Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/30-3/31/2009

3/30/2001:
Notre Dame's women's basketball team storms from 16 points behind defending national champion Connecticut and rolls to a 90-75 victory in an NCAA tournament semifinal game at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Early in the second half, Notre Dame turns the tide with a 35-13 run led by Niele Ivey (21 points), Alicia Ratay (20 points, including four of five from three-point range), Ruth Riley (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Erica Haney (15 points). Coached by Muffet McGraw, the Irish will emerge as national champions when they defeat Purdue in the tourney final two nights from now, condlucing a gala Final Four affectionately dubbed "Arch Madness" by the local citizenry.

Birthdays:
Ripper Collins b. 1904
Willie Galimore b. 1935
Jerry Lucas b. 1940
Lomas Brown b. 1963
Dave Ellett b. 1964

Packers Fact:
The Packers were scheduled to fly just 10,738 miles on their road trips in 2007. That was more than 6,000 less miles than in 2006, and marked the fourth-fewest miles traveled in the league.

3/31/2003:
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays make new manager Lou Piniella's first game a memorable one, scoring five runs in the n inth inning to stun the Boston Red Sox, 6-4, on Opening Day at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Terry Shumpert's two-run homer and Carl Crawford's walk-off three-run shot provide a bright spot for the forlorn D-Rays, who will stumble to a 63-99 record-a sixth straight season of fewer than 70 wins since their expansion team began play in 1998.

Birthdays:
Gordie Howe b. 1928
Miller Barber b. 1931
Bob Pulford b. 1936
Tom Barrasso b. 1965
Pavel Bure b. 1971

Packers Fact:
The Packers selected kicker Mason Crosby in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. He was the third of Green Bay's three choices in that round.



YES, DEAR
Though this is not an advice book per se, you will probably glean some truths and insights about marriage here. Flexibility, humor, communication, and just plain not wanting to be in the doghouse got Mr. Doocy (the likable anchor of Fox and Friends) through a lot of tough times and boneheaded moves with the admirable Mrs. Doocy over the years. He is very funny here, and his misadventures, though they may be too off-the-wall to be familiar, will make you feel a whole lot better about your own life.

THE MR. & MRS. HAPPY HANDBOOK: EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE AND MARRIAGE (WITH CORRECTIONS BY MRS. DOOCY), by Steve Doocy (William Morrow, 2006)

MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Let’s celebrate the 200th birthday of Russia’s revered and influential humorist, Nikolai Gogol. In this collection, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky show through their brilliant translations the unerring wit and truth of Gogol’s droll insights. Try “The Nose,” wherein a barber finds a nose in his breakfast roll, or “The Overcoat,” about a lowly government copyist, his important new coat, and what happens when it is stolen. The story’s importance is reflected in Dostoyevsky’s quip: “We all came out of Gogol’s ‘Overcoat.’”

THE COLLECTED TALES OF NIKOLAI GOGOL, by N. V. Gogol; translated and annotated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (Vintage Classics, 1999)

UNCLE JOHN’S STALL OF FAME
Honoree: Paul Moghadan, who runs a Chevron gas station in West Covina, California
Notable Achievement: Created the best gas station restroom in America
Background: When Moghadan started at Chevron in 1966, he was told that keeping the gas station bathroom clean and well stocked should be his highest priority. He took the message to heart, and when the time came for him to remodel his restroom in 1992, he had his brother, an architectural designer, come up with something special: silver columns, marble counters, stone tile, and even a chandelier. “It’s the best restroom I’ve ever seen,” said Jose Montes, who lives in town. “You feel like you’re rich when you’re in there.”

LEMONS AND STRAWBERRIES DO NOT RIPEN AFTER BEING PICKED. AVOCADOS AND BANANAS DO.

WHEN YOU GOTTA GO . . .
Del Close, a theater producer and comedian, died in 1999 at the age of 64. He’d once played Polonius in Hamlet, but the role he really wanted was Yorick (the dead man whose skull Hamlet holds up in memory). So he stipulated in his will that his body be cremated and his skull preserved and given to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago for a future production of Hamlet—and that program credits list Yorick as being “played” by Del Close.

NANCY GREEN WAS THE FIRST LIVING PERSON WHOSE IMAGE WAS TRADEMARKED AS AUNT JEMIMA.


On Classified Ads, A Little Too Specific:

AUDITIONS: Seeking a young man who is at least 28 but not over 28 years old.

classified ad in the Hartford (Connecticut) Courant (thanks to Andrea Grody)


On By Jove, It WOULD:

SILENT PLANE WOULD CUT AIRPORT NOISE

cnn.com headlines (thanks to Dan Kirkwood)


TOWER OF DAVID
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
First constructed in the second century B.C. as part of the defense of Jerusalem, the Tower of David today stands guard over a museum tracing the history of the city through thousands of years of repeated conquests and renewals.



MOTHER EARTH
CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK, COSTA RICA
Environments that support a rich variety of life, like the lush rain forest of Costa Rica, also produce multitudes of predators, and some of their potential dinners have adapted by becoming poisonous. This poisonous dart frog, like many toxic animals and insects, flashes a “Don’t eat me” sign with bright color, in this case, an intense red.


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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/29/2009

3/29/1982:
Chariots of Fire, a British-made motion picture about two English sprinters striving to compete in the 1924 Olympics, is the surprise winner of the Oscars for Best Picture at the Academy Awards ceremonies in Los Angeles. The movie focuses on the exploits of real-life athletes Harold Abrahams (played by Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleston) as they deal with the class struggles and mores of postwar Great Britain. An inspiring musical score by Vangelis establishes an ethereal backdrop to the emotional film.

Birthdays:
Walt Frazier b. 1945
Teofilo Stevenson b. 1952
Earl Campbell b. 1955
Brian Jordan b. 1967
Jennifer Capriati b. 1976

SCARY STUFF
George Shuman, a veteran Washington, D.C., policeman, follows the success of 18 Seconds with a new crime tale featuring Sherry Moore, the beautiful, blind psychic who is called in by the police for her special talent of being able to “see” the last 18 seconds of people’s lives by touching them. Sherry is menaced by a serial killer whose twisted psyche must be interpreted from events that reach back almost 20 years. Shuman creates a truly creepy atmosphere, and gives us a fallible, very complex, haunting character in Sherry Moore.

LAST BREATH: A SHERRY MOORE NOVEL, by George D. Shuman (Simon & Schuster, 2007)

LEGAL BRIEFS
FROM ACTUAL COURT TRANSCRIPTS:
Q: “Were you acquainted with the deceased?”
A: “Yes, sir.”
Q: “Before or after he died?”

Q: “To the charge of driving while intoxicated, how do you plead?”
A: “Drunk.”

Q: “The respiratory arrest means no breathing, doesn’t it?”
A: “That’s right.”
Q: “And in every case where there is death, isn’t there no breathing?

NOT AS FAST AS YOU THINK: A HOUSEFLY ONLY FLIES AT ABOUT 4.3 MPH.


GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
See the answer tomorrow.
Q: Bath, site of England’s only hot springs, has been a resort since the days when the ancient Romans ruled Britain. What English novelist described the life of leisure there in the city’s early 19th-century heyday?

a) Charlotte Brontë b) Jane Austen c) George Eliot d) Emily Brontë



Answer: B, Jane Austen.


On Say That Again!:

In the end, those of us who walk away not winning win more than just a loss.

