Arguably the best comedy of 2004, Meet The Fockers is a hilarious, humor-filled marathon. Screenwriters Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke (who should have received Oscars for their flawless penmanship of Meet The Parents) turn in another blockbuster manuscript. But, as with its predecessor, Meet The Fockers wouldn’t be the comedy masterpiece it is without the onscreen chemistry of Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.

Stiller, son of comedian Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld & King Of Queens), is a comic genius in his own right and has recently dominated the Hollywood box office with a string of smash spoof comedies such as There’s Something About Mary (1998), Meet The Parents (2000), Zoolander (2001), Along Came Polly (2004), and Dodgeball (2004). De Niro, on the other hand, moves from the less serious roles of his early career into the comedy genre with an ease fully indicative of his enormous talent. Earlier comic roles in Wag The Dog (1997), Analyze This (1999), and Meet The Parents (2000) prepared movie-goers for the veteran actor’s zinging one-liners. Throw Dustin Hoffman (who’s also surprisingly funny) into the mix, and Meet The Fockers becomes one of those rare comedies that movie aficionados will want to see over and over again…

Meet The Fockers follows the continuing hardship of Gaylord “Greg” Focker (Ben Stiller), a male nurse whose future father-in-law, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), is a never-ending source of torment. A retired CIA operative, Jack is paranoid and controlling, and Greg’s previous attempts to win over Jack’s affections have always come up short. Now, Greg’s life problems are multiplied by the imminent first meeting between his in-laws-to-be and his “birth parents”.

Traveling by RV, Greg, his fiancée Pam (Teri Polo) and the rest of Byrnes family arrive in Florida where Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) and Roz Fockers’ (Barbra Streisand) free-love, hippie lifestyle stands in stark contrast to Jack’s serious faade. Throughout the visit, Greg works overtime to avoid having Jack learn of his mother’s thriving sex therapy business, his own youthful indiscretion with the family maid, and his inability to supervise Jack Jr. for even a single afternoon. When Jack gets the idea that Greg fathered a child back in high school, he administers truth serum to Greg, sparking a series of events that is sure to make even the most ardent critic of ridiculous and juvenile movies (and this is one of them) burst forth in laughter…

Meet The Fockers is a rarity in that it’s a sequel to a fairly successful film that manages to live up to the reputation of the original. Although Meet The Parents is probably the better film, Meet The Fockers is a truly hilarious comedy in its own right. Directed by Jay Roach (director of the Austin Powers franchise), Meet The Fockers is a highly entertaining comedy, deploying all the tricks of the trade - slap-stick, bathroom humor, zinging one-liners, classic “fish-out-of-water” sequences, and situation humor. By no means is it a cinema classic worthy of artistic awards and praise from sophisticated critics. But it delivers on its promise. It promises to make you laugh, and it performs that task with relative ease…

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Meet The Fockers (DVD).

Decaffeination and tea is a subject that has long been misunderstood not only by consumers but also by industry professionals. I was taken by surprise when I recently read an excerpt from a newly released book, written by highly recognized tea industry professionals, that was clearly inaccurate when it came to the topic of decaffeination processing and tea.

I began questioning my own information on decaf processing and decided the best thing to do was to verify what I believed to be true. I decided to talk with the definitive authority on the subject, Joe Simrany, President of the Tea Association of the USA, Inc (TAUS).

I soon was relieved to learn that my critical information was indeed correct although some of the details need fixing. So here is what I learned. Unlike what I thought, decaffeination processing is not regulated by the FDA and adhering to industry standards is completely voluntary. The FDA does not have its own set of guidelines but relies on the expertise of the Tea Association Technical Committee (TATC) for the best practices. There is no sanction, legal or otherwise, for non-compliance. So what happens if a group is distributing “decaffeinated tea” that does not meet the standard? The first line of defense is the TAUS, who would attempt to correct the issue diplomatically. If that was unsuccessful the FDA would be notified and would follow up to see that the necessary changes to processing were made. So what do those guidelines consist of?

The Guidelines

Teas labeled Decaffeinated will contain no more than 0.4% caffeine on a dry weight basis.

Caffeine Free Tea is an inappropriate labeling term for any tea regardless of the degree of decaffeination processing.

There are currently only 2 methods approved for decaffeinating tea leaves, solvent extraction using ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide in the supercritical state. Both are selective for extraction and create no toxicity hazard.

Carbon dioxide is considered the better of the two, keeping more of the benefits and flavor intact.

The Facts

Decaffeinated teas have between 1/3 and 2/3 fewer beneficial components than regular, non-decaffeinated teas.

Both ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide are considered, and subsequently labeled, “natural”, because trace amounts of both components exist in the tea leaf, a fine line for many of us who rely on natural to mean exactly that.

“Water process”, aka Swiss Water Process, Natural Water Process etc, sometimes used on packaging, is not recognized by the industry as being anymore effective than pouring off the first brew at home.

Decaffeinating at home by the “water process” would be done by infusing the tea leaves for 30 seconds and pouring off that infusion. Then steep as you normally would. While this does eliminate caffeine it is difficult to be sure just how much caffeine is still present and likewise how much health benefits.

Tea bags will deliver more caffeine in your cup than loose teas because they infuse more quickly.

The amount of tea leaves used, brewing time and water temperature help determine the caffeine content in your cup.

Cultivation, environmental factors, region and growing conditions, while out of your control, do affect the caffeine content in your cup.

The only time coffee has less caffeine then tea is prior to brewing, 1 pound of tea yields 200 cups vs. 1 pound of coffee which yields 40-50 cups.

The ONLY government approved decaffeination processing is ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide. Methylene chloride is NOT a guideline or government approved processing method in the United States.

While we have a limited selection of decaffeinated teas, we guarantee all of the decaffeinated teas sold by Teas Etc. Inc. are processed using carbon dioxide

In summation, with the growing public interest in issues surrounding health and food, accurate labeling is likely to become a major issue in the future. Be a wise consumer. Beware of slick marketing and misleading information. Most importantly drink good, quality tea everyday.

© 2006 Teas Etc., Inc

Beth Johnston, owner of Teas Etc., is a noted tea expert, importer and tea enthusiast. To learn more about life style enhancement, health benefits and the ease of brewing loose leaf teas, sign up for our monthly newsletter at www.TeasEtc.com/newsletter.asp or visit www.TeasEtc.com.