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James Creelman, Porfirio Diaz

From the heights of Chapultepec Castle President Diaz looked down upon the venerable capital of his country, spread out on a vast plain, with a ring of mountains flung up grandly about it, and I, who had come nearly four thousand miles from New York to see the master and hero of modern Mexico--the inscrutable leader in whose veins is blended the blood of the primitive Mixtecs with that of the invading Spaniards--watched the slender, erect form, the strong, soldierly head and commanding, but sensitive, countenance with an interest beyond words to express.

A high, wide forehead that slopes up to crisp white hair and over hangs deep-set, dark brown eyes that search your soul, soften into inexpressible kindliness and then dart quick side looks-terrible eyes, threatening eyes, loving, confiding, humorous eyes--a straight, powerful, broad and somewhat fleshy nose, whose curved nostrils lift and dilate with every emotion; huge, virile jaws that sweep from large, flat, fine ears, set close to the head, to the tremendous, square, fighting chin; a wide, firm mouth shaded by a white mustache; a full, short, muscular neck; wide shoulders, deep chest; a curiously tense and rigid carriage that gives great distinction to a personality suggestive of singular power and dignity-- that is Porfirio Diaz in his seventy-eighth year, as I saw him a few weeks ago on the spot where, forty years before, he stood-with his besieging army surrounding the City of Mexico, and the young Emperor Maximilian being shot to death in Queretaro, beyond those blue mountains to the north--waiting grimly for the thrilling end of the last interference of European monarchy with the republics of America.

It is the intense, magnetic something in the wide-open, fearless, dark eyes and the sense of nervous challenge in the sensitive, spread nostrils, that seem to connect the man with the immensity of the landscape, as some elemental force.

There is not a more romantic or heroic figure in all the world, nor one more intensely watched by both the friends and foes of democracy, than the soldier-statesman, whose adventurous youth pales the pages of Dumas, and whose iron rule has converted the warring, ignorant, superstitious and impoverished masses of Mexico, oppressed by centuries of Spanish cruelty and greed, into a strong, steady, peaceful, debt-paying and progressive nation.

For twenty-seven years he has governed the Mexican Republic with such power that national elections have become mere formalities. He might easily have set a crown upon his head.

Yet to-day, in the supremacy of his career, this astonishing man-- foremost figure of the American hemisphere and unreadable mystery to students of human government--announces that he will insist on retiring from the Presidency at the end of his present term, so that he may see his successor peacefully established and that, with his assistance, the people of the Mexican Republic may show the world that they have entered serenely and preparedly upon the last complete phase of their liberties, that the nation is emerging from ignorance and revolutionary passion, and that it can choose and change presidents without weakness or war.

It is something to come from the money-mad gambling congeries of Wall Street and in the same week to stand on the rock of Chapultepec, in surroundings of almost unreal grandeur and loveliness, beside one who is said to have transformed a republic into an autocracy by the absolute compulsion of courage and character, and to hear him speak of democracy as the hope of mankind.

This, too, at a time when the American soul shudders at the mere thought of a third term for any President.

The President surveyed the majestic, sunlit scene below the ancient castle and turned away with a smile, brushing a curtain of scarlet trumpet-flowers and vine-like pink geraniums as he moved along the terrace toward the inner garden, where a fountain set among palms and flowers sparkled with water from the spring at which Montezuma used to drink, under the mighty cypresses that still rear their branches about the rock on which we stood.

"It is a mistake to suppose that the future of democracy in Mexico has been endangered by the long continuance in office of one President," he said quietly. I can say sincerely that office has not corrupted my political ideals and that I believe democracy to be the one true, just principle of government, although in practice it is possible only to highly developed peoples."

For a moment the straight figure paused and the brown eyes looked over the great valley to where snow-covered Popocatapetl lifted its volcanic peak nearly eighteen thousand feet among the clouds beside the snowy craters of Ixtaccihuatl--a land of dead volcanoes, human and otherwise.

"I can lay down the Presidency of Mexico without a pang of regret, but I cannot cease to serve this country while I live," he added.

The sun shone full in the President's face but his eyes did not shrink from the ordeal. The green landscape, the smoking city, the blue tumult of mountains, the thin, exhilarating, scented air, seemed to stir him, and the color came to his cheeks as he clasped his hands behind him and threw his head backward. His nostrils opened wide.

"You know that in the United States we are troubled about the question of electing a President for three terms?"

He smiled and then looked grave, nodding his head gently and pursing his lips. It is hard to describe the look of concentrated interest that suddenly came into his strong, intelligent countenance.

"Yes, yes, I know," he replied. "It is a natural sentiment of democratic peoples that their officials should be often changed. I agree with that sentiment."

It seemed hard to realize that I was listening to a soldier who had ruled a republic continuously for more than a quarter of a century with a personal authority unknown to most kings. Yet he spoke with a simple and convincing manner, as one whose place was great and secure beyond the need of hypocrisy.

"It is quite true that when a man has occupied a powerful office for a very long time he is likely to begin to look upon it as his personal property, and it is well that a free people should guard themselves against the tendencies of individual ambition.

"Yet the abstract theories of democracy and the practical, effective application of them are often necessarily different--that is when you are seeking for the substance rather than the mere form.

"I can see no good reason why President Roosevelt should not be elected again if a majority of the American people desire to have him continue in office. I believe that he has thought more of his country than of himself. He has done and is doing a great work for the United States, a work that will cause him, whether he serves again or not, to be remembered in history as one of the great Presi- dents. I look upon the trusts as a great and real power in the United States, and President Roosevelt has had the patriotism and courage to defy them. Mankind understands the meaning of his attitude and its bearing upon the future. He stands before the world as a states- man whose victories have been moral victories. ...

"Here in Mexico we have had different conditions. I received this Government from the hands of a victorious army at a time when the people were divided and unprepared for the exercise of the extreme principles of democratic government. To have thrown upon the masses the whole responsibility of government at once would have produced conditions that might have discredited the cause of free government.

"Yet, although I got power at first from the army, an election was held as soon as possible and then my authority came from the people. I have tried to leave the Presidency several times, but it has been pressed upon me and I remained in office for the sake of the nation which trusted me. The fact that the price of Mexican securities dropped eleven points when I was ill at Cuernavaca indicates the kind of evidence that persuaded me to overcome my personal inclination to retire to private life.

"We preserved the republican and democratic form of government. We defended the theory and kept it intact. Yet we adopted a patriarchal policy in the actual administration of the nation's affairs, guiding and restraining popular tendencies, with full faith that an enforced peace would allow education, industry and commerce to develop elements of stability and unity in a naturally intelligent, gentle and affectionate people.

"I have waited patiently for the day when the people of the Mexican Republic would be prepared to choose and change their government at every election without danger of armed revolutions and without injury to the national credit or interference with national progress. I believe that day has come. ...

"In the old days we had no middle class in Mexico because the minds of the people and their energies were wholly absorbed in politics and war. Spanish tyranny and misgovernment had disorganized society. The productive activities of the nation were abandoned in successive struggles. There was general confusion. Neither life nor property was safe. A middle class could not appear under such conditions."

"General Diaz," I interrupted, "you have had an unprecedented experience in the history of republics. For thirty years the destinies of this nation have been in your hands, to mold them as you will; but men die, while nations must continue to live. Do you believe that Mexico can continue to exist in peace as a republic? Are you satisfied that its future is assured under free institutions?"

It was worth while to have come from New York to Chapultepec Castle to see the hero's face at that moment. Strength, patriotism, warriorship, prophethood seemed suddenly to shine in his brown eyes.

"The future of Mexico is assured," he said in a clear voice. "The principles of democracy have not been planted very deep in our people, I fear. But the nation has grown and it loves liberty. Our difficulty has been that the people do not concern themselves enough about public matters for a democracy. The individual Mexican as a rule thinks much about his own rights and is always ready to assert them. But he does not think so much about the rights of others. He thinks of his privileges, but not of his duties. Capacity for self-restraint is the basis of democratic government, and self- restraint is possible only to those who recognize the rights of their neighbors.

"The Indians, who are more than half of our population, care little for politics. They are accustomed to look to those in authority for leadership instead of thinking for themselves. That is a tendency they inherited from the Spaniards, who taught them to refrain from meddling in public affairs and rely on the Government for guidance.

"Yet I firmly believe that the principles of democracy have grown and will grow in Mexico."

"But you have no opposition party in the Republic, Mr. President. How can free institutions flourish when there is no opposition to keep the majority, or governing party, in check?"

"It is true there is no opposition party. I have so many friends in the republic that my enemies seem unwilling to identify themselves with so small a minority. I appreciate the kindness of my friends and the confidence of my country; but such absolute confidence imposes responsibilities and duties that tire me more and more.

"No matter what my friends and supporters say, I retire when my present term of office ends, and I shall not serve again. I shall be eighty years old then.

"My country has relied on me and it has been kind to me. My friends have praised my merits and overlooked my faults. But they may not be willing to deal so generously with my successor and he may need my advice and support; therefore I desire to be alive when he assumes office so that I may help him."

He folded his arms over his deep chest and spoke with great emphasis.

"I welcome an opposition party in the Mexican Republic," he said. "If it appears, I will regard it as a blessing, not as an evil. And if it can develop power, not to exploit but to govern, I will stand by it, support it, advise it and forget myself in the successful inauguration of complete democratic government in the country.

"It is enough for me that I have seen Mexico rise among the peaceful and useful nations. I have no desire to continue in the Presidency. This nation is ready for her ultimate life of freedom. At the age of seventy-seven years I am satisfied with robust health. That is one thing which neither law nor force can create. I would not exchange it for all the millions of your American oil king."