The Apprentice contestant Audrey, after getting fired

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NCAA Tournament Central: Believe it! Beavers defeat Notre Dame for first NCAA Tournament victory in BSU history

NCAA Tournament Central: Believe it! Beavers defeat Notre Dame for first NCAA Tournament victory in BSU history
John J. McRae
Bemidji Pioneer - 03/28/2009

The Bemidji State men’s hockey team believed; the BSU coaching staff believed; a small cadre of team supporters believed. The vast majority of the college hockey world did not.

They are all believers now.

Bemidji State pulled off a major upset Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich., defeating Notre Dame 5-1.

Notre Dame was the No. 2 ranked team in college hockey and the No. 1 seed in the regional.

Bemidji State was not ranked entering the tournament and were the No. 4 seed in the regional.

It was undoubtedly the biggest win the in the Division I era for the Beavers, if not all time.

Bemidji State University is now 60 minutes away from a trip to NCAA Frozen Four.

Wow.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys right now,” said Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore. “This was a great, great win for our program. A win like this is extremely gratifying.”

Bemidji State now advances to Sunday night’s Midwest Region final against Cornell (7 p.m., ESPNU), who defeated Northeastern 3-2 earlier in the day. The winner will advance to the Frozen Four in Washington, D.C. April 9 and 11.

Notre Dame came into the game with a record of 31-5-3, winning both the CCHA regular season and playoff crowns. The Fighting Irish defense allowed only 64 goals the entire season, an average of 1.64 per game.

One of the BSU concerns entering the game was if the Beavers could generate offense against the highly regarded Fighting Irish.

That was answered early and with an exclamation mark.

The Beavers scored a pair of first period goals and added another in the second to take a 3-0 lead. The partisan crowd, the vast majority who traveled from South Bend, Ind. to cheer for Notre Dame, was stunned. But there was still the belief the Irish would fight back.

Not this time.

Bemidji State started the first 1:58 of the third period a man short following a Cody Bostock penalty for holding with two seconds left in the second.

It was a key juncture in the game.

“We felt if we could kill the penalty we would be in pretty good shape,” Serratore reported. “We ended up getting way more than that.”

In the opening moments of the period, Tyler Scofield found Matt Read with a break out pass at the Fighting Irish blue line. A Notre Dame defender was angling toward Read, who teed it up and rifled a shot from the top of the face off circle. It rocketed past Notre Dame goalie Jordan Pearce, giving the Beavers a 4-0 lead 49 seconds into the third.

“That was a huge goal,” Serratore reported. “You know what I always say, the first team to four in college hockey wins. I don’t care who the team is, coming back from four goals down is very tough.”

Read said he saw that Pearce was a little off on his angle and picked a spot. “I caught it clean and it went in,” he said.

Bemidji State got off to a dream start, taking a 2-0 first period lead. The Beavers struck first early as Pearce misplayed the puck behind the net, then fell when entering the crease. BSU senior forward Chris McKelvie was there to rap the home the loose puck unassisted at 1:42.

Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said the goal shook up Pearce.

“On that first goal, the puck took a weird bounce off the boards and came right to Pearce,” Jackson said. “It got stuck between the goal post and his skate. BSU forced the issue with their fore check and scored. The goal threw (Pearce) off.”

The Beavers made it 2-0, connecting on their only power play opportunity of the period. Freshman defender Brad Hunt took a shot from the point, but only caught a piece of it. The slowly sliding puck was then tipped in front by Scofield past Pearce at 11:03.

Overall it was an evenly played period with Notre Dame holding an 11-7 shot advantage.

BSU goalie Matt Dalton came up big on a couple of occasions, the biggest save coming with about five minutes left when he denied freshman Billy Madday from close range.

The Beavers also had a coupe more opportunities.

Scofield nearly converted a ND turnover at 13:00, whistling a shot just wide from the blue line. Freshman Shea Walters had a good chance from the top of the far circle, again on a turnover. Pearce made a nice glove save on that one.

That set a pattern that would carry to the whole game – the Beavers applying heavy puck pressure and creating turnovers, then making plays.

“From the start, they created turnovers,” said Jackson. “They created their opportunities; congratulations to them.”

The Beavers extended the lead to 3-0 with the only goal of the second period. The BSU mantra is any shot on net is a good shot and freshman Ben Kinne proved the point. Racing to a loose puck at the near face off circle, Kinne funneled a shot toward the net. The puck deflected off a Notre Dane defenseman and past Pearce five hole with just over six minutes left in the period.

Again, the second period was evenly played with the Fighting Irish holding an 11-8 shot advantage. BSU applied good pressure early when Kinne won a race to a loose puck just across the Irish blue line and got off a good shot that was stopped. Walters then came close on a wraparound attempt about two minutes later.

Dalton continued to be rock solid in net, stopping a handful of strong Notre Dame opportunities. The best came when Notre Dame’s Ryan Thang beat a BSU defender wide and bore down on the BSU goal. Dalton stood his ground and made the big save, keeping the Irish off the board.

That led to Read’s big shorthanded goal and a 4-0 BSU lead early in the third. The Fighting Irish trailed Michigan 2-0 in the third period in the CCHA championship game a week ago and came back for a 5-2 win. But it wasn’t to be this time around; the Beavers made sure of that.

Notre Dame got on the board at 6:02 of the third as Dan Kissel connected off a nice cross ice pass from Ryan Guentzel. Dalton didn’t have a prayer on the bang-bang play.

The Beavers iced things for good when Notre Dame pulled Pearce for the extra attacker with about four minutes left. Scofield battled for a loose puck at mid-ice then ripped an empty netter with 3:27 remaining, giving the Beavers a 5-1 lead.

Game, set and match. That’s the way it ended.

Dalton had an excellent night in net for the Beavers, stopping 34 of 35 Notre Dame shots. Pearce ended the night making 14 saves on 18 shots.

“We knew they were a skilled and fast team that played tough defense,” Scofield said. “We knew we’d have to back check hard and disrupt their plays. I think we did a good job of that.”

Jackson agreed. “BSU plays a tough style,” he said. “If you don’t make a play, they’ll come right back at you. They frustrated our team with their style of play – it worked.

“I don’t know how many times this week people asked me, ‘who is Bemidji State?’ Well, they know now. I didn’t do a good enough job preparing my team to play a team like Bemidji State. I take full responsibility for that.”

Scofield said the team was very happy after the win, but also took the huge victory in stride.

“Yes, it was exciting. Yes, it was a big game. We’ll enjoy it for a few minutes, but we still have business to take care of,” he said.

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/27-3/28/2009

While the ideal scenario is to close out a playoff series on your home floor in front of your home fans, NBA star Chauncey Billups has a different outlook: "In a strange sort of way, it always feels better to close out a series on the road. That silence, like church."

Birthdays:
Wes Covington b. 1932
Cale Yarborough b. 1939
Annemarie Moser-Proll b. 1953
Chris McCarron b. 1955
Randall Cunningham b. 1963

Packers Fact:
Running back Noah Herron, who had career bests of 150 yards rushing and 211 yards receiving in 2006, missed the entire 2007 season after suffering a knee injury in the final preseason game.

3/28/1976:
Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, 14, wins all four of her events at the America's Cup competition at Madison Square Garden, scoring a perfect 10 in the vault today to go with the perfect 10 she received in the floor exercise during yesterday's prelims. She'll become the sensation of the Olympic Games in Montreal, posting seven 10s and winning gold for the balance beam, uneven bars and best all-around female gymnast.

