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A few weeks ago I took some friends on a tour of some my favorite wineries in Woodinville - La Tour des Favorites in total Franglais. They had originally wanted to go to Walla Walla, but not in August, so we saved 250 miles and five hours of driving by visiting Woodinville only half an hour to an hour from anywhere in the greater Seattle area (nothing against Walla Walla which I love). On my list were ten wineries including Ponum, Sparkman, Gorman, Darby, Mark Ryan, Brian Carter, Novelty Hill/Januik, Hestia, Adam's Bench, and Barrage. Unfortunately, we had to limit ourselves to only five wineries and even this was too much. We went to the wineries that responded quickly, offered discounts and waived fees.
We started off at Novelty Hill/Januik where we tasted at least a half a dozen wines including two Chardonnays, Viognier, Syrah, Sangiovese, and Mike Januik's big Red. All the wines were fabulous. "Never a bad one in the bunch." We shared six delicious thin-crust pizzas on the patio with the Sangio. One member of the group said he didn't want to go to the other wineries - he just wanted to stay there on the patio of Novelty Hill. All of the staff were wonderful to us. Special thanks to Diane.
Off to Adam's Bench where winemaker Erica Blue tasted us on two vintages of Reckoning, a bottle of Myth, and the very successful Sangiovese. Fabulous dark, rich wines of substance. Erica is a physician, chemist and wine "alchemist." One of the top new wineries to watch. Get on their mailing list or join their wine club while you still can.
On to Shannon at Hestia where he has expanded his offerings to include a Rose and a Chenin/Viognier blend among other. The Cab and the Syrah were faves of the group. This is another new winery to watch. Sign up, don't wait.
Kevin at Barrage had a groaning board of food that the group fairly lunged at. We were a few hours late and felt we had to move on. The Trifecta is a winner and you can expect a barrage of good wines from this newcomer.
We wrapped at Brian Carter winery. We arrived ten minutes before closing but the good ladies of the tasting room accommodated us pouring Brian's outstanding magical kitchen sink blend called Abracadabra - Poof! Great "everyday" wine followed by L'Etalon Brian's excellent Bordeaux style blend.
The group was amazed at the collection of outstanding wineries hidden away in a warehouse district just slightly north of downtown Woodinville. There are so many other fabulous wineries to visit you could spend days checking them out. BTW, those of you Wine Bloggers coming to Walla Walla next June should plan to arrive in Seattle early and stay a few days. I would be happy to take you around to Seattle's fabulous wineries. As most of you know the grapes are grown in Eastern Washington with the "perfect climate." The grapes are shipped to Seattle in small lugs where Boeing Wine Club grads and former Ch. Ste. Michelle winemakers make some of the best wine in the U.S. Why fly to France or even California, when you can get the best of both right here in Washington (no, The Washington State Wine Commission did not pay me to say that). If any of you would like to tour the wineries of Woodinville, South Seattle Artisans, Vashon wineries, Yakima wineries, the Columbia Gorge, Red Mountain, Walla Walla leave a comment with your email address and I'll get back to you.
Late last month, a posse of Zapatistas rode into town following the Rhone Rangers. Since Zin requires heat, it seems they brought some heat with them. Since many are from places like Paso Robles, they seemed unfazed by the 90s temps that could make Zin grapes appear to grow out of the bottle before your very eyes and the wine bubble, bubble. The posse was only a small cadre of the 300 some odd Zinfandel Advocates and Producers almost all from California. Zin is grown all over California. My favorite region is the Sierra Foothills including the Amador and El Dorado AVAs. Paso Robles produces some excellent Zins and the Russian River area of Sonoma produces the most elegant Zins. If you really want to get down and sin, try Seven Deadly Zins from Lodi.
It really was too hot to enjoy red wine, but it was great to get to taste so many wines in one room. In fact, for a change, it was the right amount of wine in the right amount of time in the right amount of space thanks to the event planning skills of wine impresario David Le Claire. There were many small wineries and most of the biggies you can find on the supermarket shelf. Bogle was there as were Rancho Zabaco, Peachy Canyon, Four Vines and Ravenswood. At the higher end Rosenblum and Ridge were represented as well as Opolo, Renwood and Sobon. Among smaller wineries were Hendry, Proulx, and Quivera.
Virtually all of the wines were good - not a bad one in the bunch, but there were very few standout wines. The good thing is, with that kind of consistency, you can almost buy any Zin and have a good quaff. The bad thing is the really exciting wines are reserve and vineyard designate wines that are pricey. Some of the best wines were made in small quantities by big wineries and mostly available only at the winery. I keep telling you the best way to to buy wine is to taste it at the winery and bring it home with you in your air-conditioned car. Happily, very few wines were big and jammy and in-your-face. Almost all the wines had a consumer friendly profile of good fruit with a hint of "sweet" feel in a light to medium bodied style. My bias is toward big brambly Zin with "garrigue" and enough tannin to stand up to any roast, stew, or steak. Many of the wines I tasted seemed more suitable for Pizza, burgers or a picnic. Not too long ago, Sobon Reserve or Renwood Grandpere fit the bill. Now they seem like big brothers to their more common sibs.
Something was missing? My favorite Zin profile, yes, but also, where was the Washington State Zin? Yes, Washington State Zin! Washington winemakers and grapegrowers are adventuresome, on the edge, experimenters. You can get almost any grape you want in Washington, even Pinot Noir. Among others, Paul Portteus grows Zin, makes Zin, and sells Zin to others. From California Turley Zins were absent, although I must admit that I prefer her Petit Sirah. Maybe I'm just a crotchety old Grandpere, but I expect more character from 90 year old vines. On the other hand, if you are having pizza, burgers or a picnic, you can pretty much grab a Zin off the shelf and count on a good quaff.
What better way to launch the 2009 Auction of Washington Wine than in a partly cloudy partly rainy field outside Chateau Ste Michelle. Eric Dunham's beautiful Starry Starry Night painting didn't quite capture the scene. Falling Rain Cellars did. But Northwesterners have webbed feet and the staff were prepared so most of the event got moved under the at-the-ready big white tent. The evening seemed subdued between the weather and the economy, but the wine and food were great. I ran into lots of friends - Mary McWilliams and Bill Getz to name just two and lots of winemakers, Trey Busch, Chris Sparkman, Marty Clubb, Brian Carter, and Kevin Correll of Barrage Cellars.
There were all the usual fun events - ring toss, etc and you could bid on a barrel of wine. The winemakers who had donated barrels offered tastes of the wines in the barrel. There was a silent auction and best of all the opportunity to taste lots of wine. The wines were organized by varietal. The varietal tables were fun because you could compare and contrast, say, all the Rieslings.
I arrived early, so they wouldn't let me in. I hadn't tasted Ste. Michelle wines in a while so I went into the tasting room where I was lucky enough to meet the very fair and able Bridgette who provided me with a private tasting of Cold Creek Vineyard designate wines all of which were excellent. The 2007 Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay was just as good as usual with that wonderfully European minerality that I love so much. The 2006 Cold Creek Vineyard Merlot was smooth and soft with great berry fruit. Friendly and easy, but still interesting. The 2006 Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon was soft round and fruity, too, with good cherry vanilla flavors.The 2005 Col Solare was like a pillowtop mattress, soft on the top with a firm underpinning. The 2006 Ice Wine Chenin Blanc smelled of honeysuckle and was intensely sweet, but not cloying and annoying. And Lagniappe was the current bottling of the Eroica Riesling which was open because the good Doctor Loosen was in the house and Bridget copped me a taste. Thanks, Bridget. What a great way to get off the ground.
I checked out the food tents and immediately realized there would be lots of good fare that I could eat. A good part of the Washington wine industry donated wine, so there were dozens of each varietal to taste. After tasting through virtually all of the Rieslings the Gilbert stood out as just right for - full of flavor, but dry and crisp - perfect. Riesling is soooo much a matter of taste, of sugar really, it's all about how sweet you like your wine. Among straight Merlots, Barrage Trifecta was the winner. Among whites in general, the Roussanne /Viognier blend from new winey Tranche was a winner. As usual, all of the Syncline wines were wonderful. Mark Ryan's Deadhorse was a killer wine.Elsom Red was , good and Falling Rain winemaker, Judith Papeesh was full of Mischief blending a brew of Merlot Cab Sauv and Malbec. Here come the bests:
Best Reisling - Gilbert
Best White - Tranche Roussanne/Viognier
Best Syrah - Syncline
Best Merlot - Barrage Trifecta
Best Rhone Style Blend - Syncline Cuvee Elena
Best Bordeaux Style Blend - Falling Rain Mischief
Best Winery Name - Falling Rain
Best New Winery Name - Tranche
Best New Winery - Elsom
Best Of Show - Nicolas Cole Dauphine
Joan Didion, Goddess of the Santa Ana winds, describes her agony of grief at the sudden loss of her significant other in The Year Of Magical Thinking. Ease the pain, in the true tradition of an Irish wake, a little of the old whiskey, well, in this case wine at the Wine Wednesday wake for Didion's spouse on Wednesday, September the 9th at 6:30 p.m.. Okay, so you are already bummed out enough. Think about it, that's where we are all going. Slouching toward the grave. "Et Satan conduit le bal, conduit le bal." Get out of denial, face reality or try some "Magical Thinking" with Didion and wash it down with some wine from Maryhill Vineyard. That's where I'm gong on the ninth. See you there!
Now, y'all listen here. These two girls from Portland actually went east to be where the boys go. The good ol'boys have known for some time now that some of the best vineyards are down south Oregon way. That's why the Walla Walla AVA is a bi-state grape growing region, that's "bi" as in bi-state. Anyway, winemaker Tanya Woodley and manager Elaine Jomwe founded SuLei Cellars just off state line road. They are truly garagistes, having converted a garage into a winery. We tasted three of their wines. The fine rose is sold old. The 2008 Roussanne was a little too leesy for us but tasty never the less. The 2007 Beet Red blend will make you turn red with pleasure - a good buy at $20.
Farther south down in Oregon, you will find Zerba Cellars as you approach Milton Freewater from the stateline. Though they grow their own grapes, most of the wine is made from grapes sourced from Washington.The Wild Z Red Table wine is still a wild thing. A fabulous red for the price 9$20), it is a curious melange of Merlot, Cab Sauv, Syrah and Petit Verdot.The 2006 Sangio was our favorite - round soft fruity and friendly, rounded out with a little Syrah. We also loved the Merlot and the Malbec. All the dry whites were good buys at less than $20 per bottle. The NV Wild White is a blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, Semillon, and Roussanne a little to fruity for my taste but a wine that you might love if you are a Riesling drinker. And if you like really sweet dessert wines , you are in luck. The 2008 Semillon Ice Wine is bronze in color (like a well aged Sauternes) with fabulous nose and taste of peaches and hazelnuts. Zerba has pretty much figured it out. Virtually all of their wines are very good and many of them are priced under $20.
Tune in for more Walla Walla South II...
Winemaker Anna Schafer and her family migrated east from the Seattle area to found aMaurice winery out on Mill Creek Road near the excellent Abeja winery. We ran into her father Tom who was pouring the libations in the tasting room. Tom told us what an emotional experience it was to finally make wine from their very own estate grown grapes. The 2006 Chardonnay was round, fruity and balanced, but lacked that incredible stoniness and minerality of the first Chardonnay bottling. The 2006 Syrah is somewhat schizophrenic in style. Perhaps this is because of its parentage with grapes coming from Lewis and Boushay vineyards. It appears there is a step-father involved, too, 15% Grenache from Minnick Vineyard. This androgenous combination is smooth on the one hand and a little rough on the other. It will be interesting to see how it evolves. The 2006 Malbec is a beauty with a deep rich color and and great fruit. The 2006 Red Blend, named after artist Tsutakawa is a masterpiece - a totally awesome blend of the cinq cepages of Bordeaux - Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Frnac, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
Just up the hill is Walla Walla Vintners a consistent producer of reliable wines. The wines seem to be a little more tame than in the past. The Cab Franc used to be my fave, but this time around the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard Select took the prize. The '07 Sangio blended with 14% Syrah and 9% Malbec was not bad either.
Even farther east is Spring Valley Vineyard, but they apparently have decided that they are too far out, so they have opened a tasting room right in downtown next to Trey Busch's Sleight of Hand winery. Spring Valley manages to turn out more than 5,000 cases of wine and still maintain consistently excellent quality. Uriah is usually my favorite from this winery, but this time it was surpassed by the deep dark, purple 2006 Frederick, a blend of the Bordeaux five. The 2006 Muleskinner, 100% Merlot, had a slightly too acid finish for my taste and the 2006 Nina Lee left me unmoved as it usually does.The 2006 Derby, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon,had a wonderful nose with round berry fruit flavors - delish. Winemaker Serge Laville makes fabulous wines, but one wonders how Spring Valley will sell five thousand cases at a $50 price point.
Back at the airport, we visited a French Chateau. Le Chateau Winery has a very impressive "Trompe d'Oeil", faux facade spread over a particularly long wall of an airport building. What fun! Unforunately, the winemaker seems to have achieved the same effect with his wines. With chateau level prices, they just don't seem worth it. The 2007 Castle White, a Sauvignon Blanc /Semillon blend was not bad. The 06 Sangiovese had a green quality I found unappealing. The 2005 Castle Red was not really fit for a king with it's hot finish. One questions the provenance of the 2006 Red Masterpiece. Was it really a Titian or just a copy. The giveaway? A hot finish. I don't believe these are remediable defects that will go away with ageing - too much acid and astringent tannins. The whole facade is enough to make you believe that the Emperor is wearing clothes, but is he? Well, yes, in one instance. The 2006 Cabernet Franc was well balanced with good fruit. This time Cab Franc was King instead of Cab Sauv.
