I agree! Bring it on!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Game On!
"And to anyone who says that church is no place to talk about these issues, you tell them there is no place better -- no place better. Because ultimately, these are not just political issues -- they are moral issues." -- First Lady Michelle Obama, June 28, 2012
I agree! Bring it on!
I agree! Bring it on!
Monday, July 9, 2012
When Life Gives You Lemons...
... make beer.
That certainly could be the motto of Port City Brewing. When last week's derecho knocked out their power, the Alexandria brewery had 13,000 gallons of beer fermenting, and no way to keep it cool. The company acquired a generator and saved the beer, but it turned out that one batch fermented a little warmer than planned.
California Common, or Steam Beer, is created by fermenting lager yeasts at warmer temperatures. The most commonly known beer in this style is Anchor Steam from the Anchor Brewing Company. The term "Steam Beer" is copyrighted by the California brewery so other beers in this style are referred to as "California Common."
See "Local beermaker brews derecho-inspired beverage" for more on Port City's handling of the storm.
That certainly could be the motto of Port City Brewing. When last week's derecho knocked out their power, the Alexandria brewery had 13,000 gallons of beer fermenting, and no way to keep it cool. The company acquired a generator and saved the beer, but it turned out that one batch fermented a little warmer than planned.
[Brewery founder Bill Butcher] says one batch of lager beer - roughly 120 kegs worth - fermented differently than the brewers originally intended.
"It turns out that there's actually a style of beer called 'California common beer' or 'steam beer' that is intentionally fermented this way, and so our lager beer will end up being a California common beer," Butcher says. "We're going to call it 'Derecho Common.'"
The beer will be available on draft only in the brewery's tasting room and in restaurants and bars around the D.C. area that were affected by the storm.
"From what we can tell, the beer is developing nicely, the flavors are going to be great, and we'll get it out in early August," Butcher says.
California Common, or Steam Beer, is created by fermenting lager yeasts at warmer temperatures. The most commonly known beer in this style is Anchor Steam from the Anchor Brewing Company. The term "Steam Beer" is copyrighted by the California brewery so other beers in this style are referred to as "California Common."
See "Local beermaker brews derecho-inspired beverage" for more on Port City's handling of the storm.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Belgian Congo Pale Ale
This "Belgian Inspired Pale Ale" pours a golden color with a frothy white, and long lasting head. The aroma is a mixture of earthy yeast, lemon citrus, with a hint of sweetness. The flavor is a blend of grassy and citrus hops. There's a touch of Belgian yeast that adds a hint of candy sweetness. The finish is dry with a mild and short-lived bitterness. The moderate carbonation leaves the palate dry and clean.
This is a remarkably light and refreshing beer, which is somewhat deceptive given the 6.8% ABV. Devils Backbone Belgian Congo Pale Ale is one of those beers that goes down smoothly and way too quickly. I enjoyed the "twist" on the pale ale style. I really do have to get down to Devils Backbone and have this one, and the brewery's other beers, at the source. Meanwhile, we've got the rest of this six-pack to enjoy...
Friday, July 6, 2012
Your Retail Boycott Is Misdirected
Hardly a day goes buy that I don't get a email from someone, usually a fellow Catholic, urging me to boycott some retailer or another. These "feel good" messages typically point out a corporate policy and inform me that I should be outraged and refuse to do business with the company. There is often the implied message that I am going against my faith by not complying. In truth, most of the time the corporate policy in question is one I disagree with, but that doesn't convince me to boycott the business. In fact, I often find the plea to be somewhat hypocritical.
