tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109979532024-03-13T04:21:59.360-07:00Little Winery in the BackAdventures in Wine/Beer Making, Grape Growing, Science, Technology, Social Technologies, Music and probably a whole lot of other things that flow in and out of my brain.<p>
Are you interested in Beer or Wine, making or drinking? Visit the OpenFermenter pages - http://www.openfermenter.com.<br> Join! Contribute<p></p>or follow me on Twitter @tbeauchamp<p>
Tim</p></p>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-52870074641995049582012-10-27T12:26:00.000-07:002012-10-27T12:26:18.723-07:00Remember, Felix Baumgartner Is Just A Daredevil<br />
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Earlier this month, I loved watching Felix Baumgartner climb halfway to space and free fall back to earth. It was quite a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHtvDA0W34I" target="_blank">rush</a>. Felix is an incredibly brave and talented man and daredevil. But, I now realize that what he did, although pushing the limits of current technology about high altitude human endurance and exposure, wasn't what I hoped it would be. I look forward to hear his thoughts about this accomplishment, but I think his opinions and statements about NASA and space exploration are completely wrong. <br />
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Baumgartner feels we spend far too much money on space exploration. He would like to see all of that money spent here on earth. He told the Daily Telegraph:<br />
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<i><b><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/27/felix-baumgartner-sounds-off-on-nasa-sir-richard-branson.html" target="_blank">"So I think we should perhaps spend all the money [which is] going to Mars to learn about Earth. I mean, you cannot send people there because it is just too far away. That little knowledge we get from Mars I don't think it does make sense."</a></b></i><br />
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We've heard that before and it is probably a common opinion held by many people, but it disappoints me that he would feel this way. I had hoped that someone who has been able to see some of the advantages of prior exploration and research extending far beyond their original scope, enabling him and others to achieve mind numbing accomplishments, would be able to see more of the big picture.<br />
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The tiny fraction of what the US spends on space travel and exploration of the solar system IS a study about Earth, humans and what makes us who we are and shows us what we might become. It inspires children and adults to reach for more. Much of what Baumgartner has done was enabled by government funded air and space exploration programs. The impression given by his comments are that he feels an energy drink company and a publicity campaign is a sufficient alternative to a publicly funded space program. That is a very disappointing and short sighted point of view.<br />
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It was a little disappointing that during his highly publicized event that they did not take the opportunity to talk about the science and engineering behind what was going on. I was thrilled to watch it, but felt it was a missed opportunity to inspire more than just a higher tech version of Evil Kenival trying to jump his motorcycle over a row of cars during a rodeo. The announcer on the video stream spent a lot of time clicking off ever increasing altitude numbers, like a circus barker, raising the audience’s excitement. Making sure to regularly break the telemetry reports to ensure we all know that this is made possible by the soft drink company RedBull (it gives you wings you know). But, now I see that it really was really only a big campaign to sell soft drinks by giving an exciting show. I don’t think that that is wrong necessarily, but I wish it could have been a bit more than that.<br />
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What drives Felix isn't a desire to push the limits of what we know or what we can do. It is much more about what he can do and his own fame. He is a professional performer after all.<br />
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I really can’t fault him for that, and I probably shouldn't have expected more from him. His goals and objectives are his own. RedBull is a corporation that makes soda pop and its purpose is to generate a return on investment for its shareholders, not improve extra vehicle space suits. That is what corporations do, sell products, not advance knowledge. That is why we need public funding of science and exploration.<br />
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So, even though this opportunity was missed, it serves as a good example of the limits of private enterprise and the merits of public support for space exploration for the sake of knowledge. Because when a NASA space mission is executed, everyone gains and the world is smarter. When a Felix Baumgartner finished exciting us with his daredevil feat, we were reminded to pick up a six pack of a caffeinated sugar drink.<br />
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Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-62413112342295992532012-10-17T08:58:00.001-07:002012-10-17T09:01:22.203-07:00On California Proposition 37, The Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Labeling initiative <h2>
On California Proposition 37</h2>
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The Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Labeling initiative </h4>
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Here in California, we have a ballot initiative, affectionately known by the descriptive title <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_37,_Mandatory_Labeling_of_Genetically_Engineered_Food_(2012)" target="_blank">California Proposition 37, Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food (2012)</a></div>
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I think I have decided, and I am voting NO on the California State Proposition 37. I have mixed feelings about it but here is why.</div>
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<li>Labeling food ingredients as being GMO or not does not make the food any safer.</li>
<li>There is no validated evidence I am aware of that any GMO food that is allowed to be used in food is unsafe, or has ever been shown to be unsafe.</li>
<li>There is nothing inherent to being GMO food that makes them unsafe.</li>
<li>Having the labeling for GMO or non-GMO gives a false sense of improved safety. Given the choice, I would feed my family cereal made from GMO corn produced in the United States before I would feed them anything made from foodstuff imported from China.</li>
<li>All of the reasons that I hear from the proponents of the measure are fallacious, and intended to scare, but have no real science behind them.</li>
<li>Most (but not all) of the reasons that I hear from the opponents of the measure are valid.</li>
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I said that I have mixed feelings. That's because:</div>
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<li>I feel Monsanto uses their GMO patents in an unfair, and harmful way.</li>
<li>I actually do support the use of the precautionary principle as a tool for making better health and environmental decisions, and think that there is a significant financial incentive to suppress information and studies. Looking only at past behaviors of large agribusiness behavior, and Monsanto in particular when it's a choice between profit and safety, safety may not always carry the day.</li>
<li>GMO crops can, but not necessarily, increase the use of both pesticides and herbicides in the production of food.</li>
<li>These pesticides and herbicides, coincidentally are not only very profitable, but they are manufactured, tested and sold by the same corporations that are producing and selling the GMO products that encourage their use. That is like adding extra salt to popcorn, so that you can increase your beer sales.</li>
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So, I am going to resit the temptation of voting for something on a purely emotional and partially vindictive basis, and vote against it because I feel all of the arguments are based on bad logic.</div>
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I hope that, if it is voted down, that this isn't viewed as encouragement for an escalation of bad behaviors in agribusiness. I'm conflicted because I think it will be.</div>
Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-87046354019003245842012-09-04T07:19:00.000-07:002012-09-04T07:19:07.066-07:00Where Did Truth Go?<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">As hard to imagine as it is, I expect this week's 2012 Democratic National Convention will be almost as silly, and almost as short on truth as the GOP's was last week. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Does it matter? Should deception, misdirection, being short on truth</span><br />