We ended our trip East with a stop at Sygygy where Zack, a fellow New Yorker, still has all his astray bodies lined up in a straight line even though he no longer sell the thongs to put on those bodies. The three reds we tasted were all excellent with good fruit and lively interesting flavor profiles. The 2006 Columbia Valley Red, a blend of 56% Syrah, 20% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Malbec was very smooth , friendly, interesting and a good value at $24.
Next up we go south to visit some old friends and two girls from Portland.
I got an invite from fellow blogger, Lisa Halpern inviting me to experience Wine Wednesdays at Intiman this Wednesday the 22nd. I couldn't go, but you can! I get to go to the next one on September 9th - The Year Of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. You can beat me to it! Don't miss the held over New York-acclaimed production of Othello and for a mere fifteen bucks extra you get to taste four wines from Washington winery Maryhill and hors d'oeuvres from Center House Bistro. You can probably make a pre-theatre meal of it. I 've always said that wine and the arts go together. Taste the art of the playwright and the winemaker in the same evening. To get tickets call 206-269-1900. Plan to arrive at 6:30. Let me know what you think.
Where did all those wineries west of Walla Walla come from. They came from the incubator, No, I'm not saying they are chickens. I'm saying some of them came from the "incubator" at the Walla Walla airport. The Port of Walla Walla has been offering space to new wineries for quite some time. Just east of where commercial flights actually land, most of the Quonset huts have been occupied by pioneering new winemakers. This is very convenient as you can get off a Horizon flight from Seattle in the morning head over to the wineries and fly back the same evening, but why wouldn't you want to linger to check out the more than one hundred wineries in Walla Walla. Recently, the Port decided to build a special new incubator putting up five new attractive wineries facing an open field at the end of the Quonset huts. Who are the special five? Cavu, Adamantine, Lodmell, Trio, and Kontos clockwise in the semicircle. The quality varies, but the spirit doesn't.
Cavu Cellars, as distinguished from Cavu Winery, a start up in California, appears to be a father/son operation. The '08 SB is balanced and well made, the '06 Horizon a blend of Cab Sauv juiced up with 7% Petite Verdot is fairly big and dynamic. The Barbera will not be released until August 2009. It is deep and dark, definitely a food wine, nowhere near as rough as some of the Italian versions can be - very appealing. The Cab Sauv will be released in 2010. The fruit comes from the Les Collines Vineyard in the Blue Mountain foothills. It's a real winner.
Adamant has lost its baby fat and is now a healthy two year old. It has become even more shapely and Adamant wines are selling out like hotcakes. I seem to have lost my notes on the wines, but trust me, you can't go wrong with one of Steve's wines. Steve's wife Deborah is a very talented artist. It appears they are both artists. Last year I said this was a winery to watch. You had better get on their mailing list.
Lodmell Cellars offered three wines - a balanced 2006 Sauv Blanc, a round strawberry-rhubarb flavored Rose, and a deep dark squid's ink 2006 Syrah with fruity, round ripe flavors and hints of spice, everything a Syrah should be.
Trio Vintners was founded by three winemakers who somehow seem to cooperate. This the best new kid on the block. We were introduced to Trio by our friend Mary who brought us a bottle of the 2006 Mourvedre - an authentic wine that reminded us of the Rhone and the south of France. All the other wines we tasted were of high quality. The 2007 Riesling was classic with striking peach flavors. The 2007 Rose was sweet tasting and pretty.The 2006 Sangiovese was round soft and very appealing. The 2006 Zinfandel was round and fruity. Altogether a winery to watch.
Kontos at two o'clock on the semi-circle offered four wines. Our favorite was the 2006 Boushay Syrah. Boushay Syrah is almost always more elegant and refined than most other Washington Syrah.
There are many more wineries at the airport. Eric Dunham, for example, has just not not been able to tear himself away. Next time we will visit other airport wineries including a chateau and then drive out east to aMaurice and a few others.
Living in Washington state, we are so fortunate to have such an abundance of fresh seafood, especially oysters. Once again the Taylor Shellfish Company announced the results of its annual Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Awards and, guess what, five out of ten wines were from Washington
and roughly two thirds of the judges were from California, San Francisco and L. A. to be specific. One hundred thirty-two wines were submitted, so one out of thirteen winners is not a bad ratio. The Taylor Shellfish Company itself is a winner with it's Totten Oysters and Kumomotos. The poor judges had to suffer only having Kumomotos to taste with the wine. Here are the 2009 Washington State winners.
2008 Airfield Estates Thunderbolt Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Cedargreen Sauvignon Blanc
2008 Ch. Ste. Michelle Pinot Gris
2007 Covey Run Pinot Grigio
2008 Hogue Pinot Grigio
What is an oyster wine? It seems that dry crisp, tart whites go best with the briny little bundles of flavor. That's probably why even California judges preferred the Washington State wines. With longer days, and less sunshine, it is easier to produce dry, crisp wines in Washington than in the sunshine state. We are talking here about raw oysters, an acquired taste for many of us, but worth acquiring. I think that a wider variety of white wines go with cooked oysters such as Oysters Rockefeller. Red wines with oysters seem to yield an unpleasant metallic taste. The good thing is both the Ch. Ste. Michelle and the Hogue wines are widely distributed around the U.S. and may even be available overseas. The bad thing is that they are not dry enough for my taste. Just to show that I am not a chauvinist, my favorite oyster wines come from France, Italy and Spain. Muscadet and Entre-Deux-Mers are my faves from from France. They are Sauvignon based and generally of good quality. Wines made from the Albarino grape in northwest Spain are also perfect with oysters, and the "real" original Pinot Griglio from Italy works well, too. The widely distributed Bella Serra Pinot Grigio is searingly dry for those who want something to rough up that oyster. BTW, as most of you know, Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are that same grape, although I think I've noticed that wines named Pinot Gris are less dry. As always you can drink anything you like with oysters. Buty or Amaurice Chardonnay are not bad with Kumomotos, for example. My favorite oysters, apart from Kumomotos, are our local Quilcenes, pleasure in a shell.
July 4th we had a great time with Maxine and Al. We started by visiting one of our favorite wineries - Palouse. Linda tasted us down the entire list starting with the '07 Viognier, an appealing wine with a hint of butterscotch added to the profile. Great with summer fare, fish and seafood. The '07 Riesling is classic off dry with a little more body than typical and the usual suspects in the flavor profile. The "Dynamique" name for the Cab Franc is clever pun combining the names of the two vineyards, Dineen & Meek from which the grapes were sourced.
Unfortunately, this bottle had a hint of that "prune" quality in the nose - a tip-off that the bottle has been open too long, but in the mouth there was good fruit accompanied by a hint of tobacco and chili pepper. The '05 Eclipse was it's usual good self, full of beautiful fruit. The '06 Solitaire was a little too bright for my taste, but good nevertheless. The "06 Ahh Syrah is sourced from three Yakima Valley vineyards - Portteus, Dineen, and Meek. One sip of this deep dark beauty will evoke oohs and ahhs. Although deep in color and big in the mouth, this is no monster, having that certain smoothness associated with Yakima Syrah. The 06' Cab Sauv is Linda's fave. She sure got it right! It's our fave, too! Sourced from Dineen Vineyard it another deep dark beauty full of exciting black fruit. With these two, George more than achieved his goal of "smooth, round and voluptuous." The '06 and '05 "Black Pearl" Petite Sirah are excellent, too, George's favorites, but they suffer by comparison with the outstanding 2004 Black Pearl. I guess Linda wins this round. The 100% Cabernet Sauvignon seems to be this year's winner.
What about Jasnieres, you say? What is Jasnieres? What's Jasnieres got to do with Vashon? What's the rolling hills of the Palouse got to do with Vashon, for that matter? Instead of checking out other wineries, we went to Vashon Thriftway which has a spectacular wine selection. This destination supermarket is worth a trip to the island, just to check out the wine. Of course, you might want to take your bike, too. Then you will save almost enough on the ferry fare to buy a bottle of Jasnieres at Thriftway. Since the 2006 Jasnieres from Pascal Janvier is a Kermit Lynch Selection distrubuted in the Seattle area, you can probably find it without the ferry trip. How fortunate, though to find it on Vashon. It was perfect with the beautiful salmon dinner Maxine prepared.
Ever since tasting Jasnieres at the font, at the Hermetagerie, near Grand Luce, in the Loire Valley, I have been searching despairingly for it in the states, and while the Jasnieres by Janviers isn't exactly Jasnieres by Gigou, the best IMHO, it is still quite wonderful. Made from the Chenin Blanc grape, it is so much drier than its more famous and flabbier cousin, Vouvray. The unusual combination of fruitiness and dryness is fascinating by itself and perfect with salmon. The Janviers finishes with just a hint of citrus which picks it up and will pick you up on a summer afternoon.
What ever happened to the rest of Walla Walla? Look for posts on the airport, the stateline area and others. Look for Back To The Future - Paso Robles, Foxen Road etc., in coming posts.
Dear Catie,
Thank you so much for a wonderful dinner at Bistro Four. It was so good to see you. As usual, the conversation was great, the food was delish, and the wine interesting. Better to be at a simple bistro, than a pretentious wannabe like 26 Brix. You seemed to love your Croque Madame and although I craved the Duck pizza, it was not to be. The salad Nicoise was excellent although with my carb fears, there were too many potatoes. The Spanish Barbadillo was such an excellent dry white, and so inexpensive. At first I thought I was hallucinating, back at the old Nick's in McMinnville where wines were marked up only $8. Imagine - an $8 corkage fee. Well, Bistro Four actually seems to have reasonable prices and if you purchase to take home, you get ten per cent off, so , in effect, a ten percent corkage or markup in the restaurant - very reasonable! The service by Nathaniel was great, and while the menu is somewhat limited, this is a great place to eat at reasonable prices, don't you think? Christophe tells me that the owner is a single mom. She bought the place from the owner of Grapefields which was the previous incarnation of this venue where she had been chef. Great to see such entrepreneurship and guts, yes?
So, despite the good wine and food, the most interesting thing was our discussion of the next venue for the third annual Wine Bloggers Conference. This year is a repeat of Sonoma. Much as I would like to see my wine blogger friends, a return to the same old venue seems boring and why would I want to leave Seattle at the end of July which is the perfect time to be here. So you told me that there seems to be some sort of contest between Walla Walla and Woodinville for next years conference. I have to say, that, while there are excellent wineries in Woodinville , this would be a very limited sampling of Washington State wines and I don't actually know of a venue that can support a conference of 200 some odd participants in Woodinville, other than the Willows Lodge, but I don't believe they have the accommodations for 200 participants. Limiting the tastings to Woodinville would be a shame since that would exclude Quilceda, the South Seattle Artisan group, Yakima, Red Mountain and Walla Walla to say nothing of Snipes, Horse Heaven Hills, the Gorge, and Lake Chelan.
My first intro to Walla Walla was a Society of Wine Educators conference held at the Hilton in Bellevue, but there was a pre-conference trip to Tri-Cities and Walla Walla that was great. I think the best plan would be similar. A Bellevue or Seattle conference venue, but with extensive pre-conference side trips to SSAW, Yakima, Red Mountain, and Walla Walla. The Marcus Whitman in Walla Walla would be a great venue for a conference and there are more than enough motels for overflow. Maybe Christophe would volunteer to knock their socks off! There are so many great Walla Walla wineries, and besides, no one would get to see our fabulous Eastern Washington vineyards. After all, while there are close to a hundred excellent wineries in the Puget Sound area, all the the grapes come from eastern Washington. Holding the event in Woodinville would be like holding an event in Paris or a Bordeaux suburb without visiting the Medoc, St. Emilion, or Pomerol, for example. I look forward to a Wine Bloggers conference in Washington, but I do hope it won't be limited to one narrow corner of the state. Have fun at the second annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma and say hi to Joel for me.
The king of pop may be dead, but the king of the stones lives. In fact, Christophe Baron rules both in his domain at Cayuse and in the surrounding cailloux ( French for stones). I must admit to a certain amount of skepticism about all the apparent hype and spin around Cayuse. Commenters on the Seattle Wine Blog argued that Les Cailloux and other Cayuse vineyards should be included in The Top Ten Washington State Vineyards at the same time complaining that Seven Hills is in Oregon. As Bob Tovey would say, common folks, which is it? All the Cayuse vineyards and the studio/atelier/winery are in Oregon even though Cayuse maintains a downtown Walla Walla presence and Christophe lives in Walla Walla, Washington.
Christophe very graciously received us at the studio, and finished regaling us with the official story already started by his able assistant, Trevor. Christophe comes from an old winemaking family in Champagne. Unfortunately, this Champagne is not available in the States. Christophe earned his stripes in Burgundy and came to the U.S. planning to make Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley. He visited a friend in Walla Walla and "on his way" to the Willamette Valley, " just happened upon" the stony soil in the southwest quadrant of the Walla Walla AVA.
"Cailloux!", he exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the stony soil of the apple orchids along Sunneyside Road (Actually there were already plantings of grapes in the stones when Christophe arrived. The old Seven Hills vineyard, now called Wildrow was there along with some others). That was the beginning of the end for Christophe - no more Willamette Pinot for him. Roughly thirteen years ago he set down roots among the stones of Walla Walla AVA and has never looked back. I asked him if regretted not going on to the Willamette. His answer - not at all. I would have been just one of many Frenchmen making Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley and here I am unique." Kathy Tovey remembered Christophe as a somewhat scrawny young man peddling his wine at a country fair in Oregon in the mid-90s. Christophe has come a long way since then.
