Frank Niro (right) playing the tournament winner, Corey Longhurst, in this photo from last year's Meridian Invitational as other participants look on.
This year's Meridian Invitational USCF rated chess tournament will be held on June 23 at our home in Meridian, Idaho. Let me know if you would like an invitation. Limit is 12 players. There is no entry fee again this year. As always, refreshments will be served.
Click here to view the tournament flyer with the details.
Click here for last year's tournament report on the ICA web site:
Sadly, we just recieved this note from our friends
Sarrah and Carlos Torres:
WINESTOCK is closing
THANK YOU FOR 6 YEARS IN OC!
We have to share with you that as of May 31st Winestock will no longer exist in OC! We have been asked to leave our space by the landlord who has signed a lease with someone else. This has been really hard news for us to take! But, we are extremely thankful for the 6 years we had here with all of you. Thank you, thank you and thank you!
Here's what the month of May looks like @ Winestock:
THIS WEEK: NATIVE Cabernet Franc release party! Wed-Sat
NEXT WEEK: BLIND TASTING, Test your palate 1 last time @ Winestock! Wed-Sat, 3-10pm
May 19th: EPIC TRUCKLOAD SALE with BACCHUS! Sat, one-day only, 11-4pm. Regular shop/bar hours afterwards, til 10pm
LAST WINE BAR DAY: MAY 26th (EXPECT A PARTY!)
May 28th-29th: Fixture Sale
May 31st: Hand keys over to landlord
***OF COURSE: ALL WINES ON SALE!***
STOREWIDE SALE 15% OFF, 20% off 2 CASES (or more)***
INCLUDES ALL INVENTORY, except artwork and NATIVE Cabernet Franc. Further discounts may apply and those items will be marked.
DON'T MISS
THIS WEEK: NATIVE Cabernet Franc RELEASE! This week is monumental for us as we have been waiting for the release of this very special wine since the fall of 2010 and the time is now.
$22/bottle $118.80/6-pack $237.60 case $49/Magnum
One Varietal, One Barrel, One Vineyard
All Natural, Native, Hand-made, Nano-batch, unfiltered
23 case production and 6 magnums.
The 2010 growing season in the Columbia Valley was cooler than what's considered typical. Which for those of us who appreciate the subtle things in life and wine, was a gift from the wine gods. While the Summer season saw cooler days, the weeks approaching harvest were warm, sunny and dry. We were excited to make wine in 2010, especially given these conditions. A beautiful opportunity to make a beautiful wine! The early morning of October 15th we drove down the Columbia River Gorge thru the woods of Goldendale and entered the agrarian valley, destination: Benton City! We reached the heart of the Red Mountain appellation, to pick up a ton of hand-harvested, LIVE-certified, Cabernet Franc grapes from the Black Rock Vineyard, planted about 10 years earlier. The same day, we hand sorted and destemmed each cluster, thru the night along with the help of good friends! Over the next few weeks, fermentation went smoothly and as calculated, each day we saw the juice absorbing more color and phenolics from the berries. The native yeast did it's job, magically, completing fermentation on its own (and THEY say it can't be done!) The wine rested in barrel from November to November, (2-year and 3-year filled, French oak barrels bought from Beaux Freres). We racked into a 3-year barrel just before bottling on the full moon of 11-22-11. Bottled unfined, unfiltered. This is a beautiful Cabernet Franc, one that is reminiscent of the varietal and is showing real personality!
Upon opening the bottle, the aromatics are sweet and candied, showing floral notes of violets and roses, fresh raspberries and ripe cherries, with an undercurrent of spices. This is after just opening the bottle! Aromas deepen with more exposure to air. The color is a brilliant jewel tone, radiant and clear. On the palate the wine is silky smooth with a nice velvety backbone. The most impressive singular quality of the Native Cabernet Franc is it's "crazy, expansive length!" As for cellar time, good things happen to those who wait. Each time you open a bottle of Native you will be rewarded with a wine that is in a new place of its evolution, maturing slowly and surely over time. Expect this journey to continue thru the decade, now till 2020!
***
DISTRIBUTOR TRUCK SALE! WE ARE DOING IT ALL OVER AGAIN!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR *SATURDAY MAY 19TH* 11:00am-4:00pm. DISTRIBUTOR TRUCK SALE!
*NOTE: SALE WINES-AVAILABLE THIS ONE DAY ONLY, DURING SALE HOURS!*
Join us for a tremendous sale as a local distributor, Bacchus Wines is going out of business and we are here to help them move the last of their inventory. These are great wines selling from 20-50% off their normal retail prices. Nothing wrong with these wines except that they are stuck in a lonely warehouse. Help release them and give them a new home. Most wines will be available for tasting. Get here early and bring your truck! 11-4pm. Regular shop hours following.
***
CHEERS!
**Open at 3pm, MONDAY thru SATURDAY till MAY 26th**
wine by the glass, bottle, case
small plates . desserts
Sarrah and Carlos Torres
WINESTOCK
820 Main Street Suite B
Downtown Oregon City 97045
On 9th, between Railroad and Main
503-656-WINE
sarrah.winestock@mac.com • WineStock
Sarrah & Carlos Torres (photo courtesy of Lewis & Clark Bank)
Dreamgift by Spencer Brewer, often makes me reminisce about special times at Winestock, even though the last time we heard live music there it was by a harpist.
To: the FIDE Presidential Board
Re: Open Letter in objection to the recent Chicago visit
Dear FIDE Leadership Team,
The USCF Executive Board passed a motion this morning, with a vote of 7-0, directing me to convey our concerns related to FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's recent activities in Chicago, Illinois. The text of the motion is below:
The USCF is deeply concerned about FIDE President Ilyumzhinov's recent visit to Chicago and the resulting press coverage on the FIDE website, due to the fact that President Ilyumzhinov discussed a US National Championship event with Chicago organizers without USCF participation. Put simply, this is a step in the wrong direction as it shows a complete disregard for the authority of all national federations and is against the interests of the great game of chess, both worldwide and in the United States.
