what I mean -especially if you're a huge Marvel fan. I'm sure it was done on purpose, but regardless, this is truly one of the most fun experiences I had for a movie, and I'm sure you'll love it too.
I give this 4 stars out of 5
1 star = I hated it. Avoid it at all costs.
2 stars = I didn't like it, but you might.
3 stars = I liked it. Doesn't warrant a repeat viewing.
4 stars = I really liked it. Has rewatchability.
5 stars = I loved it. Make plans to watch it.
While I've been watching videos of modern day philosophers and political commentators, I have been noticing them spending a lot of time denouncing the concept of white privilege and feminism. I was half tempted to title this blog post as feminism, but I don't want to confuse feminism with what these people are purporting. Feminism is supposed to be equality for both genders basically a woman should be able to do everything that a man is able to do. A sentiment that I agree with. What these social justice warriors are calling feminism is really promoting a hatred toward men. The hatred being justified due to prior injustices.
Just like the Black Lives Matter movement that believes the system is against black people, these so called "feminists" believe that the system is against women. They point to easily debunked notions such as the gender wage gap and an anonymous evil power known only as the patriarchy (as a former conspiracy theorist, they may as well say the Illuminati). Ironic, that the vehicle promoting equality is named after women while the force promoting inequality is named after a man. Regardless, what has been happening now is an unholy alliance between the two where racism and sexism toward white men is now being called social justice. Their disgusting sense of equality is disenfranchising white men while promoting equality for all. Pointing out this fallacy is only met with being shouted down as a white male instead of any kind of intelligent response.
The numerous fallacies of the movement are astounding. Take safe spaces for example, black social justice warriors are literally wanting a separate space from white people. Basically, they want the exact same thing the racists wanted back in the 1960's versus the desegregation civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King preached. Female social justice warriors want special entitlements to allow them to better compete with men essentially admitting an inferiority to men instead of empowering themselves to compete with men directly. There are other examples, but their underlining fallacy is that they are confusing equal opportunity with equal outcome. I can go on with trigger warnings and microaggressions, but the ideas are so ridiculous, I'll just link their Urban Dictionary definitions instead.
Wanton destruction is never just nor promotes equality.
I'm not exactly sure when all of this started, but reflecting on my White Privilege post, I think I was witnessing the seeds being planted, but my fellow classmates and I were too preoccupied with our studies to notice. My fear with all of this is that I eventually believe this may be used to justify violence. The moment you paint a group of people as the reason for all of your woes, then they become your enemy. Virtually, every evil power rises up with this power. The communists blamed the bourgeoisie, the Nazis blamed the Jews, and now social justice warriors are blaming white men. These social justice warriors just need to accept the fact that sometimes life isn't fair.
Like a lot of people, I love Star Trek. Granted I was a little late, but I enjoyed binge watching both the original series and Next Generation on Netflix. Some of the original series episodes were a bit campy, but both series managed to capture the awe of discovery (something that all of the Star Trek movies failed to do).
In the television programs, space exploration came at a time when there was no war or poverty on Earth. I don't think it was ever explicitly said, but in Star Trek: First Contact, it is heavily implied that humanity reached its next golden age with the discovery of interstellar travel (a warp drive). Now I can't promise a new golden age will come with a push for space exploration, but nothing united our country quite like the space race during the Cold War.
Aside from the numerous technological innovations that were made during the space race, mankind has always had a spirit of pioneering and expanding. Speaking more dire, as the world becomes more and more advance everyone is going to want better things. While I may sound like Malthus, the world is only going to have more and more people in it, and a lot of us like our space.
I am not exactly sure what happened to President Bush's call for a mission to Mars, but I haven't seen much progress aside from the two Mars rovers. According to NASA, they are working on sending a manned mission to Mars by 2030. Granted Mars is much farther than the moon, but I really hope they can make this time table. I suspect that once we start sending humans to Mars versus robots, our imaginations will be running wild. Many people will point to a common enemy as a force that can united different people, but I believe that a common goal can be just as uniting. Just as with the space race, I think the yearn to populate another world will be a chance to united our species unlike any other endeavor before it.
Hopefully by the end of this century, we'll have started colonizing the martian surface. At the very least, if we can start bringing in resources from space, the Malthusian prophecy may be averted yet again. Hopefully Malthus can be proven wrong for all time once we successfully establish the first martian settlement. In the meantime, I hope more attention can be given to the space program. Sometimes mankind just needs a little inspiration to believe that the impossible can be possible.
