Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/7-2/9/2010

2/7/1972:
Seventeen-year-old high school student Chris Evert embarrasses Billie Jean King, 6-1, 6-0, in the finals of a clay court tournament in Evert's hometown of Fort Lauderdale. King has her service broken six straight times and has no response to Evert's withering ground strokes, especially her two-hander off the backhand side-a revolutionary stroke at the time. sitting courtside is her father and coach, Jim Evert, as she gives further notice (after her run to the U.S. Open semis last fall) that she'll be a major force in women's tennis.

Birthdays:
Dan Quisenberry b. 1953
Carney Lansford b. 1957
Rick Neuheisel b. 1961
Juwan Howard b. 1973
Steve Nash b. 1974

2/8/1965:
Two hours after scoring 48 points to lead the Aggies to a 91-62 victory over Denver on their home court, Utah State's Wayne Estes stops by the side of the road with two friends to see if they can be of any help at the site of a traffic accident. Unaware that a high-voltage wire had been dislodged by the car crash, the All-American basketball star walks right into the lethal electrical current and is killed instantly. He had just gone over 2,000 career points in tonight's game, averaging 33.7 points during his senior year.

Birthdays:
Joe Black b. 1924
Clete Boyer b. 1937
Marques Johnson b. 1956
Dino Ciccarelli b. 1960
Alonzo Mourning b. 1970

Packers Fact:
On February 8, 1936, the NFL held its first draft of college football players. The Packers' initial selection was Russ Letlow, a guard from San Francisco. He was the seventh choice overall.

2/9/1940:
Heavyweight champion Joe Louis defends his title with a 15-round split decision over Chilean challenger Arturo Godoy at Madison Square Garden, a result met with boos and catcalls as the fighters leave the ring. Godoy's aggressiveness and pell-mell onrushing style won approval from the crowd of 15,000 fans and at least one of the judges. In a shocking contrast of viewpoints, two judges (including referee Arthur Donovan) score the bout 10-4-1 for Louis; the other judge, veteran boxing ringsider Tommy Shortell, scores it 1-5 for Godoy. A rematch is quickly arranged, and Louis is more businesslike four months from now at Yankee Stadium, dispatching Godoy in eight rounds.

Birthdays:
Dit Clapper b. 1907
Phil Ford b. 1956
Mookie Wilson b. 1956
Vladimir Guerrero b. 1976
Jameer Nelson b. 1982

Packers Fact:
Three of the Packers' 11 starters on offense made the Pro Bowl in February of 2008: quarterback Brett Favre (he missed the game because of injury), wide receiver Donald Driver, and tackle Chad Clifton.


http://www.talkingpets.org/

Talking Pets
Choose the appropriate background and accessories and let one of these virtual pets deliver your message for you. It might go down easier coming from Fido or Fluffy, and if the recipient wants to kill the messenger, all they have to do is hit Delete.


http://negse.com/negser/

Bed Head
The site is in Japanese, but you'll be able to navigate it easily enough. For the past eight years, webmaster Negse has photographed himself upon waking to show what a good (or bad) night's sleep has done to his hair. Voice your opinion by rating each picture and then check out his top ten best-rated mornings.


http://www.verysmallobjects.com/

Tiny Things
Welcome to the world of onlifrags and neliparts - very small objects no bigger than 8 x 8 x 25 millimeters in size. Some were once living objects, like dead bugs or dried herbs (and are classified under the onli- designation), but most are man-made and originally parts of larger objects. At this site you can see dozens of classified tiny objects, learn how to name them scientifically according to the webmaster's system of classification, and submit your own finds to the site.

YOU, ME, AND HYPERBOLE

The inner lives of cartoon characters, adolescents who laugh too much, a boy’s obsession in a pitch-black attic, a master builder of miniatures, the village that makes a duplicate of itself—you get all this and plenty of other fantastic products of Steven Millhauser’s dazzlingly crafty mind. In a time of fine storytellers, Millhauser is one of the liveliest and cleverest of them.

