The United States Navy now has an operational EA-18G Growler squardon…..the aircraft an F-18 Hornet with added on electronic jamming acapabiklties..is a two-seater, with a pilot and  mission system operator like in the retired F-14 ’s that “Maverick” flew in ‘Top Gun”, the hit movie……

The new F-18G will also save the Navy some crew numbers since it will doing the same job as the EA EA-6B Prowler, which was first flown in Viet Nam, and has a crew of 4, a pilot and 3 system operators…..the Prowler’s are operating in harm’s way in the Middle East , and are the only aircraft in the Navy, Marines and Air Force that do the escort jamming mission (electronic warfair)…..

The F-18 is built by Boeing and has proven that combat systems can be built on time and on budget…..

They just got to use off the shelf stuff…that’s all…don’t let the technology get ahead of them…..

I wonder what the House is gonna do on Marine One?

Note: The Growler’s run about $73 million each…..

One of the things that I really love about Vermont is the traditions. For 41 years on the second saturday of the eleventh month the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department(PVFD) has played host to a community game supper. What is a game supper you ask? It’s Vermont, pure Vermont. Members of the community prepare various types of wild game(moose meatballs are my personal favorite) and theres the ever elusive task of saving room for some homemade pie. Sadly I haven’t been to the game supper in two years due to the fact I live in California but I swear I’ll be there next year even if I have to beg, borrow and steal to get back for it. Here’s how the prep happens at the old homestead. Yep that’s right mom’s one of the chefs how you think I got the photos?

I can't tell ya what they are seasoned with as it's a family thing but I can tell ya it's really good,reaaaaly good.

The Pawlet Volunteer Fire Dept. dropped off 3 moose roasts on Thursday night, Nov. 12th. Each weights between 7 and 7 3/4 lbs.

Saturday the preheating of oven while checking the roasts for being thawed. Strips of bacon added to top off before cooking begins. Cans of whole tomoatoes added to each pan and fresh chopped carrots. This helps flavor the meat and the gravy.

This weekend Rob Russell will be entering his first strongman competition, down at…

A.A. Milne, author of more than Pooh

“The only excuse which I have yet discovered for writing anything is that I want to write it; and I should be as proud to be delivered of a Telephone Directory con amore as I should be ashamed to create a Blank Verse Tragedy at the bidding of others.”

There’s a lot tucked away in this one sentence of Alan Alexander Milne’s.  The quote comes from his introduction to his  whodunit, The Red House Mystery, published in 1922. Milne was about 40 then, with a wife and young son Christopher Robin, who would soon inspire the Pooh stories for which Milne is now so well known.  You can see a glimmer of them here, in the way the words Telephone Directory and Blank Verse Tragedy are capitalized. (“I have been Foolish and Deluded. I am a Bear of No Brain at All.”)

Interesting, too, this musing on what he should and should not write. What he’d feel proud or ashamed of. He worked many years for Punch magazine, as did Ernest Howard Shepard, who illustrated Milne’s children’s stories. Milne also wrote a number of plays, an autobiography, short stories, novels, political non-fiction, and a kind of adult fairytale called Once on a Time. But the world of the Hundred Acre Wood — containing his son, and a bear, pig, donkey, tiger and kangaroo bought at Harod’s — quickly came to define him.

Milne himself lamented:

If a writer, why not write
On whatever comes in sight?
So — the Children’s Books; a short
Intermezzo of a sort:
When I wrote them, little thinking
All my years of pen-and-inking
Would be almost lost among
Those four trifles for the young.

I wonder what he would think of the new book by David Benedictus, Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, complete with Shepardesque “decorations” by Mark Burgess. The story picks up where Milne left off, and brings Christopher Robin back from school on a new blue bicycle that all his animal friends admire. Christopher is more grown up than he was in the early stories — he knows what a thesaurus can do,  and notices things like the number of countries on his map that are coloured pink. But in some ways he remains the same: Pooh, staying with him that night, sits on a chair in the bathroom. “What he really wanted to see was whether he still wore his blue braces, and, yes, he did (but not in the bath).”