Birthdays:
Vic Raschi b. 1918
Jerry Sloan b. 1942
Rick Barry b. 1944
Len Elmore b. 1952
Byron Scott b. 1961

Packers Fact:
Safety Aaron Rouse was the only defensive back that the Packers selected among their 11 drat choices in 2007. He was a third-round selection.




SAY WHAT?
Who would have thought that diagramming sentences could be the subject of a surprisingly fun book? Kitty Florey, that’s who. Author and copy editor Florey remembers fondly her introduction to serious grammar in sixth grade under the tutelage of one Sister Bernadette. It made language seem accessible, friendly, tidy, and satisfying. She displays the many splendors of this arcane enthusiasm, along the way discussing the disparate habits (and diagramming the sentences) of passionate grammarians Henry James, Gertrude Stein, Sister Bernadette, and others.

SISTER BERNADETTE’S BARKING DOG: THE QUIRKY HISTORY AND LOST ART OF DIAGRAMMING SENTENCES, by Kitty Burns Florey (Melville House, 2006)

OUCH, THAT’S FUNNY!
A good political cartoon is truly worth 1,000 words. Whereas wordsmiths slave over their keyboards, churning out arguments and counterarguments and digging up data, cartoons do not have to support a view, only strike a chord. The best are silent but deadly, conveying history and emotion in the blink of an eye. Hess and Northrop dote upon the cartoonist’s craft and the history of the genre, exemplified by 269 wonderful cartoons, in loving and lively detail.

DRAWN AND QUARTERED: THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL CARTOONS, by Steven Hess and Sandy Northrop (River City Publishing, 2007)

BATHROOM BRAINTEASERS
WHICH IS THE CORRECT SPELLING OF EACH COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORD?

1. a) Milenium b) Millenium c) Millennium

2. a) Dumbell b) Dumbbell c) Dumbel

3. a) Seperete b) Seperate c) Separate

4. a) Necesary b) Neccesary c) Necessary

5. a) Minniscule b) Miniscule c) Minuscule

6. a) Accommodate b) Acommodate c) Accomodate

7. a) Occurrence b) Ocurence c) Occurence

8. a) Embarrass b) Embarass c) Embaras

MAKES SENSE: THE VIETNAMESE CALL IT THE AMERICAN WAR.


THE WOMEN’S ROOM
A MOTHER OF INVENTION
Melitta Bentz, a housewife in Dresden, Germany, didn’t like the bitter, oily taste of coffee made by boiling loose grounds, the common brewing method in 1900. She wondered if there was a way to filter out the grit and oil. One day she took the blotter paper from her son’s school notebook, cut out a circle, and placed it in the bottom of a perforated brass pot. Then she measured in the coffee and poured hot water over it. Result: perfect, grit-free coffee. Bentz’s simple drip method was so successful that she applied for a patent in 1908, and the M. Bentz coffee company (now Melitta) was born.

ONE ISN’T ENOUGH? TWO RIVERS IN FLORIDA ARE NAMED WITHLACOOCHEE.


On Err. . . Keep Trying!
Radio host Tim Kelly: What birthday does a bicentennial celebrate?
Contestant: Err...
Kelly: I'll give you a hint. Centennial is one and bi means two.
Contestant: 102?
during a quiz segment on the Tim Kelly Show, Today FM, Dublin, Ireland
On Just the Snack I Wanted:
Cui Mei Si Burned Meat Biscuits
Chinese snack


HONG KONG
CHINA
Forests of bright signs and stalls of colorful produce and electronic goods compete for the attention of shoppers and passersby in congested main streets of Hong Kong’s many neighborhoods.



GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
See the answer tomorrow.
Q: Bath, site of England’s only hot springs, has been a resort since the days when the ancient Romans ruled Britain. What English novelist described the life of leisure there in the city’s early 19th-century heyday?

a) Charlotte Brontë b) Jane Austen c) George Eliot d) Emily Brontë

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/25-3/26/2009

3/25/1961:
The year after the great Oscar Robertson moves on to the NBA, the Cincinnati Bearcats win the national collegiate championship by upsetting top-ranked, unbeaten defending national champion Ohio State, 70-65, in overtime at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Despite the two schools' close geographic proximity, they hadn't met in basketball competition since 1922. Balanced scoring helps Cincinnati surmount 27 points and 12 rebounds by OSU All-American Jerry Lucas. When the two clubs meet again next year in the NCAA finals, the outcome will be the same: Cincinnati will repeat as champions, 71-59.

Birthdays:
Howard Cosell b. 1920
Ken Wregget b. 1964
Avery Johnson b. 1965
Tom Glavine b. 1966
Bob Sura b. 1973

Packers Fact:
The Packers opened the 2007 season with only two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Their third-string quarterback was wide receiver Carlyle Holiday, a former college quarterback.

3/26/1984:
The Chicago Cubs solidify their outfield in a trade with the Phillies that borders on highway robbery. The Cubs obtain Gary "Sarge" Matthews and Bob Dernier as the centerpieces of a five-player deal, surrendering only aging reliever Bill "Soup" Campbell and prospect Mike Diaz in return. Matthews, a firebrand competitor, will drive in 82 runs and score 101 while Dernier, a speedster and leadoff man, will swipe 45 bases and score 94 runs. This transaction also allows Chicago to move lumbering Leon "Bull" Durham from the outfield back to his natural position at first base. The Matthews-Dernier deal, along with the mid-season acquisition of pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, will spark the Cubs to the National League East title and their first trip to baseball's postseason since 1945.

Birthdays:
Rip Engle b. 1906
Al Bianchi b. 1932
Marcus Allen b. 1960
John Stockton b. 1962
Michael Peca b. 1974

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver James Jones played college football at San Jose State.



DESPERATELY SEEKING DANIEL
In her third novel, Louise Wener, the former lead singer of the British band Sleeper, takes us on Claire’s journey to Miami to find her brother Daniel, who disappeared shortly after the Columbia space shuttle disaster. Claire’s free-spirited, ditzy personality and the bright, funny prose and tender insights are a winning combination.

THE HALF LIFE OF STARS, by Louise Wener (Harper Paperbacks, 2006)

EVERYBODY LOVES PHIL
It doesn’t matter whether Phil Rosenthal’s life is now imitating his art or his art imitates his life. The writer of Everybody Loves Raymond has parlayed his life experiences into the basis of the much beloved sitcom. Rosenthal remains undazzled by Hollywood, is warm and genuinely funny even when he’s not writing for TV, and gives readers a treasure trove of background on the show, insight into showbiz, good-hearted gossip, and belly laughs galore.

YOU’RE LUCKY YOU’RE FUNNY: HOW LIFE BECOMES A SITCOM, by Phil Rosenthal (Viking, 2006)

A 21-FLUSH SALUTE . . .
TO NORMAN BORLAUG, BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1914
After earning doctorates in plant pathology and genetics from the University of Minnesota in 1942, Norman Borlaug took an agricultural research position with the Mexican government, where he developed varieties of wheat that had high yield and were disease resistant. Result: Mexico was able to stop importing wheat and started exporting it. He took his wheat varieties to Pakistan and India in the 1960s and doubled wheat production in those two countries. For these developments, Borlaug is credited with saving over a billion people from starvation. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

IN THE LATE 1960S PEZ TRIED TO MARKET FLOWER-FLAVORED CANDIES.

