Hackett vs Schmidt
Friday, July 29, 2005

A race we should be following. This is the House seat in Ohio between an Iraq War vet and scandal ridden Jean Schmidt who has been receiving money from Delay to help her win. Paul Hackett a vet is running as a Dem and has been the focus of another swift boat smear campaign. People have been saying that Paul wasn't in combat and more lies but all have been proven false. Paul has a great military record and the repubs are scared to death of losing this race. This is what happens when you disagree with this administration, look at everyone who has left the admin, they have been tar and feathered for speaking their mind. You got a vet who will tell the truth about Iraq and possibly be in Washington, what a combination. We need to support this guy, its not our race but its important that he succeeds. Getting back to the picture, Jean Schmidt's campaign manager is into bondage and has a profile out there on AOL.

Why is this important, well Jean is running on a family values platform and all the while has skeletons in her own campaign's closet. Now I have no problem with bondage, but I bet a lot of Jean's voters would so its important to point out the hyprocrisy of the situation. Time and time again, we find all these jesus freaks wrapped up in what they consider deviant behaivor and just use the line, "forgive me, i have sinned" to get out of it. If they want to engage in this behaviour thats fine with me, don't publically rail against it and then do it in private but get all weepy when you are caught. Why don't you see as many democratic sex scandals, yes you have the big ones but for the most part, the dems dont demonize it and if they are caught oh well they admit it and move on. You run on family values and get caught up in a sex scandal then u are fair game and deserve any public humiliation that you receive.

http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2005/07/time-to-get-scrunchy.html

Here is a link to Paul Hackett's website:

http://www.hackettforcongress.com/

Posted by mardenhill 7/29/2005 09:56:00 AM 1 comments    

Santorum Speaks Again

Hey guess what, our favorite gay bashing, single mother/working mother hating, boston blaming, family values jesus freak is back in the news, he now says he is open to running for president in 2008. Dude, u need to make it thru your own 2006 election before thinking of the presidency. Last time I checked, you were 11 points behind in the polls and there is enough ammo to bury you 10x over.

Santorum Now Open to '08 White House Run

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two days after saying he had no intention of running for president in 2008, Republican Sen. Rick Santorum said Wednesday there was a slight possibility he could run after all.

"There's a remote chance that that could change, but that's not my intention," Santorum told The Associated Press between television rounds to promote his new book, "It Takes a Family."
Separately, he said he wanted to "leave this little window open" because he didn't know what might happen between now and the election, according to a story posted on the Philadelphia Inquirer Web site.

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20050727181409990014

Posted by mardenhill 7/29/2005 09:32:00 AM 1 comments    

WineCam News
Wednesday, July 27, 2005

I just got this email from winecam today and it is good news but also a bit disturbing. I had no idea that my rep Andy Meisner was a co-sponsor of the bill but I am glad that he has had a change of heart. I have called his office along with sending him emails regarding this issue and was under the impression he was on my side. The form letters he has sent me twice were fence riders but now I know his true feelings. I like to think that my contacting him helped sway his position and I plan on keeping up the pressure. As for Betty Mercer from Safe And Responsible aka Wholesalers front grp is still on my hit list. I have emailed her 3x now and still no repsonse. I plan on harrassing her until she answers me, and if that takes multiple email addresses and phone calls then so be it.

NEWS from WineCAM

THERE'S GOOD NEWS FROM LANSING:Legislators begin to “reconsider” their supportfor a wine shipping ban

The political tide is slowly turning in favor of direct wine peshipments to Michigan consumers, according to a report published by a Lansing “insider” news service.

Gongwer News Service (www.gongwer.com) said in a copyrighted article that “a storm of protest has engulfed” the legislation to ban winery-to consumer shipments. They noted that at least 10 newspaper editorials had criticized the ban, and that many of the bill’s legislative co-sponsors were having second thoughts.

"I did co-sponsor it, but I will say I'm keeping an open mind for a compromise to be reached," said Rep. Andy Meisner (D-Ferndale), noting the considerable negative reaction to the bill. Meisner told Gongwer that he was hearing similar sentiments from other legislators.

"Boy oh boy," said Rep. Shelley Taub (R-Bloomfield Hills), when asked if she was reconsidering her co-sponsorship of the ban. She said she has been "kind of surprised" by the ferocious criticism the bill had drawn, and expected the final product would allow some direct shipment.

Gongwer quoted WineCAM’s Lansing lobbyist, Gary Naeyaert, saying that most legislators “are coming to the conclusion that we want to find that middle ground between unlimited, unregulated shipping, which nobody advocates, and a total ban on all shipments, which very few advocate,"


WHAT WE NEED TO DO NOW:Keep up our calls, letters, faxes and emails – and ask our friends to do the same

There’s a reason the tide is turning – and WE are a big part of it! Thousands of Michiganians have already contacted state legislators to say that we want the right to order directly from our favorite wineries.

