Wine Review: Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine is served on dinner tables across the country with a tradition that predates the founding of the country. Early settlers brought wine vines with them on their travels.  Wine lovers regularly seek to find new varieties of foreign and domestic productions to experiment with. Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 offers an exciting option at a price only your local market can provide.  A true table wine ready to serve for most dinner functions.

Lindeman’s Bin 45 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a bright red wine with high viscosity and long legs. In the glass Bin 45 contains current flavors, dark berry, vanilla, spices and oak. A smooth start and higher tannin finish with a reasonable level of acidity. A well balanced wine that retails for under $10. It pairs well with most meat dishes making it versatile for most home uses. 

The growing region of southern Australia has warmer interiors and cooler exteriors. The type of soil in the region has an impact on the taste and texture of the wine. For example, organic soils produce looser clumps, heavier berries, and high performance grapes (Cheng, et. al. 2014). In this case they produced a solid product ready for market production. 

It is hard to find wines that have a solid taste but still not budget busting your hard earned dollars.  Among the variety of wines that I have tasted and reviewed I find the Cabernet Sauvignons to be some of the best wine categories. They generally work well with oak barrels that lessen the tannin levels and raise the vanilla flavor. Bin 45 fulfilled my expectations and is on the “buy again” list. 

Cheng, et. al. (2014). Effects of climatic conditions and soil properties on Cabernet Sauvignon berry growth and anthocyanin profiles. Molecules, 19 (9).  

Call for Papers: Second 21st Century Academic Forum Conference at Harvard

Submission Page: http://www.21caf.org/2015-hrd-conference-cfp.html

Website: http://www.21caf.org/

Date: March 8-10, 2015

The theme of the Second 21st Century Academic Forum Conference at Harvard is Teaching, Learning, and Research in the "Just Google It" Age. We encourage submissions that approach this theme from a variety of perspectives under three major topic tracks: (1) teaching and learning in the 21st century and (2) creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship and (3) academic research for the 21st century. Please visit our website for detailed topic track lists.

Objective: The primary aim of the conference is to bring together an international group of researchers and practitioners to encourage and support the development of a new framework for better understanding the dynamic and interconnected nature of education, research, business, and life in the age of ubiquitous statement "just Google It."

Ways of Participating:

- Oral Presentation: 25 minutes
- Poster Presentation: 3 hours (held on March 9th from the a.m. coffee break through lunch)
- Absentee Presentation: For those who are unable to join us at Harvard, we offer you the opportunity to participate as an Absentee Presenter. Absentee Presenters can: upload their narrated PPT to our website, have their abstract printed in the Conference Program Book, and have their paper published in the Conference Proceedings
- Non-Presenter (Listener): For those interested in attending to participate in the various presentation sessions.

Paper Publication Opportunities:

All papers that meet the 21st Century Academic Forum's Conference Proceedings requirements will be published in our online Conference Proceedings (ISSN: 2330-1236). Papers must be submitted for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings by June 8, 2015. We purposely set the deadline for papers three months following the conference with the rationale that authors should use the feedback they receive at the conference in crafting their final drafts of their paper.

The Conference Proceedings will be published on September 7, 2015. The Conference Proceedings editorial board in turn works with the editors of our three peer-reviewed journals to select papers for possible publication in one of our three online peer-reviewed journals listed below.

- The International Journal of 21st Century Education (ISSN: 2330-1244)
- The International Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ISSN: 2333-9659)
- Journal of Language Learning and Teaching for the 21st Century (ISSN: 2333-9640)

Abstract Submission:

Submission of your abstract proposal(s) should be made in English through our Online Submission System until the final deadline of February 14, 2015. The Conference Committee reviews abstract proposals on a rolling basis and authors will typically receive a decision within two weeks of your submission.

Three Wonderful Benefits of Almonds

The benefits of almonds are significant as they are considered one of nature’s wonder foods that improve general health. Their benefits lay in being a high source of protein, removal of free radicals, and improving heart health. Those who avoided high fatty foods can now eat a handful almonds five times a week while still encouraging weight loss and greater fitness. 

People who like to stay in shape and are active have heard throughout the years that only low-fat foods are helpful in this process. We found that low-fat foods across the board can actually be damaging to the body. The goal is to reduce saturated fats while eating an appropriate amount of un-saturated fats for body development. 

Almonds and almond milk are great methods of obtaining their benefits. I went to the farmers market in Little Italy and found a local vendor selling natural almonds flavored in different types of seasonings. I opted for the coco-cinnamon blend out of the 10 or so different choices. Over the years I have become more disciplined and can try a few without overdoing it. Remember that Almonds have a lot of fat in them so you will still want to limit yourself. 