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood is lovingly and carefully created. Benedictus mimics Milne’s style effortlessly and with obvious admiration, and Burgess’s illustrations are as subtle and charming as Shepard’s were. There’s a new character, Lottie the somewhat feisty Otter, whose teeth are “sharp enough, I can promise you, when they need to be.” These are all things to admire (the but is still to come) and my daughter is enjoying the book as much as she enjoyed the original stories, maybe more, because she’s older now and getting more out of the readings. Piglet is still her favourite character (I think she sees herself in him), and she is intrigued by Owl’s spelling mistakes, something that would have been lost on her when we last read the original stories.

Poor her: the Tonstant Weader

She is delighted by the very things that so famously irritated Dorothy Parker — the “frequent droppings into more cadenced whimsy,” as she put it in her scathing New Yorker review of The House at Pooh Corner back in 1928. Parker was known as the Constant Reader, but had read enough when it came to Pooh’s silly little hums and a plot that consisted of practicing one for Eeyore.

“Pom,” said Pooh. “I put that in to make it more hummy.”

And in response, Parker wrote, “it is that word ‘hummy,’ my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader Fwowed Up.”

In the words of a wise, good friend of mine: “Poor her, unable to enjoy a simple hum.”

But even Milne may have reached that stage eventually. His Pooh stories — though an “intermezzo” — became so successful that they eclipsed his other work. During WW2, demand for the Pooh stories soared, and only continued in the postwar era. Now, of course, we have tubby Disney Pooh in his too-tight red t-shirt, and any number of Pooh products are available for purchase. At one point, Milne wrote that any reference to the silly old bear was “infuriating.”

The real Christopher Robin

And Christopher Robin — a real person, after all — was indelibly inked into childhood by a kind but distant father who “got to where he was by climbing upon my infant shoulders … [and] left me with the empty fame of being his son…. One day I will write verses about him and see how he likes it.” (Actually Christopher Robin Milne did write three books about sharing his life with Pooh.)

It seems E.H. Shepard was similarly undone. Pooh — whose image was based on Shepard’s son’s bear, Growler — dominated, while Shepard’s other accomplishments were thrown into shadow. He drew for Punch for years, illustrated many other children’s books, including a couple of his own. He also authored two memoirs, Drawn from Memory and Drawn from Life. It seems his talents — or perhap his passion — ran in the family. His son, Graham, was an illustrator, but was killed in WW2, and his daughter, Mary, illustrated the Mary Poppins books.

Grahame's Dream Days, illustrated by E.H. Shepard

I was surprised to discover my own personal link to Shepard, however tangential. Along with the lovely example at right, he illustrated a version of Tom Brown’s School-Days, the Victorian-era story about a boy at Rugby School, by Thomas Hughes. Hughes was the father of Lillian Hughes, who died on the Titanic, but years earlier had befriended my great-grandmother. My grandmother’s middle name was Lillian, in honour of her.

But back to the story at hand. As I read Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, much as I enjoy Lottie, and Rabbit undertaking a census, and the Bear with no Brain outsmarting a swarm of bees, I can’t help but think back to the way the old tale ended — with Christopher Robin’s poignant declaration that he wouldn’t be “doing Nothing” any more, and that he hoped Pooh would understand. It was mysterious, but you got the sense that he was growing up, moving on — and that it was time to do so — but that some part of him would always remain in that enchanted place with his Bear. Really it seems like a perfect ending.

It’s the hap-happiest time of the year! That’s right, Athens Halloween: an excuse to wear outlandish costumes, or wear practically nothing, and start drinking at noon. Admittedly, it’s probably not the most responsible holiday, but at least nobody has lit couches on fire for the last couple of years.

Athens Halloween and beer go together hand in hand. I could admonish you to drink responsibly, but there’s about as much chance of that happening as me reading “Pride and Prejudice” without the zombies. Instead, I’m going to admonish you to be responsible in your choice of drink. And I’m going to go one step further and give you a map of where to find better beer this Halloween weekend.

Don't let all that beer go to your head.