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and long on misrepresentation be a hard and fast line not to be crossed, and punishable by loss of support? If so, who would be left to vote for? Would it be worth it? How to we hold the reporters, and ultimately the politicians, to a commitment to the truth and ultimately a respect for the voters.<br /><br />How can we expect the media to hold up a lie for scrutiny when we seem to hang on the lies, eager to drink them in, and forward them all to our friends on social media? We are rewarding their bad behavior. We are encouraging the deception by aiding in its spread, and ultimately in its utility.<br /><br />If we really want to see that stop, we probably should start with stopping it in ourselves.</div>
Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-42531264094007229562012-06-22T15:13:00.000-07:002012-06-22T15:13:06.912-07:00Maybe because it is Friday<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I don't know. Maybe because it is Friday, maybe because I'm on my 4th (5th?) cup of coffee, or maybe because everyone with offices near mine seems to have taken off for 4th of July shutdown 1 1/2 weeks early. But, my mind has wandered off to a place where it goes sometimes and I can't get it off of a particular challenge. Let me share.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Lets say someone, no one in particular, had a couple chickens. And that that someone</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> had an affinity to tinkering with electronics and computers, and liked to put those things into service in non-traditional ways. [#1]<br /><br />Let me go about this from a different angle. Lets say you wanted to know what a group of chickens were doing during the day, and you didn't want to stay at home all day and watch them [#2]. How could you electronically track said chickens as they wandered around their coup, run and yard [#3]. Of course, this would all be tracked and visible on-line.<br /><br />I want to know your ideas.<br /><br />Things I have been thinking about:<br /><br />a - RFID chips on anklets and multiple detectors, maybe even triangulation using field strength.<br /><br />b - Modulated LED collars<br /><br />Any ideas?<br /><br />[#1] Ask me about a certain java powered hottub, or a keggerator that tweets when tapped, or the "gopher cam"<br />[#2] Because that would be weird<br />[#3] Because, the assumption is that this would be less weird than [2]</span>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-41113532505287334842012-02-28T06:03:00.004-08:002012-02-28T07:03:02.566-08:00Please fasten your seatbelts, We have started our descent.Today, my youngest was awarded his driver's license. I expect that this was a much bigger event for him that it was for me. Hard to tell though, he plays it pretty cool. Not at all like his older sister. She gave the impression that getting her license was really the only, final thing, that forced her to have any extended interactions with her parents. As if, not having her own license was akin to that little drawstring bag that dog owners have dangling from their waist that contains bone shaped treats. The only reason their doting, prized yorkie pays any attention to their requests. Our ability to modulate her activities by controlling her transportation was, in her mind, the last step before parole and complete freedom.<br /><br />You might have not even realized that our son's 16th birthday and the freedom it afforded was approaching. Of course there was the shift in the driving routines. Instead of either my wife or I driving and our son riding in the back seat, it got a little bit more complicated. At first it was business as usual if we were taking the freeway, but if it only involved city driving, then one of us would sit in the back, and he would get to drive. It seemed that even if the freeway would have been the best route, city street driving was chosen. So consequently, all trips got much longer.<br /><br />Then, as his quiver of skills developed to include freeway driving, and then evening driving, it became more natural and it was more like we had 3 drivers in the house. Other then did certain pecking hierarchies between my wife and I that were previously understood, but heretofore never spoken, were brought to out in the open. This all resulted in a rule that particular one of us would never be the one who sits shotgun while the other rides in the back seat when our newest "driver under supervision" was at the wheel. This made for some awkward moments when boarding the car, but I am sure that it probably allowed for us to remain married.<br /><br />So, now we are no longer required in order for him to get to school, to practice, to friends houses, to volunteering, to pick up something needed at the store. Other than being the source of the fuel in the vehicle and a check for a scheduling conflict, we are no longer part of that aspect of dependency.<br /><br />That's actually the thing. Our son is a little bit less dependent on us to conduct his life than he was just yesterday. That is an incredibly wonderful thing for him, even if he is not letting on that he gets it. It really is. At the same time, it is also a bit more freedom for us, the previous chauffeurs. Our son's activities no longer requires an interruption of our activities in order to deliver him there, or pick him up. Now that we're there, I expect I'll miss that opportunity for discussions, arguments, laughing, or just listening to music (or whatever it is that he listens to).<br /><br />Time will tell how much less interaction we will have between now and when he leaves for college in a couple years. But there is no denying that this is a major milestone in this trip.Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-77308383229390453062012-02-08T08:33:00.000-08:002012-02-08T08:59:11.815-08:00Why do you post what other people ask you to?Note to friends.<br /><br />Sometimes, a Facebook message, E-Mail, comment or other, suggests that you type something into your status or comments. That may not always be a great thing to do.<br /><br />Right now, there is a popular Facebook image going around suggesting that you type in the '@' symbol, some other symbols, and some combination of numbers from your cell phone. What happens is that Facebook ends up replacing it with some other words, usually a person's name.<br /><br />Here's why this is not a good thing to do:<br />1) You are typing something into Facebook (known for their high regard for your privacy) that you have know idea what it will do. In this case, it is fairly innocuous. It simply is interpreted by Facebook as a macro to replace with the title of a page it knows about. I could give you a special number to type in there and it would replace it (for all of your friends to see) with the title of the page "I am Gay". Sure, no harm. But, you had no idea what it would replace it with that. What if it was the title of a page that was very offensive to you or your friends. What if it replaced it with your Facebook password. Or it randomly picked a photo that you had deleted in the past that you didn't want shown. The point is, as soon as you type something into Facebook that you are not sure what it does, you are at risk of something happening of which you have no idea.<br /><br />2) Sometimes, even things that look safe, can give away a little bit about you that you don't want to give away. In this case, you might have just put in the last three digits of your phone number, and it converts it into words. Someone could easily convert those words back into part of your phone number. With that, and other information about you in Facebook, it would be simple to figure out the entire phone number. Maybe not a big deal, but that is probably more information than you planned, or realized you were giving out.<br /><br />So, before you type something into your status that a friend, acquaintance, or stranger tells you to. Stop. Think about it. Do you know exactly what it is going to do? Are you prepared to share your decision to do that with all of your friends?<br /><br />Finally, notice that I am NOT asking all of my Facebook friends to put this in their status.Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-67633449796477021012011-12-02T22:36:00.000-08:002011-12-02T22:42:08.609-08:00Fertilizer for the Occupy movement<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--p9b7Peqw5Q/TtnD9RVJluI/AAAAAAAABLo/UR_DjYqlqWA/s1600/r-OCCUPY-PEPPER-SPRAY-large570.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 456px; height: 191px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--p9b7Peqw5Q/TtnD9RVJluI/AAAAAAAABLo/UR_DjYqlqWA/s200/r-OCCUPY-PEPPER-SPRAY-large570.