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Shari enjoying halloween

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"You may be the future leaders of this country but i own your asses"

GREAT BASEBALL STRATEGY TONIGHT!!!

I think tonight is one of the most fascinating baseball strategy dynamics we'll ever see.

As you know game 5 of the World Series was suspended the other night for rain tied as we are heading into the bottom of the 6th.

Let's set the stage;

Balfour, a hard throwing righty, is scheduled to face a pinch hitter then the top of the Phillie lineup. The Ray's pitcher is scheduled to bat 4th in the top of the 7th inning.

So the Rays can bring in their young stud Price (a tough lefty) to start it off. If all goes well, and Price gets the Phillies 1-2-3 in the 6th, Price would then be due up 4th, so in theory if the Rays get a guy or two on he would have to be pinch hit for. In effect, wasting him for only one inning, and in the bottom of the 7th, Utely and Howard would be up, both lefties that Price MUST face. you can't double switch Price in, since the Rays 5th hitter made the last out, and he's not coming out of a tie game.

So what do the Rays do? I see only 2 choices.

1- Leave Balfour in to face the pinch hitter, and unless he lets a runner on, roll the dice that he can get Jenkins, Rollins and Werth 1-2-3...not a bad option if you ask me.

2-And the option I may like but we'll never see, is bring in Price and double switch him into the number 7 slot in the lineup, in essence he would bat 2nd in the 7th inning. This way you won't be forced to pinch hit for him in a big spot...if the leadoff batter gets on he bunts, if not he's up with 1 out and no one on.

You'll never see the risky option 2 as a choice, and I bet even option 1 is to much of a risk, and second guess for the Rays.

Expect Price to come in, and Maddon will just hope all works out in the bottom of the 7th. I think if Maddon commits to Price in the bottom of the 6th no matter what the situation is in the top of the 7th Price must bat. You can't use him only for 1 inning. Hope he can give you 3 strong (6,7,8 inning) and figure out a way to get one run and turn it over the pen for the 9th.

Either way, it's a fascinating story line to be in the middle of a clinching World Series game and to be able to dissect the strategy over time.

I'm rooting for Maddon to make the right call, and enjoy a 3 inning baseball game. Keep the kids up, who knows when the next time they'll be awake to see the final out of a world series game before 10pm.

THE GATE HOUSE

FIND A HUBBY WITH A SUPERBOWL AD?

Amy Borowsky is in the midst of raising $3M to run her own ad, for a husband, during the SuperBowl.

Amy told the New York Post that: "Dating is a numbers game. I need to reach a large pool of guys." I guess what better way to get your personal ad out to 60,000,000 18-34 year old men than during the SuperBowl.

If you'd like to donate to Amy's fundraising drive, head over to her site:

http://www.superbowlsinglegirl.com/index.php

According to the site she has raised $2,170 to date.

FROM HER SITE:

More About Amy
Amy was born single in New York City and has pretty much remained that way, much to the dismay of her mother who once left her daughter a string of phone messages begging her to submit photos to millionaire bachelors from a talk show, eventually mailing in Amy’s naked baby photos herself. Amy shares these and other actual messages she’s saved through the years on two volumes of “Amy’s Answering Machine: Messages from Mom” comedy CDs, which have become hits thanks to media exposure including appearances on “Today,” National Public Radio, and in People. Feeling the emotional and comedic void since losing her mom a few years back, Amy says, “My ideal man would have a big brain, a good heart and a really annoying mother.”

Amy would like her Mr. Right to have a creative side, too, though he doesn’t have to be a writer or an artist; “I wouldn’t rule out a creative accountant,” she says, “unless his creativity resulted in federal charges.” Though she tries to get on the treadmill a few times a week, the fit Manhattanite says she’s definitely no athlete and wouldn’t be a match for anyone who expects his partner to join him in adventure sports like scuba diving or bungee jumping. “One of the sexiest things a guy could wear is a tight-fitting seat belt,” says the risk-averse woman who claims her list of favorite movies includes the airline safety video.

