One Billion Liters of Wine on the Wall...
It is being reported that..
One Billion Liters of Wine Is In Storage in Australia!
Someone help with the math here because I keep looking at this number and I really am having a hard time believing it.
Is this the equivalent of more than 100,000,000 cases of wine sitting in storage in Australia?
100,000,000 plus?
And consider that the Australian Harvest is just around the corner. I can't imagine what the grape growers in that country are looking at in terms of the prices they'll get for this year's grapes.
This sort of surplus, sitting in the warehouses of a wine exporting country, affects LOTS of people. They are going to have to dump this wine on markets around the world and at prices that will be akin to giving it away. This is GREAT for consumers...but at what cost to producers. How would you like to be sitting on average California wine that you hope to sell or $10 a bottle? Yikes!
And if you are an Australian brand with lots of good brand equity in the market, you can't just lower your price on your front line brand then hope to spike the prices when the surplus is over with. By that time consumers and the market will have already become accustomed to paying much less for your wine.
Meaning, we are going to see even more "new" and "second" labels from Australian producers hit the market...and at great prices.
I'm hoping some of the experts on the Australian wine industry in the blogosphere and elsewhere will weigh in on this.
UPDATE:
Just for perspective's sake, you could give a bottle of wine
to every single person living in Australia, The United States,
France, Spain and Germany and still have more than half of
this surplus in tank.
courtesy of www.fermentation.com
Posted by mardenhill
12/31/2005 08:12:00 PM
Tuesday may prove to be a good day for all, Jack Abramoff has to reach a plea agreement before Jan 9th when he will go to trial in Miami. The word on the street is that on Tuesday Abramoff will be in front of a judge to accept a deal or face trail. What this means, well it means that upwards of 20+ congressmembers and their staffers could be exposed. Jack has had a lot of pay for play throughout the congress and with him talking its going to get a lot hotter in there. Delay is public enemy #1 followed by Rep Nay of Ohio, the most crooked state in the union. There are others, speaker Dennis Hassert and our favorite Christian Coalition spokesperson Ralph Reed who claims none of his money came from gambling.
This is how the story goes, an Indian tribe hired Abramoff to help stop a competing tribe from setting up casinos. Abramoff took millions and passed it out to members in congress to make sure this wouldn't happen. With the help of Ralph Reed the 2 of them ripped of christian conservatives by taking their money because they didn't believe in gambling and funneled it into the scheme. But wait it gets even better, after the 1 tribe won the battle Abramoff went to the losing tribe and told them he could help them get their casino opened all the while not telling them that he was part of the reason they lost in the 1st place. In the end the 2nd tribe never got their casino opened, Abramoff never planned on doing that he just wanted their money. David Safavian, Michael Scanlan and Kidan all have pleaded and are testifying, Safavian even worked in the White House so you can see where this is going. You also have Grover Norquist who is good buddies with the Bush family and to spice this whole thing up, you have a murder down in Florida where associated of Kidan have been arrested.
This will dwarf any scandal we have seen and with Enron on the front page along with this one, the republican moniker will be dragged thru the mud and CORRUPTION will be branded into the party. Delay's trial will fall to the backburner and who knows, he may be aquitted but he won't escape this one cuz he is up to his neck in the Abramoff scandal. Who do you think helped him gain access to congress, well none other than Delay. Yep and Delay's wife also worked for a front that funneled money from Moscow under the name of U.S. Family Network.
There is also more and more connections but I will leave it at this because there will be more to come and I still need things to blog about............
Posted by mardenhill
12/31/2005 05:15:00 PM
For those mac users out there who hate the fact that iTunes does not automatically add the artwork to your mp3s, I have found a plugin that will help. Its called Fetch Art and is an apple script that when installed is part of the file menu up at the top of the screen. You highlight the songs you want to tag and select Fetch Art. Its very accurate, there have been a few cds that it didn't find or found wrong covers but for the most part it was right on. I figure with my collection and a 95%+ hit rate, anyone else would be 100%. I have spent the last few days off and on tagging my art, I have a good portion of it already done but with the new picture ipods, I cannot have mp3s that are artless. In the process I have discovered a ton of great songs that I forgot I had, I am going to be reloading my ipod once I am done. I have just completed my 1st hard drive and tomorrow I can start on the other one. Below is a link to download this free software, definitely check it out if you need to spruce up your collection.
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12083
Posted by mardenhill
12/30/2005 10:12:00 PM
Here is an abridged version of the ad the ACLU took out in the NY Times. It links Bush and Nixon together and talks about their crimes. I think the more these 2 are tied together the more damage it will inflict on Bush. This is just the tip of the iceberg, it will come out that Bush was spying on more people than he has admitted to. It will come out that he spied on every liberal group and prominent member, how will the country react to that? Maybe when Rove is indicted the wheels will fall completely off and Bush will be left standing in the dust. He will have no one around him to protect his bubble and the media will finally pop it and show the world the true nature of this man and his agenda. 2005 was a good year, I think 2006 may be better. We got Delay, Abramoff, Plamegate, Enron and the NSA spying, should be a good few months. If this momentum continues to swing our way, there is a good chance that the dems can retake the house and senate. If this were to happen, articles of impeachment are that much closer. The most interesting part of it all is that if the dems won the house Pelosi would be speaker, if impeachment happened it would be for both Bush and Cheney and Pelosi would be next in line. We would then have our 1st woman president, not the one everyone is talking about. I know this is far fetched but it would make for a good conspiracy theory. I am just shooting for reclaiming the house and senate that is the goal for 2006.
