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Outcome prediction for the 24th District CA race - Pallant leads
2008-06-03 17:35:00 Here is the activity across Actblue.com. While this merely indicates donation activity, it may be suggestive of the final outcome of today’s election. Mary Pallant is clearly coming out ahead and shows the most serious intention to step forward for the Democrats of the 24th Congressional District. Mary Pallant See who’s raising Go to website Raised across ActBlue: ...
By: What's Going On
Jill Martinez at it again?using old endorsements
2008-06-03 03:27:00 In another sign of questionable integrity, Jill Martinez, who is running in the 24th Congressional district June 3rd primary, has again added outdated endorsements to her website that are no longer valid. Today, June 2nd, Martinez has placed an endorsement from the Iron Workers Local #433 on her website that is from a 2006 election. Campaign ...
By: What's Going On
Immmigration Myths and Cable News
2008-06-02 20:41:00 Here is an interesting article about immigration that looks at the myths promoted by mainstream media. It is a study completed by Media Matters Action Network. Great insight. En Espanol Here is the link of the summary . Here is the downloadable PDF file. Here is a very brief summary of the article, please use this link to ...
By: What's Going On
Jill Martinez campaign removing opponent?s campaign signs?
2008-06-01 20:13:00 Poor behavior. But I believe it to be true. I personally placed a Mary Pallant campaign sign at the exit point of Lewis Road in Camarillo. Four days later, it was removed and a Martinez sign was placed in the exact location. Since the swap happened at the same time, ...
By: What's Going On
Ojai Playhouse Presents ?Body of War? for Pallant Fundraiser
2008-05-31 03:31:00 TOMORROW - SATURDAY MAY 31 The Ojai Playhouse presents the film “Body of War” as a fundraiser for the Congressional campaign of Mary Pallant, who is running for the House seat currently held by Elton Gallegly. The film screens at 4:30pm for a $10 donation at the door. Body of War is an intimate and transformational feature ...
By: What's Going On
Jill Martinez needs to update her campaign website
2008-05-25 01:35:00 But will she? Marta Jorgensen has made it clear that she has rejoined the CA 24th Congressional race. She has withdrawn her endorsement of Martinez. Martinez continues to display on her website misinformation pertaining to endorsements and who she is running against. Numerous calls have now been made to Lt. Gov. John Garamendi’s office to ...
By: What's Going On
CA 24th District Congress Update
2008-05-19 00:40:00 From California Progress Report (David Dayen): “Incumbent: Elton Gallegly. Challengers: Jill Martinez, Mary Pallant (Responsible Plan endorser). PVI #: R+5. % Dem. turnout: 50.6. Marta Jorgensen has quit the race and backed Jill Martinez. Unfortunately, the primary fight here has turned a little nasty, with Jill Martinez stretching the truth about Mary Pallant’s ...
By: What's Going On
24th Congressional District California - Mary Pallant Campaign
2008-05-17 12:00:00 Mary’s Pallant campaign is moving forward in the effort to unseat Elton Gallegly. With Democratic voter registration up in the district, it looks like we may finally have the opportunity for solid representation in Congress. This past Thursday, Pallant gained a major endorsement from the California Nurses Association, CNA. Mary has also been endorsed ...
By: What's Going On
Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Syrah
2008-05-14 20:16:00 The Rusack Winery 2003 Santa Barbara County Syrah is made with grapes from the estate vineyard and two neighboring vineyards in Ballard Canyon. The grapes were cold soaked and then fermented in small open-top bins, with punch downs, by hand, twice a day. Aged in 47% new French oak for 16 months. At blending 7% Petite Sirah and 5% Grenache was added for complexity. Bottled unfiltered.In the glass the wine has a dark, dense, ruby color with hints of purple.The nose reveals dark cherry, blackberry, ripe black currant, and sweet oak with vanilla.The palate is equally lush with big fruit, red cherry, blackberry, spice, earth, and a note of pencil lead at the medium length finish. It also has elements of a slightly more elegant style with the red cherry, slight dusty quality, sleek acidity, and moderate tannins.This wine is big and fruit-forward upfront, but as you dig into it and discover the elegant sides to it, it leaves an impression of a balanced and enjoyable wine. Don't get me wro...
By: Tastes of Life
Gallegly?s votes NO in on housing stimulus bill
2008-05-13 03:37:00 Amendment to American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act - Vote Passed (266-154, 13 Not Voting) The House passed a comprehensive housing-stimulus bill through three separate votes, including this measure authorizing the Federal Housing Administration to help refinance as much as $300 billion of subprime loans. How the U.S. House from California voted: voted ? Rep. Joe Baca ...