Borkowsky, who appears younger than her stated age of "somewhere between Carrie and Samantha," also happens to be a Mensa member and a former "Price Is Right" contestant who won an artificial fireplace with a suggested retail value of $522. She once performed as “Amy the Amazing Toothbrushing Hula Hooper,” skillfully combining hula hooping with dental hygiene, though she admits she’s not quite sure how this talent would make her any more desirable as a wife.

So why isn’t this tallish, slender, quirky brunette married?
Like a lot of ambitious women, Borkowsky says she spent her early single years focused on her career, first as an advertising writer, eventually transitioning to performing comedy and penning humor books. (She has appeared at major comedy clubs, in the Montreal Festival, and is a popular speaker on the event and fundraiser circuit.) Once she began to look more seriously for Mr. Right, she found new challenges. “Internet dating has created a warehouse mentality,” she observes in earnest, “and if there’s one little thing not right about someone, everyone’s so quick to just go back to the stockroom and pull out another item, so nobody ever really commits.”

After serving as a bridesmaid for various friends and her cousin Marlene, Borkowsky is open about the fact that she did have a handsome doctor ask her to walk down the aisle back in 2007. “For once I wasn’t a bridesmaid,” she reveals. “I was a groomswoman.”

GATE HOUSE IN STORES TOMORROW

A Note from Nelson DeMille


Since my last Newsletter, the financial markets have been in crisis, and Congress has approved a $700 billion bailout. An important earmark in this bill is the Bestselling Author’s Relief Fund (BARF), which I heartily support. So, please write your congressional representatives and thank them if they voted for BARF. If they didn’t, then reprimand them for not sending your tax money to bestselling authors who made some bad investments. I’m waiting for my bailout check.

Actually, books sell well in hard economic times -- or at least, that is the conventional wisdom in the publishing industry. The theory is that people tend to stay home and read more since they don’t go out to dinner or sporting events, and so forth. This actually did happen after the Crash of 1987 and in earlier tough times. So, if you’re looking for an escape from the bad news and the presidential campaign, turn off the TV and radio, burn the newspaper in the grill, and buy a book.

As I said in my last Newsletter, my latest novel, THE GATE HOUSE, will be released in hardcover tomorrow, October 28th. THE GATE HOUSE is a sequel to THE GOLD COAST, which has just been reissued in mass market paperback and the larger trade paperback edition. Both these stories, THE GATE HOUSE and THE GOLD COAST are excellent escapist reading, and their themes of money, greed, seduction, betrayal and murder are very timely.

On the last weekend in September, I attended the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) convention, which was held in Mobile, Alabama. Independent bookstores all over the country are struggling to survive the tough competition from chains and online retailers. The men and women who own and run these stores are a dedicated and knowledgeable group of people who truly love books, and I felt honored to be invited. You probably get a lot of your books online or in a chain bookstore, but if you have an independent bookstore in your area, give them some of your business too.

Also, if you happen to be watching “The View” this Thursday, October 30th, they’ll be giving a copy of THE GATE HOUSE to everyone in the studio audience. The audience will be told that they’re getting a fifty-acre Gold Coast estate, so when they get a book instead, they’ll be really surprised, and you can watch them get a big laugh at the joke.

I've just launched the redesign of my website with new bells & whistles. Be sure to check back regularly, as there will be contests and a video Q&A in the weeks to come.

Okay, this is my last Newsletter until sometime after the election and before Thanksgiving. Remember to stop at a bookstore on your way to or from the polling place. In the last chapter of THE GATE HOUSE I predict the winner of the 2008 presidential election, and you’ll want to see if I’m right.

Enjoy this beautiful fall season.