Posted by mardenhill
12/29/2005 10:23:00 AM
Its about time, one of the execs at Enron has flipped and will provide information about Ken Lay and Jeffery Skilling, the crooks who ran Enron into the ground and pocketed millions. I have been waiting 5 years to see Kenny Boy go to trial and its set for January, man 2006 is going to be another good year. We got Abramoff singing now an Enron exec, things couldn't get much better. The repubs are going to be hurting from the Abramoff testimony and although Enron isn't directly connected, its tentacles will reach out and rope in a few important names. It won't be long before Kennyboy will be sharing a cell with the likes of Bernie Ebbers of Worldcom and Koslowski of Tyco.
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Enron Corp.'s former chief accountant, Richard Causey, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to securities fraud in exchange for a possible seven-year jail sentence for his role in the 2001 collapse of the power-trading giant.
Causey had been scheduled to face trial next month with former Enron chief executives Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, but now is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors against his former bosses as part of his plea bargain.
Causey pleaded guilty to count 19 of the superseding indictment in the case. In the indictment, counts 14 through 20 charge Causey and Skilling with securities fraud in relation to the filing of financial statements. Count 19 specifically deals with the filing of the company's quarterly report for the first quarter of 2001.
Posted by mardenhill
12/28/2005 07:24:00 PM
Keith: O'Reilly is one of those blissful idiots...
Olbermann: "It is awfully painful. Whether he thinks me insincere or not, I really did like Gibbie. Hard working here, always there to cover a shift or help out in any way he could. Now, instead, he's denying he said some truly despicable things...things that were recorded for posterity. And worse, he's now trying to blame these hateful things on me. Ordinarily when someone gets caught saying something as intolerant as this, their choices are a) to apologize, b) to resign, or c) to make sure there's no tape and to lie their way out of it. John, unfortunately, chose d) blame it on somebody else.
The audio clip is the definitive answer, and I would hope John would now have the self-respect to acknowledge what he said, and to leave the airwaves for good. Because, between the remark and denial he has, sadly, forfeited his right to stay here."
...............
www.crooksandliars.com
This is one of the best Worst In The Worlds courtesy of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, he is like Jon Stewart who doesn't have a problem calling people out and what makes it great is that being on MSNBC it adds to the credibility. Keith has been bashing the rightwingers for a while now and his segment hits O'riley, Ann Coulter, Limbaugh and now John Gibson who is just another Fox political hack. The other day John threatened a guy on his show over the war against christmas because his guest called him out on his lies. Gibson has been drinking the kool aid again and if u check out the clip you can see it first hand.
Posted by mardenhill
12/28/2005 11:58:00 AM
courtesy of www.gizmodo.com
Nethrone Workstation: Torture Device?
This is not a torture device. You have to trust us on this one as much as you are tempted not to. The Nethrone is a crazy-looking ergonomic device that looks like a dentist’s chair designed for comfortable computing. Leaning back in the comfy leather seat and looking up at the screen keeps you from straining your neck as much as you normally would using a computer. Designer Eran Baruhe wants you to have complete comfort and control over your experience in the Nethrone, so nearly every part of the thing is adjustable to make you relaxed and comfortable. Comfort doesn’t come cheap, though, so be prepared to shell out $2500 for the Nethrone when it comes out in January, 2006.
http://www.uncrate.com/men/gear/office/nethrone-002552.php...................
For those of you who are familiar with the Tongue Chair, this is the 21st century version with a lot more bells and whistles.
Posted by mardenhill
12/24/2005 04:49:00 PM
My friend Nasir decided to pipe in about the Strokes sucking and wanted to plug his favorite band Iron Maiden, looking at these album covers I have no idea what kind of evil incarnate he has wrapped himself around. I'm sorry, album covers with devils, and skeleton people wanting to kill you doesn't seem like something I would want to listen to let alone a small child to either. These satanists are peddling murder and mahem and I for one don't appreciate it. I decided to look up this Iron Maiden band and found out they have been together since 1979 and have put out 13 satanic records along with a bunch of live crap. I am not sure how these geezers are still doing it but I guess its the power of the devil that keeps them going. I have also discovered this evil drawing on the albums has a name and it goes by Eddie. They have been using him to terrorize us for the last 26 year years, why hasn't the government put a stop to this? Maybe all they need is a hug but I don't plan on going near them for the fear that I might be their next sacrifice.
Posted by mardenhill
12/24/2005 11:55:00 AM
The Strokes - First Impressions On Earth.