His ruddy skin, sparkling eyes and light, elastic step went well with his words. For one who has endured the privations of war and imprisonment, and who to-day rises at six o'clock in the morning, working until late at night at the full of his powers, the physical condition of President Diaz, who is even now a notable hunter and who usually ascends the palace stairway two steps at a time is almost unbelievable.

"The railway has played a great part in the peace of Mexico," he continued. "When I became President at first there were only two small lines, one connecting the capital with Vera Cruz, the other connecting it with Queretaro. Now we have more than nineteen thousand miles of railways. Then we had a slow and costly mail service, carried on by stage coaches, and the mail coach between the capital and Puebla would be stopped by highwaymen two or three times in a trip, the last robbers to attack it generally finding nothing left to steal. Now we have a cheap, safe and fairly rapid mail service throughout the country with more than twenty-two hundred post-offices. Telegraphing was a difficult thing in those times. To-day we have more than forty-five thousand miles of telegraph wires in operation.

"We began by making robbery punishable by death and compelling the execution of offenders within a few hours after they were caught and condemned. We ordered that wherever telegraph wires were cut and the chief officer of the district did not catch the criminal, he should himself suffer; and in case the cutting occurred on a plantation the proprietor who failed to prevent it should be hanged to the nearest telegraph pole. These were military orders, remember.

"We were harsh. Sometimes we were harsh to the point of cruelty. But it was all necessary then to the life and progress of the nation. If there was cruelty, results have justified it."

The nostrils dilated and quivered. The mouth was a straight line.

"It was better that a little blood should be shed that much blood should be saved. The blood that was shed was bad blood; the blood that was saved was good blood.

"Peace was necessary, even an enforced peace, that the nation might have time to think and work. Education and industry have carried on the task begun by the army." . . .

"And which do you regard as the greatest force for peace, the army or the schoolhouse?" I asked.

The soldier's face flushed slightly and the splendid white head was held a little higher.

"You speak of the present time?"

"The schoolhouse. There can be no doubt of that. I want to see education throughout the Republic carried on by the national Government. I hope to see it before I die. It is important that all citizens .of a republic should receive the same training, so that their ideals and methods may be harmonized and the national unity intensified. When men read alike and think alike they are more likely to act alike."

"And you believe that the vast Indian population of Mexico is capable of high development?"

"I do. The Indians are gentle and they are grateful, all except the Yacquis and some of the Mayas. They have the traditions of an ancient civilization of their own. They are to be found among the lawyers, engineers, physicians, army officers and other professional men.

Over the city drifted the smoke of many factories.

"It is better than cannon smoke," I said.

"Yes," he replied, "and yet there are times when cannon smoke is not such a bad thing. The toiling poor of my country have risen up to support me, but I cannot forget what my comrades in arms and their children have been to me in my severest ordeals."

There were actually tears in the veteran's eyes.

"That," I said, pointing to a hideously modern bull-ring near the castle, "is the only surviving Spanish institution to be seen in this landscape."

"You-have not noticed the pawnshops," he exclaimed. Spain brought to us her pawn-shops, as well as her bull-rings." . . .

There are nineteen thousand miles of railways operated in Mexico, nearly all with American managers, engineers and conductors, and one has only to ride on the Mexican Central system or to enjoy the trains de luxe of the National Line to realize the high transportation standards of the country.

So determined is President Diaz to prevent his country from falling into the hands of the trusts that the Government is taking over and merging in one corporation, with the majority stock in the Nation's hands, the Mexican Central, National and Inter-oceanic lines-so that, with this mighty trunk system of transportation beyond the reach of private control, industry, agriculture, commerce and passenger traffic will be safe from oppression.

This merger of ten thousand miles of railways into a single company, with $113,000,000 of the stock, a clear majority, in the Government's hands, is the answer of President Diaz and his brilliant Secretary of Finances to the prediction that Mexico may some day find herself helplessly in the grip of a railway trust.

Curiously enough, the leading American railway officials representing the lines which are to be merged and controlled by the Government spoke to me with great enthusiasm of the plan as a distinct forward step, desirable alike for shippers and passengers and for private investors in the roads.

Two-thirds of the railways of Mexico are owned by Americans, who have invested about $300,000,000 in them profitably.

As it is, freight and passenger rates are fixed by the Government, and not a time table can be made or changed without official approval.

It may surprise a few Americans to know that the first-class passenger rate in Mexico is only two and two-fifths cents a mile, while the second-class rate, which covers at least one-half of the whole passenger traffic of the country, is only one cent and one-fifth a mile--these figures being in terms of gold, to afford a comparison with American rates.

I have been privately assured by the principal American officers and investors of the larger lines that railway enterprises in Mexico are encouraged, dealt with on their merits and are wholly free from blackmail, direct or indirect. ...

More than $1,200,000,000 of foreign capital has been invested in Mexico since President Diaz put system and stability into the nation. Capital for railways, mines, factories and plantations has been pouring in at the rate of $200,000,000 a year. In six months the Government sold more than a million acres of land.

In spite of what has already been done, there is still room for the investment of billions of dollars in the mines and industries of the Republic.

Americans and other foreigners interested in mines, real estate, factories, railways and other enterprises have privately assured me, not once, but many times, that, under Diaz, conditions for invest- ment in Mexico are fairer and quite as reliable as in the most highly developed European countries. The President declares that these conditions will continue after his death or retirement.

Since Diaz assumed power, the revenues of the Government have increased from about $15,000,000 to more than $115,000,000, and yet taxes have been steadily reduced.

When the price of silver was cut in two, President Diaz was advised that his country could never pay its national debt, which was doubled by the change in values. He was urged to repudiate a part of the debt. The President denounced the advice as foolishness as well as dishonesty, and it is a fact that some of the greatest officers of the government went for years without their salaries that Mexico might be able to meet her financial obligations dollar for dollar.

The cities shine with electric lights and are noisy with electric trolley cars; English is taught in the public schools of the great Federal District; the public treasury is full and overflowing and the national debt decreasing; there are nearly seventy thousand foreigners living contentedly and prosperously in the Republic-- more Americans than Spaniards; Mexico has three times as large a population to the square mile as Canada; public affairs have developed strong men like Jose Yves Limantour, the great Secretary of Finances, one of the most distinguished of living financiers; Vice-president Corral, who is also Secretary of the Interior; Ignacio Mariscal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Enrique Creel, the brilliant Ambassador at Washington.

And it is a land of beauty beyond compare. Its mountains and valleys, its great plateaus, its indescribably rich and varied foliage, its ever blooming and abundant flowers, its fruits, its skies, its marvelous climate, its old villages, cathedrals, churches, convents--there is nothing quite like Mexico in the world for variety and loveliness. But it is the gentle, trustful, grateful Indian, with his unbelievable hat and many-colored blanket, the eldest child of America, that wins the heart out of you. After traveling all over the world, the American who visits Mexico for the first time wonders how it happened that he never understood what a fascinating country of romance he left at his own door.

It is the hour of growth, strength and peace which convinces Porfirio Diaz that he has almost finished his task on the American continent.

Yet you see no man in a priest's attire in this Catholic country. You see no religious processions. The Church is silent save within her own walls. This is a land where I have seen the most profound religious emotion, the most solemn religious spectacles--from the blanketed peons kneeling for hours in cathedrals, the men carrying their household goods, the women suckling their babies, to that indescribable host of Indians on their knees at the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

I asked President Diaz about it while we paced the terrace of Chapultepec Castle.

He bowed his white head for a moment and then lifted it high, his dark eyes looking straight into mine.

"We allow no priest to vote, we allow no priest to hold public office, we allow no priest to wear a distinctive dress in public, we allow no religious processions in the streets," he said. "When we made those laws we were not fighting against religion, but against idolatry. We intend that the humblest Mexican shall be so far freed from the past that he can stand upright and unafraid in the presence of any human being. I have no hostility to religion; on the contrary, in spite of all past experience, I firmly believe that there can be no true national progress in any country or any time without real religion.'

Such is Porfirio Diaz, the foremost man of the American hemisphere. What he has done, almost alone and in such a few years, for a people disorganized and degraded by war, lawlessness and comic opera polities, is the great inspiration of Pan-Americanism, the hope of the Latin-American republics.

Whether you see him at Chapultepec Castle, or in his office in the National Palace, or in the exquisite drawing-room of his modest home in the city, with his young, beautiful wife and his children and grandchildren by his first wife about him, or surrounded by troops, his breast covered with decorations conferred by great nations, he is always the same-simple, direct and full of the dignity of conscious power.

In spite of the iron government he has given to Mexico, in spite of a continuance in office that has caused men to say that he has converted a republic into an autocracy, it is impossible to look into his face when he speaks of the principle of popular sovereignty without believing that even now he would take up arms and shed his blood in defense of it.

Only a few weeks ago Secretary of State Root summed up President Diaz when he said:

It has seemed to me that of all the men now living, General Porfirio Diaz, of Mexico, was best worth seeing. Whether one considers the adventurous, daring, chivalric incidents of his early career; whether one considers the vast work of government which his wisdom and courage and commanding character accomplished; whether one considers his singularly attractive personality, no one lives to-day that I would rather see than President Diaz. If I were a poet I would write poetic eulogies. If I were a musician I would compose triumphal marches. If I were a Mexican I should feel that the steadfast loyalty of a lifetime could not be too much in return for the blessings that he had brought to my country. As I am neither poet, musician nor Mexican, but only an American who loves justice and liberty and hopes to see their reign among mankind progress and strengthen and become perpetual, I look to Porfirio Diaz, the President of Mexico, as one of the great men to be held up for the hero-worship of mankind.


