This Beaujolais had loads of old-fashioned Beaujolais character. A great pick for summer drinking. As with most Beaujolais, it tastes best when it's a little cooler that normal room temperature (but not chilled). Pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before drinking.
Eye: Beautiful, pure crystalline ruby, with a hint of violet at the rim.
Nose: Classic old-style Beaujolais scents of hard cherry candy, granite, and brambly earth.
Mouth: Very pure cherry/mineral flavors. Very good concentration and weight, yet with that sense of lightness and softness that good Beaujolais should possess. Long, pure-tasting finish.
Score: 90.
Cellar or drink? Drinking beautifully now, this wine has the concentration and balance to keep nicely for at least another year.
This is from an Islamofascist website. It is their vision of what Washington D.C. would look like if they were able to conduct an attack. Their caption read "Washington after nuclear jihad." Newsflash - even the Capitol would not be standing after same.
Now some see this image and think we should talk to these people. I see this image and believe that the time for talking is long past. Copies of this image should be distributed to every member of Congress currently inhabiting this building. Perhaps a simple caption like "Talk or Action?" could be placed at the bottom. We are dealing with a culture of death...these are not normal people. The time for action is slipping past us as we stand idly by and let the Mullahs in Iran develop the very weapons that could make this image a reality. It is irresponsibly naive to believe that we can reason with the same people that Jimmy Carter tried to reason with for 444 days.
I am way past weary of hearing about the "religion of peace." Do the math...if there are 1.2 Billion Muslims in the world but ONLY 10% are nut-job murdering fascists, let's see, that leaves....umm, wait a minute...carry the one...damned new math...ahh, 120,000,000 nut-job murdering fascists. Let's put that in perspective. Yup, that's One two zero zero zero zero zero zero zero whackos. We have 304,207,788 people in the US of A...so if they were all over here, 39.5% of our population would be nut-job murdering fascists...you know, the kind that make Kamikazes look downright honorable. With the population of the world hovering at 6.7 Billion, almost 2% of the WORLD is made up of nut-job murdering fascists that want to "wipe Israel off the map," and "bleed oceans of blood in America." So, let's say you are on a transcontinental flight, a 747 - with seating capacity of about 416 people...there are good odds that at least 7 people on that flight are putting on their little nightshades to get some shut-eye and getting jiggy with dreams of seeing Los Angeles as a burning ember. Great! What should we talk about?
I know I speak for a number of our soldiers and sailors who proudly say "let's keep playing the away game." Talk is not cheap.
This is a beautiful Alsace wine at its peak! And I am a sucker for a good Alsace Riesling, especially from the outstanding 2002 vintage. This wine would shine with seared tuna or any grilled or simply prepared fish.
Eye: Beautiful bright brassy gold.
Nose: Just after I pulled the cork, the nose was dominated by pungent mineral scents, but it quickly changed, and soon outrageously perfumed scents of sweet peach and pear, bergamot, and tea were wafting out.
Mouth: Bright, balanced acidity buoyed up the beautiful flavors of apple/pear fruit, with a subtle minerality and a hint of chalk dust in the very long finish.
Score: 90.
Cellar or drink? This is absolutely at its peak right now.
Price/score: Was $27 and change at Spec's on Smith (hurry, before they run out!)
I think that this wine -- which is virtual dead-ringer for a very ripe wine from the Pessac-Leognan region of Bordeaux -- is the reserve bottling of the Calina winery's Carmenere, the 2004 vintage of which I previously reviewed here. This was very rich and interesting, though I'm not sure I liked it any better than the regular bottling.
Eye: Fully saturated plasma-like ruby with violet highlights.
Nose: Almost over-the-top richness: melted baker's chocolate, chalk, moist tobacco-leaf, loamy gravel. Oh yeah, and there's some rich blackberry fruit lurking beneath all that.
Mouth: Rich and earthy, with lots of stony minerals at first, giving way to chocolately, port-like fruit, and long, long finish full of soft tannin. Almost too much on the earthy side as opposed to the fruity side of the flavor spectrum.
Score: 88.
Cellar or drink? Drinking well now, I think this wine could improve over the next 3 years.
Price/store: Got this for $14.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
Sergeant Garrett Anderson of the Illinois Army National Guard was one of the 12 veterans denied a meeting with Senator Obama in April of 2008. Sergeant Anderson wasn't surprised by Obama's rebuff in light of the Senator's stated goal of surrendering Iraq to the terrorists.
Sergeant Anderson wants to know:
Why hasn't Obama met with General Petraeus?
Why won't he visit Iraq?