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681787862296139490" border="0" /></a><br />This is how you make a protest grow. You fertilize it.<br /><br />OccupyTim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-45602580737629803782011-05-09T10:48:00.000-07:002011-05-09T10:49:49.156-07:00Lost in Translation (an international game of Telephone)<div class="content clear-block"> <p>I was inspired, or maybe obsessed, by a poorly translated fortune in a fortune cookie. It as obviously a very profound phrase, I assume, prior to being translated into English. But now, it was odd.</p> <p>When going from one language to another, something is usually lost. It got me thinking. What would happen when you chain multiple translations front to back and then finally translate it into the original language. That shouldn't be too hard to do. So I obsessively stayed up last Friday until the wee hours of Saturday, making the app. Hopefully getting it out of my head and onto the server would let me sleep.</p> <p>Meanings get lost as words are translated from one language to another. Enter a simple phrase, choose a couple languages to build a chain of translation and see how the meaning at the end is not what it may have been intended to be.</p> <p>Here is what I ended up with. Try it out. Let me know.</p> <p>Lost in Translation (an international game of Telephone): <a href="http://openfermenter.com/lostintranslation" title="http://openfermenter.com/lostintranslation">http://openfermenter.com/lostintranslation</a></p> <p>Tim</p> </div>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-57124515925449105202011-05-03T08:02:00.000-07:002011-05-03T08:12:11.879-07:00Conflicts should allow you to become better people. This one just showed that we have a ways to go.<div class="mbl notesBlogText clearfix"><div><p>Now that Bin Laden has suffered the consequence of his actions, maybe now those who broke the laws, and international standards of human behavior under the guise of keeping us safe can face their due consequences.</p><p>Can we quit celebrating the death of a terrorist, and turn an eye onto what our responses to his original acts have cost us as a country, and as human beings? I am glad our boogieman, Bin Laden, is not lurking in the in that barren desert cave (which turned out to actually be a large, comfortable, fortified Pakistan residence), but I have no pretense that this makes me safer. And I am a little saddened at how we did not take the opportunity to to use his actions to allow us to make ourselves better people, but instead a little bit less than we were before. We missed an opportunity.<br /></p><p>The AP reports:</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Mohammed did not reveal the names while being subjected to the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding, former officials said. He identified them many months later under standard interrogation, they said, leaving it once again up for debate as to whether the harsh technique was a valuable tool or an unnecessarily violent tactic.</p><p> At least now the Cat we Belled is gone. Hopefully, we will get another chance to show we know how to behave as humans.</p></div></div>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-43180613911541489022011-03-27T12:07:00.000-07:002011-03-27T12:31:28.157-07:00Intermission over, Time for the second act.Yesterday was one of those milestone birthdays. One that is usually approached with hand wringing, thoughts of sports cars never driven, adventures not achieved, peaks not climbed, depths never dived, distances not traveled, sights not seen and thoughts never expressed to people no longer around. I count myself fortunate, because I am not feeling (many of) those thoughts.<div><br /></div><div>Sure, there are things that I have not yet done, and I realize that, at this point, I may not get the chance because of prior choices or physical abilities. But, I struggle to find any significant hint of regret for choices made in the first half century of my life.</div><div><br /></div><div>I spent my birthday with my wife and kids, family, and a significant number of my great friends both recent and from times when I was in diapers (more on diapers later.) My parents were not able to be here for it, but they wished my a "Happy Birthday" by phone. I wish they could have been here, but I know there thoughts were with me and mine were with them.</div><div><br /></div><div>My wonderful wife spent a lot of time and energy planning a party for me that turned out fantastic. Now, planning a party for me is not an easy task. I consider myself easy to please. As long as nobody punches me, or is verbally abusive, I have a good time and enjoy myself. I like parties, but I don't feel comfortable being the focus of attention at events. So, throwing a party in my honor is probably a very nerve wracking task for someone to attempt. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately, one of my tasks leading up to it was brewing lots of beer. Getting to share that with the guests was a highlight, and drinking some of it probably helped too.</div><div><br /></div><div>So many people where so nice. Lots of good words, good conversation, great food, great company and low stress (for me anyway) . </div><div><br /></div><div>To my friends and family. Thanks for making the last 50 years tops. I am looking forward to the next half century. Let do it. </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. The diapers were a gift from my son (thanks Zack.) I don't actually need them, but they may come in handy for a long road trip. Watch this space for details.</div>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-77342774805149112482011-03-04T21:27:00.000-08:002011-03-04T21:56:30.636-08:00SpringIs Spring here? You would think so by the warm, sunny Bay Area weather. I expect one more bout of cold, wet, windy weather before we actually hit that magical, yet arbitrary Vernal Equinox beginning of Spring. <br /><br />I say arbitrary, not because it is picked out of the air, it is actually very precisely defined as the instant that the axis of rotation of the earth is not inclined (pointing) away from or towards the sun. It is the day where the length of daylight is roughly the same as the length of night. But I consider it arbitrary because the things we think of as harbingers of Spring don't pay any attention to that precise day. My grapevines have already started to show little fuzzy nibs that will soon bud and form canes. The temperature in the winery is warming up enough that the secondary, malolactic fermentation cultures will wake up and finish rounding out the sharp edges of last years Chardonnay vintage. <br /><br />The only thing that is lagging is my motivation to begin my Spring time activities. Just after the new year, I went out and rough pruned the vines. Each of the vines are now starting to take on their own individual shapes and personalities. I was able to leave a few spurs on each arm, and choose arms that are roughly leaving the cordon in the direction I wanted. In the next few weeks I will do a fine pruning to select the 2 spurs that will become the basis of this years harvest.<br /><br />I will be a bit more proactive this year on mildew protection. The sun and weather patterns on the vineyard have been very conducive to powdery mildew, and it has robbed me of much of my yield. This year, the goal is to break that cycle.<br /><br />Watch this space to see how well I can follow that plan.Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-48541051402900937472010-12-14T23:37:00.001-08:002010-12-15T01:04:53.889-08:00What is wrong with this picture?Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor has been speaking about two economies on his <a href="http://robertreich.org">blog</a>.<br /><br />If you were to walk into a classroom and see 100 students. And let's say 98 of those students are unable to keep up, their grades falling farther and farther behind, GPA dropping, struggling to get a grip on the course work. But, 2 of those students are getting all the instructor's attention they want or need, they have the textbooks they need to excel beyond grade level. Without the burden of the other 98 students, they are completing more and more work, getting farther and farther ahead. Making it less and less likely that the lower 98 will ever catch up.<br /><br />What might be your initial assessment of the the problem? It probably wouldn't be that the lower 98 are all just lazy. And, it probably wouldn't be that some kids just naturally rise to the top and the two getting all the classroom resources are just more deserving of it.