This wonderful conversation comes from, and is reposted with permission from, The Wine Conversation.  Cross-posted from

This weekend I was watching a great deal of the Olympics, as were around a billion other people. I wonder how many people were considering the link between the Olympics and Wine?

At first it seems a strange thing to compare, but on Saturday morning I turned on the television to watch the excellent BBC coverage with my daughter.

She is just over 3 and therefore this is her first Olympics. How exciting is that? Your first chance to see all these sports; these wonderful sights of humans achieving such heights of physical strength, skill and sportsmanship. What better education and model for an impressionable mind?

So what does it have to do with wine?

Well, after a bit of rowing, and her wonderment at the gymnastics, coverage turned to ... boxing.

Cross-posted from

and

h/t to Swirling Notions and Clos du Bois.

On July 20, 2008, Sherry Cermak, cat blogger and food blogger, died of a sudden heart attack.  Her food blog was What did you eat?  The food and wine community is raising money in tribute to Sher, and Clos du Bois will match contributions through August, up to $10,000.  Take the flip to learn how to participate, and to learn more about women and heart disease.

First a hat tip to Got Tannins?, one of the many wonderful wine-related sites on the internet. This is the newest entry from:

The NFL has been in the news today, with the $500,000 "Nipplegate" Super Bowl show fine reversed by a Court of Appeals.  But Got Tannins? points us to another NFL story, the League's over-the-top can-you-friggin'-believe-it hypocrisy about alcohol (and who gets to pocket the profits from it).  In a way, it reminds me of States' attitudes toward "illegal gambling" and the lottery.  They don't care about the people, just the competition.

Some might remember The Daily Pulse, a regular column I used to write, rounding up editorial content from around the country and around the world. Now I resurrect it once in a while, when it seems like a good time to look around a bit.  This is one of those times.

Yesterday Isreal and Lebanon had an exchange.  Israel received the bodies of two of its soldiers, and Lebanon received bodies and prisoners, including Samir Qintar.  Israel received the bodies with great mourning.  Lebanon, and particulary Hizbullah, received Qintar and others with great celebration.  Who is Samir Kuntar, and what does each nation's reaction tell us about the ongoing dispute in the Middle East?  

Today's Daily Pulse will be a bit different, as it will include front page content as well as editorials. I am limited to English-language papers, so probably miss a lot. Sorry, it's the best I can do.

First, before I start giving advice to discussing why I think I have a good idea, I want to be up front.  I am NOT a fan of any "Faith Based Initiative."  I believe them all to be unconstitutional and offensive. That said, Barack Obama disagrees, and he is the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.  So, if he is going with the idea, is there a way to make it work, both for the election and for good deeds that would follow?  I believe so.  In particular, I believe that if used properly, it can help him win Florida in November. They key? Danny Wuerffel.

Some of you old-timers might remember my first Their Reality has Lapped Our Satire diary, and perhaps even the second one, Their Reality has Lapped Our Satire, Again.  Those diaries really came home to me this week with the New Yorker cover.

Was it satire?  Absolutely.  Was it rather ham-handed?  Yes.  But why was it so controversial?  It was so controversial because the right's version of "reality" has gone so far beyond the absurd that it just can not be satirized.  The New Yorker cover stands as proof that, yes, their reality has lapped our satire.

Much has been written the last few days about abortion.  I guess I started the newest wave with Obama Swings Right on Abortion.  John Campanelli wrote a well-reasoned Response to "Obama swings right on abortion".  Then it was off to the races, with "Clinton swung right on abortion!," "Obama's faith-based mental abortion of FISA's women," and more. [links make the intro too long. Look for the "abortion" tag.]

Then the conversation changed from Obama to abortion laws in general, with Obama Does the Right Thing on Abortion, Mercy Abortions: Let me preach to the choir,abortion and democrats, The Most Radioactive of Topics - Abortion, Debunking The Abortion Reduction Plank Proposal, Pro-Choice Leaders Refuse to Work With Pro-Life Democrats.

Every single diary contributed something to the conversation.  Unfortunately, every single diary also missed the essential truth of abortion laws- they function in real life, not theory, and they are intended to chill all abortions, not merely define some as unlawful.

what the hell is going on here?  Yes, I knew Obama would move toward the center after getting the nomination, mostly because I never believed he was a "different kind of politician" in the first place.  But I never considered the Fourth Amendment or a whole new reason to start executing people to be the middle. I thought those were positions way on the right.  When Obama went there I was mortified.  But there were still three good reasons to vote for him- John, Paul, and Stevens.

So what do I do when Barack Obama, Democratic nominee for President, prior possessor of an 100% NARAL rating and their endorsement, starts talking off Right to Life's playbook?

Two days ago FOX News responded to some reporting on their dive in the ratings.  They did it by attacking the reporter and his producer, but they did it in a way that was, quite simply, blatantly anti-Semitic.

