Some Good News About Crime

Despite the best efforts of the NRA to get rid of all gun laws and arm criminals, there is research that suggests we are on track to having the lowest murder rate in 100 years. This is also reflected in data that just looks at gun crimes. Interestingly enough, the same study shows that Americans believe that gun crime has been going up. This doesn't come as a huge surprise. Media saturation of violent events probably leads many people to believe such events are commonplace. I am not going to speculate to why this has gone down. As Jay has said on more than one occasion, it is very difficult to pick out causal factors when you are dealing with something this complex.

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Craft Beer Week

Christmas is nice and all, but around these parts of the web, our Season of Joy is American Craft Beer Week!

This is a week of celebrations and revelry from Coast to Coast, border to border.  Click here to find events near you.

There's a manifesto.

At 8:00pm EST this Thursday, there's a nation-wide toast.

And don't forget to change your Facebook and Twitter profile pics in acknowledgment of celebration of the holiest week here at ATK.

AND AS IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH....

As of last Thursday evening, home brewing is legal in all 50 states!

From the presser:

On Thursday, May 9, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed homebrew legalization bill HB9 into law, making Alabama the 50th state to legalize homebrewing.

Post-Prohibition, homebrewing was not federally legal until President Jimmy Carter signed H.R. 1337 on October 14, 1978, which officially went into effect on February 1, 1979. Shortly after that bill was signed, the American Homebrewers Association was formed by Charlie Papazian and Charlie Matzen to promote and celebrate homebrewing. Since then, the AHA has taken a leading role in advocating for homebrew rights and supporting the legislative efforts of local homebrew communities.

Celebrate beer!

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Brew Day!

Last Sunday was again Brew Day at the Smitty household.  Joined by a few of our beer buddies from this blog, we took care of my "world famous" Maple Syrup Porter.

I had intended to do 2 brews simultaneously, but due to a small error (I didn't have the right ball vales and barbed fittings for my smaller set of mash/lauter tuns), we had to skip the American Wheat Ale and stick with the Porter.  Oh well...gives me an excuse to brew again!

My top-secret recipe, for those of you wishing to try my favorite brew:
9 lb Maris Otter
1 lb English Brown Malt
1 lb Crystal 40L
10 oz. English Chocolate Malt
1.25 oz English Fuggles (60 min)
0.5 oz. English Fuggles (10 min)
32 oz Grade B maple syrup (end of boil)
1 smackpack White Labs London Ale (WLP013)

Mash 18 Q water for 60 min at 154 degrees (water in tun @ 166 degrees)
Mashout 6Q at 175 degrees for 10 minutes
Sparge 23.25 Q water at 170 degrees

1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary.

Force carbonate 10.2 psi at 45 degrees for 1-2 weeks; desired volumes:  2.1.

And here, less than a day later, is some beautifully active fermentation!

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Today in Science History

Continuing in our chain of sciencey threads...


If you had the controls of the mars rover and could place historic tire tracks on the Martian surface, what would you do?

Head to the nearest high value science target? Sign your name? Write: “Hi mom”?

Nope.

I’d do what the folks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory did.  I’d draw a giant phallus.

Source:  link

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Evolutionary Regression

On a whim, on one of my favorite blogs (It's Okay To Be Smart), I decided to take the science test offered at a link in one of Joe's posts.

My result:

13 out of 13.

I outscored 93% of the test-takers.

I am not writing this to brag or pat myself on the back.

I am writing this because if somebody gets any one of these questions wrong, it's no wonder we lag the way we do in our science scores.  I expected to get the score I did, because the questions are so easy, I'm pretty sure Smitty Jr knows the answers. Everyone on this blog will get 13 of 13.

Seriously:  "Lasers work by focusing sound waves.  True or false."  That kind of stuff.

But the bulk of test-takers got between 3 and 6 wrong.  And the 1% that got 0 or 1 question correct...I hope they are still in elementary school, or trolls.

Take the test.

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Dick of the Week

Co-opting a theme from long-time beer buddy Mr. Furious, I present to you this week's Dick of the Week:

I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hi-capacity magazine? #2A
— Nate Bell (@NateBell4AR) April 19, 2013

To do what with, Nate?  Cuddle it close like a blankie?

I think law enforcement is doing a fine job.

***Update***

A close second-place Dick of the Week.

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I Can't Think of a Title

First, this thought from occasional kegger Bry_Mac:

Some days I am amazed by the compassion and generosity of my fellow man. And some days an 8-year-old gets killed for watching a race.
— Bry Mac (@Bry_Mac) April 15, 2013

Exactly.

And then, there's this:

Report: 8-year-old boy killed in Boston Marathon blasts identified

Here's my guy, who turns 8 in a month and a half:

Nope.  Can't imagine.

I trust the FBI and Boston's Finest are doing everything they can to find the perpetrator terrorist responsible for this.

No politics.  No statements.  Just...find them. It won't bring the 8 year old back, it won't heal his mommy's traumatic head injury and it won't give his little sister her leg back.  It won't make the world, governed by randomness, make any more sense.  But we have a system of justice, and this is a person or these are some people in dire need of some....justice.  If you catch my drift.

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