Friday, January 30, 2009

Sports Fact of the Day 1/26-1/30/2009

1/26/1937:
Perennial first team All-Star defenseman Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins suffers a broken back when he's checked against the end boards in a game against the New York Rangers at Boston Garden. Shore will miss the rest of this season but put a stop to any talk of retirement by returning with a vengeance next season to win his fourth Hart Trophy (NHL MVP), still a record for defensemen. Topping off his career in his last full season, 1938-29, he will lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title.

Birthdays:
Bob Uecker b. 1935
Jack Youngblood b. 1950
Brian Doyle b. 1955
Wayne Gretzky b. 1961
Vince Carter b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Brandon Jackson's college career best was a 182-yard rushing effort against Oklahoma State in 2006.

1/27/1962:
Peter Snell of New Zealand breaks the world record for the mile run on a grass track in Wellington, New Zealand. His time of 3:54.4 betters the mark set by Herb Elliott of Australia in 1958 by one-tenth of a second. Snell's record time will last until November of 1964, when he'll lower his own standard to 3:54.1.

Birthdays:
Franke Albert b. 1920
John Lowenstein b. 1947
Billy "White Shoes" Johnson b. 1952
Cris Collinsworth b. 1959
Marat Safin b. 1980

Packers Fact:
Defensive end Aaron Kampman led the NFC with 15.5 sacks in 2006. San Diego defensive end Shawne Merriman was the only NFL player to drop opposing quarterbacks more times that season. He had 17 sacks.

1/28/1943:
The Chicago Blackhawks' brother act of center Max Bentley and left wing Doug Bentley go positively wild against the New York Rangers in a 10-1 romp at Chicago Stadium. Max (4-3-7) ties the single-game NHL scoring record of seven set by Carl Liscombe of Detroit earlier this season. Doug (2-4-6) isn't far behind his younger brother. All four of Max's goals come in a seven-goal third-period onslaught, and Doug gets an assist on each marker against helpless Ranger goalie Bill Beveridge. Doug will lead the NHL in scoring this season; Max will lead in scoring in 1946 and '47. Both will become members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Birthdays:
Pete Runnels b. 1928
Colin Campbell b. 1953
Tony Delk b. 1947
Jermaine Dye b. 1974
Daunte Culpepper b. 1977

Packers Fact:
The Packers selected 11 players in the seven-round draft in 2007. Nine of those players made the team at the start of the season, with the other two (wide receiver David Dlowney and right end Clark Harris) on the practice squad.

1/29/2007:
Last year's Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro loses his eight-month battle for life when owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson determine there is simply too much pain from several different medical problems in play to ask the gallant colt to continue his ordeal following career-ending fractures in his right rear leg during the 2006 Preakness. Barbaro is put down in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where he had been receiving round-the-clock treatment by Dr. Dean Richardson at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.

Birthdays:
Greg Louganis b. 1960
Steve Sax b. 1960
Andre Reed b. 1964
Dominik Hasek b. 165
Sean Burke b. 1967

Packers Fact:
End Aaron Kampman's 113 tackles in 2006 were the most by a defensive lineman in Packers' history. End Ezra Johnson (1983) held the previous mark of 107 stops.

1/30/1977:
Tom Watson wins his second tournament in a row and sets his second consecutive course record, romping to a five-stroke victory in the San Diego Open at the Torrey Pines Golf Club. Helped by a hole-in-one in the first round, Watson shoots a 19-under-par 269 on the scenic seaside layout, easily besting John Schroeder and Larry Nelson. Last week, Watson won the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach with a 14-under-par total. Superseding Jack Nicklaus as the best player in the game, he'll go on to lead the PGA earnings list and will be named Player of the Year the next four years running.

Birthdays:
Walt Dropo b. 1923
Davey Johnson b. 1943
Curtis Strange b. 1955
Payne Stewart b. 1957
Jalen Rose b. 1973

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver James Jones finished his hcollege career at San Jose State in 2006 ranked third on the school's all-time l ist with 126 receptions.

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Book Rec of the Day 1/29-1/30/2009

RX FOR THE BLUES
What a treat—400 pages of the delicious, oddball humor and the shaky, incredibly detailed pastel drawings of Roz Chast, longtime contributor to The New Yorker. “Everything” means mothers-in-law, children, pets, neuroses, urban life, travel . . . the works. You don’t have to be a New Yorker to love this zany national treasure.

THEORIES OF EVERYTHING: SELECTED, COLLECTED, AND HEALTH-INSPECTED CARTOONS, 1978-2006, by Roz Chast (Bloomsbury USA, 2006)

MYSTERIOUS DOINGS
If you were a fan of The West Wing, you’ll love curling up with this one. Brad Meltzer gives us a recognizable White House and Washington, D.C., real flesh-and-blood characters, plenty of political scandal, and a walloping good mystery involving President Leland Manning and his top aides.

THE BOOK OF FATE, by Brad Meltzer (Vision, 2007)

On no, our Buffalo is definitely not:
Shangri-la is in your mind
But your Buffalo is not.
billboard, China
On church feats, obscure:
Feast of the Superb Owl
church bulletin listing, which should have said "Feast of the Super Bowl"


SINGING IN THE SHOWER
ROCKET MAN
Best known for his 1965 hit “Down in the Boondocks,” Billy Joe Royal thought he was about to make a big comeback in the mid-1980s with a country song called “Burned Like a Rocket.” It was released to radio stations in January 1986 . . . just days before the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy. (The song was not a hit.)

KING TUT WAS BURIED WITH 145 LOINCLOTHS.


IRONIC, ISN’T IT?
In 2003 Men’s Fitness magazine named Houston “America’s Fattest City.” Two years later a local bike club tried to change the city’s image by holding a 40-mile bike rally through downtown Houston. To get people to sign up, they offered free beer and tacos at the end of the race.

THERE ARE 20 POSSIBLE ANSWERS ON A MAGIC 8-BALL: 10 POSITIVE, 5 NEGATIVE, AND 5 NEUTRAL.


THE BAY OF ISLANDS
NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Off the irregular coast of New Zealand’s North Island, more than 150 smaller islands of varying size are scattered across the deep blue waters, their tall Norfolk pines growing side by side with subtropical banana plants and fan palms in an ideal climate that adds to the bay’s allure as a recreational playground.


KANDERSTEG
BERNESE OBERLAND, SWITZERLAND
A cozy, quiet village near the clear waters of the gemlike Lake Oeschinen, Kanderstag lures visitors in its crisp white winters and again in its sunny summers, when hikers trek the alpine bluffs and ravines.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Sports Fact of the Day 1/26-1/28/2009

1/26/1937:
Perennial first team All-Star defenseman Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins suffers a broken back when he's checked against the end boards in a game against the New York Rangers at Boston Garden. Shore will miss the rest of the season but put a stop to any talk of retirement by returning with a vengeance next season to win his fourth Hart Trophy (NHL MVP), still a record for defensemen. Topping off his career in his last full season, 1938-39, he will lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title.