While Halloween might be an excuse for binge drinking, that doesn’t mean you have to stick with any of the Nati family or Coor’s Light (the mountains turning blue means it’s too cold to taste how bad it is). There are options for finding better beer while you are on or around Court Street. Places like Jackie O’s and Casa Nueva will fill up growlers of any beer on tap, which are great to take home and enjoy before going out. But if you are already out and about and looking for some libations, this map will help you find the best beer for your buck.

Red markers indicate vendors who sell poor-quality beer (the aforementioned blue mountain varieties), or just have a very limited selection. Yellow stores sell some good micro brews, but don’t have a great selection. Green stores are your beer Meccas: they not only stock craft beers, but they stock tons of them. Remember, just because the people with the skull bong are drinking PBR, doesn’t mean you have to.

(Hint: look out for Lucky Dog, it’s hidden down Union Street.)

View Larger Map

Don’t forget to help me name my beer for a chance to win a free six pack.

Right Brain Brewery offers an ever-changing beer menu and doesn’t mess around with food. That’s right- they are strictly a brewery (and a hair salon. Yep-you sip, they snip!)  If you are hungry you can order in or bring your own food. Cuppa Joe happens to be next door and serves up some great fare. So grab a beer and enjoy a variety of flavors and tastes. Or take it to go! Right Brain offers beer growlers so you can enjoy your favorite craft brew on your boat, on the back deck or at parties.

Right Brain also has a membership club, of which David is a member of (what a great birthday present from moi!) RBB club members have the opportunity to design and paint thier own beer mug. Some are quite creative, while some look to be created by children (no offense, but some guys just don’t have the artistic touch.)

I took on the task of painting David’s mug and asked him what he wanted. Well, he had a long list of things that he would like to see on the mug like: Chicago Blackhawks, the Cubbies, UofM, Chesapeake Lightcraft (the sea kayak that he built), BMW motorcycles (because he used to have two of them), Correct Craft (our boat) and of course Wyatt, our black lab. Sheesh! That’s quite a list! I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to fit it all on the mug or that I had the artistic chops that the job required. Well, at least 3 visits to Handz on Art and voila-a mug!

I am most impressed with the Chicago Blackhawks logo. It actually looks authentic! Although the black lab doesn’t exactly look like Wyatt’s mug- at least you can tell it’s a black lab!

David went to the University of Michigan and even though I went to Michigan State University (and we are arch enemies), I painted a giant block “M” on his mug! Is that true love or what?

She has to be a Kardashian

Another gem sent in by the Human Sybian.  2 things are certain here.  1) she likes that boom boom pow and 2) she can clog toilets with farts.

My favorite part isn’t the ghetto booty itself.  Hard to believe, but it’s true.  Lots of girls have big dump racks.  I like the utilization of it by this chick.  She treats her own turd cutter like a pack mule.  This is obviously a Saturday morning at the soccer pitch or youth football or something like that, yet she’s packed for a week in her potato sack-sized back pockets.  Looks like she’s got a People Magazine, the Kennebec Journal, and possibly an ipod…aka the “I have to take a massive growler” entertainment kit.

-CB

Admiral Roughead needs to dummy-up* on tactical naval airpower such as it is or such as it may ever be.

In the newly published “CNO Guidance for 2010, Executing the Maritime Strategy”, there is hardly anything worth while of mention on the topic of tactical jet naval air. Little details like this are important because they are the only thing that justify the huge investment (and government pork) in big aircraft carriers.

Without some kind of worthwhile tactical fighter to fly off of the carrier deck for the next 30 years, the USN is going to look awful silly if things go bad for the gold plated flying wonders they hope end up in carrier fighter squadrons.

For example if the Super Hornet production is cut off and the F-35C goes bad, the USN will be down to populating the carrier air wing with 2 fighter squadrons as opposed to 4. In ten years you will need an Ouija board to get in touch with legacy Hornets at the rate we are using them.

Here are his big statements (all of two) on fighter air power and they are both WRONG.

-“We further enhanced our ability to gain access with investment in F-35C, EA-18G, and CVN 21 with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System.”