<br /><br />You probably would think that something was a bit out of whak. The 2 lucky top students may well have been the brightest kids in the class. Catering to them might have given the quickest rewards to the teacher. They may have been the easiest to serve and work with. Initially, there might have only been a few grade points between the upper 2 and that of the lower 98, but over time, the neglect added up, took its toll and now it seems like you have two different classrooms of different kinds of students.<br /><br />That might be a strained analogy for where our economy is right now, but when you look at the details, it isn't too far off.<br /><br />We have two separate economies that have grown farther and farther apart. And, you can not just attribute it to the productive and entrepreneurial members at the top just being better at what they do.<br /><br />If we all were experiencing the same economy, you would expect most participants to experience a similar rise and fall of fortune. Those at the higher end may see greater spoils, those at the lower end less. But, it would generally trend in similar directions. We are not seeing that at all. The 2% at the top are seeing fantastic growth and fortune. Everyone else is sinking just a little bit closer to flunking out.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good news?</span></span><br /><br />The Commerce Department just released a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/business/economy/24econ.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1292400007-8FtsBtec/xmNcfzEoU2uyw">report</a> that said U.S Corporate Profits Were the Highest on Record Last Quarter. Highest ever. The highest since they began keeping records 60 years ago.<br /><br />That is great! Right? U.S. Businesses are doing fantastic. You know what that means, people who work for those companies get more. Well, maybe not all of the people who work there, but the executives do. Yes, executive bonuses are up too! That's good, right? That money goes right back into the economy. A rising tide lifts all boats you know. Except that tide seems to just be lifting the stock market economy. But that is good, right? Except for some reason everybody on this side had to pull their money out of the stock market to pay their bills. But at least Wall Street is getting a boost. Wall street bonuses are expected to rise 5% this year. Your bonus went up 5% this year, right?<br /><br />Have you ever heard the phrase: "We'll, I've never worked for a poor man". There are more and more poor men out there and less and less rich bosses. Maybe that is why there are more and more people without work.<br /><br />Something is really out of whak here. It almost seems like the top 2 percent and the rest of us are playing by different rules. And the teacher can't be blind to this. Can she?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What is wrong with this picture?</span>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-38630801278595313642010-12-05T23:45:00.000-08:002010-12-06T08:25:06.766-08:00Goodbye Macie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/TPymt-IHqjI/AAAAAAAAAWE/0HQDEl71_Vk/s1600/IMG_0861.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/TPymt-IHqjI/AAAAAAAAAWE/0HQDEl71_Vk/s200/IMG_0861.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547492149714987570" border="0" /></a><br />My last post about our dear pet Macie, who passed today.<br /><br />Macie came to us from abuse.<br /><br />Her previous owner, after eviction, left her to fend for herself in the back yard of their abandoned house. When the landlord discovered her, she was living on a dripping faucet for water and stones to fill her stomach to abate her hunger. I don't know what their situation was. Maybe they had no choice, but many times I have wished that they reach the level of despair that they thrusted our beautiful Macie into. I hate few people, but because of what they subjected our eventual family member to, I hate them. I have felt no remorse for that emotion.<br /><br />We were fortunate to be able to provide her with a family that loved her without bounds. She gave us more that we gave her. Her love for our family was complete and without reservation. A dog's love for their owner always exceeds what can be reciprocated, and Macie gave us, her adopted family, her unconditional love.<br /><br />Every family member is unique, and she had her unique and special kinship with each member. Each of our children had their own relationship with Macie, and she with them. Neither more or less special.<br /><br />Life is cruel. When a pet ages at a rate 7 times faster that their owners, the pain of premature loss is expected, inevitable, but always without preparation.<br /><br />Because of bone cancer, her life had become just a string of trips between places to lay down, and painful trips at that. Having become lame in her right rear leg, she made valiant trips into the yard to assert her territory against the interloping deer and hikers. But, I worried that, at any day, she may not be able to make it back up the hill and stairs to her throne on the deck. My dread of a phone call from my wife that our ever noble sentry was unable to climb the stairs back to her post weighted on me.<br /><br />As her family, we made the choice that she was living an existence that was without pleasure, and with much pain, we decided to let her go. We chose to postpone the trip to the vet that day, but for probably selfish reasons, we made the choice to go to the vet hospital the next morning instead of that Saturday. I feel a little bit guilty about that choice, because the decision to wait another day, was for our benefit, not hers. That night was painful for us and her. I continually woke to hear her throughout the night, in a restless, painful sleep.<br /><br />The morning was mechanical. Punctuated by emotion, but never a second though. It was time, but not without tears. We left before the kids were awake, arrived before the vet and sat with Macie in the car. Normally, she would have been apprehensive on a trip like this, but the pain and discomfort probably consumed and distracted her.<br /><br />I went in to take care of the paper work while my wife waited in the car with her. I was fine until the vet asked: "How are you?" I couldn't answer, and she didn't ask again.<br /><br />When it was time, I lifted Macie from the car to the ground. On level surfaces, she could walk by keeping her good rear leg centered and she had a labored skip. She followed us, unquestioning, into the room with a place for us to sit with her on the floor. We talked with the vet briefly, they took her for just a few minutes to insert a catheter which was to be use shortly. Then she returned to us for a final 10 minutes for us to thank her for the last 11 years she had given us.<br /><br />When the vet came back in, he explained the procedure. We could sit with her as he administered a drug that would lead to her falling asleep and then quickly passing away.<br /><br />As we sat there with her. He injected her and there was no indication of discomfort, at least for her. The hardest part for me was, as soon as the procedure began, Macie turned to me and looked directly in my eyes. I knew that look. She was looking at me partially for me to reassure her that everything was OK. But at the same time, she was reassuring me that everything was OK. We where doing what we thought was best for her, and she was telling us that she loved and appreciated our care of her.<br /><br />Goodbye Macie.Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-47213269997151517842010-08-13T13:01:00.000-07:002010-08-13T13:20:30.257-07:00Where are we, how did we get here and where are we going<div style="text-align: left;">A friend of mine, who many times has a point of view 180 degrees from my one, sent me a link (<a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Obama-closes-curtain-on-transparency-468557-100595914.html">see here</a>) to an opinion piece about a the failings of the current president in the area of transparency. Transparency was a term used a lot during the campaign as a goal that would be one of many that would differentiate this administration from the previous.<br /><br />The context of the article, and more so the comment sent to me with the link to the article, was the purported loss of sheen that the current administration has in the eyes of many of those who made it possible. I say purported because I believe that pointing out exaggerated, unrealistic expectations is a political strategy used by the both sides to make it easier to show what they want to eventually refer to as failures. Exaggeration and caricature are carry a lot of power for quick, content-light attack<br /></div><br />I think I may have been a bit more of a realist all along, and did not expect some amazing transformation of our government that some did. I have to say that I had high hopes, and muted expectations. And, I would say that my expectations ...have all been met or exceeded, and my hopes, although not been met, will continue to be my hopes for us going forward.