First, let me explain why I generally don't go along with these boycotts, and why that decision is not contrary to my faith. Typically, the offending business is a large corporation that has made some contribution to a cause that I do in fact find immoral. Does that make me culpable if I patronize their local store? No, not if my intent is to buy a product, and not to support the cause. My intent determines my guilt in supporting or cooperating with evil. For instance, one of the latest pleas is to boycott Starbucks because the company supports gay "marriage." When I buy a coffee from the local shop, am I doing so because I support redefining a Sacrament of the Church? No, I'm buying the coffee because I want a consistently made, somewhat decedent and over-priced cup of coffee. My support, if you want to call it that, of the local retailer and their employees in no way indicates support for what I consider an immoral lifestyle. Is Starbucks in business for the purpose of supporting gay marriage? No, Starbuck is the business of selling me a consistently made, somewhat decedent and over-priced cup of coffee. My action is too far removed from the corporate policies to make me culpable. I am not cooperating in the actions of the corporation.
It is also interesting that local Starbucks employees are active in helping the homeless and those in need. My patronage of the local store would have a greater affect on these local folks, than the corporate board room. Ironically, it wasn't too long ago that the tables were turned and folks were urging a boycott of Starbucks because they do support traditional American, and Constitutional values.
The Target chain is another target (sorry) of a boycott call. Apparently the chain sells a "gay pride" t-shirt. Don't like the "gay pride" shirt? Don't buy it. Shopping at Target doesn't make me a supporter of "gay marriage." If I purchased the offending items, that would be a different story.
Ironically again, Target faced a boycott a couple years ago because they gave money to an "anti-gay" political candidate.
I don't give money to organizations such as Planned Parenthood. I don't vote for politicians who support positions I find offensive or immoral. Those would be direct actions that would make me guilty of cooperating with evil. As opposed to the Starbucks example, Planned Parenthood's main function, the reason for its existence, is immoral. To give support to them would be to directly support their mission.
I mentioned the hypocrisy of the boycott calls, emailed to me using a computer that is either running the Windows operating system, or the system from Apple. The Gates Foundation is one of the largest global supporters of abortion and sterilization world wide. And Apple Computer uses its corporate wealth to support redefining marriage. So maybe the senders of these emails aren't really all that sold on using the boycott as a tool after all. I'll make a deal with you. You stop using products from these companies, and I'll reconsider where I buy my morning coffee.
First, let me explain why I generally don't go along with these boycotts, and why that decision is not contrary to my faith. Typically, the offending business is a large corporation that has made some contribution to a cause that I do in fact find immoral. Does that make me culpable if I patronize their local store? No, not if my intent is to buy a product, and not to support the cause. My intent determines my guilt in supporting or cooperating with evil. For instance, one of the latest pleas is to boycott Starbucks because the company supports gay "marriage." When I buy a coffee from the local shop, am I doing so because I support redefining a Sacrament of the Church? No, I'm buying the coffee because I want a consistently made, somewhat decedent and over-priced cup of coffee. My support, if you want to call it that, of the local retailer and their employees in no way indicates support for what I consider an immoral lifestyle. Is Starbucks in business for the purpose of supporting gay marriage? No, Starbuck is the business of selling me a consistently made, somewhat decedent and over-priced cup of coffee. My action is too far removed from the corporate policies to make me culpable. I am not cooperating in the actions of the corporation.
It is also interesting that local Starbucks employees are active in helping the homeless and those in need. My patronage of the local store would have a greater affect on these local folks, than the corporate board room. Ironically, it wasn't too long ago that the tables were turned and folks were urging a boycott of Starbucks because they do support traditional American, and Constitutional values.
The Target chain is another target (sorry) of a boycott call. Apparently the chain sells a "gay pride" t-shirt. Don't like the "gay pride" shirt? Don't buy it. Shopping at Target doesn't make me a supporter of "gay marriage." If I purchased the offending items, that would be a different story.
Ironically again, Target faced a boycott a couple years ago because they gave money to an "anti-gay" political candidate.
I don't give money to organizations such as Planned Parenthood. I don't vote for politicians who support positions I find offensive or immoral. Those would be direct actions that would make me guilty of cooperating with evil. As opposed to the Starbucks example, Planned Parenthood's main function, the reason for its existence, is immoral. To give support to them would be to directly support their mission.