DANGEROUS LAUGHTER: THIRTEEN STORIES, by Steven Millhauser (Knopf, 2008)

A GOOD DAY FOR A POEM

“This is the moment when bliss is what you glimpse / from the corner of your eye, as you drive past,” writes Robert Hass in his poem “September, Inverness.” The San Francisco poet has been embellishing paper with his verse since the days when he sat at the feet of the great Beat poets, learning his craft from them and many others. His latest book shows a writer at the height of his powers, catching the eternal in the fleeting moment. Reading Hass will both lighten and deepen your day.

TIME AND MATERIALS: POEMS 1997–2005, by Robert Hass (Ecco, 2007)

LEINENKUGEL’S CREAMY DARK LAGER

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

A red brunette topped by wispy foam, with a moderate roast malt aroma and a hint of caramel. Light to medium body with a terrific hop bitterness that balances the background malt. Overall impression: a very refreshing, tasty dark lager with just enough complexity to invite into a session of conversation amongst friends. Well done, with few American competitors; winner of a Silver medal at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival in the American-style Dark Lager category.

THUNDERHEAD IPA

Pyramid Breweries, Portland, Oregon

We all know Portland, Oregon, is responsible for some of the finest ales in the country. This IPA is no exception. Pale amber in color, the bountifully hoppy pale showcases Pacific Northwest grown hops. Happily, they never completely dominate a biscuity caramel malt. The result is a beer that goes down in dangerously smooth fashion, ending with a crisp, dry hop residue. A delicious IPA by anyone’s standards.

BEER FACT

Thunderhead IPA is an American-style India pale ale brewed with Pacific Northwest hop varieties like Columbus and Tomahawk. According to Pyramid Brewery, it is best paired with fish, barbecue, and all things hot and spicy.

OMMEGEDDON’S FARMHOUSE ALE

Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

A dose of Brettanomyces yeast lends a wild-fruit, earthen complexity and horsey character. Enjoyed relatively young, the brew’s overall character is gentle, poetic, and soft-spoken. An intriguing wintergreen hop emerges. Floral and reminiscent of the Belgian witbier style, yet peculiarly unique. A nice foamy lace collects on the glass. Refreshing—and devilishly deceiving at 8%.

From the BrewerY:

“Dryness and funkiness begat the name of Ommegeddon—for the time when the forces of light and dark battle for world dominion. It’s time for you to pick your side.”

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/6/2010

2/6/1972:
Chet "the Jet" Walker scores a career-high 56 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 119-94 rout of the cincinnati Royals at Chicago Stadium. Walker is unstoppable on the low post with an array of short jumpers and "up-and-under" moves to score lay-ups and draw fouls. The one-time All-American from Bradley scores 22 field goals and 12 free throws while setting a Bulls team scoring record (pre-Michael Jordan).

Birthdays:
Babe Ruth b. 1895
Smoky Burgess b. 1927
Don Cockroft b. 1945
Richie Zisk b. 1949
Kim Zmeskal b. 1976

Packers Fact:
Vince Lombardi was the offensive assistant for the Eastern Conference-Champion New York Giants before he was named the Packers' head coach in February of 1959.

http://www.museumoffred.com/

Museum of Fred
Instead of visiting artists' studios to discover new work, Fred Beshid trolls through local thrift shops and brings you the best of what he's found at his very own gallery, the Museum of Fred.

BRAIN CANDY

Two writers for hit British TV shows (Spitting Image, Blackadder, and Quite Interesting) get together to prove that there’s nothing more fun than picking up incredibly obscure facts about things you never knew you didn’t know. The driest, tallest, largest; the smallest, oldest; the first and the worst; nature, history, culture, technology—all to surprise and delight you, with concise explanations. One of the better collections of this kind.

THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE, by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson (Harmony, 2007)

HENNINGER FRANKFURT BEER

Henninger-Brau, Frankfurt, Germany

Aficionados will see the green bottle and immediately be on the alert for skunky, lightstruck odors. But lo, there are none! How can this be? Well, one hint lies in the list of ingredients: “hop extract.” Somehow, German brewers have figured out a way to make lager beer that’s impervious to ultraviolet light damage! Amazing. The beer is deeply malty. Finishes long, but still deliciously drinkable. If you have your doubts, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/5/2010

2/5/2005:
Zab Judah of Brooklyn wins the unified welterweight championship of the world on a TKO in the ninth round against Cory Spinks at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Spinks, son of former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, scored a unanimous 12-round decision against Judah just last April, but it's a different story tonight. Judah is the aggressor from the start and leads comfortably on all three scorecards when the bout is halted after a wobbly Spinks is knocked down for a second time. Annexing the WBC, WBA and IBF titles with this win, Judah will proceed to lose three straight fights from January 2006 through June 2007, thereby surrendering all three of his championship belts.