But we can’t stop now. We need to keep the pressure going until every legislator hears from dozens, even hundreds, of constituents who don’t want this shipping ban passed.

If you haven’t contacted your legislators – or aren’t sure who they are – click here to find contact info for your Representative and here for your Senator. We’ve been told that the BEST way to contact them is to telephone their offices directly and ask them to return your call. Next best are letters and faxes. Emails also work, but they’re the least effective.

If you’ve already contacted them, don't hesitate to contact them again to ask if they’ve decided how they’re coming down on the issue. If they reply with the totally-discredited “protect our children” line, let them know that both the courts and Federal Trade Commission have rejected that argument – and you won’t accept it for an answer, either.

But even before you do that – please forward this email to a half dozen Michigan friends who enjoy wine, and ask them to do the same. And please ask them to sign up as supporters at the WineCAM web site: www.winecam.org/support.htm.

Posted by mardenhill 7/27/2005 11:20:00 PM 3 comments    

Chumeia Pinot Noir
Tuesday, July 26, 2005

I just opened this bottle yesterday and it is great, I just finished a glass before typing this. I got the bottle from Simply Wine in Birmingham, yeah they opened a 2nd store the 1st still in Ferndale. Ed the owner recommended this one and I have to tell ya, he knows what he is talking about. Its a $15 pinot noir from California that will knock your socks off. I am a big fan of Oregon pinots but they tend to be pricey so I don't get them all the time. New Zealand pinots are good but still a little thin so the next best thing is California. You can still get some expensive pinots from Napa but look elsewhere for excellent wines and great prices.

"This Pinot Noir is very deep and dark with more concentration than the previous vintage. This wine will take some time to unwind in the glass, but when it does, look out and hold on!"

Winemaker Lee Nesbitt

Detailed Wine Information
Acidity: .69
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bottling Date: March 03, 2005
Harvest Date: September 1, 2003
Oak: French
Release Date: April 30, 2005
Sugar: .08%
Time In Oak: 14 Months
Varietal: 100%
Vineyard Notes: Silva Vineyard, Edna Valley

Winemakers Notes: Pinot Noir can be a very challenging to make, let alone make well. We feel that the initial selection of quality fruit makes a winemakers life easier. Such was the case with this Pinot Noir. Primary fermentation was monitored for 14 days at 80f. Gentle, cold pressings followed to ensure finesse in the wine. The wine was barrel aged in one year old French oak for 14 months. Cooperage included Damy, Cadus and Remond.
Year: 2003

http://www.chumeiavineyards.com/catalog/index.jsp

Posted by mardenhill 7/26/2005 10:08:00 PM 1 comments    

Motorola Q

Posted by mardenhill 7/26/2005 05:00:00 PM 0 comments    

Motorola Q

Good news for Good Technology and more bad news for Blackberry. No one cares anymore about Blackberry's they are yesterday's technology. Good Technology will end up working with Motorola and allow their software to run on the new Q phone. The phone will run Windows Mobile on it and just like the iPaqs, Axim, Seimens and Treos you would be able to access your work email. Well provided your office is running a Goodlink server and you have $330 a year to spare. Good Technology separated themselves from Blackberry by getting out of the hardware side of things and started licensing their product instead. I checked out the Q phone, its pretty cool go to www.motorola.com to see it. Treo's are still the best handheld for all in one, but this will give the Windows side of the handhelds a run for their money and I can't wait to see it.

Motorola takes on BlackBerry with Q
But iTunes phone is still under wraps

Ken Young, vnunet.com 26 Jul 2005

Motorola has unveiled a range of wireless devices for the second half of the year, including a BlackBerry-like phone with a full Qwerty keyboard.

The Motorola Q is based on the ultra-thin design of its popular Razr phone and is roughly half the weight of other Qwerty handsets. It uses Microsoft's recently launched Windows Mobile 5.0 software.

The company also unveiled its Razrwire sunglasses that offer wireless hands-free connections to Bluetooth-enabled devices. In partnership with Oakley, the glasses will be available in early August.

Motorola also launched Ojo, a video phone that supports a greetings and mail, and Rokr, a family of music phones with dedicated music keys, music player interfaces, extensive memory and long battery life.

But some analysts questioned Motorola's strategy. "It is interesting that the long awaited iTunes phone has been further delayed," said Jerome Buvat, strategic business consultant at Cap Gemini Telecom, Media and Entertainment.