Best Regards,

Nelson DeMille





In Stores Tomorrow: THE GATE HOUSE



#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille delivers the long-awaited follow-up to his classic novel THE GOLD COAST.
When John Sutter's aristocratic wife killed her Mafia don lover, John left America and set out in his sailboat on a three-year journey around the world, eventually settling in London. Now, ten years later, he has come home to the Gold Coast, that stretch of land on the North Shore of Long Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America, to attend the imminent funeral of an old family servant. Taking up temporary residence in the gatehouse of Stanhope Hall, John finds himself living only a quarter of a mile from Susan who has also returned to Long Island. But Susan isn't the only person from John's past who has reemerged: Though Frank Bellarosa, infamous Mafia don and Susan's ex-lover, is long dead, his son, Anthony, is alive and well, and intent on two missions: Drawing John back into the violent world of the Bellarosa family, and exacting revenge on his father's murderer -- Susan Sutter. At the same time, John and Susan's mutual attraction resurfaces and old passions begin to reignite, and John finds himself pulled deeper into a familiar web of seduction and betrayal. In THE GATE HOUSE, acclaimed author Nelson DeMille brings us back to that fabled spot on the North Shore -- a place where past, present, and future collides with often unexpected results.

JASON DOYLE INTERVIEW IN NIGHTCLUB & BAR MAGAZINE

With wine bars of all shapes, sizes and types cropping up, one growing concept in the category focuses on offering something unique and special.

Jason C. Doyle (pictured below) is the founder and CEO of The Wine Loft wine bar (www.thewineloft.net), and his concept will have 18 locations open by the end of 2008. The first Wine Loft opened in New Orleans in 2003, and the company has commitments for more than 80 franchise locations in five countries. Additionally, six corporate-owned locations are in various stages of development.

NCB: What criteria are necessary to run a great wine bar?

Jason Doyle: The concept of a wine bar world can be broken down into three types. Number one, you have half-retail, half-tasting. These are concepts like The Grape. Then some places offer a bistro concept. It is a café concept, and they offer some wine. The third is a lounge concept. That is what we are. We offer an upscale atmosphere with heavy emphasis on wines by the glass.

We have 50 percent sales of our sales coming from wines by the glass. Another 15 to 20 percent of our sales come from bottles, 15 percent in food, 15 percent in spirits, and another 5 percent is beer sales.

Lots of people operating in the other categories don’t serve spirits. We do, because our target market is women, and women purchase cocktails a great deal of the time.

I feel that a good wine bar is marked by its wine-by-the glass selection. There should be selections from around the globe –– Chilean, South African, Italian ­­­­–– and then there should be an orbital selection in each varietal. You should be able to get a glass of Australian Chardonnay, California Chardonnay and then also a great French Chardonnay, for example.

NCB: Why do you think your Wine Loft concept in particular has become so successful?

JD: We spend a lot of time training our staff. We have an online training program we utilize called Bacchus University, and we train everyone through that program. Our wine component is called Wine Sage, and it is a partnership with the Wine Spectator School. Our servers, cooks, bar staff, etc., can individually self-promote by going through all the schools Wine Spectator offers, and we also offer it through Certified Specialists of Wine.

Essentially, what this means is, a server can come on with us at The Wine Loft and in three to six months become a specialist on his or her own. We don’t have a lot of turnover, because of our intense training.

NCB: Tell us a little about how you approached the franchise process with your concept.

JD: Our first location opened in 2003 in Louisiana. We began franchising in 2005. During that time, we paid all the legal fees and trademark registration fees, so when we were ready we could just launch. We worked on our intellectual properties — all things a franchisee is looking for. And, we worked on our internal systems to become as profitable as we could.

We then signed leases in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta. We wanted to create a regional pipeline of inventory, so again, when we did launch, we would have that pipeline in place. All of that happened from the end of 2004 through June of 2005 … and we were in construction in Baton Rouge and in Birmingham at the same time when someone offered to buy the Baton Rouge location.

From there we sold the second one in Birmingham, and things have taken off. Looking at the long term domestically, we believe we have an inventory of 350 locations. We are also working on an international franchise program in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the coming years. They are emerging markets. Our goal is to take the infrastructure we developed here and duplicate it in those countries.

NCB: How do you stay on top of the latest trends in wine and wine service?