<br /><br />I have been disappointed with the progress we have made on issues that are important to me, but at the same time understand better some of the compromises that have led to both the inaction and some of the achievements<br /><br />Overall, I would give this administration a B-, but that beets the range from a C+ to a D- from the previous 5 administrations before this one. Keeping with the academic theme, the school year us less than half over, and it looks like their grade is improving. And, I have full confidence that they will achieve the advanced degree during a second term.Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-55683672545863468422010-07-28T10:08:00.000-07:002010-07-28T10:10:40.377-07:00Bottle Water. Next will be packaged air.Next will be packaged air.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-clark-howard/stop-drinking-bottled-wat_b_660499.html"><img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-07-27-bottledwater_500.png" alt="Bottled Water" border="0" width="500" /></a><br />Via: <a href="http://www.termlifeinsurance.org/">Term Life Insurance</a>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-19454852000100312612010-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:002010-07-22T10:45:53.028-07:00What to name the KeggeratorI don't think this rises to the level of a mid-life crisis, but maybe a midsummer crisis. I am tired of my old, simple, keggerator. It works well but it is, well for lack of a better description, boring.<br /><br />Recently, I have heard about some of the people at Wired Magazine, who after a few beers at a local brewpub, decided to make their own keggerator and pimp it out. Being the graphics savvy group that they are, they spent a lot of time pimping it out visually. But it seems that other than looking very snappy, with iPhone , Droid phone and X-Box type graphics on it, it doesn't really DO anyting but pour beer.<br /><br />Not that there is anything wrong with pouring beer, mind you. My existing keggerator (affectionately known as "Keggerator") has been just pouring beers for years and doing it very well. But I now have a bee in by bonnet, or maybe a kink in my line, and I want to seriously upgrade to a keggerator to be proud of.<br /><br />Like all successful projects, the most important thing to do first is: Come up with a name.<br /><br />So far, I have come up with:<br /><ul><li>Arnold Schwarzenkegger</li><li>R2-Beer2</li><li>Darth Kegger</li></ul>but there are other names that might better inspire. Can you think of any? Please, take the poll and let me know.<br /><br />Poll: What should we call our computer enabled keggerator? <a href="http://poll.fm/233yc">http://poll.fm/233yc</a><br /><br />More to come. Watch this spaceTim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-25822039013556251132010-05-18T07:13:00.001-07:002010-05-18T07:14:22.354-07:00Reinheitsgebot be Damned<p>As far as I am concerned, the <em>Reinheitsgebot</em>, or the "<b>German Beer Purity Law</b>", can go take a hike.</p> <p>The law, first presented in the late 1400’s, but actually becoming Bavarian law in 1516, states that beer can only contain three ingredients: Water, Barley, and Hops.  Keep in mind, that at that time, no one knew anything about yeast. Until Louis Pasteur (yes, that Louis Pasteur) discovered that yeast made beer. Then of course, they added that and made it four ingredients: Water, Barley, and Hops, and yeast.  Don’t you get the feeling that Louis Pasteur would have been cool to know back then?  Maybe sit down and have a beer with him.</p> <p>The law was an early example government making laws that said one thing, but REALY only wanted a completely other thing.  This is similar to laws in states that say they just want to enforce the existing law, but they REALY means, “GO WAY! Your different to me and that scares me!”.  Sorry, I digress.  Twitter shortens my attention span.</p> <p>The law came about, to a large degree, because bakers complained that the brewers were coming in and using their primary ingredients, wheat and rye, and that this was raising the prices of those ingredients. So, in order to keep the costs low, they convinced the Bavarian Government pass a law this law, effectively making it illegal for brewers to use those ingredients.</p> <p>Fortunately, that law was regional, is no longer in place and many brewers have not limited themselves to the Reinheitsgebot.</p> <p>Case in point, I just had a wonderful Chocolate Stout that would not have been within Reinheitsgebot guidelines.  I mean, chocolate in beer?  Really?</p> <p>But this example was a vey good tasting beer.  Not overpowering  with its chocolate, just enough to give a cocoa hint on the finish.  I can’t tell you what brand of beer that it was, because it was a home brewed beer, made by an friend . But, it stood up to comparison with most commercial beers.  There are a few commercial Chocolate Stouts on the market.  But, it can be confusing.  Traditionally, Chocolate Stout just referred to the color of the beer and a chocolaty flavor that it gets from the dark roasted barley.  But, there are some, like this one, which are very good and actually add a few chocolate nibs to the brew too.  Rogue Ales Brewery in Ashland, Oregon has a very tasty one.  I recommend it.</p> <p>Sometimes legal constraints on ingredients or process are there for good reasons, like safety or tradition.  Sometimes, they force the brewer to work within a framework and push them to use their skill to use what they have and still have a great result.  Like a Haiku for Beer.  But, it is always refreshing to try a good beer that makes judicious use of selective adjuncts.  Like that hint of paprika on an excellent Benedict, or the suggestion of saffron to a rice and shrimp, a touch of a nice complimentary ingredient takes it to the next level.  Specialty components of a non-Reinheitsgebot mix it up a little bit</p> <p>Go out and find some non-Reinheitsgebot beers.  Maybe a Coffee Stout, or an Apricot Ale, or a Cherry Lambic ale.  Go wild, share with a friend.  Share with me?  Or, at least comment back on what you tried and what you think of it.</p> <p>Cheers.</p> Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-78170461519895287362010-05-08T11:28:00.001-07:002010-05-08T11:28:20.946-07:00Spring Morning Visitors<p>Drinking my coffee on the porch this morning, watching the red tails hawks glide in the spring sun.  Suddenly, a humming bird became extremely interested in my face.  He darted back and forth, about 12 inches away from my eyes for maybe 30 seconds.  I was afraid he was going to check for nectar.  After he flew off, I retrieved my camera and returned.  So did he.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S-WtP6jSP4I/AAAAAAAAAU0/ZF0tYzNHqtA/s1600-h/IMG_2743%5B6%5D.jpg"><img title="IMG_2743" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="244" alt="IMG_2743" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S-WtQvVMoWI/AAAAAAAAAU4/Fno98X7NRAc/IMG_2743_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="231" border="0" /></a></p> Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-30641502010436330432010-04-17T19:32:00.001-07:002010-04-17T19:43:42.843-07:00Old World Spirits, New World business plans<p><strong>This ain't your fathers gin.</strong> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8px20hucgI/AAAAAAAAAUU/BDBzB7RuRgU/s1600-h/image%5B5%5D.png"><img title="image" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="244" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8px3QyoQNI/AAAAAAAAAUY/WSBOz4ggqYE/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>Close your eyes and picture a successful distillery and maker of fine spirits. If you see, in your minds eye, a huge distillery/factory that churns out gallons and gallons of well drinks, you missed the part where I said "Fine" spirits.   If you are picturing a large copper still, nestled in a stone and brick building, surrounded by fields of grain the for mash or rolling vineyards for the brandy, well, your still not picturing the new breed of distillery.</p> <p>In the 80’s, the beer brewing industry started a mini-revolution.  And, I do mean “Mini”.  It seemed that there was a microbrewery popping up in warehouses and industrial parts all over California.  Then, in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the wine industry saw that model working, and we started seeing little urban wineries appearing in metropolitan areas and small industrial rental complexes.  Places like the “Wine Ghetto” in Lompoc showed that you could, quietly, simply and on a small scale, without all of the traditional trappings of appearance, turn out world class wines.</p> <p>Now, here we are in the bold new world of the micro urban distillery. A good idea can not be kept down. Hold on I have seen the future, and it is good.</p> <p>While visiting a favorite urban brewery last nigh, I found a steel roll-up door open on one of the units.  