Wednesday

Received in an Email

You need a reason to drink? From one of the e-newsletters I subscribe to:

Signs of decay abound...

* Prosecutors in Shawnee County, Kan. – home to the state capital Topeka – say they'll no longer pursue misdemeanor cases. As a result, 30 domestic violence cases have been dropped since Sept. 8
* Fire stations in Camden Co., Ga., will soon be staffed with prison inmates. They'll be monitored by a surveillance system, and by the regular firefighters – who will have to undergo special training
* Most of the streetlights in Highland Park, Mich., have been repossessed. The electric utility has removed 1,400 lights as part of a settlement that will save the city $4 million in unpaid bills.

Now, I don't know much about Camden County or Topeka, but Highland Park is the pit of the pits. It's Detroit without the glitter and, in fact, it's wholly surrounded by Detroit. Its signs of decay have been going on for fifty years.

But still, the newsletter's point can't be doubted: signs of infrastructure collapse are inflicting the entire country. One of the few signs of vibrancy?

The beer industry.

Its renaissance has spawned this nifty site: Untapped. It's like Facebook for beer lovers, without the Facebook. Once you register, you can start reviewing various beers and the site will store your reviews. It's like having an online beer diary for later referencing, but it also allows you to review other people's beer diaries. I opened an account last night. It took about 45 seconds.