Thursday, July 05, 2007

Bottoms Up

The Boston Beer Company, the brewers of Samuel Adams beers, which has been performing very well by the way, has spent some of their R&D dollars developing a new beer glass specifically to bring out the best in their Samuel Adams Boston Lager beer.  FYI, you’ll have to provide a birth date, to prove you’re 21 years of age or older, to view the glass.

Esthetically, the glass pleases my eye, and I’d be interested in quaffing one their lagers from the vessel.  There is one complaint registered against the glass, though, and that is that it does not hold a pint, which is only a problem if you’re drinking drafts, rather than their 12 ouncers.

You just have to admire this development, whether you enjoy their beers or not.  I think it exemplifies true American pride in a product.

Posted by John Venlet on 07/05 at 11:14 AM
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A Marijuana Fueled Exercise in Futility

How much marijuana would constitute a “basket full of smoke,” as Johnny Cash sings in the tune Let the Train Blow the Whistle, after offering all another toke?

The state of Washington allegedly will be taking this matter up, debating, and then indeed legislating, exactly how much smoke an individual may have on hand if they have a script from their physician for medical marijuana.

What may seem like an odd question for straight-laced government types to tackle is a serious attempt to shore up the state’s medical marijuana law, which has been around for nearly a decade without defining the 60-day supply patients are allowed to have on hand.

Would an ounce or two of White Widow be considered a basket full of smoke, good for 60 days?  What if the smoke is commercial grade Columbian, would a pound of smoke then be considered a basket full?  What if an individual is utilizing Thai stick to fill their medical marijuana script?  Would the bamboo sticks traditionally utilized to wrap Thai buds around be included in the weighing of an individual’s supposed marijuana limit?

In actuality, though, the reason the basket full of smoke question is being debated is this.

Prosecutors and police generally support the change, saying it should help officers determine whom to arrest and whom to leave alone.

I think said prosecutors and police should leave us all alone, when it comes to baskets full of smoke, whether an individual has a script, or not.

Wash. to set medical marijuana limits

Posted by John Venlet on 07/05 at 06:21 AM
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The Energy Solution

Andrew Morriss, whose credentials include, H. Ross & Helen Workman Professor of Law, professor of business administration and professor at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs of the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, and a senior fellow at the Institute for Energy Research in Houston, Texas, has this to say, among other things, regarding state interference in the energy markets.

There is a way to improve energy security: unleash entrepreneurs. Refiners have been solving America"s energy problems since the start of the 20th century. When the U.S. faced a major gasoline shortage in 1910, entrepreneurs revolutionized refining technology and doubled gasoline yields. For the last 30 years, they"ve been boosting output from refineries, making it possible for our total capacity to rise even as older, less efficient refineries were closed.

In short, American refiners have regularly increased the quantity and quality of gasoline from each barrel of crude, and done it without Congress” advice.

If we want to increase our energy security, we"ll stop changing the rules every time a politician needs an issue for his next campaign ad. Refineries, pipelines, and oil fields are all multibillion-dollar investments that take years to earn a return. The constant shifting of government rules undermines the certainty investors need before making such a large-scale capital commitment.

If we want to make America more secure, decrease gasoline prices, have cleaner fuels, and increase the reliability of supplies, we need to get the government out of the way of the entrepreneurs who can deliver those things.

His piece, published in the Washington Times, is titled Energy mythology.

Posted by John Venlet on 07/05 at 05:00 AM
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