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dt_3pin

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    Go Tacoma!

    in Spray

    Posted

    Stay on point JayB. This is a serious thread about an admirable accomplishment and a Banner Day for the City of Destiny. Please take your NegAm, I/O, subprime schadenfreude elsewhere.

    Two Interesting Articles That Mattp...

    in Spray

    Posted

    Since we're on the topic of things that mattp will never read, I'd encourage you to read "The Looming Tower, " by Lawrence Wright as well.

     

    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/books/review/06filkins.html?ex=1182571200&en=0c490c225671cad4&ei=5070

     

    Q4T. I picked up 'Looming Tower' based on an earlier recommendation by JayB. I thought Mr. Wright's approach was quite balanced. Unlike many post 911 authors, left and right, he didn't appear to have an axe to grind, and he did a great job of guiding the reader through a rather complex cast of characters (especially complex for folks like me to whom the names are all very unfamiliar and difficult to remember/distinguish). All in all, a very frightening book.

    New Olympic Guidebook Runs into Trademark Trouble

    in Spray

    Posted · Edited by dt_3pin

     

    Olympic Guide Runs into Trademark Tussle

    Randy Boswell, CanWest News Service

    Published: Friday, June 15, 2007

    An accident of geography and the Olympic movement's zealous defence of its name have sparked a bizarre trademark battle that's outraged a Washington state wilderness guide hoping to alert tourists -- including those heading to Vancouver's Winter Games in 2010 -- to the wonders of the nearby Olympic Peninsula.

     

    Jason Bausher, author of a new 64-page guidebook titled Best of the Olympic Peninsula, has spent his life exploring and working in the region around Washington's Mount Olympus, a scenic peak west of Seattle.

     

    The bewildered but unrelenting Bausher, 30, is refusing to sign legal documents sent by the U.S. Olympic Committee restricting his use of the word "Olympic" in promoting his book and guide business. "I've worked too hard for this thing [the book] to acquiesce."

     

    The committee has said in letters to Bausher that it won't stop him from using the name because there are exemptions in Olympic trademark rules recognizing the historic use of the word in the state. But it wants him to abandon his application to trademark "Best of the Olympic Peninsula," place disclaimers on marketing material, avoid the use of well-known Games symbols such as torches and rings, and to limit substantial sales and promotion of his business to within western Washington.

     

    The term Olympic refers to the chain of mountains in western Washington capped by Mount Olympus, the surrounding peninsula that juts into the Pacific Ocean, to a large U.S. national park (where Bausher also works as a ranger) and to hundreds of businesses and charitable organizations in the area west of the state capital Olympia -- named for its view of the mountains.

     

    Questions about the case to a committee lawyer were passed to the committee's media relations department. No comment was received yesterday.

     

    Vanoc, the Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Olympics, has had its own run-ins with B.C. businesses, while the federal government has been criticized over legislation that provides the Vancouver Olympic organizers extensive power over the language and symbols associated with the Olympics.

     

     

    Cell phones are evil

    in Spray

    Posted

     

     

    Cell phones are evil? I'm thinking a more appropriate thread title could be derived from:

     

    I suppose thats what happens when you put your number on the web........ idiot........

    Porno preorder

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    $41.05 later. This better be good!

     

    Fuck that!!! That is rediculus no way will I ever pay that much for a DVD.

     

    How much do you spend on beer in a week? In a month?

     

    Bad analogy. DVDs, even the most kick ass, get boring after you've watched them enough. Beer on the other hand never loses its charm.

    Recumbent Bikes/Trikes anyone?

    in Spray

    Posted

    Get some perspective guys- although recumbents might not be cool enough for you, there's no reason to trash FW or his interest in them.

     

    Anything that motivates folks to bike more and drive less is awesome.

     

    More power to you, Fairweather.

     

    Word. Cool enough for these homies, cool enough for Fairweather.