"And there is a growing demand for simple phones, so I am not sure that pursuing a cutting edge phone strategy is the right way to capture market share. "

Posted by mardenhill 7/26/2005 04:51:00 PM 2 comments    

Treasongate by the Numbers.....
Monday, July 25, 2005

http://democrats.senate.gov/leak.html

CIA Leak Case By the Numbers

Number of days after the article outing Ambassador Wilson's wife appeared that the White House required its staff to turn over evidence relating to the leak: 85

Approximate hours between then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez's advance notification to White House Chief of Staff Andy Card that he would require staff to turn over evidence relating to the case and formal notification to staff of that requirement: 12

Minimum number of times an Administration official leaked classified information about the identity of Ambassador Wilson's wife: 11

Minimum number of times after the beginning of the Justice Department's investigation that White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan claimed Karl Rove was not involved: 5

Number of press conferences since evidence linking Karl Rove to the leak was made public where Press Secretary McClellan has refused to comment on the case, citing an ongoing criminal investigation: 7

Minimum number of hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate accusations against President Clinton involving the "Whitewater" case: 20

Total hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate the leak of the covert identity of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife: 0

Posted by mardenhill 7/25/2005 04:30:00 PM 2 comments    

Willie Wonka

Erika and I went and saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last nite at the AMC 30 in Sterling Heights which now has an IMAX theatre. The screen is not a dome just a large screen but it was still worth the extra couple bucks that they tack on to see a movie in there. I am not saying every movie should be viewed on the IMAX screen but this was one that was made for it. Tim Burton is the only director that could have pulled this off, he did a great job at telling the story and separating it from the original movie. For starters, Willie Wonka was more excentric and the storyline dove into Willie's childhood. The Umpa Loompas were not as clownlike, they were more just little people that sang songs and danced around. The only problem with the movie was the close resemblence to Michael Jackson with Willie and the pale face. Some of the dialog screamed Jackson but I think its because we just spent the last year with him on trial. We went to the 9:45pm movie and there were parents who brought kids, I was a bit suprised seeing that we didn't get home til midnight. If you havn't seen it, go, Johnny Depp is great in it, you barely recognize that it is him.

Posted by mardenhill 7/25/2005 11:05:00 AM 2 comments    

Bob Schieffer to the Rescue
Sunday, July 24, 2005

Well Bob knows whats up, this morning on Face The Nation, Bob called out Gonzolas regarding Plamegate. Gonzolas received notification that he needed to provide the Justice Dept with all info but took 12 hrs to notify the administration. So how many documents were destroyed before everyone was told to hand it over. Hey guess what, we may have another Enron on our hands, how much do u want to bet there was a document destroying party that nite.


As White House counsel, [Alberto Gonzales] was the one first notified that the Justice Department, at the request of the C.I.A., had opened an investigation into the outing of Joseph Wilson’s wife. That notification came at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2003, but it took Mr. Gonzales 12 more hours to inform the White House staff that it must “preserve all materials” relevant to the investigation.

On CBS’s Face the Nation, host Bob Schieffer noted that this time gap would have “give[n] people time to shred documents and do any number of things.” Gonzales argued that he asked for and received permission from the Justice Department to wait until the next morning to order White House staff to preserve all documents regarding their contacts with journalists about Valerie Plame. But he did tell one person the night before…

SCHIEFFER: Let me just ask you the obvious question, Mr. Attorney General. Did you tell anybody at the White House, get ready for this, here it comes?

GONZALES: I, I told one person, ah, in, in the White House of, of the notification, and, and —

SCHIEFFER: Who?

GONZALES: and immediately — ah, I told the chief of staff. And immediately the next morning, I told the President and, shortly thereafter, there was a notification sent out to all the members of the White House staff.

Posted by mardenhill 7/24/2005 05:33:00 PM 3 comments    

Busting Republican Lies

Lets look at some of the facts, the CIA called for an investigation right after the leak was published by the traitor Bob Novak, if Valerie wasn't undercover or important to the CIA I doubt they would have went forth with it. Valerie was undercover, not just some deskjockey and no, her neighbors did not know what she did.

CIA's Tenet was 'furious' over leak, Schumer says

Former agency chief called Justice Dept. to investigateBy DOUGLAS TURNER News Washington Bureau Chief7/23/2005

WASHINGTON - Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed Friday that two years ago he discussed the blown cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame with then CIA director George Tenet and that Tenet "was furious."

Tenet promptly called the Justice Department to demand an investigation into who in the Bush administration leaked Plame's identity to columnist Robert Novak, Schumer said at a hearing held by House and Senate Democrats.

