I very rarely drink spirits but was ironically just talking with others today about the government’s role in controlling various substances.

“Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing in 1978, and that newfound freedom fueled the craft beer movement that continues to lavish beer lovers with endless choices. But in many ways, laws that govern whiskey, gin, and other distilled spirits are stuck in the 1920s.  Federal agents still raid distilleries much like they did during Prohibition, and making any amount of moonshine at home is not only illegal, it’s a felony that can carry up to five years in prison.

The result is a market dominated by a few big names, where would-be craftsmen are forced to hide their work.  And yet, despite the danger, America is in the midst of “moonshine renaissance,” in which a new wave of hipster hobbyists has joined with old-time ‘shiners to flout the law and do what they love to do.  “Free the ‘Shine” is written and produced by Paul Detrick and Zach Weissmueller. Senior Producer: Ted Balaker; Additional Camera: Meredith Bragg, Josh Swain, and Alex Manning.  Visit Reason.tv for downloadable versions of the video and subscribe to Reason.tv’s YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.”

I used to live in Portland, OR and frequented Vancouver, WA which is located right across the Columbia River from Portland.  I have been to the Starbucks outside of where she was attacked  a number of times.  The story  doesn’t mention it but Bethany is a Safeway employee and I wish her all the best.  This story is sickening and unfortunately copycat crimes seem to be occurring.  It is a delicate balance between informing people of an incident and sensationalizing it, so I hope by blogging this I am doing more good than any further harm.  The sad thing is it is becoming more and more difficult for people to trust anyone.  If you have a chance, be sure and watch the video because she is obviously a very good person.

“About 7 p.m. Monday evening, 28-year-old Bethany Storro was just getting something out of her car, near a Starbuck’s, where she was going to have some coffee. Last fall, she’d gotten a divorce, and had recently come to Vancouver, to start a new life… not to end one. A raceless “young woman” came along and said, “Hey, pretty girl. How are you? Would you like a drink of this?” Storro sensed that something wasn’t right, and said, “No, thanks,” but the stranger threw a Styrofoam cup full of “an extremely strong acid” in her face. Storro closed her eyes tightly, as the acid burned her face, and made holes in her blouse.

Had Storro not donned sunglasses 20 minutes earlier for the first time, she would likely have lost her sight. She suffered severe burns and excruciating pain, and is presently in the Oregon Burn Center at Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where yesterday she had the first of what will surely be many operations, as doctors try to save her face.”

>> Read more

Photo by Reed Saxon / AP - An English class at Edwin Markham Middle School in Watts.

“According to Newsweek, the local teachers union is infuriated over the disclosure of teacher performance metrics. Quoting: ‘Do parents have the right to know which of their kids’ teachers are the most and least effective? That’s the controversy roaring in California this week with the publication of an investigative series by the Los Angeles Times’s Jason Song and Jason Felch, who used seven years of math and English test data to publicly identify the best and the worst third- to fifth-grade teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The newspaper’s announcement of its plans to release data later this month on all 6,000 of the city’s elementary-school teachers has prompted the local teachers’ union to rally members to organize a boycott of the newspaper.’ According to the linked Times article, United Teachers Los Angeles president A.J. Duffy said the database was ‘an irresponsible, offensive intrusion into your professional life that will do nothing to improve student learning.’”

Source: Newsweek.com and Slashdot.com

I don’t understand the part where the mom says: “I realized that I really wanted to spend time knowing my children and raising them and not cleaning the bathroom”.

Does your man need a more manly voicemail greeting?  If so, the Old Spice Voicemail Generator is here to help.  Below is my test message.

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“Porsche’s Spyder will allow drivers to use several fueling modes including E-Drive, Hybrid, Sport Hybrid and Race Hybrid. E-Drive mode switches on the vehicle’s electric engine which can run for about 16 miles. Amazingly, the car’s top speed is 198 miles per hour. Of course all this eco-friendliness will come at a very wallet-unfriendly price–a whopping $630,000 a pop.”  > Source: http://dvice.com/