Winery scam; Martini Madness sold out and other food and wine events; Disappeared restaurants updates; nibs and sips (Sonoma Index-Tribune) Martini Madness sold out ... As some of you may have, I received an e-mail purportedly from one "Anna Maldonado" who identifies herself as "an American" and whose e-mail address appears to be an Italian hosting site called Katamail.com . She says she lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand, and that "when I was around last time I got a bottle of one of your wines from a friend as a gift and I love ... [News Source]

Giving the gift of life (The Escanaba Daily Press) MANISTIQUE - There are many gifts people choose to donate, but there is rarely one that takes so little effort from the provider, while giving so much to the recipient - the gift of blood. [News Source]

Britons are developing a taste for GM crops. The fact is that, after all the furor of the 1990s, GM is nowhere near the top of most people's concerns about food. [News Source]

[opinion] Children’s Accursed Literature : With a plethora of dead pets, it’s no wonder kiddies are traumatized by … (Monterey County Weekly) The first book that ever made me cry told the story of an egg-sucking, ringwormy male with one ear chewed off. Did I mention he was yellow? And I was 6? Fred Gipson’s Old Yeller introduces Death to many young readers. (In it, a boy must shoot his own beloved dog to keep it from spreading rabies.) There’s lots of company on the Children’s Accursed Literature bookshelf. Here’s a rule: If there’s a ... [News Source]