Birthdays:
Bob Uecker b. 1935
Jack Youngblood b. 1950
Brian Doyle b. 1955
Wayne Gretsky b. 1961
Vince Carter b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Brandon Jackson's college career best was a 182-yard rushing effort against Oklahoma State in 2006.

1/27/1962:
Peter Snell of New Zealand breaks the world record for the mile run on a grass track in Wellington, New Zealand. His time of 3:54.4 betters the mark set by Herb Elliott of Australia in 1958 by one-tenth of a second. Snell's record time will last until November of 1964, when he'll lower his own standard to 3:54.1.

Birthdays:
Frankie Albert b. 1920
John Lowenstein b. 1947
Billy "White Shoes" Johnson b. 1952
Cris Collinsworth b. 1959
Marat Safin b. 1980

Packers Fact:
Defensive end Aaron Kampman led the NFC with 15.5 sacks in 2006. San Diego defensive end Shawne Merriman was the only NFL player to drop opposing quarterbacks more times that season. He had 17 sacks.

1/28/1943:
The Chicago Blackhawks' brother act of cneter Max Bentley and left wing Doug Bentley go positively wild against the New York Rangers in a 10-1 romp at Chicago Stadium. Max (4-3-7) ties the single-game NHL scoring record of seven set by Carl Liscombe of Detroit earlier this season. Doug (2-4-6) isn't far behind his younger brother. All four of Max's goals come in a seven-goal third-period onslaught, and Doug gets an assist on each marker against helpless Ranger goalie Bill Beveridge. Doug will lead the NHL in scoring this season, Max will lead in scoring in 1946 and '47. Both will become members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Birthdays:
Pete Runnels b. 1928
Colin Campbell b. 1953
Tony Delk b. 1974
Jermaine Dye b. 1974
Daunte Culpepper b. 1977

Packers Fact:
The Packers selected 11 players in the seven-round draft in 2007. Nine of those players made the team at the start of the season, with the other two (wide receiver David Clowney and tight end Clark Harris) on the practice squad.

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Book Rec of the Day 1/26-1/28

MONEY TALKS
S
howing that capitalism comes in different shapes and sizes, the authors skillfully document four varieties and describe how America can sustain prosperity and growth in the years to come and what developing countries can do to stay in the game. “A daring book with big, bold, important ideas,” says George Akerlof, 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

GOOD CAPITALISM, BAD CAPITALISM, AND THE ECONOMICS OF GROWTH AND PROSPERITY, by William Baumol, Robert Litan, and Carl Schramm (Yale University Press, 2007)

BOOK LOVER’S PICK
British author Ian Sansom (The Impartial Recorder) gives us a hilarious mystery series set in northern Ireland and starring Israel Armstrong, a bumbling, lovable, vegetarian nebbish of a librarian who takes a new job with a mobile library. Even while you’re laughing out loud, you get a real sense of Ireland’s present realities. Marvelous characters and situations. Booklist starred review.

THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOOKS: A MOBILE LIBRARY MYSTERY

MR. DIXON DISAPPEARS: A MOBILE LIBRARY MYSTERY, by Ian Sanson (Harper Paperbacks, both 2007)

PUNKADELIC
If you lived in New York in the 1970s and 1980s, or even just passed through, you probably heard of CBGB’s, a hole-in-the-wall in a seedy section of the Bowery. Just hearing about it, though, would not have illuminated the real story that emerges here. It is a rich tale of the vitality, talent, and anger that fueled the punk movement, featuring mavericks such as CBGB owner Hilly Kristal, Lou Reed, the Ramones, Blondie, and the Beastie Boys.

THE HEEBIE-JEEBIES AT CBGB’S: A SECRET HISTORY OF JEWISH PUNK, by Steven Lee Beeber (Chicago Review Press, 2006)

On you know, we always say that too!:
Simon game me advice and said on [UK show] The X Factor he always refers to a fortune cookie and says the moth who finds the melon finds the cornflake always finds the melon and one of you didn't pick the right fortune.
singer Paula Abdul, during an American Idol show
On cliches, mangled:
The role of the lead goose is to break wind on the other geese.
He was running around like a chicken with his legs cut off.
It's all water under a camel's back.
Missouri-based advertising executive (thanks to Buzz Baker)
On job applicants, a little too literal:
Length of Residence:
40 feet x 60 feet
actual response on a job application (thanks to Bradley Brisard)

UNCLE JOHN’S SPACE PATROL
The sun is 400 times larger than the moon; it’s also 400 times farther away. So even though these two celestial bodies are vastly different in size, they appear to be almost exactly the same size from Earth. The chances of that happening are astronomical. None of the other planets in our solar system—or their hundreds of moons—share this one-to-one ratio. It’s also amazing that something so tiny can completely block out something so big (in the event of an eclipse), proving that even the smallest of things can live large.

A TURTLE’S SHELL IS SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO FEEL A TWIG BRUSH ACROSS IT.
THE READING ROOM
In the 1920s England’s two biggest chocolate makers, Cadbury and Rowntree, tried to steal trade secrets by sending spies posing as employees into each others’ factories. Result: Both companies became highly protective of their chocolate-making process. When Roald Dahl was 13, he worked as a taste tester at Cadbury. The secretive policies and the giant, elaborate machines inspired the future author to write his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, all about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.

THERE IS A G.I. JOE ACTION FIGURE MODELED AFTER COLIN POWELL.
WHEN YOU GOTTA GO . . .
It turns out too much caffeine can kill you. How much is too much? According to www.energyfiend.com, it would take 435 cans of A&W Creme Soda to kill a 185-pound man. Brewed coffee: 117 cups. Red Bull energy drink: 157 cans. Snapple Decaffeinated Lemon Tea: 2,805 bottles.

THE EARLIEST KNOWN WILL WAS WRITTEN IN 2550 B.C.

CAPE NEDDICK LIGHT, MAINE, USA
“We shall walk in velvet shoes . . . we shall walk in the snow.”—ELINOR WYLIE

CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
BOTSWANA
Although it is home to some of Botswana’s most varied wildlife, Chobe National Park is best known for its huge resident elephant population--in the dry season it boasts Africa’s highest concentration.


TRAVELER IN THE KNOW
Kennedy Space Center, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, is an easy day trip from the country’s biggest tourist center, Orlando. Enjoy the playful universe of Disney World and then drive about an hour east to the jumping-off point for a true human adventure that seems almost equally fantastic: America’s journeys to the moon and beyond.

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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/24-1/25/2009

1/24/1999:
David Duval converts a six-foot putt for eagle on the 18th hole to tie a PGA record of 59 and win the Bob Hope Desert Classic by two strokes over Steve Pate at La Quinta, California. Duval's achievement ties Al Geiberger (1977, Memphis) and Chip Beck (1991, Las Vegas) for the lowest round ever posted, but this is the first time it occurs during a final round. Duval leapfrogs 12 players who began the day ahead of him and pockets the first-prize check of $540,000.