Now, Christophe has a domain consisting of many vineyards, and has recently discovered "biodynamique." This suits him perfectly, since in its purest form, biodynamique is about an ecological microcosm, a self-sufficient domain. Christophe took us on a tour of his home base,
Armida Vineyard. He told us that he has 25 full-time permanent employees to maintain the vineyards and in the winery. Most of them probably work in the vineyards and in keeping with the sustainability ethos of Oregon they have health insurance. My guess is that, as usual, they are Hispanic , and to produce my own stereotype, hard-working. conscientious and productive. Walking on "cobblestones" trodden by others, one still has a wondrous sense of something "sauvage" and yet "pastorale." As we walked among the stones, Christophe regaled us with tales of his conquests in Walla Walla. Christophe told us that others had said he would break his machinery on such rocks, but the "Bionic Frog" persevered. Finally, we arrived at a plot of Grenache planted 3ft.X3ft. Rows with spaces not wide enough for most overweight Americans, let alone a motorized cultivator. Horses! Christophe will cultivate this plot with the help of several Belgian horses. Beyond this plot, piles of manure, excuse me, organic fertilizer.
And then, the producers of this fertile pile - les vaches (the cows). To the south, an organic cherry orchid rejected by commercial buyers because the cherries didn't conform to grade. Perhaps this is the best description of Christophe. He doesn't conform to grade. This non-conformist thinks and lives outside the box.
Back to the studio/atelier/winery. As we entered the "studio" we had a lively discussion of order and disorder. This was triggered by the incredible flying pig hanging from the ceiling of the winery. Starting with a pinata purchased by Christophe, his artist friend painted it over, adding two jet engines and other paraphernalia. Christophe insists they are Boeing engines and not Airbus. My guess is that Airbus represents the uptight, buttoned up, stultifying cadre of France with their inhibiting rule-bound society as opposed to the fresh air of America for a French person. Disorder is "necessaire" for creativity, originality and limnality. On the other hand, order is a necessary foil for disorder and it is necessary to define "a thing." So we enter the inner sanctum - a frigid place of order! Rows of barrels, "eggs," cement fermenters, neatly laid out. But many of the barrels are turned with their provenance and stats unavailable to the naked eye. Christophe is both ebullient and charismatic, on the one hand, and private and secretive, on the other.
As he explained early on, "terroir" is everything. He described himself as primarily a "vigneron," a grapegrower, but the implication was of an artist united with the soil (see my D.H. Lawrence quote on the masthead). Christophe, the artist, reminded me of Picasso and Gauguin. I asked him if he was a guardian of the vineyards. "Not at all! Maybe in a hundred years, in a thousand years." Now he is a pioneer, a discoverer, an explorer, an experimenter, an adventurer. Christophe has the personality of Lewis Hyde's "Trickster." Hermes, he is! Egoist, narcissist, yes, but his charisma is real, not some put-on persona. I once heard a French teacher describe her job as "seduire." To seduce, is to teach. Christophe is very seductive, very charismatic. A seller of Gentiane at a market in southwest France, once told us that his product would make anyone "drop his pants" or was it "her pants." That's Christophe!
You were wondering about the wine? Exceptional! These wines are giants. Bigger than most California wines, yet not jammy. Bigger than most Australian wines, yet not linear. Bigger than most French wine, yet not classic. Bigger than most Washington wines, yet not soft. These are big wines in big bottles, but really they are amazingly over the top, really nothing like them in intensity. Huge expansive wines, just like Christophe! How does Christophe do it? Apparently he has many secrets, but the most obvious trick is in the vineyard - keeping the yields low, dropping clusters down to five or six per vine, or in the case of the 3x3 Grenache maybe three per vine resulting in yields of significantly less than two tons per acre, like 1.2 or 1.5 tons per acre. This is amazing when you consider that three tons per acre is considered low by the mere mortals growing grapes in other vineyards.
From the cask - '06 Grenache - Armida, '06 Syrah -Armida, '06 Syrah -Cailloux, '08 Bionic Frog. The 2006 Armida Grenache is big, dark and inky, smelling of spices and tar, tasting of rhubarb and strawberry. A huge, smooth, seamless wine -plus d' agreable. 2008 Armida Syrah - incredibly dark, perfection in a bottle, deepest, darkest Walla Walla. The flagship Cailloux vineyard was founded in 1997 - super-intense, liquid tar, somewhat like the tar and roses of a traditional Barolo, but so much more intense. This is not your average aperatif, maybe an acquired taste. For me, incredible! The 2008 Bionic Frog blend is from the Coccinelle vineyard and has a pretty nose - complex, spicy and herbal, in the mouth - round, soft, seductive and approachable - closest to the gout Americain, thus very popular. BTW, Coccinelle means ladybug in French, but also is the name of a pioneering transsexual and a line of handbags.
From the bottle - 2007 Widowmaker, 2007 Bionic Frog, 2007 Impulsivo. The 2007 Widowmaker is a killer Cabernet Sauvignon from the En Chambertin vineyard. Once your man drinks this liquid cassis and blueberry pie that tastes like a spice rack, it won't be long 'til you get to finih the bottle in peace and quiet by yourself. The 2007 Bionic Frog is big, spicy and complex. The 2007 Impulsivo is 100% Tempranillo from the En Chambertin vineyard. Deep, black, incredibly intense, without being jammy. The beautiful image on the label says it all - the last tango, to die for, or from! Truly a tour de force.
Are the wines representative of the terroir. Without a doubt! They are so different from each other.. This was especially illustrated by four different Syrahs from four different vineyards. Are they only terroir? I don't think so. As usual, the winemaker has left his stamp, his signature, on the wine. Christophe is both a terroiriste and an artiste - a "vigneron!" Christophe's wines are gigantic like Christophe who is un geant de la terre. I was forced to read Giants In The Earth in high school and hated it. Now the name has served me well in describing this amazing French winemaker who has spread his seed in the fertile soil of Walla Walla. The "Rock" Star exceeded my expectations and his reputation. Stones R Us, or rather, Stones R Him.
Christophe tells me he has 4500 people on the waiting list, but I have a feeling people are dropping off the mailing list like flies due to the horrendous economy. Sign up, you never know, you might get to the head of the list faster than you think, and by that time maybe your finances may have recovered enough to be able to pay the price for a bottle paradise (or is it hell?) in a bottle. Trust me, it's worth it. Spend your last red cent on an impulse and die happy. Despite my reticence I was totally seduced by Christophe and his incredible wines. Cayuse rocks!
Okay, so this isn't so real-time, but it's still the latest poop on Walla Walla West. Graduates from the Walla Walla Airport incubator, tend to end up on Highway 12. Reininger and Cougar Crest are classic examples. In fact, it has seemed to me that Reininger went downhill when they moved, but recent evidence suggests a recovery. Cougar Crest seems to have made the move without ill effects. Waterbrook was never in the incubator and came up with some wonderful surprises - great values.
In the recent past, Reininger seemed to me to have lost its way. Apparently, highway 12 is disorienting. You can get wound up and twisted into a double helix. The Helix wines used to be great values, but at $30 a throw, that is no longer an accurate description. Nevertheless, many of Chuck's regular bottlings are quite interesting and delicious. The 2003 Cima, tasting a little old (or had it been open too long), was quite beautiful. The 2005 Merlot, despite the grapes from Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills vineyards, was light - enough to confirm "Miles" opinion of Merlot. The 2005 Cab Sauv had great fruit and tasted a little like what a Merlot should taste like. The 2008 Ash Hollow Syrah had nice tobacco and pepper notes. The 2006 Carmenere was probably the most interesting wine. As I read over this paragraph, it appears that I had a negative impression of Reininger wines. This is not true. Most of these wines had character and interest. Reininger survived the jinx of route 12 and Codi ably poured all these wines with a great running commentary on each. It was obvious that she is really into wine. She is a student at the enology program at the community college and I predict she will become a great winemaker in her own right in just a few years.
Deborah and Dave Hansen survived for the longest time in a "Quonset Hut" at the airport. So far, their move to route 12 seems to be liberating. Sooo much more space! Both have deep roots in Walla Walla and, in fact own several vineyards. They tore up apple orchids and own vineyards in the stones just over the border in Oregon to the west of highway 125. They sold a vineyard to finance their beautiful new winery on highway 12. Dave is a farmer, a vineyardist who is happiest on a tractor or a forklift. Deborah is an outstanding winemaker. Cougar Crest is one of the most consistent labels around. This is a great help in a restaurant when you are unsure what to order from the wine list. The 2006 Walla Walla Viognier is an outrageously good wine. Viognier at its best - dry, stony, with good subdued fruit - to my gout. The Grenache Rose is pleasant, a cut above most American Roses. Dedication is a delicious wine dedicated to the hospital that saved the life of Dave and Deborah's daughter after near fatal injuries. The 2006 Walla Walla Valley Anniversary Cuvee is fairly light , but totally great for chocoloholics. The 2006 Walla Walla Valley Cab Sauv is a delicious blend and the 2005 Walla Walla Syrah is an outstanding wine. Virtually all Cougar Crest wines are made from estate grown grapes. Since moving into their new digs on highway 12, Dave and Deborah couldn't quite let go of their original hut at the airport, so they've started producing a new line to sell there - Walla Walla River Winery. This is their opportunity to explore various varietals from grapes sourced from all around the Columbia Valley. I didn't get to taste these wines, but I'll bet they are good.
Waterbrook just opened a new winery on highway 12. This high tech building is spectacular and is home to Precept Brands in all of its manifestations. I must admit to not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Melange Noir and White, to say nothing of the Sangiovese Rose and a perfectly typical, classic Riesling all at very reasonable prices. I found the higher priced wines to be somewhat disappointing for the price, but Waterbrook is producing some fabulous value with great price points.
So the western entrance to Walla Walla is a good introduction to Walla Walla wines, but the best is yet to come south of town and at the airport.
Amazing! This is almost real time blogging from Walla Walla. Today we checked out wineries West of Walla Walla on Highway 12 as you come into town from Seattle. One could imagine a game of hopscotch among wineries trying to be the first to greet wine tourists on the road into Walla Walla. Such a game of musical chairs would be so 1990s, so California, but I can hardly imagine the down-to-earth folks of Walla Walla playing such a game. As it turns out Woodward Canyon is first and they have been there for quite a while, founded in 1981 by Rick Small.
Next up is L'Ecole #41, founded in 1983 by Marty Clubb. I got to talk with Marty about his newest interest - Ferguson vineyard, 18 acres above Pepper Bridge or was it Seven Hills. Like so many other winemakers he has been bitten by the "sustainability" bug.
As I tasted through L'Ecole wines, they all seemed lighter and friendlier(too friendly?) than they used to be, but it seems to me they used to have more character. The Semillons are less intense, the reds less deep. The Fries Vineyard Semillon goes with tuna. The 2008 "Walla Voila" Chenin Blanc shows lots of interest with a floral spicy nose, round and fruity body, and a hint of spice and citrus in the finish. Much more enjoyable than 99% of Chenin Blanc based Vouvray from the Loire Valley. The 2006 Walla Walla Cab has great fruit in the nose an is an altogether satisfying wine. The 2006 "Apogee" is the apogee of the the L'Ecole line up. Fortunately, the Perigee is not the perigee but not as wonderful as the Apogee. The 2006 Columbia Valley Syrah was pretty good, too.
Moving right along, we come to the new kid on the block - Glencorrie, owned by Ronn Coldiron and ably managed by Heidi Harrison. Wow! Awesome! Ronn is a geologist who runs a consulting firn in California. With the help of Charlie Hoppes, Glencorrie has fashioned it's first wines from Stillwater and Gamache grapes. The 2006 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium bodied wine with very appealing fruit and lots of character. It gets your attention. It stands out from so many ever so pleasant wines. As usual the Walla Walla version of Cab ( Widrow & Dwelley) is more upright, more serious - a good food wine. The 2006 Cuvee Marquis is the gem in the show - round, soft, but exciting! Sourced from multiple vineyards around the Columbia Valley. This is an up-and-comer. A winery to watch! The next new thing! Get on their mailing list. BTW, they are having an Open house June 29th in the evening. Call 509-525-2585.
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The Easton Synergy SY50 hockey sticks are traditional wood hockey sticks at a great price. Easton has kept to the classic design for the SY50 hockey sticks using an aspen core with aircraft veneer for increased durability. If you are looking for a traditional wood hockey stick look no further.
- Construction:
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- 5mm corner radius
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- Grip: Traditional smooth stick coating
- Blade:
- Aspen core
- Fiberglass outer coating for increase durability and rigidity
- Flex: 95
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- Weight: 657 grams
Comments: Used on ice as a backup stick. Did not hold up very well. Blade cracked on the bottom. Turned it into a street stick and the blade continued to disintegrate. Would not recommend.
From: Ryan
Comments: Do not use outside. Blade heavily work after one use. Only use indoors.
From: Mark
Comments: It is an awesome stick to be honest very light compare to other wooden stick I've used before, Would recommend the "Hall" model and it's feel really great when doing a wrist shoot
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An error has occurred. Please go back to the page that you were on and try your request again.
When you're trolling with plugs, spinners, spoons or flies, drop your rod tip back once in a while rather than maintaining a steady pull. Dropping back causes the lure to tumble momentarily, triggering strikes from any fish that may be following.
Copyright © 2003 - 2015, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. All Rights Reserved.