Why would Senator Obama rather talk about meeting—unconditionally—with Iran, instead of meeting with veterans and commanders?
I think that's a great question for the wannabe Commander in Chief who muses about his maternal "uncle" who "liberated Auschwitz" during World War II.
While Senator Obama was busy this weekend tying his campaign up in knots and various contortions from his latest round of gaffe-making, Mrs. Clinton took some time off in Puerto Rico to cut the rug with some of the locals.
During the same Memorial Day gathering where he said he saw many of the nation's fallen heroes in the audience Barack Obama recalled how his uncle "was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps." During a moment of deep reflection the candidate said that after this experience upon his return from the war his uncle went up into the attic for six months. Senator Obama mused, “Now obviously, something had really affected him deeply, but at that time there just weren’t the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain,”...."In World War Two we didn't have the concept of post traumatic stress syndrome. People had to basically handle it on their own,".
Obama also forgot to mention to his listeners that his mother was an only child so he couldn't have had an uncle who served in World War II. The Obama campaign later issued a "clarification" stating that it was the Senator's great uncle Charlie Payne on his grandmother's side who helped in the liberation of Ohrdruf a sub-camp of Buchenwald and not Auschwitz.
I guess the Senator mis-remembered.
ABC political reporter Jack Tapper remarks, "The man has been a one-man gaffe machine."
Tapper comments on the propensity of many Obama supporters to accept anything the candidate tells them. He quotes Obama supporter Kathleen Geier who says in her talking points memo Obama is not Jesus that she's "getting wierded out" by some of Obama's supporters.
Describing various encounters with Obama supporters, she writes, "Excuse me, but this sounds more like a cult than a political campaign. The language used here is the language of evangelical Christianity – the Obama volunteers speak of 'coming to Obama' in the same way born-again Christians talk about 'coming to Jesus.'...So I say, we should all get a grip, stop all this unseemly mooning over Barack, see him and the political landscape he is a part of in a cooler, clearer, and more realistic light, and get to work."
Tapper also mentions Time Magazine's s Joe Klein noticing "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism"of Barack Obama.
Abandoning the role of Junior Senator from the Land of Lincoln for scary all-seeing psychic, Senator Obama tells a gathering of Memorial Day observers in Las Cruces, New Mexico, "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our sense of patriotism is particularly strong."
This guy is creeping me out about the dead people comment!
Video excerpt shows the number one difference between Barack Obama and John McCain.
During a Memorial Day interview Senator McCain outlines the main difference between he and his main Democrat opponent. McCain relates, "Senator Obama declared the war lost.....Every indicator shows that this new strategy (of the surge) is succeeding, Senator Obama was wrong, he wanted to surrender, and I will never surrender."
Have you seen those red spots on Jupiter? We've always been told those are giant storms, like hurricanes. Now we know what causes them. Climate change, of course. And what causes climate change? Humans! Therefore, we can deduce there is life on Jupiter. See how easy science is?
This is his son Duncan's blog. If you scroll down a ways, you'll see a letter from Utah written just a couple of weeks ago. I love what he says:
"My body is weak but my will is strong, and I keep my disposition as sunny and humorous as I’m able. It’s hard enough being disabled without being cranky as well. . . Heart disease aside, I find that I have a hernia that needs to be repaired. Someday I suppose I’ll become like Ernie Bierwagen, the old man who owned the orchards outside town. He said to me once, “I know that God wants me to say something, because the only thing I have left that works is my mouth.” But for now, I’m enjoying my life and can think of no good reason not to."
Read on for his chickens and bear story. He never fails to have a story.
Also on this blog read a tribute from Salt Lake's Ken Sanders.
If you have time, go to YouTube and watch all the videos from the 2007 Strawberry Festival. Just fantastic. You'll love his "So long, it's been good to know ya" in the 8th segment.
I had this unusually earthy Chablis (I'll skip any pun relating to the name of this cuvee) last night at the house of some good friends, but couldn't actually put my finger in the most prominent component of its nose and flavors until I woke up this morning: chicken broth!
Despite this uncommon aspect, it was still pleasurable and well-made. Underneath the broth were classic scents of lemony minerals and dry straw. It was medium-full bodied, and in the longish finish there was a nice purity to the lemon-limey fruit and the chalky minerals that emerged.
I got this for about $21 at Spec's on Smith, but it looked to be the last bottle on the shelf. I think I would have scored this somewhere in the 84-86 range, had I been scoring.
(Picture of 2006 -- couldn't find one of the 2004).
