Month: July 2007

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Wine, Song & Marilyn Merlot… or am I repeating myself?

Odd Wines from around the world!

Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape by  Peter F. May  is a wonderful little book simply about interesting wines from around the world with… unusual names. Marilyn Merlot by  Napa Wine Company  is a “…leggy red offer(ing) blackberry, chocolate, and smokey toast flavors.” ‘Negociant’ David Wright’s “The Naked Grape” is a ‘collection’ of hand picked wines from various vintners. Peter’s Book is packed with interesting stories, illustrations and reviews…  a great read.

The  “Goats do Roam”  story is an amusing one as is their ever present label here in America. However, I can see why the folks producing  “Cotes du Rhone”  tried to get the label banned in France. In California, we have our own local favorite, a blended star, entitled “Cotes du Robles” (38% Mourvedre, 35% Syrah & 27% Grenache) by Eberle Winery ( one snobbish reviewer said it would be ‘great with a pizza’… but then, I say, so is Margaux).

The Goats du Roam family of various wines does house a ‘red’ with a familiar blend of Shiraz (90%), Pinotage (6.5%) and Mourvedre (3.5%).

Peter’s book contains quite a few wines that I would love to serve for the shock value alone. Not much is left to the imagination with names like: Truck Stop Girl, Under the Table, Dancing Monkey, French Kiss, Big Ass Red …. and lastly d’Vine! ( stop! I have been PUN-ished enough!)

Buy the book … it’s great with Margaux and Pizza!

Roger Freberg

PS. Peter’s Book is pictured above next to my Concord Grapes — which the ‘experts’ say can’t grow in this part of the world.

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Harry Potter Survives and Thrives!!!? (maybe)

hmmmm.... is it too good to be true?

If you are a Harry Potter Fan, then the release of Book 7 has been anticipated for a long time. Supposedly the conclusion was developed back in 1999 and from the ‘leaks’ the ending should thrill the fans… and probably draw Snapish snarls from the critics. However, as with some forces of nature, critics might want to step aside or risk losing it all.

We have five books coming to our home — 2 deluxe editions, 2 standard from Scholastic ( the US Publisher) and one copy from the UK (Bloomsberry)… unfortunately… alas… none of them signed. However, I can see no one doing anything this weekend but reading “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

I won’t pass along the leaks… but they are out there along with a bunch of hints. The  New York Times came out with a tantalizing review  if you want some hints without the truth. But if you can’t stand it… the info is out there… plus a lot of false leads.

We’ll see if it comes true on Saturday!

Roger Freberg

PS… my wife Laura was right — if true — about Ron & Hermione… that’s all I am going to say!

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ClustrMaps salute friends and visitors to your site!

Where has your site been?

People visit your web site from all parts of the world and it is interesting to see just where  these folks are coming!  Thanks to “ClustrMaps”,  your visitors are logged on a nice little map showing you where they hail. The map above represents visitors to Pinotageclub.blogspot.com.

This is not a secret for those of us familiar with ‘hit logs’… but to see a graphic representation is always fascinating! The size of each dot represents the number of hits emanating from that particular part of the world!

Karen, Laura and I… along with our family site have put up these maps and it is just getting started. It is interesting to see that  Laura’s Psychology Blog  is so appreciated far and wide…. and I expect that  Karen’s Public Relations Blog  will be too.

Now, I know that ClustrMaps isn’t doing all of this for the good of all mankind… because they have a little directed Google Advertising on the enlarged map… but I think this is a small price to pay… plus I like their suggested links.

So, put a ClustrMap on your site… and see where your traffic is coming from!

Roger Freberg

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… a tribute to Families

our family over the years

Laura  and I have certainly changed a bit from our former selves pictured above in Austria in 1976… and so have my girls (going clockwise)  Karen  (1993), Karla (1993) and  Kristin  (1984). However, families are a fun diversion and there is something enjoyable about watching young minds develop.

So, allow me to add a small tribute to all of the ‘families’ out there… large and small.

Roger Freberg

 

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“Snakes in Suits”… are everywhere!

Snakes in Suits... are in education, tooFor a long time, many people have followed the corporate disasters of “Eron” and the many ‘lapses in judgment’ in the corporate arena and wondered — not always silently — why these folks weren’t behind bars?

Publisher’s Weekly offers a candid review of the effort… and here is an excerpt:

“Psychopaths are described as incapable of empathy, guilt, or loyalty to anyone but themselves; still, spotting a psychopath isn’t easy. Babiak, an industrial and organizational psychologist, and Hare (Without Conscience), creator of the standard tool for diagnosing psychopathology, present a study of the psychopath in the corporate landscape. A common description of psychopathology states that subjects “know the words but not the music;” Babiak and Hare state that “a clever psychopath can present such a well-rounded picture of a perfect job candidate that even seasoned interviewers” can be fooled.”

 You can purchase a copy rather inexpensively on  Amazon.com.

Personally, I have noticed that psychopaths tend to be attracted to money, power and the control over other lives to benefit themselves. This covers a lot of ground — an in my humble opinion — the corporate environs are not the only hallowed halls that are infected with self serving psychopaths. One only has to look into academia itself… following the university president who takes his entire staff on a holiday cruise to the Mediterranean and there is much much more… but then I am sure that would be a subject of another book.

worth reading,

 Roger Freberg

PS. other interesting books on related topics : the Sociopath next door, Psychopath: emotion and the brain; Emotional Vampires