Disney backs out of wine promotion

C'est la vie, Remy. The Mouse has decided that Costco's wine aisle is no place for a cartoon rat.

Walt Disney Co. said Friday that it had abandoned the wine business — even before its first bottles of Ratatouille Chardonnay were scheduled to hit the big-box store's shelves in August.

Bottles of the French 2004 vintage white Burgundy were to carry labels featuring Remy, the haute-cuisine-loving rodent who stars in "Ratatouille," the latest movie from Disney's Pixar Animation Studios.

Disney said it and Costco Wholesale Corp. canceled the promotion after getting flak from California winemakers and opponents of underage drinking.

Must've missed this whilst we were in Mongolia. Bummer!

But what about French people, hmmm?

Especially when it's booze.

And chocolate.

Mmmmm.....

tiki's been off the intarnets for a couple of days kiddies, but we're logging in from Outer Mongolia right now. Yeah, really. Being finally free from Russia is like a weight off our soul. Our advice: if you visit Russia, by all means, try to avoid the Russians. Russian friend, no one likes you. I'm very sorry, by you're going to have to learn to stop spitting on the sidewalk. Oh, and the shouting thing. We've been hours in Mongolia, and no one yet has screamed at us. It's a joy here.

The Trans-Siberian express: imaging going through Montana. Then going through Montana again. And then again. And again. And again. And again. And again.....

( ad infinitum )

It's Australian for beer. Really.

Ethanol boom may fuel shortage of tequila
Mexican farmers burning agave fields and replanting them with corn

MEXICO CITY - Mexican farmers are setting ablaze fields of blue agave, the cactus-like plant used to make the fiery spirit tequila, and resowing the land with corn as soaring U.S. ethanol demand pushes up prices.

The switch to corn will contribute to an expected scarcity of agave in coming years, with officials predicting that farmers will plant between 25 percent and 35 percent less agave this year to turn the land over to corn.

"Those growers are going after what pays best now," said Ismael Vicente Ramirez, head of agriculture at Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!