#Ben Appel

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Ben Appel

Published: Nov 15, 2024

Over the past eight years or so, we’ve heard a lot of stories about people being canceled for daring to express ideas that deviate from the prevailing, batshit crazy orthodoxies around race and gender. They’ve been publicly shamed, had their lives threatened, and quite a few of them have lost their jobs. Many people who typically vote blue had become so repulsed by the Democratic Party’s progressive wing that they either withheld their votes last week or decided to cast them for Trump.

Having borne close witness to woke’s destruction,1 which I wrote about in last week’s newsletter, I’m one of those Democrats who didn’t vote. And, as I also said in that newsletter, I can’t help but feel relieved that the Democrats lost. It’s like a spell has been broken. (Well, almost.)

A lot of people feel very differently. They’re calling it the end of democracy. The arrival of fascism. “Last week was America’s last presidential election,” I’ve heard.

I’m friends with a lot of these folks on Facebook, which looks like the polar opposite of my feed on X, where many are saying they feel similarly to me. My Facebook friends are grief-stricken—as grief-stricken as they were in November 2016, if not more so. And I empathize with them. I worry, too, about the next four years. But, unlike them (it seems), I’ve completely lost faith in the party that, as a “good, liberal gay person,” I’m supposed to blindly support. And I’ve completely lost faith in the liberal media that props that party up. I mean completely and utterly lost faith. I read impassioned write-ups in legacy media outlets about the problem with Trump’s latest cabinet picks and I think, OK, yeah, you could very well be right. But do you seriously expect me to take your word for it? Do you actually think I would still believe a single thing you say, after all the lies you’ve shamelessly told? I mean, come on. You even deny the reality of sex!

Countless conservatives have been screwed over by woke, but many good, hardworking, liberal Americans who cast their vote for Harris last week have too. Liberal Americans who can’t be entirely blamed for signing off on the excesses of the illiberal left. Why do I think they can’t be blamed? Well, for one, everyone is so goddamn busy. They’re busy with kids and spouses and jobs. They have health scares and parents with Alzheimer’s and cars making weird noises. If you think about it, it’s kind of a big ask to expect everyone to know that most if not all of the news outlets and institutions they’ve venerated for decades had been captured by a backwards ideology. Yes, maybe some of these ideas sounded nuts to them. Maybe somewhere in the back of their minds, they periodically thought, Well that doesn’t seem right. But then it was 8pm and the dishes were piled up in the sink and their youngest hadn’t even started his homework yet.

Not to mention that, day after day, woke scolds were hammering into their brains that if they didn’t go along with these ideas and promote them to others, they were “very bad people.” This is what “good” is now. “Good” is telling little boys who like Barbies they’re actually girls and then giving them the same drugs that are used to castrate sex offenders. “Good” is telling a young black boy that the entire world is against him and that he could keep trying, sure, but he’ll probably end up dead or in jail anyway. “Good” is telling 15-year-old girls that, yes, it’s totally normal for you to want a mastectomy, let’s go see if we can make that happen. “Good” is convincing vulnerable white people they’re inherently evil.

On top of that, they were shamed for dating or befriending or even liking the social media posts of anyone who doesn’t follow the orthodoxy. Those people are transphobes. They’re white supremacists. Every minor objection was a “right-wing dog whistle.”

It’s the oldest trick in the cultists’ playbook: Cut off your followers from all outsiders and their ideas.

People talk about the cult of Trump, and there is a cult of Trump. Watching nearly the entire GOP collapse around him on bended knee has been a strange thing to witness.2 But a lot of people who voted for Trump didn’t vote for Trump. They voted against the Democratic Party. They voted against woke.

It’s that damn Newton’s law again. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The woke cult and the cult of Trump. The cult of Trump and the woke cult.

Back and forth, back and forth. Left and right are pushed further and further apart, each side fighting to drag the center along with them.

So what’s the solution?

Break the cultists’ rules. Befriend and date people on the other side. Dare to (gasp!) like their social media posts. And talk to people. Believe it or not, there might be a lot of reasons why a Latino voter chose Trump other than, “Oh wow, turns out Latinos are racist.” A Brooklyn mom who wants universal healthcare isn’t necessarily an anti-American commie. And the white lady who doesn’t want her 19-year-old daughter to have to compete against males in sports might not actually want to “eradicate all trans people.” She might just know what fairness is. And she might just love her daughter.

So maybe start there? It’ll be uncomfortable, sure, but that’s the easy part. The hard part comes when you have to admit where you were wrong.

-

1 I considered not using “woke” to describe what I’m talking about here but it’s just so damn succinct and everyone knows precisely what I mean when I say it.

2 I am absolutely not saying that all Trump voters are cultists, just like I would not say that all Democrats are cultists.