Well the new Strokes cd is not much to look forward to, I am a bit bummed I was hoping for so much more. It starts off with "You Only Live Once" which is amazing song, classic Strokes but fresh. "Juicebox" is up next, the crunchy guitar riff track all over the radio which is starting to grow on me. "Heart On A Cage" is ok, it has a good head bobbin beat to it and catchy chorus. With "Razerblade" the cd takes a downturn, this song is not that good and this sets the tone for the rest of the cd. The next 6 songs are BORING, no catchy hooks, melodic and druggy sounding. Finally at track 12 "Ize of the World" it picks back up but this song isn't anything special and I am wondering why I am even writing about it. Track 13 sucks and finally "Red Light" track 14 ends the cd and not a moment too soon, if I had to keep listening I think I would have stuck a pen thru my eye to kill the pain. So the Strokes came onto the scene with one of the best debut cds ever and blew it with their 2nd. The indie rock community gave them a pass since it was just a rehash of the debut and the Strokes were still "Hip". This will sink them, its boring and not fun at all, the energy is gone and their music is too thin to hold on with this tempo. Sorry guys you had your chance but you blew it.....
Posted by mardenhill
12/23/2005 01:10:00 PM
Looking back at Sen Frist's track record it makes you wonder how this pathetic windbag ever achieved the majority leader seat. I have decided to put together a list of his failures, it makes me laugh everytime I consider how many times he has been embarassed by his mismanagement of the senate.
1. ANWAR: just got screwed by a bipartison effort for trying to include it in the Defense spending bill.
2. Patriot Act: 2 days ago Frist said that him and Bush would not let an extention of the patriot act, they would let it expire rather than open it up to discussion. Announced today, a 6 month extention to discuss civil liberities.
3. Iraq Intelligence: Sen Reid held a closed door session and forced him to open an investigation, it would have never made much news except that Frist broke down on camera and sounded like a 5 year old on the school playground.
4. Insider Trading: as much as Frist likes to spin it, he is caught up in insider trading on selling shares of his family owned medical company. This one is not going away and he is getting pissed as time goes on.
5. Nuclear Option: the gang of 14 took the nuclear option off the table when they banded together to preserve the filibuster.
6. Teri Shavio: the guy diagnosed her from a video tape, months later when the autopsy came out, she was brain dead. Good one Frist, where did u get your medical license, a cereal box?
7. Justice Sunday II: yep after your flipflop on stem cells your rightwing buddies kicked u off the Justic Sunday circuit and replaced you with good ole Tom Delay, looking back probably not the smartest move the american taliban have ever made.
This is only this year and there are others but these were the ones off the top of my head. Its sad that I was able to rattle off so many, in just a few minutes. Frist is retiring and plans to run for President, I'm sorry but after your lame duck status as majority leader I don't think you could be elected the leader of your local book club.
Posted by mardenhill
12/22/2005 08:24:00 AM
Courtesy of www.gizmodo.com
As I recall from my heady college days, having a 1-to-1 keg to tap ratio was usually a bad idea. Someone would do a kegstand and then you’d get a dollop of partially-digested Doritos on the top of the keg, leading to the dreaded party foul. The Octopus Tap hopes to change all that. It consists of up to three taps—not quite octo, but tripus would sound weird—that can squirt out the brass monkey with reckless abandon.
http://www.octopustap.com/
....................
It makes you think what was wrong in the 90s, we had venture capitalists spending millions on internet startups but it takes until 2005 for someone to come up with an easier way to distribute beer. Think of all the time you wasted in line, it could have been avoided and you could have been drunk an hour earlier....
Posted by mardenhill
12/21/2005 10:12:00 AM
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Abramoff_said_to_discuss_plea_deal_1220.html
It looks like Jack Abramoff may plead and start dishing on congress. If this is true it will be a sight to see with all of those connected to Jack scrambling trying to return money and lie their way out of trouble. There is the chance that it may bring down a couple dems but so be it, its time the corruption is stripped away from congress. This will not bode well for Delay who has lost all hope on returning as majority leader in the house. He won't survive his next election let alone regaining any leadership position. This is the final nail in the coffin for Delay and its the start for some others in congress. 2005 was a bad year for the republiscums and 2006 isn't going to be much better. With Snoopgate going on, Plamegate nowhere near finished, both Delay and Frist's scandals, this one is going to sink the repub ship. I have told my friends that happen to lean to the right that they better jump ship before it gets too late. They have all laughed at me but come 2006 I think they will be begging for forgiveness. I have suffered thru the last 4 years of the Democratic rebuilding which has been quite painful and I am ready for my payoff.
Posted by mardenhill
12/20/2005 10:29:00 PM
Well Pitchfork released their top 50 cds of 2005 and guess what, we shared 1 cd between my list and theirs. Franz Ferdinand was the only 1 that crossed between our lists, but Ladyton, LCD Soundsystem and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were honorable mentions. It goes to show that Pitchfork are a bunch of pretentious indie rock wankers who don't know good music if it bit them in the ass. Are there good cds in their list, hell yes there are some awazing ones but they are not as good as the ones I picked. They gave Sufjan Stevens - Illinois #1, this is a good cd but its a bit boring. Its cool that a guy from Michigan gets the award but come on, Kasabian blows that cd away. Another reason Pitchfork sucks big donkey nads is that Ryan Adams didn't even make the list, hello, its Ryan Adams, the voice of our generation. He deserved at least 1 cd, but no, Pitchfork has to be all "Ryan is a sellout, he's mediocre, his music is lame".