Novak revealed Plame's identity in July 2003 in a column in which he said she played a key role in having her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, sent to Niger to investigate reports that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had tried to buy materials for a nuclear weapon there.
The Democratic panel heard from five former CIA operatives who said the disclosure of Plame's classified identity was a breach of the law that forbids government officials from revealing the identity of an undercover intelligence officer and a violation of trust that has harmed America's intelligence-gathering capabilities.

"What is important now is not who wins or loses the political battle or who may or may not be indicted," said Jim Marcinkowski, a central intelligence agent in the 1980s.
"Rather, it is a question of how we will go about protecting the citizens of this country in a very dangerous world. The undisputed fact is that we have irreparably damaged our capability to collect human intelligence and thereby significantly diminished our capability to protect the American people."

Another former CIA operative, Larry Johnson, said "we must put to bed the lie that (Plame) was not undercover. For starters, if she had not been undercover, then the CIA would not have referred the matter to the Justice Department."

Johnson said that "despite the repeated claims of representatives for the Republican National Committee, the Wilsons' neighbors did not know where Valerie really worked until Novak's op-ed appeared."

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., said Bush is "affirmatively" required by several presidential directives to discipline any official in his administration who had a role in leaking classified information.

Bush cannot wait for an indictment and trial to determine whether leakers committed a crime, Waxman said. Presidential directives mandate he discipline all who had a role.
Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper has revealed that Bush's deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, and Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., had told him that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Rove has not disputed that he told Cooper that Wilson's wife worked for the agency but has said through his lawyer that he did not mention her by name.

Bush, who once said he would discipline anyone who leaked the information, now says he will wait to see who is convicted in the investigation run by special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.
Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, said at worst the leak is treason and at best, an abuse of power.

Posted by mardenhill 7/24/2005 03:08:00 PM 2 comments    

Rove & Novak Sitting in a Tree.....
Thursday, July 21, 2005

Hey look, its our 2 favorite republican goons posing for the camera back in 2003, the best part of it all is the button that Rove is wearing. It states "I'm a Source not a Target". Hmm, whats that supposed to mean, I have a feeling it was a jab at the whole investigation back in 03, a chance to mock the whole Valerie Plame outing. Well buddy, guess who's laughing now. Good ole Benedict Novak and Rove posing together, letting us know that they're on top and we are just a bunch of trash. Well boys, I think the tables are turning, both of you should and hopefully will go down for your treasonous act.

Posted by mardenhill 7/21/2005 09:11:00 AM 1 comments    

CNN vs Fox
Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Bill Hemmer has moved to Fox News, come August he will be working the afternoon shift. Good riddens, he was such a tool on CNN in the morning and I am glad he is gone. The article said that CNN wanted to send him to the White House as a coorespondent but Bill didn't want to move to DC so he left and went to Fox. Bill was a conservative host and was a jackass on most interviews. Soledad is currently on the morning along with the newcomer Miles O'Brian. I wasn't sure what was going on, it was Miles in for Bill and then the opening was changed to just Miles. He is a good interviewer, he actually asks real questions and treats the morning show like an actual newscast. Both Jack McCafferty and Toure are gone from the morning, I liked watching them not sure why they're gone. While we are on the topic of cable news shows, I have to say I love the Tucker Carlson show The Situation on MSNBC. Its on at 9pm and he has Rachel Maddow from Air America and some lady from daytime MSNBC discussing current events. The show is fastpaced and Rachel does a great job for the left. Tucker does a better job than he did on Crossfire, I think that show was just getting old. Check it out next time you are channel surfing at 9pm.

Posted by mardenhill 7/20/2005 03:37:00 PM 0 comments    

Direct Shipping Update
Tuesday, July 19, 2005

This is from a wine blog that I read, the guy who writes this is right on and has been reporting on the Michigan situation for months now. I am still waiting for a response from Betty Mercer, looking thru his article, it seems like he was able to call her out on her lies. I know that I will not hear from her, but still sending emails makes me feel like I am doing something. The technology for direct shipping and verification is here, so it all goes back to profits and the complete control of wine on behalf of the distributors.


http://www.fermentations.typepad.com/

Technology Combats Wine Wholesaler Hypocrisy

I'm not convinced that facts and reason drive the debates that ensue when a state begins to reconsider their wine shipping laws. Both California and Michigan have taken up the issue of direct shipping in the wake of the May Supreme Court decision that found discriminatory wine laws unconstitutional. In both cases, lobbying and the power of wholesaler money has resulted in taking facts and reason off the table. In California, wholesalers successfully prevented most other states' retailers from shipping to California. In Michigan, that State's wholesalers have purchased the introduction of a bill to ban all shipping.

