Just commenting on some comments here, and hopefully fostering some more discussion.

You're right, (e:Vincent), the excise tax doesn't comprise all of the $1.3B. We went from $1.50 a pack to $2.75 a pack, and the increase should generate a little under $300M, so there you go.

(e:Drew), I have the same moral problem with it. The rub is that tax payers, and by extension the government, do have a compelling interest in reducing the smoking population because of health care costs.

This interest would only become stronger if we had a national health care system, and a pool of "our" health care dollars. If you spend your life drinking and smoking and poisoning your body, as I have, you are deliberately screwing people out of health care in this circumstance. If I haven't already quit by the time we get national health care, I will quit that day.

Some leftward-thinking people are recommending exactly this type of government manipulation of gasoline demand through regressive tax policy as well. I don't know about you guys, but I am sick and tired of this kind of negative policy. Punitive tax policy isn't the only way to approach these kinds of issues, but people in government don't seem to understand. Instead of sucking more money from people, why not make an investment in your future by offering really good incentives for people to quit?

Well well well....I spotted two cute blondes out back enjoying a drink, and I happened to have some trash to take out, so why not take the opportunity to make friends? Apparently we have a young couple who just moved in, and the girl had a friend who was introduced to me as the "single mother" of the impossibly cute puppy running around.

It couldn't have been more obvious she was single - girls who are in a happy relationship don't wear shirts that say "Sailors like it wet" and they don't name their puppy "Lickit" (I swear to God this is what she said, although my hearing ain't the best). I hear someone in the Middle East chirping in my ear about the kinds of girls I like, and I am going to heed your warning this time!! Friends made, mission accomplished, but as (e:Ajay) knows I'm looking for something a little more international.

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Well, NYS did it, they raised the excise tax on cigarettes to $1.25 per pack. When will enough be enough? We are now #1 in the cigarette tax ranking nationally, which is probably a moral victory to these scum. The goal is to reduce the NYS smoker population by 140,000 - or so they say - but the reality is that the state needs to make up their budget gap due to the fact that Wall Street isn't pulling its weight.

Did you know that cigarette taxes will now cover $1.3 Billion of the 2008-2009 state budget? My eyes popped when I read it. Yes, you deceitful vermin, you honestly believe you're being compassionate and helpful by using a regressive tax to help make up for lost revenue. They brought out the state's health commissioner to trumpet the 140,000 less smokers, but the politicians when you listen to them always talk about the revenue.

And...as I've asked before, does anyone believe that they wouldn't try to make up the revenue on the increase (let alone the rest of the $1B+) if everyone quit tomorrow? This is about money, not health. The People's Republic of California levies far less.

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Lastly, I am now enjoying an American-made, abbey-style Quadrupel. I got it from Village Beer Merchant (Where else can you buy a $13 four pack?) and it is called Weyerbach Quad. As I've said before, I love love love Belgian Quads. It is my favorite style of beer, in my view far superior to the rest when you're talking about sitting and enjoying your beer, instead of drinking to go blind. At 11.8% this one is really potent but as is the case with other Quads the flavor is fantastic and the booze isn't overbearing.

It's (Joshy fails constantly to use the ', just look) a Quad, it tastes great, and I give it 5 of 5 empty bladders. As the Swedish say, Skol!

Believe it or not, the Larson Bros. have hung out together outside of the home two Thursdays in a row! It is an unfortunate fact that we don't chill together this way nearly enough.

Hardware didn't have the Westmalle Dubbel, which was a disappointment, but they did have the De Rocs Grand Cru. (e:Joshua) wowed some foreigners by telling them exactly what part of England they were from. I still don't know the difference between, say, a Birmingham accent and a Leeds accent. They recommended the Mackeson triple stout which was delicious.

We then decided to conserve some funds and hit up Village Beer Merchant, getting the Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale (I give it 5 out of 5 failing livers, awesome beer) and a bottle of some kind of upgraded Schneider Weisse - and I'm warning you guys if you buy the upgraded Schneider Weisse to respect it. The Grand Cru was stiff but this particular wheat beer packed a sucker punch that still stings this very moment.

So there you have it - a tour of some of Europe's most respectable beer nations and a return to America, which to me is an amazing beer nation if you know what to look for. Beer from 4 countries in one night. Wowsa.

Can anyone give me a review?

And I am looking forward to some things:

- Going home and descending on the lake.
- Spending time with Gramma.
- Dad's giant HDTV and DirecTV hookup.
- Taking the back roads to Southern Tier Brewery.
- Checking out Anderson's produce - Tak Sa Mycket!
- Playing golf at Cable Hollow, where Bucky got caught by Johnny Law.
- Getting some Limpa Rye from Wegman's (They don't have it here).
- Mother's Day at the Ingjald Lodge, Independent Order of Vikings.