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November 19, 2010 from 1pm to 2pm – teleseminar - you can call in from any location! I am so glad you found this free teleseminar! If you are anything like me, you are excited to be a mom, but less excited about having a 6-8 pound person come out your va-jay-jay! If you are looking f… Organized by Angela Lauria | Type: free, one-hour, teleseminar, with, birth, playwright, karen, brody
© 2016 Created by MyBestBirth Admin. Powered by


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Very weird problem. I have installed Zimbra at a clients site (25 users). They are accessing it via web, Eudora and Thunderbird (Mac). Occasionally, it will lock up and no one inside their network can access the server. After I bump the service (zmcontrol stop ; zmcontrol start), all is well. It appears to be doing this one or two times a day. I have no problems ssh'ing into the machine, and at least one time I was able to check mail from the outside, but no one on the inside could do so until I' had bumped the service.
They had a very active web server on the same paired T1's which was saturating the network, but we moved that machine and network traffic is down. The main traffic now is e-mail, all handled by zimbra.
Any suggestions? I see nothing horrible in /var/log/zimbra.log. Any suggestions on where to look next time this happens, or how to troubleshoot this. The client is willing to be without e-mail for a short time if I can successfully troubleshoot the problem.


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With Damon Wells as its head coach, there is one thing Rifle High School will never be: Unprepared.
From the coaches down to the players, the Bears are as dedicated to football as any team you'll ever see.
"What's always impressed me about Rifle is just their great desire," Steamboat Springs head coach Lonn Clementson said after his team suffered a 56-0 loss to undefeated Rifle last Friday. "I think they really are the benchmark, the standard, for the league, especially right now. I can say, at least for our program, that's what we aspire to be at some point."
From the weight room to the film room to the practice field, the 3A Western Slope League-leading Bears have poured all sorts of sweat into their 8-0 record.
"It feels like a full-time job sometimes," Rifle junior Kellin Leigh said. "But it's all worth it."
The Bears, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A according to the Denver Post poll, are closing in on the end of the regular season. With two games remaining - a contest at 6-2 Delta this Friday and a home date with 7-1 Eagle Valley next week - Rifle is gunning for its second straight league title.
"We know it's going to be tough sledding from here on out, every step of the way," Wells said. "Hopefully, we're fortunate enough to get into the playoffs. ... Delta's always a really tough place to play. Eagle Valley has some big, physical kids. We saw them play at Glenwood. They're no joke."
But a league title isn't everything in Wells' eyes.
"All that stuff's really cool," Wells said. "You get a really cool T-shirt for winning the league, but we just want to be in the playoffs."
Once you reach the playoffs, Wells knows anything can happen. He's been part of some wild postseason rides, including one that ended with the Bears winning a state title in 2004 and another that took the Bears to the 2005 state title game. Both years, Rifle finished fourth in the WSL.
"The notion is supposed to be that, if you have a higher seed, it's supposed to be a little easier road," the veteran coach said. "I've been at Rifle for 13 years or whatever it's been, and we've found a little more success with the lower seed. Ultimately, we don't care what our seed is."
Whatever the Bears' seed, it's safe to assume they'll be ready for whatever comes their way. And it all stems from a deep love for the game of football, one that drives them to put in all that work.
"I can't say enough about how hard their players play and how much they love the game," Clementson said. "We'd like to get to that point at some point. I think they're going to go far."