Birthdays:
Hank Aaron b. 1934
Roger Staubach b. 1942
Craig Morton b. 1943
Darrell Weltrip b. 1949
Roberto Alomar b. 1968

Packers Fact:
Two members of the Packers' defense earned Pro Bowl berths in the 2007 season: end Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris.


http://www.tony-b.org/

Tony B's Machine
Create and record your own techno-music tracks on this virtual electronic organ, which includes special effects, sample lyrics, and a skin you can custom design.

20TH-CENTURY WITNESS

“No one except perhaps Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams has aimed so high and achieved so much in the American theater,” wrote John Lahr of August Wilson in The New Yorker. Wilson’s life’s work—ten plays that captured the African American experience in the 20th century—are brought together here in a boxed set with introductions by Lahr, Suzan-Lori Parks, Toni Morrison, Frank Rich, and Laurence Fishburne, among others. Two of the plays, Fences and The Piano Lesson, won the Pulitzer.

THE AUGUST WILSON CENTURY CYCLE, by August Wilson (Theatre Communications Group, 2007)

MOYLAN’S MOYLANDER DOUBLE IPA

Moylan’s Brewing Co., Novato, California

Woah. Pour this one in a glass, and get ready for a crazy ride. The hop aroma hits you like a brick of something green and sticky. Close your eyes, take another deep whiff, and hold on. A brilliant reddish-copper, Moylander has a tight, off-white layer of foam and moderate carbonation—but the first sip’s explosion of hop resins will make you forget about its appearance. You gasp. You smile. You go for another sip. The bitterness has two hands around your throat by this time, but as a certified hop-head, you’re loving every second of it. How do they pack so much hop hugeness into this beer? This is a ludicrously hoppy beer. No surprise it won a Great American Beer Festival Silver medal in 2007. If you like hops, you have to try this.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/3-2/4/2010

2/3/1997:
Coaches Don Haskins of UTEP and Pete Carril of Princeton head a list of seven new inductees to the Basketball Hall of Fame at Springfield, Massachusetts. Also named: NBA stars Alex English and Bailey Howell, women's standouts Denise Curry and Joan Crawford, and Antonio Diaz-Miguel, longtime coach of the Spanish national team. Nicknamed "the Bear," Haskins won 687 games in 36 years at El Paso and led the Miners to a landmark victory in the 1966 NCAA tournament. Carril, in 30 years on the bench (29 at Princeton), won 525 games with a deliberate and disciplined style of play. English scored over 25,000 points in a 15-year career; Howell had over 17,000 points in 12 years. Curry was an All-American at UCLA, while Crawford was a prominent AAU player based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Birthdays:
Emile Griffith b. 1938
Fran Tarkenton b. 1940
Bob Griese b. 1945
Vlade Divac b. 1968
Retief Goosen b. 1969

Packers Fact:

Wide receiver John Jefferson is the only Packers' player to earn MVP honors in the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl. He shared the honor with San Diego's Dan Fouts after the NFC's 20-19 victory in the game following the 1982 season.

2/4/1969:
The NBA stages a doubleheader at the Astrodome, and over 41,000 fans show up to set a new league record. They watch Cincinnati top Detroit, 125-114, in the opener, but the star attraction is former Houston Cougar All-American Elvin Hayes, now with the San Diego Rockets. Scoring 32 points, "the Big E" leads San Diego to a 135-126 victory over the world champion Boston Celtics in the feature game. Two years from now, the NBA will approve the transfer of the San Diego franchise to Houston.