By: What's Going On
David Swanson Endorses Mary Pallant for Congress
2008-04-27 06:39:00 David Swanson of AfterDowningStreet.org endorses Mary Pallant For Congress in her effort to unseat Elton Gallegly. read more | digg story
By: What's Going On
Norman Solomon flying in to Support Mary Pallant for Congress
2008-04-24 23:06:00 Fundraiser May 4th, 2008 Norman Solomon is a nationally syndicated colomnist, the author of “Made Love, Got War,” “War Made Easy,” and “Target Iraq.” A documentary based on “War Made Easy” was released in 2007 and narrated by Sean Penn. Mary Pallant with Norman Solomon Norman is traveling to the 24th to support Mary’s campaign. Don’t miss this rare ...
By: What's Going On
Mary Pallant Endorsed by PDA of Santa Monica for the 24th Congressional Dis
2008-03-30 21:13:00 Here is Mary Pallant’s responses to their candidate questionnaire: House of Representatives, CD 24 California; election year 2008 Previous Political offices held or progressive credentials/experience: -Elected delegate 41st AD 2005-07 and 2007-09 Chair 41st AD Democratic Alliance Lead Organizer for PDA VC Trustee for the Community Foundation of Oak Park Chair, Ventura County Commission for Women Host and Organizer for the Ventura County ...
By: What's Going On
Local Congressional Representative Gallegly obtains 20% of donations from P
2008-03-22 03:53:00 Elton Gallegly (REP-CA24) 20% ($49,836 of $248,410) of his 2008 campaign contributions are from PACs. From opensecrets.org, click on their link for viewing source.
By: What's Going On
Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir
2008-03-05 04:24:00 Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100% Melville fruit from their Los Alamos Estate. Aged in 20% new French oak.The wine has a ruby red color in the glass with slight cloudiness.The nose shows ripe lush raspberry, strawberry, sweet red cherry, sweet floral, and a hint of baked rhubarb.The palate displays raspberry, cherry, and red fruit with spice. Soft and round on the palate with young tannins matching the fruit, good acidity and a long savory finish.The wine is medium bodied, fruity, and was really nice with salmon, or great just to sip on it's own.Find this wine at Wine-Searcher.com from $19.99, a great price for this very enjoyable wine.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!
By: Tastes of Life
Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards wine tasting
2008-02-02 22:36:00 Spending the weekend in Santa Barbara I decided to go to the Alma Rosa wine tasting at East Beach Wine Company last night. Stepping into the shop the place was packed and it took a minute before we reached the counter and could pay for two tastings and get our glasses. To our delight the owners, Thekla and Richard Sanford was there themselves, with their daughter Blakeney, to pour and talk to the customers. Nothing beats the opportunity to talk to either the owners or wine maker as you taste a winery's wine. Both Thekla and Richard where very nice and pleasant, and spent quite a bit of time with us. It was a true pleasure to talk to them, and you could tell how passionate and excited they are about their wines.A short bio: Richard Sanford was the first to plant Pinot Noir in Santa Rita Hills in 1970. 1981 him and Thekla started Sanford Winery, and after parting with it in 2005, they founded Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards at the location of their old winery. All grapes are grown org...
By: Tastes of Life
Taz 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
2008-01-17 19:53:00 Today I am starting of with a fun little trivia: The name of the winery, Taz, is short for Tasmanian devil, which is winegrower Robert "Taz" Steinhaur's nickname.The grapes for the Taz 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir comes from Northern Canyon Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and Fiddlestix Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills. 1/4 of the wine was aged in new oak and the rest in neutral barrels.This wine shows a clear, bright, ruby red color in the glass.On the nose red berries, red currant, a hint of blueberries, vanilla and some floral notes come through.When tasting the wine darker berries emerges with dark cherry, ripe raspberry and spice. The acidity is good and tannins, although slightly light and tart, are also there in sufficient amount.This wine is relatively light and lacking a little in complexity, but despite that I really enjoyed it. Bright, fruity and with the slight spice it is a great wine considering I only payed $14.99 at Costco. Normally price at $25 at the winery, t...
By: Tastes of Life
MWC 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
2007-08-24 03:47:00 MWC stands for Margerum Wine Company and is a small winery run and owned by Dough Margerum. Margerum wines are produced in a 240 sq ft space behind Brander Vineyards facility in Los Olivos. All wines are hand crafted by Dough and he strives for individuality and to make wine he himself wants to drink.The 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir shows a vivid, clear, ruby red color in the glass. On the nose slightly perfumey with raspberry, red cherry, earth, vanilla and a hint of herbs. In the mouth this wine shows bright, soft, red fruit/berries with earthy notes. This is not a power house pinot but more elegant and velvety with good acidity, and moderately firm, young tannins. For $24.95 at our local wine shop, Capitol Cellars, I honestly can say that this is a really good wine for the price.Looking online I can only find this wine on one site, Los Olivos Wine Merchant (a great wine shop in the center of Santa Ynez wine country with the perfect lunch cafe), for $28. Find it and try it...
