FlaSoxxJim

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QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ May 5, 2006 -> 10:35 AM) Its a conspiracy to keep the mexicans and Irish from ruling the world. Or a reason to keep blaming the damn foreigners and their foreign holidays for the big drunkfests we turn them into.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 5, 2006 -> 10:16 AM) To Dos Equis Now we need the Flaxx Mexican beer lesson And an interesting lesson it would be as well. Mexico makes a number of better than average beers, and one or two that are near -world class from a stylistic standpoint. Better than 90% of the beers are loosley in the pilsner tradition, meaning they are adjunct beers with a substanmtial part of the grain bill being corn (rather than all malt). Corona is the prima example, and I think it's actually pretty well balanced for being an adjunct megabrew pilsner. Not the first thing I'd reach for, but not the worst lawnmower beer by a longshot. For the sake of the holiday, it is what I will be drinking tonight. For the record, I like mine with lime in it too. Beware of the skunkies, however. The clear bottles allow Corona and several other Mexican pilsners to be "light struck," in which UV from the sun physically alters the beer at a molecular level and makes it taste like Green Giant niblets corn gone bad. The much better beers (from the standpoint of stylistiic fidelity), are the ones in the European lager tradition, such as Negra Modelo (Flaxx gives high marks) and Dos Equis Amber. These are clearly in the Vienna lager style, if on the dark (Munich style) end of the color spectrum. Their authenticity is not accidental, but rather is trecable to a very brief time Mexico was under rule by the Austrio-German emperor (mid 19th centure) who liked his beer. He actually brought his brewmasters with him when he traveled. European rule and an influx of German residents at the time made the startup Vienna style breweries both necessary and possible. The big concern for the future of Negra Modelo from a quality standpoint is that Anheuser-Bush is a 50% owner of Group Modelo (Group Modelo also owns Corona). So even though brewery ops are still locally managed, there s always concern that the bean counters at megabrew corporate headquarters will start "improving" the brewing process (read: f*** it up by going on the cheap). The pre-European indiginous Mexican beer was made from corn as far back as Aztec and Mayan times. Since the intrinsic diastatic (enzymatic starch conversion) efficiency of corn is practically zero, the corn was most likely first chewed up by the village women and then spit into fermenters to take advantage of the natural amylase (starch converting) enzymes in human saliva. The practiuce is still carried out by several indiginous Central and South American peoples. Pilque is another indiginous Mexican fermented beverege, but is not technically a beer because it comes from fermented fruit (agave) rather than grain (fyi, that is why Japanese saki IS techhnically a beer, because it comes from a grain and not fruit). It's basically the undistilled wequivelent of tequilla. End of Mexican beer lesson.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ May 5, 2006 -> 10:35 AM) I have no problem with businesses deciding that bilinguilism is a good thing for them. That is market-driven, especially in border areas. But why, when I go to a cash station machine, does it ask me if I want this in spanish or english? That shouldn't even be a question. if you are here long enough to have a bank account to withdraw cash from, you should have learned enough english to conduct a withdrawall. When I go to get a drivers license, spanish should not be an option. The road signs are english (for now!), and again, you should know enough english to get by in these places. Kids should know english BEFORE they get into the public education system. Regarding the ATMs, you answered your own question. It's appropriate for them to be multlingual precicely because not all the users have been here long enough to learn the language. Here in the 21st century, non-English speaking tourists can access their overseas bank accounts. Like you said, in border areas especially it makes good business sense to offer a miltilingual interface.

It's good to feel so loved by the rest of the world. http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5574344

The Melting Pot has always been more myth than reality. That is why ethnic ghettos have always existed – ethnic groups settled gregariously and maintained communities in the face of an established culture that was only penetrated with time. I personally think that has always been one of the greatest things about this country, and a lot of that has been lost during and after WWII. The need for German Americans, Japanese Americans, etc., to more fully assimilate was very much defensive, and the homoginized bland McAmerica and BudAmerica that resulted was worse off for the lack of diversity.