Birthdays:
Bennie Oosterbaan b. 1906
Byron Nelson b. 1912
Lawrence Taylor b. 1959
Denis Savard b. 1961
Oscar De La Hoya b. 1973

Packers Fact:
The Packers won all three of their indoor games in 2007, beating Minnesota, Detroit, and St. Louis in domed stadiums.


http://rulesofthumb.org/

Rules of Thumb
Rules of thumb are not scientific principles, but common wisdom learned from experience that can be applied to everyday problems, such as "if you are going to drive home from a party, don't have more than one drink per hour." At this site you can read hundreds of rules garnered from classic sources as well as contributions from visitors on topics like relationships, gardening, crime, animals, negotiating, dining, and most appropriately, thumbsucking - "It's easier to take away the pacifier than it is the thumb."

http://www.todaysbigthing.com

Today's Big Thing
Instead of dozens of wonderful offerings that you may not have the time to peruse, the wizards at this site find the "awesomest" video available each day including drunk weathermen, slow-motion lightning, television bloopers, sports stunts, animal antics, and more. With months of archives in case your boss gives you the afternoon off.

TOUGH LOVE

In the 1940s Laura MacAllan’s husband took her to a farm in the Mississippi Delta, where she had to contend with having no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and a racist, misogynist father-in-law. She turned to one of her black tenants for friendship, and troubles soon followed. Told from several different points of view, Hillary Jordan’s first novel is beautifully constructed and a compelling, moving story. It won the Bellwether Prize for Literature of Social Change for 2006.

MUDBOUND, by Hillary Jordan (Algonquin Books, 2008)

CHERCHEZ LA FEMME IN PHILLY

The husband of Philadelphia District Attorney Victor Carl’s former fiancée has been murdered, and the police suspect Carl himself. Is his ex setting him up for a fall? Could be. If James M. Cain or Raymond Chandler is your cup of crime, then this hard-boiled noir whodunit is definitely for you.

A KILLER’S KISS, by William Lashner (William Morrow, 2007)

ANCHOR SMALL BEER

Anchor Brewing Co., San Francisco, California

Frugality tends to course through brewers’ veins. Homebrewers inclined to strong ale have been known to try remashing an all-malt mash to extract every little bit of sweet wort. And that’s the idea behind Anchor Small Beer: The late runoff from malt used for Old Foghorn is fermented into a weaker “small” beer. But as our friends across the pond have proven, “low-gravity” beers at 3%–4%/vol. can be quite enjoyable—they call theirs session ales. Anchor Small Beer has a lot of flavor for its modest gravity, and its full gold color and hoppy aroma would lead you to believe it’s bigger than it really is. Nice hop flavor and a good, drying bitterness in the finish. Plus, it comes in big bottles. Now that’s value.

ERDINGER DARK HEFE-WEIZEN

Erdinger Weissbräu, Erding, Germany

Opulent head atop a beautifully murky, yeast-infused mass. Smell the wistful berry/banana prelude as it mingles ever so slightly with roasted malt cocoa notes. This is a clean, straightforward dark German wheat beer. Erdinger Dark Hefe-Weizen will be preferred by beer drinkers seeking drinkability, simplicity, and clean taste. Absent is the usual cast of characters present in more traditional versions in the genre. What you will find are medium body and a mouthful of malt and goodness.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/1-2/2/2010

2/1/1966:
Illinois gets 33 points from Donnie Freeman and 31 from Rich Jones to spring a 99-93 upset of fourth-ranked Michigan at Yost Fieldhouse in Ann Arbor. All-American Cazzie Russell scores 33 points for the Wolverines despite being closely guarded by future NFL running back Preston Pearson. Illinois shoots 70% from the field in the second half, sparked by 21 points from sophomore center Jones. The loss will not prevent Michigan from winning its third consecutive Big Ten conference title.

Birthdays:
Paul Blair b. 1944
Dick Snyder b. 1944
T.R. Dunn b. 1955
Malik Sealy b. 1970
Tommy Salo b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher each started their 100th career game during the 2007 season.

2/2/2003:
Dany Heatley of the Atlanta Thrashers becomes the fifth player to score four goals in an NHL All-Star Game, but his Eastern Conference squad loses, 6-5 in a shootout, to the West Stars in Sunrise, Florida, the home rink of the Florida Panthers. The West wins the shootout, 3-1, in the first use of that crowd-pleasing tiebreaking measure in NHL history. (By 2005-06, shootouts will be used to break ties in all NHL regular-season contests.) Heatley joins Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Vincent Damphousse and Mike Gartner in the four-goals-in-an-All-Star-Game club.