-“We rolled out our first fifth generation carrier variant fighter: the F-35C Lightning II, Joint Strike Fighter.”

First lets look at “gaining access”. Given that the Grizzly/Growler was mentioned, all the U.S. Navy has here is a draggy escort jammer with yesterdays gear. It is the Diet Coke of jammers. It isn’t relevant to any future threats. Even if you put lipstick on this pig with the next-gen jammer, you would still have a slow, short-ranged jammer that isn’t good enough for the job.

As for the F-35C and the Navy hanging on to its long dream as a first day of the war stealth jet; yeah, maybe if the enemy is on par with Allied Force. However any emerging threat is still going to be more than the F-35 can handle. If you don’t have F-22s, you aren’t even playable in the game vs. emerging air defense systems in the coming years.

As for crowing about rolling out the F-35C; it is yet to do one trap or cat shot—or even a first flight. No one knows what it will cost, when it will be fully tested (way behind here) or when it will arrive. Above everything else, the U.S. Navy has to pay for big grey floaty things and has some severe personnel problems. Things don’t look all that bright for high-risk programs. Having some kind of knowledge about the reality of the F-35 program is important.

So what does the U.S. Navy know about the future of the carrier air wing? If this document by Admiral Roughead is any indicator, not very much.

* = the second one…
.

Russia has said it has deployed its S-400 Triumf missile defense systems to its border with North Korea.  The chief of the Russian general staff said the move is a defensive measure designed only to protect Russia from an errant North Korean missile test.  While in the Mongolian capitol of UIanbatar He said that Russia is, “definitely concerned by the conditions under which tests are being carried out in North Korea, including nuclear devices” and that, “We are currently considering what the most effective measures would be to guarantee no debris would fall if a missile launch failed.”

The s-400 Triumf is a mobile land-based missile defense has a reported range of 400km or about 250 miles. The Russian city of Vladivostok has a population of around 600,000 people and is less than 100 miles from North Korea.

I mean it could be mud.. Right officer?

I can only assume that this guy and his girlfriend were repeatedly on the losing end of VERY competitive games of King’s cup where everyone had to use Patron. I realize that things can get out of hand because when I was in college I woke up in a wooded path between Washburn apartments and Ushy Bang-Bangs, but at least I was fully clothed and I didn’t pearl harbor my skivvies.

I can’t even imagine the events that led up to this moment where he is being questioned by police, but rumor has it that his girlfriend was administering an Alabama trailer hitch on him in those bushes. She was able to scurry from the scene unnoticed like a wounded musk ox..

SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

-GRIZZ
(Thanks Owens)

Night Stalker Imperial Stout poured from growler into pint glass (half devoured)

Poured from a 64oz. growler into a 16oz. pint glass. The brew is jet black, like a good stout should be. A small espresso head forms, but dissipates almost instantly. A small, tan ring of lacing is left. Does not appear too carbonated. Instead appears delicious. Let’s stick our nose in it.

On the nose a smoky caramel scent comes on strong, along with molasses, syrup, brown sugar, and a good oak note. Reminiscent of a good, sweet breakfast stout, but smells more strongly of alcohol. Scent really is as dark, mysterious, and inviting as the brew itself.

Per a few recommendations of people I stalk I have let this beer warm up a bit before drinking. First taste is quite sweet, syrupy. Definite caramel, brown sugar, molasses flavors shine through, as well as a bit of bourbon and brandy. Very well composed flavor. Deep and complex. Alcohol is fairly well hidden but a good sting does hit the nose. Nice bitter aftertaste complements the initial sweetness exceptionally. There is a strange, grassy herbal character as well as some sweet candied fruits (plum, cherry, maybe a subtle pomegranate) dancing just beneath it.

Mouthfeel is thick and luscious. Very smooth and heavy. Low carbonation, like many tap stouts. Powerful on the tongue, silky going down.

If this beer wasn’t the high octane drunk-fuel it is, I’d swear I could drink it all day. So smooth with a perfect sweet/bitter balance. I will most definitely have another, and another, and another, and then another when I wake up from my stupor.

