The Wine Commonsewer

Katrina: Getting Things Done

Gentle Readers,

From money to mop buckets, Michelle Malkin has the skinny on how to get it to Katrina's victims. There is a plethora of terrific information at her site (continuously updated) including who to see to weed out the scamsters. If you wanna help, this is the place to go.

As Ever,

The Wine Commonsewer

tip of the glass to Dee Dee

God Bless the Child That's Got His Own

Gentle Readers,

This video from WSDU-TV shows us that apparently the po-leece are helping themselves as well.

tip of the glass to the Kosmik Kid

Update: Where's The International Relief Effort?

click the image to see it more clearly

tip of the glass to Kent for the link and who also wrote:

Hours after the tsunami, Europe and the UN (and of course our liberals) were bitching because the US ONLY offered up $10 Mil as a first draft, despite the men and women of the armed forces who were there in short order to save lives, provide food and water, and clean up the mess.

So Bono, when's the concert? LOL

So Where Is The International Relief Effort?

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Somewhere in a past life there was a connection to Jefferson Parish (New Orleans). Bunked with Glen for a spell at the air station formerly known as NAS Memphis, which, in the beginning was like living with a foreigner. Sometime into week two, I realized that Glen actually was speaking English and I gradually came to understand him, lapsing easily into that drawl myself. There was also a sweet girl named Dahlia (hey, she's from the south) who wasted just a little of her time on a guy who was thousands of miles from home. Likely a grandmother these days, I still have a picture of Dahlia somewhere. Hadn't thought about her or Glen in years. I wonder if they're okay.

With most of New Orleans under water this morning one has to wonder where the backup generators for the pumps are. On a more fundamental level one has to wonder why the government authorities are still having meetings to figure out who ought to stick a finger in the dike (so to speak). Just do it. Me & my brother-in-law Rick with a good crew and a little equipment coulda had that thing plugged up long ago.

What's up with the Big Sleazy? What kind of people want to break into and loot a children's hospital? And where are the National Guard units and the police? At least one report has the police guarding the looters.

At a drug store on Canal Street just outside the French Quarter, two police officers with pump shotguns stood guard as workers from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel across the street loaded large laundry bins full of medications, snack foods and bottled water.

"This is for the sick," Officer Jeff Jacob said. "We can commandeer whatever we see fit, whatever is necessary to maintain law."

Just maintaining the law, ma'am.

Mrs TWC was wondering last night who, exactly, the President was reassuring on national TV last night? After all, nobody on the Gulf Coast was watching because they ain't got no electricity.

And finally, where is the vast international relief effort to help our neighbors down south?

Crickets.

My readers are a generous bunch and have doubtless already lent a hand but if you need information about helping out you'll find a lot of choices here. Otherwise, these are my two perennial favorites:

We can help:

American Red Cross: PO Box 37243 Washington, DC, 20013 Online at www.redcross.org. Salvation Army: Online at www.salvationarmyusa.org.

As Ever,

TWC

Thanks For Sleeping In The Dirt

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

A Million Thanks is an ongoing service campaign sponsored by the students of Lutheran High School of Orange California.

The goal is to remind our U.S. Military men and women, past and present, of our appreciation for their sacrifices, dedication, and service to our country through our letters, emails, cards, prayers, and thoughts.

As Ever,

The Wine Commonsewer

tip of the glass for the link to Roberto in Taxxachussets

2003 La Crema Pinot Noir

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

You know, sometimes it's just fun to skip past all the crap and say that this is a pretty good wine. I liked it. I'd drink it again. The wine is distinctively identifiable as pinot with what I call a peppery or spicey character not unlike certain zins. It's a medium bodied, easy sipping, especially smooth wine with hints of anise and cherry and a lingering bit of raspberry, definitely raspberry, on the backside.

Sonoma County's La Crema is a smaller Russian River Valley winery. The grapes are grown in several coastal areas, including Carneros and the Anderson Valley, where proximity to the coast with it's cooling morning fog allows for a long growing season and small intensely flavored grapes.

$14.00-$16.00 if you're paying attention. If the chick is into Sideways, this would be an impressive choice for that first fancy dinner. Otherwise, just enjoy it for what it is.