==

The Dems will keep losing until they learn this lesson.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -- George Santayana

[studiesoflangs]

Been forever since my last upload and I'm back with this beauty

*studying Dutch through English*

My confusion is in Turkish however 😂

[lolochaponnay]

Un gars, qui aime plaisanter, appelle sa copine blonde : - Allo, ma chérie, tu sais comment on appelle l'inverse de la raie du cul ? - Euh...non. - Un curé, ha! ha! ha! ha! Puis il raccroche. Impressionnée, la blonde appelle une copine : - Allo, ma chérie, tu sais comment on appelle l'inverse de la raie du cul ? - Non, je ne vois pas. - Ben, un prêtre, hi! hi! hi! hi!

[corneille-moisie]

pas mal sûre que ma travailleuse social me vouvoie juste parce que j'suis plus vieille qu'elle 🤔

[baseballjerseynumbers]

Spring Training:

Mark Appel assigned 22

John Hicks assigned 29

Vimael Machín assigned 39

Jon Duplantier assigned 50

Ben Bowden assigned 51

Louis Head assigned 60

Jeremy Walker assigned 63

Jake Jewell assigned 66

Aramis Garcia assigned 80

[ludicrokitty]

Yehaw ! Ik ben een appel💪

[polldermodel]

Hoe erg haat jij motivatiebrieven schriiven voor bij een sollicitatie?

Echt ZO enorm fucking veel haat hiervoor

Ik zou liever een rauwe ui eten als een appel

Mijn motivatie om te leven raakt erdoor op

Ik ben gewoon blij dat ze niet kunnen achterhalen dat ik het huilend typ

Waarom is dit nog een ding.

Het zou verboden moeten worden

"Ik ben erg enthousiast over het kunnen betalen van mijn huur"

Motivatiebrief in je REET

Groetjes, iemand die al 3.5u met een sollicitatie bezig is 😭

[thatbiologist]

G’eth Character Name Bank

First Names

Masculine Names

Alfred, Andrew, Arlo, Arthur, Balthazar, Barry, Ben, Benedick, Bernard, Burchard, Cedric, Charibert, Crispin, Cyrill, Daegal, Derek, Digory, Drustan, Duncan, Edmund, Edwin, Elric, Evaine, Frederick, Geffery, George, Godfreed, Gregory, Guy, Harris, Harry, Horsa, Hugh, Humphrey, Iago, Jack, Jeremy, John, Kazamir, Kenric, Lawrence, Leoric, Lorik, Luke, Lynton, Lysander, Madoc, Magnus, Maukolum, Micheal, Miles, Milhouse, Mordred, Mosseus, Ori, Orvyn, Neville, Norbert, Nycolas, Paul, Percival, Randulf, Richard, Robert, Roderick, Stephen, Tennys, Theodoric, Thomas, Tristan, Tybalt, Victor, Vincent, Vortimer, Willcock, Willian, Wymond

Feminine Names

Adelin, Alice, Amelia, Beatrix, Beryl, Bogdana, Branwyne, Brigida, Catalina, Catherine, Claudia, Crystina, Deanna, Desdemona, Elaine, Elinora, Eliza, Enide, Eva, Ferelith, Fiora, Freya, Gertrude, Gregoria, Gueanor, Gwen, Gwendolyn, Hannah, Hegelina, Helen, Helga, Heloise, Henrietta, Igraine, Imogen, Jacquelyn, Jane, Jean, Jenny, Jill, Juliana, Juliet, Katie, Leela, Lettice, Lilibet, Lilith, Lucy, Luthera, Luz, Lyra, Malyna, Margherita, Marion, Meryl, Millie, Miranda, Molle, Morgana, Morgause, Nezetta, Nina, Novella, Olwen, Oriana, Oriolda, Osanna, Pamela, Petra, Philippa, Revna, Rohez, Rosalind, Rose, Sallie, Sarra, Serphina, Sif, Simona, Sophie, Thomasine, Tiffany, Ursula, Viola, Winifred, Yrsa, Ysabella, Yvaine, Zelda, Zillah

Gender-Neutral/Unisex Names

Adrian, Alex, Aiden, Arden, Ariel, Auden, Avery, Bailey, Blaire, Blake, Brett, Breslin, Caelan, Cadain, Cameron, Charlie, Dagon, Dana, Darby, Darra, Devon, Drew, Dylan, Evan, Felize, Fenix, Fernley, Finley, Glenn, Gavyn, Haskell, Hayden, Hunter, Jace, Jaime, Jesse, Jo, Kai, Kane, Karter, Kieran, Kylin, Landon, Leslie, Mallory, Marin, Meritt, Morgan, Nell, Noel, Oakley, Otzar, Paris, Peregrine, Quant, Quyn, Reagan, Remy, Robin, Rowan, Ryan, Sam, Samar, Sasha, Sloan, Stace, Tatum, Teegan, Terrin, Urbain, Vahn, Valo, Vick, Wallace, Waverly, Whitney, Yardley, Yarden, Zasha

Surnames

Surnames, Patrilineal - First Name (Patrilineal Surname)