Posted by mardenhill
12/20/2005 04:27:00 PM
Posted by mardenhill
12/20/2005 04:04:00 PM
I read about these packs in Wired magazine and they are pretty cool, the website is http://www.bumbakpaks.com/index.html and pricewise not too expensive. They are between $80 & $100 a bag but seeing that it has straps built in, that is cheaper than back surgery down the line. There are a few different models and from the looks of them lots of pockets. My bag is going on about 6 years and is starting to fall apart, I think I need one of these. Laugh all you want but I will be the one with good posture and no pain while the rest of you monkeys will be crawling around screaming cuz your lumbar just blew out.
Posted by mardenhill
12/19/2005 05:19:00 PM
Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis) responded to Gonzales' comments in an NBC interview this morning. "This is just an outrageous power grab," he said. "Nobody, nobody, thought when we passed a resolution to invade Afghanistan and to fight the war on terror, including myself who voted for it, thought that this was an authorization to allow a wiretapping against the law of the United States. "There's two ways you can do this kind of wiretapping under our law. One is through the criminal code, Title III; the other is through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That's it. That's the only way you can do it. You can't make up a law and deriving it from the Afghanistan resolution. "The president has, I think, made up a law that we never passed," said Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.)
.....................
Bush and co are trying to spin it that he had the authority from the legislation passed a few years ago and even the republican pundits have gone as far as to blame Clinton for 9/11 cuz if wire taps were legal it would have been prevented. Talk about rewriting history, I bet that was Ken Mehlman's #1 talking point since they have nothing else to go on to defend this behavior.
Posted by mardenhill
12/19/2005 01:06:00 PM
Last nite Erika and I were watching the building of the Ice Hotel 2004-05 on Discovery Science and it was amazing. They take a couple months to build this hotel all out of ice and snow and it is in business for 5 months. To get there you need to fly in and can take a dog sled over to it. Inside there were over 60 rooms and you wear layers of clothing since there is no heat inside. The bar serves drinks in glasses made of ice and there is also a wedding chapel and theatre. Price wise it was 2900 kroner a nite which converts to $368 US for a standard room. Each room has a different theme and an artist who designs the whole thing in ice. I think it would be a lot of fun to stay in the Ice Hotel, if we win the lottery we are going.
How to get to ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi
ICEHOTEL Jukkasjärvi is in the far north, in northern Lapland, Sweden, at a beautiful location beside the River Torne. About 200 kilometers above the Arctic Circle. The site is 17 kilometres from the town of Kiruna, and 12 kilometres from Kiruna Airport.
The direct flight from Stockholm Arlanda to Kiruna Airport takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. SAS has flights daily.
Scandinavian Airlines System, SAS, website www.scandinavian.net
Nordic Airlines +46(0)8-52806820
Hemsida www.flynordic.com
It is a pleasant trip also by train, although it takes longer. Travelling time from Stockholm Central Station and Kiruna railway station is estimated at about 16 hours.
Connex, telephone number +46 771-26 00 00 mail: kundtjanst@tag.connex.se
We will be pleased to meet you either at Kiruna Airport or Kiruna railway station. Book your transfer in advance, one-way fare 100 SEK per person. You can also travel by snowmobile from Kiruna Airport - an exciting way to get to the ICEHOTEL! Please book in advance.
Hire Your own bus within Sweden(in Swedish): Busnet
ICEHOTEL - Contact us
Send us an e-mail or give us a call,
and we will be happy to send you brochures by airmail.
Phone: +46 980 66 800 or toll-free number within Sweden: 020-29 14 33
Fax +46 980 668 90
E-mail: info@icehotel.com
ICEHOTEL AB
981 91 Jukkasjärvi
SWEDEN
Posted by mardenhill
12/18/2005 04:00:00 PM
"The President believes that he has the power to override the laws that Congress has passed. This is not how our democratic system of government works. The President does not get to pick and choose which laws he wants to follow. He is a president, not a king."
............................................
This was a response by Sen Feingold to Bush's attack on our civil liberties. Bush thinks he's king not president and can wave his magic wand and run a police state. It was music to my ears to see the Patriot Act shot down on Friday, its about time the people have stood up to Bush and co. They like to spin it but the truth of the matter is there are only some provisions that were set to expire, the majority of the Patriot Act is permanent.
The
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution reads as follows:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Posted by mardenhill
12/17/2005 10:02:00 PM
Breaking news
Governor signs bills allowing direct wine shipments to consumers
December 15, 2005
TRAVERSE CITY (AP) — Michigan’s emerging wine industry could become a big-time player now that vintners inside and outside the state can ship their products directly to consumers, a spokesman said.
“It opens us up to becoming a national wine industry,” Donald Coe, president of the trade association WineMichigan, said Thursday after Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation granting direct-shipping rights.
With out-of-state wineries allowed to sell directly to Michigan residents for the first time, Michigan wineries will get the same access to buyers in other states, said Coe, managing partner of Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay.
