in defense of table wine

how often have you heard "it's just a table wine"? just? most consider table wines too bland, ordinary and common. well, i'm here to state for the record that i am a fan of table wines.

granted, they don't have the bold flavors or complex personalities of a good zinfandel, primitivo or malbec, but dammit they shouldn't be so easily dismissed.

table wines are dependable. they never let you down because our expectations of them are far from grand.

table wines are a source of comfort. they are like old sweaters that don't stand out, yet continue to keep you warm.

let's face it, there are many times when we are thrilled to get a table wine - a case in point from my own experience.

when you are at a shitty bar with equally shitty wine offerings do you go for the white zinfandel or the rot-gut chardonnay, OR the table wine that this particular establishment purchased for their more discerning clientele? you enthusiastically choose the table wine, of course.

so, in 2007, let's not be so quick to dismiss this ordinary, common yet dependable wine.

may your new year be filled with zinfandels, primitivos, malbecs AND table wine.

jb

christchristmas

christ-farce 2006. another year, another lame excuse to spend a lot of money on shit that people don't need. all in the name of the birth of an ostensible israeli savior. whateva.
don't need it. don't care. for me it's just an excuse to not work, eat a lot of meat, and get drunk.

may the farce be with you.

and don't even get me started on the music......

jb

Charity and Guilt......Tis the Season

my office facilitates a holiday gift-giving service for the needy in central new york. every year at this time we serve as a drop off center for middle and upper middle class people to bring their gifts, which we distribute to poor people in the area. these gift-givers sponsor either individual children or families, giving them holiday presents and food items. sounds nice, huh?

one of the reasons why our office is the distribution center is that many of these gift-givers don't want to go directly to the recipients' houses, even though they know, by name, who it is they are sponsoring. many of the recipients live in what most would consider the projects. so, it is very convenient for the charitable people (most of whom are white and, as i said, middle or upper middle class) to give without the messy business of coming face to face with the poor. they can shop, feel good about giving without having to put themselves in harms way.

many of these gift-givers rush into the office with their loot, unload quickly and leave. the abruptness of the encounters is striking. again, they can feel good about giving, but they want to quckly excise themselves from the situation. they practically run out of the office. white, guilty flight.

today a white couple came in and dropped off a bunch of stuff, some items new and used. as they stood at the door i said, "thanks for your genorosity. i'm sure the recipients of your gifts will greatly appreciate them." at that point their eyes darted to the floor, and they scampered away without a word. apparantly guilt had their tounges in a vice grip.

don't know what to make of all this, but as someone interested in culture and class, these exchanges have been fascinating, prompting many questions: what motivates people to give to the poor? why do many of those who do give, feel so icky about it? what do the recipients actually think about these gifts and those who give them?

jb

Perverted Justice

over a tortilla quiche i read an article in the new york times about a cyber vigilante group called perverted justice. Check here for more info. this group ensnares pedophiles using volunteers posed as young girls in various chatrooms on the web. once they establish a good rapport with on-line predators, they ask them to meet at their house where their parents are supposedly away. once the pedophiles get to the house they realize they have been stung, as tv cameras film their entrance, and cops arrest them as they try to leave. this organization has engaged in their perverted justice operations in many states across the country. And their efforts have resulted in the arrests of hundreds of men.

this group, whose origins and inner workings are still a bit mysterious, is largely supported by the NBC program, Dateline NBC, which films the pedophiles' entry into the homes, and uses their tv host to ask the men questions about what they are doing there. they then show them transcripts of the on-line conversations (all full of sexual innuendo)they have been having with the young girl/perverted justice volunteer. at this point, all of the men run from the house, and are greeted by police outside who arrest them for sexual predator offenses.

cyber vigilantes. what an interesting concept. of course we have heard of law enforcment agencies engaging in similar operations, but a citizen's organization with the help of a TV network? Incidentally, Dateline NBC gives the group 70 K for each hour of programming. now, however, the group has come under fire for their tactics, being accused of entrapment. they definitely lay a trap, but these men, through their questionable actions, fall right into it. let's face it, a grown man who is not interested in having sex with teenage girls will, most likely, not troll for them on the internet. fucking ridiculous. who cares if they are ensnared? if they didn't have dubious intent they wouldn't find themselves in such a situation.

i don't have a problem with vigilante justice per se, but it does depend upon the justice being sought. in this case, i'm all for it. i'm not in favor of vigilante groups, such as those racist rednecks patrolling the U.S/Mexico border. These assholes will spend a lot of time and money playing federal agent-cowboy man just to keep impoverished Mexicans from "invading" and "polluting" the good ole U.S.A. gotta love the diesease/infection language frequently used. They should use their time and money instead, working for groups like perverted justice. Imagine if all those rednecks committed to eradicting child sexual abuse and murder in this country? i suppose there is more glory and masculine, jingoistic fulfillment in patrolling the borders than in trolling the web for sexual predators.

jb

For the Easily Offended.......

today, a woman who shares on office close to mine, asked me what i thought of the rosie perez lecture "aids in the latino community" that took place on campus last evening. i told my "neighbor" that i liked perez's non-pretentious, informed opinions on aids and sex education.

my neighbor, who also attended the lecture, but left about 20 minutes into it, said that she had to leave because she didn't like the frequent use of "the F word" during her presentation, finding it especially distasteful because the lecture was in the campus chapel. furthermore, she was offended by perez's slanderous comments about madonna making sexual advances toward her at a party in the early 90's. my neighbor said "was that true? she shouldn't say slanderous things about people like that."

i don't know what to do with comments like these. i never know what to say when people are offended by language and sexual behavior. whatver. i didn't even notice perez was using "the F word," and thought her party stories were funny.

for the easily offended ........fuck off.

jb

A Mouse in My Bed

I woke up to one this morning, courtesy of my lovely cat, Oscar. He jumed on the bed just as A. and I were waking up, carrying a dead, grey, baby mouse in his mouth, which he dropped at my feet.

At first, I thought it was a toy, but soon realized this was the real thing. Don't know where Oscar discovered this tiny vermin, or when he administered that final, lethal blow. But, the body was still warm and flexible when I scooped it up and threw it in the body bag.

Oscar just laid on the bed in a total state of bliss, proud of his morning acheivement.

jb