The World According To Kate » news

The Race to Create The World’s Strongest Beer

Kate Czlapinski — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:11:00 +0000

A few breweries are fighting to create the world’s strongest beer – beers as potent as whiskey – with as much as 41% alcohol!

…the international rivalry has put a spotlight on a fascinating, though fringe, sector of the beer industry: brewers who push beer to its alcoholic limits. BrewDog is one of a handful of breweries worldwide that have experimented with techniques to enrich their beers to surpass wine and even some spirits in alcohol content. Others that have actively competed for the strongest beer title include Dogfish Head in Delaware and the Boston Beer Co., whose Utopias is also one of the most expensive beers, at more than $150 retail. Most mass-produced American beers, from Budweiser to Samuel Adams Boston Lager, rarely top 5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

These high alcohol brews are going for as much as $55 for a 12 oz bottle… and not yet legal in the US. Definitely an interesting concept, though.

Study Shows Beer Could Be Good For Bone Health

Kate Czlapinski — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:01:14 +0000

We all know that wine had gained a lot of attention for it’s potential health benefits, but recent studies show that beer, also, could be great for your health. IPA’s (my personal favorite) could be especially beneficial for their high levels of silicon, which is known to help decrease bone thinning and promote new bone formation. It is believed that it could potentially help prevent osteoporosis.

So drink up folks!

Sarah Palin’s Keynote Speech at Wine Wholesalers Expo

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:47:53 +0000

So apparently, earlier this week Sarah Palin gave the keynote speech for the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America’s 67th Annual Convention… and, big shock, it didn’t go so well. Number one, why would one invite Sarah Palin to give the keynote speech for a wine convention (besides the obvious assumption that most of us need to drink heavily while listening to her speak)? And Number two, they paid between $75,000 and $100,000 to experience that? I think I need a drink.

If you can stomach it, you can actually listen to the speech and all the horrible wine puns that come with it. For the record, I only lasted a couple of minutes…

Women With College Degrees Are Heaviest Drinkers

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:50:54 +0000

A recent study shows that women who have college degrees are the heaviest drinkers and are twice as likely to drink on a daily basis.

The report concludes: “The more educated women are, the more likely they are to drink alcohol on most days and to report having problems due to their drinking patterns.”The better-educated appear to be the ones who engage the most in problematic patterns of alcohol consumption.”Women’s alcohol consumption can even be predicted from their scores in school tests taken when they are as as young as five. Women who achieved “medium” or “high” test marks as schoolgirls are up to 2.1 times more likely to drink daily as adults.

Does this really come as a surprise to anyone? I’m not surprised at all… Now, off to pour myself a glass of wine.

Go Rep. Barney Frank!

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:03:45 +0000

Congressman Frank totally slams woman comparing Obama to Hitler at Town Hall:

Bill Clinton As…. The Closer

Kate Czlapinski — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:18:41 +0000

I’m glad they sent in the right guy to get the job done, getting Euna Lee and Laura Ling back home safely. There’s nobody more persuasive than Bill Clinton. You just can’t say no to Bill Clinton… er… I know I wouldn’t be able to. Is that just me? I think not.

Thoughts On David Ortiz’s Steroid Use

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:28:21 +0000

I wasn’t going to comment on the recent news concerning David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez testing positive on a performance enhancing drug test back in 2003, but I thought as a proud Yankees fan, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it. The thing is… well, it’s complicated. My feelings about it are a bit complex and I didn’t want to just hastily bang something out and then realize that I left out important ideas.

As a life time Yankees fan living in Connecticut, I’ve always been very familiar with the Yankees/Red Sox Rivalry and all the trash talk that goes along with it. I’ve learned to dish it out and take it with the best of them. In the past decade (has it really been that long?), there have been some ups and downs – mostly ups for them and downs for us. The tables had turned and we were humbled. As I’ve grown and matured as a fan, I’ve learned that a classy fan is a quiet fan. This is why I was so hesitant to make any comments at all about the subject.

Am I shocked? Of course not. It was 2003 – right around the time he went from your average player to a baseball superstar. And it was just before they really started cracking down and testing for the use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball. There’s a lot of pressure on these guys to be great. I get it… I want to be great at my job, too. And if so many people were doing it, and it sounds like they all were, how could they not? They had to keep up with the competition, right? I get it.

This should quiet some of the smack talk I’ve had to endure the past few years… I’ve grown tired of always hearing about A-Rod (who hasn’t heard him referred to as A-Roid?), Giambi and Pettitt and everyone else using steroids and getting called cheaters. It was only a matter of time before news broke of a Red Sox player testing positive for steroid use. I hear Big Papi is a really good guy, and you almost feel bad, but he was so outspoken about being against them!