“I have 60,000 visitors a year, and fully 25 percent of them come from outside Michigan,” he said. “Many of them have no access to our wines when they get back to their states because we’re such a small winery, we don’t have distribution in those states yet.
“They now have an opportunity to order the wines from us, and we can ship to them.”
Major wine publications likely will give the Michigan industry more coverage now that readers across the nation can order its brands, Coe said.
Granholm signed the bills during an appearance in Traverse City, heart of northern Michigan wine country. Twenty of the state’s 42 wineries are in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties.
Michigan’s $75 million industry ranks ninth in the country in wine grape production, with a combined 1,300 acres.
“We want to make sure as a state that we continue to promote the great wine that we’ve got,” Granholm said.
The legislation represents a hard-won compromise between vintners and wholesalers — regulated middlemen who buy from winemakers and sell to licensed retailers.
The U.S. Supreme Court this year struck down Michigan’s policy of allowing only in-state wineries to ship directly to Michigan residents, saying it gave them an unfair competitive advantage. Under the new laws, any winery can send up to 1,500 cases a year to Michigan residents.
But the laws continue to require out-of-state wineries to use a wholesaler to get their wines to Michigan restaurants and retailers, while in-state wineries can sell directly to those establishments.
In a Dec. 6 letter to legislative leaders, state Attorney General Mike Cox warned that such unequal treatment “is very vulnerable to a constitutional challenge.”
If the courts threw out that provision, all sales to restaurants and retailers would have to go through wholesalers.
Direct shipment to consumers by in-state and out-of-state wineries could continue. Even so, Cox said, Michigan would have to pay the costs of defending a lawsuit — and, if it lost, the prevailing side’s attorney fees.
Representatives of Michigan vintners and wholesalers who attended the signing ceremony said their compromise included an agreement not to challenge the laws in court. But the deal doesn’t cover out-of-state interests.
Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau, a sponsor of the legislation, said it focused primarily on direct shipment to consumers because that was the subject of the Supreme Court ruling.
The bills include provisions to keep minors from buying wine through direct shipment. They also would let the state Liquor Control Commission levy a yearly $100 license fee to fund regulation of direct-shipping vendors.
Posted by mardenhill
12/15/2005 11:11:00 PM
Dirty, Skank Whore Jean Schmidt has finally made it to the big leagues, she now has her own billboard courtesy of the Democratic National Committee. This goes back to when she called Murtha a coward and then lied about the guy who told her to say it. Schmidt was played by the leaders of her party but if she is that stupid to let it happen then she deserves the abuse she has received. Jean barely won her election and to make the comments she did, I have no problem frying this woman. SNL lampooned her right after it happened, it was classic and I think they need to do more of that. I cannot wait til 06 when she will lose her seat and will maybe be the shortest run congressperson in history.
Posted by mardenhill
12/15/2005 02:35:00 PM
Newspaper columnist Robert Novak is still not naming his source in the Valerie Plame affair, but he says he is pretty sure the name is no mystery to President Bush.
"I'm confident the president knows who the source is," Novak told a luncheon audience at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh on Tuesday. "I'd be amazed if he doesn't."
"So I say, 'Don't bug me. Don't bug Bob Woodward. Bug the president as to whether he should reveal who the source is.' "
.....................
So does this mean that Bush was in on it the whole time? Or do we attribute it to his mismanagement of his staff, kinda like the Ken Lay arguement, I'm innocent it was my CFO who committed the crime....This doesn't bode well for the administration, just when Bush is slowly coming back in the polls, BAM Fitz is back with more....
It may turn out to be one heck of a christmas, Rove indicted, Delay tied to Cunningham and Abramoff, more congressmen going down beause of Abramoff, Frist getting indicted for insider trading and the whole republican party crumbling under the weight of ethic violations and other outstanding scandals....
Posted by mardenhill
12/14/2005 01:21:00 PM
Motorola RAZR
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
We got our new Motorola Razr phones yesterday, here is a pic of mine courtesy of Apple's photobooth software and the isight camera. They sent 2 silver phones so we are waiting for the black razr to ship to us for Erika, that way we don't get our phones mixed up. So far this thing rocks, it does everything but vacuum, it has a camera, can access the internet, datebook, record video and has skins and different wallpaper to choose from. The only thing lacking right now are the choices for ring tones, all the built in ones suck, I think its on purpose to get you to go out and buy a new ringtone. I am on the fence with that one, now that I have a phone that can do it, do I really want to?
It has been a long wait, the 1st time I saw one of these I wanted one, it just took until the price came down to $99 to get one.
Posted by mardenhill
12/13/2005 01:03:00 PM
T@B RV
Monday, December 12, 2005
Here is a picture of a Tab RV, they are these micro trailers that are pretty sweet inside. You have a table that folds out into a queen bed, a stove, sink, toilet and lots of storage. Unfortunately the build your own page on their website is not working but the show we were watching a couple weeks ago had them around $10,000. The RV dealer on 96W had one for display but we never knew what they were. Check out their website for more photos, they are suprisingly roomy on the inside. I think the focus could pull this thing, they have a VW Beetle pulling one and they are very light. Not that we are in the market for a camping trailer but if so, this would be a sweet one to have.
www.tab-rv.com
Posted by mardenhill
12/12/2005 11:39:00 AM
Best Of 2005
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Top 15 CDs of 2005
1. Kasabian - Kasabian: This cd is still as fresh as it was the 1st time I listened to it. TTop 15 Chey took what was best of the 90s British music scene, repackaged it and added their own touch to it. Every song is amazing, I just put it on yesterday which gave me the idea to post this. The cd came out in the UK back in Nov of 04 but it didn't hit the US until Mar 05 so I figured I could add it to my list.
