SAN FRANCISCO, May 21 — Breaking with centuries of winemaking tradition, Bay Area vintners are starting to pull the plug on corks, hoping screw-on tops end cork-related spoilage.
A GROWING NUMBER of California wineries from Oakville to Santa Cruz are starting to seal even vintages selling at up to $100 a bottle with a screw cap, something long associated solely with cheap jug wines. Vintners are frustrated at the moldy smell and taste caused by “cork taint” — but they are also worried that tradition-minded customers may flip their lids.
Cork taint, as it is known in the industry, ruins a bottle of wine. It also means the winery may lose a customer, no small risk at a time when producers are trying to sell an abundance of California wines in a slow economy flooded by inexpensive imports.
“This is about making sure wine in the glass is as good as it can be,” said Terry Adams, winemaker for Sonoma-Cutrer Winery.

Winemakers pop corks; say screw it

A showdown vote on a state income tax, three years in the making, could take place in the legislature today, if backers are able to overcome opposition by a handful of lawmakers to a six-month sales tax increase.

The legislative action is expected to take place against a noisy backdrop of anti-tax protesters honking car horns and waving placards. They plan to rally 5:30 a.m.-1 p.m., organized by radio talk-show host Steve Gill.

Close vote brewing on income tax

Demoted to engineer

actualwork.com

A senior Microsoft Corp. executive told a federal court last week that sharing information with competitors could damage national security and even threaten the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan. He later acknowledged that some Microsoft code was so flawed it could not be safely disclosed.

During his second day on the stand, Allchin conceded that Microsoft has already identified at least one protocol and two APIs that it plans to withhold from public disclosure under the security carve-out.

The protocol, which is part of Message Queuing, contains a coding mistake that would threaten the security of enterprise systems using it if it were disclosed, Allchin said.

When Kevin Hodges, attorney for the dissenting states, asked him how many APIs would be exempt, Allchin said he did not know the exact number, but it would include APIs that deal with anti-piracy and digital rights management. Microsoft has already identified APIs involved with Windows File Protection that would be withheld, he said.

When pressed for further details, Allchin said he did not want to offer specifics because Microsoft is trying to work on its reputation regarding security. "The fact that I even mentioned the Message Queuing thing bothers me," he said.

Allchin: Disclosure May Endanger U.S.

"The new U.S. $20 dollar bill contains hidden pictures of
the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks! See for yourself..."

$20 Bill Commemoration of 9/11

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Brown-Forman Beverages Worldwide and Miller Brewing Co. said Monday their joint flavored-malt drink, Jack Daniel’s Original Hard Cola, will join the race among alternative alcoholic drinks this summer.
Jack Daniel’s Original Hard Cola “has a cola base flavor in which you can taste Jack Daniel’s,” said Erin Schlader, director for the Jack Daniel’s brand. He said that some consumers said the drink has some vanilla flavor to it, while others said it tastes a little bit like root beer.
The drink has 5 percent alcohol by volume.
The dark cola-colored drink will come in 12-ounce amber longneck bottles, Schlader said. Its label is evocative of the classic black and white label for Jack Daniel’s Whiskey.

Jack Daniel’s cola drink to debut

LONDON, May 20 — Technology buffs have cracked music publishing giant Sony Music’s elaborate disc copy-protection technology with a decidedly low-tech method: scribbling around the rim of a disk with a felt-tip marker.

‘Copy-proof’ CDs foiled by a marker

Click It or Ticket is a high-visibility education and enforcement campaign of Tennessee's seat belt laws. If you are unbuckled or have children in the vehicle not properly restrained and are stopped by law enforcement, you will be ticketed.

The Click It or Ticket enforcement blitz is scheduled for periods surrounding Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Driver's and passengers are subject to the law always when in a moving vehicle.

Click it or Ticket

Scientists at the Agriculture Department of the Hebrew University in Rehovot have genetically engineered a chicken that has no feathers. The naked chicken as it has been dubbed is also a low calorie bird because the lack of feathers means the chicken has less fat. (Hebrew University via Reuters)

w1ld: I think I might stop eating chicken after seeing this bird.

Hybrids, the geneticist believes, could revolutionize the chicken business