Michigan Wine Shipping Update
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Well the other day the MI House of Reps ruled 5-1 in committee to bring forward a bill that would ban all direct shipments of wine in the state. This would affect in state vineyards and give the Wholesalers complete control over distribution of wine. What does this translate into, no direct shipments to anyone, you have to buy all your wine at a store. How does this benefit the Wholesalers, well this means they get a better deal for buying the wine from the vineyards hence making more money and keeping their monoploy alive and well in the state of MI. All this will occur under the lie that we need to prevent direct shipping to save our minors from purchasing wine over the internet.
I highly recommend finding your rep and contacting them on this issue.
http://house.michigan.gov/index.asp
I have called my rep Andy Meisner and spoke to his assistant regarding my opposition to this bill, I hope he calls me back. I plan on following up with an email to him probably today.
Posted by mardenhill 6/30/2005 09:27:00 AM 2 comments
Podcasting Continued
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
This is how it shows up in iTunes, you select your podcast and hit play. Whats nice is that it remembers your subscription and looks for updates daily until you cancel the subscription. This is all free at this time, I see it moving to a pay service in the next year for some of the high flying podcasts. Play with them while they are free, its a lot of fun, think of it as tivo for your ipod.
Posted by mardenhill 6/28/2005 11:35:00 AM 1 comments
Podcasting
iTunes Podcast. Here is a screen shot of the podcast search within the music store. In the search window you can type in any topic you want and it will bring back hits for you to subscribe to.
Posted by mardenhill 6/28/2005 11:33:00 AM 2 comments
Bell's Cherry Ale
If you havn't had Bell's Cherry Ale, I highly recommend you head to the nearest store to look for it. This came out about 2 weeks ago and is in limited quanity according to one store. I picked up a 6 pack and will try to grab another tonight if they still have some available. The Cherry Ale is in nice red beer with cherry extract for flavor. If you happen to have had Cherry Larry in the past, this would have been a one off only served at the brewery during the fall, this is very close. The beer has a nice tart cherry taste to it but is still a smooth Bell's ale. I hope this takes off and they continue to brew and stock it, this would be a nice addition to the family.
Posted by mardenhill 6/28/2005 11:11:00 AM 2 comments
Gotta Love Oasis, They Still Have It
Monday, June 27, 2005
LIAM UP FOR LIVE 8
LIAM GALLAGHER wants to do LIVE 8 just to annoy ROBBIE WILLIAMS .
Oasis are unable to play the charity event on July 2, but their singer says he’s dreamed off doing it just to humiliate his old rival.
“I'd love to. Y'know why I'd love to do that gig?” he told Canada's Chart Magazine. "First of all, it's fucking awareness and all that stuff. I just love to go on and do four fucking songs and really fucking rip it up. Come in and fucking bang it with fucking four of your classics.
”And then walk off, and fucking flick Robbie Williams in the eye and say: ‘Follow that you dick!’"
However there will be no fisticuffs as Oasis will be playing the City Of Manchester Stadium on the same day as part of their current UK tour.
Posted by mardenhill 6/27/2005 10:08:00 PM 0 comments
Wanna Go For A Swim?
Sunday, June 26, 2005
This is Glastonbury on the 1st day of the festival, looks like a bit of rain for those brits. I don't think I would be staying for the show, call me old but that does not look like fun to me.
Posted by mardenhill 6/26/2005 10:15:00 AM 1 comments
Time To Celebrate
They are finally free, the drapes have come down and lady justice's breasts are exposed for all to see. Now that Ashcroft has resigned and Gonzolas is the Attorney General, we are able to see the statue in all its glory. Not sure why it took 6 months but at least the drapes are gone. One more win for those of us who want to keep church and state separated.
Posted by mardenhill 6/26/2005 10:11:00 AM 1 comments
The White Stripes
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Well the White Stripes are playing Detroit this fall and tickets go on sale tomorrow. The show is at the Majestic like the last 2 and the date is Oct 2nd. I image they will be adding a 2nd show either the day before or after. The price per ticket is $40 + $3 restoration fee, not to mention the ticketmaster markup. I image you are looking at no less then $55 a ticket. I am still trying to decide if its worth it. I have U2 tickets for Oct that I paid an arm and a leg for and this would be another high priced show. Part of me says screw u Jack but I doubt that will win, I will give in and pay for tickets.
Posted by mardenhill 6/23/2005 10:43:00 AM 2 comments
Podcasting, The Next Big Fad?
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Well today marks the 1st day of podcasting for me, I have been reading about it for a while now but never actually got involved with it. Well I am glad that I did, its a lot of fun and you don't even need an ipod. Check out http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php for a free podcast download that will give you access to thousands of casts. Think of podcasting as Tivo for the radio. Most major radio shows will record a podcast and post it for downloading. You can go from website to website looking for these or use ipodder and get it in one simple step. You can browse or manually type in the feed, add it to your subscription and it will update when new casts are posted. These in turn will download to your hard drive and link up in itunes. From here you can listen to them on your computer or transfer the files to your ipod, hence the podcasting name. I downloaded some political shows from air america and some wine podcasts which were interesting to listen to. I learned all about wine from Minnesota today, hey I had no idea there were vineyards there.
