Sunday, June 17, 2007

Henry County (OH) Relay For Life


http://www.mirror.relayforlife.org/

Carrie and I participated in the Henry County (OH) Relay For Life, in Napolean Ohio on Friday night. It is very important that as much research as possible be done on this affliction, as just about everyone you know will be affected by some form of it, whether you actually have it or someone close to you does. (For example Major League Baseball used Fathers Day to help raise money for prostate cancer research, and provided the staggering number that 1 in 6 men in this country will suffer through prostate cancer.) There were raffles and food and booths and a touching Luminary ceremony for surviors of the disease and the honored passed. Ihave to say, if they are organizing such an event near you, you should try to attend, its a lot of fun and helps a great cause.

American Cancery Society Page: http://www.cancer.org/


TomC

My Home State: Doing the Right Thing

Warning! For those who visit my site for cigar reviews and things of such relaxing nature, it might be wise to skip this post. I do intend to post other things of interest to me on this site. This represents one my views on a very controversial subject, and I can understand that you may not share these views. It is not my intent to alienate those who come to my site for leisure purposes, so I humbly suggest that if you disagree with this post, just to pass it by.
Massachusetts Gay Referendum Defeated
15th June 2007 10:33
PinkNews.co.uk writer


The Massachusetts legislature yesterday voted down a discriminatory constitutional amendment that would have halted marriage equality in the state.

The vote, which came amid heavy pressure to kill the measure from Gov. Deval Patrick and legislative leaders, was a devastating blow to efforts to reverse a historic 2003 court ruling legalising same-sex marriage.

"Democrats in Massachusetts overwhelmingly recognise that every family is strengthened when the legal responsibilities of civil marriage are extended to all couples," wrote Jo Wyrick, executive director National Stonewall Democrats.

"These legal obligations serve society by protecting children, stabilising homes and securing relationships. We are proud that Democrats in Massachusetts fully support values which protect families in the Bay State."

The ban needed 50 votes in consecutive sessions of the 200-seat Legislature to secure a place on the 2008 statewide ballot.

At the end of the last session in January it passed with 62 votes, but this time it garnered just 45.

"The fact that opponents of marriage equality couldn't muster the support of even 50 out of 200 legislators is a clear sign that the people of Massachusetts have embraced marriage equality.

"They are leading America toward full equality,” said People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas in a media statement.

With political support for gay marriage growing stronger, such a scenario appeared increasingly unlikely, but opponents of gay marriage vowed to press on.

Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute that backed the amendment, questioned the legality of what he said was rampant horse trading in the final hours, saying to the Associated Press that there was "tremendous pressure and we believe some tremendous incentives" to flip votes.

Same-sex couples have married in Massachusetts since it became legal in May 2004.




Makes me proud to be from Massachusetts.

TomC

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The best lots of Blue Mountain coffee are noted for their mild flavor and lack of bitterness. Over the last several decades, this coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world. In addition to its use for brewed coffee, the beans are the flavor base of Tia Maria coffee liqueur.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a globally protected geographic certification (geographic indication (GI) in the U.S. and protected designation of origin (PDO) in the E.U.) meaning that only coffee certified by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica can be labeled as such. It comes from a recognized growing region in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica and its cultivation is monitored by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica.

The Blue Mountains are generally located between Kingston to the south and Port Maria to the north. Rising to 7500 feet, they are some of the highest mountains in the Caribbean. The climate of the region is cool and misty with high rainfall. The soil is rich with excellent drainage. This combination of climate and soil is considered ideal for coffee.

In 1728 Sir Nicholas Lawes, then Governor of Jamaica and owner of Temple Hall Estate, brought the first coffee plants to Jamaica. First, cultivation started in the foothills of St. Andrew but soon plantations extended deeper into the fertile Blue Mountains. The coffee industry has experienced many ups and downs from those early days until today.