Utah Phillips Dies "Folk singer Bruce "U. Utah" Phillips, a freewheeling storyteller and Grammy-nominated musician known for his extensive touring over nearly 40 years and strong support of peace groups and labor unions in his works, has died. He was 73. Phillips died of congestive heart failure late Friday night at his home in Nevada City, Calif. . . . Phillips, the son of labor organizers, once ran for a seat on the U.S. Senate on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket and was known as a champion for the rights of working people and a comedian on stage."
Utah had a simple and passionate commitment to all workers. He possessed a unique sense of humor and a penchant for story-telling that entranced his audiences.
I'm sad to hear we've lost this outspoken and gentle soul. Who will fill his shoes?
Postscript: I reread my old post and noted a quote "There are no Republican folksingers." Had little laugh with my friend on the phone this morning over that one. You can't be all buttoned up tight like an R and really relax and enjoy the laugh-at-life and cry-about-life stuff of folksinging. If you do, you might be a closet leftie after all.
Nose: Intensely extracted nose too -- earthy, schisty-gravel scents, delicately smoky balsa wood notes, and chokecherry liqueur.
Mouth: Large-framed and full-bodied, with old-school flavors of minerally gravel and peppery chokecherry liqueur (again). Structured and intense, with a long finish.
Score: 89.
Cellar or drink? This is starting to drink well now, yet I'm sure this wine would benefit from 2-3 more years of bottle age.
Price/store: Was $27.59 at Richard's on Richmond a few months ago, but I think they're on to the 2005 vintage now (although that year is also supposed to be very good in Tuscany).
This wine was seemingly made for stews, pot roasts, and meat sauces for pasta. Loaded with flavor, ripe, minerally, and with a great structural backbone of tannin and acid.
Eye: Bright, almost luminescent dark ruby with magenta highlights.
Nose: Very vivacious vapors vigorously vault vertically: tart raspberries and cherry liqueur, with lots of powdered stone and mineral scents, and a whiff of rising bread dough.
Mouth: Concentrated and athletic. Bright raspberry fruit, and lots of minerally brambly flavors as well. Long, minerally finish, with noticeable but well well-integrated tannin and bright acidity. We had this with pasta with a sauce that was essentially a leftover Italian pot roast and its gravy, pulsed in the food processor, and augmented with some diced tomatoes. This wine was an awesome complement to the dish.
Score: 90.
Cellar or drink? This will keep for another 2-3 years in a cool cellar, although I don't think it will improve.
Price/store: Was $16 and change at Spec's on Smith.
In the tradition of Stalinist era style show trials from the U.S.S.R., Democrats on Capitol Hill summoned the executives of major oil companies to demand why fuel prices at the pump are at all-time levels. Between predictable displays of gasbagery and bloviations by the Democratic committee members on the Hill, oil executives shot back that the blame lies squarely at the feet of the very members of Congress who summoned the executives to Washington.
Here in one such exchange California Congresswoman Maxine Waters lets her mask slip when she threatens to socialize the oil and gas companies. Watch the reaction of the committee members on Ms. Waters right to her outlandish statement.
Note to Ms. Waters and Democratic members of the House and Senate: our government cannot legally take over an industry and set up shop as the new proprietorship no matter how much you want to emulate Marxist dictators from the past and present.
The following graph presented before the House Committee members by Chevron shows the position the U.S. companies are in with regard to leveraging the price of oil in world markets. The big players on the world's oil markets are foreign governments which own (have socialized as Ms. Waters would say) the oil companies operating on their soil. Most of the governments who are the big players in world oil markets are hostile to the United States and are highly unlikely to be sympathetic to the plight of American energy users. This leaves the American consumer hostage to the whims of market forces beyond our control. Coupled with a weak dollar the cost of energy for all Americans has skyrocketed to its present levels with no end in sight.
We are in this position today in large part because Democrats in the House and Senate with help of a few Republicans are preventing the United States from developing its own abundant resevoirs of oil by refusing to permit drilling in places like ANWAR in Alaska and in the contiguous states.
U.S. oil companies are shown in the right margin of the chart.
Despite Senator Barack Obama's furious backpeddling on his July 2007 announcement that if elected President he would meet without pre-conditions with Iran the Illinois Senator and his proxies in the campaign and in the media now maintain that such a meeting must be made "at the appropriate time and with the appropriate preparation," a video from the CNN Democratic candidates debate cleary shows otherwise with candidate asserting that he would meet with Iran without preconditions.
In the third video Barack Obama tells a crowd of enraptured supporters that Iran poses no threat to the United States. To the cheers of his adoring listeners, Senator Obama intones that "strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries". Mr. Obama plays with history here by saying "that's what Kennedy did with Kruschev, that's what Reagan did with Gorbachev,".