     

    file.jpg

     

    Martini Mixology

    in Spray

    Posted

    4 People, 80 Martinis (NYT) May 2, 2007

    Spirits of The Times

    No, Really, It Was Tough: 4 People, 80 Martinis

    By ERIC ASIMOV

    HAVE I told you about my 80-martini lunch?

     

    I exaggerate. Actually, four of us shared 80 martinis, so it was really a 20-martini lunch.

     

    Frankly, once you get past the first 12 martinis, it might as well be 80. But it was worth it.

     

    The occasion was the spirits panel’s martini tasting. Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Audrey Saunders, bartender extraordinaire and an owner of the Pegu Club on West Houston Street, and Pete Wells, editor of the Dining section, who has written extensively about drinks.

     

    The subject was supposed to be solely gin. But because gin is often consumed in a martini, we decided to taste the gin as expressed through the world’s most famous (and perhaps least understood) cocktail. We discovered that while great martinis require great gins, great gins don’t necessarily make great martinis.

     

    The gin category has exploded in the last decade, with distillers offering unusual riffs on the classic theme. Some of these make for striking gins, although they struck out as martinis. Our task was to sort out which gins produced classic martinis, which added welcome nuances and which really ought to seek another line of cocktail.

     

    Before we discuss the findings, though, we need to clear up a little matter. It’s come to my attention that some people believe martinis are made with vodka. I hate to get snobbish about it, but a martini should be made with gin or it’s not a martini. Call it a vodkatini if you must, but not a martini. Gin and vodka have as much in common hierarchically as a president and a vice president. Vodka can fill in for gin from time to time and might even be given certain ceremonial duties of its own, but at important moments you need the real thing. Vodka generally makes a poor substitute for gin in a martini or any other gin cocktail.

     

    The panel found common ground here. Each of us is partial to the classic martini made with gin, although Audrey was sensitive to the desires of her clientele.

     

    “You have to revisit which generation is drinking the martini,” she said. “We might be classicists, but is the newer generation?”

     

    Still, after perhaps 8 or 10 martinis, Audrey fessed up, referring at one point to “a generation lobotomized by vodka.”

     

    Indeed, gin is more of a thinking person’s spirit. Vodka is neutral in aroma and flavor, which is also how gin begins life. But where vodka stays neutral, gin is infused with botanicals — a witch’s pantry of roots, berries, herbs, dried fruits and spices — dominated by the piney, breezy aroma of juniper berries. Other common botanicals include angelica, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, lemon peel, licorice, fennel and ginger. It is the closely guarded combination of botanicals that makes each gin distinctive.

     

    The dividing line between vodka and gin has always been the addition of juniper to gin. But among the spirits sold as gin today, some have reduced juniper to a secondary component while others seem to have dispensed with it altogether. We found that cardamom was prominent in quite a few of the 20 gins we had stirred into martinis.

     

    “You see cardamom over and over,” Audrey said. “It’s exciting but you have to guard the category or you’ll just be drinking flavored vodkas.”

     

    Speaking of guarding the category, let us now speak of the martini itself. Daunted at the prospect of mixing 80 cocktails, we handed that task over to Allen Katz, a mixologist who consults with Southern Wine and Spirits and with Martha Stewart Living Radio. Mr. Katz set a few parameters: the martinis would be stirred, not shaken; we would sample them as he made them so they would all be fresh; and they would include vermouth.

     

    This last is a touchy subject among martini drinkers, many of whom have reduced vermouth’s role to no more than waving an unopened bottle in the direction of the glass.

     

    “With the exception of a few artisan bars and restaurants, most people might get a 9-to-1 ratio, or just gin,” Audrey said.

     

    A martini is also not a martini without vermouth. What is a cocktail but a blend of disparate elements into a harmonious new whole? We used Noilly Prat Original French Dry vermouth in a proportion of five parts gin to one part vermouth, perhaps a bit more gin than might have been ideal (try 4-to-1), but we wanted to make sure that the gin was featured prominently.