JD: We dine out and travel quite a bit. I think the best way is to physically be in the middle of it. I am in Las Vegas every quarter and in New York City almost every month. We have construction in Redondo Beach and the Northern Bay area of California. So we are in great food and wine towns regularly.

(On-premise) we have a company intranet we use. When you open it, every week there are new video blogs, articles and any techniques with respect to our business. For example, on there now is the 2007 Wine Blog Awards. Our franchisees know our intranet is a primary source for them to stay on top of trends in food and wine.

NCB: How are you dealing with the rising gas prices and the increased cost of shipping?

JD: They haven’t really hit us yet. We have been more affected by the weak dollar and heightened euro. Wines from the old world have gone up in cost, which means we have to price them higher on our menu. We also have to look harder and deeper for better wines at lower prices. South Africa, Argentina, Chile — those countries haven’t seen increases from a euro standpoint, so we look there too.

With shipping, most inventory has been in those markets prior to six months ago. My gut is that as we approach third quarter, we are going to see our costs go up. Distributors who have employees and trucks — those folks are going to be affecting us with incremental increases.

As for bringing people to our locations, we are a lifestyle brand. When people come in, they are coming for the experience. That puts pressure on our unit level operators to create that great experience, so we can compete with the other venues.

We sell social experience, so as long as we can continue to create that environment, we can beat out our competitors.

NCB: How often do you change your menu?

JD: We have the ability to print off menus every day in every venue. Local operators in our company may want to take advantage of a particular promotion a distributor is offering, and then they can print a new menu that day.

We take the same approach with food. We have 30 items. Six are consistent, and then the operators choose the rest. They have to carry at least 12.

NCB: Where do you see wine bar concepts like The Wine Loft headed in the coming five years?

JD: I think the space is going to be more competitive. Our business is one where people are always striving to carve out a niche. Our goal is to run efficiently as a franchise, but not to be perceived as a franchise.

When people come into our establishment, they come because they want to come to Wine Loft, not just a bar that has wine. We want to be sure that in our spaces customers have the experience they are seeking.

They are coming to us as a destination in mind, and that we capture them for two to three hours at a time is a must.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Why can't I stop listening to this song???




I love it, so damn catchy.

Singer/songwriter Jason Mraz hails from Mechanicsville, VA, where he grew up as a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and local roots musicians the Agents of Good Roots. But it was Mraz's interest and participation in musical theater that was his first introduction to music. Mraz moved to New York following high school to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy but dropped out a year later when he took up the guitar and began to focus on songwriting. Nonetheless, Mraz's training as a vocalist would show itself on his debut album which is marked by the pure clarity and range of his vocals.
After busking around New York, Mraz eventually returned to Virginia; but, in 1999, he ultimately made his way West, settling in San Diego, CA, known for its coffeehouse scene and support of singer/songwriters, most notably Jewel. Mraz began playing local shops and landed a weekly slot at local hot-spot Java Joe's. At the same time, Mraz met drummer Toca Rivera and the two began performing together -- Mraz on acoustic guitar, Rivera on djembe -- honing a live show that featured as much comedic banter between the two as music.

Over the next two years, Mraz's following grew outside of San Diego to Los Angeles, garnering the attention of record labels. In early 2002, Mraz signed to Elektra Records and returned to Virginia to write and record his debut album, working with producer John Alagía (the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer) and his high school heroes, the Agents of Good Roots, as his backing band. The resulting effort, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, was released in November of 2002. It blended Mraz's early influences and coming-of-age sensibilities with country, roots rock, the poeticism of coffeehouse folk, elements of jazz, and hip-hop's rhythmic charge. The buoyant first single "Remedy [I Won't Worry]" (co-written by Mraz with pop hitmakers the Matrix) was a hit, and Mraz headed out on the road to support it. One of those shows, an October 2003 date at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, became Mraz' summer 2004 live release Tonight, Not Again. it tided his fans over until July 2005, when he returned with the sophomore studio effort Mr. A-Z. ~ Christina Saraceno, All Music Guide

Written by Christina Saraceno

TILLY IS 50 YEARS OLD

Jennifer Tilly may have surprised alot of people when she won a bracelet in the 2005 World Series of Poker Ladies No-Limit Hold’em event, but she would prove later that year that she was no one-hit-wonder with her first place victory at the World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational.