A sign outside said there was a tasting going on, and once inside, there was a tasting counter next to a small, beautiful, copper and steel still.  Welcome to the future, it is here. iPods and Laptops aren’t the only thinks that are getting smaller and better.</p> <p><strong>Old World Spirits</strong> in Belmont, has an ambitious selection of brandies, gin, a couple of absinthes, and a delicious black walnut liquor.  The owner/master distiller Davorin Kuchan comes from a family of distillers and he is doing a great job in continuing the family trade and trade.</p> <p>All of his spirits are made with local products.  The base ethanol for his brandies are all distilled from northern California Zinfandel.  His peaches are from central valley heirloom peaches.</p> <p>His gin, only available at a local shop, is fine, botanical, herbal and citrusy with a little hint of cilantro. </p> <p>His two absinthes are both superb, and both very different from each other.  One, is more traditional, anise and wormwood, citrus, and a natural sweetness of aroma.  The other, with similar flavors, just kicked up a couple clicks.  A 1:4 louche brings out the color and texture and makes and puts a bloom on a fantastic drink.</p> <p>If you want to treat yourself to some of these fine spirits and see what expertise and passion can create, visit their website and find where you can try some for yourself.  <a title="http://www.oldworldspirits.com" href="http://www.oldworldspirits.com">http://www.oldworldspirits.com</a></p> <p>I will be adding more to our home cabinet.</p> Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-20254610582263650922010-04-15T22:11:00.000-07:002010-04-16T00:44:34.383-07:00My Day with the Tea Partiers<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gObkL45UI/AAAAAAAAATM/z5oRnur3fQw/s1600/IMG_2723.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gObkL45UI/AAAAAAAAATM/z5oRnur3fQw/s200/IMG_2723.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460630414919525698" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Today I stopped by a Tax Day Tea Party rally. That may surprise people who know me. But it won't surprise people who know me well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gO6NY7zVI/AAAAAAAAATU/1cJzIRJZrfY/s1600/IMG_2683.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gO6NY7zVI/AAAAAAAAATU/1cJzIRJZrfY/s200/IMG_2683.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460630941376171346" border="0" /></a><br />The whole Tea Party movement has been interesting to me. I can see where they are coming from. The economy has been bad. People in position of economic power have have been taking advantage of their position and politicians have been complicit, probably to an ethically questionable degree, enabling it. But, probably most significantly, we hear constantly how the government is screwing the public. This isn't new, but it has gone from a rumble to a roar.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gPuScL-JI/AAAAAAAAATc/9jHQNl17tnY/s1600/IMG_2698.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gPuScL-JI/AAAAAAAAATc/9jHQNl17tnY/s200/IMG_2698.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460631836085188754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The public is being taken advantage of here, but it isn't the government who is perpetuating the con. The phrase "Follow the Money" was tossed around a lot at the rally. Ironic, since that was the phrase that led to the domino chain of events and ultimate downfall of a Republican president. But, who is benefiting financially from this current outrage? Who benefits from the bubbling discontent and conspiracy innuendo? When it seems to be waning, who comes in to rabble rouse it back up? Stir the Pot? Raise awareness? Well, here is a clue.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gNtaOPJoI/AAAAAAAAATE/ZHvAXT_I3kQ/s1600/IMG_2724.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gNtaOPJoI/AAAAAAAAATE/ZHvAXT_I3kQ/s200/IMG_2724.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460629621971035778" border="0" /></a><br />How did you hear about these rallies? These "Grass Roots" rallies. I heard about them on the radio, conservative radio that I listen to. In fact, last week I heard it discussed so much on a local conservative radio station that I had to check it out. It was easy to do, all the information about the rallies were on the radio station's website. With banner ads no less. Glad I was able to help their bottom line with my click throughs. We know how hard media is struggling for advertising dollars. I hope my mouse clicks and page loads brought in a bit more advertising dollars from those tax attorney and gold sale advertisers on those pages.<br /><br /><br />How involved was this radio station in this "Grass Roots" event? Well the master of ceremony for the event was one of their radio personalities. The station's booth, hand<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gRL7SNUWI/AAAAAAAAATs/troGx3jWekE/s1600/IMG_2717.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gRL7SNUWI/AAAAAAAAATs/troGx3jWekE/s200/IMG_2717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460633444777021794" border="0" /></a>ing out Tea Party signs, banners and stickers (with the stations call letters conveniently printed on them), as well as hocking and raffling off another one of their personality's Global Warming denier book was practically part of the stage. The sound crew and equipment looked like it was coordinated by, if not provided by the station. It was obvious, the purpose of the crew here, was to take advantage of an energetic public to keep them as the station of choice.<br /><br /><br /><br />The crowd was substantial in size, probably between 400 and 600 people. It is hard to say exactly how many people are <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; -moz-background-size: auto auto; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" leohighlights_keywords="die hard" leohighlights_url="http%3A//thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/highlights/keywords?keywords%3Ddie%20hard">die hard</leo_highlight> Tea Party minions, and how many were any number of people with other motivations, but I would estimate that 200 people there were truly committed to the cause. Although, listening to them, only half of those would be able to tell you what the cause was beyond what their signs said. Easily half the crowd was there to just see what this was all about. And, there was a vocal group of counter protesters there, purely to disrupt.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gRumWAIpI/AAAAAAAAAT0/CyxJunGKWGw/s1600/IMG_2731.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gRumWAIpI/AAAAAAAAAT0/CyxJunGKWGw/s200/IMG_2731.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460634040451211922" border="0" /></a><br />Let me talk about the counter protesters for a bit, because I think this is representative of many counter protests on both sides. Sure, I think it is great to get your opinions out there. God bless American and Freedom of Speech. But, you may be hurting your own cause more than helping it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gQY6x_BII/AAAAAAAAATk/682mC1JYTVU/s1600/IMG_2706.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gQY6x_BII/AAAAAAAAATk/682mC1JYTVU/s200/IMG_2706.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460632568468538498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Some of the counter protesters were encouraged by anti-Tea Party websites, to make fake signs, pose as Tea Party <em>caricatures, and try to get their pictures in the media to exaggerate the fringe elements that make up this or any group. Well guys, you attempts are backfiring. Eventually you are diluting the fringe that you are trying to expose. Now, when you see a sign with something as stupid as saying that Obama is a Muslim, or a Marxist, or that he is a brother of Osama Bin Laden, you have to wonder if it is a real idiot, or someone just posing as one. And, you can pretty much guarantee that the only people with misspelling on their signs are the ones making signs to pretend that they are real ones.</em><br /><br /><em>Sure, there was some unsettling or even disturbing things I saw today. Like the college student speaker who was wearing what looked like a 8mm riffle round on a chain around his neck like a rosary. I am not saying he was clinging to it, just wearing it like a religious symbol.<br /><br />I think the most bizarre behavior I saw came whenever (and I do mean whenever) anyone on stage mentioned the name Reagan, which happened a lot. Whenever a speaker would invoke the name Reagan, the crowd would clap, some one stand up, I heard a couple of "Amen"s and one time, I swear, it seemed like the entire park was going to break into a baseball game crowd WAVE.