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Just tried to update my SSL Certificate via Geotrust and the Zimbra wizard. I used the wizard to generate the CSR, submitted it, got my new commercial cert from Geotrust. Now when I try to install the cert, I'm getting the following error:
Your certificate was not installed due to the error : system failure: XXXXX ERROR: Unmatching certificate (/opt/zimbra/mailboxd/webapps/zimbraAdmin/tmp/current.crt) and private key (/opt/zimbra/mailboxd/webapps/zimbraAdmin/tmp/current_comm.key) pair.
Looking in /opt/zimbra/mailboxd/webapps/zimbraAdmin/tmp, there is no current_comm.key file.
So now I am trying to find out what the "wizard" did and where the KEY file is that was associated with the CSR and the new CRT.
I am currently looking in "/opt/zimbra/ssl/zimbra/commercial", but although the key that is here was generated today, it doesn't appear to match my new cert.
Does anyone know what the certificate wizard is supposed to have done?


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Wiki > Main > RockChip (compare)
Difference: RockChip (r14 vs. r13)
Quoting wikipedia: "Rockchip is a series of integrated circuits manufactured by Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics Company. These integrated circuits are mainly for applications in mobile entertainment devices such as MP3 players and personal video players."
rk260x series
This SoC is build around ZSP400 type 16/32-bit DSP clocked up to 80MHz and as such is not suitable target for rockbox. Some documents leaked to internet as well as more or less complete SDK.
rk270x series
This SoC is build around ARM7EJ?-S (ARMv5TE? architecture) core with additional ZSP500 DSP coprocessor. There are some preliminary datasheets floating in internet as well as more or less complete SDK for the rockchip firmware. There is no free toolchain for ZSP architecture as far as I know.
A port exists to the official rockchip reference design: see: Rockchip27xxPort
Main prameters of the SoC are as follows:
The ZSP500 is successor of ZSP400. Very little technical documents are available about this core. It is referred as G2 ISA and uses mix of 16 and 32bit opcodes. G2 ISA is binary incompatible with G1 (ZSP400 and earlier). The DSP has separate data memory and instruction memory. Both regions are mapped in ARM core address space also, so data can be shared. I was able to successfully run small hand assembled snippet of code on dsp core.
rk272x, rk273x series
Despite the name it is much like rk280x - ARM926EJ?-S + ZSP G2 DSP. The boot sequence and SDK share many similarities with rk27xx series however. Many cheap ebook readers are build around this chips.
rk280x series
This SoC from 2009 is build around ARM926EJ?-S core with additional DSP core (ZSP800 probably). Some technical materials leaked to internet. The max frequency is between 350-600 MHz for ARM and 400-550 MHz for DSP (there is big discrepancy in various materials about this chip). It is quite widespread in cheap tablets running android.
This line of SoC shares some IP blocks with rk27xx. At least I2C? controller, I2S? and PWM controllers are the same.
This is upgrade of the rk280x architecture and introduce GPU to support 3d rendering. Frequency limits are higher as well.
The Rockchip 29xx, presented for the first time at CES 2011, is a Cortex A8 CPU and can run up to 1.2 Ghz.
This is high performance SoC based on Cortex A8 core with one NEON coprocessor (around 1GHz upper freq limit). It integrates GPU 2D/3D fully compatible with OpenGL? ES2.0, ES1.1 and OpenVG? standards, hardware video decoder (H264, H263, RMVB, MPEG2, MPEG4, VC1, AVS, VP8), hardware video encodec for H264, hardware accelerators (encoder/decoder) for JPEG. Other then this the chip integrates common set of peripherals such as nand, sd, ddr ram, i2s, i2c, uart, spi, usb otg, rtc, pwm, adc, lcdc.
This Rockchip chip has an ARM core at 120MHz, nand, usb slave, mmc/sd support, embedded pmu and audio codec. This chip explicitly targets mp3 players but little is know about it since no datasheet has leaked. See RockChipNanoB.
View topic | View difference side by side | History: r16 < r15 < r14 < r13 | More topic actions
r16 - 28 Oct 2014 - 10:04:36 - AmauryPoulyRevision r14 - 09 Apr 2013 - 06:16 - MarcinBukat
Revision r13 - 27 Mar 2013 - 09:51 - AmauryPouly
Copyright © by the contributing authors.