I mentioned the hypocrisy of the boycott calls, emailed to me using a computer that is either running the Windows operating system, or the system from Apple. The Gates Foundation is one of the largest global supporters of abortion and sterilization world wide. And Apple Computer uses its corporate wealth to support redefining marriage. So maybe the senders of these emails aren't really all that sold on using the boycott as a tool after all. I'll make a deal with you. You stop using products from these companies, and I'll reconsider where I buy my morning coffee.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Shooting Relaxed Is Shooting Well
Earlier this week we made a late afternoon trip to the range and it turned out to be an exceptionally rewarding bit of shooting. It's a bit cliché to say perhaps, but some days things "just come together." We set up the Pincus-designed target that is shown here, with the center body and head areas, two lower squares, and the six small colored dots.
Almost all of our shooting this day was done while moving forward and backward from the target. Since I was shooting with two 1911 fans, I left 10 rounds out of my mags so we'd all have the same number of shots as we moved together. :-) We started at about the 10 yard line and shot at a steady pace as we advanced, and then retreated still shooting. Reloading was generally done when you changed directions, although depending on your shot pace, reloading might happen anywhere. We started out alternating between the body and head areas. The two different sized areas required adjustments to the pace as we transitioned between aim points. We then moved to alternating between the two lower 8" squares, when the pace was steady and a bit faster. The fun, and exciting part came as we moved to shooting the 3" color circles, either keeping all shots on one circle, or alternating between two different ones.
This is where I realized that things seemed to be just coming together. We all have good days, and bad days, at the range. This day was exceptional. I concentrated on my body movement, I saw the sights, I made the shots. Despite shooting on the move and at a pretty good pace, getting 8 shots off in each direction, I was hitting my point of aim whether large or small. Sure there were a few flyers, but after 150 rounds, I had a pretty impressive looking target. I finished my practice session by moving up to the about 6 foot line and doing a variation of the Bill Drill, firing off 8 shots as fast as I could, all hitting within the 3" circle as intended.
So what's the lesson here? It is certainly not that I am any sort of expert, or even consistent, shooter. Several times during the exercises I lamented, "I wish I could shoot like this in a match!" And that is where the lesson comes in. It really is all about relaxing and letting the muscle memory and mechanics of shooting take over. It's not a lesson I didn't already know, but one I was reminded of in a striking manner. I was very conscience of not being self-conscience, and of feeling no pressure. I was shooting with my wife and a good friend, both of whom have seen me shoot both well and not so well. It was a relaxing time, we were just there to have fun. It's that total relaxation I need to take with me a match. Granted, the nature of competition adds pressure, and that's why we do it. But I must work on transferring some of that to my shooting in competition. Go there and "just shoot." After all, the point of the competitions is to have fun too.
Any time at the range is a good time, and when I shoot well it's even better. And when I can shoot well and come away with something to put to use later, it's exceptional.
Almost all of our shooting this day was done while moving forward and backward from the target. Since I was shooting with two 1911 fans, I left 10 rounds out of my mags so we'd all have the same number of shots as we moved together. :-) We started at about the 10 yard line and shot at a steady pace as we advanced, and then retreated still shooting. Reloading was generally done when you changed directions, although depending on your shot pace, reloading might happen anywhere. We started out alternating between the body and head areas. The two different sized areas required adjustments to the pace as we transitioned between aim points. We then moved to alternating between the two lower 8" squares, when the pace was steady and a bit faster. The fun, and exciting part came as we moved to shooting the 3" color circles, either keeping all shots on one circle, or alternating between two different ones.
This is where I realized that things seemed to be just coming together. We all have good days, and bad days, at the range. This day was exceptional. I concentrated on my body movement, I saw the sights, I made the shots. Despite shooting on the move and at a pretty good pace, getting 8 shots off in each direction, I was hitting my point of aim whether large or small. Sure there were a few flyers, but after 150 rounds, I had a pretty impressive looking target. I finished my practice session by moving up to the about 6 foot line and doing a variation of the Bill Drill, firing off 8 shots as fast as I could, all hitting within the 3" circle as intended.