This is what Ortiz said in Fort Myers, Fla., last Feb. 16: “I know that if I test positive for using any kind of substance, I know that I’m going to disrespect my family, the game, the fans, and everybody, and I don’t want to be facing that situation. So what would I do? I won’t use it . . . you test everybody three, four times a year and that’s about it. You do what you got to do. Yeah, whatever they say. Ban them for a whole year.’’

It got headlines. Ortiz says one-year ban for players who test positive. It played well to the masses.

Again, I’m not really going to say anything bad about the Sox… On Facebook the last couple of days, I’ve seen lots of Yankees fans running their mouths. That’s just not my style. A healthy dose of schadenfreude feels good once in awhile, but lord knows we have our own pile of dirty laundry. Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones and Yankee Stadium is one unbelievably fragile glass mansion.

Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe really summed up my own ideas best is his article, Suffering From Roid Rage:

The timing and the numbers are particularly damning for Big Papi. He was ordinary before 2003. Then he cheated. Then he was great. Now there is testing and he is less than ordinary. You don’t need Jose Canseco to connect the dots.

As for Manny, what is left to say? When he got caught this year, Sox fans wanted to believe he started cheating after he left Boston. Now his entire career is flushed down the toilet. Along with Ortiz.

It’s horrible.

No more innocence.

No more fairy tales.

The 2004 Red Sox really were Idiots. Just like the Yankees and everybody else.

Our cheaters were better than their cheaters.

Yahoo.

The Red Sox have really been no different from the Yankees all these years. Welcome to the club, RSN, we’re all rooting for overpaid, overgrown children. They’re jerks and they shouldn’t be worshipped as heroes, but they’re our jerks.

Glenn Beck, You Scare Me

Kate Czlapinski — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:34:56 +0000

So according to Glenn Beck, Obama is a racist and hates white people. Really? Really??? What about all of his prominent white staff members… or HIS MOM who was white? Absolutely ridiculous. Is this man on drugs? What’s really frightening is large number of people who actually believe the craziness that comes out of his mouth. Terrifying.

via videosift.com

Futurama Cast May Not Return

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:08:13 +0000

I’ve always been a fan of Futurama and when I found out a month or so ago that they would be making 26 new episodes of the show that originally aired on Fox from 1999-2002 to show sometime in mid 2010, I was very excited, because I have of course seen just about every episode ever made about a half dozen times (especially since they started showing it on Comedy Central). It’s just a great show with really funny and intelligent writing and is one of the few shows that I really don’t mind watching over and over. It never gets old for me.

Today, however, I read that there is talk that the original cast may not be returning for the new episodes and are asking for pay increases amounting to several times what they used to make. That’s really disappointing news. I’m sure the show will still be really great either way, but it just won’t be the same…

Futurama Cast Holding Out For More Pay
Futurama Cast Not Returning?

Iran’s Facebook Police

Kate Czlapinski — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:43:56 +0000

Came across this story on NPR this afternoon. Pretty crazy stuff! Are the Iranian authorities paying more attention to popular social networks such as Facebook and Twitter?

Foreign Policy: Iran’s Terrifying Facebook Police

Blasphemy in Ireland

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:15:11 +0000

Conversation from the other night on our way to dinner

Kevin: So hon, I hope you had no plans of going to Ireland anytime soon…
Me: Huh?
Kevin: They’re making blasphemy illegal, with a fine of €25,000.
Me: What???
Kevin: Yeah
Me: Really???
Kevin: Yup
Me: Well, Jesus F@*# Christ!

Yes, that could end up being a very expensive trip for us… But really??? Really??? How backwards is that?

Ireland Passes Blasphemy Law

Billy Mays Found Dead At Home

Kate Czlapinski — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:25:55 +0000

So it’s really been quite a week – definitely not a good week to be famous – or marginally famous even. Apparently Billy Mays – don’t you guys pretend you don’t know who I’m talking about – the infomercial guy, is dead. I see his commercials all the time on the weekends when I watch hours and hours of the Food Network. What? We don’t all do that? So I guess it’s just me then.

So anyway, is it wrong that I may actually be more upset about this than when I found out that MJ died the other day? I really liked that guy (don’t know what it is – he was just a likable guy)… and I really wanted his job. Hmm… I hear there may be an opening.

Billy Mays Found Dead At Home

Strip Search of 13 Year Old Was A Violation of Fourth Amendment Rights

Kate Czlapinski — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:50:02 +0000

Hey, remember a couple of months ago when I went on a rant about the 13 year old girl who was strip searched at school because she might have Ibuprofen ? No? Well she was… And if you ask me, it was fairly ridiculous.

Well, the case went to the Supreme Court and yesterday it was ruled that it was illegal and a violation of the girl’s Fourth Amendment rights.