This is one more nail in the coffin for old school radio, between satellite, ipods, internet radio, there is no reason to listen to commerical radio anymore. I highly recommend checking out the link above or you can always wait for the next release of iTunes which is supposed to have podcasting built in. Remember, you don't want to be the last kid on the block not hip to the scene, get downloading and listening. Its all free, there's no excuse.
Posted by mardenhill 6/22/2005 05:12:00 PM 3 comments
More Letters...
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
I have also sent an email to Betty Mercer the person in charge of the Coalition for a Safe and Responsible Michigan regarding their bogus survey conducted about internet wine sales. This organization is a front for the MI wholesalers association and the survey paid for by them. Check out the site below to read the survey and the results, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how skewed it was. Yeah this is getting me fired up and I will keep the emails flowing as long as there is opposition to me and my right as a US citizen to middleman free wine.
http://www.safeandresponsible.org/index.html
Dear Betty,
I am writing you in regards to the pending legislation in our state house and senate regarding direct wine shipping. I have read your survey and appalled that you think those findings justify your cause. First off, the wording of the 1st question demonizes alcohol and sets the tone for the rest of the survey. I understand what you are doing here, by stating "As far as you know" you are putting doubt in the person's mind taking the survey that something wrong might be happening behind their backs. With that established you follow up with do you support/oppose alcohol distribution over the internet. By now the survey has been tainted and at no point do you address the Adult Verification that takes place when a direct shipment is placed. I think you would have had different results if this would have been mentioned. You drum up more support for your cause by throwing in the "Controlling alcohol to minors and college students" question, another scare tactic to make your point. Please explain to me the question "It will hurt Michigan small businesses that will be forced to compete with large international corporations", this has no place in the survey and makes no sense. The Michigan small businesses in question are vineyards wanting to sell direct to the customer, are you implying that a large multinational company will buy the wine, undercut the price and sell it to the consumer? Isn't this what our beloved Wholesalers already do? If so then you need to clarify that, otherwise that premise is false since it will be direct contact between the vineyard and the consumer, thus cutting out the middleman.
I have done my research and can see that this survey was bought and supported by the Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association, right away all findings should be null and void. Your group is just a front for the Wholesalers to get their message out with a family friendly website, all the while screwing small businesses and denying freedom of choice. The issue here is not the safety of our youth, it is keeping the money in the pockets of the Wholesalers. I would like you to give me numbers that prove the other 26 states that allow direct shipping have higher alcohol abuse than states that do not.
Sincerely,
Randy Sutton
Posted by mardenhill 6/21/2005 03:13:00 PM 0 comments
Update: Write Your Legislation
I also sent the same email to Sen Bob Emerson from Flint who introduced legislation in the senate. Please email him at the address below your concerns over this issue.
SenBEmerson@senate.michigan.gov
http://www.senate.michigan.gov/dem/bobemerson/about.htm
You can reach Chris Ward at the address below:
chrisward@house.mi.gov
http://www.gophouse.com/ward.htm
Posted by mardenhill 6/21/2005 02:17:00 PM 1 comments
Write Your Legislature
Follow the link below to send a fax to our Michigan legislature regarding direct shipment of wine.
http://www.capwiz.com/freegrapes/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7618191
State rep Chris Ward from Brighton is in the pockets of the distribution lobby, he received money in his last election campaign and what do you know, Chris has created a bill to block direct shipments. He likes to go on and on about protecting minors from ordering over the internet but thats not the issue here, its the lost revenues the wholesalers would experience. The wholesalers would like you to believe this would bankrupt them but come on, everyone knows people will still go to the store to buy their wine, they will use the internet for ones they cannot find. This rep is a sleazeball but I sent him an email expressing my opinion. If I don't get a response, my next one will call him out and slam him against the wall. Below is the email I sent.
Dear Mr. Ward,
I am contacting you regarding your opposition to internet wine sales which I completely disagree with. For starters, there are no studies published that show minors obtain alcohol over the internet unless you want to count the one manufactured by the Distribution lobby. You honestly want me to believe that up to 10% of minors are buying alcohol over the internet? Both you and I know this is ridiculous, 26 states already allow direct shipping, are there numbers that prove these states that allow have higher underage drinking? If you want hard cold facts, the wholesalers in Michigan are 100% responsible for all our underage drinking since alcohol bought here goes through their hands. 2nd, the poll conducted by the Coalition for a Safe and Responsible Michigan was paid for by the Michigan Wholesalers Association, talk about a conflict of interest. I have reviewed the poll and it starts off with a negative tone on the first question to demonize alcohol and to setup the second question to fail.