On June 27, 2005, Tilly won a World Series of Poker bracelet (and $158,625) in the Ladies’ No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em event, outlasting 600 other players. She followed up this accomplishment on September 1, 2005 by also winning the third World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament held at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. Tilly has appeared in the GSN Poker Royale series. She appeared in the third season of Poker Superstars but was eliminated in the preliminary round.

Tilly has stated that at this point in her career she is more interested in pursuing poker than acting. As of 2008 her live tournament winnings exceed $450,000. Tilly also appears in the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions 2007 Edition video game (along with current boyfriend, Phil Laak) that was released in 2007 by Activision.

I’m not sure where I want to go with this...I'd like to believe that it’s because she’s makes good reads and is a heck of a poker player, but let’s be honest, if you were a guy in sunglasses with that pictured above sitting across from you, I’d imagine you’d probably be a little distracted. I don't think that type of outfit, or those type of distractions belong in poker.

She is currently dating poker professional Phil “Unabomber” Laak and is nicknamed “The Unabombshell” within the poker circuit. Laak is 14 years younger than Tilly, and personally I think he's an annoying guy to watch.

But she’s FIFTY. I honestly can't believe it. She could easily pass for 35, poker keeps you young baby.

Make Your Crappy Wine Into Good Wine

The machine recreates the effects of decades of ageing by colliding alcohol molecules in the bottle





From the Daily Telegraph:

Inventor Casey Jones says the £350 gadget uses ultrasound technology to recreate the effects of decades of ageing by colliding alcohol molecules inside the bottle.

The Ultrasonic Wine Ager, which looks like an ordinary ice bucket, takes 30 minutes to work and has already been given the thumbs up by an English winemaker.

Mr Jones, 53, said: "This machine can take your run-of-the-mill £3.99 bottle of plonk and turn it into a finest bottle of vintage tasting like it costs hundreds.

"It works on any alcohol that tastes better aged, even a bottle of paintstripper whisky can taste like an 8-year-aged single malt.

"The look and bouquet of the drink is improved and because of the chemical changes, the alcohol is easier to absorb by the kidneys and therefore, hangovers are virtually eliminated.

"I have even tried it with orange juice after I saw a similar device being used in the US. It didn't just make the juice taste fresher, it made it look brighter too."

He added: "I see thousands of inventions every year and there are a lot of crazy ones, but in every ton of coal there is a diamond.

"Of all the inventions I deal with, this one has amazed me the most in the effects it has on alcohol."

Andre Jones, no relation, a winemaker who produces 40,000 bottles-a-year at his family-owned Buzzard Valley Vineyard, near Tamworth, Staffs, said he was impressed by the gadget.

He said: "Casey took one of our bottles and brought it back for us to try after it had been in the machine. I was amazed, it had definitely aged.

"Obviously it can't change the grape variety used, but it does mean a relatively poor variety can be made to taste a lot higher market.

"I would like to see it used on some of the Mediterranean varieties like a Rioja or a Shiraz.

"This could definitely have some applications for those restaurants who are buying wine for £10,000 a case.

"Technically I suppose you could buy a good wine at two or three years old and age it so it tastes like a 20-year-old vintage.

"Wine is at it's best five or so years after it's made, so this could help homebrewers taste aged wine more easily."

However, he warned restaurants and bars against trying to pass off a cheaper bottle of wine as a more expensive one just because it had been through the machine.

"You would have to tell customers it wasn't quite the real thing," he said.

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Poker champion 2008

Keeping up with Katy Perry

Katy Perry will host this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards in Liverpool.

The singer says she “wet herself” when she was asked to make her presenting debut at the ceremony next month.

She said: “I was so excited when I heard that I was nominated for two awards, but when I was asked to host the show I wet myself”.