The Senator conveniently omits from his flowery narrative the "talking" that U.S. Presidents did with enemies such as the Soviet Union was CONFRONTATION backed up with the threat of annihilation of the leaders of enemy regimes and their militaries.
John F. Kennedy's nice little chat with his beligerent and portly Russian counterpart came about when it was revealed that the Russians under Nikita Khrushchev were installing ballistic missiles in Cuba. The President rightly saw these offensive weapons as a threat to the United States. President Kennedy confronted Kruschev with his subterfuge and threatened to go to war with the U.S.S.R. if they did not remove the missiles they installed on that prison island.
The Soviet missile installations were discoverd on October 15th 1962 in reconnaissance photos gathered by U2 spy planes. After intense consultations with his advisors on October 22nd of that year President Kennedy revealed the Soviet gambit to the world and declared an immediate quarantine of the Communist ruled island. To show the Russians that he meant business and was not in the mood to wait for the pastry cart to come around the President dispatched the U.S. Navy to enforce a blockade of Castro's Cuba.
The world was driven to the brink of total nuclear war in October 1962. President Kennedy DEMANDED not asked, not pleaded, not threatend economic sanctions, DEMANDED that Kruschev dismantle and remove the missiles from Cuba. Does that sound like a friendly reasonable little chat to you Senator Obama? School children during that time were practicing what to do in the event of a nuclear attack! Daring tea and crumpet soirees were not being held at the Soviet and American embassies at that interval in American history!
World War III was narrowly averted when Khrushchev relented and announced on October 28th 1962 that he would dismantle the installations and move the missles back to Russia in exchange for assurances that the United States would not invade the Marxist Dictatorship of Fidel and Raul Castro's Cuba.
During this crisis, President Kennedy as a patriot and decorated World War II Navy veteran stood up as a man before the menace facing the nation and declared to the world that Khrushchev's folly would not prevail.
Here is Senator Obama waxing eloquent about his claim that Iran poses no threat to the United States.
Contrary to Senator Obama's dreamy description President Reagan also recognized the Soviet leviathon as an evil force in the world. He did not entertain Pollyanna-like illusions about the Communist threat but aptly referred to it as "the evil empire". In what the urbane Senator from Illinois would surely consider a prime example of "cowboy diplomacy" and a diplomatic faux pas the fortieth President of the United States once quipped in front of an open mic during a radio sound check, "I've just passed a law outlawing Russia. We start bombing in five minutes."While liberals at the time howled in protest at the inpropriety of his barb it made the apparatchiks in the Kremlin nervous. They viewed Reagan as unpredictable and dangerous. Not bad qualities to project when dealing with the cold, calculating and cynical masters of the old Soviet gulag. As Gorbachev presented a happy face for the Communist regime Reagan lost no time in confronting his well-heeled counterpart with the reality of the human cost exacted by that evil entity when he said while delivering a speech to tens of thousands in front of the Berlin wall, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Lest anyone forget John Fitzgerald Kennedy's committment to confront the enslavement of millions by the Soviet monolith we have his speech before the people of Berlin many years earlier. President Kennedy had no illusions about the Communists or about our enemies.
Doctor Arthur Robinson of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine is leading the effort to publicize the views of over 30,000 scientists who reject the claims of man-made global warming. A May 15th press release from the Institute states, (t)he purpose of OISM's Petition Project is to demonstrate that the claim of "settled science" and an overwhelming "consensus" in favor of the hypothesis of human-caused global warming and consequent climate damage is wrong. No such consensus or settled science exists. As indicated by the petition text and signatory list, a very large number of American scientists reject this hypothesis.
To underscore the gravity of the man-made global warming hoax here is a video of Christopher Horner talking about The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism. The proponents of the man-made global warming ruse use incomplete and misleading data about the environment as a cudgel to scare the public into believing they are in danger from an impending climactic disaster. The goals of the sponsors of this well advertised deception are to increase governmental power and control over the lives and more importantly the movements of ordinary citizens in all parts of the world. Think about it. If the underwriters of this carefully orchestrated maneuver were to get their way you'd need a special day pass to get in your car and travel to the next town let alone board an airplane to travel to some distant city. The pretext about carbon emissions from airline travel and greenhouse gasses from internal combustion engines is about controlling you not the climate.
Doctors announced today that Sen. Ted Kennedy has a malignant glioma brain tumor that caused seizures over the past weekend. Further testing is needed to determine the type of tumor and subsequent treatment. Kennedy was elected to the Senate in 1962 and is its second longest serving member.