I have been drinking wine for a number of years now and finding smaller vineyards has become a passion of mine. Last year my wife and I took a trip to Napa Valley for our anniversary where we sampled a number of great wines but could not ship them back. One wine we brought back with us was from Rutherford Hills and was their Zinfandel Port. You can find this vineyard in most stores, the port on the other hand is nowhere to be found. I am in Oakland county and have visited nearly every higher end wine store in my area but no one has it. I could order it but that means the wine store needs to contact their distributor who will then decide whether its worth it or not to order. They in turn will mark up the price to cover their costs in acquiring the bottle of port I am interested in and most likely require me to purchase a number of bottles versus just one. The price of the port is $50 and you do not finish this in one sitting. What minor will spend $50 on a bottle of wine, this is not what minors are interested in drinking. If I was allowed to order over the internet, I could order my one bottle, pay the shipping costs, sign for it and be all set. Explain to me why the distributors need to touch every bottle of alcohol that comes through the state? I will continue to buy the majority of my wine in stores, its not cost effective to purchase it all over the internet, just the bottles that I cannot find in any store.
Michigan continues to lose jobs and people to outsourcing, by banning all direct sales, you are adding to this problem. We have a number of vineyards along I-94 and up in Traverse City who rely on this method. Why kill a budding industry, is it to keep the distributors happy? Are they upset since they are unable to make a profit off of these sales? Think of the tourism dollars that can be made off of the wine industry here in Michigan, people will come just they they visit Napa Valley and the Finger Lakes region of New York, sample the wine, bring a few bottles back home and then order more over the internet. Try going to another state that does not allow for direct shipping and find a bottle of Michigan wine, I bet you would be hard pressed to do so.
In conclusion, please take my opinion into consideration, I am a law abiding, tax paying Michigan resident who would like to have the same rights as most in this country.
Sincerely,
Randy Sutton
Berkley, MI
Posted by mardenhill 6/21/2005 01:58:00 PM 1 comments
Rock N Roll Star
Sunday, June 19, 2005
For all you Oasis Haters, piss of, last nite Oasis proved why they are the greatest Rock N Roll band on the planet. The show was at Meadowbrook which was fine except it drunken college kids were running amuk. We missed Nic Armstrong, he came on 1st and that would mean sitting thru Jet so we opted out of that one. I will check out Nic when he makes his tour thru and hits the stick which I hope will be this fall. Anyways, Oasis came out and played 3 songs from the latest cd and the radio favorite Layla actually sounded good. People have been dissing the new Oasis cd but once you see the tracks live, it makes more sense and I am loving the new one even more. By the end of the show Oasis had played 7 tracks off the new cd, I think that is a record for them when promoting a new cd. Mucky Fingers sound excellent live, The Importance of Being Idle captured Noel's ability to lead the band on vocals and Turn up the Sun started the whole show off. The crowd favorites were played, Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova, Live Forever in full band mode, not acoustic. Columbia, Cigarttes & Alcohol, Whats the Story, Morning Glory were huge, stadium rockin wall of sound that was perfect note for note. Songbird and Little By Little made it from The Hindu Times and Fuckin in the Bushes from Standing but no songs from Be Here Now which suprised me. Probably the best song of the night was Rock N Roll Star, not a song I would expect a lot of people to know but the whole crowd sang along. This song is Liam's anthem, it wraps up all the cockiness, drug induced british swagger that Oasis is known for into one blitzkrieg of sound. Oasis's new drummer Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son) was featured big time on an amazing solo that drove the crowd wild. I was not expecting this to be one of my favorite Oasis shows since the crowd kinda sucked but its up there as probably #2. Musically, the Fox show is one of my faves, it was the last show of the tour and they kept playing but this one was loud, in your face, pure rock n roll. It has been years since I have seen Oasis like this, even all you haters would be reconsidering had you seen this show. If Oasis comes back again on this tour, everyone needs to go, that way you can experience music at its finest.
Posted by mardenhill 6/19/2005 09:15:00 AM 2 comments
When It Rains, It Pours......
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Courtesy of www.dailykos.com
Bush still going down, down, down
by kos
Thu Jun 16th, 2005 at 16:51:19 PDT
CBS News/NYT. 6/10-15. MoE 3%. (May results)
Bush approval
Approve 42 (46)
Disapprove 51 (48)
Action in Iraq
Right Thing 45 (47)
Should have Stayed out 51 (49)
Terrorism
Approve 52 (58)
Disapprove 40
Economy
Approve 39 (38)
Disapprove 56
Foreign Policy
Approve 39 (40)
Disapprove 51
Iraq
Approve 37 (38)
Disapprove 59
Social Security
Approve 26 (26)
Disapprove 62 (62)
Bush shares your priorities for the country?
Yes 35 (34)
No 61 (61)
Congress shares your priorities for the country?
Yes 19 (20)
No 71 (68)
Just when it looks like Bush has hit rock bottom, and our nation with him, he manages to sink just a little bit lower.
And those congressional numbers aren't looking too hot either.