text: Posted 10 Jul 2012 It wasn't easy unburying mine, we've got a new computer in the office now, but he had taken all of the folders from the old computer and put them into a new folder on the new one so I went into our network (I'm on my laptop) to find them. So I had to dig through that folder. My biggest treasure was all of those photos of the "huddle men". I've got more ass photos than I care to admit - and I have photos of people who I forgot existed - and many I remember and miss so much. Those indeed were the days. GTG...empty your mailbox....I just tried to send a message to you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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From the moment of its arrival in Europe Adnan Oktar's Atlas of Creation, has been instrumental in a huge cultural revolution taking place there. Darwinism has been forcibly imposed on European society for some 150 year, people have been all but totally prevented from even thinking about opposed toagainst Darwinism, and huge efforts have been made to prevent the public seeing the true face of Darwinism by means of great intellectual pressure. However, these endeavors that have occupied Darwinists for the last 150 years lost all their effectiveness literally overnight when the Atlas of Creation arrived in Europe, and the Darwinist spell over the continent was lifted. The rapid turning toward religion among intellectuals and leading thinkers in particular is important evidence for this.
One such person is former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. A former socialist and someone who made almost no statements about religion and spiritual values before, Tony Blair has recently begun issuing joyful statements about his belief in God and telling people of the importance of religious moral values. He set up the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and has issued statements saying that religious moral values would become very important in the 21st century. Blair, a convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, is also noted for his positive thoughts regarding Islamic moral values and Muslims. The Atlas of Creation, which intellectually demolishes Darwinism, has clearly had a major impact in this change in Tony Blair, who says he has read the Qur'an and given copies to friends.
Adnan Oktar: The really big impact in Europe came after this Atlas of Creation, in other words, my book the Atlas of Creation gave rise to the really stunning effect. It provboked great reactions in France, Germany and Italy. It evoked really enormous responses. It had an especially positive impact on the intellectual section of society. It greatly accelerated the turning toward religion. Christians, people of Christian origins, began becoming truly religious. These are very excellent developments. From the Atlas of Creation I sent to Tony Blair, for example. One report says, "Blair encourages religion to assume a greater role. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for religion to be given a central role in seeking to resolve the world's problems." Faith, in other words, belief in God. Another says, "Tony Blair is dedicating his life to religion. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair says he will devote the rest of his life to increasing inter-faith dialogue." These are statements made in the wake of the Atlas. Again, "Tony Blair is calling on faith leaders to resuscitate the world's conscience." His words. "Protect religion and help it become a force for good." All Blair's words. The Atlas has had a very, very positive impact. And not only on him. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the same.
Adnan Oktar: But most asgtonishing developments took place in Europe following the arrival of the Atlas of Creation there. Sarkozy, for instance, was someone who never mentioned religion or Islam. Tony Blair was a socialist, a leftist who never even said the word religion. Unbelievable changes have taken place and the French press have written openly about this. We saw in the press how he was profoundly influenced by my works and how Tony Blair was similarly affected. In the Guardian, Tony Blair says, "Protect religion and help it become a force for good." Again after my book we read: "Tony Blair has called for religion to assume a cedntral place in the resolution of the world's problems. He said it could awaken the conscience of the world..." Very profound changes have taken place, masha'Allah. These are all very splendid developments, thanks be to God. Intellectuals are not resisting in Belgium and the rest of Europe. That is very good. There are some still holding out, but the numbers of those who have given in is very high. We can see that they have given up from opinion polls showing that the level of people not believing in Darwinism stands at 80%. Separate polls have been conducted. Separate ones have been performed in Germany, for example. And in Holland. This is a huge figure, a total reversal of the case previously when 80% believed in Darwin and 20% did not. Now 80% do not believe in Darwin; 80% believe in creation... (Mersin TV-September 5, 2008)
BBC News / 3 April 2008
Agence France-Press / 8 April 2008
The Times / 3 April 2008
The Guardian / 4 April 2008
The Scotsman / 4 April 2008
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, founded by Tony Blair, says on its web site:
2008-11-10 13:59:17


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|Health is not a condition of matter, but of mind
|Written by Justin Newman, medical student
Holiday Booze and Hangovers
"It provokes the desire but it take away the performance." — Shakespeare, Macbeth
The holiday season is in full swing. With this time of year comes parties and occasionally, the over-indulgence of alcohol. While it is obvious you should not drink too much, and for heaven's sake never drive after drinking, it may happen you are "over served" on occasion.
It is all too well known that after drinking comes the dreaded next morning. When the night out leads to difficulty getting out of bed, you may wonder: what can I do to feel better? Why did I do that? And, perhaps—why does my body feel this way?
Alcohol wreaks havoc on many parts of your body. When you imbibe the body becomes dehydrated. A hormone that helps to control the kidneys is affected, and the kidneys allow an increased amount of water to pass out as urine.
The body cannot correctly control the water it is losing. This leads to frequent trips to the bathroom, the dry mouth in the morning and the need to rehydrate the following day.
Alcohol also gets to your brain. This causes relaxation and the good feeling that appropriate drinking leads to. However, too much alcohol can also lead to a loss of inhibition, causing inappropriate behavior. The effects on the brain will also cause problems with reactions and coordination.
A slowed reaction time will cause many problems, including making you unsafe for driving or operating equipment. The brain that is unable to process movement correctly will cause problems with coordination that you are unable to hide.
This is the reason for the roadside test that police will do to see if you have been drinking. They are able to identify from the way you move during certain tests, and from the way your eyes move, there is alcohol affecting the circuitry in your head. Be smart and don't drink too much!
One of the worst parts of the hung-over day is feeling very tired, no matter how much you slept the night before. This is because of another effect of alcohol on your brain. Alcohol affects your ability to sleep.
When there is alcohol in the system, the brain cannot properly enter the deep sleep which results in a restful night's sleep. So, the sleep that you get is not nearly as effective as a normal night's sleep.
I hate to break this to you, but there is really nothing proven to cure a hangover. Nothing but time will help you feel better. Despite what people may have told you, there is no real difference in what type of alcohol you were drinking, whether you started with beer or hard alcohol, or even what type of mixer was used. It all boils down to the amount of alcohol that you consume.
There have been studies looking at prickly pear extract, chemicals in tomatoes, all manner of proteins and pills—but nothing effectively works. Taking a Tylenol at night won't help you, since the effects wear off long before morning. In fact, too much Tylenol or other pain killers may hurt your body more than you are aware.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, both during the night, before you go to bed and when you get up. But most importantly, be smart! Do not put yourself or others into danger and remember, everything in moderation.
Justin Newman is originally from Holyoke and is attending medical school at the University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine.


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Linz, Austria (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded German Julia Goerges and
American Bethanie Mattek-Sands were among Tuesday's opening-round winners
at the $220,000 Generali Ladies Linz tennis event.
Goerges knocked out Slovakian veteran Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), while
the qualifier Mattek-Sands ousted seventh-seeded Austrian crowd favorite
Tamira Paszek 6-2, 6-4 on the indoor hardcourts at Tips Arena Linz. Hantuchova
captured this event back in 2007.
Meanwhile, American qualifier Mallory Burdette straight-setted Russian lucky-
loser Ksenia Pervak 6-3, 6-4 and wild card and former top-10 German Andrea
Petkovic bested Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Additional first-round wins came for Swiss Romina Oprandi, Belgian qualifier
Kirsten Flipkens, Romanians Simona Halep and lucky-loser Irina-Camelia Begu,
and Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.
On Wednesday, world No. 1 star Victoria Azarenka will face Dutchwoman Arantxa
Rus and second-seeded former top-ranked Serb Ana Ivanovic will meet Romanian
Monica Niculescu. Ivanovic was the Linz champion in 2008 and 2010.
The Australian Open champion and U.S. Open runner-up Azarenka, of Belarus, is
fresh off her title last week in Beijing.
The newest Linz titlist will earn $37,000.
The Sports Network


text: I've just installed zimbra 4 in the new server, and I am planning to migrate all users and mailbox from old zimbra 3 server to the new server (with zimbra 4 installed on it). Is there any tool to do that? I've read about imapsync, and I have tried it. But it need password from each users which is imposible for me.


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Detectives seeking info on suspect in thefts
Published: Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 7:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 7:33 p.m.
OCALA -- Marion County sheriff's detectives are seeking information about a man arrested recently the for theft of utility trailers, as authorities suspect he may be connected to other thefts.
Detectives say Clarence Applehans was arrested and charged with the theft of three utility trailers from three locations in Belleview and Ocklawaha, which occurred between July 26 and Aug. 7.
Authorities said he would pose as the owner or friend of the trailer owner and sell the trailers to people.
Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Calhoun said detectives are following up on leads that suggest Applehans may be responsible for more thefts, including lawn equipment, tools and other items.
Anyone with any information about Applehans' activities or anyone who may have purchased items from Applehans can contact Detective Thomas Tingue at 843-4302, Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, OR TEXT TIPS TO 274637 using keyword 368stop. Tips can also be submitted by using www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD — He was a football star and class president, the baby brother of five boys raised in a blue-collar home in middle America, a good neighbor ready to lend a helping hand.
Robert Bales befriended a mentally disabled boy as a youth, stepped forward to serve his country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and sought candy and soccer balls as gifts for Iraqi children during his first deployment, witnesses testified Wednesday.
"Bobby was very happy," Bill Bales, the oldest sibling of the man who has admitted to committing the worst war crime by a U.S. soldier during the long war in Afghanistan, said of his brother's childhood. "He had a way with people, too."
Bales' defense team for the first time began to make its case for leniency during his sentencing hearing Wednesday, depicting the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) staff sergeant in sharp contrast to the earlier portrayals of Bales as a coldblooded assassin who stalked women, children and the elderly.
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In brutal detail, Afghan villagers and prosecutors this week described how Bales indiscriminately murdered 16 innocent people, many of them pleading for their lives, during a predawn rampage last year on two villages outside of a remote military outpost in Kandahar province.
Bales, 39, a married father of two who lived with his wife and two children in Lake Tapps, Pierce County, pleaded guilty in June to the slayings and other charges under a deal to spare him a death sentence.
A panel of six high-ranking soldiers is charged with deciding whether Bales should spend the rest of his life in prison or be eligible for parole after 20 years. To win a lighter sentence, Bales' team must convince at least two of the six jurors that he deserves leniency.
On Wednesday, Army prosecutors rested their case after calling five more witnesses, including the final two of nine Afghan villagers who testified after traveling more than 7,000 miles to confront Bales in person for the first time.
Defense attorneys then launched into their case, calling Bill Bales and a former next-door neighbor, Bob Durham, who broke down when describing how a teenage Bales helped him care for his profoundly disabled son for years.
"As a single parent, I needed someone to help me," Durham said. "And Bobby was extremely good at that."
Examining state of mind
After Wednesday's proceedings, Bales' defense lawyer, John Henry Browne, told reporters he expects to delve into Bales' mental-health issues during Thursday's proceedings.
"I don't think anyone with a rational mind could say Bob Bales didn't snap," Browne said. "We're not trying to 'paint' that for the jury. That's just what happened."
Browne said he plans to call Bales' doctor and other medical experts, as well as character witnesses, to help show that circumstances exist to warrant leniency. The Seattle defense lawyer has said that post-traumatic stress, a traumatic brain injury and steroid, drug and alcohol use all factored into Bales' state of mind.
Bales will also apologize for his crimes — but he won't be questioned by prosecutors. Browne said his client plans to use a military-court rule that allows the accused to give unsworn testimony without having to face cross-examination.
Earlier Wednesday, cousins Khamal Adin and Haji Wasir, two middle-aged men wearing traditional Afghan dress, each recounted the human carnage they found after rushing to the village of Najiban the morning after Bales gunned down 11 members of their family.
Wasir's mother, wife and six of his seven children — including his 1½ -year-old daughter — all had been shot at close range, Adin said.
"The dead bodies were piled and were actually on fire," he said through an interpreter. "They were set on fire."
Wasir was destroyed by what he found there.
"When someone loses one child, you can imagine how devastating it is to your life," Wasir said through an interpreter. "But I lost an entire family."
After prosecutors finished questioning him, Wasir tried to address the court, telling the judge: "There are things I have in my heart that I want to speak about, if I get a chance."
The judge, Col. Jeffery Nance, apologized, explaining to Wasir he wasn't allowed to give unsolicited testimony.
Col. Todd Wood, a Stryker Brigade commander stationed in Afghanistan at the time of the massacre, also explained how Bales' unprovoked attacks ignited angry protests outside the outpost at Camp Belambay, jeopardizing soldier safety there.
Out of respect to victims' families, military commanders imposed a two-week "operational pause," Wood said, during which a Taliban cell infested the region, stockpiled weapons and laid explosive booby-traps that later had to be cleared.
"It set us back probably three weeks," he said.
The Army has since made $980,000 in "condolence payments" to relatives of Bales' victims, Wood said, but U.S. relations with Afghan locals are "very strained."
"It will probably be generations before we'll be able to gain some of that trust back," he said.
A change after 9/11?
When Bales' 55-year-old brother, Bill, took the stand, he described how the Bales boys grew up the sons of a hardworking father with drinking problems in Norwood, Ohio.
His brother was a well-liked student-athlete who was fond of a good time, Bill Bales said.
Robert Bales graduated from high school and went to Ohio State University before moving to live near the beach in Florida as a young adult, he added.
"We used to call him Good Time Bobby," Bill Bales said.
But after the 9/11 attacks, Robert Bales quickly matured — getting married to his wife, Kari, and enlisting in the Army, Bill Bales said.
"I know when the twin towers came down, that had an effect on Bobby," he said.
His younger brother has since been deployed four times and become a model father to his two children, ages 6 and 3, he said.
Prosecutors argued to Nance that Bales had not enlisted out of patriotism, but because he was under investigation for fraud for "suspicious deposits" into his bank account.
The judge later allowed them to ask Bill Bales on cross-examination whether he knew about his younger brother's fraud case. The elder brother said he didn't.
After the hearing, Browne told reporters Bales didn't run away to join the Army to avoid financial troubles. He added that his client's caring nature, depicted by witness testimony and childhood pictures shown in court Wednesday, is genuine.
"It's extraordinary, I think," Browne said of Bales' care for his mentally disabled neighbor. "It's nothing we made up. You saw the photographs."
Lewis Kamb: 206-652-6611 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Twitter: @lewiskamb


