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Skepticism
What Ferguson Can Teach Journalists
One of my many takeaways from Ferguson coverage over the last two weeks has been a confirmation of a suspicion I’ve held for awhile: journalists have more than earned their bad rap. Sources don’t assume that we’ll quote them unfairly, that prejudice and stereotypes will dominate our narrative, and that we’re after “the story” rather than the truth because they’re…
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Skepticism
TJ Wine’s Dirty Secret Ingredient: Mouse Bits
CN: Spiders; bees; small and quickly darting animals Note: The image above, taken by me, is from a winery mentioned in the post that practiced exemplary sorting methods. However, I’ve visited and helped out for a few hours on many, many other wine farms. The following examples of animal encounters in the vineyard are, like everything I write in this series unless…
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Activism
Food is for White Liberals What Sex Is For The Religious Right
It occurred to me a few weeks ago after a discussion based on a pro-GMO post Kavin wrote for Grounded Parents. Bring up reproductive rights and liberals shake their heads and remark on the incredible cognitive dissonance of the Religious Right. Sure, the Right is “small government” in theory, but it’s about sex, liberals shrug. It’s about policing women’s bodies and an…
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Featured
Kathy Etchingham, former partner of Jimi Hendrix, speaks out against new biopic
Kathy Etchingham was a DJ working in London when she met a young Jimi Hendrix on his first day in the city in 1966. They would date for the next three years, during Hendrix’s rise to stardom, and live together in London until 1969. Etchingham played a key role in Hendrix’s life, inspiring, among other songs, the much-loved “Wind Cries Mary”…
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Feminism
Craft Beverage People: Do Better.
CN: Slurs; rape jokes; racist and sexist langage and images (mostly in links) It’s no secret that the artisanal food and beverage criticism field is a pretty privileged bunch. After all, to get into it you have to have disposable income, no ailments or conditions that would preclude imbibing a significant amount of alcohol or eating a wide range of…
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Events
My First SkepchickCon
Before last weekend, I had never cosplayed (I’m on the far right in the amazing pic by Jamie Bernstein, above). I had never spoken on a panel. I had never made a large group of people laugh at me––on purpose. I had never talked about my mental health issues face-to-face with a roomful of strangers. I had never prepared myself…
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Skepticism
To Have and To Hold
In Part 1 of this post, I discussed what happens as a wine ages and its unique relationship with air. In this follow-up, I’ll explain what makes certain wines age-worthy and how to keep your wines happy for however long you can wait before drinking them. Selecting Wines for Now and Later As I mentioned in my previous post, most…
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Skepticism
Drink Now?
Every once in awhile somebody shows me a bottle of wine they found in their basement and asks if it’s worth anything. I’m always excited to take a look, out of curiosity, but it’s not because I suspect they’re harboring some fortune-making collector’s bottle. I just really love tasting spoiled wine. It’s fascinating, to me, how air can be wine’s…
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