Ace, Allaire, Appel, Arrow, Baker, Bamford, Barnard, Beckett, Berryann, Blakewood, Blanning, Bigge, Binns, Bisby, Brewer, Brickenden, Brooker, Browne, Buller, Carey, Carpenter, Carter, Cheeseman, Clarke, Cooper, Ead, Elwood, Emory, Farmer, Fish, Fisher, Fitzroy, Fletcher, Foreman, Foster, Fuller, Galahad, Gerard, Graves, Grover, Harlow, Hawkins, Hayward, Hill, Holley, Holt, Hunter, Jester, Kerr, Kirk, Leigh, MacGuffin, Maddock, Mason, Maynard, Mercer, Miller, Nash, Paige, Payne, Pernelle, Raleigh, Ryder, Scroggs, Seller, Shepard, Shore, Slater, Smith, Tanner, Taylor, Thatcher, Thorn, Tilly, Turner, Underwood, Vaughan, Walter, Webb, Wilde, Wood, Wren, Wyatt, Wynne

Surnames, Townships in G’eth - First Name of (Location)

Abelforth, Argent Keep, Barrow Springs, Barrowmere, Bedford, Brunhelm, Bumble, Casterfalls, Dunbridge, Falmore Forest, Folk’s Bounty, Frostmaid, Fulstad, Heller’s Crossing, Hertfordshire, Humberdale, Inkwater, Little Avery, Marrowton, Mistfall, Mistmire, Morcow, Necropolis-on-Sea, Otherway, Parsendale, Piddlehinton, Port Fairwind, Redcastle, Ransom, Rutherglen, Saint Crois, Tanner’s Folly, Tavern’s Point, Wilmington

Surnames, Geographical Locations in G’eth - First Name of the (Location)

Cove of Calamity, Deep Woods of Falmore, Eastern Isles, Eastern Mountains, Foothills, Frozen Peak, Lakes, Maegor Cobblestones, Northern Mountains, Southern Isle, Tangle, West Coast, Wild Wild Woods, Woods of Angarad

Surnames, Nickname - First Name the (Something) 

Bald, Bastard, Bear, Bearded, Big, Bird, Bold, Brave, Broken, Butcher, Bruiser, Careless, Caring, Charitable, Clever, Clumsy, Cold, Confessor, Coward, Crow, Cyclops, Devious, Devoted, Dog, Dragonheart, Dreamer, Elder, Faithful, Fearless, Fey, Fool, Friend, Generous, Giant, Goldheart, Goldfang, Gouty, Gracious, Great, Hag, Handsome, Hawk, Honest, Huge, Humble, Hungry, Hunter, Innocent, Ironfist, Ironside, Keeper, Kind, Lesser, Liar, Lionheart, Little, Loyal, Magical, Mercenary, Merchant, Messenger, Old, Orphan, Pale, Polite, Poet, Poor, Prodigy, Prophet, Proud, Reliable, Romantic, Rude, Selfish, Sellsword, Scab, Scholar, Shield, Shy, Singer, Sirrah, Slayer, Slug, Small, Stoneheart, Swift, Tadde, Talented, Tart, Tenacious, Timid, Tiny, Tough, Traveller, Trusted, Truthful, Viper, Wizard, Wolf, Wyrm

[offender42085]

Post 0584

MIchael Keith Humphrey, Missouri inmate 1264642, born 1984, incarceration intake in 2022 at age 38, sentenced to life with parole

Murder

In January 2023, the man convicted of helping kill a prominent snake breeder in Montgomery County sought for a new trial.

Attorneys for Michael Humphrey filed his appeal on Jan. 26 in the state's Eastern District Court of Appeals. The appeal says Judge Jason Lamb should not have allowed a key witness to testify about what a co-defendant in the murder case of Ben Renick told him about who did it.

A jury convicted Humphrey in October 2021 of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for killing Ben Renick at his farm in 2017. Prosecutors changed his charge to second-degree murder and recommended a life sentence with parole in exchange for his testimony against Renick's wife, Lynlee Renick.

Lynlee Renick was convicted in December 2021 of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. She was sentenced to the jury's recommendation of 16 years in prison.

Special public defender Kevin Schriener said in his only point that Brandon Blackwell should not have been allowed to testify at Humphrey's trial. Blackwell told Missouri State Highway Patrol investigators that Lynlee Renick told him about the shooting when they started dating after Ben's death. Blackwell claimed Lynlee recruited Humphrey to help her get a gun and kill Ben as the couple struggled with their marriage.

Schriener said courts can't allow statements made about a defendant's possible participation in a crime after the fact without that person being present when made.

"Mr. Blackwell’s testimony that Ms. Renick had told him everything that she and Mr. Humphrey did was inadmissible hearsay as it was not in furtherance of the conspiracy and there is no evidence that Mr. Humphrey was present when Ms. Renick made it to Mr. Blackwell and acquiesced in its making," Schriener said. "Even without trial counsel objecting to this testimony, the trial court should have recognized its inadmissible nature and taken action to correct it."

Humphrey's attorneys did not object to Blackwell's testimony at trial, nor did they file a motion for a new trial. Appellate judges will need to find that Lamb committed plain error in allowing Blackwell to testify, which attorney Jennifer Bukowsky said is a higher bar than if the issue had been raised at trial.

