Happily Opinionated

Adam tells the story of Nadathe Joassaint, a Haitian woman who died, but seemingly came back to life as a Zombie. This story was derived from the article Zombie Underworld by Mischa Berlinski. The story is full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and in the end we debate the validity of the story and try to answer the question, "Are Zombies Real?" The wine we drank today was Ayunta Nerello Mascalese, a 2018 Rosso. What an amazing natural wine. Made on the north side of Mt. Etna in Italy (an...

Back by popular demand is Answer Me This! We take turns asking each other questions and let the conversation take us from there. This week's topics: Santa Clause, Election 2020 Issues, The Death Penalty, and Bugs. The wine we drank today was The Flower and the Bee by Coto de Gomariz. It's a good wine and you can learn more about it here. Love Happily Opinionated? Share us with a friend. The best way for us to keep doing what we do is if more people can find us and we need your help. Thank...

Today we discuss a heartbreaking story that left a child with a lifetime of disability due to physician error. What's inconceivably worse is how his parents won a lawsuit but were unable to collect 80% of it due to a state-mandated cap. This is otherwise known as Tort Reform. We get into the question "Who is protecting these laws?" and find out that it's major corporations. News flash: Adam and Beth did not agree on the one. The wine we drank was a Val di Toro Reviresco. We met the Tuscan...

This week we talk about the death of Harry Dunn, a 19-year-old teenager. Harry, an English citizen, was riding his motorcycle in Northhamptonshire, England when a vehicle crossed into the wrong lane, struck him and killed him. The woman who hit him was a US Citizen named Anne Sacoolas, who happened to be the wife of a CIA agent stationed in the UK. Sacoolas fled the UK and came back to the US with her husband, and is now claiming diplomatic immunity, escaping charges in the UK. We dive deep...

This week we interviewed Hillary Scholten who is eyeing to become the first Democratic Congresswoman in West Michigan's history (and first congresswoman since the mid-50s). Hillary shared many elements of her platform, but more than that, she described why she believes what she does. We also talked about the challenges she faces in this election because she's a woman and the uniqueness of a three-party race. It was a fascinating and inspiring conversation. The wine we drank today was...

This week we are joined by Chris and Christina Leon, the owners of a local Grand Rapids wine shop, Leon & Son, with a flagship location in Brooklyn, NY. Listen to this week's episode as we discuss natural wine, how to form your own palette, why every varietal is great in its own way and much more. If you enjoy wine, you will not want to miss this episode. The bottle that Chris and Christina provided was Saveria Vineyard Pinot Noir by Trail Marker Wine Co. It was exquisite. Zesty,...

This week we discuss The Royal Family, specifically Meaghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Beth does a deep dive into the rules around what women can and can't do in the Royal Family, and examines if it's possible to be a feminist and a princess. Today we drank Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. It was a tasty delight and we both loved it. You can learn more about the wine here. Love Happily Opinionated? Share us with a friend. The best way for us to keep doing what we do is if more...

This week we introduce our Answer Me This series, where Beth and Adam bring two different topics to the podcast to hear the others' opinions. This week we discussed Income Inequality, Gun Control, Dreams, and Abortion. It was a doozy. Today we drank a 2015 Bogle Temptation. It's a dark, spicy red best drank in the dead of winter. We highly recommend. You can get it here. Here's the Gun Law Scorecard website Adam referred to. Love Happily Opinionated? Share us with a friend. The best way...

This week we discussed the tragic murder of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old man who was shot and killed in his own apartment, by a police officer who confused it for her own. We talk through the murder, the trial, Botham's brother's forgiveness, and dive deep into this notion of forgiveness specifically when it comes to forgiving crimes around racial bias and hate. The wine we drank today was a natural wine, which is becoming one of our favorite types of wine. We drank a Cuvee Terrasses by...

This week we are discussing Tara Westover's book, Educated. Heads up, there are some spoilers in this episode. Some of the details of her memoir will make you boil with anger, while others will make you question your own life as a child and your parenting style (if you are one). You've got to listen to this one! Love Happily Opinionated? Subscribe/Like us on Apple Podcasts and share us with a friend. The best way for us to keep doing what we do is if more people can find us and we need your...

Bonus Episode! While Adam was traveling to Memphis for work, he ended up having the weirdest day he's had in 34 years of living life. Adam tells Beth this story in all its glory and has a thought-provoking question that follows. Beth also shares the weirdest story of her life. Today, for the bonus episode, we switched it up and drank Banhez Mezcal. It's one of our favorites and if you like Mezcal, you'll love this. Love Happily Opinionated? Subscribe/Like us on Apple Podcasts and share us...

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This week, a friend of the pod David Podhaskie (politics journalist for the New York Law Review) joins to discuss the ongoing Impeachment saga surrounding President Trump. David explains what impeachment is, how we got here, and where he thinks it's going. The wine we drank today was a Black Stallion Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. It's was as delicious as it was bold. You can find it here. Unfortunately, you can only read David's NY Law Review pieces if you're a lawyer and subscribe to the...

In the United States of America, there have been 2,496 exonerations since 1989 and more than 20,000 years lost. In this episode, we're going to get you riled up about an exoneration case in which two men were convicted together and exonerated together. This is our American (In)Justice. Love Happily Opinionated? Subscribe/Like us on Apple Podcasts and share us with a friend. The best way for us to keep doing what we do is if more people can find us and we need your help. Thank you,...

As far as Caroline Calloway knew her bestie, Natalie Beach, would always have her back. That is until last week when Natalie publishes an article on The Cut that is a take down piece of her "BFF." Don't worry, she's gives Caroline a heads up before the article goes live. Friendship, right? Spoiler Alert: Adam and Beth have different opinions on this one. This week's wine was 2010 Renesio Roero Arneis by Malvira. It was maybe the best wine we've tasted on the show thus far. The way it looks...

Beth tells Adam about a discovery David Dunning, a Cornell professor, and his colleague, Justin Kruger, made when they decided to investigate people's lack of ability in correlation to an abundance of confidence. It’s all fun and games until you realize that the Dunning-Kruger Effect happens to you too. Tune in to learn just how puzzling this theory is and how it plays out in our everyday relationships. This week's wine was a Z Alexander Blend, UNCAGED from 2017. We give it two thumbs up....

For our inaugural episode, we thought of an easy light-hearted topic: Policing and Racial Bias! In this episode, Adam tells the story of Grand Rapids Police Captain Curt Vanderkooi, who after hearing about an incident on the news, instructed ICE to detain Jilmar Ramos-Gomez. Turns out, Ramos-Gomez was not only a US Citizen, but a US Marine and Veteran who served in Afghanistan. The conversation heats up from there as we discuss racial bias within the police force. The wine we drank during...

Do you have an opinion on anything? If so, this is the podcast for you. Adam and Beth Kail, a husband and wife team from Grand Rapids, Michigan, invade your audible space with strong opinions on everyday topics, while drinking a bottle of wine each episode. Each week, Adam and Beth discuss interesting and relevant topics and discuss in a sometimes tear jerking, mostly hilarious sort of way. Imagine being a fly on the wall in a very entertaining marital date. Actually, you don't have to...