WHEN YOU GOTTA GO . . .
(NOT SO) FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“To die, to sleep, to pass into nothingness, what does it matter? Everything is an illusion.”
—Mata Hari
“I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place.”
—Adam Smith, economist
“I am still alive!”
—Caligula, Roman emperor

IT’S ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT HALF A TON OF MARTIAN MATERIAL FALLS TO EARTH EVERY YEAR.


On Wisdom, Congressional:
I know that I saw it on the TV station. It might have only been on Fox, come to think of it.
Rep. Bill Sali (R-Idaho) explaining that he was sure there were WMDs in Iraq
On Work Experience, Unconvincing:
*EXPERIENCE: Sous Chef. Quit after nervous breakdown.
*EXPERIENCE: I am a very capapable proofreader.
from actual resumes


THE MELK ABBEY
WACHAU VALLEY, AUSTRIA
Fortified abbeys and castles crown the rolling hills of the Wachau Valley, overlooking a picturesque stretch of the Danube River. The Melk Abbey, a recently renovated 1,000-year-old monastery, is filled with manuscripts and precious works of art.



CONVENT OF SAN FRANCESCO, FIESOLE (FLORENCE), ITALY
“In art, there are tears that do often lie too deep for thoughts.”
—LOUIS KRONENBERGER


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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/24/2009

3/24/1979:
Triple Crown hopeful Spectacular Bid, ridden by Ron Franklin, runs away from the field in the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah, winning by 12 lengths over seven overmatched rivals. It's the Bid's second quality win in the Sunshine State after winning the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale three weeks ago. He'll win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness without too much trouble but will come a cropper in the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes, where he loses his chance for a Triple Crown by placing third behind the surprising winner, Coastal.
Birthdays:
Alex Olmedo b. 1936
Pat Bradley b. 1951
Peyton Manning b. 1976
T.J. Ford b. 1983
Chris Bosh b. 1984
Packers Fact:
The Packers drafted wide receiver James Jones in the third round in 2007. He was the 78th overall choice.


FINDING YOURSELF
Henry Louis Gates Jr., chair of African and African-American Studies at Harvard, writes about helping Oprah Winfrey trace her genealogy and about why the search should be undertaken by every African American, though it may be a process beset by difficulties. This inspirational and groundbreaking piece of research offers a guide to DNA testing and how to gather online, oral, and written documentation.
FINDING OPRAH’S ROOTS: FINDING YOUR OWN, by Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Crown, 2007)

On But We Heard Someone Ratted Out the Mole:
More than 600 guinea pigs were "liberated" in a raid. The activists conducted painstaking research - helped by a mole at the DVLA.
from The Guardian (UK)


WORDPLAY
REAL CAR NAMES FROM ASIA YOU’RE UNLIKELY TO SEE IN AMERICA
• Toyota Deliboy
• Honda Life Dunk
• Nissan Sunny California
• Isuzu Elf Van
• Suzuki Cappuccino
• Mitsubishi Lettuce
• Toyota Urban Supporter
• Daihatsu Naked
• Honda Today Humming
• Toyota Synus
• Suzuki Mighty Boy
• Isuzu Begin Funk Box

DURING THE DEPRESSION, 44% OF ALL U.S. BANKS FAILED.

TRAVELER IN THE KNOW
Whether touring downtown or out in the neighborhoods, when you’re in Chicago you’ll want to sample the hot dogs, the snack food that fires up the locals. Pile the dawgs high with dill pickle, mustard, chopped onion, relish and more, but don’t risk ridicule by asking for ketchup.

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Monday, March 23, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/21-3/23/2009

3/21/1986:
With a minute remaining in regulation time, Kansas rallies from six points behind to tie the score and then runs away in overtime to defeat Michigan State, 96-86, in a Midwest Regional semifinal at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. A clock malfunction occurs with about two minutes left, adding 15 to 20 seconds to the contest and providing Kansas with extra time to stage the comeback. Last-minute baskets by Cedric Hunter, Calvin Thompson (game high, 26 points) and Archie Marshall even the score at 80-80 and the overtime proves to be a formality against the disheartened Spartans, who missed two key one-and-one free throw chances in the closing moments of regulation.

Birthdays:
Tom Flores b. 1937
Jay Hilgenberg b. 1960
Ayrton Senna b. 1960
Shawon Dunston b. 1963
Al Iafrate b. 1966

Packers Fact:
Brandon Jackson was the 63rd pick of the 2007 draft. The last running back that the Packers selected any higher was Darrell Thompson, who was the 19th choice in 1990.

3/22/1967:
Muhammad Ali knocks out Zora Folley at 1:48 of Round 7 at Madison Square Garden, successfully defending his heavyweight championship for the ninth time. Younger than the challenger by nine years and heavier by nine pounds but infinitely quicker on his feet, Ali dominates the bout with his left jab and finishes it with a right cross. Next month, Ali will be stripped of his title for refusing induction into the army on religious grounds. He'll return to the ring in 1970 and regain hish title in 1974 with a stunning upset of George Foreman in Zaire, Africa.

Birthdays:
Billy Vessels b. 1931
Flash Elorde b. 1935
Glenallen Hill b. 1965
Shawn Bradley b. 1972
Marcus Camby b. 1974

3/23/1990:
En route to winning the national championship with a 30-point blowout of Duke in the title game, UNLV very nearly stumbles against unheralded Ball State in the semifinals of the West Regional at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. The Runnin' Rebels are out-rebounded 54-37 and outscored down the stretch 23-14, but they manage to disrupt Ball State's last offensive sequence and escape with a 69-67 victory. Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon lead UNLV with 20 points apiece, and Chandler Thompson has 21 for the Mid American Conference champion Cardinals of Ball State.

Birthdays:
Roger Bannister b. 1929
Ted Green b. 1940
Moses Malone b. 1954
Jason Kidd b. 1973
Mark Buehrle b. 1979

Packers Fact:
After falling to the Bears on Kickoff Weekend in 2006, the Packers won all five of their remaining games against NFC North foes that season.




ANYBODY THERE?
This posthumous collection drawn from the 1985 Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology at the University of Glasgow will remind us what a graceful presence Carl Sagan was: He used his erudition as a delicate probing tool, never as a bludgeon, and his gentleness softened an iron strength of purpose and integrity. Put yourself in his hands as he guides you and teaches you, not what to think, but how to think.

THE VARIETIES OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERIENCE: A PERSONAL VIEW OF THE SEARCH FOR GOD, by Carl Sagan (Penguin Press, 2006)

JUST LIKE FAMILY
Richard Russo returns to some of the characters from Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls and takes them to Venice, Italy, to learn some hard truths. Louis Lynch and his wife, Sarah, have lived in a small New York town for 40 years and built a respectable life—in fact, Lynch is somewhat smugly writing a history of the town and his family. But life is far from over for the Lynches and still holds many surprises, especially in the hands of this capable, sensitive, funny, tender writer.

BRIDGE OF SIGHS, by Richard Russo (Knopf, 2007)

KILLER INSOMNIA
D. T. Max, science writer and himself victim of an inherited neurological disease, opens his investigation in 1765, with the mystery of a rare, fatal, misunderstood, and misdiagnosed disease in a Venetian man, and he traces that disease in the same family to present times. The patients die within a couple of years of showing the alarming symptoms: contracted pupils, racing heart, elevated blood pressure, total insomnia, and eventually dementia. The culprit: indestructible proteins called prions, which also cause mad cow disease, kuru, and scrapie. Diagnosis has not brought a cure, but that doesn’t make the book any less of a great read.