Nevertheless, those who would propose liberalizing wine shipping laws are obligated to address arguments against direct shipping of wine. Today, there is really only one argument against direct shipping that needs to be addressed: The bogus claim that direct shipping threatens youth who, it is said, are likely to use the Internet to access alcohol.

Most recently Betty Mercer, Executive Director of the alcohol wholesaler funded front "Coalition for Safe and Responsible Michigan" testified that 10% of America's youth obtain alcohol via the Internet. She made this claim in front of the Committee of Regulatory Reform as she testified in favor of a wholesaler-purchased bill that that would ban all direct shipping in Michigan. What makes her claim really ugly is not so much that is completely false, but rather that she KNOWS it is false. I know this because I spoke with her on the phone and explained that this claim is a complete misinterpretation of a study that was conducted over a decade ago and I pointed her to the documents that confirm this.

This episode in hypocrisy is par for the course, but it also points to the urgency of combating this notion that direct shipping of wine will endanger America's youth.

This is why a national wine organizations embrace of technology that makes it simple to identify exactly who is ordering wine is important to the debate over Direct Shipping.

WineAmerica is a national organization representing over 800 wineries in nearly every state in America. They recently partnered with IDology to offer its members access to IDology's IDlive system of verifying the age and identity of those ordering through the telephone or over the Internet. The IDlive system strikes at the heart of the argument that alcohol sales can't really be monitored, the claim that comes up in ever debate on direct shipping.

The irony of wholesalers arguing that minors are endangered by direct shipping is huge when you consider that alcohol wholesalers are intimately connected to the sale of nearly every bottle of alcohol that teens drink since nearly ever drink that goes down the throat of minors and in some cases results in deaths through auto accidents at one point or another goes through the hands of wholesalers.

IDlive will give proponents of on-line wine sales and direct shipping of wine a real world technology that can be held up against the claim that Internet wines sales will entice minors to buy wine via remotely.

Whether politicians will embrace the meaning of this great new technology is unknown. However, it's a key tool in combating the hypocrisy of the likes of Betty Mercer and the wholesalers who pay her and those other around the country who aren't worried about minors, but rather about coffers.

Posted by mardenhill 7/19/2005 08:40:00 AM 3 comments    

Poll Numbers on Rove, Doesn't Look Good

www.dailykos.com

Republicans not buying Rove spin by kos Mon Jul 18th, 2005 at 17:18:32 PDT

ABC News poll.
First of all:

Should Karl Rove Be Fired If He Leaked Classified Information?
Yes No
All 75% 15%
Republicans 71 17
Independents 74 17
Democrats 83 12

And then this:

Skepticism about the administration's cooperation has jumped. As the initial investigation began in September 2003, nearly half the public, 47 percent, believed the White House was fully cooperating. That fell to 39 percent a few weeks later, and it's lower still, 25 percent, in this new ABC News poll.

This view is highly partisan; barely over a tenth of Democrats and just a quarter of independents think the White House is fully cooperating. That grows to 47 percent of Republicans -- much higher, but still under half in the president's own party. And doubt about the administration's cooperation has grown as much among Republicans -- by 22 points since September 2003 -- as it has among others.

These results mean two things -- first of all, the efforts by the GOP and their allies to muddy the waters and turn this into a partisan issue are failing.

Second, this illustrates a growing disconnect between the GOP elite and the rest of the country. While the party leadership, conservative punditry and wingnutophere place the elephant above the stars and stripes (see last night's rant), it's clear that the vast majority of the Americans still place their country first. And that thankfully goes for the Republican rank and file.

Most people -- Red, Blue, or Independent -- still know the difference between right and wrong, and aren't willing to let partisanship cloud their judgment.

Posted by mardenhill 7/19/2005 08:34:00 AM 4 comments    

More RNC LIES!!!!!!
Sunday, July 17, 2005

For starters, Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman is a big giant jack ass. The guy makes Ed Gillespie look good, its that bad. Ken was on Meet the Press and as usual gave the republican talking points the whole time, would not deviate and put up the biggest bullshit front ever seen. Ken continued to spin it that Friday's evidence exonerated Rove and that everyone owes him an apology. He said it so many times that it lends creedence to the theory that the story is fake and was planted to take the heat off of Rove. All day friday the talking heads went round and round with the document and continued their assult on Joe Wilson. Here is an exerpt from this morning's meet the press, pretty interesting if you as me. Just wait Fitzpatrick, you are next for the republican smear machine.

Ken Mehlman: Would not Pledge not to attack Fitzgerald if he indicts any White House official

Mehlman appeared on MTP today and started off using the "chewbacca defense ": ...on the basis of information which actually vindicates and exonerates him, not implicates him." Then Mehlman said this:
Video -WMP
Video -QT
Russert: You say you have tremendous confidence in Pat Fitzgerald.

