| On the Farm: Flexie Flyer a blast from the past
We are back in full swing with activities on the vineyard as our crews move from block to block, removing last year's canes.
Cars start arriving at the ranch around 6:30 a.m. and making their way to the fields, where the people will begin work at 7 a.m.
About 6:45 a.m., the last shadows of night give way to the early morning rays of the sun shining over the hilltops and through the branches of the oaks surrounding the grapevines.
The people begin to get out of their warm cars, bundled up against the cold morning air, pruning shears in hand, as they make their way to their respective crews.
For a short time, the sunlight reflects off the ice of the frosty morning along the vineyard floor, shimmering like little diamonds spread out over the landscape.
Contemporary Dance Showcase's Tidbits from East Asia
Japan Societys 11th Annual Contemporary Dance Showcase was one of many events timed to coincide with the annual international conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (January 11 through 15). APAP week is always awash in showcases and strategically scheduled performances. Every group involved has to hope that one or two of the 4000+ presenters will be sufficiently smitten with a music, dance, or theater performance to book it. The organization offers whats essentially a citywide marketplacean opportunity to see and be seen, mix and mingle, however bleary-eyed all attendees will be by the time they stumble into the final salsa party. This years Contemporary Dance Showcase ventures beyond new Japanese choreography to include works from Korea and Taiwan, at least two of these adapted from longer works (with somewhat mystifying results).
Guba Debuts Online Video Store with Warner Bros.
Guba Debuts Online Video Store with Warner Bros. Posted by: Heather Green on June 26 Warner Bros. keeps pushing the envelope in delivering TV shows and movies in alternative ways. After announcing last month that it was teaming up with BitTorrent, the studio today is now offering videos via online video service Guba. Warner Bros. is starting with around 120 titles, ranging from movies such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Best in Show, to TV shows including Babylon 5. The shows can be rented, starting at $1.99 cents for movies. Or they can be bought and downloaded onto a computer or copied onto a laptop. Movies prices range between $9.99 and $19.99. They can't be copied yet to portable players, though that's in the works. The company is using Windows DRM, though Guba says they're looking into other formats.
Stories by Lennard Zinn
Before moving on to less important matters, I'd like to acknowledge the passing on Monday of Sheldon Brown, one of the giants of bicycle maintenance, technology and general bicycle mechanical understanding. He will be sorely missed, particularly for those seeking simple, ... .
The toxic legacy of plastic bags
At the heart of arguments against introducing a ban on the damaging common plastic shopping bag lies a stubborn refusal to consider anything other than the economic costs of keeping them. Plastic bags are cheap to make and cheap for shops to buy. We have become used to the convenience of them and think they make our lives somehow easier. But our easy addiction to plastic bags is destroying our environment, killing our marine life and birds, and is so pervasive and persistent that it is entering the food chain. How can those who assess plastic bags simply on their economic merits ignore the impacts of the waste left behind? How can any of us afford not to? In the half dozen decades since plastic became a regular part of our lives and plastic bags a common sight, the natural environment has become full to bursting with plastic rubbish.
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