Be sure to stay in touch by checking in with Katy every once in a while at 805-754-2138.

Me and Onch BFF

YAHOO ANSWERS IS NOT AFRAID OF ANY TOPIC

I'm not sure what the big fuss is? It's only twice a month, what is wrong with that?

ADD FERN TO THE SHORT LIST OF POKER CHAMPS

Rich Southard 3 times
Rick Turner 2007
and now add Jay Fern


Thursday evening, or actually early Friday morning, after just about everyone went home, in their 3rd time meeting for a Poker Championship, Jay Fern finally defeated Rich Southard to take the 2008 FA Final Event Championship.

In a year where we've live through "auction rate preferreds", corporate failures, retentionless job changes, and a 143% decline in the equity markets, we had another first: Jay Fern took down Rich Southard to win the FA league title. It was a well played night, complete with way too much chicken.

The first casualty was Johnny "I gotta get up to drive vroom vroom" Busco who gave away his chips chasing a flush. Rick Turner, our defending champion, went down next. Appropriately, both satellite finishers hit the showers 1-2.

Luke, playing what seemed his one and only hand, bowed out in 6th place. "I'm Pete Costello" who made as many incredible lay downs (pocket kings) as he did calls (A-10), couldn't survive his battles with Rich, and at approximately Pete O'clock he headed home.

Rich Southard had about 55,000 of the 80,000 chips heading into the final 4. As the money bubble was popped, play got less conservative, and Jay's pocket 10's held over Triola's, all-in, pocket 8's. Neil's A-J was then taking out by Rich's 7-8, and it was heads up time, with Rich having a 60k-20k chip advantage. The battle went on for almost an hour and Jay's pocket Jd 9d, chased and hit a flush over Rich's paired A 5, it was over.

Here is the the finished results of the final table:

Fern
Southard
Martucci
Triola
Costello
Lucash
Turner
Busco

A great year, another great group of guys, and another memorable championship, and a new member to the POKER HALL OF CHAMPIONS.

Continuation Betting And Your Position At The Table

by Jon 'Pearljammed' Turner

When deciding whether or not to make a continuation bet on the flop, a critical factor is your position at the table.

Let's say you raise before the flop from under the gun and get called by the big blind. You should make a continuation bet the vast majority of the time, whether the flop helped you or not, because your preflop raise from the worst position at the table suggests you have a very big hand. By the same token, your opponent's call before the flop doesn't signify nearly as much strength because he was getting a big discount to call from the big blind. If he checks to you on the flop, you should make a continuation bet at least 90 percent of the time, mixing in a few checks when you have a hand like A-J or A-Q and flop top pair with your ace.

Now let's say you make a preflop raise on the button and get called by the big blind. You still have position on your opponent, but he's probably not going to give you any credit for having a strong hand because stealing from this position is so common. There's a chance he might check-raise you with absolutely nothing, so you should be much more inclined to check after your opponent checks, especially if you actually have a decent hand like pocket eights on a J-7-3 flop or A-K on a Q-J-5 flop.

In the latter situation, you would be better off checking and taking a free card with A-K because you're likely drawing to ten outs and, even if you don't improve, your hand is still strong enough to have showdown value on the river. If you do decide to make a continuation bet and get called, you can be sure your opponent has a better hand than yours. You should then take a free card on the turn, which will give you another shot at hitting one of your outs on the river.

Because most players view continuation bets as steal attempts in this situation, you should be prepared to go all the way with your hand whenever you're short-stacked and connect with the flop. For example, if you only have 20 big blinds in your stack, you raise from the button with Q-10 suited and the flop comes Q-J-5, you need to be willing to get all your chips into the middle of the table. You should make a continuation bet most of the time, but occasionally you're going to want to check behind in this spot in order to disguise the strength of your hand.

