# :api: private
      def valid?(uri)
        # From the RFC (http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2965, see section 2)
        #
        #    The term request-port refers to the port portion of the absoluteURI
        #    (http_URL) of the HTTP request line.  If the absoluteURI has no
        #    explicit port, the request-port is the HTTP default, 80.  The
        #    request-port of a cookie is the request-port of the request in which
        #    a Set-Cookie2 response header was returned to the user agent.
        #
        #    Host names can be specified either as an IP address or a HDN string.
        #    Sometimes we compare one host name with another.  (Such comparisons
        #    SHALL be case-insensitive.)  Host A's name domain-matches host B's if
        #
        #       *  their host name strings string-compare equal; or
        #
        #       * A is a HDN string and has the form NB, where N is a non-empty
        #          name string, B has the form .B', and B' is a HDN string.  (So,
        #          x.y.com domain-matches .Y.com but not Y.com.)
        #
        #    Note that domain-match is not a commutative operation: a.b.c.com
        #    domain-matches .c.com, but not the reverse.
        #
        #    The reach R of a host name H is defined as follows:
        #       *  If
        #          -  H is the host domain name of a host; and,
        #          -  H has the form A.B; and
        #          -  A has no embedded (that is, interior) dots; and
        #          -  B has at least one embedded dot, or B is the string "local".
        #             then the reach of H is .B.
        #       *  Otherwise, the reach of H is H.
        #    For two strings that represent paths, P1 and P2, P1 path-matches P2
        #    if P2 is a prefix of P1 (including the case where P1 and P2 string-
        #    compare equal).  Thus, the string /tec/waldo path-matches /tec.
 
        # we simplify things here for now +intentionally+
        host_matches = (uri.host == domain || uri.host =~ Regexp.new("#{Regexp.escape(domain)}$"))
        path_matches = (uri.path =~ Regexp.new("^#{Regexp.escape(path)}"))
 
        STDOUT.puts "[merb/test helpers] CookieJar#valid: host match is #{host_matches.inspect}, domain is #{domain.inspect} and uri.host is #{uri.host.inspect}" if ENV["DEBUG_DOMAINS"]
        host_matches && path_matches
      end