Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

P&C drink and review Manor Hill Brewing's Dunkel, then wonder if the U.N. still matters.

The United Nations was founded after World War II with an ambitious mission: prevent global war, promote peace, and help nations cooperate on the world’s biggest problems.

But nearly eighty years later, a fair question arises: does it do anything useful?

The boys take a practical look at what the U.N. actually does today. It c...

The boys drink and review Dogfish Head's Sixty-One, which is an IPA brewed with Pinot Noir grapes, then discuss the idea that AI will make us all wealthy while Pigweed's cat prances around the studio.

Elon Musk recently said that AI + robotics will eliminate scarcity to the point that there's no real point in saving for retirement. We'll have "universal high income."

It's like the Star Trek vision of t...

P&C drink and review Pigweed's homebrewed porter then discuss squatter's rights. Can somebody just take over your house when you're on vacation?

There's a famous case in Maryland where some "activist" has moved in to a $2.3 million house that had been foreclosed on. Can she do that? Who's to stop her, and how?

"Adverse possession" is the technical word for squatter's rights. But it on...

The boys drink and review Crowhill's latest homebrew then discuss Iran.

Persia was one of the first great empires. At times it stretched from Libya in the west, into India and the stans in the east, and stretched into the Slavic countries in the north.

Some of the notable names are Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes. Isaiah mentioned Cyrus as God's chosen but took a jab at Zoroastrianism in the process.

Persian dominance came to an ...

The boys drink and review Old Brown Dog by Smuttynose, then wonder why Michelle Obama is such a sourpuss despite her incredible good fortune.

Despite being intelligent, wealthy, well-educated, and popular, she seems to be griping and complaining all the time.

After Barack was elected she said, "For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country." For the first time? Really?

Everything is so hard for Michelle. Sh...

The boys drink and review Ghost Stories, a smoked black lager from Burlington Beer Company, then discuss infrastructure.

After the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, President Biden promised it would be rebuilt “as soon as humanly possible” — and immediately assumed the federal government would foot the bill. But why is that assumption now automatic? And what does it tell us about the state of American infrastructure policy?

...

The boys drink and review Sierra Nevada's Narwhal Imperial Stout, then discuss the obligation of the government to provide for the poor and how such efforts inevitably degrade into graft, corruption, and abuse -- like what we see in Minneapolis right now.

There have always been poor people, and there has always been an obligation to help the less fortunate. In the past, much of that work was done by churches.

The big transforma...

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review a Copper Legend, an Oktoberfest from Jack's Abbey brewing.

The topic for today: Has the development of AI changed our perspective on whether or not we're living in a simulation?

Starting with Nick Bostrom's famous essay, the boys discuss the issues and why we might not be as "real" as we think we are. The development of AI has made Bostrom's essay even more significant...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review an IPA from Cape May Brewing, then discuss the homogenization of culture, and how everything is starting to look the same.

It's to the point where you're in a town three states away but you see the same stores, the same products on the shelves. Where's the local stuff?

The boys discuss the history of this phenomenon, starting with the railroads and the Sears catalog...

With special guest Longinus, Pigweed and Crowhill review Nugget Nectar from Troegs and then turn to Death in Venice, a short but unsettling story about beauty, obsession, and moral collapse.

Longinus provides a brief biography of Thomas Mann, and then the boys walk through the story while unpacking its major themes.

This is a controversial book, and they don’t shy away from it's ugly side. Mann explores hidden desires and forbidden o...

The boys drink and review Shugga, a strong ale by Lagunitas, then discuss a leaked government report that argues peace is actually a bad thing.

War is not merely a tragic necessity, it's a fundamental stabilizing force in human society -- according to a secret government document called Report from Iron Mountain. It claims that war is essential for maintaining political authority, economic order, social cohesion, and psychologi...

The boys drink and review Stocking Stuffer, a holiday cream ale from 1623, then ask whether psychiatry is helping or hurting.

Although we've certainly come a long way from Medieval "remedies" like induced vomiting and bloodletting, the stats aren't so good on modern psychiatry.

The consensus is that we're over-medicating people to benefit the pharmaceutical industry.

There are certainly some cases where people...

The boys start the show with a glass of "off dry hard cider," then dive right in to your questions and comments.

We got a lot of reactions to our show on Catcher in the Rye. Raven and Pentamom don't like the book, while Heathen Abbey loved it. They had very different opinions on whether reading it would make kids want to read or make them never want to pick up another book.

A related question on the same theme: a list...

Are we heading to a time where everybody has a disability? Or, if you don't have one, you're pretty stupid?

The boys drink and review Trail of Crumbs gingerbread stout from Seven Locks Brewing, then discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act and how many college students are now considered disabled.

It's impossible to accommodate every disability, so there will always be some fuzziness in how far the ADA is supposed to...

The boys drink and review Old Fezziwig Ale from Sam Adams, then ask why English isn't the official language of the United States.

Most countries have an official language. About 20 percent don't. What's the reason for the difference?

Generally speaking, a country needs a common culture, and a common culture usually requires a common language.

Language is the deepest carrier of culture -- via idioms, jokes, and so on. Th...

The boys drink and review a Mexican lager, then discuss the developing story about the U.S. conflict with Venezuela.

Was the U.S. justified in sinking Venezuelan drug boats?

What about seizing oil tankers?

And then sending in a team to capture the Venezuelan president?

Did we go too far, or is this a legit response to a threat in our hemisphere?

And why is the U.S. so worried about Venezuela all of a sudden?

The boys review recent ...

The boys drink and review Mad Elf, a strong holiday ale, then discuss the idea that college kids are getting dumber. Is that true?

We've gone from a time when high schools taught Greek and Latin to a time when colleges teach remedial math.

Comedians love to poke fun at the stupidity of our college students with "man on the street" interviews, where college kids can't identify the country to the north.

What's h...

The boys drink and review Awkward Silence, a black lager from Flying Dog, then discuss a conversation between Milo Yiannopoulos and Tucker Carlson about homosexuality, gay rights, and related issues.

A 2012 clip from Ugandan TV went viral after the host asked his guest, "Why are you gay?" To American audiences the question itself was hilarious.

But why is it hilarious? Tucker explores that with Milo.

Milo Yiannopoulos was...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review a Christmas ale from Great Lakes Brewing, then discuss stoicism.

It's not what you think. It doesn't mean that you go through life with no emotions.

There are two classic sources for Stoicism: Greek and Roman. But the Greek version only comes second hand. We don't have any of the original sources.

We do have primary sources for the Roman version of stoicism, most no...