I'm not ignoring you, fellow Exiles, honest I'm not! As the three "hymns to Fortune" below might suggest, I seem to have stumbled into a crucial juncture in my life. A good one, to be sure, but suddenly change is on the horizon, so damned close that I can taste it. And this is a good thing. But more about that later. Right now, why don't we take a look at three BBC news items about my favorite potent potable, beer:

A French Government drive against alcoholism has incurred the wrath of Belgium's famous Trappist monks.

The craze for a cheap beer made out of sea water and raw malt is denting Japan's brewing industry.

Raspberry and chocolate beers aimed at women are to go on sale in (London) supermarkets.

Ah, yes. Beer. What would I do without it? A funny thing - the below-mentioned Carmina Burana is one big collection of Medieval college drinking songs. Kind of funny that we've turned it (thanks to Carl Orff's brilliant musical interpretation of the text and the movie Excalibur's inspired use of Orff's score) into the very stereotype of epic movie music. I guess drinking was a little more of a contact sport back then...

Cheers (for now)!