Mehlman: I do.
Russert: If in fact he indicts White House officials, will you accept that indictment and not fight it?

Mehlman: Uh, first of all, I'm the chairman of the Republican National Committee. I'm not an attorney for anybody. Uh, the fact is, uh, I look forward to his getting to the bottom of this. I can't speak for.

Russert: But, but if he indicts White House officials, will you pledge today because you have tremendous confidence in him that you will not criticize his decision?

Mehlman: Uh, again, I'm not going to speculate. I have tremendous confidence in him. I look to him to get to the bottom of this. Whatever he does, I can assure you people are going to follow and are going to look to abide by, but --

Podesta: Say yes

Mehlman: I think it would be inappropriate for me as the RNC chairman to say what legal strategy people may take in the future.

Russert: But if you have tremendous confidence in him, then you will accept and respect his decision?

Mehlman: I look forward to hearing what he has to say and I intend to respect what he has to say, but again I'm not going to speculate on what he might do.
Think Progress has more: White House Facing Credibility Deficit

Posted by mardenhill 7/17/2005 03:50:00 PM 2 comments    

Baby Who?
Friday, July 15, 2005

There are some people who should just get it over with and let us live a life without their misery and Pete Doherty is one of them. He broke up the Libertines, not that they were anything special but his continued drug abuse is a page out of every other rock star tradegy we have been thru in the last 50 years. Pete, you suck, your new band is crap and if you are going to continue to cancel shows and and put out mediocre music, OD so we can move on. You screwed Oasis the other day by no showing and now you are pulling your tour. You are nothing special, you are not the Kurt Kobain of the new Millenia, we are tired of your antics it has been done before. It pisses me off that the kids of England look up to this piece of trash and accept this as rock n roll. Liam and Noel never behaved like this, they were smart with how they marketed themselves and delivered.


BABYSHAMBLES POSTPONE TOUR

BABYSHAMBLES have postponed their summer tour.

The band were due to undertake a jaunt round the country to promote forthcoming single Fuck Forever, however this afternoon the promoter informed agents that the tour was postponed.

A spokesperson for the band said the reason is so the band can complete their debut album.

The dates will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Posted by mardenhill 7/15/2005 09:34:00 AM 1 comments    

The Reunion Continues......

PIXIES TO MAKE FIRST ALBUM IN 14 YEARS

Reformed alt-rock legends PIXIES are planning to record their first album in 14 years.
The band’s frontman Black Francis has confirmed the band, who got back together last year to huge acclaim, are preparing to make their first studio album since 1991’s ’Trompe Le Monde’.
He told The Sun: “It's all hugs and kisses, I'm pleased to report.

"We have been discussing recording a new album lately. As happy as we are with the success of the reunion tour, we really want to make a record for the right reasons, whether it is successful commercially or not."

He added: "We would be satisfied if it played like our other records, never chart-topping but always in print."

Since the band got back together they have recorded two songs - ’Bam Thwok’ - which was rejected for the ’Shrek 2’ soundtrack and then released as a download-only single, and a cover of Warren Zevon’s ’Ain’t That Pretty At All’, which appeared on ’Enjoy Every Sandwich’, a tribute album to the late singer.

Pixies headline this year’s Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals between August 27 and 29.

Black Francis releases a new solo album under the name Frank Black next week (July 18). ’Honeycomb’ is the first record he’s done alone since 1996’s ’The Cult Of Ray’.

Posted by mardenhill 7/15/2005 09:27:00 AM 1 comments    

Principessa Gavi
Thursday, July 14, 2005

Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a fair young princess named Gavia, daughter of Clodimir, king of the Franks and son of Clovis I. As young maidens are wont to do, she fell in love with a handsome young man who served as a guard in her father's court. The couple sought the king's permission to marry, but he refused to have his daughter wed out of her class. He forbade them to see each other. Desperately in love, the young couple eloped, fleeing to a distant part of the kingdom and settling in a sleepy village on the other side of the alps.

For a long time, they eluded the king's troops who scoured the land in search of the newlyweds. Alas, one night after enjoying a generous amount of a charming local white wine, the groom became loose-lipped and confided their story to the local innkeeper. The innkeeper nodded and feigned sympathy, but after sending the groom off to bed he sent word to the king and collected a handsome reward. Troops gathered up the couple and brought them back to the king to face their punishment. By this time word of the romance had spread throughout the kingdom, and there were intercessions on Gavia's behalf by Alamasunta, Queen of the Goths, as well as Pope St. Hermistas. The King, of course, upon looking into his lovely daughter's eyes, could not help but forgive her. He blessed their union, and as a wedding gift he bequeathed them the town which they had chosen to settle in. In her honor he gave the name Gavi to the town as well as the charming white wine that was responsible for her husband's indiscretion. It is said today that the romance lives on in each glass of Principessa Gavia Gavi.