Posted by mardenhill 6/16/2005 09:22:00 PM 1 comments
Wine X
Finally a Wine magazine for the Pretentious, Generation X slackers, Wine X. This mag focuses on Wine, Culture, Music, Travel things we are interested in. I am a reader of Wine Spectator but I know this is not written for my demographic, I cannot afford most of the wines inside and the advertising is a dead giveaway. I just came across this mag on
http://www.fermentations.typepad.com and signed up for a subscription. The cost is $21 a year for 6 issues, not bad seeing that I don't currently have any subscriptions, one of the perks working at an ad agency and getting access to hundreds of mags for free every week. I usually get my Wine Spectator here but have never come across this one. Watch next week I see this one in one of the bins, it would be my luck.
Its nice to know that there is a mag that focuses on the rest of us who stumbled into the wine scene earlier than most. I hate the fact that it has been around since 97 and I am just finding out about it but oh well. The mag was created to speak to the Generation Xers out there and now the Millennials who outnumber and outspend us. Some of the stats I came across on their Media Kit are pretty interesting.
http://www.winexmagazine.com/
Ask people who or what Generation X is and you get answers ranging from "those purple-haired grunge rockers" to "anyone under the age of twenty-five." Well, here's the truth about this often misunderstood generation.
Generation X was named so after Douglas Coupland's 1991 pop-arty novel, Generation X. Our demographic is defined as those born between 1961 and 1981, which means the leading edge is now 42-years old. We are the largest generation this country has ever produced, even larger than the Baby Boomers. There are 80 million of us with 125 billion dollars a year to spend.
We're 70 percent white, 13 percent black, 12 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Asian and 1 percent Native American. According to advertising mogul J. Walter Thompson, "Generation X will fuel the growth for product categories from fast food to liquor to apparel to soft drinks."
The Millennials (next generation after Gen X), whose leading edge is now 22-years old, is the fastest growing group in the United States, projected to increase 14.7 percent faster than the overall U.S. population from 2001-2005. They enjoy greater spending power than any generation before it. Forty percent of Millennial teens (soon to be adults) have regular jobs, while 90 percent receive weekly income. Millennial teens spend 90 percent of their entire earnings, a trend that will follow them into their early to mid-20s. And the Millennial generation is currently a $300 billion market.
Current statistics place wine consumption among young adults at 6 to 8 percent. That's it. So if this generation and the next are to fuel the growth of the wine industry, we'd better start looking for alternative publications - like Wine X - in which to reach these 80+ million consumers. Because it's blatantly obvious the current wine magazines are not doing such a hot job.
I should be getting my 1st mag in 2 weeks, I will let you know what I think of it.
Posted by mardenhill 6/16/2005 03:32:00 PM 4 comments
The Truth Is Out There
The truth is out there, well now on DVD, The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 1 - Abduction. This is probably one of the coolest DVD sets ever created, these are the X Files episodes that dealt with the abduction of Moulder's sister, the govt coverup, the alien invasions etc. Chris Carter will be doing 4 sets of DVDs, each one will contain 15 episodes with extras starting at the beginning and going all the way thru to the end. There are a total of 60 episodes that revolve around the best storyline ever created. Price wise, these are only $35 a piece compared to the $80 per season they are asking. I do want to collect each season but they are just too expensive right now. The packaging folds out into a timeline of what happened which is very cool for those of you who need the whole story.
Posted by mardenhill 6/16/2005 09:04:00 AM 2 comments
Bush Administration now Exxon Employee
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Our boy who whitewashed environmental documents for the administration just took a position at Exxon, glad to see that he is being taken care of. Lets take a look at his history, worked as an oil lobbiest, got a job at the whitehouse, quit when it was exposed that he edited environmental documents going to the president and now is working for Exxon. Yeah, this guy is really concerned with the environment. How many more of these people exist in this administration and do we have to suffer thru? When you thought it couldn't get any worse....
June 15, 2005
Former Bush Aide Who Edited Reports Is Hired by Exxon
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Philip A. Cooney, the former White House staff member who repeatedly revised government scientific reports on global warming, will go to work for Exxon Mobil this fall, the oil company said yesterday.
Mr. Cooney resigned as chief of staff for President Bush's environmental policy council on Friday, two days after documents obtained by The New York Times revealed that he had edited the reports in ways that cast doubt on the link between the emission of greenhouse gases and rising temperatures.
A former lawyer and lobbyist with the American Petroleum Institute, the main lobbying group for the oil industry, Mr. Cooney has no scientific training. The White House, which said on Friday that there was no connection between last week's disclosure and Mr. Cooney's resignation, repeated yesterday that his actions were part of the normal review process for documents on environmental issues involving many government agencies.
"Phil Cooney did a great job," said Dana Perino, a deputy spokeswoman for the White House, "and we appreciate his public service and the work that he did, and we wish him well in the private sector."
An Exxon spokesman, Tom Cirigliano, declined to describe Mr. Cooney's new job. Mr. Cooney did not respond to e-mail or phone messages.
Exxon Mobil has long financed advertising and lobbying efforts that question whether warming caused by humans poses risks serious enough to justify curbing carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted by smokestacks and tailpipes.
Mr. Cirigliano said yesterday that the company was committed to acting responsibly on the issue.