We would like to wish Sen. Kennedy the best possible outcome and a speedy recovery.
As in almost every vintage, this consistent, flavorful rosé was an excellent value.
Eye: Disconcerting color -- not pink or salmon like most rosés, but a diluted but almost fluorescent ruby/garnet color. Not to worry, though. It gets better.
Nose: Beautifully fruity noise, with ripe, crisp scents of strawberries, grapes, and watermelon. Maybe even a hint of banana. Just a hint of faintly bitterish minerals in the background to balance out all that fruit.
Mouth: Good concentration, length, and balance, especially for a wine at this bargain price point. Not complex, but lots of dry, refreshing fruit.
Score: 87.
Cellar or drink? As with all rosés, drink now now now.
This wine was just too extracted for its own good, resulting in too much tannin and an astringent quality that masked its otherwise nice flavors.
Eye: Deep, nearly fully-saturated black ruby.
Nose: Very astringent at first, but the astringency waned to tolerable levels after several hours of airing, revealing scents of yeasty bread, chokecherry liqueur, and warm, minerally gravel.
Mouth: Full-bodied, but if its flavors were a stereo, I'd say there was good treble, good bass, but little mid-range. High-toned winey-cherry flavors, with lots of deep-toned peppery minerality in the back half of the palate. Substantial, not-so-soft tannin as well.
Score: 85+
Cellar or drink? If you've got some, I'd cellar it for 3 or 4 years and hope that it drops some of its tannin and softens a bit, but I'm not sure it ever will.
Republican Senators James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Jeff Sessions of Alabama criticized proposed legislation in the Senate that would boost gasoline prices for U.S. consumers an additional $1.50 to $5.00 per gallon. Passage of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act would direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes according to the bill's sponsors, Senators Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and John Warner of Virginia.
The average price of gasoline in the United States stands currently at $3.72 per gallon while the average cost of deisel fuel per gallon in the U.S. is $4.33. The Republican Senators say that cost increases resulting from the proposed Senate bill would would raise fuel prices from $5.22 to 8.72 for gasoline and $5.88 to $9.33per gallon for deisel.
The Senators delivered their remarks before the Business and Media Institute and the National Press Club.
An audio of Senator Sessions interview can be accessed here.
This was a nicely balanced red that would serve as a welcome accompaniment to a wide range of meat or fowl dishes. A quintessential "food wine" (which I mean in a good way). It's a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignane.
Eye: Bright, deep ruby with violet highlights at the rim.
Nose: Nice nose of sweet plummy/blackberry fruit, with slightly earthy, walnut oil-y scents.
Mouth: Soft, round, nicely-balanced, with flavors of dry blackberry extract, a walnut oil/brambly component, and minerals. Medium long, clean finish.
This is the second excellent wine I've had from this estate. The first was their Pinot Noir rosé, which was the best rosé I've ever drunk. This white would be a terrific summer seafood wine.
Eye: Very light gold color.
Nose: Wonderfully fragrant nose of ripe pear, crushed seashells, and sweet grass.
Mouth: Intensely fruity, yet bone dry and refreshing. Long, crisp, and pure, with salty-stony, slightly herbal fruit.
Score: 89.
Cellar or drink? Drink this summer.
Price/store: I think this was around $12, at Richard's on South Shepherd.
This was a delicate, nicely textured white burgundy.
Eye: Bright, light, brassy-gold with greenish glints.
Nose: Terrific nose of earthy straw and fresh-crushed Chardonnay grapes, with a hint of candied apples.
Mouth: Soft and round, with a light texture, yet possessing concentrated, balanced flavors of apple, barely ripe peach, lemon, and flint. Long, clean, minerally finish.
Score: 88.
Cellar or drink? Drink now. This wine is built for immediate pleasure.
In a much anticipated announcement yesterday Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne declared the Polar Bear a threatned species. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall was able to successfully lobby Secretary Kempthorne to list the bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Framing his announcement between the familiar dirge of man-made global warming and genuine concerns about the economy Secretary Kempthorne said, “While the legal standards under the ESA compel me to list the polar bear as threatened, I want to make clear that this listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting. Any real solution requires action by all major economies for it to be effective. That is why I am taking administrative and regulatory action to make certain the ESA isn’t abused to make global warming policies.”