By: Tastes of Life
Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
2007-07-27 11:40:00 We had the Rusack Pinot Noir not to long ago and really enjoyed it , so when I saw the Chardonnay the other day in the store, I just had to grab it to give it a try.The grapes for the 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay comes from Bien Nacido and Goodchild Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and Huber Vineyard and Rancho Santa Rosa in Santa Rita Hills. Both are cool climate appellations with maritime influence. It went through partial malolactic fermentation (70%) and was aged 9 months prior to bottling, in 32% new and 68% older French oak.This wine has a golden straw color in the glass. On the nose ripe apple, citrus and pronounced oak. Tasting it, the apple and citrus steps out again with some light tropical fruit and the buttery creaminess from the malolactic fermentation and oak. It has a round soft mouth feel, and moderate acidity. I wish it had some more to stand up to the buttery creaminess. Our neighbor on the other hand who prefers her Chardonnay in this style thought it was v...
By: Tastes of Life
The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah
2007-07-09 15:35:00 The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah has an incredibly dense, dark red/purple color in the glass, promising me serious fruit.On the nose it displays blackberry and hint of oak and a floral note I would describe as violet. I expected more heavy fruit on the nose but at this stage I get the feeling that we are dealing with a Syrah made in a slightly more elegant style.Blackberry, dark cherry, and spice shows beautifully on the palate with some smokey wood at the very finish. Great acidity and perfectly firm, well integrated, tannins gives this medium to full-bodied wine a great balanced feel in the mouth and a long lingering finish. At this point I can confirm that even though is shows plenty of fruit on the palate they are of the slightly more soft and restrained type as this wine turns out to be made in a more elegant style.This wine was perfect to sip with a few pieces of dark chocolate in front of the movie we watched Sunday night. I wish I had ano...
By: Tastes of Life
Au Bon Climat 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
2007-06-20 15:55:00 I have enjoyed this wine many times (of different vintages) and it hit me tonight that I have never shared it with you. So here it is...I can't share my thought on this wine with you without starting with some history, because the wine maker, Jim Clendenen, really deserves it. He started as the assistant wine maker at Zaca Mesa Winery in 1978. In 1982 he went on to found, with ex-partner Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat. Jim Clendenen has been a ground breaking wine maker and force in Santa Ynez Valley ever since. He has won several accolades and awards during the years and was named "Wine maker of the Year" in 2001 by Food and Wine Magazine. So, on to the wine. The Au Bon Climate 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay consists of grapes from two vineyards, 65% Bien Nacido Vineyard and 35% Rancho Vinedo Vineyard. It is barrel fermented and aged in French oak. It has a pale, golden, straw color in the glass. Sticking you nose in the glass, pear, buttery toast, citrus and a hint of tropical...
By: Tastes of Life
Fess Parker 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
2007-06-11 05:05:00 Not my first Fess Parker Pinot Noir and certainly not the last. We got this bottle in our wine club shipment from Fess Parker a while back and tonight it was time to try it with a Chicken Pasta Primavera. With a clear, deep, garnet color this wine shows black cherry, plum, raspberry, floral notes, and oak, on the nose. In the mouth flavors of black cherry, plum and a nice spiciness emerges. This is supported by good amount of acidity and silky tannins with a firm edge. For the price range we are talking about, $20-25, this is a pretty decent pinot noir. I would not hesitate to get this bottle again and if you have a chance pick it up and give it a try as well.I do not have my records left on this bottle but I believe we got charged $22 for it through the wine club. You can find it at WineZap.com from $21.99, and that is a pretty good deal for this quality level of wine.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopI am now in top 11!
By: Tastes of Life
Fess Parker 2003 American Tradition Reserve Santa Barbara County Syrah
2007-05-29 20:39:00 We had this wine last night when having a BBQ in the backyard. The dinner contained of a Spanish spice rubbed chicken with spicy parsley and mint sauce, grilled vegetables and a tomato/corn salad.This syrah has a dark, dense, purple/red color in the glass. On the nose it shows black cherry, dark fruit and black currant. On the palate, intense dark, ripe, cherries again with black berries and some oak. This wine was very concentrated in the dark, ripe, fruit and berries but manages to balance that pretty well with decent acidity and round tannins. Over all not an amazing syrah but certainly good. Worked well with our meal, and it won't break your bank. Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $26.45.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopI am now in top 11!
