Memorial Day 2011

To commemorate Memorial Day 2011, HERE is a set of pictures I've taken of places where Americans gave all. To those who served, thank you.

Below are two pictures from the set.

On top is a wall inside the citadel in Hue City, Vietnam. On these grounds, US Marines battled the North Vietnamese Army during the Tet Offensive of Jan. 1968.

On the bottom is a water's edge view looking at Omaha Beach in France where the U.S. Army battled and defeated the Germans as part of the D-Day landings on June 4, 1944.

NOTE: Pictures taken by Marc Osborn and are not for any use without prior written permission.

Notes on Sounders FC from a Novice Fan

First, let me say I love Sounders FC. I am a fan and will loyally be one win, lose or draw. Indeed, I enjoy having a local team that's in the top league for soccer in the U.S., and overall am quite pleased with their first 2+ seasons in MLS. This is all doubly true since the NBA Sonics were stolen out of Seattle and moved to Oklahoma City.

In particular I love how the Sounders have won a number of critical games in dramatic fashion, consistently reside in the upper third of the standings, have made the MLS playoffs twice in their two seasons and won the U.S. Open Cup twice in a row. I also really like the game atmostphere at home games. Not bad for an expansion team. Not bad at all.

Perhaps it's because I just witnessed them losing a home game to Dallas last night, but I'm now increasingly frustrated with this team - mainly for it's inability to score goals (that's pretty important as it turns out), but also for sloppy play (I know...easy to say when you're a fan) and - given these two problems - also what seem to be 1-2 fatal breakdowns in defense every game.

Lets take a look at these together because I think they're linked. And it all starts with...

Sloppy Play
Look, I get it...this is not English Premier League talent out there. I'm fine with that. And, I know two key players are out with injuries. However, even before those inures happened, I am consistently amazed this season by what appear to be very frequent lazy or way-off passes that either go out of bounds or directly to an onrushing opponent. This is particularly bad in the midfield, and it seems that this season the great majority of the "full 90" is spent in the middle third of the field for the Sounders as they muddle around trying to get possession of the ball.

Naturally, this sloppy passing turns into more opportunities for the other team to possess the ball, move it forward and attempt to score. And they do. I know at least one game - the opener vs. L.A. - was decided specifically on the fact that a Sounder defender kicked the ball DIRECTLY to a Galaxy player deep in the defensive end of the field and the Galaxy player booted a goal past the Sounders keeper. Just one example, but a good (or actually bad) one. Seems like each game the opponent gets a couple quality goal chances because of this type of thing.

Meanwhile, the Sounders don't seem to. In fact they appear to have a chronic case of the...

Inability to Score
This manifests itself in two ways. First, limited opportunities. Because they are fiddling around trying to get possession in the midfield and playing defense, the Sounders do not seem to put together aggressive pushes forward or artful runs that can result in chances on goal. Other MLS teams seem to be able to do this regularly. I've seen it - both against the Sounders and in other matches unrelated to Seattle. Add to that the sloppy passing element, and you've got what to my eye and experience amounts to fewer and poorer goal opportunities overall. You can't score if you're not near the goal with the ball - simple as that.

The second way the Sounders inability to score goals is manifested is in just simply flubbing around with the ball at critical moments in front of the goal. This seems to happen over and over and over again in each game. I know the players are not trying to screw up, and I know scoring a goal in soccer is not easy, but how many times this season has one of them been directly on goal or with an open chance and instead of directly shooting it they try and settle or dribble around...ultimately either firing off a lame shot, having it blocked or being dispossessed? Many times. Far, far too many times. Put the ball into the net in the most direct and quick fashion possible please.

The combination of sloppy play and the inability to score exposes the team to...

Fatal Breakdowns on Defense
These happen. Even on good teams. It's just the way it is. But, when your offense cannot score goals and this happens...opponents score, and you just lost the game 1-0 or maybe 2-0. Just one breakdown and you're done. That's all it takes.

This past game really put each of these points in sharp relief. The Sounders possessed the ball pretty well actually, but still were sloppy in the midfield, misfired on some key pass opportunities and managed to screw up a LOT of quality goal scoring chances as usual. Meanwhile Dallas opportunistically scored their one goal on a "fatal breakdown" on defense. And that was the game. At the time of the goal I said to my buddy, "well, this is going to be 1-0 or 1-1...that's it." He agreed. We both knew the Sounders were not going to score or if they did it would be eeking one out in desperation at the end. We were correct. They lost 1-0.

So that's my novice assessment of their season so far - predominately sloppy play, ample wasted goal scoring chances and other teams capitalizing on fatal breakdowns on defense. Right now, that's earned them a record of 4-5-5. That's decent, but not good. I think at least one of these three issues will need to change for them to improve their position in the standings. If not, they'll probably squeak into the playoffs, but how far can you go with that style of play? Not too far. Here's hoping for improvement!

