Longer Step: Ideas for Justice and Sustainability

  Neil Gaiman (author of American Gods, Good Omens, and many other books) is accused of sexual assault by two women. I asked Alexa to name some famous men accused of sexual assault, and she wouldn't respond. I guess there were too many for Alexa to try to list. Here's the point: It has to be a perverted, sick power thing, because surely any famous writer can certainly attract a willing partner, if they just put in some effort, right? So to go instead for non-consensual assault is incredibly sick, and needs to get massive monetary damages paid to the victims, plus super-long prison time. Being famous or successful does not give you any greater rights under the law than anyone else.

  1. Dom Perignon is tossing its entire 2023 vintage. It's just not good enough. This is one of those lessons that most of us winemakers may not be sensitive enough to. After years of making rose wine from Leon Millot (and winning lots of silver medals for it), I've finally decided I just don't like it enough, and won't make it again. This is partly because my abler winemaker friends are making killer-good reds from both Leon and Foch. I used to make Leon red, and yes I would let it spike to 85F to remove some of the herbaceous notes,  but people didn't like it unless it was aged a few years. But these younger winemakers are adding oak to the primary ferm, and removing the wine and cap from the seeds as soon as they can, and their wines are amazing. Leon is such a perfect grape for here that I simply must find some ways to use it. It was 25% of my red blend that won Gold this year, so that is one good way (blended with Valentin Blattner's Labelle, Ukraine's

  Kudos to France. Aside from a coupla terrorist attacks, the nation nailed a great Olympic games. I have never had a bad experience in France. Such a wonderful country. Even in Paris, after 26,000 steps one day (the Louvre, the Catacombs, the Pompideau, Notre Dame and the Celtic city beneath is, and the Seine riverwalk), when we were dog tired, and found a Bistro open late, and the menu was too much for me, I asked our server, "Excusez-moi, but do you speak English?" and he winked at me and said, "Sometimes," and then took care of us. Wonderful dinner; huge tip; and we made a new friend. If you ever think Paris is snooty, you are just doing it wrong. My best advice to Americans is: The Europeans are way ahead of us. Be more like the best of them.

  Re the much-maligned female Algerian boxer : 1. I wish all people could just compete against each other, in every sport, not separated by gender, but I know that's not realistic. In soccer, I've long thought our phenomenal women's soccer team could probably beat the always-disappointing mens team. Could our kids' kids' kids someday see a genderless games? 2. Aren't there MANY factors affecting gender? chromosomes, anatomy, hormones, the way you were socialized, your own vision of yourself... 3. If we're going to separate genders in sports, don't we need an agreed-upon boundary between men and women? The same tests for all sports? Black and white guidelines, so there is no dispute. Is such a delineation possible? Whatever we have now, sux. What we have now denigrates women who have worked themselves incessantly, to become great. So what if a woman "looks like a man?" So what if "a man looks like a woman?" The urgent need to categoriz

  It's true: In the US we are too isolated from each other. All restaurants' tables should be mostly long ones, where strangers can mingle and exchange ideas, and as we learn to appreciate a diversity of thoughts, perhaps we will not be quite so quick to kill each other randomly.

  Today, the conservative Supreme Court got it wrong on a major immunity decision. I mostly agree with them: A U.S. president should be immune from liability for actions taken within the scope of his or her presidency ("official acts"). That's fine*, but the court stopped there. It should have given us a narrow scope of what "official actions" are. With no limit given, there are two likelihoods, both negative, and I curse this Court for it: (a) A President can now make 'political prosecutions' against perceived enemies, with impunity; and (b) Any attempt by lower courts to impose limits are going to go back to the Supreme Court, causing years of delay whilst a dictator president is free to do evil left and right against their own citizens. Welcome to the new America, where all that stands between the people and 'whimsical imprisonment' is the personal ethics of our president. If we ever have a leader who throws political enemies into prison, with