Birthdays:
Giorgio Chinaglia b. 1947
Atlee Hammaker b. 1958
Rob Dibble b. 1964
Mary Lou Retton b. 1968
Tshimanga Biakabutuka b. 1974

Packers Fact:
John Brockington was the last rookie running back to start for the Packers on Kick off Weekend in 1971 before Brandon Jackson did in 2007.

1/25/1997:
The New York Islanders stage a special night in honor of Al Arbour, who coached the team to 739 victories in 19 years and 4 straight Stanley Cups (1980-83). A solid defenseman in his playing days and a no-nonsense leader behind the bench, Arbour was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame last November, and tonight a banner with the number 739 is raised to the Nassau Coliseum rafters in his honor. New York adds to the festive occasion by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2.

Birthdays:
Lou Groza b. 1924
Don Maynard b. 1937
Steve Prefontaine b. 1951
Mark Duper b. 1959
Chris Chelios b. 1962


CLASSIC FOR ALL TIME
Known as Pliny the Elder, Gaius Plinius Secundus (23-79 CE) produced the Western world’s first encyclopedia, in 37 books. This selection, even at around 450 pages, is only a teaser, but it is still chock-full of the wonderful, the marvelous, the bizarre, the minute, and the colossal. Anthony Doerr (author of Four Seasons in Rome) says of the work, “His subject is the universe, from stars all the way down to polyps . . . a panorama of an ancient world crawling with myth and misinformation, but also elegant and ordered and deeply beautiful.”

NATURAL HISTORY: A SELECTION, by Pliny the Elder; introduction and translation by John F. Healey (Penguin Classics, 1991)

FOOD FOR FIDO
With the pet-food scare of 2007 still fresh in our minds, a cookbook for our furry companions is welcome and perhaps necessary. This one has a twist: Almost all the recipes can be eaten by the cook, too. Includes sections on nutrition for dogs, foods that must be avoided, and fun party ideas for canines.

THE DOG ATE IT: COOKING FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS, by Linda West Eckhardt and Barbara Bradley with Judy Kern (Gotham Books, 2006)

IT’S A WEIRD, WEIRD WORLD
LIFE IS FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS
“For months, 14-year-old David Mossmann constructed a roller coaster in the back yard of his parents’ house in Offenburg, Germany. Now he must tear it down. The roller coaster stands about 325 feet long and 16 feet high, and can reach a speed of 30 mph, but according to city officials, the wood construction does not comply with safety regulations, and it must be demolished.”
—N-TV (Germany)

THE ORCA CAN SWIM AT SPEEDS OF 35 MPH, FASTER THAN ANY OTHER MARINE MAMMAL.


ROLL CALL
ORIGIN OF MERRILL, LYNCH
In 1907 Charles Merrill, a recent college graduate working on Wall Street, happened to meet Edmund C. Lynch, a soda fountain equipment salesman, at the 23rd Street YMCA in New York City. They became friends and when Merrill formed his own brokerage firm, Charles E. Merrill & Co., in 1914, he asked Lynch to join him. After a few months of convincing, Lynch finally agreed. But it wasn’t until 1915 that the firm changed its name to Merrill, Lynch & Co. By 1941 it was the largest brokerage firm in the United States.

FIRST STATE TO LIST ITS WEBSITE ON ITS LICENSE PLATE: PENNSYLVANIA.


GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
Q: The Na Pali Coast, the Hawaii of dreams with vibrant green valleys and thundering waterfalls plunging from cliffs, is a state park on which Hawaiian island?
Answer: Kauai.



On bras offering a little too much support:
Lily of France Bras
* Solid brass handles
* Metal suspension with holders
* Lock with two keys
in a department store sales flyer
On quarterbacks, real diplomatic:
"I'm realizing how ignorant you guys are. But I don't mean that in a bady way."
Bears quarterback Rex Grossman, to reporters on Super Bowl media day

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/23/2009

1/23/1993:
A bizarre spectacle punctuates tonight's NHL game at the St. Louis Arena, only 54 seconds after the opening face-off. With several fights breaking out all over the ice, Detroit Red Wings goalie Tim Cheveldae sees teammate Bob Probert being roughed up by two members of the St. Louis Blues. Cheveldae skates to Probert's aid, prompting Blues goalie Curtis Joseph to leave his crease as well. Shortly, the two netminders are flailing at each other in full equipment at center ice. Rinkside observers give CuJo the nod in the wild fistic display. The goalies are penalized but allowed to stay in the game, and St. Louis emerges with a 4-3 victory.
Birthdays:
Jerry Kramer b. 1936
Peir Korda b. 1968
Eric Metcalf b. 1968
Alan Embree b. 1970
Julie Foudy b. 1971
Packers Fact:
Before Brandon Jackson in 2007 (the 63rd pick), the highest-drafted running back from Nebraska was Lawrence Phillips, whom the Rams took with the sixth pick in 1996.


THAT’S STYLE
With contributions by Susan Sontag, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibowitz, Anna Wintour, and others, this handsome volume captures the illustrious scope of Vogue, the world’s most famous fashion magazine, from its beginnings in 1892 to today. The New York Times Book Review called it “substantive and sumptuous.”

IN VOGUE: THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS FASHION MAGAZINE, by Alberto Oliva and Norberto Angeletti (Rizzoli, 2006)

BATHROOM BRAINTEASER
Kathleen works at a place that carries thousands of products, some very expensive. People take her products without paying for them—as many as they can carry—and then just walk out. All that Kathleen requests of her customers is that they keep their mouths shut.

Where does Kathleen work?


SHH! THE WORD “LISTEN” CONTAINS THE SAME LETTERS AS THE WORD “SILENT.”


RYNEK GLOWNY
KRAKÓW, POLAND
All roads in Kraków lead to the Rynek Glowny, the largest and most authentic medieval market square in Europe. Ringed by Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque facades that belie its 1257 origin, it is dominated at its center by the Sukienneice, or “Cloth Hall,” where stalls now sell folk art, crafts, and kitschy souvenirs.




On answers, not too slick:
Weakest Link host Anne Robinson: What sweet substance made by insects is eaten with yogurt in Greece?
Contestant: Grease.

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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/22/2009

1/22/2006:
Only in the NBA Western Conference. Ray Allen (game-high 42 points) hits a three-point field goal at the buzzer in double overtime to give the visiting Seattle SuperSonics a 152-149 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Allen's game-winning trey sets an NBA record for combined three-point goals in one game by both clubs, 32. The losing Suns covert 18 of 38 from beyond the arc, seven by Raja Bell. The up-tempo, fast-paced, high-scoring style of play in this game stands in stark contrast to the walk-it-up tempo, set-play, half-court offensive style expoused by many Eastern Conference teams, ultimately dictated by their coaches.