Blackwell was in the Boone County Jail at the time of his 2020 interview with the patrol on accusations he violated a protection order Lynlee Renick had against him. A judge had ordered no bond for him, but lowered it following his talk with investigators. Those criminal charges were dropped following Lynlee Renick's sentencing. Lynlee Renick sued Blackwell for defamation in 2022.

Blackwell did not testify in Lynlee Renick's trial. Her attorneys said Blackwell invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during depositions before the case.

Last reviewed October 2024

3u

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

[lepartidelamort]

Allemagne occupée : l’héroïque Ursula Haverbeck, 95 ans, à nouveau persécutée par les tribunaux du régime juif !

Malgré la prison, l’héroïque Ursula Haverbeck, 95 ans, défie les menteurs juifs avec le sourire !

J’avais presque oublié que la démocratie en Allemagne est une infâme fistule sémitique.

C’est rectifié.

Bild :

C’est une vieille femme têtue et incorrigible : �� 95 ans, la négationniste Ursula Haverbeck persiste dans ses opinions haineuses ! La vieille dame a de nouveau dû répondre de ses actes devant la justice : Haverbeck, très populaire dans les milieux néonazis, avait été condamnée en 2015 par le tribunal de Hambourg à dix mois de prison sans sursis pour incitation à la haine dans deux cas. Elle avait fait appel de cette décision. En 2015, en marge du procès de l’ancien SS Oskar Gröning, cette femme de 95 ans aurait déclaré devant des journalistes qu’Auschwitz n’était pas un camp d’extermination, mais un camp de travail. De plus, lors d’une interview télévisée avec le magazine « Panorama » de la NDR, elle a nié qu’il y ait eu une extermination massive d’êtres humains à Auschwitz.

Ben oui.

Il faut reparler de la porte en bois ?

Lors du procès en appel devant le tribunal régional, Mme Haverbeck a été conduite au tribunal vendredi midi par une entrée latérale, assise dans un fauteuil roulant. Vêtue d’un tailleur bleu foncé, elle a étudié de nombreux documents apportés par son avocat Wolfram Nahrath. Lorsque la juge a interrogé Haverbeck sur sa déclaration selon laquelle le camp de concentration d’Auschwitz n’était pas un camp d’extermination, mais un camp de travail, la femme de 95 ans a clairement souligné : « Je maintiens ma position ! » Pourtant, la femme de 95 ans, qui s’est présentée au tribunal de manière claire et ordonnée, n’a jamais été à Auschwitz, comme elle l’a indiqué. Reconnaissance ou repentir ? Aucune trace !

C’est ce qu’on appelle le courage et l’élégance.

Plusieurs dates de procès ont dû être reportées à plusieurs reprises pour diverses raisons (notamment surcharge de la chambre, Corona, cas de maladie), de sorte que le nouveau procès n’a eu lieu que près de neuf ans plus tard. Depuis des années, les tribunaux se penchent régulièrement sur les déclarations antisémites de Haverbeck. En 2004, elle a été condamnée pour la première fois et a reçu une amende. Haverbeck a également passé plus de deux ans en prison à l’établissement pénitentiaire de Bielefeld (Rhénanie-du-Nord-Westphalie) pour avoir nié l’Holocauste. En 2022, elle a de nouveau été condamnée par un tribunal berlinois à un an d’emprisonnement sans libération conditionnelle pour incitation à la haine. Le jugement est définitif.

Imaginez être flic et embastiller une nonagénaire pour faire plaisir aux juifs tandis que l’Afghanistan viole des gamines allemandes dans toutes les villes du pays.

À part les juges et les journalistes, il n’y a pas pire engeance que les flics.

Quand un régime est terrorisé par une mamie de 95 ans parce qu’elle dit quelque chose, c’est que ce quelque chose est de nature à faire s’effondrer ledit régime.

Il n’y a évidemment jamais eu de chambres à gaz à Auschwitz. Le plus énorme mensonge de l’histoire finira par être connu du plus grand nombre, au niveau planétaire.

Quand ce sera le cas, la colère des goyim arnaqués qui va s’abattre sur les têtes de ces juifs n’aura pas d’équivalent dans l’histoire.

Démocratie Participative

[lolochaponnay]

Une brune appelle sa copine blonde : - Allo, Brigitte ? C'est moi, Muriel ! Je suis en train de préparer un exposé sur mon ordi, mais il vient de planter. Il n'y a même plus moyen de l'allumer. Puis-je venir chez toi pour terminer mon travail sur ton p.c.? Ca me rendrait vraiment service ? - Ecoute, il vaut mieux que ce soit moi qui vienne chez toi. Tu sais, je suis fortiche en informatique et je peux probablement te dépanner. La blonde se rend chez sa copine et, après avoir observé la bécane, elle déclare : - Ben toi, t'es vraiment brune alors ! Regarde moi ça, il y a un nœud dans ton câble d'alimentation électrique ! Comment veux tu que le courant passe ?

