THE PAVILION ANNEX

[Lori Koonce]

Lori, the Whitey Bulger stuff came from Morning Joe. Mike Barnicle does know a thing or three about Boston. Not much else he knows but we have to deal with his limits.

Frank

Then what in the world brought the matter to court? The FBI gains nothing by having informants go to prison. Matter of fact, it benefits them more to keep 'em out of prison. Who's gonna wanna turn if it means going to prison?

[Robert Nason]

I really sense a love match developing between Frank and Lori, with a wedding in the near future and Noam Chomsky officiating. Too bad Gore Vidal's not alive to be godfather to the happy couple's first child. But as the late Mr. Vidal was fond of lamenting: "Always a godfather....never a god."

Catering will be provided by Catering In America.

Fidel will be on hand to catch the bridal bouquet. (Don't be surprised if it explodes.)

[FrankChurch]

Nason, don't do that to Lori, she has enough on her plate. lol

I'm really into Gwyn, her hot, muslim gal friend. Wink.

Fidel at least cares about his people unlike Obama. Blah.

[FrankChurch]

Lori, we shield murderers all the time. It's our sport.

Thank the CIA for finally officially admitting that they overthrew Iran's President in 1953. Just in time to jail some bones.

[FrankChurch]

Patton Oswald is doing a Frank Church:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/1 ... ostpopular

Proud of him. O'Reilly will be outraged soon, expect it.

I wonder if Dennis Miller will start a tweet war.

[Mark Tiedemann]

http://marktiedemann.com/wordpress/?p=1972

[FrankChurch]

California wines are starting to beat even good French ones.

[Mark Tiedemann]

California wines are starting to beat even good French ones.

Starting? They've been taking top honors in France for decades.

[FinderDoug]

California wines are starting to beat even good French ones.

1976 called. The also wanted you to know that Jimmy Carter has a good chance of beating Gerald Ford; Bruce Jenner will probably win the Decathlon in Montreal; you should put all your money in a small company named Apple; and the Reds are going to take their second series in a row with a sweep of the Yankees.

[FrankChurch]

Mock my lack of wine expertise. Yuppies! That's the best I have.

[Moderator]

I have to laugh at that, Frank. Our friends from Perth, Australia, are all about Aussie wines. At one point a few years back he responded to a wine list in Europe which featured a couple of California wines by noting that the Aussies were so good they were being consulted by the French. I deadpanned back "that's because we bested them in 1976 and they're too embarrassed to ask us", drawing a completely blank stare from my friend. He'd never heard of the 1976 Judgment. I told him he needed to be educated.

I was kidding, but he flat out said he didn't think we were very advanced and seriously doubted the "beating the French" thing. So a gauntlet was tossed. (To be fair, you need to understand that California produces huge amounts of wine that largely remain on US tables - supply and demand being what they are. Australia produces a lot of wine, but it must be exported because of the much smaller domestic market -- they also have little need to import. So it's understandable that other than France and Italy, they're not really schooled in the other wine regions.)

But a gauntlet was thrown as I said, and this last year they came to California. We treated them to Stag's Leap, Grgich Hills and several other premium growers. They rather deservedly left with their Aussie tails lowered. Oz produces some truly outstanding wines, but California wine sits in nobody's back seat either.

Next year we're returning the favor by visiting the Hunter River and Margaret Valley regions in Australia.

So it's not just you, Franky. Not just you.

[FinderDoug]

(To be fair, you need to understand that California produces huge amounts of wine that largely remain on US tables - supply and demand being what they are.

We found a similar situation in our trip to Rome - there some amazing Italian wines that simply don't receive distribution beyond Italy, or even sometimes beyond the locality where they're made - whether because the commercial export market is already saturated with a particular type, or small vineyard production/yield, or a general disinterest by the vintner in having to jump through all kinds of hoops just to sell wine farther than where they already are.

There's something to be said - especially in the age of instant knowledge and global accessibility and ubiquitous photo and video - of still having to go and see and do specifically to sample the local offerings.

[FrankChurch]

You made a good case for localism, Doug and Barber.

This video makes a good case against the concept that people are motivated by money:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xstnYViFMRQ

Great anarchist case as well.

[FrankChurch]

Wow, just found out that someone in my family committed suicide. Haven't seen this person in about 25 years, but still sad.

Depression is very bad. Makes me think of Lori and Diane. Be safe you both.

[Moderator]

Frank

Very sorry to read that news. It's odd, isn't it, that even with that length of time that person is still a "constant" in your life...until they aren't. I hope the family is taking care of each other. It's a blow, particularly under the circumstances.

My condolences.