"Exxon Mobil has taken, is taking and will continue to take tangible actions to reduce emissions in our operations, as well as in customer use of our products, and to better understand and prepare for the risks of climate change," Mr. Cirigliano said.
Posted by mardenhill 6/15/2005 09:30:00 AM 1 comments
Elastica vs Wire
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
I was just sitting here listening to Woxy Vintage when Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba" came on. Right away I thought it was Elastica's "Connection", I havn't heard either in a while and forgot how much they sound the same. I guitar is a 100% ripoff with another riff thrown in there to mix it up. I do have to say that I like Elastica's version better, Justine is just hot and she oozes sex into the song.
This station is going to get me fired, everytime I try to get up, the next song is just as good and I am still sitting here. I am beginning to run out of excuses to tell my boss when she walks by. The only thing better than this would be Music On Demand where songs are played but if you missed one you could click on it and play it again. Also you could search for any song you like and just click and listen. Life would be good.
Posted by mardenhill 6/14/2005 12:47:00 PM 0 comments
People With Too Much Time On Their Hands
Monday, June 13, 2005
I just read about this on the
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Its a website regarding Tom Cruise and Katie whatever her last name is. You can get "Free Katie" t-shirts for $20, reminds me of the days of the "Leave Chelsea Alone" from the 90s. I had one of those shirts but at the time I was working at a clothing store in Wyandotte called Chelseas and picked it up because of that. I think we were actually selling them and I got it for $5.
If you look on the side under the shirts there are other sayings, some funny some lame.
http://www.freekatie.net/
Posted by mardenhill 6/13/2005 03:08:00 PM 2 comments
The Woxy That Wasn't
I had stepped away from my desk for about 30 minutes and came back to this amazing lineup on Woxy. Its always the time when you step away that you get the good songs...I heard the Grant Hart which I have no idea who that is and came back to Bob Mould which was very cool. In the middle, I missed the Ass Pony's a fav of my during my college DJ days, Material Issue, that song is just a classic. Stone Roses dont need to say anything about them. Midnight Oil, takes me back to highschool when Matt Dunn and I would do our Midnight Oil dance impression where you put your feet together and just sway around in in a circle with your arms flaying. The Smiths, just like the Roses, excellent. As I am typing this I do have some Janes Addiction - Three Days, this song is good but I am not a fan anymore. Perry's voice is like Billy Corgan, nails on a chalkboard that is hard to listen to. Woxy Vintage rocks, its chalkful of great stuff that you forgot about.
1:14pm Bob Mould & Lou Barlow - Believe What You're Saying
1:11pm Sardinia - I'll Be Around
1:08pm Ass Ponys - Little Bastard
1:05pm Material Issue - Valerie Loves Me
1:00pm Matthew Sweet - Divine Intervention
12:55pm The Stone Roses - Waterfall
12:52pm Midnight Oil - Dreamworld
12:47pm Green On Red - Change
12:43pm The Smiths - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
12:39pm Grant Hart - 2541
One other song that came back from the grave this weekend is Ks Choice - Not an Addict, we were in the car heading back from Alma and the all request station up there which plays the most bizarre songs played this one. We got 30 seconds into it when the station died so I was stuck with it in my head for the rest of the way home.
Posted by mardenhill 6/13/2005 01:46:00 PM 1 comments
Coincidence? I Think Not....
Yeah his departure has nothing to do with the exposure last week of an oil lobbist whitewashing environmental reports. This guy may start singing but the problem is, no one knows who he is and his confessions won't make it out of the blogosphere. In some other good news, the Downing Street Memo plus others are finally getting traction some 40 days after they came out. Gotta love main stream media, they really know how to dig up the stories.
There are 2 sides to this tho, MSM arguments are that they already stated this back in 02 before the run up of the war, and to run with it now would make no sense. I don't buy that argument, there are plenty of people out there who were/are still convinced Saddam had something to do with 9/11. When you have Cheney out there still saying it to this day, there are people who will not question their leaders and take them at face value.
Will these docs impeach Bush, I highly doubt it, but it will make for a disasterous year for him and hopefully it will carry on into the midterm elections next year. Bush needs all the beating we can dole out, he has been given a free ride by the media for too long and its about time its come to an end.
Former Lobbyist Leaves White House Post
Sat Jun 11,12:32 PM ET
WASHINGTON - A former oil industry lobbyist who changed government reports on global warming has resigned in a long-planned departure, the White House said Saturday
Philip Cooney, who was chief of staff of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, left Friday, two days after it was revealed that he had edited administration reports on climate change in 2002 and 2003.
His departure was "completely unrelated" to the disclosure, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
"Mr. Cooney has long been considering his options following four years of service to the administration," she said. "He'd accumulated many weeks of leave and decided to resign and take the summer off to spend time with his family."
Based on documents provided to the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit group that helps whistle-blowers, The New York Times first reported Wednesday that Cooney made changes in several federal environmental reports. The changes tended to emphasize the uncertainty of evidence that greenhouse-gas emissions are causing global temperatures to rise. Cooney, a lawyer without a background in science, once headed the oil industry's lobbying on climate change.