[iwanttobepersephone]

So, sometimes, there are certain words or sentences that kinda just play on loop in my mind when I have nothing to think about. It's always been a thing that happens

Usually, it's a fun word to say like taquito or molcajete. But, after I started learning more languages, there has been more variety in the words

After I started learning Japanese, a phrase that translates to "are the 7 pizzas tasty" would just pop into my head at random times and refuse to leave. After adding Irish lessons, the word sneachta likes to hang out in there. But, there's not been a phrase in Dutch yet

Until just now

I have had the phrase "ik ben een lul appel" stuck in my head for 30 minutes now. I don't even know if it's proper grammar. But it won't leave me alone. HELP.

[meilas]

Phantom of the Opera Wine List

Your wine sommeliers: 

@meilas: Concept, Graphics, Layout, Project Manager, Hadley, Barbara the Mannequin

@gwalchmedi: Franc D’Ambrosio, Norm Lewis, Drew Sarich, Peter Joback, Bronson Norris Murphy, Hugh Panaro, Michael Crawford, Jonathan Roxmouth, Jeremy Stolle, Barbara the Mannequin, Ethan Freeman, Peter Karrie, Dmitry Ermak, Earl Carpenter

inspired by @mxbuster: Uwe Kroger

inspired by @petittneko: Saulo Vasconcelos, Thiago Arancam

@devilswalkingstick: Cooper and triptychs

@when-it-rains-it-snows: Ben Lewis

DocTy: Alexander Goebel

Tina: Gina Beck

@from-aldebaran: Derrick Davis and proof-reader

@therosenpants: proof-reader and taste-tester

@box5intern: Christopher Carl

This wine list could not have turned out so well without the loving dedication of everyone involved. Thank you everyone for putting up with this silly project for so long!

D’Ambrosio Vintage Vintage 1962, best run 1998 Other nicknames: Cabernet Franc; Franc D’Amn that’s good!

Slither yourself down somewhere comfortable and loosen a few buttons while you steal a taste, slowly swirling your tongue around a luscious mouthful of this full-bodied, ambrosial red. Every note stays with you while you are distracted by its elegant looks, get reeled in by a silvery touch, and feel it gliding along your throat. As you swallow, a slow leisurely piquancy reveals a muscular body and delivers a prominent, long, full finish. A total god of a wine. Keeps giving satisfaction long after you have embraced your last glassful.

Bottling notes: The reddest of red wines in the bluest of containers, and the perfect precursor to pants-less pastimes. Comes in our most prominent bottle.

Saulo Vasconcelos, vintage 1999

An epic year for Brazilian wines, this timeless choice has performed in many a fine vintage bottle. A few tastings will assure you that this wine leaves you anything but Miserable, being a bit of a beast in disguise. Delightfully playful, sensuously hands-on with its flavour, and encasing you in its warm, chocolate tones, you’ll find yourself helplessly succumbing to its embrace. A proper, stern Daddy of a wine, this is one for those who like their types mature and commanding. De Nada!

Crémant NormLew Château Tallahassee

A first for a Crémant from this region of Florida, you’ll be getting a plethora of orchard fruits here with delightful baritone notes! Up there with the finest of champagnes, just enjoy how this Crémant gives such a unique expression of its appellation.

Peter Jöback

This fiery Scandinavian grape is a notoriously difficult one to grow well, but prolific once it takes hold, which makes this lovely drop of sleek Swedish red even more impressive! The acidity has a true, tenor register, a light note that is just right for pairings with other Swedish delicacies, I'd say. Very quaffable indeed.

Drew Sarich

With a very young feel to this Veltliner grape, it actually delivers a surprise that is a decade ahead of itself. This wine has a long taste on the tongue, sitting there like a kitten purring in your lap. Delightfully complex, this is a New York socialite of a vintage with a phantasm of aromatic perfume on it which is absolutely phenomenal. It’s fascinating how the acidity is so high that it somewhat devilishly disguises the wine’s natural sweetness.

Dreamclimber from the House of Derrick Davis Two pressings, 2016-2017 and 2019-2020

An astonishingly underappreciated vintage, Dreamclimber will make you abandon your defenses from the very first sip. A potent mix of smooth deep notes of dark oak ranging upward to a soaring sunshiney sweetness, the positive energy in every bottle offers sweet intoxication and will fundamentally alter your outlook on life. The dynamic and passionate essence of Dreamclimber elevates everything around it, so if you need to restage a meal, add this bold and muscular yet soft and sensual wine to your table. Want to stay one step ahead of the crowd? Catch a Broadway-bound dream of a wine and you can say you were among the first to realize its genuine and soul-stirring star power. Dreamclimber has the uplifting soulfulness to take you and your guests to where you long to be!