The benefits:

Protein: A single handful of almonds (approximately 1 oz) provide a quarter of our daily protein (Ying, et. al., 2011). Protein leads to healthy muscles and bone strength.  Those who spend some time in the gym can appreciate the benefits of obtaining protein from a natural source versus protein shakes. 

Anti-oxidants: Free radicals can slow down work out recovery, cause cancer, and other diseases. The vitamin (E and B) help to not only improve upon cognitive functioning but also the rebuilding of the body. 

Cardio Vascular Disease: Almonds contain vitamins, hytosterols, fiber, minerals and antioxidants that fight against heart disease (Brufau, et. al., 2006).  It increases HDL and lowers LDL which protects the heart and vessels from damage.  

Brufau, G. Boatella, J. & Rafecas, M. (2006). Nuts: a source of energy and macronutrients. BR Journal of Nutrition, 2. 

Ying, B., et. al. (2013). Association of consumption with total and cause-specific mortality. New England Journal of Medicine, 369.

The Top 5 Growing International Markets for 2014

You might be surprised that the fastest growing consumer markets in the world are not India or China but smaller and out of the way places like Malawi, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia and Mongolia. Euromonitor International reviewed consumer expenditure growth rate and per capital consumer expenditure to determine countries with the highest market expansion rates. As the consumer expenditure growth rate and per capita consumer expenditure raises so does the opportunity for international businesses to sell new products and services to satisfy local consumer needs. 

Consumer spending growth rate is the average increase in the amount of money that is spent per household within a country.  The per capita consumer expenditure is the final expenditure of households. The two numbers together determine the percentage of increase and the total spending that can be used by companies to make investment decisions. 

The Top Five growing markets:

Malawi: 16.4 million consumers growing in consumer spending by 18.2% in a land locked South African country with little infrastructure to support large investments.

Sierra Leone: 6.1 million people with an increase in consumer spending of 14.7% in a West African country with poor infrastructure.

Turkmenistan: 14.4% growth rate in consumer spending with a growing middle class and solid infrastructure. Communications, education, leisure and recreation will be the top industries.

Saudi Arabia: 12% growth rate with one of the highest consumer expenditure value. Hotels, services, luxury and finance are top industries.

Mongolia: A small population of 2.8 million with a growth rate of 11.8%.

Conducting business and investing in foreign countries is trickier and more risk oriented than investing in the U.S. Even though the same principles apply in domestic or foreign development many small countries lack basic infrastructure and skill sets that encourage higher levels of investment development. Saudi Arabia has a stable government and solid infrastructure that is beneficial while Sierra Leone may have a higher rate of growth but also political instability and poor infrastructure.

Are Millennials Becoming Known as “Generation Unemployed”?

A growing crisis is unfolding among Millennials worldwide that could someday have an impact on international business. That is at least according to The Ground Truth Project that includes 21 fellows reporting from 11 countries. Global youth unemployment and few opportunities for training new skills are rising across the world.  Where these Millennials seem to be lacking in opportunity they are also trying to create their own avenues through entrepreneurship. 

They have been nicknamed “Generation Jobless” because they are unemployed and not enrolled in some type of formal schooling. They could someday be the chronically unemployed class of people who are not, or cannot seek, to improve their positions in life through formal channels. This makes them more likely to use alternative paths to achievement. 

Nearly a quarter of the world’s 15-24 year-olds are seriously struggling to meet the day-to-day needs of buying food, affording a place to stay or attending trade/formal post-secondary schooling. This is a generation where a large percentage lives in near despair every day making them a major challenge for business and government.

At present, Millennials should be entering into part-time introductory jobs to learn the necessary skills to earn higher wages later on in their careers. Without out these introductory jobs they will be lacking both education and on-the-job skill training to meaningfully fulfill highly skilled job openings.  

Since this is a phenomenon occurring in multiple countries it has implications for future business recruitment and consumption on a global scale. A generation of young people struggling to find their footing will naturally come along with a desire to change their circumstances. This is also a large generation much like the Baby Boomers that has shown a willingness to protest and support causes. 

Without opportunity many have moved toward starting their own micro and small business enterprises in an attempt to develop their own income streams. Their learning style appears to be more focused on a natural style of development outside of formal education. We can see the same mechanics at work with the initial interest in free MOOCs. 

With a decade of recession and rapid environmental change Millennials live in a different world than their parents and grandparents did. There is no such thing as a life-long job, substantive wage increases, or even a reasonable assumption Social Security will still be around when they retire. They are on their own, globalized, and transient making them one of the first generations forced to someday rewrite all the rules.  

http://thegroundtruthproject.org/2014/10/10/generation-t-b-d/