2. Ryan Adams - Cold Roses: This was the 1st of 3 cds for Ryan this year and by far the best. It wasn't pure alt country or rock, it was a blend of the 2 and had a very 60's summer feel. Sweet Illusion is a beautiful song that makes you think of a summertime picnic next to the river. Ryan is our Dylan and I hope he continues on releasing music for the next 20 years.
3. Echo & the Bunnymen - Siberia: Echo has been together for over 25 years and they are still going. This cd hits a lot of the styles that Ian and Will have given us and do it without sounding like a greatest hits album. Excellent swirling guitars switching back and forth between rock songs and ballads.
4. Editors - The Back Room: At first I thought they were just another Interpol rip off band but after a few listens this cd is excellent. What makes it amazing is the UK influence in the music, it puts enough distinction to make this cd enjoyable. I am looking forward to their next one, I think these guys have staying power.
5. Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth: Not much to say except that its Oasis, that is enough in itself. They are one of the best live bands and this cd shows how they are growing and not trying to redo Definitely Maybe. Lots of different styles on this cd and Liam's singing somehow seems to be getting better.
6. Son Volt - Okemah And The Melody Of Riot: When Uncle Tupelo split Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy went their separate ways with Jeff being more famous with Wilco. Jay formed Son Volt and has put out some solid releases and never strayed far from the alt country scene. Their latest cd is pure Americana, lots of great guitar rock and sing along songs.
7. Foo Fighters - In Your Honor: Dave Grohl has left Nirvana back in the 90s and blazed thru the last 10 years fronting the Foo Fighters. This cd is a double with one rock and the other acoustic. I have always liked the Foo's they write catchy songs that make u feel good but that aren't cheezy.
8. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better With Franz Ferdinand: This cd is not as good as their debut but it doesn't disappoint either. Lots of fun, catchy, sing along songs that get you dancing.
9. White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan: This cd took a while to like, but Doorbell, The Denial Twist, Blue Orchid and Little Ghost are some of their best. I have stopped going to see them live, not that I don't want to but its become too expensive. I love these guys and I will always support them but come on $50 a ticket is getting a bit steep. For a 2 piece they have made a ton of music with not that much sounding repetitive.
10. The Sights - The Sights: Their sorta major label debut, not quite major but bigger than they were on before. This cd is solid and isn't all over the board like their previous one. Its hard rockin with a mix of blues and r&b. Another Detroit band that deserves to see the big stage.
11. Low - The Great Destroyer: I have never been a big Low fan, their music is too soft and somewhat boring. They kicked it up a notch on this one, its still dark and moody but there is an edge to it that keeps your attention.
12. Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World: Elbow are a very unique band, they don't look like they sound, check out a picture and you will understand. These guys have put more emotion into their music than Radiohead could ever dream of.
13. The National - Alligator: Woxy introduced me to these guys with the song Murder Me Rachel which is amazing. This cd is more subdued but good none the less. The guitars are turned down, no ear piercing Dino Jr solos going on. I think its the baritone vocals and piano that make this cd worth listening. Its not on the level as Mike Johnson or Mark Lanegan but few can make it there.
14. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights: CD 2 of 2005 for Ryan, this is pure country, down and dirty with slide guitar and lots of drinking. I still prefer Cold Roses but its not a bad cd at all, I am not aways in the mood for country so it doesn't get played as much.
15. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl: When I first heard it I didn't believe it was BRMC since the sonic guitars were gone and it was all alt country. After a few listens I really grew to like it, the songs were strong and I didn't have a problem with them heading in this direction. Most people assumed they were British due to their sound but they decided to throw that all away and wear the Americana badge with honor.
There are other amazing cds this year, LCD Soundsystem, Supergrass, The Posies, The Kills, Ryan Adams (29 his 3rd and final of the year), Engineers, Ladytron but I had to stop somewhere. I have finally decided to give Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah a listen, its not bad, lots of Talking Heads and whining vocals to keep you bobbing your head. I am not sold on them but I won't discount them either. I think its a little too quirky for me to really appreciate.
Posted by mardenhill
12/08/2005 08:03:00 PM
Is Bush the Worst Ever?
Richard Reeves: "I have talked with three significant historians in the past few months who would not say it in public, but who are saying privately that Bush will be remembered as the worst of the presidents."Earlier: An informal, unscientific survey of 415 historians conducted by the History News Network found that 338 rate the Bush presidency "an overall failure." Meanwhile, 12% of historians who responded "rate the current presidency the worst in all of American history."
