Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton wouldn't be where he is today if he weren't a pretty good public speaker.

Still, I have to wonder what was on his mind yesterday while he was attending a meeting about efforts to spruce up the area around Memphis International Airport.

In today's business section, Wharton offered the following quotes: "We have overlooked the airport and this area as an economic engine. As is the case with any kind of engine, it just has to have fuel. And if the fuel lines get clogged up, tragic things can happen to the engine. Brooks Road is one of our fuel lines and Winchester is one of our fuel lines, all fueling the economic engine known as the airport. We're here to make sure those lines are cleared, that they are repaired and that they remain viable."

Which leads me to ask: Did Wharton have car trouble on his way to that meeting or what?

If there was any doubt before, it's clear now that former state Sen. John Ford is running out of spin.

Ford appeared before a judge yesterday to ask for a court-appointed attorney to defend him against charges of illegally using his position as a state senator to get consulting work with a TennCare contractor.

While Ford wouldn't discuss the case, he did offer the following lament to an assembled gathering of reporters: "There are all these terrorists out there. Why are people so interested in me?"

There it is, the lamest self defense anyone accused of wrongdoing could possibly produce: "I'm not as bad as Osama bin Laden, so cut me some slack."

Actually, if Ford is really concerned about terrorism, perhaps a plea deal could be worked out in which he might face a reduced sentence in exchange for enlisting for an extended tour of duty with the U.S. troops patrolling Sadr City. Just something for Ford and the federal prosecutors to mull over.

So I was doing some reporting for an upcoming column (hint: it has to do with a local connection to this album cover. Know what it is?). Anyway, I had cause to flip through a pile of "records" that I'd inherited from my jazz-crazy father. I found some gems, including the original Verve disc, "Ella Swings Lightly," and lots of Stan Kenton and Count Basie. Some of this stuff is available as digital downloads, I'm sure, but there are a couple of discs that were samples -- I know they're limited release, or one-of-a-kind. How do I get them digitized? Are there any local resources? Help ...

On Wednesday, Tom Wark at “Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog” — http://www.fermentation.typepad.com — referred to a recent article in Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar newsletter in which Tanzer, a highly respected and astute wine reviewer and commentator on the wine industry, said that he thought that alcohol levels in California wines were coming down.

It would be good if that tendency were true. High alcohol levels, the result of long hang times for the grapes so they achieve a sort of monster ripeness, have produced a whole generation of hot, sweet, unwieldy and one-dimensional wines. We have seen alcohol levels soar to 14.5 percent, 15 percent, 15.5 percent, not only for zinfandels, many of which have a reputation for hugeness, but for cabernet sauvignon, syrah, petite sirah and even pinot noir. Even white wines commonly now top out at 14.5 percent alcohol. The notion that a wine ought to be balanced, that a wine ought to reveal integration of all it essential qualities seems to have been forgotten. The typical alcohol levels of the past — about 11.5 to 13.5 percent — now seem almost naive.

So if Tanzer, who tastes thousands of wines a year, is correct, I would rejoice.

But look at the alcohol levels of these wines that I plucked from my shelves and the refrigerator this morning:

*Logan Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay 2005, Monterey County: 14.7 percent.

*Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc 2004, Paso Robles: 15.3 percent.

*Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Napa Valley: 14.7 percent.

*St. Clement Oroppas Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Napa Valley: 15.6 percent. (For a cabernet!)

*Mazzocco Stone Ranch Zinfandel 2004, Alexander Valley: 16.9 percent.

Not exactly a representative sample, perhaps, but enough to tell me not to hold my breath until alcohol levels in California wines really start to tumble.

On the other hand, it’s unfair to dismiss these wines merely because of the alcohol content. I’ll try them and post another entry in a few days to tell you how they perform.

Warning: Horribly offensive language ahead... and see UPDATE at end.

"God hates fags," or so sings "Christian" Donnie Davies and his band Evening Service on their music video. You can't find it on their website, lovegodsway.org, but you can find it online on myspace (just Google "God Hates F***music video"). (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

Among the choice lyrics:
"The Bible says, it's plain as day/With a man, you should not lay..."

"God hates a f**, God hates a f**, God hates a f**/
And if you're a f**, he hates you too"

Remember, every Thursday night finds tapas half-price at dish. Chef Scott McQueen has added a bunch of new small plates (some are actually pretty substantial) to the menu, so mix and match with your friends to try them all. Last week I had four plates with a glass of wine for about $15. Can't beat it! Deejay Mr. White recommends the beef tataki to go along with his selection of chilled-out house and underground soul. (Peep Mr. White's new 12-inch on Larry Heard's Alleviated label.)

The exploitable image of Christina Ricci wrapped in a chain like some sort of sex slave (even though that's not what the movie is about) stirred a lot of interest among reporters covering "Black Snake Moan" this week at the Sundance Film Festival.