THE FAMILY THAT COULDN’T SLEEP: A MEDICAL MYSTERY, by D. T. Max (Random House, 2006)
On Freebies, Dubious:
FREE BACTERIA
printed on bottles of Vietnamese mineral water

On Better Give Back the Award!:
Reporter: How do you feel about being named one of the NBA's most reporter-friendly players?
Basketball star Michael Jordan: No comment.


On Why the Radisson Has So Many Empty Rooms:
RADISSON WELCOMES EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
sign at a Radisson Hotel in Minnesota
UNCLE JOHN’S POLICE LOG
A DUMB CROOK
“German police charged a man with drug possession when he entered a police station to check if he was on their wanted list. ‘I suppose he may have heard he was wanted for some offense and just wanted to see if the police had anything on him,’ said Volker Pieper, a spokesman for police in the city of Kassel. ‘It didn’t go quite as he had planned.’ As the 33-year-old man, a known drug abuser, questioned police, an officer noticed a suspicious lump stuck in his ear which turned out to be a gram of heroin. Police confiscated the drug before filing charges.”
—Reuters

ELVIS PRESLEY SHARED A BED WITH HIS MOM UNTIL HE REACHED PUBERTY.

TUBE TALK
WAKKA-WAKKA
Burgess Meredith’s characterization of the Penguin on the 1960s Batman TV show included a distinctive “wakk-wakk” bird noise. How’d Meredith come up with the clever affectation? The Penguin was supposed to smoke cigarettes. Meredith was allergic to them, but the producers made him smoke them anyway. The “wakk-wakk” covered up his coughs.

MARCH 22 IS INTERNATIONAL GOOF-OFF DAY.

MYTH-CONCEPTIONS
The Myth: The red liquid that seeps out of cooked beef is blood.

The Truth: Very little blood remains in muscle after slaughter and what’s left is then removed. The liquid is a combination of water and a red-colored (because it’s rich in oxygen) protein called myoglobin.

DOLPHINS CAN PRODUCE NOTES 100 TIMES HIGHER THAN A HUMAN SOPRANO CAN.


GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
Q: A landscape of panoramic passes, valleys, rivers, waterfalls, canyons, and forests, said to have provided J.R.R. Tolkien’s inspiration for the setting of The Lord of the Rings, lies in these mountains, the highest in South Africa:

a) Admiralty Mountains
b) Drakensberg Mountains
c) Hoel Mountains
d) Prince Albert Mountains



Answer: B, the Drakensberg Mountains. The Admiralty, Hoel, and Prince Albert Mountains are all in Antarctica.

DOGON COUNTRY
MALI
South of Timbuktu, the isolated Dogon country is home to an intriguing civilization that has so far resisted both Christianity and Islam, preserving the traditions and customs of animist ancestors who arrived there 700 years ago, perhaps from Libya.


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Friday, March 20, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/20/2009

3/20/1934:
Arguably the most accomplished and versatile female athlete in history, Babe Didrikson pitches the first inning of a spring training game for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Fort Myers, Florida. Exhibiting an easy, fluid motion, Didrikson walks the first batter and hits the second, setting up some genuine baseball magic. The next batter, Joe Stripp, lines out to second baseman Dib Williams, who quickly flips to shortstop Rabbit Warstler, who relays the ball to first baseman Jimmie Foxx and viola!-the A's record a triple play to end the inning. After Didrikson leaves the game, it's downhill for the A's. Brooklyn wins, 4-2.

Birthdays:
John Barnhill b. 1938
Pat Riley b. 1945
Bobby Orr b. 1948
Chris Hoiles b. 1965
Mookie Blaylock b. 1967

Packers Fact:
Green Bay routed eventual NVC-champ Chicago 26-7 in the 2006 regular-season finale, but the Packers' playoff hopes were dashed that weekend by a Giants' victory the previous night.



The stories of Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) are beautifully wrought, haunting masterpieces that require and reward many readings. Labyrinths, originally published by New Directions in 1964, is the definitive book for first-time readers of Borges and a must-have for confirmed admirers. Though slim, the volume contains 23 of his best-known stories, including “A New Refutation of Time,” “The Garden of Forking Paths,” “Borges and I,” and “The Sect of the Phoenix.” It also provides several essays and parables, a very useful bibliography, and illuminating contributions from his admiring editors.

LABYRINTHS: SELECTED STORIES AND OTHER WRITINGS, by Jorge Luis Borges (1964; New Directions, 2007)

OOPS!
“Aliso Viejo, California, officials fell prey to an Internet prank that warns about ‘the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide,’ otherwise known as H2O or . . . water. The City Council was about to vote on a law banning the use of foam containers made with the substance. Officials said a paralegal was the victim of a spoof Web site identifying it as an ‘odorless, colorless chemical’ that can cause death if inhaled.”
—USA Today

J. EDGAR HOOVER ONCE GAVE HIS MOTHER A CANARY BRED BY THE “BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ.”

ON THIS DAY
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
The spring equinox, which falls today, is prime time for viewing the spectacle known as aurora borealis, or northern lights, best experienced in the northern hemisphere. This display is over the Brooks Range in Alaska.


On Yes, It Is Difficult To Distinguish Months From Seasons:
Family Feud host Richard Dawson: Name a month of spring.
Contestant: Summer.
(thanks to Andrea Grady)

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/19/2009

3/19/1961:
Bob Goalby establishes a new PGA record by scoring eight consecutive birdies on his way to a three-stroke victory at the St. Petersburg Open. Ted Krull finishes second, and Gary Player is third. It's Goalby's second win of the year after capturing the L.A. Open in January. He'll continue his fine play by finishing in a tie for second at the U.S. Open in June, just one stroke behind Gene Littler.

Birthdays:
Jay Berwanger b. 1914
Guy V. Lewis b. 1922
Richie Ashburn b. 1927
Joe Kapp b. 1939
Scott May b. 1954

Packers Fact:
Brandon Jackson ran for 989 yards in 2006 at Big 12 Nebraska.


HAVE A SEAT
Witty, erudite, spanning all recorded history and beautifully illustrated throughout, this marvelous volume surprises and delights at every page as it reveals both the enduring and changing values of societies and people through furniture design.

CHAIRS: A HISTORY, by Florence de Dampierre (Harry N. Abrams, 2006)

THE READING ROOM
TWO AUTHOR REJECTION STORIES
• Barnstorming pilot Richard Bach received 26 rejection slips for his book about an enlightenment-seeking bird before it was published in 1970. Jonathan Livingston Seagull went on to sell more than 30 million copies.

• When poet e. e. cummings couldn’t get a collection of poems published in 1935, he published it himself. He titled the book No Thanks, and the dedication page read “WITH NO THANKS TO,” followed by the names of the 14 publishers who had rejected the work.

THE ONLY ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY IN CENTRAL AMERICA IS BELIZE.


CALLAWAY GARDENS
PINE MOUNTAIN, GEORGIA, USA
Cymbidium orchids bloom luxuriantly in March in the conservatories of Callaway Gardens resort, Georgia’s own botanical paradise. On its 13,000 idyllic acres, the resort delights lovers of natural beauty with woodlands, miles of outdoor flower beds, biking trails, golf courses, and a lake.