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Amsterdam The H2O House
Ausstattung Karte Streetview Testberichte
Notiz: Es ist die Verantwortung der Hotelkette und/oder der individuellen Unterkunft für die Richtigkeit der angezeigten Bilder zu sorgen. Travellerspoint ist nicht verantwortlich für Unstimmigkeiten auf den Fotos.
Bored of looking at the same apartments agency after agency and still can't find an apartment with that 'wow' factor? There are countless reasons to love this new three level and 2 bedroom water house in Amsterdam which will leave your mouth wide open! Why? This is an upcoming brand new neighborhood. It was created in 2002 out of the water and consists of several islands connected by bridges with it's own harbor and the City's only real beach. Spectacular view on the water. Unique house build on posts connected to the main land of Amsterdam by a bridge.
The first reason is because it is unique; built over water on a platform supported by concrete stelts and divided over three levels. ***Please note that this may not be suitable for the elderly and handicapped impaired. We also recommend that you take major drowning precautions if you come with children that do not know how to swim*** The apartment provides loads of light and has views all around. Take a look at this Discovery Channel documentary to see the neighborhood and the houses being built.
When you walk into the apartment through the front door terrace, it is like walking over a castle bridge that connects to the house, water and dike. In front of the house, watch the sunset over the open water of the largest Dutch lake Ijsselmeer. Enjoy looking over the beautiful historical fishing village of Durgerdam and gaze at the sail ships that float by all day.
On the first floor is the kitchen with an incredible view of the water. Store your fruits in the fridge and maintain your meats in the freezer before cooking using the stove and oven. Sit around the modern dining table once your special meals have been prepared to enjoy the company of your guests. Many gizmos can be found in the kitchen such as a microwave and dishwasher. Also, you will find a separate toilet on this floor.
Making your way up to the second floor leads you to the large loft style open plan bedrooms with sliding doors. By closing the sliding doors, one room can be open and one closed. Here is where you and your guests can sleep comfortable on two large double beds. Both are 2.10 meters long and 1.80 meters wide and can be transformed into 1 double and 2 singles or 4 singles upon request. Huge windows, once again, provide a spectacular view day and night. Use the wardrobe to store your clothes and utilize the ironing equipment to keep your clothes smooth and pressed. Soft bed sheets, clean bed linen and warm blankets will be provided. On this floor is the modern and chic bathroom with brand new fixtures. It has a bath tub, toilet, shower and towels are provided.
The third floor is the most exciting one of all! Here you can kick back on a big couch in the corner that can seat 5 guests or be split up and seat two each. There is satellite television with over 100 channels in all kinds of languages. We have downloaded many movies! These 500+ movies include all top box hits and can be seen on the TV that has a media player which plays the downloaded movies. Also, there is a dvd player that is connected to the Flat Screen T.V. with around 200 DVDs. So plenty of entertainment.
As a plus, there are 2 outside terraces, one upstairs and one by the street side. Consider catching sun all day while barbecuing. Smoking is allowed on the terraces but not inside of the apartment.
This lovely apartment also offers a wood fireplace adding a romantic feeling during your stay.During the winter time a fire place/wood burning stove has been installed to keep you warm on the third floor. In cold temperatures the water around the house and lake freezes and you will see everybody ice skating outside in the front and backside of the house enjoying winter...skates can easily be rented. We have created a big book with personal notes, maps, pictures and suggestions for you to enjoy the city and surroundings for all interests (classical and modern, young and old, with and without children). In fact, one of the neighbors organizes jet ski and water-ski fun directly in front of the house, check the book for the details. Also, Friendly neighbors and friends are supportive to all your questions.
It is a full 3 story house all for yourself.
Make sure to check out Amsterdam's Design Strip which is around the corner! Amsterdam Design Strip is a collection of wharehouses filled with expensive Dutch Design.
Transportation is easily accessible with the tram stopping right by the house departing every 5 minutes all day and night. The H2O apartment is only a 12 minutes distance from central station by tram! The tram is so fast that it takes you to the City Center within 10-12 minutes. Prices vary. From the front door, getting to the city center is a slow 20 minute or fast 15 minute bike ride.
You can rent two bikes for 10 euros a day/bike
Extra Service: Free wifi throughout the house and sattelite tv
Rent this apartment and give your vacation a whole new meaning.
Please Note:
Cancellation Policy: 3 days, late cancellations and no shows will be charged the amount of the first night
Check in: 14:00
Check out: 11:00
Cleaning fee 30 Euros
Damage deposit 200 Euros
Late check in fee 25 Euros.
Haben Sie hier übernachtet? Einen Testbericht verfassen
Notiz: Es ist die Verantwortung der Hotelkette und/oder der individuellen Unterkunft für die Richtigkeit der angezeigten Bilder zu sorgen. Travellerspoint ist nicht verantwortlich für Unstimmigkeiten auf den Fotos.


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Covers Mendel's second set of experiments and his conclusions.
Mendel's Second Set of Experiments lesson plan which contains content & language objective, exit criteria, introduction, scientific inquiry, differentiated instruction, enrichment, review questions, points to consider, homework and additional resources.
Activity cards with pea trait alleles.
Video Rubric for Mendel's Second Set of Experiments Enrichment Activity.
Quiz on Mendel's Second Set of Experiments
A list of student-submitted discussion questions for Mendel's Second Set of Experiments.
To stress understanding of a concept by summarizing the main idea and applying that understanding to create visual aids and generate questions and comments using a Concept Matrix.
To activate prior knowledge, make personal connections, reflect on key concepts, encourage critical thinking, and assess student knowledge on the topic prior to reading using a Quickwrite.
Worksheet for Predicting Outcomes.
Practicing Law of Independent assortment with Punnett squares.
Investigation of whether molecular techniques have advanced far enough that laboratory animals are no longer needed. Covers what animals are used, how, and why.
Covers attempts to back breed aurochs through the use of genetics and back breeding. Looks at efforts to restore wild areas of Europe by reintroducing the historical herbivore of the ecosystem.
Illustrated mind map for Mendel's Second Set of Experiments and related concepts.
This study guide gives an overview of Mendel's pea plant experiments, including experimental steps, results, and conclusions.
These flashcards help you study important terms and vocabulary from Mendel's Second Set of Experiments.


text: that is the same area i put in for 89. i havent found anybody that knows anything about this area, but i will find out i hope. I have 4 points plus this year so i hope to draw. It sounds like a good area from what i read in EASTMANS HUNTING JOURNAL. good luck


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Real Housewives of Atlanta
Phaedra Parks Doesn't Trust Hot Tubs … or Kenya Moore: Recap of The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 5, Episode 6
It's time for our weekly dose of insanity — here's what went down with Phaedra Parks on Season 5, Episode 6 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Let's do this!
Not Hot Tubs
While Phaedra was more than happy to get some alone time with Apollo during their group trip to Anguilla, and focus on, ahem, "multiplying", she was less keen on the idea of cuddling up in the hotel's communal hot tub.
Apparently Phae-Phae doesn't want to have anything questionable near her lady bits, and even calls her OB-GYN to confirm her worries of catching an STD from a dirty hot tub. Not quite the sexy time Apollo was hoping for.
Apollo Oh-no!
Phaedra may have been too busy worrying about germs to snuggle up to Apollo, but Kenya Moore had no problem getting down and dirty with him. Kenya was all over Phaedra's husband, teasing and pushing him into the hotel pool, while Phaedra was anything but playful as she watched, more than ready to hold Kenya's head underwater for a few minutes.
But fear not, Phaedra had her own secret weapon(s) at her disposal, and boy did she bring out the big buns in a butt cleavage baring number that barely passed as underwear, let alone outerwear. This round goes to Phaedra.
But Kenya just didn't know when to stop. And when she asked Phaedra which of their friends she would allow Apollo to be with for a night, Phaedra finally had enough and told Kenya to keep it moving ... away from her husband. Watch out Kenya, because when it comes to Apollo, Phaedra is no sweet Southern Belle.
Are you Team Phaedra or Team Kenya? Tell us below!
Wanna chat with fellow Real Housewives of Atlanta fans? Join the discussion on our Real Housewives of Atlanta Facebook page!
Follow @RHOAWetpaint on Twitter!


