A couple of newspaper stories I've only recently come across which are still interesting reading. They date as far back as 2004, yet much of what they cover is apropos today.

This one, from Reason magazine, is a recap of absinthe's increase in popularity. The writer interviews Jad Adams, who has become something of a de-facto expert on the subject since the publication of his book, Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle. I'm reading it now and I can't say as I'm wildly impressed, although the quotes from him in various articles seem reasonable enough. The article also talks about how bad Czech "absinth" is, as well as bringing in the old quote from an absinthe connoisseur, who decries its legalization, and subsequent popularity, as if that detracts from the taste.

This article, from August of 2004, centers on Hiram, who is the proprietor of WormwoodSociety.org. He introduces the writer to absinthe and, again, talks about the bad Czech absinthe (which can be bought in Canada) and its illicit appeal. Both of those story lines can stop now, thank you very much. The article also talks about "HG" absinthe, or home-brewed stuff (the HG comes from the German word Hausgemacht). I'm not sure why home-brewed is so interesting. Perhaps because of its quasi-legality and current expense, but I'd probably stay far away from home-brewed absinthes.