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Let me be on the record to say that Bush is one of the worst presidents ever, the Iraq quagmire, the Medicare boondoggle, the tax cuts that benefit the wealthy, the bloated budgets with more pork than Chicken Shack, FEMA and Katrina. Bush has put this country into debt, made us less safe and drove a wedge between the population, how can this be considered progress?
Posted by mardenhill
12/07/2005 11:11:00 PM
LANSING -- Cheers, Michigan wine sippers.State residents can order their favorite labels sent directly to their homes from vintners in California, Michigan and elsewhere as soon as Gov. Jennifer Granholm signs a bill passed by the House on Tuesday that lets out-of-state and in-state wine makers ship 1,500 cases a year to consumers.
The Senate passed the measure last week.
"The compromise addresses our principles. Pending review, we're planning to sign it," said Liz Boyd, Granholm's press secretary.
Residents have been able to order wine directly from Michigan wineries. This law, stemming from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, will let them get hard-to-find wines from other states, backers say.
The House passed the bill 104-0 and approved a companion bill 103-1 that requires shippers to buy a $100 state license.
Shippers will use an age verification service to make sure minors aren't ordering their products.
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Good news here, we can finally order wine over the internet and it seems like local vineyards will still be able to distribute themselves nd not sell all their wine to a wholesaler. There may be a lawsuit from out of state vineyards against MI since locals can ship to restaurants but they cannot. Out of state will still need to go thru a distributer but can ship to individuals, at least one step in the right direction. Now if Jenny can get to some signing, it will make for a good xmas present for the state.
Posted by mardenhill
12/07/2005 08:21:00 AM
AUSTIN, TexasA judge dismissed the conspiracy charges Monday against Rep. Tom DeLay but refused to throw out the money-laundering counts, dashing the Texas congressman's hopes for now of reclaiming his post as House majority leader. Judge Pat Priest, who is presiding over the case against the Republican, issued the ruling after a hearing late last month in which DeLay's attorney argued that the indictment was fatally flawed.
When he was indicted in September, DeLay was required under House rules to relinquish the leadership post he had held since early 2003. While Monday's ruling was a partial victory for DeLay, he cannot reclaim his post because he remains under indictment.
"The court's decision to dismiss Ronnie Earle's numerous charges against Mr. DeLay underscores just how baseless and politically motivated the charges were," DeLay spokesman Kevin Madden said, referring to the Democratic district attorney who brought the case.
"Mr. DeLay is very encouraged by the swift progress of the legal proceedings and looks forward to his eventual and absolute exoneration based on the facts and the law."
DeLay and two Republican fundraisers, John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, are accused of illegally funneling $190,000 in corporate donations to 2002 Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature. Under Texas law, corporate money cannot be directly used for political campaigns, but it can be used for administrative purposes.
In asking that the case be thrown out, DeLay lawyer Dick DeGuerin argued that one of the charges _ conspiracy to violate the Texas election code _ did not even take effect until September 2003, a year after the alleged offenses occurred.
Prosecutors, however, said the crime of conspiracy was already on the books, and could be applied to the election code even though such uses were not explicitly in state law at the time.
The judge was unpersuaded by that argument, and dismissed the conspiracy charge.
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Doesn't look like Delay will be returning to his previous post as Majority leader, he will be too busy defending himself in a court of law. It sucks that the conspiracy charge was thrown out but that would have been harder to prove than the money laundering ones and we still have his involvement with Abramoff that will keep him down and out for good. I have a feeling that his own district won't re-elect him and they will kick him to the curb. Lets see if his Jesus buddies will come to his defense or if they will stay away, far away. Its coming down and its beautiful to watch the republicscum party fall to its knees. Delay out, next stop Cheney, Rummy, Rove and Frist. There are others that will fall but getting the big guns will be a sight to see.
Posted by mardenhill
12/05/2005 07:21:00 PM
Detroit
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Here are some new pics of Detroit landmarks, to the left is the City Hall that I have been waiting for over a year to take a picture of. They had scaffolding up around the tower doing repairs and I didn't think it would look good on the wall. With the help of Photoshop and lens correction, I was able to cleanup the pictures. It was had to get straight pictures but with the magic of lens correction, I was able to straighten up the angles and make it look like a better picture. The 2nd picture is the old GM headquarters over in the New Center. This one only needed a bit of touchup and the sepia turned out amazing. I added about 8 more photos to our livingroom, besides these two, I have some sculptures, the DIA and the Fisher Bldg to name a few. I need to reprint the Compuware building, the one I have was when they were 3/4s of the way done and now I have a better one with the fountain and Campus Maritus park. If you havn't been inside Compuware you need to check it out, they have a water sculpture that flows from the ceiling, its really amazing.
One little factoid about the old GM headquarters, every office has a window so no one can complain about not having a view. I think its a great building and I hope it doesn't go the way of the train station, I would hate to lose this one.
The key to taking these pictures is to go downtown on a Sunday morning, no one is around and you can get some great ones. I will probably update a few of them next year when the city will look a bit better.