Birthdays:
Elmer Lach b. 1918
J.C. Tremblay b. 1939
Serge Savard b. 1946
George Foreman b. 1948
Mike Bossy b. 1957

Packers Fact:
In a 17-9 victory against Detroit in week 15 of 2006, Brett Favre became the NFL's all-time leader with his 4,968th career pass completion. He broke Dan Marino's mark.

YE GODS
Weighing in at around 700 pages, Ramesh Menon’s vibrant retelling of the Ramayana, the Indian classic from around 300 BCE, has been hailed as a classic in its own right. The magnitude and magnificence of Prince Rama’s epic struggles, part ripping good story, part history, part scripture, will fascinate as no mere dry history of this subcontinent and its literature could.

THE RAMAYANA: A MODERN RETELLING OF THE GREAT INDIAN EPIC, by Ramesh Menon (North Point, 2004)

UNCLE JOHN’S POLICE LOG
“A toothless man has been arrested for stealing toothbrushes. According to O Dia newspaper, 32-year-old Ednor Rodrigues was filmed taking seven toothbrushes from a supermarket in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. When he was approached by the police, he tried to deny the robbery—even showing the officers his toothless mouth. He finally admitted to the crime: ‘I don’t know why I did it. I know it was stupid. I have no teeth, what was I thinking?’”
—Sunday Mail (Scotland)

NEW YORK CITY HAS 722 MILES OF SUBWAY TRACK.

MOTHER EARTH
MONUMENT VALLEY, UTAH, USA
The skyscraper-sized sandstone buttes and towers of Monument Valley in Arizona and Utah are a monument to the wind, which eroded and sculpted, uncovering the sandstone by sweeping away the soft red shale around it.



On or Ecuadoran maybe?:
I might just fade into bolivian.
boxer Mike Tyson

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/21/2009

1/21/1952:
Scoring a colossal upset, the Seattle University Chieftains surprise the Harlem Globetrotters, 84-81, at the Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle. The charity exhibition game, set up by jazz legend Louis Armstrong, provides a national showcase for "the God Dust Twins," Eddie and Johnny O'Brien, who maintain a relentless fast-break attack and hand the Trotters a rare defeat. Guard Johnny O'Brien, 5'9", leads all scorers with 43 points in a game played strictly on merit, not given to the Globetrotters' usual flights of comedic fancy.

Birthdays:
Jack Nicklaus b. 1940
Johnny Oates b. 1946
Hakeem Olajuwon b. 1963
Detlef Schrempf b. 1963
Rusty Greer b. 1969

Packers Fact:
Brandon Jackson didn't become a full-time starter until Nebraska's sixth game in 2006, but he did well enough to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors.



LOVE AND/OR SEX
The author of Caught Inside and Looking for Mo delivers a coming-of-age tale set in Berkeley, California, as grad student “Harp” becomes enmeshed in the sexy spell of neurotic Joan, while sweet Shauna waits around for him with nice vegetarian meals. Spicy and up-to-date, with humor and well-placed lampoons of academic political correctness.

A MOUTH LIKE YOURS, by Daniel Duane (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005)

TUBE TALK
THE BOOB TOOB
Tired of watching CNN and Fox News? If you live in Europe and subscribe to satellite TV, you can watch Naked News on the Get Lucky TV channel. On Naked News, strippers read the news as they strip. Caveat: If the news is really bad, you won’t get to see much nudity. “We are quite sensitive to certain issues, one, of course, being death,” says stripper/news anchor Samantha Page. “We try to be as respectful as we can, and what we tend to do is leave our clothes on.”


CONSPIRACY? SUGAR WAS FIRST ADDED TO CHEWING GUM IN 1869 . . . BY A DENTIST.

On I'd rather have mine hemmed with carrots:
TROUSERS
SHORTEN £5.00
TAPER £6.00
SHORTEN & TAPER £10.00
SHORTEN LINED £6.00
SHORTEN WITH TURNIPS £6.00
sign at a tailor shop in Glasgow, Scotland


ROARING FALLS AND CRASHING WATERS
Victoria Falls—one mile wide and 400 feet high, separating Zambia and Zimbabwe—are one of the world’s greatest cascades. Here are some others that should not be missed:

Angel Falls, Venezuela
Niagara Falls, Canada and the United States
Gullfoss, Iceland
Iguazú Falls, Argentina and Brazil


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Review: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Title: The Godfather
Author: Mario Puzo
Date Published: 1969
Series: N/A
Genre: Mystery/Saga
Rating: A
ISBN:0-451-16771-6

Like many of my reads the past month or so, The Godfather is a re-read for me. It had been years, however, so in essence it was as if I was reading it for the first time all over again. I'd forgotten what an intricate and detailed story Mario Puzo had woven for us. I guess I shouldn't have since a 479 page book managed to become two movies.

Some authors would not be able to pull off the usage of so much present story to back story leading up to the present story that Puzo uses throughout the book. He manages to accomplish it, though, without making the story choppy or disorientating. What's more, the way he utilizes this tool makes sense and helps the saga all the more coherent.

We learn how Vito Corleone came to be in America, his own father killed, and how he became a Don known as The Godfather somewhat unwittingly. We get to know quite well two of his sons, Sonny and Michael. Freddy remains somewhat of a mystery even the glimpses we get of him in his new life out west.

We follow the Corleone family as they deal with difficult times and trying to keep the family business afloat when it faces attacks. Of course, their methods of dealing with things aren't what most people would consider normal, but it's the world they live in and the reader is brought into that world, made to believe in it.

Michael's ascension to power is well written, and his plan to cement his place in all of the mafia is brilliantly thought through and executed. There isn't much doubt in the reader's mind when the book is closed that Michael is his father's son and the one best suited for the family business after all.

There are several secondary characters, including Connie, the Corleone daughter, Tom Hagen, the "adopted" son of Vito Corleone, Johnny Fontane, Vito's godson who is out west in Hollywood trying to make it big with singing and movies. There are others, members of the Corleone regime and some on the Las Vegas side of the story. All add to the story without making the reader feel as if their drowning in yet more people to learn about or familiarize themselves with. Each of these characters plays a part, after all, even if that part isn't clear to the reader from the start.

Overall, a well-written book that gave us strong characters to keep the pages turning. If you've seen the movies, I'd highly recommend the book. As good as the first two movies were the book still manages to outdo them.

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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/18-1/20/2009

1/18/1950:
Sam Sneed defeats Ben Hogan by four shots in a playoff to win the Los Angeles Open at the Riviera Country Club. It's Hogan's return to tournament golf after a near-fatal automobile accident last February. An overflow crowd, ardently rooting for Hogan (a three-time winner here), watches both players struggle with low-lying fog throughout their match. Snead grabs an early edge when Hogan drives out-of-bounds on the first hole, and it's an uphill struggle for Bantam Ben all day as he battles fatigue after his long layoff. Snead cards a 72 to win his second L.A. Open, while Hogan finishes with a 76.