Now if you had 30 big blinds in your stack in the same situation, you might want to check behind because you're a little too deep to entice an opponent who has a jack to want to put you all in. If you check, most of the cards that fall on the turn won't hurt you. Only an ace, king, or jack would give you much concern. Having disguised the strength of your hand, you can then bet for value on the turn and the river. Your turn bet will get called by many hands worse than yours, including most small pocket pairs. If your opponent checks to you again on the river, you should continue to bet for value, but if he leads out with a bet you should just call. If you raise, you're only going to get called by a better hand than yours.

Now let's turn it around and say you're out of position. You raise before the flop from middle position and get called by the button. Now you're in much more of a bind if you make a continuation bet because, if your opponent calls, you're going to have to act first on the turn and if you check the turn your opponent will often pounce on that perceived weakness and make a large bet.

However, there's a great way to take advantage of this situation. If you actually have a strong hand on the flop, top pair or better, and make a continuation bet and get called, this is a great spot for you to check the turn. By doing this it will appear to your opponent that you're conceding the pot, and oftentimes it will trick him into believing he has the better hand. If the flop is J-7-3 and you have Q-J and check on the turn, your opponent could try to put you all in with a hand like pocket nines, whereas if you bet the turn he would probably fold that hand.

If you want to succeed in tournaments, you should always consider your position at the table when deciding whether or not you should make a continuation bet on the flop.

The Wine Loft Email News Blast Week of October 6th

French vintners fear worst sales since post 9/11


French wine merchants fear the growing world financial crisis could cause their worst end-of-year sales squeeze since the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001.


Bordeaux-based wine merchant, Jeffrey Davies, said that while the crisis triggered by the terror attacks on New York and Washington had hit US wine sales, the economic meltdown had global implications. "The big spenders that were ordering the top wines in top restaurants have been taken out," Davies said. After the attacks, sales of Bordeaux wine to the United States fell by 29 percent in volume during the final quarter of 2001 -- the key Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year period, which accounts for half of annual sales. Sales within the European Union also dropped by 10 percent.

Davies now anticipates "a major impact" on export figures for the last three months of 2008, given the ongoing financial uncertainty, the US elections, and the fact that wine is far from an essential household requirement. Fabrice Bernard of Millesima, which with 55,000 clients in Europe is one of Bordeaux's biggest online and mail order wine merchants, said turnover in September this year was five percent lower than in September 2001. "This is the first time since we went into business in 1983 that we have witnessed such a slowing of orders," said Bernard. Bernard described German and British sales as frozen, while other European clients have significantly reduced purchases. "Even in the City of London we are starting to see certain wine shops tightening their belts after recent job losses," said Jean-Christophe Mau, another Bordeaux merchant and owner of Chateau Brown.

Mau, who saw a 20 percent drop in sales during the six months following 9/11, says he is waiting to see what the coming weeks will bring. His fear is that this time round, the crisis will be longer and deeper. But the upside of 2008, he said, is that all the eggs are no longer all in one basket. "Asia is a very profitable," he noted. Citing Asia as a solution to slowing demand from traditional markets has become a standard response in Bordeaux, but whether the region can make up for losses in America and Britain -- the two top importers by value -- is doubtful.

In 2007, a third of Bordeaux's total wine sales were exports, worth a total of 1.39 billion euros (1.9 billion dollars) to the industry. Of those exports, Britain and America account for more than 431 million euros, while the combined Asian value for countries including Japan, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan come to only 286 million. The expected drop in exports will add to a slight drop in sales volumes for the first six months of 2008, due partly to the slow uptake of the 2006 and 2007 vintages, and partly to the euro's strength. The delivery of the much-vaunted 2005 "vintage of the century," boosting sales by 42.5 percent in value, saved Bordeaux in value terms in the first half of this year. But sales of the 2008 vintage, currently being harvested, are unlikely to do the same.

Early reports suggest this year's harvest is good quality, but problems include fewer grapes due to cooler, wet weather and higher costs after a long-running fight against mildew.

Elway indignant after bar cuts him off

According to Elway, he and his girlfriend, Paige Green, along with pal Craig Andrisen arrived at the restaurant around 6 p.m. Wednesday and sat at the end of the bar. Throughout the course of the evening the threesome (pardon?) ordered drinks and appetizers

Several hours later, when Elway attempted to order another glass of wine, he was told by the bartender that management was cutting him off. According to the former Broncos quarterback, he asked to speak to the manager.