Gee, ya think?

You can read more about it here:

Court Calls Search of Student’s Underwear Illegal

They Come in Three’s

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:00:09 +0000

So in the past week, we’ve now seen the deaths of three celebrities.

Some initial thoughts about them:

Ed McMahon - This is sad in the sense that it’s always sad to hear of someone’s death, but he was old. He was 86 years old and lived a pretty full life. While sad, it wasn’t exactly shocking news.

Farrah Fawcett – This morning we heard of the death of Farrah Fawcett. This one is really sad - probably a little more saddening than hearing of the death of Ed McMahon, because of the manner in which she died. She’d been very sick with cancer for a long time and she was only 62 years old. Really, really sad, but in no way is her death shocking. It seemed that it was really only a matter of time.

Michael Jackson – I’m not home from work for 5 minutes and I hear about this one… WTF? No, really… W. T. F? I guess my reactions to his death are much the same as my reactions to his life. I am both shocked and confused. Weird. Only 50 years old. And no matter what you may think of his bizarre personal life, there’s really no denying his legend status in music. He was an amazing talent. While I don’t know how sad I find this one (hello, I’m still shocked!), you have to feel really bad for his kids. That just sucks.

Wow. Just wow.

Wife Camp

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:48:45 +0000

Kevin sent me a link to this article from Mother Jones about a sort of “Wife Camp”, a summer camp in Montreal for 10 to 14 year old girls in which they will

develop confidence, social charm and grace, a sense of style and refinement. Participants will learn an array of skills from social etiquette, personal presentation skills, personal grooming and care, choice and co-ordination of attire, reception planning and hosting, to singing and dancing, Students will also be introduced to selected disciplines of music and fine arts (such as painting, and piano). At the end of the event, participants will host a cocktail reception for their parents to celebrate the results of their efforts in a real-life setting.

Yuck… well, that just reeks of a certain 1950′s housewifery. While I can admit that a lot of teenagers these days (not all – I don’t want to hear about your own super charming children) have about all the social grace of a door knob, this is really a bit much. Oh, and why is this only for girls? Yeah, I just don’t like it.

And should I be concerned that Kevin sent me this link? What exactly is he trying to tell me? :p

Wife Camp for Canadian Girls

Woman Fined $1.9 mil for Illegal Downloads

Kate Czlapinski — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:39:35 +0000

$1.9 million for illegally downloading 24 songs! Wow, definitely glad I pay for my music these days… because really, was it worth it? If you read on, she “downloaded work by artists such as No Doubt, Linkin Park, Gloria Estefan and Sheryl Crow.” Yeah, definitely not worth it… probably not even worth the 99 cents in my opinion.

A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each — a total of $1.9 million — for 24 songs

Illegal downloads of musical files will cost a Minnesota woman $1.9 million, a jury has decided.

Jammie Thomas-Rasset’s case was the first such copyright infringement case to go to trial in the United States, her attorney said.

Attorney Joe Sibley said that his client was shocked at the fine, noting that the price tag on the songs she downloaded was 99 cents.

Woman fined to tune of $1.9 million for illegal downloads

LEGALIZE! The Decriminalization of Marijuana

Kate Czlapinski — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:22:20 +0000

This was a really interesting article by Mike Miliard from The Hartford Advocate that I came across this afternoon about the progress made in the fight to legalize pot. It’s a little bit lengthy, but definitely an interesting read. While I’m by no means a pot head these days, I have smoked a little marijuana (in my checkered past :p) and, like our boy Obama, “I inhaled frequently…That was the point.” I (and most people I know for that matter) feel that it’s just plain ridiculous that it’s illegal.

IS NOW THE TIME TO LEGALIZE POT?

The Death of “The Cougar”

Kate Czlapinski — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:12:30 +0000

In this piece, Linda Holmes goes on a rant about why she feels the term “Cougar” should die a slow painful death… and I couldn’t agree more. It’s kind of sexist and super creepy and they’ve made a really horrendous reality show about it. Yuck. Yes, I do believe it’s officially time to kill “the cougar”.

Woman Who Missed Flight 447 Killed in Car Accident

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:35:37 +0000

Well they do say you’re more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash…

“Johanna Ganthaler, a pensioner from Bolzano-Bozen province, had been on holiday in Brazil with her husband Kurt and missed Air France Flight 447 after turning up late at Rio de Janeiro airport on May 31…It said that Ms Ganthaler died when their car veered across a road in Kufstein, Austria, and swerved into an oncoming truck. Her husband was seriously injured.”

Talk about bizarre luck! It’s like that movie Final Destination (which I thought was terrible, by the way). I guess there really is no cheating death… when it’s your time, it’s your time.