     

    A century ago the typical martini recipe called for orange bitters. Most great cocktails do require at least three ingredients. But as we’re already being rigid on the vodka issue, I won’t press the case.

     

    Let’s get to the tasting. In our martinis, we looked for balance, persistence and character. A martini without balance cannot be elegant, and a martini ought to be a model of elegance. By persistence I mean flavors that linger long enough to savor, intrigue and refresh, a combination that demands another sip. Too little persistence, and there’s no intrigue. Too much, and it won’t refresh.

     

    Our favorite martini gin, Plymouth English Gin, could not have been more stylish and graceful. Plymouth has the classic juniper-based gin profile, yet it is uncommonly subtle and smooth. Still, it is assertive, its complexity emerging slowly but distinctly, the proverbial fist in a velvet glove.

     

    By contrast, our No. 2 and No. 3 gins emphasized power. The Junipero, made in small quantities by the distilling branch of the Anchor brewery in San Francisco, came on strong with the traditional gin flavors of juniper and citrus, hitting all the right notes, though a little self-consciously.

     

    The No. 3 gin, Cadenhead’s Old Raj from Scotland, at 110 proof, or 55 percent alcohol, was by far the most powerful gin we tasted: Tanqueray and Tanqueray No. 10 at 94.6 proof were the next highest. But while Old Raj packed a punch, its muscularity came across as bright and in control.

     

    Two standbys of the American cocktail cabinet fared well as martinis. Seagram’s Extra Dry came in at No. 4. We found it surprisingly complex in the glass, with fruit, herbal and gingery spice notes, yet it didn’t stray far from the gin ideal, while Gordon’s London Dry adhered to the straight and narrow, with a slight emphasis of spicy cardamom and nutmeg aromas.

     

    Tanqueray London Dry made a classic though quiet martini. Its livelier cousin, Tanqueray No. 10, with its emphasis on citrus flavors, may work well neat or with tonic, but was discordant in a martini.

     

    In fact, in the context of a dry martini, few of the newer, hipper gins worked. Aviation is a popular gin out of Portland, Ore., but its predominant flavors of wintergreen, vanilla and anise had no place in a martini. Nor did the menthol and peppermint in G’Vine, a new French gin, the pronounced melon fruitiness in Hamptons, made in Minnesota, or the cinnamon emphasis in No. 209 out of San Francisco.

     

    “What was really striking was how un-dry some of these were — like bathing in canned fruit or a postnasal saccharine drip,” Pete said.

     

    We didn’t reject all of the less conventional gins. With its floral aromas, Hendrick’s from Scotland seemed to work from a different palette of botanicals, and it made for a lively, colorful martini. Bombay Sapphire was sort of jazzy — a martini that intrigued without really hanging together. Both Quintessential and Martin Miller’s hit odd notes, though they made pretty good martinis.

     

    We each had a favorite that didn’t make the top 10. I liked Citadelle, a new-wave French gin. I felt its unconventional citrus flavors merged well with evergreen aromas, but the others disagreed.

     

    Likewise, Audrey was pleased with that old standby Beefeater, while I found the flavors indistinct. Florence, who adores Tanqueray, liked the Tanqueray No. 10 as well, while Pete was more inclined to the G’Vine than the rest of us.

     

    Still, the disagreements never really got out of hand. When you’ve just shared 80 martinis, you’re inclined to smooth things over.

     

    Tasting Report: I’ll Take My Juniper Berries With Personality

     

    BEST VALUE

     

    Plymouth English Gin $22 *** 1/2

     

    82.4 proof 1 liter

     

    Subtle and elegant with crisp, lingering flavors of citrus and juniper: a martini in a dinner jacket. (Importer: Absolut Spirits, New York)

     

    Junipero Anchor Distilling $35 ***

     

    United States 86 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Smooth, clean and very dry with assertive, classic flavors of juniper and citrus: a martini with one eyebrow raised.