"I asked her for her card to find out what her name was," Elway said. "I said to her ‘If that’s your policy (to refuse him another drink), then that’s the way it is but I’m not coming back.’ We had been there for hours, and I appreciated them taking care of me, but we were just sitting there having a discussion. We weren’t even being loud."

Anne Wheeler, the manager on duty, claims that Elway was served seven glasses of wine (a number he disputes) and was cut off when he tried to order an eighth. For the record, Andrisen says Elway was refused a fourth — not eighth — glass of wine and was told that he had to order food if he wanted an additional drink.

"(Elway) got upset and was in my face a little bit," Wheeler said. "He stood up and towered over me and pointed his finger in my face. I apologized, and said I was sorry to hear that he would never come back."

Both Elway and Andrisen deny the alleged intimidation. "I did not stick my finger in the girl’s face or try and intimidate her," Elway said. "It was a matter of discussing things. I said ‘If that’s your policy that’s your policy, but I’m not coming back.’"

SO BASICALLY HE GETS CUT OFF AFTER 3 WINES??? WOW...I GOTTA BE HONEST WITH YA', THAT'S PRETTY WEAK (YOU WOULD CERTAINLY EXPECT A BIT MORE STAMINA OUT OF A 240 POUND MAN...IT'S NOT LIKE HE WAS DRINKING WATERMELON MARTINIS...THIS IS FREAKING WINE) I GUESS THAT HIGH ALTITUDE REALLY MAKES THOSE DRINKS EVEN MORE POTENT THAN DOWN HERE IN THE NORMAL SEA LEVELS. MAYBE IT WAS THE TIME ZONE.

BUT REALLY WE CAN'T HAVE INDIGNANT PEOPLE AT THE LOFT, THERE GOES THAT CELEBRITY BOOKING IN PIER VILLAGE.

Bombshell News in Caylee Anthony Case

There have been several new developments in the case of Casey Anthony and her missing 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, since I last posted about her here.

According to a source close to the criminal daily report, prosecutors now have enough forensic evidence to ask a grand jury to indict Anthony for her daughter's murder. That evidence allegedly proves that Caylee's body was in the trunk of the car Casey Anthony was driving and at one point in the backyard of the Anthony family home.

Casey Anthony's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, have voluntarily provided investigators with DNA samples, which are currently being compared to hairs found in the trunk of the car. Anthony's brother, Lee Anthony, initially refused to provide investigators with a sample; however he later submitted to that request when investigators served him with a search warrant.

According to WFTV.com, George Anthony has been called to testify against his daughter before the grand jury. It remains unclear if Cindy and Lee will also be called to testify. In addition to family members, prosecutors will also present testimony from an FBI profiler, who is expected to offer a detailed analysis Anthony's psychological makeup.

Investigators are convinced that Caylee was murdered on or about June 17. Cell phone records show that from June 16 to June 18, Anthony mostly went about her normal routine - traveling to and from her parents and boyfriend's house - however, pings have also placed her near Blanchard Park and the Econ Trail, an isolated area south of Lake Underhill. Both those areas were searched by Texas EquuSearch; however given the high waters and thick underbrush it is possible that evidence could have gone overlooked.

The grand jury is expected to issue a ruling in the case by the end of the day Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, is scheduled to appear before Judge Stan Strickland tomorrow, to rule on a motion Baez filed last week, requesting that Strickland lighten up on Anthony's home confinement restrictions. According to the motion, Anthony wants to get involved in the search for a "living" Caylee Anthony. Legal analysts predict that motion will be denied.

FRONT DOOR OF THE WINE LOFT

BOBBY V

I've taken some time digest to the baseball season,and while it wouldn't be the worst thing, I don't want Manuel back. I'd like to see Wally Backman, or yes...wait for it.....Bobby V.

This team has talent, and they are young, Bobby V could make it work.