Bronson Norris Murphy Variety: Babygrapes

The very youngest of our vintages, this wine has brought out excitingly different comments from our patrons. Respected Voices talk knowledgeably either about its Wheel of Flavours, or enjoy a genuine Laugh about how this rush of taste almost knocks them over; still others amongst the cognoscenti talk about its delightfully Icie youthfulness and endearing features, or how a glassful taken at bedtime would counter a Snowy cold evening. One Purist anonymously chuckled that a grape as vigorous as this could be put in more than one setting and still retain its delightful, child-like boyish charms. Two stunningly dressed patrons, in Rose and Cora(l), admitted they’d been given a taste of this wine secretly, a sort of cameo appearance before its launch, and had felt the vibes of the overt rosehip and petal flavours long before it had become popular. The pair’s general consensus was that this vintage was young enough to Make It on the scene, although the coquettish undertones about vinicultural size and handspan were elusively enticing. The Vast Glassy Orangery was agog with gossip about some Baguette-wielding youth (and their noteworthy tailoring) having hugely overdosed on the tasting previously, almost knocking their socks off with its pale beauty and fragrant scents. Their partner in crime, a clear Persephone of a beauty, was wearing delicious couture from the House of ChristineGrrl, and the effect of this duo almost matched the effect of the wine’s heady aroma on the delightfully younger crowd. Suffice to say the vintage was a resounding success and its aura of vinicultural adolescence bursting into manhood held everyone in its attractive grasp. One worth keeping.

Panaro Prosecco

The elevation that every note in this charismatic, versatile Prosecco provides ensures that the bubbles in this Panaro Prosecco are so much lighter than in the flatter and usually insipid Chagny Champagnes to which they are unfairly compared. For me, there is no contest; crystal clear delivery, in a bottle with movie star good looks, this vintage delivers a deliciously singing bouquet, with beautifully crisp notes of apple to finish.

Michael Crawford, vintage 1986

Oh yes, this most venerable of English sparkling wines has a well-rounded palate with a hint of the most delicate, sweetest of orchard fruits giving way to deeper notes of Parisian brioche, with a hint of French kisses. French, I hear you ask - but did you know that English winemakers use the same traditional method that the French use to produce Champagne?

Jonathan Roxmouth, vintage b.1987, run 2011-2012, 2019

Not an easy Chenin Blanc grape variety to like on first encounter, this South African powerhouse has a drawn-out tingle which stays on your tongue, and wanders high into your head. The yearning feel to break out in full fruit mode is hidden beneath the complex mix of earthy, graveyard depths. You may feel the emotional and smoky hint of stalk, but a flash of strength beneath its velvet glove packs a punch like no other. Rox your Sox.

The St(r)olle

The smoothest of our wines, this will simultaneously quench your thirst and leave you begging for more. In parts of America, this vintage used to be obscure, yet when you taste it, you’ll wonder why.  This wine takes a confident, sassy stroll across your palate, its taste coiling a lasso around you as rock solid as Henry Cavill’s abs. Achingly rich and smooth, sporting lush, sweet toned, deep throated berry notes tinged with vanilla, it has suave yet elemental flavors pushing out from a deep, muscular centre. One not to be trifled with.

Barbara the Mannequin, vintage 1988

Wooden and oaky, this wine is perfect for poorly-thought-out proposals. We’ve all known at least one weird, dorky guy who somehow engineered a vision of a hot chick.  This wine is that chick.  Barbara is also known for its thin, acid nature, bolstered with a dressing that feels domineering, but sadly is only a foreshadowing of a disappointingly textured mouthfeel, with little middle, and an abrupt finish.

Hadley Fraser, vintage: 2 weeks old

A light dessert wine that sometimes forgets how it is supposed to taste. It’s not its fault. Really. We just didn’t give it enough time before bottling it.

Alexander Goebel Der Goebel Veltliner - Vintage 1988

Often overlooked and replaced by the Freeman, its direct descendant, the Goebel is the true original flavour of Vienna's best vineyards, planted and cultivated by the same London vintners that originated the Crawford. Since 1988 the deep rich tones of Dunkelheit in this wine have melted the heart and palate of real connoisseurs around the globe, who also appreciate the high Skan-da-lös and Maskenball notes that follow the first taste. Best served in the Original Cast environment (especially accompanied with a side dish of Nistler and Pfeifer) to highlight its most recognizable qualities, it is also recommended in its "boot" version where its taste is sublimated by visual experience to heighten each sensation.

Peter Karrie

Vintage with a distinctive voice. A commanding flavour, this is a wine both dangerous and elegant, one a chivalrous soul would offer to another, with a heart-rending tone, and an unparalleled physicality and wealth of detail. This grape makes the wine totally in a class of its own, with a wandering taste yet, by some rare and strange alchemy, with a touch of the rock band too. A bit of The Wolf in this bottle.

Ermak Syrah

Our only Slavic wine to date. Once phans sneak a taste of Ermak, they become avid for this imposing Russian grape. Its notes are powerful and bright, dominated by scents of ripe rich raspberry, and a touch of smoke that either comes from barrels toasted over a hickory flame or all that sexy heat. The Eastern European earthy touch, common in ‘Old World’ Syrah, is always present on the back of the palate, but bright succulent flavours mingle with those of hazelnut and chocolate. The tannins swirl like Rusalki across your taste buds, as smooth and alluring as Ermak himself.

