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hope for better brew in Alabama

This is an email I just received. Good news may be on the horizon. Get involved and you can quit drinking all that cheap denatured swill.

Members and supporters of Free the Hops:
HB196, the Gourmet Beer Bill, passed the House yesterday. The fact that it passed is entirely due to all the hard work you put in to contacting your house representatives - we passed the BIR by one vote over the 3/5 majority needed, then passed the bill by 6 votes - if you had not all worked so diligently to speak to your representatives, this may have had a very different outcome!

The next step is to go to the Senate. We will be discussing this with our lobbyist to work out a timescale for this to happen, and what you can do to help pass the Senate bill, which may not happen for another few weeks.

Thank you again - we are one step closer to Freeing the Hops!

Stuart Carter
President
Free the Hops | Alabamians for Specialty Beer

the point of all religions

how very true

I personally prefer the politician who is willing to change his or her mind when they feel the facts have changed. The facts are always changing. As long as a politician bases the change on new facts and not on merely the popular will or the wishes of a donor, I have no problem.

best unintended energy drink ad ever

1. Wake up to find yourself on the floor of an airplane in the sky. You are only wearing a pair of shorts.
2. There is a Red Bull in your hand. Drink it.
3. Crawl over to the open door and jump out.

good morning

To hold the sun.

true

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

- Mark Twain

bon mots

great retorts. My favorite:

In the 1920s, Dorothy Parker was establishing a reputation as a witty woman with a sharp tongue (the actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell called her, "My pretty, pretty cobra"). At the same time, Clare Booth Luce was becoming a respected journalist and well-known playwright. While both women were highly talented, their numerous political, philosophical, and personal differences resulted in a strained relationship. One day, Parker was about to step through a doorway when she came face-to-face with Luce. As the story goes, Mrs. Luce stepped aside, extended the palm of her hand, and said coyly, "Age before beauty." Parker glided through the door, saying ever-so-sweetly:

"Pearls before swine."

the word is out

you'll regret it

Do not click here.

it's friday

not bad

Whether you believe Barak Obama is qualified to lead this nation or not, you've got to admit it's impressive for anybody to quit smoking during a prolonged and stressful presidential campaign.

want

Coolest bookshelves ever.

always wondered

I have a question related to the post below:

When Meatloaf sings that he would do anything for love but he won't do that, what exactly has he been asked to do?

song charts!

check out a whole set of them here. This one is probably my favorite.

i just lost The Game

Rule 1: You are playing The Game.
Rule 2: Whenever you think about The Game, you lose.
Rule 3: Loss must be announced.

best headline ever

not again

I hope this isn't a tinfoil hat story, but there are reports that in some areas of Alabama last night the 60 Minutes special on the political witchhunt of former Governor Don Siegelman was blacked out on Channel 19. From the article: "Channel 19 is owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners, who can be contacted through Rhonda Barnat, 212-371-5999 or rb@abmac.com . Oak Hill Partners represents interests of the Bass family, which contribute heavily to the Republican Party. Viewers displeased about the channel’s decision to censor the broadcast should express their views directly to the station management or to the owners."

potentially useful

"Did you receive a call but the caller did not leave a message and the Caller ID says "Unavailable"? Type the phone number in the box below and click "Get Details" to find out who is using this phone number."

mad soccer skills

here's the beef

If you have fallen prey to the inaccurate soundbytes out there suggesting that Barak Obama makes "eloquent but empty" promises and that he has "little experience" in the political realm, I direct your attention to this excellent article on exactly what Barak has done as a junior Senator.

free the hops this session!

I pass on this message to all readers in Alabama:

Members and supporters of Free the Hops,

As some of you already know, our House ABV Bill - HB196 - came out of committee yesterday. The companion Senate Bill, SB116, came out of committee today.

These bills are intended to increase the allowable alcohol in beer to 13.9% ABV in the state. The next step for our bills is to be voted on in the House and the Senate, which could be as early as this Tuesday but probably won't happen until mid-March. I will be sure to update everyone once we know the date.

For an overview of where we are with all of our bills, please take a look at: http://www.freethehops.org/featuredcontent/thesteps.php

How you can help pass our House ABV bill

Please visit the Alabama legislature web site:

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/

there is a box on the left hand side of the screen where you can type in your ZIP code, which will tell you who your House Representative and Senator are. Please call your Representative to let them know you support the bill and would like to see it pass in the House. A telephone call is *the* most effective way to let them know how much you care about the bill!

How you can help pass our Senate ABV and Home Brewing bills

Please call your Senator (see link above) and let them know you support SB116 (the Senate ABV Bill) and SB355 (the Home Brewing Bill), and that you would like your Senator to help pass these bills. Again, a telephone call is *the* most effective way to let them know how much you care about the bill!

I cannot stress this enough: if you, personally, call your House Rep about HB196 (the Gourmet Beer Bill), AND call your Senator about SB116 (Gourmet Beer Bill) and SB355 (Home Brewing Bill), we will free the hops this year! If you are unable to call your Representative or Senator, you can also email or write to them via the Legislature.

Stuart Carter
President
Free the Hops | Alabamians for Specialty Beer

parallax

This is what the eclipse looked like from the moon.

coolest staircase ever

for your hidden library.

lies

Ok, so I'm glad the Pentagon was able to blast the dying satellite out of the sky. And yes, I'm sure it has some "dangerous" fuel in it, nasty toxic chemical stuff. But don't they all? Why don't we blast all falling debris from the sky? It is so obvious that 1) this was a spy satellite and we wouldn't want anyone getting their hands on it, and 2) we are exhibiting our ability to blast incoming objects (traveling several thousands of miles per hour, no less) from the sky whenever we wish. The way they keep harping on the "toxic rocket fuel" hazard is embarassing. I realize that it's probably a wise political move, but the obvious lies sicken me.

truth of the day

"The more I carry the more I like camping, the less I carry the more I like hiking."

- SGT Rock

law of the day

While doing some research on the Alabama Constitution of 1901 I came across this gem:

Article IV Legislative Department
SECTION 86 Suppression of dueling

The legislature shall pass such penal laws as it may deem expedient to suppress the evil practice of dueling.

;

Praised be the semicolon.

everything is perfect

before, after