Birthdays:
Syl Apps b. 1915
Curt Flood b. 1938
Mark Messier b. 1961
Brady Anderson b. 1964
Mike Lieberthal b. 1972

1/19/1991:
With the advent of the Persian Gulf War elevating patriotic fervor to its apex, the brilliance of Wayne Messmer's pregame rendition of the national anthem is equaled by Vincen Damphousse, who scores four goals to lead the Campbell Conference to an 11-5 rout of the Wales Conference in the NHL All-Star Game at raucous Chicago Stadium. Damphousse, a left wing from the Toronto Maple Leafs, earns MVP honors by becoming only the third player to score four goals in an ASG, joining Wayne Gretzky (1983) and Mario Lemieux (1990).

Birthdays:
Bill Mikvy b. 1931
O.J. Anderson b. 1957
Stefan Edberg b. 1966
Junior Seau b. 1969
Tyrone Wheatley b. 1972

Packers Fact:
In 2007, rookie Mason Crosby became the first player in NFL history to kick a 50-plus-yard field goald and a game-winning field goal in the final minute of his first NFL game.

1/20/1980:
The Pittsburgh Steelers receive a surprisingly stern test from the Los Angeles Rams before pulling away for a 31-19 victory in Super Bowl XIV, becoming the first team to win this event four times. Terry Bradshaw shakes off three interceptions to throw second-half touchdown passes to Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, overcoming two L.A. leads forged by quarterback Vince Ferragamo. The Stelers cement their dynasty of the 1970s, winning their fourth title in six years, while Bradshaw earns MVP honors for the second year in a row.

Birthdays:
Carol Heiss b. 1940
John Maber b. 1956
Ozzie Guillen b. 1964
Ron Harper b. 1964
Brian Giles b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver Ruvell Martin caught his first career touchdown pass in a 30-19 victory over the 49ers in week 14 of 2006. It was a 36-yard strike from Brett Favre that put the Packers ahead for good in the first quarter.


MYSTERIOUS DOINGS
Fans of Tony Hillerman’s Navajo series (Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, and Coyote Waits) will be glad to see Joe Leaphorn playing a more prominent role here, in a mystery that revolves around a native “storyteller” rug with magical and malign properties. A strong feature is Hillerman’s gentle, observant style and rich insights into Navajo culture. Publishers Weekly starred review.

THE SHAPE SHIFTER, by Tony Hillerman (HarperCollins, 2006)

POE LIVES
America, it’s time to get out your “Annabel Lee,” your “Purloined Letter,” your “Telltale Heart,” and your bells, bells, bells, bells, bells! Two hundred years ago today, one of America’s great originals came into the world, and by the time he mysteriously expired a mere 40 years later, he had changed the landscape of literature forever. Harold Bloom called this superb edition of Poe’s works the “first truly dependable collection.” But even if you have only an old beat-up high school paperback, pull it down from the shelf tonight and remind yourself of the unique and eerie genius of a Poe tale or poem.

EDGAR ALLAN POE: POETRY AND TALES, by Edgar Allan Poe; edited by Patrick F. Quinn (Library of America, 1984)

EYE-OPENING
The murder of Theo van Gogh—a well-known filmmaker and personality in the Netherlands—by an Islamic radical in November 2004 shocked the world. But Ian Buruma, an American journalist born in Holland, realized that there was a story far beyond what seemed to be another terrorist act, a story that has its roots in European rather than U.S. history. He describes a fascinating arc of domestic policy through the eyes of the Dutch.

MURDER IN AMSTERDAM: THE DEATH OF THEO VAN GOGH AND THE LIMITS OF TOLERANCE, by Ian Buruma (Penguin Press, 2006)




On resume bullets, noncompelling
*I stick wit a job until it gets done and done right.
*Desire to use all my KOWLADGE into the wark by to get the best result for the company.
items appearing on actual resumes (thanks to professional recruiter Scott Eadie)
On people who need more than just tech support:
Tech support: Ok, Bob, type a capital B, then bress enter.
Customer named Bob: A capital B?
Tech support: Right, capital B as in Bob.
Customer named Bob: Capital B as in Bob?
Tech support: Exactly. Capital B as in Bob!
Bob: [Pause] That's the one with two loops, right?
actual call to a computer help desk
On keep your day job, Babs:
Her skirt was very short, and Josh found himself mesmerized by her perfectly shaped, silken legs with kneecaps that reminded him of golden apples.
excerpt from Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-California) novel A Time to Run


WHEN NATURE CALLS
“A kitten picked the wrong place to relieve herself when she peed on a fax machine, sparking a fire in her Japanese owner’s house. Investigators concluded that the blaze was caused by a spark generated when the cat urine soaked the machine’s electrical printing mechanism. The fire damaged the kitchen and living room before it was put out by the homeowner, who was treated for mild smoke inhalation, said Masahito Oyabu, a fireman at the Nagata fire station in central Kobe. ‘If you have a cat or a dog,’ added Oyabu, ‘be careful where they urinate.’”
—Reuters


FRIGHTENING FACT: PHOBATRIVAPHOBIA IS A FEAR OF TRIVIA ABOUT PHOBIAS.

WORDS OF WISDOM . . .
FROM DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
• “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.”

• “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

• “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

• “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill-will.”


COST EFFECTIVE? IT COSTS 1.4 CENTS TO MINT A PENNY.

IT’S INAUGURATION DAY
William Henry Harrison was sworn in as the ninth president of the United States in 1841. To demonstrate his strength, the 67-year-old Harrison rode on horseback in his inaugural parade without a hat, gloves, or overcoat. Then he stood outside in the snow for more than one and a half hours, delivering his inaugural address. He caught pneumonia and just one month after his inauguration he died. Harrison held office only long enough to keep one campaign promise: not to run for a second term.

JAMES POLK’S 1845 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION WAS THE FIRST TO BE REPORTED BY TELEGRAPH.


Answer: B, Antigua, in the Lesser Antilles.


ELLORA CAVES
MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
Bombay (Mumbai) may be the pulsating commercial heart of Maharashtra, but its soul lies in the astonishing hand-hewn cave temples more than 200 miles to the northeast. At Ellora, 34 rock-cut temples are sculptural masterpieces. Begun 1,400 years ago, they are all carved—interior and exterior, roof to floor—out of solid rock.



PAVLOVSK
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
Named for Paul I (Pavel in Russian) and built for him by his mother, Catherine the Great, Pavlovsk was the home of the prince and his family in the 18th century. During World War II its precious art and furnishings were hidden away, and after the war the palace itself, which had been burned by Hitler’s troops, was restored by a virtual army of Russia’s finest artisans.


