Right before Prohibition, the Sandusky, Ohio area was third in the nation in wine prodution. With passage of the 18th Amendment and the National Prohibition Act (Volstead Act), wineries were forced to close their doors, supply grapes to Welch's or make juice for consumers. Route 60 in Vermilion was once shouldered by acres of vineyards, which is apparent by names of buildings and shopping centers. Old vines are still encountered when land is cleared. In Ashtabula County you find unpaved roads and covered bridges about an hour east of Cleveland. Ashtabula County is home to over half of the wine grape acreage in Ohio. West of Cleveland, European immigrants discovered Lake Erie's moderating climate. Today, more than 40 wineries range along Lake Erie's shores and on the islands.
Ohio's Lake Erie Wineries (Images of America series)

Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing--search the catalog ten different ways, including by keyword, title and state. http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH&srch_series=1&sort=name.asc&Search=Images%20of%20America

Wine consumption in America has been both encouraged and despised by different demographic groups. Spanish missionaries produced the earliest New World wine during the early 17th Century. Shortly thereafter, French immigrants began to cultivate grapes in the Hudson River Valley. They made wine, juice, and preserves. The early history of wine consumption in America was dominated by immigrants whom were primarily Catholic, and of Central or Southern European descent. The bulk of wine-drinking immigrants came from the wine loving nations of France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. They descended from cultural traditions that valued social wine consumption with the evening meal. The aforementioned wine drinkers were counterbalanced by immigrants from Northern Europe. Many held Puritan belief systems that discouraged or banned alcohol consumption of any kind. In response to the massive outcry of many Americans against alcohol consumption, Congress passed the 18th Amendment in 1917. It banned the commercial production and sale of alcohol in America. The Volstead Act was ratified in 1920 and expounded on the actual implementation of Prohibition. It also mandated several loopholes in alcohol production and consumption. Physicians could prescribe alcohol and it could be consumed for religious purposes. Additionally, a head of household was legally allowed to produce 200 gallons of wine a year for personal use. This was largely a concession to the significant Italian-American electorate. Because of the Volstead Act, American wine consumption actually increased during Prohibition. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Curious-History-Of-Wine-Consumption-In-America&id=10174
An idiom is a common, everyday phrase or expression or saying whose meaning cannot be understood by the individual words or elements, a phrase, proverb, or slang that is peculiar to a people or to a district, community or class. This is demonstrated by the American - English meaning of the idiom Get a kick out of something, to derive real pleasure and excitement.
http://www.quotations.me.uk/famous-idioms/89-get-a-kick-out-of-idiom.htm

"I Get a Kick Out of You" is a song by Cole Porter, originally featured in the Broadway musical Anything Goes and the movie of the same name. Originally sung by Ethel Merman, it has been covered by performers including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Marlene Dietrich, Cesare Siepi, Dinah Washington, Bobby Short, Louis Armstrong, Erroll Garner, Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Martin, Anita O`Day, Rosemary Clooney, Margaret Whiting, Django Reinhardt, Gary Shearston, Jamie Cullum, The Living End, Dolly Parton, Dwele, Joan Morris, Shirley Bassey, The Gutter Twins and Lisa Ekdahl. A version sung by Porter himself was featured in the video game Fallout 3. The lyrics were first altered shortly after being written. See references in popular culture at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Get_a_Kick_out_of_You

While viewing DailySource.org ("top news from around the Net") http://www.dailysource.org/ I noticed on the left side a way to go various topics. I clicked on arts and went to: http://www.artsjournal.com/ There I found the following article on Rodin's most reconizable sculpture, The Thinker: A cast of Auguste Rodin's famous The Thinker sculpture has been vandalised in Buenos Aires. The bronze work, which is the third of 22 sculptures from the original mould, was spray-painted pink and given green hair and a shoulder tattoo. Government officials blasting the sculpture with water to remove the paint. Art expert Cristina Lancellotti said the cleaning may have done more harm than good "because irreversible damage could result to the original patination". The bluish-green patina that forms on the surface of bronze objects over time, due to oxidation, gives the metal artwork its unique look. The original bronze and marble statue is on display at the Rodin Museum in Paris, while other casts can be found around the world, including sites in Japan and Brussels. Find picture and related stories at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14850493

Most Paris bistros serve at least one verrine: a multi-textured salad or dessert layered in a glass. Find recipe for zucchini tomato verrine ("salad in a glass") from Béatrice Peltre of the blog La Tartine Gourmande at: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/zucchini-tomato-verrines

One of the most famous buildings in the world now has a new claim to fame. New York City’s Empire State Building has just received LEED Gold certification for existing buildings from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Empire State Building owes its new LEED certification to a retrofit model created by the team of Clinton Climate Initiative, Johnson Controls, Jones Lang LaSalle and the Rocky Mountain Institute. This analytical model is a non-proprietary, open-source model that is and quantifiable, and is currently being replicated on other properties around the world. The retrofit is guaranteed to reduce the building’s energy consumption by more than 38 percent and should save $4.4 million in energy costs annually, according a press release from Jones Lang LaSalle. http://greenbuildingelements.com/2011/09/19/empire-state-building-achieves-leed-gold-certification/