The White House defended the changes, saying they were part of the normal, wide-ranging review process and did not violate an administration pledge to rely on sound science.
Posted by mardenhill 6/13/2005 11:16:00 AM 1 comments
DWO 60 Second Wine Course - Red Wine Headaches
Friday, June 10, 2005
Course 35 - Red Wine Headaches
Red wine headaches, fact or fiction?
Even in small portions red wine can leave some people with a throbbing headache. Not to be confused with the headache you may get the morning after a night of over-imbibing, these headaches usually occur within 15 minutes of drinking the wine.
The syndrome has even been given a name by the medical community: RWH, or "Red Wine Headache." And while it hardly gets the funding of life threatening ailments, there are scientific studies currently underway to better understand the root of this phenomenon.
The most commonly blamed substance, sulfites, has virtually been eliminated as the culprit. Sulfites are sulfur-containing compounds that control bacteria in wine and act as a preservative. Sulfites are created naturally during fermentation, but some winemakers also add more of the compound during the winemaking process. People who are sensitive to sulfites may have a reaction when they ingest them, but this is more likely to come in the form of breathing problems, not a headache. And lots of foods (including white wine) contain more sulfites than red wine, but they aren't know to cause headaches.
Alcohol itself could be the trigger, but if this were the problem alone, the syndrome would be called "Alcohol Headache," not "Red Wine Headache." Tannins, the compound that gives red wine an astringent quality, may be the culprit. Tannins release serotonin, high levels of which can cause headaches. The problem with this theory is chocolate, soy and tea all have high levels of tannins, too.
Histamines, found in much greater quantities in red wine than in white, could be a factor. But, a histamine-induced reaction would also be accompanied by other symptoms like itching, sneezing and shortness of breath. An antihistamine should cure this type reaction.
If you are prone to RWHs, a trial and error based experiment is your best bet at the moment. Keeping a journal to note your reactions, experiment with a wide range of wines and then stick with those that do not cause the headache.
Posted by mardenhill 6/10/2005 02:00:00 PM 0 comments
The Titanic is Sinking.....
This guy has it right on, Bush's numbers are falling, expect a staged terror alert warning to draw the attention away. Hmm, kinda like all the staged terror warnings during the election cycle, like the airplane that came into restricted airspace days after Tom Ridge said that these warnings had been manipulated. Just like the latest arrest in California of a father and son who are suspected terrorists, timing seems a bit of a coincidence with Bush out pushing the Patriot Act. Hey these guys are probably guilty but comeon, this news breaking the day before Bush is out selling the Patriot Act, it was all staged.
Courtesty of www.dailykos.com
AP Poll - Bush at Lowest Approval Levels Everby mott street
Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 03:08:09 PDTUpdate [2005-6-10 6:6:24 by Armando]:
From the diaries by Armando.
hey everybody.. get ready to cover your heads.bush's approval rating is at an all time low. orange alert could come anytime now...
my (little) 3am summary of the new AP poll:
45% support bush's foreign policy
35% think the country is going in the right direction
37% approve of bush's handling of social security
43% support bush's handing of economy
magic number : bush's happy face rating :)
is 41% - a new low
in other words:
55% do not support bush's foreign policy
65% think the country is going in the wrong direction
59% do not approve of bush's handling of social security
57% do not support bush's handling of economy
magic number : bush's sad face rating :(
is 59% - a new high
Posted by mardenhill 6/10/2005 08:55:00 AM 1 comments
Master Sommelier
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Some useless trivia I came across while waiting for an upgrade to finish at work.....
http://www.mastersommeliers.org/index.html
So You Want to be a Master Sommelier
Q. What wine society has only 118 members world-wide? And 60 in the U.S?A. The Court of Master Sommeliers Why would one join this elite fraternity?
Your affinity for wine, food, service and hospitality is beyond that of most mortals
You'd like the Master Sommelier Certification as a passport to notoriety and opportunities for wealth in the food and wine service industry
How can one become certifed? Its simple, really. Just a little three part certification - introductory, advanced and Master Sommelier Diploma - as follows:
Part 1: Introductory CertificationTopics covered include: world wine regions including appellation regulations, viticulture, wine/spirit production, food & wine pairing, wine service and wine tasting skills. Certification at this level requires passing a multiple choice exam with at least 60% of answers correct.
Prior to taking the next step, the Court warns that one should be able to,"recite from memory facts such as Grands Crus of the Cote de Nuits, the satellites of St. Emilion, the districts of Chianti, the AVAs of Sonoma County, or the Bereiche of the Rheinhessen".
Part II: Advanced CertificationTopics covered are the same as the introductory course, however in much more depth and detail. Certification is in three steps. First is the one hour, 82 question (20 multiple choice and 62 short answer) writtten exam.Second, a blind tasting of six wines in front of two Master Sommeliers. The candidate has 25 minutes to identify all six wines and is evaluated on technique and accuracy.