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Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/16-1/18/2009

1/16/2000:
Paul Azinger wins a tournament on the PGA Tour for the first time since a bout with cancer nearly derailed his career in 1993. He leads wire-to-wire at the Sony/Hawaiian Open in Honolulu and rolls to a seven-stroke victory over Stuart Appleby at the Waialae Country Club. Azinger finally breaks through in this event after carding eight top-10 finishes here over the years, including three runner-up performances. It's a well-received triumph for the courageous 'Zinger, one of the most popular players on the circuit.
Birthdays:
Dizzy Dean b. 1911
A.J. Foyt b. 1935
Jack McDowell b. 1966
Roy Jones Jr. b. 1969
Albert Pjuols b. 1980
1/17/2004:
Rashad McCants hits a three-point basket to tie the score with just over a minute remaining, then hits another trey to win it with six seconds left as North Carolina upsets top-ranked UConn, 86-83, at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill. McCants finishes with 27 points, helping the Tar Heels upset a No. 1 team for the 10th time in school history, tying UCLA for the NCAA leadership in that category.

Birthdays:
Jacques Piante b. 1929
Kip Kelno b. 1940
Muhammad Ali b. 1942
Chili Davis b. 1960
Jeremy Roenick b. 1970
Packers Fact:
Johnny Jolly, a second year defensive tackle, started his first NFL game for the Packers on Kickoff Weekend 2007.

REMEMBRANCE
Forgetfulness was all Thomas Railles wished for after terrorists murdered his wife. It wasn’t possible, of course, nor even desirable. But he also wanted to avoid mindless vengeance, “the anger of the American . . . after September 11.” This thriller of CIA agents, terrorists, and an artist (a former agent himself) whose world has been shattered analyzes—with subtlety, maturity, and intelligence—themes that have preoccupied Americans since 2001.

FORGETFULNESS, by Ward Just (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
FEAR AND TREMBLING
Allen Shawn is the son of the great New Yorker editor William Shawn and the brother of actor and playwright Wallace Shawn. He has his own very distinctive story to tell, one of crippling phobias (his fears include subways, elevators, bridges, open spaces, closed spaces, and heights), a father with similar anxieties, and an autistic sister. Educated in Freudian studies and the latest brain research, he has written a lucid and evocative account of a difficult yet productive life.

WISH I COULD BE THERE: NOTES FROM A PHOBIC LIFE, by Allen Shawn (Viking, 2007)
SEAT OF LEARNING
THE FIRST . . .
• Professional sports organization in the United States: the Maryland Jockey Club, founded in 1743.
• American cookbook: American Cookery (1796) by Amelia Simmons.
• Electric refrigerator: invented by Thomas Moore in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1803.
• American novel to sell a million copies: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
• Drive-in movie theater: opened in Camden, New Jersey, in 1933. (Movie shown: Wives Beware, starring Adolphe Menjou.)

MANY SHAMPOOS AND LIPSTICKS CONTAIN STEARIC ACID. WHAT IS IT? ANOTHER NAME FOR BEEF FAT.
A RANDOM ORIGIN
HAMSTERS
The natural habitat of hamsters is limited to one area: the desert outside the city of Aleppo, Syria. (Their name in the local Arabic dialect translates to “saddlebags,” thanks to the pouches in their mouths that they use to store food.) In 1930 a zoologist named Israel Aharoni found a nest containing a female with a litter of 11 babies and took them back to his lab at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The mother and seven of her babies died on the trip. Yet virtually all of the millions of domesticated golden hamsters in the world are descended from the four that survived.

FOREIGN RULERS: FRENCH REVOLUTIONARIES INVENTED THE METRIC SYSTEM.




On hotel telephone directories, not too reassuring
Service Department Telephone number
The hotel set receives 8826139
Accept the silver 8826131
The mulberry takes 8834843
1. Bent the outside line, and please stir the first 0, behind stir the telephone number.
2. The room telephone number pleases stir the room number direction.
phone directory, Shandong Mansion hotel, China
On places, peculiar:
WANKIE (Zimbabwe)
WANKS RIVER (Nicaragua)
WANKENDORF (Germany)
HOLD WITH HOPE (Greenland)
actual place names

MONT TREMBLANT
QUEBEC, CANADA
Often ranked the No. 1 ski area in eastern North America, the Mont Tremblant Resort has 46 miles of trails broken into 94 runs, many of them expert level. In the pedestrian-only Mont Tremblant Village, skiers down from the slopes stroll through cobbled streets lined with lively restaurants, bars, and shops.



GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
See the answer tomorrow.
Q: English Harbour, a favorite spot of wealthy yachtsmen keen on racing and tennis buffs who want to play in the sun, lies on which Caribbean island?

a) Anguilla b) Antigua c) Aruba d) Abacos



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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Movie Rec: Time After Time (1979)

It doesn't seem that long ago, but 30 years ago this move captured my attention for some reason. I saw it three or four times in the theater. You can read the IMDb information here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080025/ and here's a blurb from Amazon:

Amazon.com
In this clever speculative tale, story collaborators Karl Alexander and Steve Hayes and screenwriter-director Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II and VI) send two famous historical figures ahead in time. In late 19th century England, writer H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) unwittingly includes Jack the Ripper (David Warner) in his social circle. When one of Wells's dinner parties is crashed by the police looking for the Ripper, Jack uses the author's time machine to escape. But there's one catch--after it has been used, the machine returns to Wells's time. Thus the literary genius bravely sets out to find his evil friend before he can wreak havoc on another time period, and soon arrives in modern-day San Francisco. What follows is a fascinating merger of a suspense thriller--as the charming and polite Wells tries to hunt down the shrewd, brutish Ripper and take him back to the past--and a love story, as Wells befriends and falls in love with a bank administrator (Mary Steenburgen) who acts as his guide through the future. Through its brilliant combination of creepy suspense and tender romance, Time After Time manages to become a classic in two genres at once--a rare cinematic achievement. --Bryan Reesman

While the movie is *very* dated as far as styles and such go and it wasn't a hugely budgeted film to begin with - the performances by Steenburgen, McDowell and Warner are all top-notch. This is one of those movies that tries to crossover into a lot of different genres and, really, it shouldn't work. But somehow they managed to do so.

Running time is 112 minutes. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys sci-fi and suspense.

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Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/15/2009

1/15/1990:
Big George Foreman, 41, wins the 20th consecutive bout of his comeback with a brisk knockout of 33-year-old Jerry Cooney at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City. At 253 pounds, the revitalized preacher from Texas mounts a furious attack, burying the 6'7" Irishman under an avalanche of blows until it's quickly over at 1:57 of the second round. Cooney will announce his retirement following the one-sided bout.