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Glass Steagall Act

CCC Camp during the depression

The Glass-Steagall Act was four seperate acts passed to regulate banking in 1933. Its best known for seperating banks that received deposits from those that bought stock

The Glass-Steagall Act separated banks from their Investment banking divisions.  Roosevelt had not supported this act, initially. Both before the new Congress was called into session, and over the course the Congressional session, the Senate Banking Committee investigated the sins of the banks leading up to the great depression. Under the leadership of Ferdinand Pecora, as the chief of the Congressional Banking Committee the banks were forced to admit they had colluded between themselves to siphon money from their banking operations to their investment activities. Many of the banks’ investment activities had been designed for only one purpose– i.e. to enrich the partners of the banks. As a result, it became clear that in order to ensure the safety of the public’s money, it would be necessary to split the banks from their investment houses. The Glass-Steagall Act mandated the separation. It also included another unrelated, but significant provision; i.e. the imposition of Federal Deposit Insurance.  Federal Deposit Insurance guaranteed that all personal accounts–up to $5,000 (for the first few months the F.D.I.C. only insured $2,500). This provision, (which, initially was not supported by Roosevelt) ended the runs on banks in the United States.

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Afghans Protest Alleged Election Fraud in Kabul

Afghans turned out by the hundreds in Kabul on Saturday to protest alleged voting fraud in the country's presidential run-off election.
Two groups of protesters demonstrated at different locations in Afghanistan's capital. One group of about 1,000 people stood and led chants, while another gathering of several hundred walked from the northern portion of Kabul to the airport, where police had set up a roadblock to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the facility, according to the Associated Press. Hundreds of riot police were also present to monitor the demonstrators, but protests reportedly remained peaceful.

Demonstrators were out to support former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, who is running against former finance minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai for the nation's top office. Abdullah claimed that election officials rigged the June 14 run-off vote in favor of Ahmadzai, and declared that he would not heed the results compiled by Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission, which are expected to come out on July 2.
Abdullah and current Afghan President Hamid Karzai have asked the United Nations to help resolve the dispute, the AP reported.
The turbulence is a blow to Afghan and western officials who were hoping for a peaceful transition to a new national government, just as America's war in Afghanistan comes to a close at the end of 2014. The newest Afghan president is expected to sign an agreement that allows 10,000 American soldiers to remain in the country beyond 2014, but that will likely be delayed if officials cannot find a way to handle the voting controversy.
Officials had concerns over potentially low turnout for the initial presidential election in April, as the Taliban had pledged to attack voting stations in order to disrupt the political process. But the Taliban did not turn out in large numbers, and voter turnout was high.
We've compiled images of the protests, below:

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2016 Holidaze Spot

Show Location: 333 Gibson St. - Enter Under Ramp

2016 Artists Supporters

2016 Best of Show!
Mistletoe Market
See what they come up with for this years show!

What are you doing
November 17 - 18, 2017?

Do what thousands have done
for the past 28 years...
SHOP at the Holidaze Arts Festival
at the newly renovated Lismore Halls in downtown Eau Claire from
3:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. on Friday the 17th &
9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. on Saturday the 18th.

The show floor will have lots of local and regional artists
each fairing hand made goods that will delight you
and the loved one's you are shopping for.

Take care of your shopping list early and locally!

Grab your pals and come to downtown Eau Claire - Make it a day!

Click here to learn about parking options.

Copyright 2007-2017, All Rights Reserved
for more information contact: Festival Organizer

Mail Applications and Correspondence to: Holidaze Arts Festival | 529 Hobart St. | Eau Claire, WI 54703
Fax: (715)835-1915 | Phone: (715) 832-6942


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Adam Lambert, Chelsea Handler Has Your Back!

Fri, December 4, 2009 12:09pm EST by Add first Comment
Chelsea Handler

On last night’s episode of Chelsea Lately, hilarious comedian Chelsea Handler spoke out about Adam Lambert being pulled off ABC show Good Morning America, and now, as it was just announced, Jimmy Kimmel and the networks New Year’s Eve show.

But Chelsea, ever the activist, shouted, “You can come on this show Adam Gay Lambert!”

The blond trash talking host also pointed out that it was “Not OK” to accept a kiss between Madonna and Britney Spears, but not a kiss between Adam Lambert and a male keyboardist.

So, Adam … will we see you on Chelsea’s show soon?


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Cheryl Burke: Bill Clinton Would Be ‘Amazing’ On ‘DWTS’

Fri, July 12, 2013 11:57am EST by 2 Comments
Cheryl Burke DWTS
FameFlynet, Courtesy Of ABC

‘Dancing With The Stars’ pro Cheryl Burke dished EXCLUSIVELY to, saying she would love to dance with the former president and all about her close relationship with former partner Rob Kardashian — read more below!

Professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars Cheryl Burke, 29, stopped by the Grand Ballroom in New York City on July 9 to promote imPRESS press-on manicures by Broadway Nails. Cheryl is the ambassador for the press-on nails and she couldn’t wait to share her new line of imPRESS nails that she created herself! spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Cheryl where she dished on the amazing nails and the celebrity who Cheryl dreams of dancing with! We even got to learn some salsa on the side! Read on to find out what Cheryl’s been up to!

Cheryl Burke On ‘DWTS’ — Find Out Which Of Her Former Partners She Is Closest With

Cheryl has been dancing on ‘DWTS’ for 15 seasons and she has had a long list of great partners including two winners, Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. So, we asked her, out of all her partners, who she is still close with.

“I basically talk to all of them. I mean, the closest I am to all my partners is probably Rob Kardashian and Emmitt Smith,” Cheryl told

She even hinted at a surprise reunion dance with Rob on his mom, Kris Jenner‘s, new talk show!

“I can’t unveil it but Kris and I have been talking about doing something special on her show. Hopefully that involves Rob…we gotta convince him.”

Here’s hoping that you do!

Who Does Cheryl Burke Want To See on ‘Dancing With The Stars?’ Find Out!

Cheryl dished about her past partners, so we couldn’t help but to ask her who she might want to share the floor with in the future and you’ll never guess who — Former President Bill Clinton!

“I don’t know if he’d be my dream partner…I mean, I think he would be an amazing part of the cast. I think people would love to see a different side of him and he has so much charisma and I think he would be a great addition to the show.”

Cheryl Burke For ImPRESS Manicures By Broadway Nails — A New Partnership

Cheryl is so excited to launch her new line of nail art with Broadway Nails — and we’re excited to tell you all about it! In October 2013, Cheryl will be releasing four new Limited edition Nail Designer Kits which include imPRESS nails and two sheets of pre-cut Kiss Nails. With the kit, you can custom design your own nail art and manicure by easily peeling off and popping on pre-made, manicured nails that last for up to a week! Choose any of the designs you want and you will have professional looking nails in no time!

Cheryl swears by the nails, which she has worn for the past 2 seasons:

“For my nail set, I have four different colors and these colors come beautiful nail patterns — actually I’m wearing them right now and it goes perfect with whatever you’re wearing whether you’re going out or you’re gonna put on a salsa costume and you want to go out salsa dancing.You literally just peel ’em off and put ’em on and they really do last up to a week to two weeks! It’s amazing to be able to just take them off whenever you want and just put on different colors and mix and match with whatever you’re wearing.”

“I can pop them on in a minute. When you see that rehearsal footage on the show, it’s so important for me just to at least look decent, you know. If I don’t have time to get my nails done, it’s so easy just to peel these off and put these on. And they look real — everyone cannot believe that I did not go to the nail salon and get my nails done. Everyone is so in love with the fact that, it really looks like you’ve spent like two hours getting your nails done but it only took 5 minutes. It’s so much easier…I have no time to go to nail salons anymore!”

What do you think HollywoodLifers? Will you check out Cheryl’s Broadway Nails designs? Do you want her to dance with President Clinton? Let us know!

WATCH: imPRESS Revolution Commercial Featuring Cheryl Burke, Katie Cazorla & Alli Simpson

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— Katie Kravat

More Cheryl Burke News:

  1. Cheryl Burke’s Bikini Body Is Ready For ‘Dancing With The Stars!’
  2. Cheryl Burke Is The New Face Of Veet
  3. AnnaLynne McCord V. Cheryl Burke: Who Wore Karen Zambos Better?


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What if everybody in the United States flushed the toilet at the same time?

        Home & Garden | Plumbing

Low-flow Toilets: A Lot Less Mess
In Beijing, China a very low-flow toilet is demonstrated using only a half-gallon of water.
In Beijing, China a very low-flow toilet is demonstrated using only a half-gallon of water.
Courtesy China Photos/Getty Images

If everyone in Milwaukee conducted the same experiment from the first page using only low-flow toilets, only 528,934 gallons of wastewater would suddenly deluge the city's sewer system. This would still cause quite a mess, but it would correct itself much faster, and the water pressure would equalize more quickly, too.

But low-flow toilets weren't designed to save Milwaukee from a public health hazard and an environmental catastrophe. They were designed to conserve water. And they have become so valuable at serving this purpose that they have replaced traditional toilets in stores. In fact, it is federal law that no toilet may be produced in the United States that uses more than 1.6 gallons per flush.

When they were first introduced in the early 1990s, low-flow (or low-flush) toilets were accepted warily by consumers in the United States. They clogged easily, and even when the toilets didn't clog, they often failed to do their job on the first try. Some consumers griped that they had to flush the toilet more than once. If a homeowner had to flush a low-flow toilet three times, then he or she used 4.8 gallons, more than a gallon more than with a traditional toilet.

Some Americans became so fed up with low-flow toilets that they crossed the northern border into Canada to purchase 3.5-gallon toilets, since none were available for sale back in the States. But low-flow technology has improved since the '90s, and the next generation of low-flow toilets appears to combine improved function with water conservation.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that consumers in the market for a toilet should look for the WaterSense label. This certification is given to toilets that use no more than 1.28 gallons per flush, verified by testing at independent laboratories.