On But We Can All Agree That This Doesn't Make Sense:
We don't all agree on everything. I don't agree with myself on everything.
politician Rudy Giuliani, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/18/2009

3/18/1952:
Bruins fans stage a special night to honor their beloved "Kraut Line" of center Milt Schmidt, left wing Woody Dumart and right wing Bobby Bauer, who comes out of retirement to play one final game with his mates. Boston beats the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0, clinching a playoff berth with Sugar Jim Henry between the pipes. Schmidt scores his 200th career goal and assists from both Dumart and Bauer. He also assists on all three of the other Boston goals, including one by Bauer-who shows no signs of rust after being out of the league for five years. All three were quick to sign on with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and served with valor for the duration of the war at the peak of their careers.

Birthdays:
Mike Webster b. 1952
Guy Carbonneau b. 1960
Curt Warner b. 1961
Bonnie Blair b. 1964
Brian Griese b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Defensive end Aaron Kampman earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career when he posted 113 tackkles and 15.5 sacks for the Packers in 2006.


FIGHTING WORDS
Journalist and Shakespeare lover Ron Rosenbaum (Explaining Hitler, 1998) uncovers the arguments, politics, backstabbing, and even a court case that have accompanied performances and interpretations of Shakespeare’s works over the centuries. His enthusiasm and knowledge sparkle throughout. Publishers Weekly starred review.

THE SHAKESPEARE WARS: CLASHING SCHOLARS, PUBLIC FIASCOES, PALACE COUPS, by Ron Rosenbaum (Random House, 2006)

A PLACE TO GO
KILLER BEE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Killer bees emerged in the 1950s when some African bees escaped from a South American lab and bred with the local bees, creating a volatile spawn that migrated north. In 1990 they crossed into the United States through Hidalgo, Texas. Did the town flee in horror? Nope. They used it to promote tourism. Hidalgo spent $20,000 to build the “World’s Largest Killer Bee,” a 10-foot-tall, black-and-yellow bee, in the center of town.

Q: WHAT DO YOU CALL THE SKIN THAT PEELS OFF AFTER A SUNBURN?
A: BLYPE.

ST. KITTS, LESSER ANTILLES
“The pleasure of leaving home, care-free, with no concern but to enjoy . . .”—HERMAN MELVILLE



On Oh, Go Stick Your Head In That Bowl Of Love:
I ask myself, do I feel like I hold the bowl of love and go out there in the universe, whether with this person or alone, and have that shield and glow that's incredible? Or do I feel depressive and self-conscious and like I'm walking on eggshells?
actress Drew Barrymore

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

It's time to board (North Dakota State) Bison bandwagon

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1237277759249660.xml&coll=2

It's time to board (North Dakota State) Bison bandwagon

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Usually I am the last person you want advice from when it comes to filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket. I like
my Sweet 16 chock-full of 11 seeds and my Final Four riddled with No.6s. Doesn't usually turn out that way in real
life, though.
But I have an upset for you this year. It involves last year's national champion. Yes, the Kansas Jayhawks are going
down in Round One on Friday. And NCAA newbie North Dakota State is going to deliver the blow.
The Midwest's No.3 seed, the Jayhawks come in as losers of two of their past three, allowing 76 points per game in
that span.
The freshman- and sophomore-laden team is clearly not playing its best. On the other hand, North Dakota State, the
14th-seed, has won seven straight and is ninth in the country in scoring at 80.8 points per game.
More than half the Bisons' points come from two of their seniors - guard Ben Woodside (22.8 points per game) and
forward Brett Winkelman (18.7). Earlier this season, Woodside dropped 60 (not a typo) on NCAA Tournament
participant Stephen F. Austin. The two can shoot it from the outside and light up a scoreboard. Woodside and
Winkelman will give Kansas fits.
And everyone knows how important guard play is in the Big Dance. Woodside protects the ball and the Bison offense
averages just over 11 turnovers per game, good for ninth in the nation. The young Jayhawks ranked 232nd with nearly
15 turnovers per game.
Plus, the game is in Minneapolis, little more than a three-hour drive from Fargo, N.D., where NDSU is located. Did you
see how rabid the Bison fans are? They are going to turn it into a home game for the Summit League regular season
and conference tournament champs.
It's already been a Cinderella season for North Dakota State, getting to the NCAA Tournament in its first season
eligible. It just doesn't feel like it's time for the Bisons' clock to strike midnight.

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Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/17/2009

3/17/1967:
Earl "the Pearl" Monroe scores 41 points to lead the Winston-Salem Rams to the NCAA College Division (later Division II) national title over Southwest Missouri State at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Indiana. Coached by Clarence "Big House" Gaines, the Rams will finish their impressive progression through the tournament draw and finish the year with a 31-1 record. It's astonishing to look back and see that this team, led by the fabulous talent of Monroe, never appeared once in the weekly College Division top 10 poll all season long.

Birthdays:
Sonny Werblin b. 1910
Sammy Baugh b. 1914
Hank Sauer b. 1917
Chuck Muncie b. 1953
Mia Hamm b. 1972

Packers Fact:
The Packers selected running back Brandon Jackson in the second round of the 2007 draft.


LUCK IS FOR THE LUCKY
Multiple points of view are interwoven masterfully in García’s (Dreaming in Cuban; Monkey Love) latest novel, featuring Enrique Florit, his history, and his involvement with Marta and Leila. All three characters struggle with relocation, tragedy, and love and find hope and joy in a world magically delineated by a novelist who just keeps getting better. Booklist starred review.

A HANDBOOK TO LUCK, by Cristina García (Knopf, 2007)

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
Was William Shakespeare Irish? Because of his use of Gaelic words and phrases (Hamlet swears by St. Patrick, and the name of Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is from the Irish word puca, meaning ghost), some European literary scholars in the early 20th century thought so. Around the same time, playwright George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion) was hailed as “the greatest English playwright since Shakespeare.” Ironically, Shaw actually was Irish.

CARL PERKINS WROTE “BLUE SUEDE SHOES” ON AN OLD POTATO SACK.

On Pigginess, Mergence, and All Those Other Important Artistic Things:
The work left me with an undercurrent of pigginess [and] unexpected fantasies of mergence and interspecies metamorphoses began to flicker into my consciousness.
performance artist Kira O'Reilly, on her shoe Inthewrongplaceness-which consisted of a naked woman cradling a dead pig for four hours.


GALWAY
IRELAND
The green and rugged landscape of Galway, where love of Gaelic culture still flourishes, is dotted with ancient castles. Perched on the westernmost edge of Europe, Galway is often called the most Irish part of Ireland.


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Monday, March 16, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/15-3/16/2009

3/15/1963:
After winning three SEC championships (once with a 24-1 record), only to pass up three NCAA tournament bids in the last four years to abide by an unwritten code of bigotry forbidding them to compete in racially integrated events, the Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball team literally sneaks out of Starkville in the dead of night to keep a Midwest Regional date with Loyola (Chicago) in East Lansing, Michigan. With four black starters, Loyola wins, 61-51, and in fact goes on to win the entire tournament, but just by showing up, the MSU players and coaches take a giant step toward eradicating the insidious tentacles of racism in the state of Mississippi.

