Happy, Summer-y, but $16?

Vintages was really pushing this wine last summer–Willm Reserve Riesling 2004, AOC Alsace, 12% at $15.95. We uncorked it to serve with a homemade Korean Jap Chae noodle dish (which worked out very well, better than it usually does when we try to cook Asian noodles). It ‘s a happy summer-y wine, honey-citrus-mineral on thecontinue reading

Interesting blog

Osgoode Hall at York U. has put together an interesting blog of commentary on SCC decisions. And I can’t resist linking to this post.

While we’re on the topic

W.B. Yeats, THE SECOND COMING (1919) Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all convictions, while the worst Arecontinue reading

In case you were wondering…

…you’re not allowed to stone your wife in Herouxville, Que: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/canada_stoning_col http://municipalite.herouxville.qc.ca/standards.pdf This is problematic on so many levels. As to legal validity: (1) To the extent that it’s aimed at the Kirpan, at least the bit about not bringing “weapons” to school is offside the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, according tocontinue reading

Dunmore

I’ve been meaning to blog about an interesting Charter case that went to the Supreme Court a few years ago, Dunmore v. Ontario, which challenged the exclusion of agricultural workers from the Ontario Labour Relations Act. Until the NDP came to power in the early 1990s, agricultural workers had essentially been excluded from the scopecontinue reading

Italian Primitivo

We had a good Primitivo with dinner tonight–2003 A Mano Primitivo Reserve, 14% alc./vol., good value at $15.95. Basically a dark-cherry-based nose with some kind of earthy-spicy-iodiney (?) thing going to keep it interesting. Dry, medium-full body, a bit of a acid and tannin, decent balance and finish. Very versatile, you could drink it oncontinue reading

Why we don’t have…

… minimum sentences. I’m not sure offhand what the substantive law on this in Canada is, but even apart from the sentence it’s not nearly as weird as this.

Philanthropy

I’m curious what our resident philanthopy expert thinks about Margaret Wente’s column in today’s Globe. It looks like classic Wente… broad brushstrokes, full of cliched overgeneralizations, but (also classic Wente) she may have half a point (or not). She’s picking up on U.S. research by Arthur Brooks to the effect that charitable contribution rates arecontinue reading