PRINCIPESSA GAVIAGavi D.O.C.G.
Considered the premier dry white wine of Italy, Principessa Gavi compares favorably with the world's noble wines. Superlative with a distinct personality, Principessa is fruity, fresh and crisp with a gentle acidity and balanced finish.An ideal accompaniment with all shellfish, it also marries well with fish, veal and grilled chicken, as well as with the delicate flavor variations of Japanese cuisine.

Gavi Wine Information

Gavi comes from the Piedmont area of Italy, and is made primarily with the Cortese grape. The two wines coming out of this region are Gavi and Cortese di Gavi. This is Italy's most expensive white wine shipped to the US. Gavi, for Italians, is the standard "Bianco" (white). Gavi tends to have a straw color and a neutral, mild aroma. It is very acidic. Its unassuming flavor is usually fruity, persistent, dry and balanced. Gavi goes very well with fish.

Gavi is best drunk young - it peaks after a year, and it is only drinkable for another 2-3 years after that. Gavi should be drunk at 48F.

......................................................................

I was down at Simply Wine in Ferndale and the owner recommended this bottle to me, I had no idea what it was but he said just drink it and let me know what you think. The bottle was about $13 and let me tell ya, it rocked, its very fruity, dry and crisp. Its not as bold as a Sauvignaun Blanc from New Zealand but it has its own characteristics that makes it so good. I just found the website with all the history and some other sites that talked about the style and grape. I am still learning about Italian wine, there are so many grape varieties out there that it will be like going back to school. I was at an Italian restaurant in Ann Arbor where I had a red wine flight which was ok but not spectacular. Some of them are good but too many taste the same which is quite boring. I will continue experimenting and discover those super tuscans that people seem to rave about.

http://www.vinibanfi.com/gavia.html

http://www.simply-wine.net/

Posted by mardenhill 7/14/2005 09:08:00 AM 0 comments    

Karl Rove, Our Favorite Punching Bag
Wednesday, July 13, 2005

This was posted yesterday but I didn't get a chance to post it here. I think its safe to say that Karl will not face jail time over this, probably get a slap on the wrist but its still fair to hold him to the fire over this. If we don't this just sets the presidence that its ok to leak and weasel your way out of it. There is a bunch of legal hairsplitting going on, the argument that Karl never said the name, just Joe Wilson's wife and he was trying to prevent false information being included in the Times article. Say I was a mob boss and ordered a hit on joe schmoe's wife, I didn't give her name but acknowledged that it was Joe's wife, the hitmen if they do not know already can go out to public records and look up the name and address. They carry out the hit, can I be held liable for ordering it? Why yes, I never said her name but I implied and gave enough info to trace it to the person, this is the same thing Karl did, he aluded to the person and the reporter connected the last part of the puzzle.

This is why the investigation needs to go on, if Karl didn't leak it, or if he did but got the info from someone else in the administration (i.e. Cheney) then this needs to be made public. The outing was a political payback, a smear campaign against Joe Wilson for coming public about the lie Bush was pushing between Saddam and Niger. The repubs have been spinning this so much, you would think Karl was the victim here, he was burned by the reporter and big bad Joe Wilson got away with slandering the prez. Its amazing how low the repubs will stoop to smear a whistleblower.

I find this interesting, I am upset none of the MSM have picked up on it, this info would paint a better picture of what kind of character Karl Rove really is.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/7/11/155029/380

Rove was caught for leaking to Novak in '92 and was fired by Bush Sr.
by janfrel From the diaries--Chris
I had forgotten about this:

Rove fired from Bush Sr's '92 campaign over leak to Novak. Karl Rove was fired from the 1992 re-election campaign of Bush Sr. for allegedly leaking a negative story about Bush loyalist/fundraiser Robert Mosbacher to Novak. Novak's piece described a meeting organized by then-Senator Phil Gramm at which Mosbacher was relieved of his duties as state campaign manager because "the president's re-election effort in Texas has been a bust." Rove was fired after Mosbacher fingered him as Novak's source.

Rove was the "only one with a motive to leak": Mosbacher says: "I said Rove is the only one with a motive to leak this. We let him go." The motive in question? Mosbacher had given Rove only a quarter of the $1 million spent on direct mail contracts for the 92 campaign; Rove, who in 1988 had the entire direct mail contract, therefore had an axe to grind with Mosbacher. Novak's column stated: "Also attending the session was political consultant Karl Rove, who had been shoved aside by Mosbacher."