Birthdays:
Punch Imlach b. 1918
Norm Van Brocklin b. 1926
Harold Baines b. 1959
Terry Cummings b. 1961
Kevin Youkillis b. 1979

3/16/1992:
While sitting in the third base dugout at Scottsdale Stadium during a Cactus League exhibition game, California Angels pitcher Matt Keough is struck in the right temple by a foul ball hit by John Patterson of the San Francisco Giants. Keough, son of former big-league outfielder Marty Keough, was attempting a comeback after two rotator cuff surgeries. He'll recover from the emergency surgery required to relieve pressure on his brain but will never again pitch in the majors. As a result of this incident, all professional ballparks will install protective screens in front of each dugout to block line drives.

Birthdays:
Roger Crozler b. 1942
Rick Reichardt b. 1943
Ozzie Newsome b. 1956
Mel Gray b. 1961
Curtis Granderson b. 1981

Packers Fact:
Aaron Kampman was a linebacker his first two seasons at Iowa in the late 1990s before moving to defensive end his final two years.

JULIUS CAESAR
Another year, another Ides of March. Time to summon up great Caesar’s ghost once again, and this year the honors go to Adrian Goldsworthy for his very readable account of the formidable general and dictator. Though Goldsworthy’s field is military history, he does not neglect the many other sides of Caesar’s life and character, noting, for instance, that he was a “serial seducer of married women.” An engrossing chronicle of Caesar and his Rome.

CAESAR: LIFE OF A COLOSSUS, by Adrian Goldsworthy (Yale University Press, 2006)

THE DISCONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY
In the 17th century, Catholics and Protestants were arguing over the souls of Europe. When Baruch Spinoza, a Jew, came up with the idea of an impersonal god, thereby contradicting both camps, the philosopher and courtier Gottfried Leibniz disagreed. Matthew Stewart saw a great story in their argument. The title may seem intimidatingly academic, but Stewart has taken a potentially pompous subject and created an absorbing narrative. An entertaining look at a conflict that remains alive to this day.

THE COURTIER AND THE HERETIC: LEIBNIZ, SPINOZA, AND THE FATE OF GOD IN THE MODERN WORLD, by Matthew Stewart (W. W. Norton, 2007)

SPACED-OUT SPORTS
ROBOJOCKS
In May 2005 teams of scholars from colleges around the world met at Georgia Tech for the RoboCup U.S. Open, a series of five robotic competitions. The aim of the contest was to develop a team of robots that, by the year 2050, will be technologically advanced enough to play soccer against a human team. Among the events: five-inch-tall robots played soccer with a golf ball; robot dogs played soccer; and teams of humans played soccer against robots while riding Segway power scooters.

PRESIDENT GERALD FORD ONCE GOT LOCKED OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE WHILE WALKING HIS DOG.

. . . NEWS FLUSH . . .
When a maintenance worker arrived at a highway rest stop in Valle, Norway, she was probably happy to discover that there was one toilet she would not have to clean . . . because it had been stolen. Helga Homme, an employee of Mesta, the company that services rest stops, immediately reported the theft to the Public Roads Administration (PRA). A Mesta manager reported that although he had seen plenty of thefts of things like lightbulbs and toilet paper from rest stops over the years, he had never heard of someone stealing a toilet. It cost the PRA more than $3,000 to replace the stainless-steel toilet, which appeared to have been carefully removed. “They had a disgusting job,” said Homme.

IN CHINA, AMERICAN FOOTBALL IS KNOWN AS “OLIVE BALL.”


On Ministers the Food Channel Would Like:
Do you promise to be a faithfuli minister, proclaiming the food news in Word and Sacrament?
from an application to become a minister in the Presbytery of Giddings-Loveyjoy, Texas

On "But All I Want To Know Is When To Put My Garbage Out!"
It has been brought to our attention that due to changes made to your grey household wastes bin collection dates within your new calendar. Your bin will be emptied week beginning the 20th March 2006, then next collection would not be until the week beginning the 10th April 2006. Thus having to wait 3 weeks for collection. Therefore we are to provide a normal collection on your normal collection day, week starting the 3rd April and again on your new collection date, week starting the 10th April then there after every 2 weeks.
Fife (England) Council letter about a change in garbage collection dates

Answer: B, William Randolph Hearst, the publishing magnate. His lavish Hearst Castle, in San Simeon, California, is now a state park open for tours.


MOTHER EARTH
THE AMAZON RIVER, BRAZIL
As it gathers its strength from more than 1,000 tributaries and drains into an area nearly the size of the contiguous United States, the Amazon swells into a behemoth with ten times the flow of the Mississippi.

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Saturday, March 14, 2009

Sports Fact & Book REc of the Day 3/14/09

3/14/1970:
St. Bonaventure wins the Eastern Regional of the NCAA basketball tournament with a 97-74 rout of Villanova but loses All-American center Bob Lanier with torn knee ligaments in his right leg, sidelining him for next week's Final Four. Lanier had 26 points and 14 rebounds before Villanova guard Chris Ford drove the lane and crashed into him. The third-ranked Bonnies improve to 25-1 with this victory, but they'll be hopelessly out-manned by Jacksonville's tandem of seven-footers, Artis Gilmore and Pembroke Burrows, in the national semifinals and lose, 91-83.

Birthdays:
Bob Charles b. 1936
Wes Unseld b. 1946
Kirby Puckett b. 1961
Kevin Brown b. 1965
Larry Johnson b. 1969

Packers Fact:
Defensive tackle Justin Harrell wore uniform number 91 in his first year with Green Bay in 2007. He wore 92 in college at Tennessee. That number hash been retired by the Packers in honor of Reggie White.


NEWTON’S BAD APPLE
The murder of a woman of letters who was writing a controversial new biography of Isaac Newton leads to investigations of deaths in both present-day Cambridge and the plague-ridden university of Newton’s day. While our narrator, Lydia, undertakes to finish the book at the request of her lover, the murdered writer’s son, she is in danger, too, from the spirits that Newton may have raised while dabbling in alchemy. Publishers Weekly starred review.

GHOSTWALK, by Rebecca Stott (Spiegel and Grau, 2007)

THE BARE FACTS
In June 2004 a man from Rapid City, Iowa, was robbed by strangers after he answered the door in the nude. The man, whose name was not released by police, claimed he was sleeping in the buff when he was awakened by a knock on his hotel-room door. When he answered the door he was tackled by “an undisclosed number of assailants” who hit him on the head and then ran off with his wallet and pants. Police later recovered the man’s pants from the hotel parking lot; at last report the wallet was still missing.

IF THE HEADS ON MT. RUSHMORE HAD BODIES, THE FIGURES WOULD BE NEARLY 500 FEET TALL.


On Double Identities:
Interviewer: What was the last book or books you read?
Soccer star Howard Kendall: My own autobiography, which, interestingly enough, was written by The Guardian's Ian Ross.


GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
See the answer tomorrow.
Q: Xanadu, the pleasure palace of the haunted hero in Orson Welles’s film masterpiece Citizen Kane, was modeled on this California estate. Who was the real-life owner?

a) Charlie Chaplin b) William Randolph Hearst c) Howard Hughes d) Mary Pickford

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Friday, March 13, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/12-3/13/2009

3/12/1966:
The Boston College Eagles, coached by Bob Cousy, outlast Wes Unseld and the Louisville Cardinals, 96-90, in triple overtime in the first round of the NIT at Madison Square Garden. Steve Adelman has 32 points for BC and Ed Hockenbury adds 22 to offset 35 points by Unseld before he fouls out. It's the first three-overtime game in NIT history. The Eagles will be beaten in the next round by Villanova, and the Brigham Young Cougars will win the tournament.

