Monthly Archives: November 2015

Your Monday Science Reading!

Sexism in science isn’t new in the slightest. I was strongly reminded of this recently at The Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, where I was at the DevOps Days Silicon Valley conference. The rarity of women in highly-paid positions documented in the museum, for example. Or learning from a new friend that an image they showed, one that’s used often for printing tests, is a scan of a photo from Playboy. Every time sexism in science comes up, it’s a lot to take in. But maybe 2015 is the start of something new? Sarah Zang argues so in WIRED. “[T]aken together, so many and in succession, they suggest something bigger. A conversation about sexism in science broke open this year.” So many sexist battles fought and, for once, won.… Continue reading →

Thanksgiving, Day of Gratitude, Day of Mourning

As an American food blogger, it’s in my personal best interests to do as much tie-in with the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as possible. It’s a time to show off my skills at cooking, photography, and writing. It’s a time to help people make the biggest feast of the year better and/or more interesting. And, indeed, I’ve already posted something on the subject this year and I have definitely posted about it several times over the years.

On a personal level, Thanksgiving has always showcased the best parts of life: camaraderie, food, and gratitude, shared and personal.

But last year, I couldn’t do it. If you look at that second link above, you’ll notice there’s not a single post in 2014 tagged “Thanksgiving.” Because, though I participated in the celebrations, I was finally aware from the year before of the terrible roots of the day and the name.… Continue reading →

If I Ruled the Thanksgiving Beer Fridge

I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, or any year for the foreseeable future. It’s a mighty change for me, and I must admit not an easy one. I love hosting very much, partially because I love parties but also partially because I love cooking. And this year it’s also a bit hard because I finally feel like I got my legs under me for not only planning the meal but exactly how I’d do the beer. And, well, that basically requires knowing the food.

I thought.

Then I reconsidered.

Really, Thanksgiving might be just about the most easy to predict meal on the American menu. So I decided I might as well just pretend I was hosting and tell you guys what beers I’d have on hand (and why!)… Continue reading →

Beer Me! Links for a Monday

Brewdog, a Scottish brewery that’s fairly popular, just released a beer they’re calling “No Label.” The profits are going to go to a few British LBGTQI+ organizations. This is all well and good, in theory, but a number of trans people I know and know of have pointed out massive problems with the beer and campaign. Julia Astrid Davis, a brewer and transgender woman breaks down clearly and quickly the various ways in which this action, though it may seem good on the surface, is actually incredibly problematic.

Will Robertson and Julia Burke have another response, both to Brewdog and Davis over on Skepchick. I’m unsure of this one, myself, but it’s another set of interesting perspectives. Overall, though, I find myself agreeing strongly with Davis.… Continue reading →

Activism Through Collaboration: New Belgium, Ben & Jerry’s, Protect Our Winters

I love following @ClimateOfGavin on Twitter. He’s a climatologist, and I learn a lot. I’ll be honest, even with my background in science, sometimes it’s a bit tough to follow (I have no climate training), but overall it’s well worth it. Gavin is interesting and very clear.

Unfortunately, what he’s clear about is that anthropogenic climate change is happening. Like it or not, here we go.

The bad news is the phrase “locked in,” meaning we’re already guaranteed some amount of massive negative impact from climate change. But maybe there’s hope yet that we can prevent further lock-in. And that will take advocacy.

Enter Protect Our Winters to this post. An advocacy organization rooted in the snow sports (skiing, snowboarding, etc), Protect Our Winters is about raising awareness and education around climate change, as well as encouraging advocacy within and beyond its members.… Continue reading →