Birthdays:
Bobby Grich b. 1949
Ernie DiGregorio b. 1951
Delino DeShields b. 1969
Mary Pierce b. 1975
Drew Brees b. 1979

Packers Fact:
Safety Atari Bigby was a former practice-squad player who earned his first NFL start in the Packers' defensive backfield on Kickoff Weekend in 1007.


CITY OF SHADOW
In this secret history, we are shown a Paris of workers, artists, flaneurs, alchemists, bohemians, drunkards, and prostitutes. This is not the Paris of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, but of the Palais-Royal, where erotic pleasures were pursued during the revolution; and the cemetery of the Saints-Innocents, where the soil was once believed by necromancers to have magical properties. Exhilarating stuff and worthy of the city that inspired it.

PARIS: THE SECRET HISTORY, by Andrew Hussey (Bloomsbury USA, 2006)


MYTH-CONCEPTIONS
The Myth: Julius Caesar’s final words were “Et tu, Brute.
The Facts: Those words have been mistranslated to roughly mean “Even you, Brutus.” The meaning: Caesar is shocked that his close adviser Brutus was among his murderers. But his last words were more akin to “And thou, Brutus, my child!” Caesar indeed was stunned that Brutus had conspired to murder him, but that was because he had always thought Brutus was his illegitimate son, the result of a long-ago affair with Brutus’s mother.

GOOD INVESTMENT: THE NIKE COMPANY WAS FOUNDED WITH $1,000.

BALI, INDONESIA
“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”—SAADI




MYTH-CONCEPTIONS
The Myth: Julius Caesar’s final words were “Et tu, Brute.
The Facts: Those words have been mistranslated to roughly mean “Even you, Brutus.” The meaning: Caesar is shocked that his close adviser Brutus was among his murderers. But his last words were more akin to “And thou, Brutus, my child!” Caesar indeed was stunned that Brutus had conspired to murder him, but that was because he had always thought Brutus was his illegitimate son, the result of a long-ago affair with Brutus’s mother.

GOOD INVESTMENT: THE NIKE COMPANY WAS FOUNDED WITH $1,000.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/14/2009

1/14/2000:
Toronto small forward Vice Carter, seething over not being selected by the U.S. Olympic basketball team, explodes for a career-high 47 points, leading the Raptors to a 115-110 victory over Milwaukee at Air Canada Centre. Carter is especially piqued at Bucks guard Ray Allen, who was picked for the Olympic squad. Displaying his unique blend of shotmaking ability and above-the-rim theatrics, commonly known as "Vinsanity," carter hits 20 of 32 shots from the floor, hits all three of his three-point shots and completely overshadows Allen, who finishes with 25 points.

Birthdays:
Smead Jolley b. 1902
Sonny Siebert b. 1937
Fred Arbanas b. 1939
Gene Washington b. 1947
Terry Forster b. 1952

Packers Fact:
With an average age of 26 years and 89 days, the Packers' Kickoff Weekend roster in 2007 was the youngest in the NFL.



CHILE CON CARNE
In her 15th book, Isabel Allende gives us a sweeping, ambitious historical epic. It is literally a rags-to-riches story of the little seamstress, Doña Inés Suárez (1507-80), who followed her husband from Spain to Peru and, after he was killed, found passionate love and a worthy cause, eventually setting up a new colony in Chile with Don Pedro de Valdivia. Publishers Weekly starred review.

INÉS OF MY SOUL, by Isabel Allende; translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden (HarperCollins, 2006)

On somewhat unusual?
He has not had a bowel movement in 48 years, and this is somewhat unusual for him.
*on a medical chart (thanks to Marcelle Ehrhart)

UNCLE JOHN’S STALL OF FAME
Honoree: An Australian bus driver (who wishes to remain anonymous)
Notable Achievement: Turning a pit stop into a jackpot
Background: The bus driver was in the middle of his route when he needed to take a bathroom break. There were no passengers on the bus, so he pulled into a local casino to make use of the restroom. While there he played a couple of games of Keno, a numbers game similar to lotto—and won. Now, thanks to his bathroom break, he’s $2.2 million richer.

EVERY YEAR ABOUT 2,500 PEOPLE GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH “TOOTHBRUSH INJURIES.”

PUNTA DEL ESTE
URUGUAY
In “Punta,” the quintessential jet-set mecca for South America’s elite, sun worshippers gather in the southern summer at the sandy beach, elegant designer boutiques, trendy hotels, and restaurants and clubs that vie with the continent’s finest.


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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Review: Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris

Title: Hannibal Rising
Author: Thomas Harris
Date Published: December 2006
Series: Hannibal Lecter (4th
Genre: Historical Horror
Rating: A
ISBN: 978-0-440-24286-4

Continuing my Hannibal Lecter craze I moved onto the prequel to the contemporary story involving Hannibal Lecter, published fourth in the series. Hannibal Rising spans the 1940s and 1950s, starting with Hannibal Lecter's childhood (age 8 in the beginning) and taking us through young adulthood.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book to be honest. I'd heard some good things from fellow fans of the books and movies. I'd also read some truly awful reviews, equating it to little more than fan fiction and his (Harris') desire to get another movie made off the popularity of the Red Dragon remake.

I'd seen the film version of Hannibal Rising before reading the book and was pleasantly surprised by it. So, the story in the book wasn't foreign to me. Perhaps not as strong as Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs were, but still one I will keep on my shelves and read again.

Hannibal Rising details the history of Hannibal Lecter, giving us the events that helped to shape a monster. Growing up in war-torn Lithuania, his whole family lost to him, his childhood home used by the enemy, everything taken from him, having to endure living in his childhood home now being used as an orphanage as an orphan.

It's his beloved younger sister, Mischa, that serves as the platform for his evilness taking shape. For the enemy had done the unthinkable with her …

Eventually, Lecter is taken in by his father's brother and his wife, Lady Murasaki at the age of 13. When we come across him after the war, he no longer speaks and it's unclear as to what happened to Mischa. The reader surely suspects based on the undertones, but just as Lecter doesn't seem quite certain neither does the reader.

Lecter gains a clue as to the identity of the men responsible for all of his losses and begins to singularly hunt them down. The police are onto him due to an earlier incident, but just as then have nothing to pin on him. He is a model and bright student, a gifted artist, and was the victim of war crimes. So he has to outsmart both the police and the men he hunts.

An interesting relationship forms between Murasaki and Lecter. Infatuation? Love? It's hard to know for sure. He was young and she seemed to want to keep him from setting both feet onto the wrong side of the line, going completely into the darkness.

Overall, Hannibal Rising provides us a reasonable background for Hannibal Lecter. Both the man we came to know in Hannibal and the monster we initially saw him as in Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. I admit, I'm a sucker for this time period so it was easy to immerse myself in it. The conclusion of the story left me satisfied.

I'd stated after reading Hannibal that I didn't think the doctor's life needed to be revisited after it. While I consider Hannibal Rising a nice bookend to the Hannibal series, I admit wouldn't mind seeing a book detailing Lecter's life from the end of Rising to Red Dragon. How did the man go from killing out of revenge? A promise made to his beloved sister? To the serial killer we initially met in Red Dragon?