As Evoir,

The WC

Analog vs Digital

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Chris likes Pine Tree juice (dry with a twist as I recall) and old time music pressed onto vinyl. He's been hammering the drum for years: Analog is better than digital. Vinyl is better than CD. TWC has routinely dismissed him as some kind of sixties throw-back crank (with a self-satisfied smirk to boot) but, campfire or not, new evidence that comes with a pedigree suggests that maybe Chris is right.

UPDATE: The Col's comment brings up a good point about analog. TWC still has his Fisher high-dollar direct drive turntable with aluminum disk and a user-controlled function that calibrates turntable rpm using a strobe light (no, kids, it isn't a laser). Downside: It won't fit into Col Hogan's pocket either and it doesn't broadcast to the car radio like the I-pod. Guess that's why it's sitting on the bottom shelf of the bookcase in my office covered with thick dust. 

As Ever,

TWC

Is XM All That Sirius?

Good Morgan Gentle Readers,

With or without Martha Quinn and Howard Stern, who starts his new, FCC-proof gig in early 2006, it occurs to me that the future of satellite radio may not be as rosy as it might seem.

I'm delighted with the additional choices and options and, clearly, coast-to-coast commercial free broadcasting is a peachy selling point as is the ability to pick channels by genre (you don't get to pick the tunes). But unlike much of internet streaming radio, satellite has those lame-oh DJ's that remind me of 1960's AM rock radio. Okay they don't scream as much as the Real Don Steele but they're not nearly as cool as Humble Harve or Robert W Morgan either.

To me that's two big downsides, particularly considering that satellite radio requires an upfront investment that's not insignificant and an ongoing monthly cash commitment. I love uninterrupted digital music, but it makes more sense to me in the context of my Bose equipped computer and Mrs TWC's pink I-pod, both of which are very receptive to the Beavis inside of me when he's screaming change it, change it.

We report, you decipher.

As Ever,

TWC

The Real Don Steele circa 1967-photo courtesy of ReelRadio.com

I'll Cut It Any Way You Like As Long As It's Round Or Square

Gentle Readers,

What is it with gardeners? There is simply no nuance, from the finest hotels to your front yard every living bit of greenery must be hacked into a globe or a box.

TWC mostly does his own landscape work but there's a lot here, I'm pretty busy, and I'm getting old. The winter rains resulted in luxuriant native growth that has now turned golden. Hence the Golden State, so named for the ever-brown, er ahh, golden hills. Despite numerous contradictory internet references, it isn't about that yellow stuff that used to be found in creekbeds.

I'm ever mindful of the incendiary nature of these hillsides, so this spring I hired Hector and his crew to help clear away some of the firestorm fuel. And it looks better too. Had them do some other stuff as well, including the removal of a big eucalyptus tree threatening the foundation with it's roots and the eves with it's spread. Not to mention that the oils in eucalyptus burn like a torch making it less than ideal to have one growing next to your bathroom when the autumn fires come calling.

Long way around the barn to mention that I've let some stuff go over the summer so I asked Hector to come by this morning. Now I like Hector and he does a good job but you just can't reason with a gardener. You can't supervise properly either. You lay it out using color crayons and blocks. They nod in understanding and agreement and then procede to cut everything round or square.

It's just not done that way. When you're done pruning, the shrubbery should retain it's graceful, natural look. Like the perfect haircut, it should be lovely to behold but appear untouched with the shears (hedges excepted). I dunno, the problem ain't nothing new and it has haunted the landscape since I was a child (pun intended).

Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Anglo, it don't matter, they all read the same got dang book (or maybe it's some bizzare genetic thing). Mrs TWC assures me it will all grow back in short order. Big Sigh.

Whaddya mean what was I doing? Not sitting around in the a/c while the hired help was sweating like pigs I can assure you. TWC was fixing the inch-and-a-half main water line that feeds all the irrigation in the front. Too old for that too.

As Ever, TWC

UPDATE: OH MI GAWD! Hector is NEVER touching my bougainvillea again.

    

Teach Your Children Well

As Ever,

TWC