Off Topic - I HATE Google+

Early last year, somehow Blogger sent all my comments to Google+.

Allegedly.

I was wondering why I wasn't getting comments. I haven't had one since 1/17/13. It was enough to give me a complex. No one reads me. No one loves me. No one comments on my witty word play.

I would see that someone commented, but never was able to see who and where. And since my blog posts are scheduled a few days in advance, they were almost never posted to Google+. Blogger only posts real time posts to Google+, not scheduled posts.

So I switched back to regular comments, and people love me again!

Thanks, Google, for giving what I should have, instead of what I want.

Post all the comments you want, now. I'll be able to respond.

Didn't We Learn Anything from Prohibition?

Apparently not.

Violent criminals are starting to smuggle cigarettes from low tax states to high tax states.  In order to get more revenue, 27 states raised taxes since 2007.  So criminals from the other 23 states are now finding huge profits in smuggling cigarettes.  As an example, smugglers can buy smokes in Virginia for $4 a pack, and sell them in New York for $14 a pack.

While I didn't predict this consequence of rising taxes, I have written about the dangers of increasing excise taxes before.

But I am predicting that alcohol is next.

The Satan Push™

So the Satan Push™ is like the Force? Hmmm.

What Climate Change Means for Wineries: England Gets its Wine Industry Back?

Remember Global Warming (Praise Gaia and her anointed profit* Al Gore.)? Ever since he admitted that he lied in his movie to emphasize his point, the Church of Global Warming has called it "Climate Change."

Here's an pretty interesting article on what a few degrees temperature change could mean to the wine industry. Some good points scattered throughout, as well.

For the record, I do not believe Global Warming to be anthropogenic. I believe that man's activities accelerate Global Warming, but did not cause it. We came out of a mini ice age in the mid 19th century, so of course global temperatures are rising. They are not quite up to 13th century temperatures yet.

In the 13th Century, according to Brian Fagan's The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850, England had a thriving wine industry. The wines were comparable to French wines, and the French were worried about imports cutting into their business. Then the Little Ice Age hit, and temperatures plummeted 10 degrees. Since England couldn't grow grapes for any longer, they started growing grain for beer.

So what would Global Warming mean to the wine industry? England will make good wine again.

* I meant to spell it that way. He is profiting from the hysteria he produces.

Slightly off Topic!

I posted this over on my whiney blog, and then had an idea that made it fit here. And since I don't like to waste copy. . .

Never one to miss out on free publicity, Larry Flynt, along with "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis, has traveled to Washington, DC, to ask Congress for a $5 billion bailout.

Meanwhile, a coalition representing the commercial real estate industry is also asking for a bailout.

So, the banks, auto industry, several cities, the retail association, and these latest guys all want money because you and I aren't spending enough money. And they want the government to take more money from us to give to them. Meanwhile, Obamessiah is giving us all about $8 a week to stimulate the economy.

Here's my plan: Everyone over the age of 21 (the Federal mandated legal drinking age) who filed an income tax return in 2008 should get $100,000 (tax free). And when we file our return for the next year, we must include the receipts for purchases that equal $90,000 or more. Any money put into savings, retirement accounts or used to pay any debts will be taxed at our normal tax rate.

Assuming that there are 300,000,000 people, and 25% are under the age of 21 (data from here), that leaves 225 million people who will receive the cash. The government will spend $22.5 Billion (correction: trillion. Thanks, Kevin. Ignore the rest of the sentence.), far less than the predicted $700 Billion just going to the banks!

Think about it. You could buy a car and some porn, and make everyone happy!

Me? I'd buy a cool car, then a brew sculpture from B3, and a little brewhouse in the back yard to house it, complete with walk-in cooler!

Write your Congresscritter today!

Back to beer next time.

An Explanation

The other day, I came home from work and checked my email and found a note from someone in Midland who knows Satan and wanted to invite him to their homebrew club meeting.

I call my cousin Satan for two reasons: One, it irritates him. Two, I don't want to give out too much identifying information on this here Interweb thingie. It's almost criminally easy to find out anything about anyone on the Internet. Giving Satan's real name and his place of business would be giving out too much info. Despite him being a certified, US Army trained killer and typist, he really doesn't need a stalker.

My local brewing partner runs a bed and breakfast, but I don't want to give out his name either. I'm not being an ass and trying to shift all the focus on me, but I am aware that there are folks lurking in the corners of cyberspace who are not nice. In my local brewing partner's case, I don't want someone reading my blog then traipsing out to the B&B for a look around for the brewing equipment. If you want to book his B&B, you can look on this page.

The main reason I don't want to identify them is laziness. Since I occasionally write about them, or at least what we brewed, if I named them, I would have to let them approve what I publish. Since I don't name them, I can always tell them, "Oh, that wasn't you."

So, you will forgive me if I give my friends some anonymity here.