Posted by mardenhill
12/04/2005 07:45:00 PM
Angel's Cafe
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Tonight Erika and I went to Angel's Cafe down in Ferndale for dinner and it was amazing. We hadn't been in a couple years but the food was great, if you have never been you need to check it out. If you go give yourself enough time since everything is freshly made and takes a while to cook. The restaurant has some really cool artwork on the walls and it has a nice cozy feeling inside. The owner/chef/waiter tonight filled us in on his plans for the restaurant. He has recently turned his meals into small and large plates and plans on incorporating more small plates for a bigger variety and cheaper dining. I had the blackened salmon with veggies and roasted potatoes and Erika had tomato and garlic chicken. I had a ceaser salad to start out with and you could tell the dressing was homemade, I have never had anything like it before. Angel's is down on 9 Mile next to Starving Artists and down the street from BW3s that just opened.
Posted by mardenhill
12/03/2005 09:57:00 PM
I signed up for Site Meter earlier this year but didn't have it configured properly so I was tracking my blog as accurately as I could. Well its configured and up and running great now, I get an email sent to me of just stats and I can log into a web portal and check all types of fun stuff. I can see who visited the site by the IP address, it will give the company you work for or your cable provider and there is also a map of the world that you can view. I can also view by location which will give me cities, states and countries, it doesn't get better than this. I can now send emails harassing those of you who are not visiting regularly, I can track you and hunt you down.
Looking at the world map, I have had visitors from as far away as Australia, Africa and Europe. I have had Mexican visitors and all over North America. So Rick go put this in your pipe and smoke it, I got myself a global audience reading my rants and raves. Remember Google started out small and now look at it, stay with me and I can take u to the top....Move over Drudge Report, What's Going On In The Head of Randy is hot on your trail.....
Posted by mardenhill
12/02/2005 10:40:00 PM
Travis reveal new album details
And they've recruited a special backing vocalist
Travis have teamed up with singer KT Tunstall for their next record.
The band have 20 songs for the new record, which is due next year.
Bassist Dougie Payne revealed: "We met (Tunstall) at one of the little club shows we did for the singles collection - the Cavern show in Liverpool. We feel very lucky that she agreed to come in and help us out. She's astonishingly well pitched."
The band have been working with Radiohead producer Nigel Goldrich , who worked on 'The Man Who' and 'The Invisible Band'
"We've got about 20 songs recorded. It sounds like we've got two albums worth of material," Payne told The Daily Record .
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I hope this cd will be better than the last one, I was very disappointed with it, there were about 4 good songs and that was all. If it wasn't for Travis, there would not be a Coldplay.
Posted by mardenhill
12/02/2005 01:33:00 PM
BOR
Thursday, December 01, 2005
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
Bill O'Reilly hits the trifecta with Olbermann
Bill O'Reilly won all three positions and the coveted "Today's worst person in the world!" award
Video-WMP Video-QT
Olbermann: "But tonight's winner: Bill O'Reilly! You know this whole attack on Christmas nonsense that he made up? Some sort of fantasy in which the liberals are coming to your town to force you and your family to not call it Christmas anymore? The fantasy that we can't say "Merry Christmas," but you can only say "Happy Holidays"? The thing designed to stir up religious hatred and paranoia in this country? Guess what they're selling over at the Fox News online store? The Fox News "Holiday" ornament! And the O'Reilly Factor "Holiday" ornament. Who is trying to change "Merry Christmas" into "Happy Holidays"? Bill O'Reilly, that's who. Today's worst person in the world! (Media Matters for the transcript)
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Keith Olbermann, tore BOR apart on his Countdown last nite, gave him the Worse, Worser and Worst Person of the Day award for his attack on liberal blogs, attack on Murtha saying that he would be friends with Hitler and finally the Christmas Tree/Holiday Tree fiasco. BTW, Fox changed the website today to reflect Christmas instead of Holiday, I wonder if some poor soul lost his job over it.
Check out the link above for the video, its very funny.
Posted by mardenhill
12/01/2005 04:39:00 PM
Michigan Senate reaches compromise allowing wine shipments
LANSING, Mich. — Wineries inside and outside of Michigan could directly ship up to 1,500 cases of wine a year to state residents under compromise legislation that received bipartisan support Wednesday from a Senate committee.
The panel voted 5-0 to approve two bills, which would require vintners to get a $100 state license to send wine directly to consumers. The full Senate is expected to pass the legislation Thursday and send it to the House.
“I’m glad the wineries here in Michigan will be able to ship directly to consumers,” said Sen. Michelle McManus, a Lake Leelanau Republican who is sponsoring one bill. “I think that’s a basic right they’ve enjoyed for a number of years and will continue to enjoy because we’ve reached this compromise.”
The legislation would let Michigan consumers buy wine from out-of-state wineries, a victory for wine enthusiasts. Unlike a bill approved in the House, it also would allow vintners to distribute wine on their own to restaurants and retailers.
Michigan’s 42 wineries had complained that curtailing that activity would drastically harm their sales.
Direct shippers would pay taxes to the state under the bills. Wineries also would have to obtain a faxed copy of the buyer’s driver’s license or use an age-verification service to make sure minors couldn’t buy alcohol on the Internet.
The Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association, a key group involved in the debate over wine shipments, supports the compromise.
— David Eggert, Associated Press
-- November 30, 2005
Posted by mardenhill
12/01/2005 08:45:00 AM