QUOTE(THEWOOD @ May 4, 2006 -> 06:32 PM) No need to apologize....I live off this site. You guys do a great job and I can not thank you enough. ^^^^^ For all you do. . .

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ May 2, 2006 -> 10:07 PM) Ugh, I don't think Jake would be very good. I wish I knew how to quit him.

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ May 2, 2006 -> 07:38 PM) Well I mean seriously... While we're f***ing around with innocent dead people they could execute 10 more innocent people... Which points up the key problem with capital punishment and why it should be abolished. Mistakes will still be made as far as wrongful incarceration, but the mistakes will not be irreversible. As far as the 'don't waste time and money on a guy who's alredy dead' rationale, there are two big problems with that. First, would you accept that line if it was a family member that was wrongfully executed because of shoddy investigative work. I would not, certainly. I would want to know what mistakes were made, by whom, and why. Secondly, the posted story hilighted that it has yet to be conclusively determined that anybody has been wrongfully put to death. This may be the first provable case which could give pause to the pro capital punishment camp. Though maybe I'm being rather naive about Texans and how much they looove their death penalty. . .

Let's see the. That's one song about Flight 93 that Neil wrote, and how many did Josh Gibson write again?? Dunbass could stand to do a little research before spouting off.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ May 2, 2006 -> 05:37 PM) If only we could remember the good times when Presidential candidates and Jon Secada could get together and sing the national anthem in Spanish or Klingon or whatever - and not have it be a political issue. Amen. Those were the days, Brother.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ May 2, 2006 -> 05:22 PM) I had to think for a second, but it was winodj. I can't remember the casing though. All natural, I'm sure. Sorry. I'm on a stupid death march diet and I'd kill for a Boar's Head natural casing hotdog right about now. Instead, I get to have a hard boiled egg, hold the yolk. Shoot me now.

QUOTE(Texsox @ May 2, 2006 -> 05:19 PM) BTW, the transformation is complete, I have totally forgotten the previous screen name for Rex Kickass I do remember Fanof14 You're losing it, Oldtimer. wino will always be wino, even when he's kicking ass.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ May 2, 2006 -> 03:57 PM) Im going to be there till at least Friday..... Just go in tomorrow and say that absolutely you already know he/she is guilty 'cuz you can just tell, and maybe they'll dismiss you?

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ May 2, 2006 -> 02:46 PM) This trailer has gotten me very excitied about this film. Bryan Singer is an excellent director and his concept on making this film a continuation of the first two Superman films is a wonderful one! Check out a brief glimpse of Brando. http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/supermanreturns/trailer2/ And he's just going to act like the EPIC third and fourth movies never existed?!?!!

It was also reported today that the United States itself commisssioned a Spanish language version of the Star Spangled Banner way back in 1919. Glad to see we've become so much more enlightened about diversity issues now. :rolly

Well spoken. I'm kind of bummed though. I was ready to hit you up for some $$.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2006 -> 07:31 AM) For a rally that is supposed to send a message, the passion level was really low. I was far away from any of the large metro protests and so I lack a first hand experience, but I'd hesitate to equate a generally positive vibe with lack of passion on the part of the participants. I think the real message to get out was to show a love for their adopted new home – even if their current status is more of a dysfunctional foster thing than an outright adoption by the country. The organizers this time around know there was negative backlash to being openly hostilke to America, so the message got tweaked for the better. The fact that a lot of participants have very different expectations of what realistically should happen legislatively also means that the message has to remain loose – that immigrant workers are a net benefit to our country and not a drain. Not all the participants are demanding immigrant amnesty, and hopefully a more tempered voice asking for a registered worker program with a clear path to citizenship takes sway. YAS, of course the real intent is not to hurt the nation's economy. That is why this was a well coordinatted one day event. Make any economic impact a blip and not a sustained boycott, to get a message across without truly doing damage or risking business closures, jobs, etc.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ May 2, 2006 -> 12:53 AM) I'm going to Brazil in July! Sweet. Still on my life list of places to get to.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ May 2, 2006 -> 12:09 AM) I am proud to say I spent $200 today. Well, just remember that whatever services you bought, a Mexican immigrant would have done it for half that price.