Mosbacher still says Rove did it: Although Novak and Rove continue to deny Rove was the source of the leak, Mosbacher recently stated "I still believe he did it."

(Sources: "Karl and Bob: a leaky history," Houston Chronicle, Nov. 7, 2003, ; "Genius," Texas Monthly, March 2003, p. 82; "Why Are These Men Laughing," Esquire, January 2003)

Update (Chris): Rep. Slaughter points out that Bush promised to fire whoever was responsible for the leak:

During a White House Press Briefing on September 30, 2003 President Brush said the following in response to a question regarding the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity, "... if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of." When asked at a post G-8 Summit News Conference on June 10, 2004 if he stood by his statement that he would fire whoever was responsible for the leak, Bush said, "Yes. And that's up to the U.S. attorney to find the facts."

We know that Rove was responsible for the leak. Now, let's see Bush keep his word.

Posted by mardenhill 7/13/2005 09:06:00 AM 1 comments    

One More Reason Napster Sucks
Monday, July 11, 2005

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/09/napster_rochester_survey/

Students who are forced to pay for the Napster service at college are not even buying music from it, they are turning to iTunes and Musicmatch. Napster 2.0 launched too late and their rental service is going nowhere. No one wants to rent music and pay every month or face losing it. Plus it only works on the inferior mp3 players out there, no ipod here. iTunes on the other hand is going like gangbusters, they just announced their latest campaign for the 500 millionth song downloaded, 10 free ipods, 10,000 dowloads and a trip to see Coldplay in Europe. Right now the current tally 491,009,225. iTunes did do the free song with Pepsi and is currently doing the Slurpee promotion but 500 million is a lot of tracks expecially when the record labels laughed at the idea of digital downloads. I am interested to see what the prize for the 1 billionth will be, that will be something to see.

Posted by mardenhill 7/11/2005 05:03:00 PM 0 comments    

Detroit Uncorked
Saturday, July 09, 2005

Erika and I plan on going again this year, if anyone is interested let me know. Last year we had a great time, sampled a ton of wines, and afterwards went to Agave on Woodward. We havnt been back there since but this would be a good reason to go back again. While on the wine subject, I got a letter back from State Rep Andy Meisner who stated that he supports direct shipping and is working on the issue. I plan on pressing him more to make sure he sticks with it.

A special ticket pre-sale for the second annual Detroit Uncorked, being held Friday, October 7 from 6:30-9 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit is underway FOR DWO MEMBERS ONLY. Considering that tickets for last year's event sold out in advance, this is a great opportunity for DWO members to secure their place at the Midwest's premier wine event before tickets go on sale to the general public on July 15.
We're pleased to announce that Ford Motor Co. is our presenting sponsor once again, and that proceeds from the event will go to The Children's Center, a Detroit-based charity that serves kids and families at risk. The event will feature 800 wines from around the world, light hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, a silent auction and more.
DWO members will also receive $5 off the regular ticket price of $75.
Click here to purchase your tickets now.

http://www.detroitwine.org/join.html

Posted by mardenhill 7/09/2005 06:23:00 PM 2 comments    

4th of July Weekend
Thursday, July 07, 2005

Erika and I have had a busy week, sorry for not posting. On Thursday we had a rehersal dinner downriver and then the wedding on Friday. That nite Alison, Erika and I headed out for Delaware to visit Erika's aunt and uncle. The drive was long, 12 hrs and we hit a ton of traffic crossing the Chesapeake Bay bridge and all the way into Delaware. The house is great, its on the Delaware Bay within a strip of 30 other houses overlooking the water. The beach is a bit rocky and not really for swimming but the view was fantastic. It was great to wake up to the sound of the water and the sunrise.

We went swimming down on one of the public beaches and did some body boarding and surfing. I did get one good run on the body board but lost my sunglasses in the process of bringing the board back out to the others. Yes this is my 2nd pair I have lost in the water which really sucks, I was forced to shell out some dollars for a new pair. I had made my run and was walking back into the water to drop off the board will the intention of retiring to the beach when I was accosted by a wave that ripped my glasses off.

We had Maryland crab which was fun but a pain to eat. You had to break off the legs, open the shell and all that, very messy. We had lots of great wine, her aunt is a big fan so we sat back and drank most of it.

Alison bought a surfboard which was the worse part of the trip, we had to strap it on the top of the vibe and the whole way home it vibrated. We had to tailgate semi's to prevent the board from making noise. We did stop at Ikea in Baltimore to pick up our entertainment center for the livingroom, now we just need to wait for our floors to be refinished at the end of the month.

Posted by mardenhill 7/07/2005 05:38:00 PM 3 comments    

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