Mr. Kempthorne's decision was based in part on studies he cited that showed differences in sea ice from the fall of 1979 to the fall of 2007. The studies and charts from the survey showed the Artic sea ice fell to the lowest level recorded by satellite and were 39 percent below the observed average between 1979 and 2000. The study also showed the loss of sea ice between 2002 and 2007. (http://www.doi.gov/issues/polar_bears.html)
Secretary Kempthorne stated that this decision is not intended to set U.S. climate management policy but will permit the nation's ability to, "develop our natural resources in the arctic region in an environmentally sound way."Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall was given the responsibility to give, "guidance to staff that the best scientific data available today cannot make a causal connection between harm to listed species or their habitats and greenhouse gas emissions from a specific facility, or resource development project or government action."
The rationale behind today's announcement from the USDOI stands in stark contrast to environmental news coming from Greenland thatice between Canada and southwestern Greenland has reached its highest level in 15 years.An a February 12th article written by staff of 'Sermitsiak on the "Deep freeze in western Greenland" says, "Satellite pictures show that the ice expansion has extended farther south this year. In fact, it's a bit past the Nuuk area. We have to go back 15 years to find ice expansion so far south. On the eastern coast it hasn't been colder than normal, but there has been a good amount of snow."
The writers go on to claim the reports of the deep freeze do not take away from the paper's belief in global warming but advise their readers to, "accept that the cold weather continues for some time."In short, Global Warming causes the build up of ice according to man-made Global Warming enthusiasts.Sermitsiak also notes in a February 14th edition,More polar bears seen at Sisimiut. It appears the polar bears around Greenland were uninformed of their soon-to-be-declared endangered status by the USDOI.
As for the dissappearance of Artic Sea Ice cited as the leading indicator of global warming and the rationale for placing the Polar Bear on the "Threatened Species" list a graphic posted by Artic Climate Research at the University of Illinois shows the current Northern Hemisphere Sea Ice Area for the past 365 days. While the graph clearly shows the anomaly in the 1979 to 2000 mean mentioned by the USDOI in yesterday's ruling, the graph also shows the levels of Artic Sea Ice increasing over those levels observed in 2007 with the overall trend for more Artic Sea Ice measured in 2008 versus the volume seen in the previous year.
As to the implied paucity of Polar Bears prowling about in the Artic environs by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior there has in fact been a population explosion of Polar Bears for the past several years due to the abundance of available prey for these giants of the north. Canada which has the major portion of Polar Bears has seen only 2 of 13 Polar Bear populations in decline according to a recent survey. In addition the worldwide population of these amazing animals is estimated to be somewhere between 20,000 to 25,000. Today's number of Polar Bears padding about in the Artic is in fact five times greater than that estimated to have existed in 1950's according to data compiled by The New York Times, Covebear.com, the International Bear Association and International Wildlife to name a few.
The more you delve into what is actually happening in the environment and veer away from the orthodoxy of the church of global warming the more you begin to see that the motivation for the alarmists has more to due with a political agenda than with science.
Listen up class. Today's history lesson is about a now extinct philosophy called "Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness." This concept was not created but was recognized as a set of divinely given rights to all human beings. Our forefathers wisely understood that our government must not do anything to abridge those rights.
Unfortunately, it is a concept that our current government does not understand. They continue to interfere in our lives, restrict our liberties, and impede our pursuit of happiness on a daily basis.
There is one crucial element of the constitutional structure of this nation that we ALL must understand lest we become puppets of the state. Please read carefully. The Constitution Of The United States does not grant its citizens one single right. I am referring to the original Constitution before the addition of The Bill Of Rights. Rather...
The Constitution Of The United States was designed to restrict and limit the federal government from interfering in our lives. It was written to protect us from the government.
Today, our government decides how much of our earnings we get to keep. They tell certain businesses how much profit they can make. If you dare stand against the almighty government you will be crushed by the unlimited funds they have to bankrupt you in litigation. They can take your money and give it to someone else. Even non-citizens. They can confiscate your property under the guise of eminent domain for the sole purpose of gaining more tax dollars.
The government established by our forefathers no longer exists. The government has become our nanny and we have become its children. If we pursue happiness and achieve it, it will be taken from us. If we express ourselves in ways the government does not approve of, our freedom of expression will be taken from us. If we are an unwanted life, our life will be taken from us.
From the anals of Blues greats stand the remarkable similarities and contrasts that existed between the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King. Both men were legends and peers in the world of blues music both in their time and in posterity. Ranked number 7 in Rolling Stones line-up of greatest guitarists of all time. Vaughn the right handed guitar player from Dallas Texas learned the guitar from his older brother Jimmie but never learned to read sheet music relying instead on playing by ear. Albert King was self taught on the guitar and hailed from Indianola Mississippi. King played in an upside down and backwards manner on the guitar, playing a left handed guitar with the strings reversed as though for a right hander. King was known as the Velvet Bulldozer for his searing guitar licks and expressive bending of guitar strings tuned in a way unrivaled by his contemporaries to hit the high notes of his solos for maximum effect. King referred to himself as Vaughan's musical godfather for the influence that his unique style had on the Dallas musician.