By the way, if there are some more insightful and intelligent soccer fans out there who can enlighten me or think I'm off base, I welcome the input. I'd love to know what I'm missing or if I'm just plain wrong on some of this (seriously).

Trickle Down Econmics Debunked

As anyone who has read my blog over time knows, I am a firm disbeliever in the magic pixie dust that conservatives call "supply side" or "trickle down" economics.

This is because, well, it doesn't work. Sure, it's wickedly efficient for creating spectacular new wealth for the already richest 1-2 percent of our society, but for the rest of us...no.

Nope. It does not work. And not only that, but it has both been repeatedly proven to not work in recent and older history AND it's implementation has directly caused virtually all of our current major economic problems.

Posts by me on this topic are HERE, HERE and HERE.

But don't take my word for it. Check out the recent article from SLATE that - as articulated by a friend of mine - uses facts, data, truth and in-depth analysis to debunk the prevailing conservative economic program of the past 30 years.

This is important to understand now because the Rs and conservatives (and to some degree even Ds by the overall lack of desire to challenge) are once again prescribing "trickle down" economics as the big answer.

She's Running

Yep, Palin is in.

Evidence? Click HERE to see what she's been up to and if you think that it signals her intentions.

And by the way, I want Palin to run.

The more nutso, out-of-touch-with-most-Americans candidates from the Republican side the better because it positions their party as, well, nuts and at the same time it will help produce an easier to defeat opponent for Obama as R candidates compete to be the most right wing.

Spring Trip to CA - Napa Valley

Diane and I took a four day mini-escape to Northern California this May. We split our time between the Napa Valley and about two hours away at my uncle's place in Ardoro County.

I'll report on both parts of the trip, but I'll start with the Napa Valley. We've been there before, but it's been a number of years and we were eager to re-imerse ourselves in the beauty, tastes and activities the area has to offer. And, the fact is that this winter and "spring" has been particularly cold, gray and rainy in Seattle. So that provided sharp motivation to head south and get some sun. Lastly, we met up with friends down there to share the fun, and that's always a good thing.

After flying into the Sacramento aiport, we picked up our rental car and drove traffic free to the town of Napa - a trip that took us less than two hours. A note to people considering going to Napa, but who are not planning to visit San Francisco...fly in/out of SAC. Literally, within less than 2 hours picking up your car at the airport you can be in Napa Valley tasting wine.

Basking in the warm California sun, here's what we did in our 1.5 days in the valley...

RESTAURANTS AND BARS

Bistro Don Giovanni - I saw on the funny and to a degree educational show Drinking Made Easy that this place made a "Blondie Mary" yellow Bloody Mary from yellow tomatoes. So, after checking into our hotel, we headed over there to see if we could get one as a mid-afternoon libation. Well, no such luck. Turns out that May is not tomato season. Many people may know this. It didn't occur to either myself or Diane. But, with such nice weather and a gentle garden to sit and sip something cold we changed plans and had a divine Margarita instead. It was Cinco de Mayo that day after all. The Marg included limoncello liqueur and, well, it was one of the best we've ever had. (Right: Patio view at Don Giovanni. Photo taken by: Marc Osborn)

Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen - for our first of two dinners in the Napa Valley, we went to Cindy's in St. Helena. We heard about this place from friends who had eaten there before, and indeed the restaurant is not on the main drag running through the town. Rather, it's situated off of the secondary road of St. Helena...the entrance tucked away down a narrow pathway between buildings. Simply put, this was a delightful place. A favorite among locals if you believe the great waiter we had, this restaurant is casually elegant with tasteful interior and a broad but not too extensive menu.

We started our dinner with a cocktail. Diane had the very innovative and delicious Tahi-Gin-Tini that was made of gin, fresh lime juice and a cayenne pepper rim. Wow. I had a sip and instantly wished I had ordered that. I had a very classy Margarita...and why not, we'd had one earlier that day at Don Giovanni and it was still Cinco de Mayo. Just about half way through those drinks, our Malaysian Lamb Curry Puffs arrived. Lets do a little "Sesame Street" on this dish. "Malaysian" good. "Lamb" savory. "Curry" spicy. "Puffs" yum. "Malaysian Lamb Curry Puffs" awesome.

Next up we split a spinach, papaya and avocado salad. This proved a very nice change up from the appetizer and set things right before the main course. Also, at this point it's worth nothing that the pace of the meal was very nice...not too fast, not too slow. Just right.