The EPA estimates that the average American will flush the toilet around 140,000 times in his or her lifetime. Since the amount of available water has become a real issue in the United States in the past few years, low-flow toilets are helping to allay a growing problem. The EPA is not the only governmental agency encouraging Americans to replace their toilets with low-flow toilets: Some American municipalities are offering $50 and $100 rebates as incentives for homeowners to make the switch. If everyone in the United States used only WaterSense toilets, the country would save an estimated 900 million gallons of water per day, equal to roughly twenty minutes of flow over Niagara Falls [source: EPA].

Just the savings alone (around $90 per year on your water bill) is reason enough for many people. But don't forget to take into account that if everyone switched to WaterSense toilets, it would cut the amount of mess caused by everyone flushing their toilets at the same time by more than half. And avoiding ankle-deep sewage is good for everyone.

For more information on toilets and sewers, be sure to visit the next page.

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Here's a real harbinger of spring in Syracuse:

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Comment by Ed Voytovich on March 6, 2011 at 9:12am
Oh how I hate to be bested by rodents (although they do teach us humility!).
Comment by Sean Lintow Sr on March 6, 2011 at 8:05am
Ahhh, a picture is worth a thousand words & based off your guys winter - I can imagine that it is welcome indeed, but I hate to tell you this the groundhog still beat you to it this year...

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Avocado Trees With Type B Flowers

Pollination between avocado varieties with A-type and B-type flowers boosts production.

Pollination between avocado varieties with A-type and B-type flowers boosts production.

Although plants whose flowers contain both female and male organs are hardly rarities, the avocado alone boasts flowers that open as female one day, close and reopen as male the next day. The appearance of flowers comes only after a long juvenile phase. Grafted avocados take three years to produce their first blooms, while ungrafted seedlings may not flower for 10 to 15 years. Each avocado variety has flowers categorized as type A or type B, depending on opening times.

Avocado Pollination

Avocado trees bear flowers from January to March. The blossoms are prefect, or bisexual. Type A blooms open as female, receptive to pollen, in the morning and then shed pollen, as male, the following afternoon. Conversely, type B flowers are receptive to pollen in the afternoon and shed pollen the next morning. The flowers attract bees and hoverflies that help in pollination. Type B cultivars just about equal the number of type A varieties. Though self-pollination can occur when the wind blows the pollen elsewhere on the same tree or through the force of gravity, production is best with cross-pollination between the two types. Studies show that avocado fruit set increased by 40 to 150 percent when A-type and B-type varieties were grown close together.

Type B Avocados

"Fuerte," "Zutano," "Bacon," "Whitsell" and "SirPrize" are familiar avocado cultivars with type B flowers. Since "Fuerte" and "Hass," an A-type, lead U.S. production, growers often plant them adjacent to each other. Although it tends to bear only in alternate years, "Fuerte" produces very large (up to a pound) and good-tasting fruit. Most of the other B-types are considered somewhat inferior, including "Whitsell," which is not hardy and is recommended for containers and greenhouses only. "SirPrize," descended from "Hass," may be an exception. The cultivar is hardy and features an excellent, buttery flavor.

Effect of Temperature

For the two flowering types to meet their pollination schedules with clockwork exactness, the average between the night minimum and day maximum temperatures must be above 70 degrees F. If the temperature falls below this mark, the daily openings of the functionally male and female flowers will become delayed and irregular. Therefore, a tree may have blooms in the male and female stages open at the same time, resulting in unwanted self-pollination. Both Guatemalan avocados (Persea americana guatemalensis) and Mexican avocados (P. a. drymifolia) thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 to 10. "Hass" and "Fuerte" are both Guatemalan/Mexican hybrids.

To Improve Pollination

Avocado growers who want to encourage cross-pollination can take actions to facilitate this. One way is to bring beehives into the grove. Provide water for the bees in shallow receptacles, so they can drink without falling in and drowning. Plant a mix of A-type and B-type avocado varieties. Finally, prune the upper limbs of the trees annually to allow sunlight to reach the lower branches of each tree. Thus, the trees will produce a wall of flowers, going all the way to the ground. As an added benefit, the open channels through the grove will provide a path for the flight of bees.

About the Author

Mary Simpson began her writing career in 1968 on a Dallas oil magazine. Besides reporting and editing for several small Texas newspapers, Simpson has written for "Petroleum Engineer Magazine," "Denton Today Magazine" and put out an employee newsletter for a FEMA facility. She holds a B.A. in journalism and an M.A.in English, both from the University of North Texas.

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  • Eising/Photodisc/Getty Images
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How to Remove a Receptacle Box From the Wall

If you remove the electrical box, all the wiring has to go, too.

If you remove the electrical box, all the wiring has to go, too.

After removing an electrical receptacle, you're left with an unused electrical box, but it isn't empty. The wires that were feeding the receptacle are still there, as are the wires leading to devices farther down the circuit. The most practical, code-approved way to keep these devices connected is to leave the box where it is and splice the connections inside it. If you're removing the entire circuit, however, or if the receptacle was at the end of the line, you can pull the box out. The difficulty of the job depends on whether it's a rough-in or remodeling box.

Disconnect the receptacle, if you haven't done that already, by first turning off the breaker that controls the circuit it's on. Double-check that no electricity is flowing to the receptacle with a noncontact circuit tester. Unscrew the cover plate with a screwdriver, then unscrew the receptacle from the box. Disconnect the wires -- the fastest way is to snip them with wire snippers -- and remove the receptacle.

Disconnect the circuit cable from the electrical panel if you don't plan to keep it. If you aren't comfortable working in the panel, get an electrician to do this part of the job. Leave the cable connected if you plan to bypass the outlet.

Break the plastic tabs at the back of the box with the screwdriver so that the cables slide easily, then pull out the circuit cable, if you are removing the circuit. You may be able to get it out by going into the attic or basement and pulling it through the top or bottom of the wall plate. If you can't do this, just push it out of the box.

Examine the box. If you see a 1/2-inch flange around the outside with a screw at the top and bottom, it's a remodeling box. Loosen the screws with a screwdriver as you pull on the box with the other hand. At some point, the plastic anchors holding it to the wall will release it, and you can pull it off.

Cut a hole around the box with a drywall saw if it isn't a remodeling box. Make the hole dimensions 2 or more inches bigger than the box so you can access the nails holding the box to the wall. Pull out the nails with a pry bar or pliers and remove the box.

Staple the circuit cable to the stud with wire staples to keep it out of the way if you couldn't pull it out. Before you finish the job, be sure to cut off the other end so that the cable is unusable. Cut back and secure any cable branching off from the receptacle in the same way.

Patch the hole with fresh drywall. Cut a brace that spans the hole from 1/2-inch plywood, support it against the back of the drywall and drive drywall screws from the front to hold it. Screw the drywall patch to the brace with drywall screws, then tape it with paper tape, using a 4-inch drywall knife. Finish it with two or more coats of joint compound.

Things You Will Need

  • Noncontact circuit tester
  • Screwdriver
  • Wire snippers
  • Drywall saw
  • Pry bar
  • Pliers
  • Wire staples
  • Hammer
  • 1/2-inch plywood
  • Drywall
  • Drywall screws
  • Drywall tape
  • Drywall joint compound
  • 4-inch drywall knife

  • To bypass the outlet, twist together wires of the same color from each of the cables in the box and screw a wire connector onto each set of twisted-together wires. Push the wires into the box and screw on a solid cover plate.

About the Author

A love of fundamental mysteries led Chris Deziel to obtain a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in humanities. A prolific carpenter, home renovator and furniture restorer, Deziel has been active in the building and home design trades since 1975. As a landscape builder, he helped establish two gardening companies.

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30 September 2010

Beer Diary: here, there, and everywhere

I guess it has been a pretty good week: I've been able to stop by three different Indiana breweries and enjoy their brews. First up is Half Moon Restaurant and Brewery in Kokomo. This is actually my first visit to Half Moon, so I purchased a $9.99 beer sampler and tried all six of John Templet's regular taps and his three specialty taps.

Currently on tap: Cannon Shot Cream Ale, which is a pleasant, sweet, malty treat; Wildcat Wheat, with a light and slightly sweet flavor; Stoplight City Red, which is easy on hops but not absent of; Elwood's IPA, which packs a strong punch of bitters to the back of the throat while maintaining a nice, easy citrus flavor; Cole Porter, a black beer that has a flavor with a bite (are the malts smoked in their smoker?); seasonal Raz Rye, where the bite of the rye cuts through the sweet tart raspberries; seasonal KokoMonster, which the bartender couldn't tell me what style it was (Old Ale), but I knew at 8% it went down too easy; and the oddly named seasonal MILF-n-honey which is a very sweet wheat.

My favorite of their beers, though, is the regular Hazelnut Brown Ale. It has a beautiful nutty aroma, is cloudy brown, and has a strong hazelnut flavor and an almost coffee-like flavor. Which would make this beer perfect for the morning!

I also stopped by The Ram Restaurant and Brewery in downtown Indianapolis. While there, I had Andrew Castner's Pie'd Piper Pumpkin Ale. I have a love/hate relationship with pumpkin beers. If it tastes like pumpkin pie, I love it. If it tastes like just pumpkin, I hate it.

Hey Andrew: I love it!

I haven't had my fix of Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale yet (just got hooked up by my beer pimp), but it is the standard that I measure all other pumpkin beers. And this one is pretty close. It has a nice amount of spice, pumpkin flavor, and breadiness to give you the feel of pumpkin pie without going over the top and tasty like a $6 Starbucks seasonal coffee. Put simply: near perfect. So good, I had a second glass instead of trying one of the other seasonals.

I finish by mentioning that I had a sneak sip of Sun King's Big H Hefeweizen. I'm not a big fan of wheats and hefe's. I got a lot of bananas but little clove. I'm not big on bananas and I'm not big on hefeweizens, so it should be no surprise that I'm not big on this beer.