Both men died untimely deaths long before their careers had fully run their course. Vaughan died in August 1990 from injuries sustained in a helicopter crash outside of East Troy, Wisconson. King suffered a fatal heart attack in December of 1992 while in Memphis, Tennesee.
Here both men are seen together performing one of King's tunes called "Ask Me No Questions".
This was a sultry, rather than vibrant or athletic, Zinfandel.
Eye: Dark mulberry/ruby color.
Nose: Rich, sultry nose of overripe mixed berries and spice, with earthy and balsa wood notes.
Mouth: Fat and soft in the mouth, with deep-toned juicy berry fruit and a velvety texture. Not particularly concentrated, however, and also kind of atypical from the tightly wound, densely fruited and minerallyZins I expect from the Dry Creek Valley. Still, I liked it.
Score: 88.
Cellar or drink? Drink now. I find that Zins don't age really well anyway, and this is a looser, less concentrated style than most anyway.
Price/store: Good question. I lost the receipt, but I think I got it either at Randall's on Weslayan or Whole Foods on Bellaire for about $16 on sale.
This was a full-flavored, gangly-limbed white, with prominent peppery elements.
Eye: Light brassy gold color.
Nose: Sharp nose at first, but with airing it develops a rich, waxy lanolin character with pepper, as well as buttery pear and banana fruit.
Mouth: Deeply flavored, full-bodied, but soft, with peppery pear, grass, and stone flavors. Long finish.
Score: 88.
Drink or cellar? My experience with full-bodied semillons is that they age pretty well for a white. This one may keep and improve for a year or two, but is pleasurable now.
Commenting about the enthusiastic endorsement of Senator Barack Hussein Obama's campaign for President by the terrorist group Hamas, presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain told Jon Stewart during a taped interview, "It's indicative of how some of our enemies view America. And I guarantee you, they're(Hamas is)not going to endorse me." The plainspoken Senator from Arizona added, "I think they think I’m their worst nightmare," "And I think that I’m their worst nightmare as well."
Senator McCain's comments were in response to the ringing endorsement expressed on WABC radio in April of Mr. Obama by Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Prime Minister of Hamas. During the taped interview Mr. Yousef was asked about Senator Obama's mild expression of slight disapproval of former President Jimmy Carter's visit with Hamas. At the time while campaigning in Indianapolis, the Illinois Senator refused to criticize Mr. Carter's controversial meeting with the terror group stating, "I'm not going to comment on former President Carter. He's a private citizen. It's not my place to discuss who he shouldn't meet with," Mr. Obmama added,"I know that I've said consistently that I would not meet with Hamas."
The chief Hamas political adviser indicated that he could see the Senator Obama's dilema during this phase of the campaign in trying to present himself as a friend of Israel. Mr. Yousef observed that, "I understand American politics, and this is the season for election and everybody tries to sound like they are a friend of Israel. Whatever the Israelis like they will hear it from those candidates. I hope that Mr. Obama and the Democrats will change the political score when one of them will be the President and change the policy which we see as making this anti-American sentiment is the worst in the history of this great country."
When asked if the Prime Minister of Hamas would be willing to meet with either Mrs. Clinton or Barack Obama before the election Mr. Yousef responded, “We don’t mind–actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance,”. The chief Hamas political adviser seems to echo the views held forth by Presidential candidate Obama who addresses on his campaign website what he views as "The Problem" in "Renewing American Diplomacy" "The United States is trapped by the Bush-Cheney approach to diplomacy that refuses to talk to leaders we don't like. Not talking doesn't make us look tough – it makes us look arrogant, it denies us opportunities to make progress, and it makes it harder for America to rally international support for our leadership." The candidate stands by his claim that he, is willing to meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe. He will do the careful preparation necessary, but will signal that America is ready to come to the table, and that he is willing to lead.
In responding to Senator McCain's comments regarding Obama's endorsement by the terrorist group Senator Obama stated that he found the comments "offensive," and remarked that McCain is "losing his bearings" during the campaign. Obama's comments were quickly interpreted as a slight against the age of the Arizona Senator and former Vietnam era combat pilot. One could successfully argue that Senator McCain has done more for the service of his country in twenty minutes over Hanoi that Mr. Obama has done in his entire lifetime.