Birthdays:
Red Schoendienst b. 1923
Gary Dornhoefer b. 1943
Arturs Irbe b. 1967
Sean Elliott b. 1968
Scott Erickson b. 1968

Packers Fact:
The Packers are the only team to win three NFL titles in a row-and they've done it twice (1929-31 and 1965-67).

http://www.phoons.com/

One-legged Poses
Inspired by a silly pose he repeated in his family's vacation photos, the webmaster began soliciting "phoons" from around the world in which people strike the one-legged pose atop the Tower of Pisa, at the base of Mount Rushmore, or next to the giant clove at a garlic festival in California. And don't miss the Where's Waldo-like "Find the Phoon" pages and optical illusions in which one mighty phooner holds a pack of fellow phooners in his hand. With rules and guidelines for submitting a phoon of your own.

ASK THE SPHINX

Nefertiti is great escapist fare for those who long to travel back in time to ancient Egypt. Rai Rehotap has been called by his pharaoh, Amenhotep, to find the pharaoh’s missing queen, the beautiful and charismatic Nefertiti. The skulduggery, violence, and suspense that follow are steeped in a wealth of period detail that makes the story as colorful as a royal concubine’s amulet.

NEFERTITI: THE BOOK OF THE DEAD, by Nick Drake (HarperCollins, 2007)

IF JANE AUSTEN WERE A MAN

Time editor and investment banker James Collins brings a knowing, smart, and masculine perspective to the romance genre in this delightfully diverting tale of boy meets girl, boy loses girl’s number, boy finds his best friend has snatched the girl for himself. And then? You can probably surmise the ending, but even so, Collins—and you—have great fun getting there.

BEGINNER’S GREEK, by James Collins (Little, Brown, 2008)

BITTER AMERICAN

21st Amendment Brewing Co., San Francisco, California

The ultimate American session ale. At 3.6%/vol., it packs a wallop of citrusy hop notes without compromising on malt personality. The whole has a sparkling, light body with an underpinning of caramel and fruit. The hop bitterness is balanced, not aggressive. Great attitude. Great aftertaste.

SUDS SOURCE

Several menus are offered at the brewery’s restaurant at 563 2nd Street in San Francisco. For lunch, try an order of spicy beer-battered popcorn chicken and the brewmaster’s fish-and-chips, both made with house ale. The roasted jerk chicken is one of the more popular signature items. For dessert, go for the handcrafted vanilla bean gelato root-beer float—and yes, the root beer is also brewed in-house. Lunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays, and 11:30 to 5:30 weekends.

COAL CREEK PORTER

Big Time Brewing Co., Seattle, Washington

In a word: Luscious. Deep mahogany color with inviting head retention. Creamy, smooth edges all around. Caramel, cocoa-like roast grains and floral hop characters swirl and captivate, embracing the palate and evoking comforting memories. Medium body meets drinkability. Everything a porter should be.

STYLE TIP

The two most common porter styles brewed today are brown porter and robust porter. Brown porters are typically lighter, smoother, and sweeter, with lower alcohol content. Robust porters, as the name would suggest, have more roast grain and hop bitterness, and they’re stronger, too.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/30-31/2010

Having seen his share of young phenoms flame out and never achieve lasting stardom, longtime high school basketball scout Tom Konchalski realizes: "One of the great obstacles of long-term success is the cancer of early success."

Birthdays:
Walt Dropo b. 1923
Davey Johnson b. 1943
Tom Izzo b. 1955
Curtis Strange b. 1955
Payne Stewart b. 1957

Packers Fact:
The Packers won all five regular-season games in 2007 in which their defense or special teams scored a touchdown.

1/31/1996:
St. Louis center Dale Hawerchuk becomes the fourth player this season (and 23rd overall) to score his 500th goal as the Blues blank Toronto, 4-0, at Maple Leaf Gardens. The first pick overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 amateur draft, Hawerchuk will post seven seasons of 40-plus goals and six seasons of 100-plus points before injuries force his early retirement after next season at age 34. On this season's 500-goal registry, he joins Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman.