We were surprised and disappointed that FIDE did not use this visit by President Ilyumzhinov as an opportunity to work with USCF as a partner. We wish to make it clear that we expect any future discussion relating to FIDE Involvement in a US-based project must include approval by and integral involvement of the USCF.
The only persons authorized to represent the USCF in negotiations with FIDE on matters involving chess are President Ruth Haring, Executive Director Bill Hall, FIDE Delegate Michael Khodarkovsky and Zonal President Francisco Guadalupe.
FIDE's motto is "Gens una sumus" or "We are one family." In that spirit, the USCF sent a large delegation to the 2011 FIDE Congress in Krakow, Poland, expending significant resources to strengthen the relationship between FIDE and the USCF. To this end, we expect FIDE to respect the rights of the national federations and remember its own motto. In the future, we fully expect FIDE to seek approval from the appropriate USCF officials of the United States national federation, as designated herein pertaining to any and all planned chess related activities in the United States.
Expert Ted Belanoff of California won the 2012 Idaho Open in Pocatello with a perfect score of 5-0. Second place went to Gregory Nowack of Montana (3.5-1.5). Nowack lost to Belanoff in Round 4. Idaho players Caleb Kircher, George Lundy and Barry Eacker tied for 3rd through 5th. The Reserve section was won by Adam Porth of Idaho with 4.5 points.
Complete coverage can be found on the Idaho Chess Association web site.
Tash and I were privileged to accompany the Cornell Health Administration students to Alabama for the annual case Competition held at University of Albabama at Birmingham on February 16-17, 2012.Pictured, left to right, are Rachna Badlani, Natasha Niro, Frank Niro, Katie Strausser and Rachel DeSantis (photo courtesy of Katie Strausser)
There were 32 teams representing the premier graduate programs from around the country. The format included a preliminary round of six groups consisting of five or six teams. One winner was picked in each group to advance to the finals where they competed for cash prizes.
The team watched all of the six finalists' presentations this afternoon and saw some areas where they were clearly strong and on target, and other places where they might have done better.
I spoke with one of the judges for our group who said the choice of which team advanced to the finals from our group was very close and difficult, not disclosing who was the second choice (but her body language gave me a hint that it was probably Cornell). Because of the nature of the competition, the second place finisher in one group could have scored higher than the winner of another group. That's an unfortunate but necessary downside of the process.
In any case, at the awards banquet this evening, the Cornell team was awarded with the First Honorable Mention prize. In other words, they were the best of the rest that didn't make the finals. I was very impressed with their presentation as well as their ability to handle some really tough questions under pressure. Their award was truly deserved, in my opinion, and all the more outstanding given that they were apparently the only team among the 32 schools consisting entirely of first year students.
The Cornell team finished ahead of Michigan, Minnesota, Johns Hopkins, George Washington and a host of other outstanding programs. Katie, Rachel, and Rachna truly represented Cornell well and I trust that you will join me in congratulating them. They will not be bringing home the money, but the experience and the networking contacts clearly makes them all winners, as Randa Hall stated more than once. One of the other judges gave them each his card stating that his hospital has a one year fellowship program and that he would be honored to have either of the members of our team as a "fellow" in his system.
Well, aside from the fact that it's an uphill walk in every direction from downtown, and there's lots of snow and ice conducive to falling and breaking one's hip, and the college kids drive their dodge 'em cars around town like they're playing "Chicken" (and that's when they are sober), I would tend to agree. There's something to be said about re-branding a place to attract a certain demographic, and I am truly glad to be here, but let's be honest: the reality is that Ithaca is problematic for senior citizens. Tash and I have met Dr. Wilson personally, and his comments are genuine. But no offense, Don, it's not the entire story.
When we moved into our first apartment here in August (which was definitely NOT senior friendly), and had to move out after three nights due to accessibility issues, the comment from the owner was, "It's a college town, what did you expect?"
Don't get me wrong, we love it here, and most others will too (except a small majority of Californians). My comments above, however, are presented in the interest of full disclosure.
Anyway here's the link to the Yahoo article by Emily Brandon, US News, and here's the text related to Ithaca... A college town for retirees: Ithaca, N.Y.
College towns like Ithaca can be an ideal place to retire. For a median home price of just $176,500, retirees can take classes at Cornell University or Ithaca College and attend speeches, concerts, and sporting events. They can also spend their days hiking to the more than 100 waterfalls and gorges within 10 miles of downtown or sampling the wares of the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. Don Wilson, 65, a retired cardiologist from Rockford, Ill., bicycles throughout the Finger Lakes region three times a week. "The rural roads in the Finger Lakes region have so little traffic that you can ride three or four abreast on a bicycle in continuous conversation, learning from each other," he says. Wilson has also developed an interest in paleontology, and is taking a course on the subject at Cornell University and conducting research on fossils at the Museum of the Earth. "I think that university towns tend to attract interesting organizations, like the Museum of the Earth, and interesting people who may or may not be connected with the college."
We attended midnight Mass at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Ithaca (started with music at 10:30 pm). Not quite the same as our home church, Holy Trinity Ecumenical Catholic in Canby, OR, but as close as we have been able to find in the area. Beautiful spirit-filled service. Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and joyous 2012 from Frank & Tash Niro
The purpose of this index, organized by topic, is to make it easier for visitors to my blog to quickly find what might be of interest. Just click on the appropriate link and your browser will take you there.
Note: Click on "Home" at the bottom of the page to return to the main page with the most recent blog entries.