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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Bob McDonnell has already apologized publicly for the gift scandal that's engulfed his final year in office, but he did it directly to the General Assembly as one of his last acts while in office.
While addressing lawmakers on the first day of the 2014 legislative session Wednesday night, the outgoing Republican governor said he'd fallen short of the expectations he'd set for himself and that he was "deeply sorry" for the pain he had caused.
The governor is currently under federal and state investigation for accepting thousands of dollars' worth of gifts from former CEO Jonnie Williams of Star Scientific Inc., a dietary supplement maker. McDonnell has not been charged with any crime.


text:
From their hearts: Aimee Copeland's hometown gives her $19,000
PHOTOS | A home fit for Aimee
Home renovations start for Aimee Copeland
RUTLEDGE, Ga. -- This weekend's annual Sunflower Festival in Rutledge turned into a fundraiser for Aimee Copeland, the University of West Georgia grad student recovering from flesh eating bacteria.
PHOTOS | Rutledge Sunflower Festival
Festival attendees could buy a sunflower for $1 and add it to a long chain along the fence of a massive farm. Those who did said they felt they were banding together with Aimee in spirit and support.
Also in attendence was recording artist and singer-song writer Corey Durkin. He wrote a song just for Aimee and even visited her in the hospital in Augusta. He performed a little bit of the song just for 11Alive in the picturesque sunflower field.
All proceeds raised will go directly to Aimee Copeland.


text:
Derek Franks
Consultant, IBM Center for Applied Insights
Consultant, IBM Center for Applied Insights
The IBM CAI blog has moved - please bookmark and follow the new blog at http://www.ibmcai.com
The era of "Big Data" presents a variety of challenges and opportunities for marketers. With the increase in volume, velocity, and granularity of data, marketers can become much more precise in how they interact with both the marketplace and individual customers. But the same time, when you're dealing with large volumes of data, it's easy to over-fit your models and mistake "noise" for "signal", to borrow a concept from Nate Silver's excellent book, The Signal and the Noise.
This is something that we've been dealing with internally at IBM for a while now. In response, we've developed a framework internally that we think may help others refine their own approach to generating insights from data.
We call this framework "Marketing Science". This is a 3-step framework consisting of "Architecting Data", "Applying Science", and "Influencing Action". The fundamental idea is to apply the scientific method to developing insights within a business setting. This presents unique challenges in and of itself. But there are some basic concepts to keep in mind:
"Architecting" (or collecting and structuring) data is extremely important. The rest of the process depends on getting access to the right data from a variety of sources and if you haven't done a good job of dealing with data across your enterprise, it's like trying to run a 100m race with your shoes untied.
A hypothesis-test-refine approach to data analysis is central to the concept of Marketing Science. Developing and testing hypotheses is one of the main ways you limit your exposure to over-fitting data.
- Within a business setting, insights are only valuable in so far as they're able to inform decision-making and/or influence action. At the end of the day, driving business outcomes is the goal of Marketing Science. Keeping this in mind helps to keep you focused through the first two steps. And it means that once you've uncovered a nugget of insight, the real work may just be getting started as you take that insight back to the business.
Marketing Science is a fascinating topic that we'll be talking about quite a bit more moving forward. We've conducted some market research that I think will be very enlightening and have started collecting some use-cases of how we're applying these principles in a practical sense. In the meantime, if you have any comments or thoughts on developing insights from data, we'd love to hear from you.


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|Hinck's 'Nicole Marie' embarked on maiden voyage on July 4th
|Written by April Peregoy
Setting off on a slightly chilly and cloudy 4th of July morning at approximately 10 a.m., the "Nicole Marie" made its maiden voyage across the Holyoke Lions' Fish Pond, much to the delight (and relief) of builder Rick Hinck and his friends and family who gathered for the christianing at the shoreline.
By day, Hinck runs his own business installing and repairing sprinkler systems. However, over the past three months, he has spent his evenings and weekends as a boat engineer, constructing a rowboat out of oak in his own living room.
Truly a labor of love, the boat was built for his nine grandkids and numerous nieces and nephews to enjoy.
"My grandkids like to ride boats and they can't ride motorized ones at the Fish Pond," said Hinck. "So I decided to build a rowboat for them." He added buying was never an option because it's "too impersonal."
Helping him in the construction process, said Hinck, were his brother Craig, son-in-law Billy Andersen and his grandkids—whom, he added, were instrumental in overseeing the whole project.
Having built another boat back in 1984, Hinck decided to style this one after the McKenzie River Drift, which he said was one of the first types of boats to travel down the Colorado River. "Nicole Marie" is 11 feet long and 44 inches wide, with 24-inch high sides. It weighs a total of 160 pounds and fits easily in the back of a pickup.
The name "Nicole Marie" comes from combining the middle names of Hinck's two daughters Katie Andersen and Jennifer Hayes, who he said were very supportive of his endeavor.
Feeling inspired by his latest creation, Hinck said he plans to continue his new hobby into the future. He still has cosmetic work he'd like to finish on "Nicole Marie" and he already has ideas for another boat he'd like to put together.
It is his hope that his work also inspires others in the community who have some spare time and an interest in handmade boats. "I got nearly all my materials locally," he said, "and I would encourage others to do so as well."


text: By Jan RahnManaging Editor The second of two defendants attempting to rob the Farmer's State Bank in Wallace has been sentenced. Drew A. Steier, 21, of Evanston, Wyo., was sentenced April 8 in Lincoln County after entering a no contest plea. The defendant must serve one-and-a-half to three years in prison for his crime of attempting to rob the bank on Aug. 13, 2012. Steier's accomplice, Tracy N. Black, also of Evanston, was sentenced on March 25 to serve the same amount of time behind bars. Steier had walked into the bank alone wearing a mask and wielding a BB gun. Upon demanding money, he was told by a bank teller that the money was locked up in the vault. He left the bank empty handed, and he and Black drove out of town in a Ford F-250 pickup heading toward Imperial. The men were stopped and taken into custody north of Imperial about an hour later.


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|Green and Growing
|Written by D. Bruce Bosley, CSU Extension Agent/Cropping Systems
Oct. 1 was a milestone for Extension in Colorado. On this date 100 years ago, Logan County hired the first Farm Management Extension Agent, D.C. Bascom.
El Paso County Commissioners had been the first to authorize funding for Extension in early September 1912. They had authorized Extension funding to pay half the salary and expenses of the State's first "agricultural expert" through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new Extension system.
However, Logan County Commissioners and stakeholders realized the potential value of this program and moved quickly to hire the first Agricultural Extension Agent. El Paso County hired the second Extension Agent 16 days later. Such rivalries and competition between counties were prevalent then and are the norm still today.
From the first year of its founding in 1879, Colorado Agricultural College, now Colorado State University, had conducted Farmer Institute programs across the state. Colorado's Ag College had also initiated "Boys & Girls Clubs" programs in 1910.
Youth in these clubs tested the fit of crop seed varieties under Colorado's growing conditions. This program became the foundation of Extension's 4-H program.
As the state's first county agent, D.C. Bascom toiled with a missionary-like zeal to assist rural Coloradans. Club organization, short courses, field demonstrations and a traveling library represented part of his duties. His schedule was vigorous, visiting farmers by day and attending meetings by night.
Personal contact commended his highest priority. Bascom continually toured the county, at first "via team and buggy" and later in a four-passenger Buick.
In one year's work, Bascom reported that he had traveled nearly 14,000 miles and written more than 1,200 personal letters.
During these visits to individual farms and ranches, Bascom observed both good and bad agricultural practices where he offered useful suggestions.
Especially appreciated was his traveling library of books and bulletins that farm families could borrow until he returned on subsequent visits.
He held "field meetings" for on-site demonstrations of improved farming techniques.
These had as many as 115 attendees who, following an adventurous ride in borrowed automobiles, would be shown what scientific farm management practices might offer. At that time crop failures were common in dryland farming.
At one dryland field meeting, innovative moisture saving summer tillage techniques were demonstrated. This proved persuasive for many dryland farmers. Their yield averages went from less than 10 to more than 28 bushels per acre.
Bascom believed that rural people should be actively involved in defining their own concerns and in developing appropriate methods for addressing them. Consequently, he spent much time hosting meetings and establishing farmer's organizations.
Among these, he encouraged the establishment of women's clubs and sought help from Wilburta Knight, a home economics teacher at Logan County High School.
Several homemaker clubs were formed and soon began projects involving fruit and vegetable canning and home nursing. He also made a special effort to provide interesting speakers and recreational diversion at farm club meetings.
One of his most successful accomplishments was the establishment of "Boys & Girls clubs."
During a five-week farmer's short course in 1913 he scheduled classes on cooking and sewing, farm accounts, grain judging and blacksmithing. He also conducted a milk-testing service to aid dairy farmers in keeping accurate records of butterfat productivity.
He supervised extensive silo construction and soil draining projects. He coordinated a farmer's exchange where better communication was fostered between sellers and buyers of agricultural commodities. He established pest control districts. They proved highly effective in combatting a grasshopper infestation in 1913.
Other localities followed Logan County to obtain Extension Agents: El Paso, Pueblo, Mesa, Boulder, Morgan and Prowers counties and the San Luis Valley. Geographical peculiarities mandated differences in the programs emphasized, and financial arrangements varied from place to place.
For the most part though, Extension methods used in Logan County were followed.
D.C. Bascom's legacy is that northeastern Colorado counties today continue to have strong Extension programs and exemplary support by government and other stakeholders.
Holyoke Enterprise October 4, 2012