With a delicious bottle of Franciscan Cab alighting on our table just in time, our entrees arrived. Diane had an unbelievable chicken dish. That's right. You read that correctly. A spectacular chicken dish. Trust me. I had a bite. Called "Pollo Loco," this thing was a pounded out piece of chicken breast slathered in I don't know what to bring out some really excellent flavors. Sitting on top was an avocado salsa and beside it a cheese filled green chili (not spicy). I had a very nice lamb stew with peas, carrots and savory gravy. To close things out, we shared a delightful desert.

While not cheap, our bill came to just more than $150 (before tip). For all we got - a cocktail, bottle of wine, salad, app, entrees and a desert - we felt that the cost was pretty reasonable as these things go in the area. Satisfied all the way around we left the restaurant and headed back to our hotel. All told, if you're looking for a casual but nice place to get some tasty, inventive food...not to mention great cocktails...this is your place. Check it out.

Alexis Baking Company (also know as "ABC") - the next morning, we ventured out in the sunlit morning to this place for breakfast on the recommendation of the bartender at Bistro Don Giovanni. Good move. This is a small, bright cafe on First Street in Napa. Order at the counter, get you food delivered to your table. That's how it works at ABC. I had the superb eggs benedict and Diane had what she described as "the best huevos rancheros she's ever had." Throw in some oversized cafe a laits and this place cannot be beat. Looking for a breakfast spot in Napa next time you're there? Think no further. Go to ABC.

Soda Canyon Store & Deli - after our breakfast at ABC, we met up with friends for a bike ride around the valley. More on that below. About half way through our ride we stopped at this roadside deli for lunch. Located on the Silverado Trail road south of the Oak Line cut off road, the Soda Canyon Store is like many "delis" in the Napa Valley in that it serves much better food than you would expect than a similar place anywhere else. Indeed, I had a chicken BLT on toasted roll and Diane had a spinach salad with sliced apples on the side. Really good flavors. We enjoyed our lunch outside at a picnic table under the shade of some trees. (Right: Soda Canyon Store. Photo taken by: Marc Osborn)

Redd - Following a day of bike riding (see below), our little group re-convened at Redd in Yountville for dinner. Redd is a very nice, very cool place serving what I guess most people would consider to be neuvo American cuisine. The restaurant itself describes if fare as an "updated interpretation of wine country cuisine with influences from Asia, Europe, and Mexico in a relaxed yet elegant environment." I would agree with that. We sat outside at an enjoyable table. As the night wore on, the temps dropped and the staff turned on much needed heat lamps.

Starting things off with a nicely made old fashioned cocktail for me, a martini for Diane and vaious other libations for others in our group, the table soon moved into sampling of appetizers that included spring onion and asparagus tempura, glazed pork belly, hamachi sushimi and yellowfin tuna tartare. For dinner, I had the sauteed skate fish with vegetables, gnocchi and herb butter. Diane had the Halibut with asparagus puree and prosciutto. Both dishes were delicious! Throw that together with some nice Syrah from local vintner and all was delightful.

Henry's - After dinner, we drove back to the town of Napa to find a bar to wind up the night in. Right near the intersection of Main Street and 1st, there are several establishments. However, most of the nicer looking ones were packed. So, as we walked down the street I saw a place called Henry's, peeked in and suggested we belly up in there. This bar gets described as a "dive bar," but it's much nicer than that. I mean come on. You're in Napa. None the less, it was not tony, chic or what have you and from what I could tell there were way more locals in the joint that we tourists. Suffice it to say that beers were drank and good times enjoyed.

WINERIES

• Silverado - we hit Silverado on our first afternoon in the Napa Valley. Fueled by memories of good wines, a nice setting and a great view, we thought Silverado would be a great first winery stop and an excellent place to wile away an hour or so in the sun while tasting wine. Memories proved correct and we had a really good time. $15 or $25 tasting menus. (Right: View from Silverado winery balcony. Photo taken by: Marc Osborn)
• Robert Sinskey - this was the first winery stop on our day-long bike ride around the valley. We came here more out of convenience and necessity than anything else as we had to pull off the road and wait for some of our party to catch up. As we did, we sampled some nice wines that, had we had a backpack, I think we would have bought. That not being the case, however, we moved on. $30 tasting menu. Also to note, they have a small, casual wood fired kitchen that serves tasty snacks.
• Stag's Leap - just down the road was Stag's Leap. We stopped here just because of the famous name...to see what the place was like. Nice facility, nice wines. $30 tasting fee.
• Clos du Val - we pulled off here based on the recommendation of a number of people, plus the ivy covered building looked quite inviting. The Chardonnay was good here, and we're not Chardonnay fans by any means. They also had a few blends that we liked. But again, no bags meant no purchases. $20 basic tastings with more expensive ones on offer if you want.  
• Silenus - this was our best stop I think. Silenus is not a winery on it's own, but rather a facility where growers and vintners without the deep pockets to buy wine making gear can come and make and store their wines. As a result, the tasting room is full of wines from small producers that you ain't gonna get anywhere else. We tasted quite a few and were impressed by several...enough so that we did buy some bottles and I drove back to pick them up after we dropped off our rental bikes. One other thing worth noing about Silenus...or more accurately one thing we learned from the guy at Silenus...is that any winery opened after 1990 is required by law to do tastings "by appointment only." As we were told, this is one way that the local government attempts to cut down on drinking and driving - by limiting the ability of people to literally just drive around the valley stopping at any and as many wineries whenever they want to drink. We also learned that the tasting fees are another tactic to help mitigate the amount of drinking. Again, trying to minimize over-drinking some by putting up barriers.