</em><br /><br /><em>If you were to take away the counter protesters, take away the opportunistic publicity seekers and rabble rousers, the curious observers, the large number of police officers on foot, bike and horseback, the people running for office with their vote-for-me buttons and fliers, the people just hanging out, and the many many children dragged there en-tow by their parents as props, and the media (who I am sure we will hear ignored the whole event, even though there were satellite trucks and camera people). If we take away all those people, we would be left with the essence of the Tea Partiers.</em><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gTIAoenGI/AAAAAAAAAT8/IqVrBK3XsGM/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gTIAoenGI/AAAAAAAAAT8/IqVrBK3XsGM/s200/IMG_2733.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460635576516385890" border="0" /></a><br /><em>This core group, seemed to me to best be described as scared. And maybe for good reason. They seemed to be scared for a number of reasons. One, they have been lied to. Lied to by politicization who they elected into office to do something for them, and instead, just did things for themselves. Two, they have seen the America they thought they understood, one with a dream for everyone, dissolve into a pile of unemployment, financial corruption and government assisted or complacent bubbles and collapse fiascoes. And, they have been lied to by media clowns, feeding them phrases which wind up on banners and signs, like Osama Bin Lying and Progressive = Socialism.</em><br /><em><br />I can't completely discount their cause here. I feel it too. But, the show I saw today, other than the small group that really cares about what happens. The group that probably represents the core of what the Tea Parties originally stood for. I saw these people being used to get an audience for an agenda that I find disturbing and predatory.<br /></em><br /><em>Thanks Tea Partiers for the Rally today. I got a lot out of it. Keep up the pressure for a responsive government, but be sure to make sure you are furthering your cause, and not that of a group</em><em> who just wants to keep their audience calling in to the talk shows.<br /><br /></em><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gT4wWl6ZI/AAAAAAAAAUE/FsrMtg6mu3M/s1600/IMG_2716.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HX7ZYOR3xQU/S8gT4wWl6ZI/AAAAAAAAAUE/FsrMtg6mu3M/s200/IMG_2716.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460636413959989650" border="0" /></a><em><br /><br />O</em><em>h, and by the way. Just because someone in the crowd grabs a sign that has KSFO and Taxed Enough Already on it from the HUGE pile next to the stage, that doesn't mean you should let him just wander up on stage with the scheduled speakers. <br /><br />Remember. 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</script></span><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-70200369668296010162010-02-04T08:14:00.000-08:002010-02-04T08:34:26.216-08:00Apparently, I wasn't ready for 2010My last blog entry was all about being done with 2009, ready for 2010, and not feeling the need to set any New Years resolutions. I felt that I was ready to tackle 2010 head on and be so completely productive that the World would be my oyster .<br /><br />Well, judging by the fact that it has been 35 days since that post, and my first entry since then is this one, describing how I have not posted anything, I would have to say that 2010 might need a reboot f0r me.<br /><br />It has not been a complete loss. A few things have happened that have expanded my horizons, challenged by beliefs, taught me new things, or just tickled my fancy. I have just about finished my first significant application for a new phone platform (and, I have to say, Android ROCKS!) I have found that having a new, 16 year old driver in the house shakes things up quite a bit, and I do mean shake. I finally got those olive trees I have been wanting to try. We will see if I follow though with experiments in curing and/or olive oil over the next couple harvests. And, of course, the new composting experiment we have started. I think a 120 gallon compost digester might prove to be a little small, but we will see.<br /><br />In any case, I am officially calling a "DO OVER" on the whole New Years thing. Maybe I will even make it official, pick up a bottle of a nice California sparkling wine, and toast the new year, albeit 5 weeks in.<br /><br />Who's with me? HAPPY NEW YEAR(ish)!!!Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-62211864893340993412009-12-31T16:01:00.001-08:002009-12-31T16:01:28.494-08:002009 was a full year. Now I am ready for 2010<p>I was looking back over my end of year post last year. <a href="http://littlewinery.blogspot.com/2008/12/end-of-year-for-this-amateur-winemaker.html" target="_blank">(blog post)</a> It listed things that I accomplished, things I failed to accomplish, and a bunch of things that didn’t really fit into either category.  After looking over last year and comparing it to this year, I realize that they could almost me the same year!</p> <p>Sure, there have been a few extra things accomplished over the last year, most of them go into the filler category.  This year has been sort of a holding pattern with a few, very notable exceptions.</p> <p>I had my 30 year high school reunion this year.  That wasn’t a big milestone for me but it reintroduced me to many of my friends from my formative years.  I have got to say: the women of the Indio High class of 79 have aged like fine wine.  We men, well lets just say that we are lagging behind the women of our class.</p> <p>2009 was the year one of my kids attained their driver’s license.  Now, that is a milestone.  All of a sudden, you as a parent realize what they as your child has known for a few years.  That you are becoming obsolete.  No longer are you required for them to conduct their daily lives and routines.  Sure, you still need to put gas into the car in order for it to have more that 1/93 of a tank, but you certainly are not expected to be seen in public with them anymore.  That tether is severed for good.</p> <p>The other child, it has become obvious, is no longer a child at all, but actually a young adult.  OK, not quite a young adult yet, with all the baggage and responsibilities that  come with that.  But, over the last year, I have started to realize that the time I have with them here, under my roof, able to sit with them and chat about their daily lives whenever I want to, is approaching an end.  </p> <p>Soon, they will be heading off to college, facing the larger world and making their marks on it.  This year is the year that this has become apparent to me as more than something that will eventually happen, but as something that is getting closer to happening.</p> <p>Also this year, the economy completed it’s triple back-flip. Other than some significant belt tightening and sleepless evenings, we have seemed to manage weathering that storm.  I think everyone has emerged a bit wiser for the wear.</p> <p>I don’t  make resolutions for the new year.  Setting goals for my future seems best done continually and not all stuck artificially at the turning of the calendar year.   But, I have a feeling that 2010 will be transitional.  I am not sure what 2010 has in store for us, but I have that feeling that we should strap in for a ride.</p> <p>OK, I think I am ready.  Bring it on!</p> Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-77639573487514287452009-11-08T22:16:00.000-08:002009-11-16T21:06:18.370-08:00Wine and Food Pairing. You are probably here by mistake.I need to rant a bit, so bear with me. But first, let me just let everyone know that if you came here to find out what wine goes with what food, you are probably at the wrong place.<br /><br />A fantastic dish, complimented by a wine that seems to fit it like a glove is rare, but when you find it, is an experience you will not soon forget. Where things get crazy is when people start coming up with simple rules of what wines go with which food. <br /><br />As modern humans, We like easy rules to follow with which to make our daily decisions easier. The light is RED, so I STOP; GREEN, so I GO. Everybody else is jumping of a cliff: I will too; nobody else jumping, I'll just stay right here. Why wouldn't there be equally easy to follow guidelines for food/wine pairings? I have heard some of them.<br /><br />We've all heard them. White wine with white food, red wine with red food. White with fish, red with beef. Bubbles, then white, then red, then port to go with appetizers, first course, second course, and then desert. These work for many situations but fail miserably in others. Like a broken watch, right twice a day, these rules work when they work, but don't set you clock by them. <br /><br />The trouble is that pairing wine and food isn't as simple as color or course. There is as more variation in red wine sometimes than there is between red and white wine, so basing a pairing on color can be doomed to failure.