A+, and on The Drunkards Progress Scale, “STEP 9: Death by suicide”. If nine, ten pints of this brew didn’t kill me, I’d die happily by my own hand knowing that it was my last on this earth.

(Photo of pint and growler below)

Just got a 32oz. fill of Night Stalker today at New Beer Distributors:

32oz. fill of Night Stalker

Let’s celebrate!  This is one for the photo album. I’ve already lost all motor skills and conscious control of my body in excitement. Rarely does a beer like this surface for too long, and surely, when they do, I do my best to snatch them up.

But shh…don’t celebrate too vigorously yet. It’s sleeping. Quiet while I break in through the window, sneak up behind it and sniff it first.

Drooling all over myself. Review to follow. Groveling guaranteed!

My new growler from The Ginger Man in New York:

Ginger Man growler

It is nice, eh? Especially when filled with Firestone Walker Red Nectar, available for the first time in New York this month. Poured here into a fine, red mustachioed pint.

Red Nectar mustachioed pint

Read on for details on this tasty new resident:

Paso Robles, CA, (June 16, 2009) – Firestone Walker Brewing Company, brewers of Nectar Ales, announced the first major expansion of Red Nectar in years. The brewery is partnering with Union Beer Distributors in New York to bring their award winning beers to the state.

“We’re very excited to partner with a great beer distributor to bring a California classic to New York,” said Proprietor David Walker.

Red Nectar, an American amber style ale, will be available on draft and in 12 ounce bottles beginning in July to select accounts in New York. This will mark the first time that Red Nectar will be available in New York. Nectar India Pale Ale is expected to also be available in July.

“Union Beer has consistently strived to bring the best beers from around the globe to the New York metro area, and the full line of Nectar Ales fits perfectly into our portfolio. The craft beer market here has quickly evolved into one of the country’s best. Our consumers have high expectations, and we are thrilled to offer them the highly acclaimed and delicious Nectar Ales line of beers, ” said Robert Hodson, Union’s Sales and Marketing Manager.

First brewed in 1987 in Arcata, California, Red Nectar is one of the pioneering beers of the craft beer movement in the U.S. First brewed by Humboldt Brewing Company, Nectar Ales were brewed under contract by Firestone until the brand was purchased in 2004 by Firestone Walker Brewing Company. Nectar Ales was named “Mid-Size Brewing Company of The Year” at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival.

Greetings from Santa Rosa, California!

Yesterday Paul and I flew down to Oakland, got a car and drove to 1984 Printing and spent about 3.5 hours hand stickering 2,000 copies of Stolen Sharpie Revolution with ISBN barcodes then carted them over to AK Press. Then we loaded the remaining 1,000 copies in the rental car, picked up a sewing machine at Jess’s parents’ house in Freement and headed north…. where we proceeded to get lost looking for Russian River Brewing.

Now I’m sitting outside a coffee shop while Paul has gone on a bit of a walk while we wait for thew brewery that everyone told us to check out opens so we can fill our growlers (fancy word for beer jug) and get on the road north. We hope to hit up Anderson Valley Brewery and North Coast before we hit Arcata tonight.

I guess this trip was business now turned pleasure! It’s a good thing too because out of the first shipment of SSRs that I got 2 months ago there are less than 50 left!

On the solstice my sister and I went to fake stonehenge. It is really a small scale stonehenge on the Columbia River in washington. We drove out there with her dog Coda and marveled at the silliness… we also realized that we were at the real Stonehenge 14  years earlier with our family. I thought Avesbury was cooler, but no body is going to build a fake Avesbury.

Here are some photos. This is Webly, Coda and I:

Webtar, Coda and I

Mini Stonehenge, or Minihenge as my siser and took to calling it.

A Spaceman who was also visiting Menge. Webly and I hid behind stones to take photos of him.

Moar.

Because the world needs more photos of me with windswept hair...

We stopped at the Maryhill Museum first and let Coda start at Peacocks. They let me get really close and take pictures. i even saw one fly!

More photos of our Fake-Henge adventure can be found here if you are interested.

