Late spring frost
This time of the year wonderful things happen in the vineyards of the northern hemisphere. The vines begin their yearly majestic journey toward a bountiful harvest, subject to detours created by Mother Nature. The vines awaken from their dormant winter state when the soil reaches the right temperature. In an effect known as “weeping,” the […]
Stanley Cup 2012-round three, SVP
Everything has been settled in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Kings will face off against the Phoenix Coyotes to decide the finalist from the west. Needless to say, the emergence of those two teams was not exactly expected. A couple of weeks before the regular season ended, neither of those teams was seriously entertaining […]
Suspicious reporting
According to the Globe and Mail, reporter Steve Ladurantaye won a National Newspaper Award for his “explanatory” journalism in 2006. Well, Mr. Ladurantaye, based on your most recent effort, I’d say your best explanatory journalism years are behind you. Entitled “The Outsider’s Inn,” a May 5 article in the “T.O.” section of the Globe and […]
The secret to sake
This week we travel to the Far East, to explore the interesting Japanese beverage, sake. We in the West tend to refer to sake as rice “wine.” But wine production converts natural grape sugar into alcohol. Lacking this sugar, rice must be “brewed” like beer. Despite the semantic nuance, however, sake still shares the wide […]
Disclaimer
“This is a public service announcement. This is only a test. Emergency evacuation protest. May impair your ability to operate machinery. Can’t quite tell just what it means to me. Keep out of reach of children. Don’t you talk to strangers.”—Green Day, October 3, 2000, Reprise Records. When did we turn into whiney, litigious jerks […]
His name is Ronald
We laughed. We cried. We sang (well, she did). We laughed a bit more. We cried again and I think we wrote a screenplay or at least a book, which could become an award-winning documentary. Okay. The documentary part wasn’t my idea. Friday last week was an awesome kind of day for me. I jokingly […]
Another gift from the vine
Archaeologists tell us that primitive wine, made from wild grapes, can be dated to around 8,000 B.C. By 5,000 B.C., random gathering of wild grapes evolved into specialized cultivation to provide food and produce wine. Use of the vine spread throughout the ancient world, inspiring cultivation of other crops that enabled early societies to settle […]
Take me out to the old school ball game!
I am not about to begin this column by berating the game today. As is the case with all professional sports today, I remain steadfast in proclaiming that the games today are far superior to those of yesteryear. The players are superior. They are in top shape all year long. They eat well, they work […]
Scotland’s best kept secret
As we found out on Robbie Burns’ Day, whisky distillation has a long history in Scotland. Prior to 1860, however, it was illegal to sell any brand of blended whisky in the United Kingdom: only single malt whisky could be sold. Single malt whisky, however, was an “acquired taste” that did not cater to a […]
Baseball perfection 2012
Amidst the excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a spectacular gem took place last week in Seattle, Washington. Phillip Gregory Humber, a journeyman pitcher from Nacogdoches, Texas, pitched a perfect game. It was the twenty-first perfect game in major league baseball history, and the first since Roy Halladay blanked the Florida Marlins in 2010. At […]