It’s Sedimentary, My Dear Watson

By definition, etymology and inclination, sediment is just stuff that settles.  Most often, it refers to solid particles suspended in and carried along by a fluid, before they’re drawn inexorably downward by gravity to collect in the lowest place they can find. River beds and the ocean floor are rich in sediments both mineral and biological.…

Getting to Know You

The dinner party differs from the cocktail party in one very important respect. Hemmed in as you are by a dinner party place setting, it’s generally not possible to seek new company if you find the people around you a trifle dull, awkward or outright odd. No, you must stay put and make conversation as…

Heartlands

  Lovers of wine and the vine can be found all over the world, in every known clime and every inhabited continent. Meanwhile, the places where wine can actually be produced are confined to two relatively narrow strips of our dear old Earth, positioned between about 30 and 50 degrees north and south latitudes, per…