It is getting closer to the time for us to check out Russian River. Too bad I can’t drink because I have to drive! At least we can fill up growlers and take them with us.

Ever have to go #1,2, or 3 on an airplane? Now for those of you who know me can understand why I have such an issue with airplane bathrooms.. I typically will go to the bathroom before boarding a plane, but this time I didn’t have time and man did I pay for it.. We were flying direct from Portland, ME to Orlando, FL on jetblue which takes just under 3 hours and midway through the flight my back teeth were floating.. So the first thing I had to do was search for my seatbelt that was firmly implanted under my JOE, and then peel myself out of the seat..

I get to the matchbox of a bathroom and open the door and realize that it will almost be impossible for me to fit in there being 6′6″ 330lbs soaked. My shoulder blades were touching the ceiling and I had all I could do to stabilize myself and not grease the seat,floor, and sink where I was left with the epic task of washing my hands(Swine Flu) in a sink that looks like it should be in a Barbie Play House. While this horror show was going on my mind starts whipping around thinking “what would happen if I had to take a GROWLER”, well my guess would be with the door open.. There would have been no way that I could have SMASHED one without leaving the door open and fogging up all the windows in the plane.

There was a woman in her early 50’s who threw me a disgusted look and I honestly wish that my wife Sarah took a picture of me when I came pouring out of that bad boy, because it was an absolute mess.

-GRIZZ

Hullo there faithful readers! So we here at The Roaring20Somethings are pretty much gaga over RSS feeds (GoogleReader, mostly). We love them because they’re basically aggregators of pre-screened articles that we can tailor to our desires. And we care about our readers. And sharing is caring. So every weekend RTS is going to bring you round-ups of one or two interesting and/or purposeful articles that each contributor has found for your viewing pleasure!

Without further ado, here is our list of suggested reading from this past week. Click and enjoy!

Ant:
The Return of the Growler

Debbie:
How to Improve Your FICO Score @ Moolanamy

Rose:
Tips for travelling cheap @ I Will Teach You to be Rich

RT:
Seattle Mag article about being the hubby of a food critic.

Vince:
The Kitchn explains 10 unique ways to use a can of tuna.

As some of you have seen, i reviewed the Double Dead Guy Ale, which was gorgeous in the packaging alone…

For whatever reason, with beer packaging, i think that bigger IS better.

The 64oz growler they put their Dead Guy in, tastes far better in this form than in draught or singe 16oz bottles. I sit here on my 4th pint, toward the end of the growler and im still enamoured by how fresh and hefty the flavor is….

I like to think of Dead Guy like this….a piece of fresh baked bread, a thick, dense heavy bread, dipped in a super tart applesauce. Ive described it like this before, and alot of people will agree.

The best part, if im not mistaken, is that i can take said growler to the Rogue Ale House in North Beach, SF, and have it refilled. True, its only about $13 at BevMo, but man…just to say you got a beer refilled at a brewery….that is some shit youll ONLY see at Rogue or Speakeasy.

This is also the first strong, hoppy ale i ever got in CA….so it holds a special place.

Show up at the Orange Gallery, and im sure youll find yourself having a pint with me.

My score, 94 out of 100 points.

While in Anchorage I saw a nice idea for taking home fresh draft beer. At several Anchorage establishments they sell growlers or 64 ounce bottles that are filled with draft beer. I was surprised to see the volume of take out beer that was being sold. Also I was wondering about the “open vessel” law and how local police would look at a 64 ounce bottle that had a screw on seal.

BEER TO GO

We sell kegs and growlers of all flagship
and seasonal beers to go.
1/2 Gallon jugs (Growlers) – $6.95 + $4.00 glass charge.

click on logo for a menu of beer and sodas

Another interesting note about growlers is the shorter shelf life. For unopened beer the shelf life is around 48 hours, but if opened less than 24 hours.

Another sunny (but still a bit chilly) day! I’ve had the window open all morning, although I am still under a quilt.