From 1800 to 1840, Jamaica produced 70,000 tons per year making her the largest producer in the world. Then, in 1838, came the abolition of slavery. This spelled the end to many coffee plantations, as newly freed farmers began planting and clearing all the available hillsides to earn a living and to have land to live on. By 1891, the coffee industry was in general disarray so legislation was passed to provide “instruction in the art of cultivation and curing by sending certain districts, competent instructors.”

The effort to increase quality was largely unsuccessful as the largest buyer in those days was the Canadian market and they resisted it as being unacceptable. Finally, in 1944 the Jamaican government established a Central Coffee Clearing House where all coffee for export had to be processed. This cleaning and grading process was a giant step in the improvement in the quality of the Jamaican coffee being exported.

Following the devastating hurricane of 1951, there were only three Coffee Processing Plants (called “pulperies”) remaining in operation in the Blue Mountains. In an attempt to regulate the growth that was sure to follow, the Coffee Industry Board was formed to establish guidelines in quality, cultivation and processing. The Coffee Industry Board is still an active force today and garners some of the credit for the resurgence of Jamaican coffee. In 1973, the three coffee processing plants at Mavis Bank, Silver Hill and Moy Hall along with a new comer, Wallenford, registered the name “Blue Mountain Coffee”.

A few years ago, the Twyman family’s Old Tavern Estate Coffee won the legal right through the Jamaican courts to also sell its superior product under the “Blue Mountain” name.

Jamaica is famous for producing some of the finest coffee found anywhere in the world. What makes this little island such a prime spot for growing a world-class coffee? As in real estate, it’s “Location, Location, Location” and in this case, that location is the Blue Mountains. Coffee plants need to be well watered, well drained and experience periodic coolness during some stages of development. To be called “Blue Mountain Coffee”, it must be grown at altitudes between 2,000 and 5,000 feet in the Parishes of Portland, St. Andrew and St. Thomas and, most importantly, be grown on the estates of; Mavis Bank, Silver Hill, Moy Hall or Wallenford. Coffee grown elsewhere in the Blue Mountains or anywhere else in Jamaica cannot be called “Blue Mountain Coffee. Blue Mountain coffee is exclusively made from the Arabica Bean. The Arabica bean is more fragile to grow but is considered more flavorful and has less caffeine than the Robusta Bean grown in many parts of the world.

Small growers like James Dennis in the District of Section are finding success in selling their production directly to discriminating tourists as most of the “official” Blue Mountain Coffee is currently exported to Japan. First they must harvest their beans and then sun dry them on bamboo racks before roasting them over a smoky wood fire. They weigh and package the beans in plastic bags for sale to passing tourists and locals. Want your coffee ground? They will pour the roasted beans into an old hollowed-out log and have someone pound and pulverize the beans using a stout, tapered hardwood branch with a flat surface on the end.

More small growers, like James Dennis, along with the officially recognized and established “Blue Mountain Coffee” growers known as JABLUM (JAmaica BLUe Mountain) are growing and producing what is regarded as the “Best Coffee in the Caribbean” and quite possibly the “Best Coffee in the World”.

Beans: These beans had a beautiful medium roast. The pre grind notes in the nose were rich and earthy. There also was a great organic sweetness that balanced the nose out.

Coffee Body: This is a rich, round coffee with medium/full body. The luxuriant mouthfeel can easily be described as buttery, unlike any other coffee I have tried in my short time tasting premium beans. The flavors spread out on the tongue, develop slowly, and linger endlessly. It is quite the relaxing experience.

Taste: This just might be the IDEAL breakfast coffee. Smooth and bright, without the slightest hint of bitterness, this is one mellow, contemplative cup. I drink my coffee black, but you would swear there was a dash of raw sugar in there naturally. The buttery nature of the body carries through to your taste buds, combined with a pecan or almond nuttiness. This really is a sublime cup of coffee.

Overall, while I do no know if this coffee justifies its $40 a pound price tag, I do suggest anybody who truly loves the drink try this bean at least once, you will be thoroughly satisfied.

TomC