Paul Mirengoff of PowerlineBlog cites a conference call with McCain advisor Mark Salter who responds to Obama's swipe at his Republican rival.
First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama's attack today: He used the words "losing his bearings" intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning. We have all become familiar with Senator Obama's new brand of politics. First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is.
It is important to focus on what Senator Obama is attempting to do here: He is trying desperately to delegitimize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States.
Through their actions and words, Senator Obama and his supporters have made clear that ANY criticism on ANY issue -- from his desire to raise taxes on millions of small investors to his radical plans to sit down face-to-face with Iranian President Ahmadinejad – constitute negative, personal attacks.
Senator Obama is hopeful that the media will continue to form a protective barrier around him, declaring serious limits to the questions, discussion and debate in this race.
Senator Obama has good reason to think this plan will succeed, as serious journalists have written of the need for "de-tox" to cure "swooning" over Senator Obama, and others have admitted to losing their objectivity while with him on the campaign trail.
Today, Senator Obama is complaining about comments John McCain made about a senior Hamas advisor stating that Hamas would welcome Senator Obama's election as president. Indeed, on April 13th, senior Hamas political advisor Ahmed Yousef said, "We don't mind – actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance."
The McCain campaign has never suggested that Senator Obama supports Hamas' agenda, but it is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment.
Just today, the president of Iran, whom Senator Obama wants to meet with unconditionally, called the state of Israel a "stinking corpse." Iran is the paymaster and state sponsor of Hamas.
In his victory speech this week, Senator Obama stated that "wisdom" is meeting with our enemies, including Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, North Korea's Kim Jong Il, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Raul Castro. John McCain couldn't disagree more. Rather than giving tyrants and dictators the prestige of meeting with an American president, John McCain will instead meet with the champions of human freedom around the world and opposition leaders fighting for liberty .
We understand why Senator Obama doesn't want to engage in a debate over leadership and judgment with John McCain, but the American people demand that debate take place. These are serious times that call for a serious debate on the profound issues facing our future. John McCain is ready for that debate and we hope Senator Obama will one day get serious and join it. Mark Salter sees right through the Obama smokescreen and isn't put off by the Obama bob and weave. Senator McCain is ready for prime time Barack Obama. Are you? Audio of the WABC interview with Ahmed Yousef by Aaron Klein and John Batchelor can be heard here courtesy of PowerlineBlog archives.
The acidity in this Dolcetto was too high, detracting from what other wise was a pretty good wine. Can't drink it by itself, but it might be a cleansing-type pairing with a rich, braised meat dish.
Eye: Deep ruby with magenta highlights.
Nose: Tart, pungent nose of lemons, berries, and lots of powdered chalk.
Mouth: Lean and crisp in the mouth, with mouthwatering acidity and some cherry/mountain berry fruit. High acidity in the medium-long, pure tasting finish.
Score: 81.
Drink or cellar? It may soften over the next year, but I wouldn't count on it.
A great example of the barrel fermented school of Chablis winemaking.
Eye: Very light gold color.
Nose: This wines needed substantial airing before its nose opened up, but when it finally did, there were scents of smoke, ripe pears, and stony earth.
Mouth: Crisp, minerally, yet with a subtly earthy butteriness, this wine also featured pear and lemon oil fruit. It had a soft, rich texture as well, with a long, long finish.
Score: 91+
Drink or cellar? This wine felt much weightier in the mouth than its flavors would have seemed to indicate, which is a sign that lots of additional development will occur. Together with the inherent ability of great, barrel fermented Chablis to age, I'd say this one could easily improve for another 5 or more years in a cool cellar. If you drink it now, be sure to decant it (yes, I know it's a white. Decant it anyway!)
This was a very nice example of the "nothing but steel" school of Chablis winemaking.
Eye: Light, bright gold with greenish glints.
Nose: Remarkably precise nose of lemon-lime and a hint of white peach fruit, with sea shell/minerally scents in the background.
Mouth: Soft-textured, with a light mouthfeel and yet with intense flavors: apples, lime zest, sea shells, steely minerals, and rock dust. Long, vibrant finish with perfectly integrated, crisp acidity.
Score:90.
Cellar or drink? Chablis with this combination of intensity and yet crispness tend to age better than other Chardonnays. My own experience is that the "pure steel" ones, like this one, don't quite live and improve as long as the ones that have some combination of barrel fermentation of ageing, but still, this one will easily stay fresh, and maybe improve for another 3 to 4 years in a cool cellar.