I swear I’m the absolute worst procrastinator in the world – how do I ever get anything done? Oh wait, that’s right. I don’t :-p

I wish I could win the lottery, because then I could do away with all of this stressing and do what I wanted. I’m sure everyone’s decided what they’d do if they won the lottery… how bad is it that mine really depends on how much I won? Because yeah, one million sounds a lot, but you couldn’t do *everything* you wanted with it. I think 600 million would be better, because then you truly would have more money than sense, and at least in your lifetime you wouldn’t have to worry about money again. Plus remember, I’ve got a big family and loads of friends who I’d sort out too. You can’t do all of that with one million. OK, compromise. 20 million. Maybe, 50.

Anyway, of course, I’ve already decided what I’d do with it – stuff for *me* you understand. Yes I’d sort everyone else out too but what would they need? And… where does it stop? You can’t buy one friend a car and then not the other. Hmm. They say mo money mo problems, I think what it really means is, more money, bigger problems. Zillionaires don’t worry about how to pay their mobile phone bill this month. I suppose, what you’d have to do is, get people to submit to you what they needed and why. Or you could wait til it was their birthday. Hmmm difficult.

Maybe the best thing to do would be to keep it a secret as much as possible. But I am pretty terrible at that. People would wonder where the Gallardo Superleggera came from – ‘what? this old thing? oh I traded Growler in and got a good deal.’ Yeah right. Actually I would never get rid of Growler. I’d just have the lambo for weekends.

I’d build a big mansion somewhere in the north, Lancashire or Cheshire or somewhere. It would be Pops’ house, but there would be enough room for all of us and our friends. We’d have a separate outbuilding for parties and stuff, with a bar and an awesome soundsystem. Underground we’d have a swimming pool and a cellar. Games room for the boys and a spa room for the girls. It’d be built out of lots of natural materials… stone and lots of wood. We’d have a large residential wind turbine and solar panels, and underground heating. I’d have a massive garden, and employ someone full time to make it beautiful, with fountains and lots of places for the local wildlife. There would be an area for farmyard animals too, a few pigs and chickens, and goats for Pops. Naturally I’d have lots of cats.

We’d all have a room at home but we could live in one of the many apartments our family company owned. We could go on holidays around the world and take our friends to remote islands for amazing parties.

There are only 2 things you could never buy… time, and health. Of course you’d have more time if you weren’t working, but I bet you’d have just as many commitments, to charity stuff, family and friends and making sure everything was secure. The inner circle would become tighter than ever, to make sure nobody was taking advantage of us because of our wealth – I think we’d have it right though. Still would be difficult to trust.

How much do you reckon all that lot would cost then? More than a mil

Although I wouldn’t say no to a million.

In fact I wouldn’t say no to a tenner right now. Hmph.

ᵔᴥᵔ

Or: How I Spent My Saturday.

It began with the drive to the microbrewery. My wife and I wound our way into the great, vast reaches of northern New Jersey. The skies cleared and the haze of pollution from the New York megalopolis lifted as we climbed into the Appalachian foothills. While not foreign to either of us, as we grew up there, enough time had elapsed for it to appear strange.

Anyway, the High Point Brewing Co. is located in an old brick building, which is part of a much more massive structure that could’ve once been a foundry or factory, back in the heady days when there still were manufacturing jobs in America. We pull in and holyshit there’s a line! At least a hundred people are waiting for the tour to begin! I was amazed. My wife then noticed that there were an oddly high number of Porsche’s in the parking lot. Lo and behold, some Middle Aged Ugly White Dude Porsche Club decided to use the brewery tour as an outing.

We weren’t the only ones surprised by the turnout. The brewery is a small operation, and the entire place was packed by 2:30. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So, we wait in line, and of course, we get carded at the door. Makes sense; the last thing a brewery needs to do is lose its liquor license. We each receive four tickets, like the ones you get in a raffle, which we can redeem for samples of their various brews. The beers available that fine March day were:

• Golden Lager
• Classic Wheat
• Double Platinum Blonde
• Eisbock

I’ll deal with each in turn. In addition to those beers for sampling, there were several items available for purchase, including shirts, hats, six-packs of their various styles of beer, and growlers.