But I was trying this beer with Mike, who is a hefeweizen fan, and he said it was "spot on". So if you like hefe's, give this one a shot (I could have left this for Mike to say, but I'm guessing he doesn't have a beer diary coming up soon).

Beer and Chocolate - what could possibly be better?

We are proud to announce a beer and chocolate tasting event!  We'll pair 6 beers with truffles from the Best Chocolate in Town.  The event will be at the wonderfully awesome Ball & Biscuit.  Get your tickets quick, as the event is limited to just 25 people.

When: Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
Where: Ball & Biscuit, 331 Massachusetts Avenue
Time: 6:30 pm

Tickets are just $15 (cash or check, please) and only available at the Best Chocolate in Town.  Proceeds from this event will be donated to Second Helpings.

29 September 2010

Yelp Elite Event at Chef JJ's

Chances are, you're probably familiar with Yelp.  Yelp is one of the most prolific restaurant review sites on the internet, spanning a broad range of cities and business types.  Even if you haven't posted a review on it, you've probably read one.  Yelp has a special designation for its top reviewers in each area, and that is "Yelp Elite."  As we recently found out, Yelp hosts events for their Yelp Elite in each city, designed to both encourage people to become top reviewers, and to expose these review powerhouses to local businesses that they may not have otherwise experienced.  The first such event in Indy was held at the Ball and Biscuit.  The second event was recently held at Chef JJ's Backyard.  These events aren't open to the public, but Yelp Ambassador Jon Akerman invited a few members of HBG to the Chef JJ event to share with our readers what these Yelp Elite events are all about.

Over here at Hoosier Beer Geek, we've shared a number of different Chef JJ's Backyard events with you.  Hey, there's even a couple Sun King brewer's dinners coming up in November.  In case you're new to the Chef JJ experience, the entire concept is that all of the food is prepared on Big Green Eggs - magical ceramic grills/ovens.  The Yelp Elite event was part educational and part small plate beer pairing.  We heard after the event that at least one Yelp Elite member was so impressed by the Big Green Egg experience, he bought one that night!  Here's a sample of the plates and beer pairings we experienced.

Food: Grilled Bread Trio - "chewy and crunchy" grilled baguette rubbed with Artisano's blood orange, chipotle and basil olive oils.

Beer: Sunlight Cream Ale

Summary: The bread was topped with a watermelon and cabbage slaw that helped lighten the oiled breads. Sunlight was light enough to not take away from the flavored oils and helped cleanse the oil from the palate. Of the three oils, blood orange was probably the strongest flavored and worked best with the slaw.

Food: Vegan Butternut Squash and Sage Soup

Beer: Wee Mac Scottish Ale

Summary: A very hearty stew made even more unique by the different stages of grill preparation it underwent. Wee Mac picked up a lot of nutty characteristics with from the squash and imparted a complimentary flavor.

Food: Gorgonzola Potatoes with Grilled Steak from Goose the Market

Beer: Osiris Pale Ale

Summary: The smoked and then grilled steak was incredibly well seasoned with a dash of Worcestershire. The blue cheese in the potatoes and the salty smoked meat both helped bring out a more dominate malt character in the beer, while the hops worked in the opposite direction to cleanse the palate (as they tend to do).

Food: Salted Caramel Brownies

Beer: Big H Hefeweizen

Summary: This was a fun deconstructed s'more. Big banana flavors in the beer created a new flavor experience of chocolate covered banana.

It was a lot of fun to see so many adventurous people together trying a new experience at the Backyard Grill. If you're interesting in participating in future Yelp Elite events, the only way to do so is to post a ton of well written reviews - so get Yelping!

24 September 2010

Random Beer Roundup - The Oktoberfest Edition

Congratulations to the 3 breweries who brought home four medals from last weekend's Great American Beer Festival!  Sun King won 2 medals, one for their Dominator Dopplebock and the other for Golden Slumber.  Three Floyds took one home for Munsterfest.  Liz from Rock Bottom College Park won for her Naked Oatmeal Stout.

Thanks to those that attended our Beer and Cheese event at Goose the Market on Monday. What's up next? Did someone say Beer and Chocolate?

If there is something coming up that is not listed, we would love to hear about it. News, reviews, info, etc., to share for our next Random Beer Roundup can be submitted to hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com. Don't see your favorite craft beer establishment? Let them know you'd like to see them here! Work for an establishment that serves craft beer? We want to hear from you too!

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

What's Brewing

From Dan at Great Crescent Brewery in Aurora:
We have a few updates this time around - details for all these items can be found on our website, www.gcbeer.com.

Coconut Porter was packed on Saturday September 18 and is available at the brewery and on-draft at Bourbon's Bar and Grill in Downtown Lawrenceburg, IN. It can also be found at the local Aurora/Lawrenceburg area retailers listed on our website.

Power House Brewing Company from Columbus, IN and Great Crescent Brewery of Aurora, IN teamed-up to brew a collaborative beer - Belgian Dubbel. Indiana honey was used in place of the Belgian candy sugar. This beer should be ready by the end of October.

The Great Crescent Brewery will be hosting 2 events in October:
October 2 we will be open from 10am to 10 pm with beer available by the glass - IPA, Coconut Porter, Dark Lager, and Blonde Ale will be available for $3/pint. We will also have pulled pork sandwiches/chips and soft drinks. We have an area in the warehouse set up with our 1933 (repeal of Prohibition) bar set up with inside seating.

October 29 and 30 we will host an event for Main Street Aurora - "6th Annual Horror, History and Hauntings" starting at 6 pm in the Great Crescent Brewery. Food will be served as a catered dinner with beer available by the glass for $3/pint. Soft drinks will also be served. This is an "Over-21" event.
From New Albanian Brewing Co. in New Albany:
Obviously on our end, it's all about Louisville Craft Beer Week. The
activities have been updated to include the menu for Beer Brunch:

From Andrew at Ram Restaurant and Brewery in Indianapolis/Fishers:
The RAM Indianapolis is excited to announce Oktober-Feast 2010, a beer and food tasting to celebrate all of the wonderful flavors of Fall. On Saturday, October 16th, Head Chef, Steven Anderson, will team up with Head Brewer, Andrew Castner, to present a multiple course Food and Beer pairing event featuring a delicate Carmelized Onion Tart with Smokey Bleu Cheese, Walnuts, and Sage, an entrée of Braised Osso Bucco with Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes followed by a delectable apple Tarte Tatin for dessert. This fantastic menu will be paired with our tantalizing Fall beer favorites including Pie’d Piper Pumpkin Ale, Big Horn Oktoberfest, and a sneak peak at our yet-to-be-released American Nut Brown Ale. Come by or call our downtown location at 317-955-9900 to obtain tickets. The event will be limited to 40 guests and introductions will start at 4:30 pm.

From Cari and Charles at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington:
Friday, October 1, 5-7 pm, the Indiana Humanities Council is hosting author Rita Kohn and complimentary tasting for the release of her book on Indiana beer, "True Brew." Upland and Sun King will be on hand with samples of their beer.

Sunday, October 3, come up to Trader's Point Creamery as they host their annual Oktoberfest. Polka Boy will be performing and Upland brews will be flowing. Event starts at Noon.

Look forward to seeing you!
Saturday, Oct. 2nd, noon-5pm: Valpo Brewfest: Upland will be sampling beer alongside other Indiana and guest breweries at the first ever Valpo Brewfest in Valparaiso, Indiana, which is expected to be the largest beer festival in Northwest Indiana. Participants will be able to cast their vote for the Hoosier Brew award - the best beer made in Indiana!

At the Bar

From Jordan at the Beer Sellar:
New this week at Beer Sellar

on tap:

Three Floyds Dreadnaught IPA for a limited time only.
Warstiner Octoberfest joins our other five seasonal Octoberfest beers.
New Holland Ichabod Ale
Crown Brewing Bodacious Brown Ale

Bells 25th Anniversary and Oracle are here but selling fast.

There is still two weeks to help choose our beer of the month but drinking one of Victory Brewery's four beers.

Specials/ Events

Come watch the UFC fight this Saturday night and enjoy $9 pitchers of Sierra Nevada Tumbler

Beer Sellar is making Monday's more fun with Monday Night Football. $ 3 U-call it pints on over 45 taps.

From Jeffery T at the Good Beer Show in Muncie (on behalf of the Fickle Peach):
Tap List:

Oct 5th
Founder's Breakfast Stout A+
Three Floyds' Alpha King A
Bell's Brewing Le Batteur of the Jazz series

Oct 6th
Three Floyds' Apocalypse Cow A-
Bell's Brewing Sparkling Ale B+
Bell's Brewing Le Pianiste 2nd in Jazz series

Oct 7th
Founder's Canadian Breakfast Stout A+
Founder's Nemesis A- 2010
Three Floyds' Dreadnaught
BBC's Mephistopheles Metamorphosis B- Tripel Cellared 5 years
BBC's Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout B+
Stone's Ruination IPA A
Boulevard's Tank #7 Farmhouse Ale A-
Left Hand's Imperial Stout B+
Jolly Pumpkin's Luciernaga, The Firefly A-
La Trappe's Quad Koningshoeven A- Cellared one year
Bell's Brewing Le Contrebassiste 3rd in the Jazz series

Should any of those run dry, we will then tap...
Founder's Old Curmudgeon B+
Founder's Devil Dancer A-
Founder's El Diablo Del Noche A-
Founder's Backwoods Bastard A- (Cellared one year. Mmmm!)

And finally, Upland will provide a firkin of Caleb's choice that will be tapped on Saturday the 9th.

Thanks, we hope to see as many beer geeks/lovers as possible!

From Lauren at Scotty's Brewhouse:
New Scotty's Brewhouse Fall Drink Menu coming October 5th!

Scotty's Brewhouse will be selling special drinks starting October 1st where a portion of the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation

Scotty's Brewhouse Bloomington now serving Spaten Oktoberfest!