G. Beck, vintage 2010

A silken, dry, red English wine with a strong note of blackcurrant. There’s a hint of youthfulness in its complexities. A wine so lovely it will bring tears to your eyes, as the taste conjures up the image of wistfully walking through a graveyard while crying about your father. Perfect after a day of tired feet from wearing heels and heavy gala dresses for too long, and with dark chocolate… or perhaps even Marmite on toast, if you’re feeling adventurous? It has also been blessed by a certain soprano’s tuxedo cat, because why not.

Tested and reviewed by: Tina, who was definitely in a country where the legal age of drinking is 17 at the time. She immediately bought nearly the entire stock and gave it a 6 out of 5 stars rating.

Thiago Arancam, vintage 1982

A total Batata Bonita, this wine from a little-known grape has been successfully transplanted from 13,000 feet up at Insosso Opera’s vineyard to the less stratospheric Sem Sal Palco Musical’s estate. You might call it a vinho on a budget mais fácil. With an early unmasking of a distinct brasiliaro flavour, this is one wine which ought to know how to show its range of notes, but sometimes just pales into insignificance.

Earl Carpenter

A strong bold grape should produce an overbearing wine. Instead, what we have here is viniculture’s version of a smooth Movie Star. Nuanced, sensual and gentle on the palate, it has a buttery feel, although on occasion this vintage’s notes are somewhat uncertain. Building up towards a taste explosion, too much enthusiastic sampling will find you too far gone to stop at the final reveal.

BEN BEN BEN Shiraz 2011

BEN BEN BEN is most curious; the 2011 is one of just two Phantom varietals that are easily acquired, yet rarely is it recommended. Best suited to the mad friends of Dionysus, this Australian Shiraz is a magic show as run by the white tigers:  absolutely beautiful, but whose idea was this? It cannot possibly end well… No amount of familiarity with the Brilliant Original will prepare the palate for this Absolute Beast. Expect to be dragged from delicately smoky baritone lows to peppery near-tenor highs; you may feel a little wide-eyed as you study the legs and ponder what that cheekbone is doing to the mouthfeel. Swooning is fine, this glass will pick you up from the floor, it is broad shouldered and surprisingly sweet.

A word to the wise: don't finish the bottle. Pour out that last twenty minutes in memory of the rare 2018 vintage, BEN! KELLY! BEN! KELLY!, of which no complete bottles exist.

Uwe Kroger, vintage 1964, 2006

Ye little gods, here was a tone with an unsettling quirky tongue to it, cutting right through the sweet fruit; an acidity, quite at odds with its vinicultural opulence. This lick of minerality which is just a fingertip’s distance away, is a bit old hat. Been done to death. Somewhat late to the party and overdressed too. It is easier to define what it is not – that is, it is not richness, nor fleshiness, nor texture, it is just there, this odd mineral flavour bringing neither a sense of purpose nor a sense of depth, fashionably unpopular, kookier and saltier than a bag of KP nuts, changeable without letting you know where it is going. And in any case, minerals, rocks and stones have no flavour at all. In Kresowy Slavic folklore, the “flavour” of stones is caused by an invisible substance called petrichor, which, according to my Russian-Greek-English thesaurus (what? It’s the only one I’ve got! Give me a break!) is “constructed from petra (πέτρα), meaning ‘stone’, and īchōr (ἰχώρ), the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods of Russian mythology.”

Gary Mauer

Are you married to your job? Just the wine for you! With a hint of sexy Dionysian wildness in its overtones, this sexy, vastly diverting and deliciously deep flavoured wine hits up hard on the brain. A sparkling good character with a touch of flair on its first taste, under all that joie de vivre, subsequent contact may make you come unhinged in the final analysis. Touted by wine snobs as 100% clean and wholesome in taste, those of us in the know greedily drink up the wicked taste and flavour, both of which provide a powerhouse duo, giving an amazing almost Elizabethan scent to the final mouthful. Having dashing good looks, this wine has a lovely tenor to its middle notes. While fairly standard from a non-specialist standpoint, it is sprinkled with touches of genius throughout; the distant whispered scent of a bridal bouquet of roses: so romantic. All in all, a great wine with a hugely masculine edge.

Ethan Freeman

A Viennese delight, this unexpected Rosé has distinct European notes, yet a brash American aroma. Moreover, it has a singing finish on the palate. A demanding Jekyll and Hyde of a wine, the duality of the fresh flavour of Oberhaüsen strawberries combined with the descending chill of the faint ghost of basement scents have resulted in a complex type of legerdemain that can be almost felt, not just tasted. Best experienced on hot summer nights.

Cooper, vintage 2014

Far too many notes for our taste, and most of them about this wine.  Just read this review left by a customer!  (We would like to remind everyone that we card any customers who appear to be younger than 21.) “A delightful wine, positively wonderful, just the perfect stubbly lad. Anytime is Coopertime. Also sweet.”

Christopher Carl

Looks like a meme but also 100% legit like a stock image of STOIC MAN (TM) sold by Hasbro. (Wine bottle and fine horses sold separately.)