For the uninitiated, growlers are basically jugs o’ beer. They’re re-usable glass containers that, on tour days at microbreweries, you can use to take away a quantity of the beer they’ve made available. A fill could cost anywhere between 8 and 12 bucks, depending on the beer you want. Most growlers are 1 or 2 liters, though I’m sure there are bigger. Their greatest utility is their reusability. Many people brought their own growlers, purchased at other breweries. Very useful.

So, we began by sampling the Eisbock, which is bock that’s been partially frozen, the ice skimmed off, then served at a higher concentration of alcohol and flavor. Wow, what a brew! It’s like the Winter Wheat on steroids. Very rich malt flavors, and 12.5% alcohol, it’s as strong as wine. Dangerously, you don’t taste the alcohol at all. An excellent brew.

After that, we enjoyed some Bavarian folk music and some pretzels and cheese, while we perused the brewery floor. The entire operation is probably 75 feet by 100, if that, and that includes the offices. The owner of the brewery then gave an overview of the entire brewing process, all the while place became more and more crowded.

We finally made it back to the sampling room and tried the Classic Wheat. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was a good wheat beer. It was little too heavy on the malts, so it was difficult to find the fruity flavors that were supposedly there. Luckily, we were able to get our hands on the Double Platinum Blonde, which I guess is a new brew.

This is a great beer. It’s light and full of fruit flavors, the most abundant being apple and apricot. Also you can taste strong notes of clove, so the yeast is really shining through in this beer. My wife agreed that it was excellent, and so, we bought a growler and filled it up with 2 liters of Double Platinum Blonde.

Neato handle, huh? And yes, those are all my Guitar Hero peripherals in the background.

Anyway, while I was getting the growler filled, I had the opportunity to talk with the head brewer. I told how I’d discovered the Winter Wheat last year and how much I enjoyed it, and how amazing their Eisbock is. He shared a story about how took home a growler of Eisbock when he first started working at the brewery, unaware that it was as strong as wine. He made it about a quarter of the way through the growler before he had to, well, take a nap for twelve hours. Growler filled, we headed home.

In all, it was a great time. The people who work at the brewery are friendly and helpful, and will gladly answer any questions you might have about specific beers or the brewing process. As a downside, it was quite crowded, but I think that’s because of the Porsche guys. We’ll see if it’s any less crazy when we return next month for the debut of the Maibock.

Finally, if you’re wondering what the Double Platinum Blonde looks like, here’s a picture of it moments before it vanished into my tummy.

And yes, that glass does have my name on it. Prost.

Despite an export ban on the technologies contained in the Boeing Growler EW aircraft, Australia has announced that it will wire 12 soon-to-be-delivered Super Hornets to enable them to become Growlers at a later date. Presumably, Canberra has been given assurance over the sale

Source: Australian DoD
Date: 27 February 2009

The Rudd Government has invested an initial $35 million to boost the capability of the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets the Howard Government controversially ordered in 2007.
After an extensive review of the Super Hornet purchase, the Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon announced last year that the Rudd Government was left with little choice but to proceed with the $6.6 billion purchase. Mr Fitzgibbon cited financial penalties and the risk of an air capability gap due to poor long-term planning, as the key reasons.
“Wiring twelve of the Super Hornets as Growlers will give us the opportunity to provide taxpayers with better value for money,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“If finally pursued, the relatively small investment will significantly enhance the Super Hornet’s capability, by giving electronic attack capacity and therefore the ability to nullify the systems of opposing aircraft.
“It will also provide the Super Hornets with counter-terrorism capability through the ability to shut down the ground-based communications and bomb triggering devices of terrorists.”
The $35 million investment has allowed 12 of the 24 Super Hornets for future fit-out while still on the production line, providing significant savings. The completion of the project will require an additional investment of around $300 million. That final decision will not be required until around 2012.

Comment: Despite all the political spin contained in this press release, this is a good move by Australia. The Growler is a proven electronic warfare aircraft, which will add to the capabilities of the RAAF. Another issue is that the Growler is currently banned for export by the US. Presumably, Australia has been given assurances that the technologies will be sold to them at a later date.