When writing my outline for this post, I was debating how in depth I wanted to get into this because people have written entire books on this subject. My intent is to give a broad general tips on the different types of beer and wine there are. I have recently considered myself a connoisseur of alcohol. I can't get too broad with hard liquor, but I can with beer and wine. By being able to identify the different types of beer and wine, I think those who are hesitant to try alcohol or are still not sure what they like will greatly appreciate it.
Before I get into the different types of beer, I feel that it is important to talk about how beer is how it is stored. Beer served from a keg (on draft) and into a glass is personally the best way to drink beer. In lieu of a keg, a can also works fairly well, but it is important to pour it into a glass too. Bottled beer can be fine, but the darker the glass the better. I thought I didn't like Stella Artois because it was always given to me in a green bottle. When I had it on draft, I fell in love with it. The more light can contaminate the beer, the more likely it is to be skunked. In order to unskunk a beer, you can either put a shot of whiskey in it (a la a boilermaker) or put a slice of lime in it. This is the reason why you typically want to enjoy a Corona with a lime.
There are several different types of beers, but I'm going to highlight four since they are the most common I see in liquor stores (also called gas stations in the Army). These may not be the technical definitions, but these are how they are commonly labelled for example a Pilsner is a type of lager.
Pilsners - sometimes called a blonde lager. Most American beers can be described as this type such as Budweiser and Miller Lite. The main way to tell this beer is it's distinct golden color. These beers have a lighter, sweeter flavor that I would almost akin to cereal. While I don't have a problem with Budweiser or Miller Lite, my recommended beer of this type would be a Stella Artois. Again, be sure to drink it from draft.
IPA's - India Pale Ails. These beers have a strong hoppy flavor. Historically, these beers were created because they wouldn't spoil after a long voyage to India partly due to the hops. Unfortunately, I hate IPA's because I am not a fan of hops, so I cannot give a recommendation. Despite this, IPA's are hugely popular, but knowing that I don't like IPA's is what helped me try new beers because I know to avoid them.
Lagers. These beers are typically darker in color and have a stronger maltier flavor. These are actually my favorite type of beers. Beers labelled simply as "lager" will generally not be as malty as others. Typically beers labelled as "red" and "amber" can fall into these categories but will have a varying stronger taste of malts. My favorite beer -without a doubt- is Sam Adam's Oktoberfest. Honestly, it's my favorite part of Autumn.
Stouts - sometimes called porters. These are the heaviest beers. The most popular stout in the world by far is Guiness which I feel has a more coffee and bitter flavor to it. I used to not like it, but since I started drinking coffee, I now love the stuff. Usually these have the most flavor, but may not be refreshing with a meal. I like to think of them as an after meal drink. Of course I do enjoy some Guiness with some Irish potato skins at a local pub.
Like with beers, wines have even more varieties so I am going to simplify them down to two categories. Wines are basically on a spectrum from dry to sweet. White wines tend to be lighter in flavor whereas reds tend to have an earthier flavor. Regardless, both still fall on the dry to sweet spectrum.
I often find that new wine drinkers generally prefer sweeter wines rather than dry wines, so I would recommend moscatos, reislings, and "soft" wines. Drier wines are harder to classify, but liquor stores usually have a spectrum somewhere like the image below that can help you figure out your preference. Like I said, I first recommend going sweet and then working backwards.
Missing from this chart are meads (honey wines) which are probably the sweetest and a favorite of mine.
If you are interested in wine pairings, the simplest advice that I can give is that red wines go with red meats and white wines go with poultry and fish. With deserts you typically want a sweeter wine although chocolate can be good with an earthy red. The below chart is a little more detailed, but I think my small advice is easier to remember.
Useful for dinner parties or if you want to show off to people.
Lastly, one of the most common questions I am asked on this subject is what is the difference between cheap and expensive wine. Frankly, I can't really tell. I've been told that sometimes what can make wines expensive is consistency. I've had a jug of Carlo Rossi red wine and I thought it was the best wine I've ever had. I later bought another jug, and it was one of the worst reds I've ever had. I can't think of an expensive brand off the top of my head, but my dad always orders the same red at a fancy steak restaurant he likes to take me to when I visit, and it always tastes the same. I won't say it's better than others, but at least I know what I'm getting.