[mappingthemoon]

Movies/TV Watched 2023

The Postman Always Rings Twice / Bob Rafelson (1981)

Secretary* / Steven Shainberg (2002)

Spirited Away* / Hayao Miyazaki (2001)

Watcher / Chloe Okuno (2022)

The Talented Mr. Ripley / Anthony Minghella (1999)

Pride & Prejudice / Joe Wright (2005)

Moonage Daydream / Brett Morgan (2022)

Volver / Pedro Almodóvar (2006)

Belfast / Kenneth Branagh (2021)

The Last Picture Show / Peter Bogdanovich (1971)

I, Tonya / Craig Gillespie (2017)

The Postman Always Rings Twice / Tay Garnett (1946)

Rocketman / Dexter Fletcher (2019)

The Unholy / Evan Spiliotopoulos (2021)

Mara / Clive Tonge (2018)

Frogs / George McCowan (1972)

Prometheus / Ridley Scott (2012)

Men / Alex Garland (2022)

All the Right Moves / Michael Chapman (1983)

Poseidon / Wolfgang Petersen (2006)

Saint Maud / Rose Glass (2019)

Monstrous / Chris Sivertson (2022)

Wander Darkly / Tara Miele (2020)

Howl’s Moving Castle / Hayao Miyazaki (2004)

Iris / Albert Maysles (2014)

Lamb / Valdimar Jóhannsson (2021)

In Fabric / Peter Strickland (2018)

The Elephant 6 Recording Co. / C.B. Stockfleth (2022)

The Visitor / Justin P. Lange (2022)

Smile / Parker Finn (2022)

Yellowjackets [szn 1-2] (2021-2022)

It Comes at Night / Trey Edward Shults (2017)

Everything Everywhere All at Once / Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (2022)

Black Bear / Lawrence Michael Levine (2020)

mother! / Darren Aronofsky (2017)

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story / Eric Appel (2022)

X / Ti West (2022)

I Heart Huckabees* / David O. Russell (2004)

The Right Stuff / Philip Kaufman (1983)

Goliath Awaits / Kevin Connor (1981)

Poltergeist* / Tobe Hooper (1982)

Doctor Who [TV Movie]* / Geoffrey Sax (1996)

Earthstorm / Terry Cunningham (2006)

Lake Eerie / Chris Majors (2016)

Fantastic Planet* / René Laloux (1973)

Synecdoche, New York* / Charlie Kaufman (2008)

Flight of the Navigator* / Randal Kleiser (1986)

NOPE / Jordan Peele (2022)

Women Talking / Sarah Polley (2022)

Striking Distance / Rowdy Herrington (1993)

Vivarium / Lorcan Finnegan (2019)

Saw* / James Wan (2004)

A Peculiar Noise / Jorge Torres-Torres (2016)

In the Earth / Ben Wheatley (2021)

Cats 2 / Jake Jones (2023)

Bringing Out the Dead* / Martin Scorsese (1999)

The Last Blockbuster / Taylor Morden (2020)

The Dance of Reality / Alejandro Jodorowsky (2013)

In the Mouth of Madness / John Carpenter (1994)

The Chamber / Ben Parker (2016)

Tenet / Christopher Nolan (2020)

Synchronic / Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead (2019)

Paprika / Satoshi Kon (2006)

The Menu / Mark Mylod (2022)

Sunshine / Danny Boyle (2007)

Devil’s Island / Sean King, Taylor King (2021)

Benedetta / Paul Verhoeven (2021)

Scotland, PA* / Billy Morrissette (2001)

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover / Peter Greenaway (1989)

The Color of Pomegranates* / Sergei Parajanov (1969)

Face/Off* / John Woo (1997)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial / Steven Spielberg (1982)

The Gilded Age (PBS American Experience) / Sarah Colt (2018)

Aniara / Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja (2018)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas* / Chuck Jones, Ben Washam (1966)

The Quake / John Andreas Andersen (2018)

The Guilty / Gustav Möller (2018)

The Muppet Christmas Carol* [VHS] / Brian Henson (1992)

M3GAN / Gerard Johnstone (2022)

Caught / Jamie Patterson (2017)

Shot / Jeremy Kagan (2017)

A Charlie Brown Christmas* / Bill Melendez (1965)

Body at Brighton Rock / Roxanne Benjamin (2019)

Trancers / Charles Band (1984)

Higher Power / Matthew Charles Santoro (2018)

*Asterisk = rewatch

Favorites first watched in 2023: Men, In Fabric, Yellowjackets, Everything Everywhere All at Once, mother!, NOPE, The Dance of Reality. (ETA: Vivarium and Aniara, which I wouldn't necessarily call "favorites" but they've stuck with me.)

Favorite rewatches: Secretary, I Heart Huckabees, Poltergeist, Bringing Out the Dead

[polldermodel]

mensen zeggen wel eens dat ik mn appels op een vreemde manier eet, dus ik ben benieuwd. Hoe eet jij meestal appels?

--Gesneden inclusief klokhuis, gesneden zonder klokhuis, ongesneden inclusief klokhuis, ongesneden zonder klokhuis, anders???--

(Met ongesneden bedoel ik dat je gewoon in de hele appel bijt.)