This Is All Bullshit

   Donald Trump has been in office for 8 days EIGHT DAYS. And he seems to be turning America back fucking near 70 or 80 years. He's torn up trade agreements. He's ordered the building of the Wall, and says Mexico will pay for it. To which Mexico has said: Vete a la mierda. Trump hints there could be sanctions slapped on imports which (some say) would end up costing Americans instead. How that would work, I haven't got a fucking clue, since I can balance my bank accounts, but that's about it when it comes to finances.

   What else has he done. Oh, yeah. He's slapped travel restrictions on several countries (mainly Muslim), to which Iran has responded by barring Americans, although I don't think of Iran as a major holiday destination. He's asked for the nuclear program to ramp up. And he continues to obsess over his popularity, claiming voter fraud, since he didn't get the popular vote. Mr. Trump: You won the only fucking vote that really counts, the electoral college. Get over it for fuck sake.

   And don't think I'm coming off as liberal. I'm not. I'm a long, long way from being liberal. A LONG way. But I am, however, of the mindset that The Donald is going a bit too far with some of his pronouncements. I alluded to the clock being turned back at the start of this rapidly becoming a rant instead of a post. That's a reference to the isolationism that ran rampant in the U.S "back in the day" in the 1930's. Create jobs for Americans-YES. Put American interests first-MAYBE. It's fine to preach that, but it well may backfire. International trade is a key to any economy, especially with the burgeoning powerhouse China (which Trump is also pissing off). By all means, look after #1, but don't shit all over your established trading partners who need you just as much as you need them.

   As for suspending travel from certain countries...I don't think that's such a bright idea. I believe he may have made the move with the intent of keeping radical Islamists out. Which in itself may be fine. But to suspend visas and (in some cases entry) simply due to someone's country of origin smacks of Nazism, with all that entailed.

   Holy Shit! This DID turn into a rant.

   'Nuff said

Now THAT'S A Beer

   In past years, I've blogged about beer. But I heard something on my local radio station today about a beer that isn't just any old run-of-the-mill specially produced brewski. This suds is SPECIALLY specially produced. And it's for one person only. Seems there's an outfit in Merry Olde England that'll produce 12 hectoliters of beer tailored to your own personal taste.

   And they use your DNA to brew it. Actually, they scan your genes (from a saliva sample you provide), and map your personal taste profile, things like bitterness, sweetness etc, then come up with a recipe for a beer to suit your taste buds perfectly.

   Again, this is in London, England, so I don't suppose there's much chance it'll be coming to Canada or the U.S.A anytime soon. And it's probably just as well, given the cost. That 12 hectoliters (equivalent to about 2000 pints) will run you 25 THOUSAND Pounds. That's $40 thou Canadian, about $31 grand in the U.S. Then, there's the little matter of volume. 2000 pints is a LOT of beer, and unless you have a LOT of people with your exact taste, I'm thinking a lot of it will get skunky long before you crack 'em all.

   Still, if I had the money, I'd give it a try. My liver might not thank me, but I'd giver it a go.

   'Nuff said.

An Epic Fail?

   Everything I've read suggests it was. Mariah Carey "performed" at the Dick Clark Rockin' New Years Eve (I think that's what it's called) on Saturday. If you consider fucking up a lip-synch set as a performance. SHE claims there was a problem with the monitors. SHE claims she was "set up" for a fail by the producers. Something they vehemently deny. I'll be fair here, I did not watch the show. I was safely tucked in bed about 9:30, trying to stay warm. Generally, I don't stay up late anyway, and certainly not for Mariah Carey.
   That said, everything I've seen points to a screw up on her end, rather than the production team. I mean, just how bad are you to fuck up a lip-synch? In her case, I guess pretty bad, since she's been caught mouthing the words to her own songs more than once. Why not just get out on stage and do your show live? Unless you can't, and need your tracks pre-recorded for you to mouth over.
   Which IMHO is pretty sad. The Rolling Stones just released a new CD they recorded (Blue & Lonesome) in just 3 sessions and which, for the most part, was a live performance. And the Stones are just one example of people using their talent. Zeppelin, Floyd, Queen, AC/DC, the Eagles, George Straight and a host of others actually played LIVE at their gigs. Yes, they had problems with monitors and other gear, but NO, they did not blame the producer of their shows. They simply got on with the business at hand and played their concert.
   But, I guess this shows what a lack of innate talent ends up looking and sounding like. To her credit, I'm sure Mariah has given stellar live shows in the past. But not that night.
   Again, judging from what I've seen and heard about it, I'm glad I went to bed at 9:30 and missed the 'show'. But the other part of me kinda wishes I'd stayed up and watched a really good train wreck.
   Happy New Year!
  'Nuff said.