Blackberry

Millions of illegals cost nation billions In Jay Hancock's column "Immigrants can come to economy's rescue again" (Jan. 21), he suggests, "Properly managed, a doubling or tripling of immigration in the coming decades can help get us out of this [tight spot]." Does he know that in this time of severe economic downturn and a shrinking job market, American workers have to compete with 138,000 additional foreign workers arriving here each year? And that, by some estimates, there are already 20 million illegal immigrants here?

WASHINGTON - The president wants a BlackBerry, the president gets a BlackBerry. It's no secret that the Secret Service was none too happy about President Barack Obama's fondness for his personal e-mail device. That's because the addictive hand-held communicators are popular targets for the worldwide web of password scammers and malicious hackers. More worrisome for those who must protect the president: Mobile phones can be used to track the whereabouts of their user. But Obama has struck a deal with his protectors, aides said yesterday.

Two years ago, the 2000 version of this wine was recommended in this space. It's a pleasure to report that Guenoc has maintained its high standards with this under-rated red varietal. This year's version is full-bodied and intense. It offers a complex mix of blackberry, chocolate, herb and coffeelike flavors. And while it's quite drinkable now, it shows every sign of being able to age for a decade. Serve with hearty stews, roast beef, game.

Seven months after a jury awarded it more than $12 million in a patent infringement lawsuit, Annapolis-based TeleCommunication Systems Inc. has filed a similar suit - this time against the makers of the addictive BlackBerry. The suit, which TeleCommunication said it filed yesterday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges that BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. is infringing upon a patent that governs the way wireless users access e-mail applications. It asks the court to award damages and issue an injunction to prevent RIM from further infringement.

2005 Michael & David `Earthquake' Syrah From: Lodi, Calif. Price: $28 Serve with: Roast turkey, game stew Many wines are scored on a 50- to 100-point scale. This one deserves to be measured on the Richter scale. It's a booming, full-bodied, high-alcohol red wine that fully lives up to its name. But under the big blackberry fruit, there's a wine with a supple, almost creamy texture. There are nuances of herbs, chocolate and cassis, and the finish is long and satisfying. For those with patience, the wine has the backbone to age well for many years.

1997 Bogle Petite Sirah ($12). This chunky, well-rounded, concentrated California red wine delivers a ton of flavor at a reasonable price. While you wouldn't call it delicate, it avoids the rough edges shown by many petite sirahs. It's loaded with flavors of blackberry, chocolate, coffee and herbs. Serve it with unsubtle foods such as a well-loaded pizza or even chili.Pub Date: 02/17/99

1996 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel ($15).This wild, rustic zinfandel is just packed with blackberry and herb flavors. It's a full-bodied, take-no-prisoners zin that deserves to be drunk before the weather becomes too warm; it's hard to appreciate it then.Pub Date: 5/13/98

1996 Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Zinfandel ($11)Ravenswood has few rivals in its mastery of zinfandel, and it shows in this full-bodied California red wine. It offers generous blackberry and black-pepper flavors, and a silky texture that is unusual in a big, inexpensive red wine. This is a classic pizza wine.Pub Date: 4/12/98@

The Woman's Industrial Exchange's cook releases one of her guarded secrets: "I put a little pinch of sugar in everything, even the shrimp salad."It's a sweetness that spills all over the exchange, in the taste of her yeast rolls, the miniature roses on the smocked girls' dresses or the kindly manners of the tearoom's waitress corps.It is the plain and reassuring cooking of Dorothea Day Wilson that beckons a following back and back again to the exchange, which will reopen today at Charles and Pleasant streets after being closed for a month.

1995 Figaro, Campo de Borja ($6).This Spanish red from Kysela, a terrific importer, offers loads of fruit and far more complexity than the price indicates. There are hints of blackberry and herbs, and an appealingly soft texture. It's a bit raw and youthful, but that's a good argument for buying a case and tracking its development over the next year.Pub Date: 8/17/97

A friend posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone knew what Skype was, if anyone had Skype and if anyone wanted to help her Skype. "Skype," I responded helpfully, "is an online video phone and one more way for my son to ignore me." Technology, they say, is bringing families closer together, with children cell-phoning, e-mailing and instant messaging their parents to a degree not possible in the days when communication meant a pay phone. However, my family has managed to put me on an electronic ice floe and boot me out to sea. Technology has provided my husband, son and daughter with new ways to tune me out. To begin, everybody has a BlackBerry except me. It is a situation I had better remedy if I want to be included on their ongoing text conversations.