     

    Cadenhead’s Old Raj Dry Gin $50 ***

     

    Scotland 110 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Powerful, muscular and hot, but in a good way: a martini with a punch.

     

    (Preiss Imports, Ramona, Calif.)

     

    Seagram’s Extra Dry $15 ** 1/2

     

    80 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Surprisingly complex, with fruit, ginger, juniper and citrus flavors: a martini with a thesaurus.

     

    Tanqueray London Dry Gin $22 ** 1/2

     

    England 94.6 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Crisp with a hint of mint and juniper flavors: a martini peeking out from librarian’s glasses. (Diageo, Norwalk, Conn.)

     

    Hendrick’s $40 ** 1/2

     

    Scotland 88 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Unusual, intriguing floral aromas: a martini in a Hawaiian shirt.

     

    (William Grant & Sons, New York)

     

    Gordon’s London Dry $12 ** 1/2

     

    United States 80 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Gentle and harmonious with cardamom and nutmeg aromas: a martini in a gray flannel suit.

     

    Bombay Sapphire London Dry $30 **

     

    England 94 proof 1 liter

     

    Jangly flavors of mint, herbs and citrus, with detectable alcoholic heat: a neurotic martini. (Bombay Spirits, Miami)

     

    Quintessential London Dry $30 **

     

    England 80 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Smooth and direct, but with an odd, bittersweet flavor: a martini with a blemish. (White Rock Distilleries, Lewiston, Me.)

     

    Martin Miller’s London Dry $32 **

     

    England 80 proof 750 milliliters

     

    Soft and slightly sweet, with floral aromas, but not a hint of juniper: a martini in pedal pushers. (Skyy Spirits, New York)

     

    WHAT THE STARS MEAN:

     

    Ratings range from zero to four stars and reflect the panel’s reaction to the gins, which were tasted with names concealed. The panelists this week are Eric Asimov; Florence Fabricant; Pete Wells, editor of the Dining section; and Audrey Saunders, an owner of the Pegu Club in Manhattan. The tasted gins represent a selection generally available in good retail shops, restaurants and over the Internet. Prices are those paid in liquor shops in the New York region.

     

    Tasting coordinator: Bernard Kirsch

     

     

    Tesla Rolling in Grave

    in Spray

    Posted

    We already know that cell phones can cause brain cancer.

     

    Presenting theory or anecdote as fact does not make it fact. Kinda' like anthropogenic global warming.

     

    And WMDs . . .

     

    Hey Kids...

    in Spray

    Posted · Edited by dt_3pin

    so what's your story, again? an honest question, actually - you seem be familiar but i have fuckall recollection of where you went or what you've been doing. you remind me a hell of a lot like my little brother.

     

    Unlike the cadre of chicken hawks who post here, SH put his money where his mouth is, enlisted in the Army, and apparently survived a tour in Iraq. That being said, he came off like a retard before he left, and it looks like things haven't changed too much for him.

     

    BTW, glad you made it back so you could post stupid shit.

    Hillary outspoken socialist

    in Spray

    Posted

    What bedevils our healthcare system isn't the government - it's the lack of a single-provider system that cuts out all the parasites that provide zero value yet are endemic in our current system. Our healthcare system is a complete failure at the moment based on the dollars spent relative to the services it provides.

     

    well said, JH.

    ACLU sueing Boeing for international law violation

    in Spray

    Posted

    and IBM did more than just make the machines. They made the cards that included very specific catagories for Jews (and other unwanteds) to make the decision of who lived and who died more effective.

     

    I didn't know that, and I'm not saying that IBM lacks culpability. Instead, I was trying to point out that the causal chain in the IBM example is a bit longer than it is here. IBM made stuff which made killing folks easier. Ultimately, however, IBM didn't flip the zyklon switch.

     

    Here, in contrast, the causal chain is (allegedly) quite a bit shorter on account of the ACLU apparently argues that Boeing's subsidiary directly participated in illegal renditions.

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