ACTIVITIES

Bicycle riding - as mentioned, the way we saw the valley on our full day there was to ride bikes through it. Starting in Yountville at the Napa Valey Bike Tours, we and our crew picked up our rental bikes in the morning and headed out under warm temps. We did not use a guide, and instead just got a map and recommendations from the bike shop team. Diane and I rented a tandem bike. We've never ridden one and wanted to try, so this seemed like one of those "now or never" opportunities...so we did it. I have to say, it was fun. (Left: On the tandem! Photo taken by: Michele)

Also, a quick note on this bike shop...it isn't easy to find. We had a hard time, and after we found it several people in cars asked us if we knew where the shop was. Anyway, it's at the far end of Yountville tucked away in the middle of a shopping center and there are not any signs (that I saw) on the street. So, if you think you're in the right place based on the address and your GPS...you are. You just need to go into the parking lot, park and walk to the middle of the shopping center.

Once squared away, we took off. Our route started by leaving Yountville via the Yountville Cross Road and heading all the way across to the Silverado trail - the less busy road that parallels the very busy Highway 29. After turning south on the Silverado Trail road, we soon stopped at the Robert Sinksy winery. After that we continued on and hit the Stag's Leap and Clos du Val wineries and then stopped at about 1 p.m. for lunch at the Soda Canyon Store in between. We then backtracked up to the intersection of Sliverado Trail and Oak Knoll Ave., swung left and cut back across the valley. We went right over Highway 29 and onto a close parallel road north. We stopped at Silenus and then pushed on back to Yountville to complete the loop. All told, it was about a six out tour. This was a really fun experience and I'd recommend it to anyone.

After our dinner at Redd and the outing to Henry's Bar that evening, we turned in. The next morning we headed out of Napa north and east to start our visit with my uncle, cousins and other family and friends.

That will be the second part of this post about our trip, so check back to get some tips on wineries in Ardoro County.

"Honey Badger Don't Care"

OK, I admit I may in fact be the last person in America to see the HILARIOUS video describing the honey badger animal, but in case not...I wanted to post it here for you to see for yourself.

The honey badger is a real animal...and a real bad ass one too...but the video describing it that literally made me cry it was so funny.

Check it out and gain a new appreciation for a) the honey badger, and b) the genius of the narrator.

New Rock Music for 2011

OK, so here we are nearly six months into 2011. If you are like me, over recent years you've lamented the lack of quality new rock and roll. Sure, we all have our favorites from years gone by...some of whom are still active. And that's great. Love it. But, what's new?

Two quarters into this year (and that's how us corporately indentured slaves measure things), based on my listening I can report that rock and roll is alive and well actually.

For example, here is some NEW music by either NEW rock bands or relatively new bands that you should check out:

• The Joy Formidable - check out their 2011 album The Big Roar.
• Mona - Nashville based rockers spit it out on their debut album by the same name.
• Funeral Party - L.A. pop rockers know what's up with their first full length album called The Golden Age of Knowwhere.
• Glasvegas - epic, heartfelt rock from these guys in their second album called Euphoric Heartbreak
• The Vaccines - this English guitar based pop rock group hits some nice chords and tunes that make you want to jump around...and that ain't a bad thing.
• British Sea Power - with their new one called Valhalla Dancehall, this British group really rocks out in a smart and compelling way. Check it. 
• Sharks - this band's compilation of work over the last 4-5 years is called The Joys Of Living. They haven't had a full LP release, so this is it for them so far. I say check it out and see if you dig.

For sure there are some other rockers keepin' it real such as Foo Fighters, Social Distortion, U2 and some others. But, in terms of what's new from new or recent band, I think these are among the best.

One last note, if you noticed that most these rock bands are from Britain, you are not seeing things. Nope. Unfortunately, the USA has for the most part given up on rock and roll in favor of pop (in all of it's varieties), country (or what passes for it today), hip-hop and dance music. If rock bands want to get a hearing today they either need to be from Britain or go there to get known. Sad but true.