Carry Out
From Eric at 21st Amendment Liquors in Broad Ripple:
Over the next month or so, as the weather continues to cool, there's nothing I like more than a well made pumpkin ale. Of all the pumpkin ales we have on our shelves, my two favorites are the Dogfish Head Punk'n and the Schlafly Pumpkin. Both of these beers give you the brewers take on what pumpkin pie in a glass tastes like.
Dogfish Head has also supplied us with a single case of Burton Baton. The Burton is an oak-aged Imperial IPA. It's smooth and balanced enough to drink right now, but further aging will help bring out new levels of flavors.
In addition to those wonderful beers, we've got an extensive collection of Oktoberfests and Pumpkin Ales ready to go for you!
From Jeremy at Big Red Liquors (E. 3rd St., Bloomington):
New this week:
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
Founders Breakfast Stout
Dogfish Head Bitches Brew
Bell's Octoberfest

Great prices on:
Bell's Two Hearted
Upland Octoberfest
Becks 12 packs
Pilsner Urquell

Don't forget to mark your calendar.
18th Annual Big Red MillerCoors Beer Festival
Thursday Oct 14th & Friday Oct. 15th
From Greg at Big Red Liquors in Bloomington (Downtown):
New this week:

New Zealand back in the house!
*MOA Triple A true Abbey style Tripel with strong clove and spice flavours
*MOA 5 Hop
*Steinlager in bottles and 10oz Slim Cans
Other New Items
*Two Brothers Atom Smasher Octoberfest
*Dogfish Head B*tches Brew Very Limited Supply!!
*Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Potts Landbier
*Hebrew Freaktober
*Point Cascade Pale
*Ayinger Oktoberfest

*Two old favorites, a new way to drink them:
Victory Dark Devil-- Perfect for Halloween! A Dark Devil is a black and tan using Victory Hop Devil and Storm King Imperial Stout

*Don't forget our weekly beer tasting! Thursdays, 6-8pm September 30th we will be tasting our favorite Double IPA's
*Mark your calender!! Big Red Liquors Beer Fest is coming!! Thursday Oct 14th and Friday Oct 15th, 6-9pm at the Bloomington Convention Center. Over 250 different beers to sample!! Proceeds benefit The Bloomington Boys and Girls Club, Martha's House and Middle Way House! Tickets available at your Local Big Red Liquors store!
From Bill at Crown Liquors in Indianapolis:
New this week at Crown Wine and Spirits- Ohio and Delaware - Downtown Indy

Dogfish Head Bitches Brew (very limited)
Dogfish Head Burton Baton
Victory Moonglow
Gale's Hard Cider
Bunratty Mead

and a small additional allocation of Bell's 25th Anniversary and Heavy Seas Greater Pumpkin.

Friday's tasting (3pm-7pm) will feature an all-Victory Brewing line-up: Twelve, Prima Pils, Moonglow, Golden Monkey and Storm King!
From the Distributors

From Greg at Cavalier Distribution:
Stein Pure Lager from New Zealand is back in Indiana! It is available again in both bottles & cans!

Cavalier Distributing is proud to recognize the following 2010 GABF Winners from our portfolio:
The Bruery
Clipper City
Great Divide
Jolly Pumpkin
Left Hand
Mad River
Two Brothers

9/24 Fall Beer Tasting @ Chalet #3 in Elkhart, 5-7
9/25 Fall Beer Tasting @ Godfather's Lq in Valpo, 2:30-4:30
9/25 Craft & Import Beer Night @ The Wine Stable & Brew Co. in Pendleton, 5 - 11
9/30 Fall Beer Tasting @ Chalet #1 in Middlebury, 3-5
10/8 Fall Beer Tasting @ Delock's in Dyer, 4-6
10/13 Founders Beer Dinner @ Monon Food Company in Broad Ripple, more details to come....

23 September 2010

Hoosier Beer Geek's 2010 Oktoberfest Challenge

As the temperatures begin to drop (well, that hasn't quite happened yet...) and the leaves begin to turn, we focus our attention on the coming of fall and those tasty fall beers. Oktoberfest is a style that a lot of breweries put their own spin on - our quest to sample them all left us with bottles from 28 different breweries.

As a drinker, the choices can be overwhelming, but we're here to help. That's why we've taken in on ourselves to make our way through all 28 and chose our Oktoberfest Challenge Champion.

Scoring Explained - Four Knights (Gina, Jason, Mike and Knight Emeritus Kelly) voted on the beers in the first ten rounds. The top beer was given 3 points, 2 for second, 1 for last. The beer with the most total points was promoted to the second round.

A. Beck's Oktoberfest - 11 points
B. Hofbrau Oktoberfest - 9 points
C. Weihenstephaner Festbier - 4 points

A. Berghoff Oktoberfest - 6 points
B. Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest - 9 points
C. Saranac Oktoberfest - 8 points

A. Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest - 5 points
B. Sprecher Oktoberfest - 11 points
C. Lakefront Oktoberfest - 8 points

A. Harpoon Oktoberfest - 7 points
B. Three Floyds Munsterfest - 12 points
C. Dundee Oktoberfest - 5 points

A. Atwater Bloktoberfest - 10 points
B. Shiner Oktoberfest - 7 points
C. Schlafly Oktoberfest - 7 points

A. Coney Island Freaktoberfest - 8 points
B. Brooklyn Oktoberfest - 8 points
C. Stegmaier Oktoberfest - 8 points
Freaktoberfest was thrown out because it obviously didn't fit style, both the Brooklyn and Stegmaier beers were promoted to the next round.

A. Point Oktoberfest - 10 points
B. Rogue Maierfest - 6 points
C. Clipper City Marz Hon - 7 points

A. Left Hand Oktoberfest - 8 points
B. Two Brothers Atom Smasher - 12 points
C. Samuel Adams Oktoberfest - 4 points

A. Bell's Oktoberfest - 6 points
B. Upland Oktoberfest - 6 points
Both beers advance.

A. Paulaner Oktoberfest - 8 points
B. Spaten Oktoberfest - 4 points

Kelly removed herself from the evening's activities for the second round.

A. Beck's Oktoberfest - 6 points
B. Stegmaier Oktoberfest - 3 points
C. Paulaner Oktoberfest - 9 points

A. Three Floyd's Munsterfest - 7 points
B. Point Oktoberfest - 6 points
C. Upland Oktoberfest - 5 points

A. Atwater Bloktoberfest - 8 points
B. Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest - 3 points
C. Sprecher Oktoberfest - 7 points

A. Bell's Oktoberfest - 4 points
B. Brooklyn Oktoberfest - 6 points
C. Two Brothers Atom Smasher - 8 points

A. Paulaner Oktoberfest - 9 points
B. Three Floyd's Munsterfest - 8 points
C. Atwater Bloktoberfest - 5 points
D. Two Brothers Atom Smasher - 8 points

What's to be learned in drinking 28 (well, 27) beers of the same style? A few things, actually.

First off, we've learned that drinking 28 examples of anything might be a bigger mission than it looks like from the outside. Back in 2008 when we did our Pumpkin Beer Challenge we were only dealing with 11 varieties, and it seemed like a manageable task. But when more than doubling that number we quickly found out that working our way through was going to take most of the evening - we started sampling (about one ounce at a time) at around 7pm and didn't finish up until around midnight. (That's roughly 44 oz. over 5 hours if you're keeping track.)

Secondly we learned that just because a beer is listed as a style doesn't necessarily mean it's going to take like all the others. Atwater's Bloktoberfest tasted more like an Old Ale than an Oktoberfest to me, and Berghoff's Oktoberfest is just plain bad - I'm no beer judge but it was pretty much impossible to miss the buttery diacetyl flavor coming through. Knowing which beers were in the lineup, and despite drinking all the beers blind, I immediately asked if our sample was Berghoff - we'd had the beer before (I have no idea why my score was that high, but we don't edit old reviews).

Lastly we learned that when all else fails, style guidelines (or at least expectation of a style) have to be your guide. Three of our final four beers had distinctly different flavors, but my top choice (Three Floyd's Munsterfest) was highly reminicent of the Sun King Oktoberfest we recently reviewed). I couldn't in good faith vote Blocktoberfest the winner because it just didn't fit the style - no one buys an Oktoberfest in hopes of drinking an Old Ale. And Paulaner was exactly what it was supposed to be - a true German Oktoberfest. It's a fitting winner of this challenge.

For my money I'd still go with the Three Floyd's Munsterfest though - it comes in a bomber instead of a six pack, and after making my way through 28 Oktoberfests, I know that it'd be a long time before I got through six more.

Of everyone at Hoosier Beer Geek, I suspect I'm the one most excited when Oktoberfest beers come out. Given that at least half of my DNA speaks with German accent, it is not surprise that I love events that involve leather pants, big sausages, polka, and beer. I never would have thought that I would tire of drinking Oktoberfest beers.

This 28 beer tasting session proved me wrong. I don't know how beer judges do it. Normally, when we roundtable a beer, I'm looking for what's right with it. When tasting 28 beers from the same style, you end up looking for what is wrong. That takes the fun out of beer drinking.

When it was all said and done with, my favorite beer of the night came straight from Germany: Pauliner. But I would happily drink any of the other final four beers: Blocktoberfest, Munsterfest, and Atom Smasher. I also concur with Mike at Blocktoberfest is not true to style. I don't know if I'd call it an Old Ale, but I noted "It tastes like fall fruit harvest to me."

Other Oktoberfest beers that I made note of during the blind tasting:

-The third group of beers were hard to choose between for me. They included Thirsty Dog's Barktoberfest, Sprecher, and Lakefront. Of the three, Sprecher just edged out the other two.

-I should have known better when I was snatching up any beer that remotely sounded like an Oktoberfest beer that Coney Island's Freaktoberfest would not be to style. I laughed out loud at the crazy color that it had.