Birthdays:
Jackie Robinson b. 1919
Hank Aguirre b. 1931
Ernie Banks b. 1931
Camille Henry b. 1933
Nolan Ryan b. 1947


http://worryfriends.com/

How to Worry Friends nad Inconvenience People
"Tell people those stickers you get on fruit are actually edible," "Ask for sandwich fillings while pointing at other ones," and "Wave back at people on television." These gems are only a few of the doznes of ways to bug-out the people around you. Learn them all at this site.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

The Ring Cycle
They might be too far to see with the naked eye, but now you can hear the sounds that the moons of Saturn make without leaving your desk.


FDR DAYSaturday is Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s birthday. That’s one reason to be happy. Another is this outstanding and eminently readable biography of one of our greatest presidents. The New Yorker says of Jean Edward Smith’s work, “The Roosevelt who emerges here—neither a stranger nor a painted icon—is flawed and magnificent.” If you’re going to read just one FDR biography this year, FDR should be it.

FDR, by Jean Edward Smith (Random House, 2007)

AMSTEL LIGHT

Brouwerij B.V., Amsterdam, Holland

Under the Premium Lager moniker, this ubiquitous brew begins with a surprising amount of flavor for a light beer, hinting at the typical crisp dryness of Dutch-brewed lagers. Unfortunately, the malt and very modest hop character promised up front tends to fade to a rather bland finish . . . not unexpected for a “light” beer, and still brewed to impeccably clean standards. Think of it as a polished lawn mower beer, and you won’t be disappointed.

MOJO RISIN’ DOUBLE IPA

Boulder Beer Co., Boulder, Colorado

Ten percent alcohol? In the easiest-drinking double IPA around? Yes, it smacks you upside the noggin with a heady dose of Amarillo hops, but you expected that. The malt is there, and it’s a good foil to the hop assault, but it’s not the sort of heavy, kettle-caramelized chunkiness you’d expect from a double beer. A very pale amber, with a light finish due partially to alcohol dryness, minus the heat or burn. Get your mojo on.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/29/2010

1/29/1974:
the Pittsburgh Steelers' scouting brain trust orchestrates a remarkable sequence of picks at the NFL draft. Their top four selections are WR Lynn Swann, LB Jack Lambert, WR John Stallworth and C Mike Webster. Swann will play 9 years with the Steelers; Lambert, 11; Stallworth, 14; Webster, 15. They all become key components of a Steelers dynasty that will win four of the next six Super Bowls, and they will all eventually be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Birthdays:
Greg Louganis b. 1960
Steve Sax b. 1960
Andre Reed b. 1964
Dominik Hasek b. 1965
Sean Burke b. 1967

Packers Fact:
Reserve defensive tackle Bob Kuberski's blocked field goal led to the first touchdown in the Packers' 21-7 victory over Tampa Bay in the 1997 divisional playoffs.


http://www.fingertime.com/pigdog
Pig Dog
Help superhero Pig Dog rescue the pigs by airlifting them back to the kennel - all while avoiding hazards like falling eagle eggs, rock outcroppings, and a deadly swinging ax.

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD (SHOT)

Put together by a comedian and a head-shot photographer, this book is a collection of strange, funny, and just plain bizarre head shots and résumés (the calling cards that actors must give to casting directors to get auditions). The actors here are real people who run the gamut from aspiring amateurs to seasoned performers—and each one is a fascinating character. The photos are hilarious and unexpected, and the résumés are equally entertaining and full of hidden gems. Anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood and the offbeat people who populate its fringes will enjoy this book.

HOLY HEADSHOT! A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S UNDISCOVERED TALENT, by Patrick Borelli and Douglas Gorenstein (Simon & Schuster, 2008)

FAMOSA LAGER BEER

Cerveceria Centro Americana, Guatemala City, Guatemala

This extra-pale cereal lager is distinguished by more than the big chicken on its label. The well-brewed Guatemalan export speaks to the quality and care put into most central American lagers, right down to the sturdy, dark-brown bottle. Elegantly clean, if lacking in complexity, this is a great beer served iced on a sticky hot day when you are way too close to the equator for comfort. To its credit, though, it’s still perfectly drinkable even when not optimally chilled—not too many light lagers, foreign or domestic, share that distinction. If you ever find yourself in Guatemala, you’ll know what to order.