<br /><br />Recently, I read a blog from a winery that was lamenting that the their wine, a sumptuous Cabernet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sauvignon</span>, probably doesn't go well with a dish of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. How did they knew it didn't go well together? Because conventional wisdom says that that dish goes with lighter, white wines. If you want to drink a luscious red, and have tomatoes, you better toss them in a pot and cook them down.<br /><br />To that, I say, hogwash. In fact, I have had this wine, and that dish. They both, not only were great individually, they were great together.<br /><br />Do you want a great, simple way to find what wines go well with what foods? Try this: Every time you eat or drink, pay attention to the foods and wines you have. I know, paying attention to what you eat is so <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cumbersome</span>. But, when you taste a combination that works, take it a step farther: ask yourself why it works. What about that food and that wine makes the pair work. Make mental notes of these combinations, write them down when you get home. Then, use these as a guide.<br /><br />Another system that works, but only as a guide, is similar to taking shots of tequila. Here is how it works. Get a shaker of salt and a slice of lemon or lime. Pour a glass of wine that you are looking to pair a meal with. Take a sip, savour it. Then, taste a pinch of salt. Did that add or detract from the wine? The do it again, but with the lime. How did that work? You can use this as an insight on how it might pair with something salty, like ham, or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">herbed</span> dish. Or something tart, like a dish with a citrus glaze or component.<br /><br />Again, these are just guidelines. The only way to know for sure is to have the dish and the wine. You can increase your odd for success when you are out with a group. Instead of ordering a bottle of one wine, everyone can order a glass of a different wine and then share. See what goes with what. You may have to try more wines, but that can't be all bad.<br /><br />Don't be afraid of asking your waiter, or the chef. They do this for a living. But if they spout of the simplistic rules, consider doing it yourself, or order a beer..<br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-90986197933989149252009-08-27T00:17:00.001-07:002009-08-27T00:17:03.263-07:00I think I see a pattern here.<p>I am suddenly seeing a pattern where I didn’t before.</p> <p>Food, Alcoholic Beverage, Healthcare, Energy, Environment, Education, Corrections; All of these topics have debates going on right now.  Individuals and groups are arguing about these subjects.  I didn’t say discussing, I said arguing, because that is the level of the discourse.</p> <ul> <li>Food: Organic vs “Conventional” (who decided that the term “conventional” gets to refer to the way things have been done in the last 50 years, and the term “non-conventional” get to refer to the other 99,950 years?)</li> <li>More Food: Family farmers vs. agribusiness.  No one is arguing that modern agriculture practices have not allowed us to produce food more efficiently.  A farmer with a diesel tractor can manage over 300 times the acreage as one without.  Efficiencies come with costs, and all of those costs need to be considered.  But when we compare, lets honestly look at ALL the costs.  Like the cost imposed by the risk of large, monolithic factory farms shutting down because of contamination, or reallocation of priorities from grain for food to grain for biofuel.  Do we want our primary suppliers of food to “Run the Numbers” every quarter to decide if they want to stay in the food business or not?</li> <li>Healthcare: Why is the primary goal of our health care industry oversight to keep our healthcare investors portfolios healthy instead of the citizens?  If my primary care physician told me that the reason he got into medicine was because that is where the highest profit was, I might look for a different doctor</li> <li>Energy – Look around.  Do the math.  We use more power today than we did last year. Do you honestly believe that is not the trend?  Most energy comes from a black goop that we pump out of the ground.  Do you think that that will be available forever?  Where do you see the most time and energy spending going: maintaining what we currently do or coming up with a better solution?  Am I the only one that sees a problem here?</li> <li>Education – This one really confuses me.  My parents helped me with college at first.  And there were student loans, and the rest was made up with me working though college. But it was doable and not unrealistic.  What happened to that? The cost of an education has been rising well above the cost of living  index.  The price for a college education has skyrocketed. Textbooks, tuitions, student housing and fees all all shooting up faster than the world around them.  Where is it going?  Is someone getting rich off of our desires to educate our kids?  That’s OK why?</li> <li>Beverage laws – Yea, this one doesn’t really fit in with the rest, but it’s my blog, and I will try to tie it in at the end.  Work with me here.  We have some real screwed up beverage laws.  One state can ship to people in some states, but not others.  Some states can sell in stores on some days, but not other days. Some delivery companies can transport it, others can’t. Some states won’t let you taste wines in a store if “children can observe” you tasting.</li> <li>Corrections – By this I mean our criminal justice system.  Neither of the terms are very good descriptions of the system.  Calling it “Corrections” would imply that something or someone is “Corrected” by the system.  “Criminal Justice” would imply that the system is just and fair in the application of punishment to criminals.  I don’t think an honest evaluation of the system would lead anyone to that conclusion.  Our correction system is a for profit business, run by contracted 3d parties, to house people that have been sent there by our courts for breaking laws defined by our legislature. These companies make money by having people in prison and use a lot of that money to encourage lawmakers to make laws that put people into prison and not to keep them out.</li> </ul> <p>What do these systems have in common?  There is a lot of money that flows to groups in the system.  The money goes from the groups that control it, to the groups that set up the rules on how it is controlled.  These are all systems that we would like to believe have a primary goal of being for the citizens, but the incentives are to increase profits.  There is an incentive for increased efficiency.  But the efficiency is not meant to let them do more for less, it is to do less for higher profit.</p> <p>Again,  I ask: Why is that OK?</p> Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10997953.post-49090847780586624482009-08-26T22:59:00.001-07:002009-08-26T22:59:55.082-07:00Politics is NOT the least common denominator (I hope)<p>Does it seem like everything boils down to politics?  When did that start?  I am not sure if this is a new trend, or if I have just become overly sensitized to this. When I read a blog, listen to a newscast, meet someone new, read a book, anything; I immediately think of it in terms of where it falls on the political spectrum.  Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, Socialism, Marxism, Capitalism, Fascism, Progressive, WHATEVER.  I can’t help but start to put it into this or that box.  Then, after I put it in the box, I start to think of which politician or talk show host would agree or disagree with it.</p> <p>I don’t know when or why that has become the way I view the world, but, I want it to stop.  Or at least I want to stop being so central it in my own set of classifications. </p> <p>It wasn’t always like that.  Remember when there would be a news event discussed, and it wouldn’t include political commentary?  Doesn’t it desensitize us to the terrible actions that someone does, when it is followed by some talking head attributing it to reactions to this or that political party’s platform?  If some person attacks some other person, do we need to assume that it is rooted in political idealisms that the two sides have that are irreconcilable?</p> <p>I hope that this is just a problem that we have in our reaction to the events around us.  That we are trying to look at the events around us and using personal politics as a way to try to make sense of the world. That’s what I hope.  Because the alternative is that we are actually seeing these terrible things happen because of fundamental political ideologies.  And that is scary, indeed.</p> Tim Beauchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08503277009700272375noreply@blogger.com0