This lush, ripe red wine from the hills of Sicily is surprisingly supple and elegant. Though it has exquisite concentration and powerful blackberry and chocolate and game flavors, it's more balanced than blockbuster. Easily drinkable now, I see no point in holding it beyond three years. 2008 Tenuta Rapitala Campo Reale Nero d'Avola From: Sicily Price: $13.50 Serve with: Hearty pasta, red meat

This lush, full-bodied wine from the Rhone offers superb value in a ready-to-drink red. It's loaded with flavor of blackberry, spice and herbs, and its creamy texture is easy on the palate. It could probably keep a few years, but there's really no reason to delay gratification. 2007 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Reserve From: Rhone Valley, France Price: $14 Serve with: Grilled lamb, hearty pasta

It's a relief to be able to recommend a wine that's both inexpensive and widely available. This is not one of your blockbuster California zinfandels. It's a medium-bodied, fruity red wine with no rough edges and plenty of easy charm. It offers straightforward, smooth blackberry and herb flavors and a smooth texture. It's not a wine to ponder over, just to drink and enjoy. 2007 Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Zinfandel From: California Price: $8 Serve with: Pizza, burgers, pasta

2007 Bodega Septima Malbec From: Mendoza, Argentina Price: $12 Serve with: Red meat, pasta This intense, full-bodied, structured red wine shows off the star quality the malbec grape, a bit player in Bordeaux, achieves in Argentina's Mendoza region. This budget-priced beauty displays remarkable complexity and aging potential, with flavors of blackberry, leather, chocolate and spices. It's a great value.

In a news release last week announcing his impending retirement, county Fire Chief Joseph Herr said: "I am looking forward to sleeping without an emergency radio and a BlackBerry on my nightstand." The BlackBerry was a recent addition, but the emergency radio has long been a part of Herr's nighttime routine. Herr, 55, will retire March 1 after serving in his current position since December 2000. Before coming to Howard, Herr spent 26 years climbing the ladder - literally and figuratively - in the Washington, D.C., Fire Department, where he started as a firefighter and rose steadily through the ranks before leaving as an assistant chief.

Millions of illegals cost nation billions In Jay Hancock's column "Immigrants can come to economy's rescue again" (Jan. 21), he suggests, "Properly managed, a doubling or tripling of immigration in the coming decades can help get us out of this [tight spot]." Does he know that in this time of severe economic downturn and a shrinking job market, American workers have to compete with 138,000 additional foreign workers arriving here each year? And that, by some estimates, there are already 20 million illegal immigrants here?

After such an action-packed, eventful week, I think this ranks as my favorite news item: After satisfying all the security concerns, such as the potential for the device to leak classified information or his GPS coordinates, President Barack Obama is getting to keep his BlackBerry. I'm not actually a full citizen of CrackBerry Nation, whose ranks famously include the new geek-in-chief. Yet. I only got mine a month ago, as a Christmas present, and still haven't gotten all the applications fired up. But already, fiddling around with it when I'm in a WiFi spot, I can totally understand why Obama was loath to give up having this connection to the rest of the world in the palm of his hands.

WASHINGTON - The president wants a BlackBerry, the president gets a BlackBerry. It's no secret that the Secret Service was none too happy about President Barack Obama's fondness for his personal e-mail device. That's because the addictive hand-held communicators are popular targets for the worldwide web of password scammers and malicious hackers. More worrisome for those who must protect the president: Mobile phones can be used to track the whereabouts of their user. But Obama has struck a deal with his protectors, aides said yesterday.

Even now, President-elect Barack Obama is struggling to keep his beloved BlackBerry. For reasons of security and privacy, Mr. Obama has been pressed to give it up. For a number of other reasons, that would be a shame. Through a long, grueling election year, Mr. Obama used his BlackBerry to stay in touch with a wide assortment of acquaintances beyond his inner circle of political operatives. They should stay within easy reach. Isolation should not be a cost of the 21st-century presidency.