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About six years ago, I wrote something about Harold Lauder, Frannie Goldsmith and Nadine Cross from Stephen King's The Stand. I wanted to get back to that and look at some of those characters, and others, in a little more depth.

The history of beer brewing inthe Czech Republic is not exactly straightforward, but the results have been amazing.

Borne of the flowing water,Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,Borne of the flowing water,Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag, Having founded your town by the sacred lake,She finished its great walls for you,Ninkasi, having founded your town by the sacred lake,She finished its walls for you, Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.Ninkasi, your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake. You are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,Mixing in a pit, the bappir with sweet aromatics,Ninkasi, you are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,Mixing in a pit, the bappir with [date] - honey, You are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,Ninkasi, you are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,Puts in order the piles of hulled grains, You are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,Ninkasi, you are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,The noble dogs keep away even the potentates, You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,The waves rise, the waves fall.Ninkasi, you are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,The waves rise, the waves fall. You are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,Coolness overcomes,Ninkasi, you are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,Coolness overcomes, You are the one who holds with both hands the great sweet wort,Brewing [it] with honey [and] wine(You the sweet wort to the vessel)Ninkasi, (...)(You the sweet wort to the vessel) The filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,You place appropriately on a large collector vat.Ninkasi, the filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,You place appropriately on a large collector vat. When you pour out the filtered beer of the collector vat,It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

Beer may not be proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy, but I'm happy when I drink beer.

The stories we tell each other about each other - and ourselves - are powerful indicators of what's important to us, and they help round out the sharp edges of our lives.

Whether we realize it or not, language is at the core of our identity.

What does Stephen King know about life?

Redemption - and hope - can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places.

They may not have been intentional, but they're there.

The Stand is a great horror story, but it's certainly not without its flaws.

Blade Runner: Dr. Eldon Tyrell is not the kindly old man he first appears to be.

Everything you never wanted to know about Randall Flagg in 20 minutes or less.

Some perspective on coronavirus, Stu and Frannie, and "dark Christianity," (whatever that means).

Talking about the bad guys - Nadine Cross and Harold Lauder are a match made in somewhere I don't want to be.

This episode concerns itself with Stephen King's book "The Stand."  It is the first of what I hope will be a series of episodes about this book and about King's books in general.  From there, I plan to broaden the subject to include other books and pop culture works - film, television, and maybe even music.