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Chateau St Jean Winery

Ben Brouse — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:06:02 +0000

We recently took a trip to Sonoma, CA. The grounds of Chateau St. Jean winery are stunning.

A Veterans Day Photo Retouch

Ben Brouse — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:34:44 +0000

I have an old photo of my dad in the US Army. This photo predates me but I thought it would be interesting if I could try to restore and colorize the photo. All the work was completed in Photoshop. Here is the before and after.

Thanks to all vets for their service to our country.

Maryland Direct Wine Shipment

Ben Brouse — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:36:32 +0000

I recently talked about Maryland’s arcane liquor laws. Looks like something is finally starting to happen…

A bill has emerged in the House with many more sponsors than last years bill. I’m making this my one issue this year. If you represent me and don’t support this bill, I’m NOT VOTING FOR YOU! You (my delegates and senators) have repeatedly ignored public sentiment. We are watching. After all, you represent us, not the lobbyists.

Update (9/22/09): James Malone, Jr (one of my delegates) has signed on as a sponsor of this bill.

Maryland has Arcane Liquor Laws

Ben Brouse — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:51:36 +0000

This editorial in the Baltimore Sun is spot on. I never thought I’d agree with anything in that paper but this just shows you how deep the good ol’ boy network is entrenched in Annapolis, MD. Here are the highlights in case you don’t click through.

Maryland has clung to an outdated, three-tiered regulatory system developed after Prohibition that requires alcohol to pass from producer to wholesaler to retailer before it reaches the consumer. Clearly, its authors never anticipated the growth of the U.S. wine industry and its thousands of small producers creating wines in relatively small batches.
Advocates estimate that perhaps only 15 percent of American-made wines can be found in Maryland restaurants and store shelves today. The rest is denied to the public because of the ban on direct shipment.

If you don’t agree with this outdated law, you can do something about it. Free the Grapes, a national, grassroots coalition, has been leading the charge to remove restrictions on wine direct shipping. They will help you sign a petition and get it to your state legislator.

This Site Makes Me Laugh

Ben Brouse — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:29:13 +0000

Here is the site – wholly dedicated to poorly done logos. This fine example almost made me spew.

Holla

Ben Brouse — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:34:07 +0000

Last nite I attended an event with several friends. At one point, the word ‘Holla’ came up and I was verbally accosted, “You are the whitest person I’ve ever met.” – all because I had no idea what this meant (If you know this individual pls spam her for saying that)

I have no intention of telling you what ‘Holla’ means but I’ll know if you click this link.

Oregon Central Coast

Ben Brouse — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:08:22 +0000

Here is a photo that I recently processed and edited. I really enjoy the contrast and “old-timey” feel of this photo.

Legg Mason Shareholders Continue to Amaze

Ben Brouse — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:48:43 +0000

If you haven’t read my other post about Legg then do so now.

Now the board for Legg Mason has finally met with shareholders at its annual shareholder meeting. From the Baltimore Business Journal, “board members defended the payments. They were reward, board members said, for Fetting and his management team for purging billions in toxic structured-investment vehicles, or SIVs, from Legg’s money-market funds and leading the asset manager through one of the rockiest financial markets in history.”

What amazes me the most is the shareholders of Legg Mason. “Legg’s shareholders returned to the board for 3-year terms all five directors who were up for reelection, including three directors who sit on the board’s compensation committee.” If you are currently invested in Legg Mason and to decide to keep your money there – you DESERVE to lose your money. Remember, these are the same people who lost $1.9 billion during the previous year.

Baltimore Drivers Suck

Ben Brouse — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:40:32 +0000

Just try to merge onto any interstate and you’ll have instant proof for yourself. This is something I’ve known for a while now, but now I have a third party agreeing with me.

”Baltimore placed 192nd out of 193 cities in the 2009 “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report.”

The report says drivers in Baltimore experience an auto collision every 5.6 years. The city’s average between accidents is 80.1 percent worse than the national average of 10 years.”

Orioles Game

Ben Brouse — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:48:05 +0000

A week or so ago, we went to see the Orioles vs the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. I’ve been to many games at this ballpark, its a great place to see a ball game. The O’s lost but Mustard won! (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I always cheer for mustard in this race) Anyways, shot this pic with the point and shoot camera and dressed it up with a little image tweaking in Photoshop. Enjoy.