-They didn't advance, but I did enjoy the carmelly goodness of Clipper City's Marz Hon and the pilsner-esque quality of Rogue's Maierfest.

-I've tweeted about my enjoyment of Sam Adams' Octoberfest. It met up with Left Hand and Two Brothers Atom Smasher. I have noted that I enjoyed all three in this group, that I just enjoyed Sam Adams a little bit less. And I had a hard time deciding between Left Hand and Atom Smasher.

-In a head to head group, Bell's and Upland evenly split the votes amongst the four of us (thanks Kelly for joining us!).

-While Beck's was able to move into the second round with it's green bottled beer, Spaten was not because it had skunked. Badly. Beware the green bottles.

For me, the Oktoberfest challenge was met with some highs and lows. The bad news is highs weren't super high, but the good news is that the lows weren't super low either. For some rounds, distinguishing different aromas and flavors from the samples was easier. For others, I wondered if Jason was messing with us and pouring the same beer in each glass.

Out of the gate, the Hofbrau Oktoberfest was a top choice and Munsterfest lingered on my brain long after it was poured in group 4. The Brooklyn Oktoberfest scored very low from me in early rounds, but later it strongly reminded me of black tea in an old musty kitchen (in a good way). Some had a lot of fruity esters (Left Hand, Sam Adams), some tasted soapy (Schlafly, Shiner), and unfortunately some were skunked (Spaten).

The most exciting of the 28 beers was the Blocktoberfest from Atwater Block. One sip and I immediately wrote "woah, sour" in my notes. I think it was more dark fruit than sour, but it had a tart bite similar to some sours. It was a very different take on the style and to me, that was a good thing. Other favorites for me were Stevens Point Oktoberfest which consistently scored well in my rankings, as well as Sprecher's version. In our last bracket, I scored the final four from low to high as follows: Blocktoberfest, Munsterfest, Paulaner, and Atom Smasher.

In the end, I have a greater appreciation for this style and also for beer judges that do this type of thing on a regular basis. Blind tasting 28 beers and trying to dissect them, though fun, is not an easy task. And we weren't necessarily concerned about how they fit to the proper style parameters. I do find it interesting that there were some parallels in BJCP commercial examples and the ones we voted through. I think the easiest explanation is that it comes down to the fact that a good beer is a good beer.

Believe it or not, at the end of the evening we poured all the leftovers into a pitcher together and drank it.

Notes from the Beer and Cheese Benefit

A huge thank you to everyone who came out on Monday to support Gabe Jordan and Kelly Funk. We raised a significant amount of money for the two charities, which is very exciting. Through the donations of our beer and cheese vendors and the employees of Goose the Market, we were able to donate 100% of the money we collected to charity! In case you missed this beer and cheese pairing, we'll definitely be having more events with Goose the Market in the future. Keep checking back for these events, and many more coming soon!

If you'd like to play along at home, here are the beer and cheese pairings we had. All of the beers and cheeses are available at Goose the Market.

Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse (organic Hefeweizen) with Vermont Shepherd's Cheese from Vermont Shepherd (raw sheep milk, aged 4-8 months) - The yeast in this beer, while typically subdued by fruit flavors, becomes very creamy with this cheese.

Sun King Osiris Pale Ale with Mayberry from Swiss Connection (pasteurized cheddar from Indiana) - This sharp cheddar stands up to the crisp hop bitterness; two Indiana producers!

Hop Ruiter (Belgian pale) with La Mancha Moo from Evergreen Lane Farm (Camembert-style cow's milk from Michigan) - The earthiness of the cheese creates a pleasing match for the sweet and spicy Belgian yeast.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous (black IPA) with Fog Lights from Cypress Grove (multi-layered/textured goat cheese from California) - Despite the hoppy nature of this beer, the pairing left behind nothing but pure milk chocolate. My favorite of the night!

Kulmbacher Brauerei EKU 28 (Doppelbock) with Bûche from Juniper Grove (raw goat's milk cheese from Oregon with a piece of straw in the middle of each log) - the tanginess of the goat cheese was interesting with the strong sweetness of this beer. I'll admit I almost ate the straw...

Sinebrychoff Porter (Baltic porter) with Velours Bleu from Life in France (mold ripened with thin lines of blue, cow's milk) - I wasn't a huge fan of this beer on its own, but when paired I picked up strong notes of cola. Very interesting.

Thanks again to everyone who participated and helped donate to Gabe and Kelly. If you aren't already experimenting with pairing cheese and beer, you should be! The interactions are an adventure on their own.

2010 Great American Beer Fest Wrap Up

Where to even begin talking about the Great American Beer Fest. I will begin by saying that I thought the GABF couldn't live up to the hype that others and myself had built it up to be, but I was indeed incorrect about that assumption. My first thought was 49,000 tickets? That isn't really an issue though. There are so many brewers that show up to the GABF and the Denver convention center is so massive that during the Thursday and Saturday day sessions there isn't really a line for any brewers except for a select few. Friday night session and Saturday night session are more highly attended, but even then you can get right up to any table and get a sample without much hassle, but those sessions and those crowds are a little more.....drunk and obnoxious.

I really have to tip my hat to the people behind the Brewers Association and the GABF though. Here are some of the numbers for the beer fest:

49,000 attendees
3400 volunteers that help run the festival
2200 beers in the festival
3500 beers to be judged for competition
largest selection of beer ever on the convention floor

Some of my personal highlights:
Trinity Brewing from Colorado Springs, CO brought some really great beer. I didn't hit many brewers twice, but I think Rod and I hit Trinity no less than 15 times. The Flavor was one of the best beers there as was Old Growth. They were sour style beers that were showcased the talent of the brewer. Some sour beers I've had the brewer tends to have more brett cultures than talent, but these were some of the best sours I've ever had in my life. I am trying my best to trade for one of these beers on the beer websites.

The Bruery from California brought Black Tuesday and Oude Tart. I thought both of those were really tremendous.

Cascade Brewing from Portland, OR is another fantastic purveyor of the power of sour. I loved their kriek, bubonic plague, and Vlad the Imp Aler.

Iron Hill Brewing out of Pennsylvania won a gold metal for their pig iron porter that was really fantastic. I hit them more than once before the awards ceremony because I liked that beer that much.

Someone that I've never heard of before, but now I am considering a trip to Vermont just to hit them up is The Alchemist Pub & Brewery. I had the pleasure to hear a demonstration by owner and head brewer of the Alchemist, John Kimmich. He is serious and passionate about his beer. They only brew about 450 barrels a year, but they do not bottle and they do not allow growler sales. He also took home some hardware from GABF after the awards ceremony. If you are ever in Vermont they are a must hit. I had their double IPA called Ouroboros. It was one of the cleanest tasting DIPA's that I've personally ever tasted. I usually can't drink a great deal of hop bomb style beers, but I could have had several of these in one sitting.

Duck-Rabbit brewing from Farmville, North Carolina: They call themselves the dark beer specialists and I sampled everything they brought. I've had them before but their schwarzbier was tremendous and had reignited my passion for that style.

For my first GABF I couldn't have asked for a better time. Rod luckily was my tour guide the whole time and helped tremendously with knowing where to go. I've read some negative things about the fest, but quite honestly you are going to get that when you get that many people in a room full of beer. I can say that I will never again go to the Saturday night session. Most of the brewers don't show up for that session, people start running out of beer, and the crowd is just there to get as drunk as possible. The other three sessions were really great, but the feel of the last session is just a whole different animal. The city of Denver is a great town and I plan to head back when I can just to check out some other things outside of GABF. I will certainly go back again next year.

22 September 2010

2010 Great American Beer Festival - Day 3

On the third day of the Great American Beer Festival, there were two sessions, one Saturday afternoon and one Saturday evening. The two sessions could not be any more different. Saturday afternoon features the awards announcements and is mostly for the brewers and Saturday evening is largely a giant drunkfest. It's unfortunate, but that seems to be the way the festival has evolved. For that reason, we thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon session and only stopped by the evening session to grab a few more tastes of Trinity's The Flavor.  Here is a photo montage to commemorate the final day of GABF.

The famous giant bear peering in to the convention center

The front of the line for the afternoon session

Interesting graphic of the number of microbreweries in each state

The Sierra Nevada guys actually pedaled their trolley to Falling Rock one night - never again!

New Belgium always arrives with 12+ beers available

Tons of interesting Odell beers on tap including Deconstruction and Woodcut #4

Upslope is a hot new brewery in Boulder

These keg guys have been to GABF every year I have!

Dogfish Head had a line all session, every session

Iron Hill has great beers and won a few awards too

Representing Indiana RAM and Upland style

Alaskan brews one of the best smoked porters in the world

Foothills, home of Sexual Chocolate

Lost Abbey and Port Brewing of course had lines

Deschutes began to run out of beer on Saturday

Ted trying to get the secret of Upland lambics

Fat Heads had a great smoke beer and one of this year's Collaborative Evil

Matt is just trying to figure out where to get in on the High Life

Elysian poured my favorite pumpkin beer - Dark O' The Moon

We stopped at Pints Pub after the afternoon session for dinner.  This authentic English pub has a menu full of English food, is brewing 8+ English style ales in the restaurant, is serving proper live ale and houses one of the largest scotch selections in the world.  Needless to say, we had a great dinner!

ESB on nitro

Check out that beautiful scotch!


text:
With thousands of wicked programs floating nigh on on the internet, there is sure a well-behaved uncertainty that you'll get infected near quite a few constitute of spyware eventually. In bidding to fall the danger of you exploit infected, it is strategic to countenance at how spyware gets on your device and what you can do almost it.

