Wine is running out
The world is running out of wine, according to a report by Tom Kierath and Crystal Wang of Morgan Stanley.
This is palatable news in the morning, perhaps, but we’re in the throes of happy hour. And this article’s audience the world over is hoping against hope this is an elaborate, distasteful Halloween prank. It is not. Hyperbole is all we can hope for now.
The math: Global consumption of wine sits at around 3-billion cases per year, and annual production is at 2.8-billion.
The report indicts us, the wine consumers of this world, for increasing in number since 1996. In 2012, demand exceeded supply by 300-million cases, according to the report.
Stock-up on the nectar, and perhaps be a little more discerning about who you share with. [Source: BBC]
Sriracha
The sauce; rooster sauce; cock sauce – Sriracha. A judge ruled today in favour of Huy Fong Foods keeping its hot sauce plant open, for the time being. Irwindale, California is suing the company after a groundswell of residents complained about the unpleasant pepper and garlic smell coming from the plant. The effects of this specific olfactory combination are headaches and watery eyes, according to news reports.
The hot-sauce maker is working to reduce the smell. But, for now, lovers of the leftover saver can collectively sigh. [Source: HuffPo]
Rob Ford
An unwillingness to bend to media pressures can be an attractive trait, if you weren’t recorded smoking crack cocaine, that is.
The video many of us wanted to be real, is. This was revealed today.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford told media he has no reason to resign. Police Chief Bill Blair would disagree. Blair won’t go on record saying this, as it’s not his place to do so, but every daily in Canada’s largest city did call for the immediate end to Ford’s mayorship.
Blair’s force collected a video this summer as part of raid related to gang activity in northwest Toronto.
“I think it’s fair to say the mayor does appear in that video but I’m not going to get into the detail of what activities is depicted in that video,” Chief Blair said in a news briefing.
Ford told reporters he would defend himself if the case wasn’t before the courts. And that he’s going to go back to his office and do what he was elected to do.
There’s juicy backstory to this brief, and I urge those who haven’t followed Rob Ford’s exploits to spend a few minutes on Google catching up. [Source: NP]
Documentary of Winnipeg’s west end
It’s slowly gentrifying, as it’s one of the few, remaining Winnipeg vestiges where new homeowners can enjoy crown moulding for under River Heights prices. And it’s also the focus of a new film.
Winnipeg’s West End is also, for some, an area associated loosely with crime. Documentarian Kirby Hammond wants to challenge and explore that. He produced the film Life on Victor Street, which follows west ender Brent Thomas and his family as they navigate the area, trying to live life while avoiding the pitfalls around them.
The documentary is for sale on the National Film Board’s website, and can be seen as part of the Global Justice Film Festival, which runs November 1 and 2 at the University of Winnipeg. [Source: CBC]
Syria closes chemical weapons facilities
Syria has met a critical deadline in the destruction of its chemical weapon production program, said the Hague’s Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Thursday.
The watchdog said all the facilities used in making the weapons have been rendered inoperable, a move hailed as a milestone. But President Bashar al-Assad is still in possession of 1,290 metric tons of chemical weapons that are supposed to be destroyed by 2014, according to the New York Times.
“The Assad regime continues to use artillery, air power and siege tactics against civilians, with thousands killed every month,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement. While the destruction of facilities is “an important first milestone, it brings no relief to the Syrian people. As winter approaches, the humanitarian situation grows more acute with millions left vulnerable.” [Source: NY Times]
—-
Toban Dyck is a guy trying to figure out the nuances and intricacies of running an online-only publication in the Canadian Prairies.
@tobandyck
For more, follow Spectator Tribune @spectatortrib