Woman Who Missed Air France Flight 447 Killed in Car Crash

Stephen Colbert Guest Editor for Newsweek

Kate Czlapinski — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:48:08 +0000

I just love Colbert (not like I love Jon Stewart, but I love him)… and that’s because I understand satire. Anyway if you dig his stuff, you’ll dig him here.

Stephen Collbert: Why I Took This Crummy Job

Beer Hydrates Better Than Water?

Kate Czlapinski — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:13:41 +0000

Well, news just doesn’t really get much better than this, does it? Perhaps I’ll have to celebrate these awesome findings by doing a little hydrating on my porch this evening

Researchers at Granada University in Spain found this Nobel Prize-worthy discovery after months of testing 25 student subjects, who were asked to run on a treadmill in grueling temps (104 degrees F) until they were as close to exhaustion as possible. Half were given water to drink, and the other half drank two pints of Spanish lager. Then the godly researchers measured their hydration levels, motor skills, and concentration ability.

They determined that the beer drinkers had “slightly better” rehydration effects, which researchers attribute to sugars, salts, and bubbles in beer enhancing the body’s ability to absorb water. The carbohydrates in beer also help refill calorie deficits.

Makes perfect sense to me. On my next long run, I’ll be filling my CamelBak with a delicious IPA :p

Granada University Study Finds Beer Hydrates Better Than Water

Target Women: The Cougar

Kate Czlapinski — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:52:15 +0000

In the most recent Target Women, the always brilliant Sarah Haskins discusses the new reality dating show, The Cougar, in which an attractive 40 year old woman gets her pick of a flock of twenty-something year old D-Bags.

Who’s The Boss?

Kate Czlapinski — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:24:10 +0000

Who’s the boss in your family? This question was asked in 16 countries.

In 11 of 16 countries surveyed, Dad took the prize as head of the household. Only five countries picked Mom. Overall, the pro-Mom nations have less income disparity between men and women. Across borders, more men than women think Dad’s in charge, and more women than men think Mom is—which just goes to show that the biggest factor in who wears the pants may be whom you ask.

The results are actually pretty interesting and worth a read if you haven’t got anoything better to do with your time. And you’re here, so that answers that question

As I was looking through the results, though, it got me thinking… I don’t think we had a boss in my family, growing up. At least, I don’t remember there being a clear boss. I have fond memories of my parents playing the “go ask your mother/father” game that would involve me running back and forth across the house six times and being told to go ask the other “boss” for permission to go outside and play. The answer in the end was often that in the time spent playing that fun game, it had gotten far too dark to go outside an play. I think they were messing with me… or maybe they really were just that bad at making decisions – which could explain a lot about me.

In my little family with Kevin and the cats, one thing is very clear – Spaz is the boss. She’s not a very nice boss either. She is a BITCH! She’s always yelling at us for all sorts of very logical reasons… like our making it rain outside or the fact that we sometimes like to use the bathroom without her supervision or we came home late without calling her first and OH MY GOD WHERE HAVE WE BEEN??? HER DISH IS ALMOST HALF EMPTY!!! I think our midyear reviews are coming up – I’m worried.

Who’s the boss in your family?

The Love Between A Man and His Car: Man Has Sex With Over 1,000 Cars

Kate Czlapinski — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:59:38 +0000

57 year old Edward Smith, a Washington state native, admits to having had sex with over 1,000 cars. His current “girlfriend” is a white Volkswagen Beetle named Vanilla. “As well as Vanilla, he regularly spends time with his other vehicles – a 1973 Opal GT, named Cinnamon, and 1993 Ford Ranger Splash, named Ginger.”

OK, weird… I’ve heard of cars being described as sexy, but can’t say I’ve ever heard on anyone wanting to have sex with one… never mind multiple cars. The article also mentions that he’s once had sex with a helicopter… How does this even work? What are the mechanics of this? I just don’t get it. I’m not sure I want to think about it… And what’s the deal with him cheating on his “girlfriend” Vanilla with Cinnamon and Ginger. So he’s not even faithful to poor Vanilla? Not cool Edward, not cool…

Man Admits To Having Sex With 1,000 Cars

A Loose Moose in New Britain!

Kate Czlapinski — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:50:43 +0000

I told Kevin to stop wandering around outside at 5 o’clock in the morning! But he just wouldn’t listen… and now look!

Seriously, New Britain, CT isn’t exactly rural… Actually, it’s fairly urban and in some areas one might say it’s even quite ghetto. Don’t worry, it’s really not that bad- I’ve been living here for a year and I feel quite safe – in daylight.

What the hell was the moose doing here? No sir, New Britain is no place for a moose to be wandering around. He could get shot :p Somebody get that Moose some pepper spray!

A Loose Moose in The Hardware City