Making minor deities disappear in a puff of logic since 1972
Sun, 24 Feb 2008
Spring Barrel Tasting Update
We're nearing the time for Spring Barrel tasting in the Yakima valley on April 25-27th.
Having done this last year, it is loads of fun to go around, find (and taste) fine wines you want, and buy them at a discount.
The lowdown is simple-- you pay $20 (advance price) and pick up a lanyard/ticket. Then, any time between 4/25-4/27, you can visit as many of the 50 participating wineries, sample their spring barrels, and any other vintages they have available for sale, sample delicious cheese, sauces, salsas, desserts.
Find out more at the Wine Yakima Valley website, and if this sounds remotely interesting, book a room at our hotel, the Richland Marriott.
If you end up booking it, then drop me a note and tell me you'll be there. At a minimum, we can get together and enjoy a glass of wine at a local winery, or if we get enough people to make an event of it, I'll book a limo/minibus/minivan and we can all travel in style!
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Christine -- writes:
Well, we sure know who the designated driver is! :-)
Jason -http://www.hatetatellya.com/- writes: Don't forget about the beer....
Wine tasting in Yakivegas sounds awesome! I totally want to go. Walla Walla sounds like it would be a good time, but I need to find out when the best time to go is. To change drinks on you – if you are into tasting different beers from local breweries, I totally recommend checking out the Phinney Neighborhood Beer Tasting. They offer one in the summer and one in the winter. Great times and great beers. Bring a DD because it’s really easy to convince the reps to try their beer for free. :)
Hillary Just Lost My Vote...
Assuming, as unlikely as it is at this point, that she gets the Democratic party nomination... Hillary's outrageous, offensive ridicule of Obama has made me lose whatever shred of respect and admiration I ever had for her.
It's almost like she expects that she will be coronated, and is offended by the fact that the people want something else.
She could learn a thing or two from the likes of Al Gore who suffered real indignity and kept his composure throughout. (Never mind that Obama has served Hillary a case of defeat fair and square)
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Tim -- writes: Hillary: same politics, different party
One of the things I really like about Obama is that he (reportedly) did not accept large donations from "special interest" groups. I assume that's what Hillary is digging at there. I agree that it may be a bit "pie in the sky", but if he wins the nomination without having been put firmly in the pocket of one or more groups, that is a VERY good thing. Maybe it is impossible to become president without becoming indebted to them, but certainly nothing will ever change if no one tries. The most disturbing thing is Hillary's dismissive stance on the whole idea; not only has she taken their money, she can't understand why anyone would even try to do without it. I don't agree with the Obama campaign on every bullet point, but I really respect someone who will say something and then follow through on it.
Nader 2008?
This morning I read that Ralph Nader is running for President in 2008.
I admire Ralph Nader in many ways, and if he hadn't postponed for so long before running, I might have even seriously considered being a Nader supporter.
But there are a few concerns I have about Nader's positions. For example, he is steadfastly opposed to nuclear energy, which is shortsighted. When we rely on dirty, carbon-positive fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, you burn hydrocarbons, which release CO2 into the atmosphere. True, nuclear energy is not the most environmentally friendly technology, but it is CO2 neutral. Also, today's nuclear technology is the gateway to the future of clean (nuclear) energy.
I've spoken about He3 (Helium 3) on my blog before, but I see that as the ultimate clean-energy source for sustainable growth for the future. To get there means significant investment in cleaner and cleaner methods of nuclear fusion, which in turn I believe means a reasoned policy view on current nuclear plants. (In fact, I consider the environmental problems caused by the internal combustion engine as posing a more immediate, more significant, threat than that of nuclear power, so why the exuberance to end nuclear power in the US?)
America isn't doing itself any favors by sticking its head into the sand when it rejects technologies that hold promise because the current state of the technology raises certain technological or philosophical questions (whether it be stem cells or nuclear energy). The spoils will go to those that correctly weigh risks against benefit, and who can lay out a roadmap that presents the best promise of advancement.
Secondly, let's not forget Nader's age. If elected, and then subsequently re-elected, he'll be nearly 83 years old when he leaves office. Reagan, by contrast, was nearly 78.
And that second point, for anyone who naively thinks that Nader is a viable candidate for presidency, truly illustrates the purpose that Nader is hoping to play in this election. He and his supporters are insane if they think he'll actually be elected, but crazy like a fox if they recognize his plan as simply to act as spoiler/agitator. I see Huckabee and Nader as having the same general goal-- to offer an alternative viewpoint during the campaign to force their competition to speak to issues that they otherwise would rather avoid discussing (like single-payer health care, for example).
And in this role, I'm hopeful that Nader will keep all three front-running candidates honest. I'm hopeful that the points his campaign will likely raise about our foreign, environmental and social (principally health care) policies will be a force for keeping a progressive focus on this contest.
To wit, I think Obama can (and more to the point), should explain why he didn't select a single-payer system-- which I suspect would contrast ideology with realism.
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