Continuing my re-read madness, we're onto Mario Puzo's The Godfather next…

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Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/11-1/13/2009

1/11/1985:
In a 4-1 whitewashing at Le Colisee, the Quebec Nordiques snap the Calgary Flames' NHL record streak of 264 consecutive regular-season games without being shut out. Nords goalie Richard Sevigny turns aside 19 Calgary shots, while brothers Anton and Peter Stastny combine for 3 goals and 2 assists to throttle the visiting Flames. The last time Calgary was blanked was November 10, 1981, by the St. Louis Blues.

Birthdays:
Schoolboy Rowe b. 1910
Ben Crenshaw b. 1952
Freddie Solomon b. 1953
Darryl Dawkins b. 1957
Tracy Caulkins b. 1963


1/12:
Resolute in his quest for perfection whileh coaching the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team to 10 national titles in a 12-year period (1964-75), John Wooden often asked his players in practice: "If you don't have time to do something right, when will you have time to do it over?"

Birthdays:
Mac Speedie b. 1920
Joe Frazier b. 1944
Tom Dempsey b. 1947
Dominique Wilkins b. 1960
Dontrelle Willis b. 1982

Packes Fact:
Of the 53 players on Green Bay's 2007 Kickoff Weekend roster, 21 had been drafted by Ted Thompson since he took over as general manager in 2005.

1/13/1991:
Led by Marcus Allen (21 carries for 140 yards), the Los Angeles Raiders beat Cincinnati, 20-10, in an AFC divisional playoff game at the Memorial coliseum, but Raiders running b ack Bo Jackson severely injures his left hip during the game, ending hish football playing days. The 1985 Heisman Trophy winner will undergo an arduous rehab regimen in an attempt to resume his major league baseball career, but by 1994 he'll be forced to retire.

Birthdays:
Tom Gola b. 1933
Bob Baffert b. 1953
Mark O'Meara b. 1957
Kelly Hrudey b. 1961
Kevin Mitchell b. 1962

Packers Fact:
Fifth-year linebacker, Tracy White recovered a fumble in the end zone for his first career touchdown to open the scoring in a 16-13 victory over Philadelphia on Kickoff Weekend in 2007.


FATHER AND SON AND THE REST
One night after an argument with his son, Jack Crystal went bowling and died of a heart attack. It was a devastating blow for the 15-year-old boy. But he grew up and became Billy Crystal. In this book (and in a Tony Award-winning Broadway show), he conveys the richness of the approximately 700 Sundays he enjoyed with his father and the rest of his not quite ordinary family. Crystal tells great stories of a Long Island childhood that included going to the movies with Billie Holiday, and Louis Armstrong showing up at the family seder. A book as sharp, warm, and funny as its author.

700 SUNDAYS, by Billy Crystal (Grand Central, 2006)
ANOTHER UNHAPPY FAMILY
Bruce Wagner brings his dark, jaundiced eye and startling verbal virtuosity to bear on a family of four Los Angeles souls adrift in modern angst as they try to paddle their way toward some sort of redemption. Wagner is known for his caustic takes on celebrity and the pop shallows of the American scene, and there’s plenty of that here. But a real sympathy ultimately informs these characters and their longings. Wagner isn’t for everyone, but if you like Joan Didion and Nathanael West, this might be a voice you’ve been waiting for.

MEMORIAL, by Bruce Wagner (Simon & Schuster, 2006)
1812
This engrossing account of the war that established America’s independence once and for all and further established its claims on the North American continent is rich with great personalities—both the famous (Jefferson, Jackson, Madison and his wife, Dolley) and the lesser-known (Zebulon Pike, Stephen Decatur, Oliver Perry, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh). Their lives are the stuff of legend, and A. J. Langguth has brought them together into a scholarly and absorbing read.

UNION 1812: THE AMERICANS WHO FOUGHT THE SECOND WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, by A. J. Langguth (Simon & Schuster, 2006)


On well, she was a rotten gill-friend anyway:
DUMPED FISH REMAINS UPSET
*newspaper headline
On one tired man and one tattered kilt:
Spokeswoman Susan Seenan said, "We know from talking to patients and clinics that there is only one active sperm donor covering the whole of Scotland at the moment."
*from the Glasgow Herald
On President Bush shares his georgraphical knowledge:
Wow! Brazil is big.
President George W. Bush, during a visit with Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, after da Silva showed Bush a map of Brazil.
Russia's big and so is China.
President George W. Bush, during a G8 luncheon.


SUNDAY FUNNIES
TWO BAD JOKES
• Two vultures boarded an airplane, and each carried two dead raccoons. The flight attendant looked at them and said, “I’m sorry, gentlemen, only one carrion allowed per passenger.”

• A motorcycle cop pulled alongside a speeding car on the highway. He was amazed to see that the woman behind the wheel was actually knitting. The cop yelled, “Pull over!” “Nope,” the woman yelled back, “scarf!”

A TWO-HOUR MOVIE USES ABOUT TWO MILES OF FILM.
OOPS!
“A married couple in Howard, Wisconsin, ducked behind a refrigerator when bullets began exploding in their oven. Police said the husband hid the ammunition and three handguns in the oven before the couple went on vacation, out of fear that they would be stolen if someone broke into the house. Upon returning, the wife turned on the oven.”
—USA Today

SEAN CONNERY HAS A TATTOO THAT READS “MUM AND DAD.”
WORDPLAY
BUMPER STICKERS
IT’S MY CAT’S WORLD. I’M JUST HERE TO OPEN CANS.
MY OTHER VEHICLE IS IN ORBIT.
Remember: It’s pillage first, then burn.
I’m Still Hot. It Just Comes in Flashes.
Just keep staring—I may do a trick.
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed; chocolate makes it worth it.
If all else fails, stop using all else.

POPE JOHN PAUL II WAS AN HONORARY HARLEM GLOBETROTTER


Answer: A, Pierre du Pont. In addition to collecting trees and flowers, he was instrumental in building his family’s gunpowder factory into a giant in the chemical industry.
DIVING IN THE RED SEA



EGYPT AND ISRAEL
Described by Jacques Cousteau as “a corridor of marvels,” the Red Sea harbors diverse marine life in spectacularly clear water. This veritable Garden of Eden, including many species found nowhere else on earth, is dramatically juxtaposed with the stark beauty of the Sinai Desert above.


TRAVELER IN THE KNOW
You can party 24/7 at the casinos and glitzy shows of the Las Vegas strip. But for a cultural break, step into an art gallery. The big hotels have top-drawer collections: the Guggenheim/Heritage at the Venetian, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, and the Gallery at Wynn Las Vegas. And at the Las Vegas Art Museum, exhibitions feature contemporary art.


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