Free Republic

Heard a lot of stuff come out of the mouths of preachers this year. Encouraging criminal behavior from the pulpit is a new one.

In bars, restaurants and homes across Sweden champagne is flowing in abundance as Swedes enjoy a seemingly endless thirst for the bubbly beverage, spurred by a gastronomic "revolution" and a rosy economy. Champagne sales at stores run by the alcohol distribution monopoly Systembolaget are expected to hit an all-time high of one million bottles this year, excluding sales in bars and restaurants. That figure can be compared to 738,000 bottles sold last year and 287,000 a decade ago. "Drinking champagne is usual now and it's common not only at the weekend or to celebrate a special event, it's an everyday...

Cognac to blow your head, and wallet, away Thu Jun 14, 2007 1:47AM EDT     By Pauline AskinSYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - It could well end up being the most expensive hangover of your life.A Sydney hotel is offering patrons a rare cognac for A$480 a glass ($403) -- the cost of one-week's rent for a two-bedroom flat in the city -- to cash in on what it believes is the growing desire for a "Ferrari lifestyle" among Sydneysiders."It's a taste that promises to seduce not only your nose and tongue but your entire body," said Laurent Branover, the...