The Economist's Cookbook

So Simon over at the Cynical Libertarian told me that he's more partial to a good bourbon than Scotch. (Which I find odd given that Simon has access to all kinds of Scotch over in the UK than I don't here in the US.)

So I thought I would put a bit down about a few of my favorite bourbons. Now it should be said that when it comes to liquor I am more of a fan of Scotch at least straight or with a bit of water in it. However, bourbon is one of the things that convinces me that there is a God and that he wants us to enjoy life!
Now, on to the booze:
Maker's Mark:
This is my normal Bourbon and while it's not exclusive or aged for a certain number of years (They have tasters taste it to determine when each cask is ready to be used.)
I like this stuff, it's just a great standby in your shelf.
It's got a great caramel color to it and it's got a nice bourbon aroma to it that just escapes out when you first crack that seal.
It's smooth and warming and it goes great with ginger ale on ice. This is simply a delicious bourbon.

7.5/10




Another of my favorites is Woodford Reserve. This is just good stuff.
You can take everything I said about Maker's and just amplify it. The taste is out of this world and it's just ... the only word I have to describe it is .. YUM!

8/10


This is also really good but you might have to walk into the store and ask them to get it for you. It's not a common bourbon, but it's VERY VERY good.

It has a slightly different taste than either of the two examples above. This is a 12 year bourbon that is incredibly smooth. I really like this one the way I like my scotch, just a smidge of water to bring the flavor out and open up the boutique of this wonderful bourbon.

WARNING: This stuff ain't no Jim Beam and you might find yourself hooked on it

8.5/10

One thing I learned in college is that I developed a taste for whiskey. Not the cheap stuff either.

So given that part of this blog is about ME and my tastes in things, let me recommend a couple to the readers (Do I have any?).


I love this scotch. It's a bit pricey for most college students, but if you like the taste of really smooth good scotch with a bit of burn as it goes down. This is a great single-malt scotch. Now I may be a bit of scotch heretic for saying this, but I don't like the charcoal taste that some of the smokier scotches have (like Laphroaig). This Macallan is a 12 year, aged in Sherry Barrels so it does have hints of sweet taste to it.

A very solid scotch and one that is good to have on hand at all times.

8/10



Another great single malt is this Glenfiddich 15 year. I bought this on a whim one night over Christmas break when I had mileage money burning a hole in my pocket. I'm glad I did. I've come to like this one better than The Macallan 12 and I can't exactly put my finger on it. I think it's that this one is a little smoother going down and has a really nice oaky flavor to it and a smooth but not overly smoky finish.

I've been told that the 12 year is actually better in some respects, but I haven't tried it. Still, this is a very good scotch.

8.5/10

Right so I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the group Anonymous on the internet. This group of ... well mostly geeks usually hangs out on image based posting sites like 4chan. However, when they get together, they are a force to be reckoned with.
I bring this up because they have recently (recently being in the last 5 months) declared war on The Church of Scientology. This started after a video internal to the organization of an Interview with Tom Cruise. Well Anonymous decided enough was enough ... and now they have been protesting outside of the churches all over the world. A simple organization of geeks has snowballed into an amazing movement.

I think the thing I find most interesting is that this organization has no defined leadership. This is purely voluntary, individual association. And they are winning, slowly, but they are winning. Despite the PR campaign waged by The Church of Scientology against them, calling them all a bunch of bigoted terrorists, they are bringing attention to the 'Church'. Individuals matter! They have power and when they organize against something, they become impossible to ignore.

Now, for the record I am not, nor have I ever been involved with Anonymous. I'm just a humble blogger. Of course I expect Scientologists to now show up at my house, take pictures, interrogate my neighbors, call in their Private Investigators, etc. That's okay ... Virginia has a 'castle law', I'll just shoot them if they show up on my property and won't leave when asked.

So go get 'em Anonymous. You are Legion. Me? I'm just a crazy Libertarian with a cookbook.

Here is the Video message from Anonymous:

... and here are a few thoughts:

I was hanging out with one of my friends last night and got into a discussion about the nature of people. He made the argument that the majority of people who give to charity are doing so to keep from feeling guilty. Essentially they are buying good feelings.

While that may be the case for some, I think that the majority of people give money to charity because they can't give time. Time is an odd good because it is very finite and unknown for each person. As a result you see people allocating their time to the uses that they value most. Money is a commodity which can be given and yet still earned. There is not a finite amount of money for one person to possess. Well there might be a finite amount of money, but for the purposes of this, let's assume that it is a renewable resource. Given this, the value of most people's time is extremely high.

This doesn't mean that people are guilt tripped into giving money, but they give money rather than give time, because the marginal value of the latter is far higher.


Another thought: I really hope that Hillary or Obama don't get into office (not that I like McCain at all) because that will drastically decrease the time frame for me to buy an AR-15. Specifically this one:








A friend of mine just bought an M&P40 Compact for a carry gun. It's got a solid feel to it and I might look at getting one for a carry weapon some time in the near future.