The reporter in question is named Jacques Steinberg.  Yup, "Steinberg."  He might as well have been named "Jacques the Jew."  And FOX, looking for a way to attack him, knew exactly what to do.  Here is a picture of Mr. Steinberg, next to the picture FOX showed on their show:

Do you see anything different?  Did you notice the grossly enlarged nose and the lowered hairline?  Does it ring any bells?  It should. ...

[UPDATE- this is getting noticed around the blogosphere.  The National Jewish Democratic Council noticed the same thing.

Ever since Obama sewed up the nomination we have seen a new type of troll hunter here on Daily Kos, the "purity troll hunter."  Who are these intrepid adventurers, and what is their mission?

They are friends, peers, compatriots, patriots, and Democrats.  They are people who are absolutely sure not just that Obama winning is the best thing for our country, but also that criticism of him is just plain wrong and destructive to his campaign.  I agree with the first part.  I reject the second.  I reject the second for a pretty simple reason.  Everybody, you see, has their deal breakers.  What the purity troll hunters are really telling you is that THEIR deal breaker has not been hit yet, so it doesn't matter if yours has.

[I might be entirely wrong - see update at the end.]

(Previously "Fags and Kikes need not apply," but apparently, people are more concerned about a Kossack's words than a candidate's actions).

Today Barack Obama announced his support for expanding George W. Bush's Faith Based program.  The key to the program?  Obama supports faith-based programs' "ability to hire and fire based on faith."

Let me tell you a little bit about "the ability to hire and fire based on faith."

Face it, people, FISA was Obama's first big test as Leader of the Democratic Party.  Yes, once you sew up the nomination, you are the new Leader of the Democratic Party, in capital letters.  So how did Obama react to his first opportunity to lead?

Cross-posted from

What can wine tell us about the world? Plenty, it turns out.  It is one of civilization's oldest products.  At one time it was a necessity, when food was served rotten and water was where you washed and evacuated.  Now it is enjoying a resurgence.  It is an agricultural product, and a unique one.  You see, vineyards have kept records of temperature, yield, and ripeness-dates for centuries, giving us incredibly precise records that tell us reams about the global environment. It is also a luxury item, particularly at the top end.  As such, its sale and purchase can tell us volumes about the global economy.

Today we look at wine, labor, and work conditions.

First, Obama won, fair and square.  As I have said from day one, I will support our nominee, and I support Obama.  But people, enough with the revisionist history. All day yesterday, and ongoing this morning, our front-pagers have been hypothesizing "Why Clinton Lost."  Only one even attempted to be completely honest, and Trapper John got completely trashed in the comments for pointing out that misogyny had even the slightest part to do with the election results.  On the other hand, Georgia10 was roundly applauded for citing a single study that ignored the media's obvious misogyny. Others, pointed out that she did not so much lose as Obama won, because he of his transormational message, his modern campaign, and the energy he created in his supporters. All true, but clearly not the whole story.

By now, most of you have seen Hillary Clinton's email to her supporters. Yes, we are actually supposed to believe she is going to concede the election and help Obama.  But anybody who has been following the election to date knows that will never happen.  Bill and Hillary Clinton will never surrender their fight for power, their narcissistic claim on the White House.  Fortunately, if you really take the time to analyze that email you can discern the truth.  

Folks, the Clinton-hate is simply ridiculous. So many of you are so filled with it you hear what you expect, rather than what is being said. She knows the race is over. Even more important, she is already giving Obama tangible support in at least one of the areas he needs it the most and she has the most to offer.  Not, mind you, that you would know that if you got all your information here on Daily Kos.

Cross-posted from

What can wine tell us about the world? Plenty, it turns out.  It is one of civilization's oldest products.  At one time it was a necessity, when food was served rotten and water was where you washed and evacuated.  Now it is enjoying a resurgence.  It is an agricultural product, and a unique one.  You see, vineyards have kept records of temperature, yield, and ripeness-dates for centuries, giving us incredibly precise records that tell us reams about the global environment. It is also a luxury item, particularly at the top end.  As such, its sale and purchase can tell us volumes about the global economy.

Today we look at wine, wine corks, and AIDS.

Cross-posted from

What can wine tell us about the world? Plenty, it turns out.  It is one of civilization's oldest products.  At one time it was a necessity, when food was served rotten and water was where you washed and evacuated.  Now it is enjoying a resurgence.  It is an agricultural product, and a unique one.  You see, vineyards have kept records of temperature, yield, and ripeness-dates for centuries, giving us incredibly precise records that tell us reams about the global environment. It is also a luxury item, particularly at the top end.  As such, its sale and purchase can tell us volumes about the global economy.

Today we look at Iowa, wine, and the "first in the nation" caucus.