Birthdays:
Bronco Horvath b. 1930
Johnny Rutherford b. 1938
Darryl Strawberry b. 1962
Steve Finley b. 1965
Raul Mondesi b. 1971


Packers Fact:
Defensive tackle Justin Harrell played college football at Tennessee, a Southeastern Conference school.

3/13/2007:
Lancy Mackey of Kasilof, Alaska, gets a kiss from lead sled dog Larry after winning the Iditarod. Lance's father, Dick Mackey, won here in 1978 and his half-brother Rick won in 1983, making the Mackeys the first such family trio to win this grueling race. Lance is also the first musher to win the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in the same year.

Birthdays:
Ordell Braase b. 1932
Joe Bellino b. 1938
Will Clark b. 1964
Thomas Enqvist b. 1974
Johan Santana b. 1979

Packers Fact:
Defensive end Aaron Kampman had 3 sacks in a game twice for the Packers in 2006; against New Orleans in week 2 and against Minnesota in week 16.



BROTHER WAS A TRICKSTER GOD
“Fat Charlie” Nancy is a stressed-out agent in London whose life is upended in various harrowing and gleeful ways by his long-lost brother, Spider, the son of an African trickster god. To lose Spider and regain his life, Charlie turns to four old ladies in Florida who show him the way to the spirit world. And then the fun begins. “If you have to classify it, it’s probably a magical-horror-thriller-ghost-romantic-comedy-family-epic,” says author Neil Gaiman. But while it’s difficult to pigeonhole, it’s easy to read this spirited combination of the down-to-earth and the screwball.

ANANSI BOYS, by Neil Gaiman (Harper Torch, 2006)

NOT GUILTY
On a summer’s day in 1984, a nine-year-old girl was assaulted and murdered in suburban Baltimore. Kirk Noble Bloodsworth was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong story. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the crime. While in prison he came upon a nonfiction work by Joseph Wambaugh, The Blooding, and realized that DNA held the key to proof of his innocence. A truly compelling story of American justice going very wrong and how it finally went right.

BLOODSWORTH: THE TRUE STORY OF THE FIRST DEATH ROW INMATE EXONERATED BY DNA, by Tim Junkin (Algonquin Books, 2004)



On Stories Like This Are Why We Read The Newspapers:
TROUT FISHERMAN REALLY ARE SMART
from The Joplin (Missouri) Globe
On Gum, Groovy:
*Flavano Triple-Combination High Tech Chewing Gum
*Be Cool Bourbon Original Chewing Gum
*Brain Gym Chewing Gum
Japanese chewing gums


REEL LIFE
UNCLE JOHN’S BAD MOVIE GUIDE
“In Gymkata (1985), an Olympic gymnast (Kurt Thomas) is recruited by the CIA to stick a nuclear missile base in the middle of an Eastern European country. Kurt has to run through alleys until he finds one that happens to have a horizontal bar set up between two buildings, then he grabs the bar and starts spinning and kicking guys. Apparently the reason this was filmed in Yugoslavia is that the whole country has gymnastics equipment hidden in the rocks and sticking out of buildings, and it gives Kurt a big advantage over the guys with machine guns.” (Joe Bob Briggs’ Ultimate B-Movie Guide)

RULE OF THUMB: YOUR THUMB IS APPROXIMATELY THE SAME LENGTH AS YOUR NOSE.


SEAT OF LEARNING
METEOR FACTS
• Meteors the size of basketballs hit Earth once a month.

• So far, 150 impact craters have been identified on Earth’s surface.

• In space it’s a meteor; on the ground, it’s a meteorite.

• A large meteorite is always cold to the touch. The outer layers are burned off from its trip through the atmosphere; the inner layers retain the cold of deep space.

• In 1994 the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into the atmosphere of Jupiter, generating an explosion the equivalent of 300 trillion tons of TNT. The comet was estimated to be three miles in diameter; the hole it made was larger than Earth.

GOOD LUCK! IT’S EASIER TO FIND GOLD THAN TO WIN THE LOTTERY.


TRAVELER IN THE KNOW
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the most popular tourist attraction on the planet, is also one of the largest. If your vacation time is brief, make the most of it by establishing your base at one of the hotels inside the resort to eliminate travel time—the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where you may see giraffes grazing from your window, is one choice.



SAILING THE GRENADINES
LESSER ANTILLES
Revered by yachtsmen and sailor wannabes, the thirty-two islands and hundreds of dotlike cays that form the archipelago of the Grenadines are one of the most beautiful yachting destinations in the world. To see them in the ideal way, charter a crewed boat or strike off on your own and set sail.

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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/11/2009

3/11/1979:
A wild melee erupts at the end of the first period at the Spectrum between the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. As the clubs leave the ice for the first intermission, bad blood spills over when Randy Holt of L.A. resumes an earlier fight with the Flyers' Frank Bathe, Bert Wilson of L.A. picks up an earlier tiff with Flyers defenseman Behn Wilson and Kings winger STeve Jensen squares off with Flyers center Mel Bridgeman. The free-for-all results in 290 penalty minutes being assessed by referee Wally Harris, 67 alone given to Randy Holt. There are 10 ejections, 5 to each team. Numerous NHL records are set in the chaotic brawl, but the rest of the game proceeds without further incident. The Flyers win, 6-3.

Birthdays:
Louise Brough b. 1923
Dock Ellis b. 1945
Bobby Ahreu b. 1974
Shawn Springs b. 1975
Elton Brand b. 1979

Packers Fact:
The Packers beat the Vikings 9-7 in week 16 of 2006 without the benefit of a touchdown. Dave Rayer kicked 3 field goals, including the game winner from 44 yards with 1:34 left, to account for all of Green Bay's points.



WHEN BOYS WERE BOYS
This international bestseller is a straight-ahead compendium of boy life before computers and video games invaded civilization. It explains how to make a bow and arrow, build a tree house, play stickball, make a periscope, and tan a hide. There are informational chapters on the Declaration of Independence, famous battles, baseball’s “Most Valuable Players,” and cloud formations. And there’s even a chapter on girls. Nostalgic and optimistic, the Dangerous Book is as much for dads as for sons.

THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS, by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden (Collins, 2007)

UNCLE JOHN’S DICTIONARY OF WORD ORIGINS
Bandana
Meaning: A large, colored handkerchief or neckerchief
Origin: This word derives from a Hindi word badhnu, meaning what today is called “tie-dyeing,” that is, dyeing a cloth but tying sections of it together so that they will not absorb the dye. Hence the spotty or patchy appearance of a genuine large silk bandanna.

NOW YOU KNOW: ROOM TEMPERATURE IS 68°F.


BREATH OF SMOKE, TONGUES OF FIRE
Kilauea, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii, is the most active volcano in the world, but not the only one still belching smoke and fire. These volcanoes are among many that are still smoldering:

Taal Volcano, Luzon, Philippines
Santorini, Greece
Hekla Volcano, Iceland
Mount St. Helens, Oregon, USA
Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, Lesser Antilles



On Incredibly Intelligible Internet Insights:
The internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), during a debate on internet neutrality

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