So what's the lesson here? It is certainly not that I am any sort of expert, or even consistent, shooter. Several times during the exercises I lamented, "I wish I could shoot like this in a match!" And that is where the lesson comes in. It really is all about relaxing and letting the muscle memory and mechanics of shooting take over. It's not a lesson I didn't already know, but one I was reminded of in a striking manner. I was very conscience of not being self-conscience, and of feeling no pressure. I was shooting with my wife and a good friend, both of whom have seen me shoot both well and not so well. It was a relaxing time, we were just there to have fun. It's that total relaxation I need to take with me a match. Granted, the nature of competition adds pressure, and that's why we do it. But I must work on transferring some of that to my shooting in competition. Go there and "just shoot." After all, the point of the competitions is to have fun too.
Any time at the range is a good time, and when I shoot well it's even better. And when I can shoot well and come away with something to put to use later, it's exceptional.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Independence Day
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ...
And so it began, that July 4, 1776. Sadly today, so many people have forgotten these truths. Sadder still, the institutions charged with protecting these rights, namely the president and the congress, have forgotten that our basic human rights are "endowed by [our] Creator." These rights are not granted by the government, they are only to be acknowledged by the government. Today, the Obama administration seeks to make itself the grantor and arbiter of basic human rights. However, we should be reminded that what the government does not grant, it cannot take away, except by force and coercion. Is this the country envisioned in the Declaration of Independence?
Sadly, too many people are willing to be sheep and blindly accept this intrusion from the government. Once people begin relying on a government to grant them their rights, they are no longer free people. When our elected officials seek to impose their will on the citizenry, claiming it's for the citizens' benefit, they are no better than any of the other tyrants throughout history. How many millions of people have been killed over the years in the name of the "greater good"?
As we celebrate our Nation's founding, let us look beyond the burgers on the grill, beyond the cold beer, beyond the swimming pools, beyond the parades, beyond the fireworks. Let us ask ourselves if we are willing to allow government bureaucrats to name themselves as the arbiters of our God-given rights. Are we willing to become subjects of tyranny?
If you're a reader of these Musings, I'm guessing your answer to those questions is a resounding "NO!" We must not let the usurping of our rights continue. To do so devalues the dignity of human life, it debases our standing as free men. So stand tall, and let the celebrations of Independence Day serve to increase your resolve to maintain your liberty.
"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." --Abraham Lincoln
Monday, July 2, 2012
A Hot USPSA Match
The monthly Fredericksburg USPSA match took place this past weekend. The timing also coincided with record high temperatures, which brought the ferocious storms we saw Friday night. I started my weekend activity, ignoring the downed tree in my front yard, by helping to set up the match on Saturday morning. After a few hours our too small crew was on the verge of wilting. Personally, I forgot to bring a snack and had only water with me. We managed to get 8 stages set up in about 5 hours.
Sunday morning I returned for the match, again ignoring the downed tree in my front yard. As always, the Fredericksburg match is an all day event. Check-in was at 8:00AM, shooting started around 9:00AM, and we finished up just after 4:00PM. And it was a hot one! The temperature reached 99° on Sunday. This time I brought along copious amounts of water and "electrolyte replacement sports drink." I managed to stay hydrated and shot the match without suffering any serious heat-related issues. The crowd was smaller than usual, just 88 shooters in all. I suspect many folks chose not to shoot in the heat, or were still affected by the widespread power outages.
One thing that struck me about the stages from this match is that most of them offered numerous options for how one could shoot them. That's a testament to the Match Directors and the quality of their stage designs. One of my favorite stages was labeled "Curtain Call." Despite helping to set up, I didn't know all the final details of the courses of fire. For example, as part of this stage, we had set up two walls with ports that had targets behind them. Before the match started those ports were covered by window blinds. The shooter had to lift the blind to see the targets. Some shooters opted to throw the blinds over the top of the wall and then regrip the pistol with both hands to shoot. Others, myself included, opted to lift the blind with one hand then shoot the three targets behind each port strong hand only. It seems to have been a successful plan for me, as I had my highest finish on this stage; 14th out of 40.