First off, the most agreed way of pollution is through with straightforward downloads. This can come in in one of two ways. The premiere is hurtful programs that fake to do something like-minded tender you a allowed screensaver, dispense you the providence at successful unrestricted monetary system or give your word to efficiency up your computer, that are in veracity zilch but malicious programs that laggard your machine thrown.

A undisputed device wrong companies use to put insanitary computers on your data processor is finished pop-up ads that look remarkably connatural to windows stipulation messages, near "OK" and "cancel" buttons. Less weathered individuals be to estimate the message is forthcoming from their own computer, and click "OK" and end up downloading the despiteful code. Pop-up ads resembling this are fairly customary and habitually speech act to speediness up your machine, or assert that you have new messages. You should be incredibly unbelieving when you see things like-minded this.

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Jacquie Oldham Lifetime Canadian Coach, Dressage Judge and Mentor

Ottawa, Ontario — It is with deep regret that Equine Canada (EC) acknowledges the passing of long-time member, coach, official, clinician and mentor, Jacqueline (Jacqui) Oldham, 72, of Langley, BC, after a courageous battle with cancer. Jacqui was born in Bellevue, AB in 1938 and started riding as a young girl in Edmonton. By the age of 14, Jacqui directed her equestrian interest to dressage leading into a lifelong dedication to the sport.
Jacqueline continued on to accrue over 60 years of experience in the horse industry and had trained and competed in dressage up to the Grand Prix level. As an EC Level 2 Dressage Coach, Jacqueline shared her talent and knowledge with countless students from Training to Grand Prix levels.

“Jacqui has helped and mentored literally hundreds of people over the years and I feel very fortunate to have been one of her close friends and students,” stated Grand Prix rider Wendy Christoff.

A dressage judge since 1976, Jacqui received her Equine Canada Senior Dressage Judge status in 1993 and her United States Equestrian Federation Senior status in 1994. Jacqui had the enviable reputation of judging with authority, fairness and compassion, and this afforded her the opportunity to judge competitions in North America, Australia and Barbados.

Jacqui was one of the founding members of CADORA in British Columbia where she helped organizers develop the “Best Ever” program which helped identify and support talented horses and riders.

Jacqui held the position of president of the Horse Council of British Columbia (HCBC) from 1997 to 1998, and continued to sit in on hearings and disciplinary committees with HCBC after the completion of her term. In 2003, Jacqui was named the HCBC’s Official of the Year, and in 2009 HCBC bestowed Jacqui with their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jacqui proudly ran the very successful “Educate Your Eye” clinic for approved judges across Canada. Through this program, Jacqui truly excelled in sharing her lifetime of experience and love of dressage with aspiring judges. She mentored numerous judges over the years and touched thousands of others who will continue to benefit from her great work.

Jacqui played a large role in the advancement of Dressage Canada (DC) programs that focused on the development of horses and riders. DC recognized her passion and talent and had called upon her on two occasions to be an official facilitator and evaluator.

Jacqueline leaves behind her husband Bill and two children, Shannon and Haley, as well as two grandchildren Lauralee and Justin.

At her family’s request, memorial donations in lieu of flowers may to the BC Cancer Foundation at 600 – 686 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1G1, or to the equivalent agency in your local area.

Equine Canada would like to extend its deepest sympathies to Jacqui's family and friends.


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Hilton's New Concierge is Interactive TV

By Curt Harler | March 18, 2008

Hilton Hotels & Resorts is working with Reactrix (www.reactrix.com) to implement Samsung's (www.samsung.com) futuristic, interactive flat panel technology at select hub hotels across the company's global portfolio. The WAVEscape technology will allow guests to interact with screens to choose services, look at meeting room configurations, or find events around the town.

Initial installations will be in U.S. properties. However, Hilton is likely to have the technology on display at the Beijing Hilton during the Olympic Games in August. The Beijing Hilton is headquarters for both the U.S. and Israeli Olympic teams.

The interactive screens will allow guests to get information that ordinarily might require interaction with a conference manager or concierge at any time.

"We're looking to create a functional utility for adults but something that will appeal to the kid in them," says Jeff Diskin, senior vice president, brand management, Hilton Hotels.

The system allows a guest to see the property layout, look at the facilities and meeting rooms. "We hope to have a number of operating installations by the third quarter (of 2008) and about 100 running by year-end," he adds.

Diskin says Hilton sees this both as an opportunity to serve its customers in the hotel environment and a chance to show customers a peek at the future - much as hotels did when they first offered air conditioning or remotes in rooms.

"But we want to get it right before we roll it out," he says.

The heart of the current Hilton project is Samsung's large-format-display 570DX video screen. The 570DX offers a 3,000:1 Dynamic Contrast ratio and 600 cd/m2 brightness to communicate clearly in the brightest environments. Since these screens will be displayed near doors or in hotel lobbies and atriums, the ability of the 570DS to be seen under bright light conditions is key.

The panels will offer guests a way to interact with the hotel's wide array of services and guest offerings, including Hilton Fitness by Precor and, for business gatherings, the brand's suite of services and e-tools, Hilton Meetings. Hilton's goal is to use the technology to introduce a type of virtual concierge affording another opportunity for each hotel to connect with guests.

"Today's consumer wants to interact with products and services in multiple ways. We've responded to that trend by using technology in our hotels to engage our guests with online, offline, and self-service tools - like our e-check-in kiosk, which allows the choice of touch-screen or in-person check-in," says Diskin. "With Samsung and Reactrix, we're introducing industry-leading 'fingertip' technology in our hotels, as a fun and futuristic way for our guests to discover the hotel's wide range of services and products available."

A customer looking for conference room information, for example, can check room sizes and see how a room would be configured for a business presentation, a wedding, or a dance.

Diskin says the system is quite flexible and only limited by the contexts that they might want to explore. Content can be updated wirelessly.

Early tests show users are intrigued by the system. Therein is a challenge: placing the panels in lobby areas, ballroom halls, or elevator banks could cause bottlenecks as users avail themselves of the technology and others, fascinated, look on. Hilton feels they can handle the challenge. Indeed, they are looking multiple-user screens.

"This is a huge component of the potential to answer questions about what people want to do when they travel," says Diskin.

"We expect guests will see it as a cool information resource and use it as a way to find themselves in the hotel and discover things of interest inside and outside the hotel," Diskin says.

In the initial phase, the system will be used mainly as an information resource. Down the road, it may be used to create a revenue stream with existing Hilton partners like Coca-Cola or Precor Fitness.

"At the moment, we are not looking to tie it to check-in or meeting room reservations, although the technology exists to do that," Diskin says. "We are not focused on creating transactions but to facilitate information exchange."

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IRS spent $4.4 billion on IT over past five years

posted at 2:01 pm on June 27, 2014 by Ed Morrissey

A nice catch by Mary Lou Byrd at the Free Beacon, and an instant rebuttal to claims that the destruction of e-mails related to the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS is a budget issue. When Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee haven’t busied themselves with obsequious apologies to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for the Republicans holding his agency accountable for abuse of power, they and other defenders of the IRS complained that the real lesson of the epidemic of hard-drive failures and data losses is that the IRS really needs more money. According to government records, though, the IRS has spent more than $4 billion on information technology over the last five years:

The IRS under the Obama Administration has spent over $4 billion on contracts labeled under information technology and software despite IRS Commissioner John Koskinen testifying this week that budgetary restraints prevented the agency from spending $10 million to save and store emails.

Koskinen said “declining budget resources” at the IRS caused the agency decided to reject spending the $10 million needed to ensure emails were properly secured.

A review of IRS spending by the Free Beacon shows the agency has spent a massive amount on what it labeled as IT/software and data processing contracts in the past five fiscal years. The official government’s spending website shows the IRS spent $4.4 billion during this time period.

That improves on the Bush administration funding for IRS’ IT efforts, but not by a huge percentage. Over eight years, the IRS spent $5.3 billion on IT during the Bush years, making for almost ten billion dollars spent over the last 13 years. That’s an average of $746 million a year over that period, and $880 million a year during the Obama administration. With that kind of money, it’s difficult to explain why the IRS could afford the kind of data storage that the federal government requires publicly-held corporations to use in Sarbanes-Oxley regulation, and indeed what the IRS is required to do under federal law as well. And this data makes it very clear that budget resources were not “declining” at all at the IRS, at least not in the IT budget, despite what Koskinen claims.

That’s not the only questionable claim from the IRS commissioner, either. Last night, Koskinen appeared on CNN to tell Wolf Blitzer that he’s expecting an interim report from the Inspector General soon, and that losing e-mails isn’t the same as losing official records:

Ahem. Koskinen still hasn’t read the IRS manual, it seems, because it’s quite clear that it considers all e-mail messages as “official documents”:  (08-30-2012)

  1. Email messages are official documents and should reflect this perspective. Email communications can be offered as evidence in court and can be legally binding. Before sending an email, you must consider how it reflects on the Service’s image and take into account privacy, records management, and security factors.

And there’s also this at

  1. All federal employees and federal contractors are required by law to preserve records containing adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and essential transactions of the agency. Records must be properly stored and preserved, available for retrieval and subject to appropriate approved disposition schedules.
  2. The Federal Records Act applies to email records just as it does to records you create using other media. Emails are records when they are:
    • Created or received in the transaction of agency business
    • Appropriate for preservation as evidence of the government’s function and activities, or
    • Valuable because of the information they contain

Maybe Koskinen should take the time to learn his own agency’s regulations, even before learning the law of spoliation. And perhaps Democrats should consider just how it looks to set themselves up as the chief defenders and apologists for the IRS and the painfully obvious arrogance coming from its chief bureaucrat. Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein reluctantly concurred with Mark Halperin on Morning Joe today that the optics of Democratic incuriosity about IRS abuse of power looks awful:

Democrats like having the IRS act as the speech police, but cheering for the IRS is a lot less prevalent among Americans outside the Beltway.

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