Beer stimulus package: $1,200 per couple, plus $300 per kid. My rebate: $3,300.00.
Earlier versions of the bill capped the number of child rebates at three (which makes no sense; if they're giving child credits because people with kids have more expenses, why cap it at three?). This version doesn't cap it at three. I couldn't find anything in conventional sources, so I went to a tax service my firm subscribes to (Tax Notes Today) and found this statement: "The bill would also provide $ 300 per child for every family eligible for the rebate, with no limit on the number of children per family."
__________
The Gay Eudemon:
Chalk one up for the homosexual pranksters: You see that guy on the right, Marcus Simeone? I'm pretty sure he's a flaming homosexual. The person who sponsors the ad (Gregory Kennell) posted a mildly pro-gay comment to my post yesterday. I clicked on the link he provided, and the evidence "came out." I had earlier told Mr. Kennell that the ad would stay up until February 15, and I'll keep my word. Heck, I've gotten accustomed to the gay guy in the right sidebar, so I'll be a little sad to see him go.
Pretty funny: The ad sponsor invited me to New York to see Simeone's show (see combox), which I've concluded is a homosexual cabaret. Man, that'd be unsettling, especially if I showed up after hitting NYC bars all afternoon and my gaydar was impaired: I settle in with a beer, start looking around, it starts to hit me. . .
Incidentally: If you're wondering about my diligence before I accepted the ad: I surfed the Internet for a few minutes to see if I could find anything about Simeone, and nothing came up. I also went to iTunes and listened to a few samples of his songs. I wasn't impressed, but nothing jumped out as offensive. I only ask for a nominal monthly ad price ($10), so I'm not going to undertake more due diligence than that. With respect to the page behind the ad itself, I thought I clicked on it when the ad first went up. I don't recall seeing what you see now if you click on the ad. Maybe I did and just didn't read it carefully, but I suspect Kennell switched the underlying page to something more explicit.
Congratulations to my friend Rob who walked up to me after the ad went up and said, "Are you kidding me? That guy in your right sidebar is queer." It's a pretty good gaydar that works over cyberspace. I just shrugged and said, "Could be. I don't get it myself, but some dude wanted to advertise it on my blog so I said fine."
__________
Preaching heresy: putting craft beer into cans.
__________
The dead pubs society. Blog post on Britain's (alleged) declining pub scene.
________
Belgium: Malt Disneyland. At least according to Lew Bryson at MSNBC (who also blogs here).
__________
One of the more-interesting bar names I've ran across: The Trappist. It's in Oakland, California, so I don't see myself visiting soon, but it looks like a must stop. No word on whether the Black Panthers hang out there.
__________
Interesting: Twenty-three night clubs in Edinburgh have joined together to clean up the night life. It's not clear to me what they do, but they imposed a lifetime ban against a violent drinker. It's a good idea. Some do-gooder in the USA would probably argue that such a combination of night clubs violates The Sherman Act. The Act is vague enough to encompass such an arrangement.
__________
Interesting video about making the ad.
__________
The end-of-the-world beer from Brewery Ommegang