Another fun stage was named "Port Holes." Almost all of the targets were engaged through openings in the walls. Some targets could only be seen when you were right up on the port, others could optionally be engaged from further away. The order, and from where, the targets were engaged gave the shooter many options and I saw a lot of different approaches to this stage.
One of the more "evil" stages, aptly named "Narrow Margin," included an array of steel poppers that had "no shoot" targets placed behind them. If you missed the steel, not only did you have to take another shot to knock over the steel, you also earned a penalty for hitting the no shoot.
As is typical, I finished in the middle of the pack; 21st out of 40 shooters in my division. I was pretty happy with that finish. I did shoot too many "Mikes" during the match, proving to myself once again, you need to get the points, it's not all about speed. Earlier in the week I was debating whether or not I even wanted to shoot the match due to the impending high temperatures. I am glad I did, despite the heat, as it was a lot of fun. Folks generally stayed in a good mood and accepted the extreme conditions as another part of the game.
After the match, we had a friend visiting for dinner. But before dinner, yep, you guessed it, we headed over the local range for some more shooting. This time there was no timer or running involved! Afterwards, a late dinner of baby back ribs from the grill capped off the evening. Needless to say I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day. Between the match construction project Saturday and lots of running and shooting on Sunday, I was tired, and more than a little achy! It was truly a full, and fun-filled weekend.
Sunday morning I returned for the match, again ignoring the downed tree in my front yard. As always, the Fredericksburg match is an all day event. Check-in was at 8:00AM, shooting started around 9:00AM, and we finished up just after 4:00PM. And it was a hot one! The temperature reached 99° on Sunday. This time I brought along copious amounts of water and "electrolyte replacement sports drink." I managed to stay hydrated and shot the match without suffering any serious heat-related issues. The crowd was smaller than usual, just 88 shooters in all. I suspect many folks chose not to shoot in the heat, or were still affected by the widespread power outages.
One thing that struck me about the stages from this match is that most of them offered numerous options for how one could shoot them. That's a testament to the Match Directors and the quality of their stage designs. One of my favorite stages was labeled "Curtain Call." Despite helping to set up, I didn't know all the final details of the courses of fire. For example, as part of this stage, we had set up two walls with ports that had targets behind them. Before the match started those ports were covered by window blinds. The shooter had to lift the blind to see the targets. Some shooters opted to throw the blinds over the top of the wall and then regrip the pistol with both hands to shoot. Others, myself included, opted to lift the blind with one hand then shoot the three targets behind each port strong hand only. It seems to have been a successful plan for me, as I had my highest finish on this stage; 14th out of 40.
Another fun stage was named "Port Holes." Almost all of the targets were engaged through openings in the walls. Some targets could only be seen when you were right up on the port, others could optionally be engaged from further away. The order, and from where, the targets were engaged gave the shooter many options and I saw a lot of different approaches to this stage.
One of the more "evil" stages, aptly named "Narrow Margin," included an array of steel poppers that had "no shoot" targets placed behind them. If you missed the steel, not only did you have to take another shot to knock over the steel, you also earned a penalty for hitting the no shoot.
As is typical, I finished in the middle of the pack; 21st out of 40 shooters in my division. I was pretty happy with that finish. I did shoot too many "Mikes" during the match, proving to myself once again, you need to get the points, it's not all about speed. Earlier in the week I was debating whether or not I even wanted to shoot the match due to the impending high temperatures. I am glad I did, despite the heat, as it was a lot of fun. Folks generally stayed in a good mood and accepted the extreme conditions as another part of the game.
After the match, we had a friend visiting for dinner. But before dinner, yep, you guessed it, we headed over the local range for some more shooting. This time there was no timer or running involved! Afterwards, a late dinner of baby back ribs from the grill capped off the evening. Needless to say I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day. Between the match construction project Saturday and lots of running and shooting on Sunday, I was tired, and more than a little achy! It was truly a full, and fun-filled weekend.
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