By: Tastes of Life
Fess Parker 2005 American Tradition Reserve Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
2007-05-17 01:38:00 This is another bottle we got in our latest shipment from Fess Parker wine club.The 2005 American Tradition Reserve Santa Barbara County Chardonnay has a clean, medium dark, straw color in the glass. On the nose this wine shows citrus, apple, white floral, caramel and oak. The apple shows up on the palate again, this time more green and tart. Citrus and good acidity balances the round, creamy palate. Much to often chardonnays leave you with a too creamy, cloying finish but thanks to the really nice acidity, this one exits with a pleasant round, but fresh feeling.This chardonnay is not yet available to the public. I payed $30 through the wine club and it will be around $35 as it reaches retail. A really nice Chardonnay but it seems to belong more in the $25 range... Give it a try. You be the judge... Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopI am now in top 11!
By: Tastes of Life
Fess Parker 2005 Melange Blanc Santa Barbara County
2007-05-15 03:59:00 We got this wine in our latest wine shipment from the Fess Parker Wine Club.It is a white Rhone blend, the primary grapes being Rousanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. It has a clear, medium straw color in the glass. On the nose floral notes, ripe apple, peach and a touch of tropical fruit. On the palate this white offers sweet floral and fruit with some sweet vanilla. It is round and soft in the mouth with a creamy finish.The floral and fruit is to sweet for my taste and it doesn't have enough acidity to give it the lightness and freshness it needs to balance those characters. This is not a bad wine, but neither is it one that I particularly enjoyed, so I can't recommend it.This wine is not yet available on Fess Parker Winery and Vineyards' website, but will be. It was $18 in our shipment and should be around $21 for non club members. There are definitely better wines to be found at that price...Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopI am now in top 11!
By: Tastes of Life
Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
2007-04-21 05:21:00 Rusack was founded in 1995 by Geoff Rusack and Alison Wrigley Rusack. With their dedication to quality they made some drastic changes, most notably the replanting of several vineyards after the 2001 harvest. They currently produce Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sangiovese and a Bordeaux blend.The 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir consists of grapes from both Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills. Both influenced by the maritime climate, and very suitable for Pinot Noir.In the glass, a bright dark red color with a hint of violet. Ripe red cherry with a hint of herbs, particularly mint, on the nose. Red cherries and ripe raspberry with soft oaky vanilla on the palate, with good acidity as backbone. For $24 both me and my husband thought this was a really good wine.Find this wine for only $18.95 at Wine-Searcher.com or WineZap.com, or $26 at Rusack's website.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopI am now in top 12!
By: Tastes of Life
Summerland Winery 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
2007-04-18 03:29:00 No history on the winery to be found on the Summerland Winery web site. However it tells me that the majority of the grapes for this wine comes from Bien Nacido Vineyard, and the rest from nearby vineyards in Santa Maria Valley.The 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir has good clarity with a ruby red color in the glass. On the nose, oaky black cherry with almond and vanilla notes. It also suggests a high level of alcohol. You know the feeling in your nostrils that kind of detects the alcohol. The funny thing is that when I look at the bottle its "only" 14.1%, while many Pinots can be up towards 15% or more. But the impression is never the less there... The palate has not quite ripe dark cherries, plum, and the oak. Good levels of acidity and pungent, but still round, tannins.Hmmm... This is a tricky one. It's good, by slightly over oaked? In any case a pretty descent Pinot for the price. You'll be the judge.I found this wine at BevMo for $ 17.99. The winery sells this wine at it'...
By: Tastes of Life
Rideau Vineyard
2007-02-20 04:13:00 Rideau Vineyard Tasting RoomDuring our weekend in Santa Barbara we took a little trip up to Santa Ynez Valley to do some wine tasting. Our favorite during this tour was Rideau Vineyard which was founded in 1997 by New Orleans native, Iris Rideau (at photo to the left). The tasting room is a historical 2 story Adobe built in 1884. Through the years it has served as stagecoach stop, a famous inn, a guest ranch, and a working ranch. Iris Rideau bought it in 1995, after the property had sat abandoned for 10 years, and restored it to it's current condition.The estate grows exclusively Rhone varietals and we decided to do the Reserve tasting at a $15 cost per person.The first pour was the 2006 Estate Viognier. It has not been bottled yet so this was a futures sample. Cloudy due to coming straight from the barrel this was a nice Viognier but a little bit to fruity and sweet for my taste. After this we got to taste the 2005 Estate Viognier. A year in the bottle makes a huge difference and ...
By: Tastes of Life
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