Third and last, is an obstacle course in restaurant service. Master Sommolier examiners throw the kitchen sink at candidates as they run the gauntlet of opening, decanting and serving wines, spirts and cigars; pair wine with food; set tables; and manage the duties of practical service and salesmanship. Once again, 60% is required to pass on all three steps.
Part III: Master Sommelier DiplomaThe format for the final Master Sommelier Diploma is the same as the Advanced Certification. At this stage, a score of 75% is required to pass. Testing is by invitation only and one must wait one year after Advanced Certification before attempting the Master Sommelier diploma.
The level of detail is excruciatingly difficult. For example, during the blind tasting, a candidate must identify grape varieties, country of origin, district of origin and vintages for the six wines tasted.
Over the 25+ year history of Master Sommelier Diploma, the pass rate for the final stage is around 3%. Good luck!
Posted by mardenhill 6/08/2005 05:37:00 PM 1 comments
Its Getting Closer
courtesy of www.fermentationstypepad.com
We may have a decision on wine shipments soon, June 16th is the 30 day mark and it looks like legislation has been drawn to vote on. I do not know all the details and if there are any hidden hurdles but it looks good.
Michigan Governor Supports Direct Shipment of Wine
It is hard to ignore the movement across the country favoring the legalization of the direct shipment of wine. While the Supreme Court decision really didn't clarify a great deal, it did spur many to act.
It looks as though a number of states are now or will be allowing direct shipment of wine including Texas, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire AND Michigan.
-That's right, Michigan I believe will fall into the direct wine shipment column. I've talked to a few people in that state and what we know is that a great deal of pressure has been put on Governor Granholm to support some form of direct shipment of wine in the state. This pressure comes after the appointed Alcohol Commission chairwoman Nida Samona spoke up and said she would urge the Michigan legislature to ban all shipping. Since then she has backed away from that statement and has been extraordinarily quiet on the issue...no doubt she is doing as she is told at this point.
MICHIGAN GOV SUPPORTS DIRECT WINE SHIPMENTSA bill has been written that would allow wineries to ship up to 24 cases annually to any individual in the state. The governor has said she would support a direct shipping bill.
-As more and more states move in the direct shipping direction they supply support for those in other states wishing to do the same and prove to be a difficulty for those in states arguing against direct shipping. This is why it is important when any state affirms the rights of consumers to buy wine direct.
Posted by mardenhill 6/08/2005 05:13:00 PM 3 comments
Potty Training Your Cat
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
http://www.citikitty.com
I found this out on www.gizmodo.com today, it was too funny not to check out. You add this to your toilet, add kitty litter to the center and gradually remove the rings til they are gone and the cat goes in the toilet. Now your cat is potty trained, not sure if its a good idea if you only have 1 bathroom and there is another person fighting to get in. I think the litter box is fine for Mr. Kitty he doesn't need this.
Posted by mardenhill 6/07/2005 11:45:00 AM 1 comments
Chicago
We had a great time in Chicago but its back to work, our trip was just too short. Friday nite we rolled into town, did some shopping, went to dinner and saw Star Wars. Saturday we did some more shopping and checked out the coolest wine store called Just Grapes. This store has a tasting bar that you get a card with credits and select any of the 16 different wines on tap. The prices of the tasting range from $1 to $4 depending on the wine, they had some high end wines that you would never have bought but for a few dollars you get to try. They were having a sale on whites and I picked up a Gewurztaminer, Gruner Veltliner and two reds, a Pinot Noir from New Zealand (I didn't even know it was grown there) and some Italian grape that is slipping my mind. I tried the New Zealand Pinot and it was pretty good, nothing great right now but the guy at the store said this is the new region to watch. The conditions are excellent for Pinots and give the vines a few more years and it will rival the West Coast.
http://www.justgrapes.net/main.html
Saturday did some shopping over in Lincoln Park, Erika wanted to go to the Lush store. That nite we went to a new tapas restaurant called Rioja which was very good. Sunday we decided to be all cultural and walk around Milleninum Park and then check out the Art Institute. Sunday nite we went to a restaurant called Bin 36 which was a wine and cheese bar, store and restaurant. The food was excellent, a bit pricy but worth it. They did wine parings with each course and brought out a couple different 2.5 oz classes for you to taste. I had a Pinot Grigio and Verdelho with my salad and a Gernache and Carmenere with my entree. For dessert I had a Sauternes with a Morrocian spice sorbet which was like eating pumpkin pie ice cream w/o the pumpkin flavor. The best part of this place was that they sold the bottles of wine that they serve with dinner, perfect concept since most people are willing to buy a bottle of something they just had after a few glasses. I bought a bottle of the Verdelho and the Sauternes which was probably the best dessert wine I have ever had. I had always wanted to try one but they are too expensive in the stores so this was the easiest way. The bottle was only $16.95 for a 375ml and since we were on vacation it was a steal. They have a pretty cool cheese bar there, next time we are in Chicago we will check it out.
http://www.bin36.com/index.html
So my trip to Chicago revolved around wine shopping and Erika's around shopping and getting free stuff at Lush and our Ikea trip on Monday. We spent our gift card and a bit more on stuff for the house. Can't wait for the Canton store to open, on the way back, we planned our new living room renovation and basement.
