Taiwan makes 50% of the world's semiconductors. We, Europe, others would face a true national crisis that directly threats our national security and well-being if China was to violently invade Taiwan and take control of or destroy their tech manufacturing capabilities. You could argue, I guess, that recent American Congressional actions increase the threat of war, but I disagree. We barely paid attention to Ukraine, partly out of a desire to appease Putin, and it brought a devastating war to the heart of Europe and a refugee crisis within Europe that we haven't seen since WW2. Putin thought t ..read more

Wow, that was fast - and this “get off my lawn” mode really does capture the traditional feel we’re used to! I love it! Almost like nothing happened at all. Impressive Todd. Well except Todd brought back the NSFW fourm lol Statistics: Posted by Scott Watkins — Mon Aug 15, 2022 2:19 pm ..read more

According to the article Lamy believes inconsistent quality of the corks due to climate change are part of the problem and wax capsules could be part of the solution. It doesn’t seem like he looks at capsules as villains. I will say that I’ve never had a pre-moxed Raveneau. I've heard this argument before, but I've also been a believer that you can't use crappy cork hoping the wax will solve the issue. They have to be done in tandem for it to work. A combo of Diam and wax seems to be a positive solution to this issue. Sauzet has moved in that direction, and I haven't heard much complaining ..read more

Michael, can you explain GMT and the statement below. Is 941 better than a lower number. Will this booster increase the effectiveness against infection like the early vaccines? They used to state numbers like 85-92% efficacy so I'm not sure how to interpret this new metric. In today's data, mRNA-1273.214 boosted neutralizing titers against BA.4/BA.5 by 5.4-fold (95% CI: 5.0, 5.9) above baseline in all participants regardless of prior infection, and by 6.3-fold (95% CI: 5.7, 6.9) in the subset of seronegative participants. Neutralizing titers against BA.4/BA.5 were approximately 3-fold lower ..read more

The design i loved was from Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. Statistics: Posted by Reg Brown — Mon Aug 15, 2022 7:28 am ..read more

Thanks again for all the great feedback. The advice seems solid. The design i want doesn’t work for the ecosystem. Nature must be honored. 36752237-823F-42F5-8AFF-CFEBD2C2630E.jpeg Statistics: Posted by Reg Brown — Mon Aug 15, 2022 7:27 am ..read more

Only ten inches of rain annually. Flood risk is low. Statistics: Posted by Reg Brown — Mon Aug 15, 2022 7:19 am ..read more

Another US delegation of politicians are heading to Taiwan. CNN: A second US congressional delegation visits Taiwan. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/14/politics ... index.html I ask again "what is the short term and long term strategy?" You are working under the assumption that there is only one strategy. I'm pretty sure that people disagree on the strategy with regard to Taiwan. Currently, it seems to be to: a) appease China by not recognizing Taiwan officially b) protect Taiwan by providing military assistance and at least vague guarantees c) maintain this status quo as long as possible Bu ..read more

Book Review: California Wine: A Comprehensive Guide to Wineries, Wines, Vintages and Vineyards Written by James Laube 1999 publication, 2nd Edition, 645 pgs James Laube was a long time wine reviewer for the Wine Spectator, living in Napa and covering the states wines. This older book is his overview of the region, and despite the years, for enthusiasts of a certain age, it will still feel fresh. I realize Laube is a taster whose palate might not align with every WB as his reputation is that he generally preferred very young, brash fruity wines, perhaps tolerating more residual sugar than some ..read more

Spending the next 4 days watching the Womens US Am.Walking distance from my house.Check it out on the Golf Channel, the course is in great shape, not like 2015. Semifinals were fun to watch, and fun to see it on a course you have played a bunch of times. Seems like some players are overthinking it and making it harder than it is, ending up deep, short, or on the wrong side of ridges. Perhaps all don't have Chambers-experienced caddies. Statistics: Posted by Kris Patten — Sun Aug 14, 2022 8:45 pm ..read more