QUOTE(Texsox @ May 1, 2006 -> 12:28 PM) Excuse me while I vent Mother f***ing, damn, s***, f*** f*** f*** fire ants. My foot was already hurting and a bunch of fire ants attacked from nowhere and now it itches like crazy and I can't find any of my fireant stuff. Mother f***ing little bastards. Oooh, but think of all the fun you're going to have in a day or two popping all those pimple-like toxin-filled pustules. And, fyi, if you have about 20 attack sites you were probably actually "bit" half that many times. Fire ants have a bite and a sting that are both noxious. They typically bite first and then when they are clamped down on you they twist their bodies around and sting you witth an abdominal stinger. It is that bite/sting combination that gives fire ant injuries that characteristic two-puncture appearance – before they swell up into those fun-to-pop pustules, that is.

I apologize for the allcaps, that's the way it was posted online in the MSNBC transcipt. Still, given the weight of the revelation (originally put forth in February by a Raw Story reporter), maybe the caps are appropriate. . . Maybe the administration was just trying to prove it's point that leaks really can damage US security.

QUOTE(bmags @ May 1, 2006 -> 01:57 PM) i don't understand why they are skipping school...it made me lol when i read that. Boycotting school would do the opposite effect of making it harder to operate...the less people makes it operate smoother. My wife and I at first wondered about the rationale for keeping the kids out of school (she works at a school that is ~40% Mexican immigrant labor kids. We came to the conclusion that the thinking was: – that it was important to show the family connections at the rallies themselves - the ripple effect of whatever legislation is enacted through multiple generations in the community, and – to allow the effects felt at the workplaces and retail points of purchase to also be felt in other areas where immigrant presence and participation is important, such as in the classroom. Edit to add: My wife also amailed me today and said that while attendance in class was indeed sparse today it has also been a hard to control day because everything is out of sorts. I hope a lot of teachers across the country utilize the "teachable moment" presented to them today, to let the students in attendance today speak honestly about what they think of all this, do they prefer the environment with or without the diversity, etc. Even in middle school my wife's students experience tension on these issues coming from both sides. Their self-proclaimed 'hicks and spics' balance of power is quite a good microcosm of American social tension.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Apr 28, 2006 -> 12:32 AM) I believe the courts have said that it is not illegal to expose an illegal program. But the program has to be found illegal first - and since neither the Congress nor the Executive controlled Attorney General's office seems interested in investigating the legality of such a program - it makes it hard to determine whether the illegal leak of a program was actually illegal or if it was legal whistleblowing of an illegal program. That's the crux of the biscuit right there. I understand the need for secrecy and confidentiality, and I understand the need to sign confidentiality agreements and take secrecy oaths etc. It's when the actions of your superiors cross the line into illegality/unconstitutionality that there becomes a problem. As has been shown time and again, most of the eventual whistleblowers have tried and tried to work for change within the system, following chain of command etc., and going outside the system is a last resort. Unbiased investigation of the purported abuses, both by the whistleblower/leaker(depending on your pov) and by the superiors should happen as a matter of course in these instances but it doesn't. Without subpoena powers, the congressional Dems are pretty powerless. The same woudl be the case in a Dem administration scandal if the Dems controlled both houses, and it would be equally wrong. I don't know if a special prosecutor kind of arrangement is the solution, but the system isn't working now. [Aside: From personal experience on a smaller scale I can relate to this. I've been employed at a research institution with strict non-disclosure agreements in place for all employees. But there was a time when it became incredibly clear that the President/CEO and the board were committing gross fraud and it came down to a plurality of employees deciding they would risk violating the agreements to expose what was going on in order to save the institution. This was after years of trying to affect change from the inside. In this case, the guilty parties blinked and stepped down before we had to blow the whistle, because it probably would have meant jailtime for them. If they didn't budge thougj, we'd have had to breach our trust agreements to go to the state AG and get a Sarbanes investigation rollong.]