Posted by mardenhill 6/07/2005 09:09:00 AM 3 comments
Star Wars
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Last nite we went and saw star wars 3 revenge of the sith and I am glad that I didnt go opening weekend. The movie was ok but the cheeze factor was thru the roof. Some of the acting and lines were so bad a highschool play would have been better. It was fun to see it on the bigscreen but I would not have made it thru the movie with the freaks, it was too much. Yoda's fight scenes were too much, he's a little puppet flying around swinging his lightsaber. Oh well, its over with and we know the whole story now so I guess that is good. Ewen McGregger and Natalie Portman are set for life, I can imagine the royality checks coming from these movies will keep them living large. I do want to see it surpass titanic as the higest grossing movie, it still has a couple hundred million to go but I think it can do it.
Randy Sutton
Technical Services Administrator BBDO Detroit
Posted by mardenhill 6/04/2005 11:54:00 AM 3 comments
Woxy Vintage
Friday, June 03, 2005
http://www.woxy.com/vintage/
This morning while packing for Chicago I turned on Woxy and discovered their new Vintage broadcast, I highly recommend checking it out. It features music from the last 30 years all the good stuff u love to hear all in one stream. I heard some Wire, The Replacements and Ministry which was really cool. Its like the digital cable music station Retro Active without the cheezy 80s stuff that gets mixed in there. Well gotta run, just wanted to pass this on.......
Posted by mardenhill 6/03/2005 10:37:00 AM 0 comments
Chicago
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Erika and I are off to Chicago for a long weekend but I will try to keep my blog updated. I just tested the blogging via email and it works great. Depending if I can do it without Erika finding out, I will send some posts.
Posted by mardenhill 6/02/2005 10:24:00 PM 1 comments
Shaken or Stirred?
Martini Bar...
Check out this patio bar, for a mere $5990 you can have the 180 degree Martini Bar.
180° Martini Bar Standard Features:
304 stainless steel panels
Distinctive surface texture
All stainless steel hardware
Stainless bar sink and hardware
Garden hose water connection
PVC drain connection
Dual storage shelves
Speed rail bottle rack & condiment holder
Integral glass hanging storage
Large stainless ice reservoir
Bottle opener with cap storage
For an extra $1000, you get the following additional features:
The 181° Martini Bar Adds:
Upgraded Kohler® fixtures
In-line water purifier
In-line quick-recovery instant water heater
An additional degree of luxury
http://www.kalamazoogourmet.com/ol-martini_bars.php
Check out the site for additonal pictures of this one of a kind bar.
Posted by mardenhill 6/02/2005 10:23:00 AM 1 comments
Back Yard Pic #1
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Back Yard...
Here is a picture of our work in progress. The budda is a medicine budda and came from La Roche down in Royal Oak. We plan on getting a pair of the chinese dog statues which are supposed to be guardians.
Posted by mardenhill 6/01/2005 09:54:00 PM 1 comments
Back Yard Pic #2
Back Yard..
Each section is about 8ft deep and anywhere from 8-12 feet across. Last year it was all weeds about 3 ft high which I tore up and then roto tilled over this year. I left a few plants that were actually supposed to be there in these 2 sections but added more to fill it in. I am pretty impatient tho, I want this lush jungle of plants but it will take some time to grow and fill in. I keep buying more plants to fill it in but I think Erika has cut me off.
Posted by mardenhill 6/01/2005 09:53:00 PM 3 comments
Garden
Here is our garden, right now we are growing tomatoes, squash, red peppers, green peppers, jalapano and habanero peppers. The neighborhood rabbit has eaten the tops off of Erika's tomato plants which is pretty frustrating.
Posted by mardenhill 6/01/2005 09:53:00 PM 2 comments
Mr Kitty In The Window
Mr Kitty pissed off since I am outside and he is not. We do not let him run wild because we cannot trust him to come back home. Plus there is a neighborhood cat twice the size of ours which would just get Mr Kitty into trouble.
Posted by mardenhill 6/01/2005 09:52:00 PM 1 comments
Some Up and Coming Shows
The Raveonettes w/Autolux Wed, June 8th
Neko Case w/Johnny Dowd Wed, June 15th
Oasis w/Nic Armstrong Sat, June 18th
Dinosaur Jr. (original members) Wed, July 20th
and some killer metal at the Royal Oak Music Theatre
American Metal Fest featuring L.A. Guns, Metal Church, Stephen Pearcy and W.A.S.P Sat, July 9th. Talk about a great show. And if this isn't enough metal for ya, Whitesnake will be in town Tues, July 19th.
The top 4 are on my list, I have tickets for just Oasis but hope to check out the others. If anyone is interested let me know.
Posted by mardenhill 6/01/2005 05:07:00 PM 4 comments
