Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/17-4/20/2009

4/17/1958:
Milwaukee third baseman Eddie Mathews becomes the first player to hit two home runs in each of his first two games of the season as the Braves beat Pittsburgh, 6-1, at County Stadium. Mathews hits a three-run homer off Vernon Law and a two-run shot off Bennie Daniels in today's game. In the season opener, he homered his first two times up against Bob Friend, but Pittsburgh rallied to win, 4-3, in 14 innings.

Birthdays:
Geoff Petrie b. 1948
Borje Salming b. 1951
Boomer Esiason b. 1961
Ken Daneyko b. 1964
Theo Ratliff b. 1973

Packers Fact:
Tackle Chad Clifton was the player whose 2002 season was cut short after 10 games because of a serious pelvic injury suffered when he was blindsided by Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp on an interception return. Clifton came back to start 63 of 64 regular season games from 2003 to 2006.

4/18/2005:
Catherine Nidereba of Kenya becomes the first four-time women's winner of the Boston Marathon, capturing the traditional springtime race in 2:25:13. Familiar with the course after winning here in 2000, '01 and '04, Ndereba paces herself until the onset of Heartbreak Hill at about the 20-mile mark and then pulls away to a comfrtable victory. In the men's division, Hailu Neggusie of Ethiopia becomes only the second non-Kenyan runner in the last 15 years to win here. It's his first marathon victory in North America; he had won previously in Japan and China.

Birthdays:
Don Ohl b. 1936
Pete Gogolak b. 1942
Wilber Marshall b. 1962
Rico Brogna b. 1970
Haile Gebrselassie b. 1973

Packers Fact:
Packers fullback Korey Hall earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors for three consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2006 at linebacker.

4/19/1987:
The St. Louis Cardinals complete a three-game sweep of the defending world champion New York Mets with a 4-2 victory at Busch Stadium, but they lose ace left-hander John Tudor for over three months in a freakish mishap. In the third inning, Mets catcher Barry Lyons, in pursuit of a foul pop-up, tumbles into the St. Louis dugout and falls on Tudor, breaking his right leg. Out until August, Tudor will compile an outstanding 10-2 record in the regular season and win twice more in the postseason as the Redbirds fall just short of a world championship.

Birthdays:
Jack Pardee b. 1936
Alexis Arguello b. 1952
Frank Viola b. 1960
Joe Mauer Jr. b. 1983
Maria Sharapova b. 1987

4/20/1983:
George Brett cracks three homers and drives in seven runs to lead the Kansas City Royals to an 8-7 victory over Detroit. His third blast, a two-run shot in the ninth inning, accounts for the final margin. With 4 hits and 13 total bases in this game. Brett is on his way to leading the major leagues in slugging percentage (total bases divided by at bats) with a .563 mark. It's one of three times in his career that he'll lead the American League in that category to go with three batting titles, three years leading the league in base hits and three years leading in triples.

Birthdays:
Ernie Stautner b. 1925
Steve Spurrier b. 1945
Don Mattingly b. 1961
John Carney b. 1964
Tai Streets b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Linebacker A.J. Hawk first grew his hair long in 2005 as a tribute to former NFL star Pat Tilman, who was killed in action that year while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

THE BOOK’S COVER

Book lovers certainly know the old cliché about judging books by their covers. And book lovers also know the value of a good book jacket when it communicates quickly and forcefully the ideas awaiting inside the book: Think of that startling, modern, epic U on the front of Ulysses. The authors discuss the evolution of book cover design from the days when a dust jacket merely protected the book to the contemporary work of such innovators as Push Pin Studios and Chip Kidd. Edifying and beautifully illustrated.

BY ITS COVER: MODERN AMERICAN BOOK COVER DESIGN, by Ned Drew and Paul Sternberger (Princeton Architectural Press, 2005)

Kate Atkinson, whose smart Behind the Scenes at the Museum won the Whitbread Book Award, has been enthusiastically exploring the character and narrative possibilities of the mystery genre. In One Good Turn, Detective Jackson Brodie is by stages drawn into a convoluted plot involving an attacker called “Honda Man,” several Russians, a mystery writer, corpses (of course), and detective Louise Monroe. Atkinson is generous in all the ways a writer gives pleasure: her obvious delight in writing, her entertaining characterizations, and her shrewd way with a zinger.

ONE GOOD TURN, by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown, 2006)

OF DAFFODILS AND PLEASURE DOMES

From that first day in 1797 when Coleridge bounded into the Wordsworths’ yard and started talking literature, the two poets were immediate and fast friends. They traveled together. They lived near each other in the Lake District. They collaborated on one of the most important books of poetry ever published: Lyrical Ballads. Yet innate differences—Wordsworth’s egocentric ambition and Coleridge’s addiction to opium, to name just two—would inevitably estrange them. This is a riveting story of two giants of poetry and their deep, intense, though far from eternal, friendship.

THE FRIENDSHIP: WORDSWORTH AND COLERIDGE, by Adam Sisman (Viking Adult, 2007)

BLACKFORD OAKES’S FAREWELL

More than 25 years and ten novels ago, Blackford Oakes began his career in print by saving the life of the queen of England. In this latest, and apparently last, outing the experienced agent is called upon to save the life of Mikhail Gorbachev. The mission leads him to fall in love with a Soviet doctor and into conflict with the infamous Kim Philby. Entertaining and, in the Buckley fashion, informative.

LAST CALL FOR BLACKFORD OAKES, by William F. Buckley Jr. (Harcourt Trade, 2005)

On Spouses, Knowledgeable:

Q: How long have you been married to her?
A: Nineteen years.
Q: Is that your only marriage?
A: Yes, it is, that I know of.

actual courtroom trestimony


On Please, No Wisecracks...:

JEANS: Low-rise styles continue to be poopular among young adults

headline in The Las Vegas Review-Journal


On Cherokees Need Not Apply:

SIOUX CHEF REQUIRED

sign at Clarke's restaurant, Bath, England


On Um, Beam Me Up, Scotty:

This president has listened to some people, the so-called Vulcans in the White House, the ideologues. But you know, unlike the Vulcans of Star Trek who made the decisions based on logic and fact, these guys make it on ideology. These aren't Vulcans. There are Klingons in the White House. But unlike the real Klingons of Star Trek, these Klingons have never fought a battle of their own. Don't let faux Klingons send real Americans to war.

Rep. David Wu (D-Oregon), in a speech on the floor of Congress

. . . NEWS FLUSH . . .

Police officer Craig Clancy walked into a public bathroom stall at a San Antonio auto auction, pulled his pants down . . . and accidentally dropped his gun, shooting the man in the next stall. The falling pistol, which the officer tried to grab, somehow went off . . . twice. The victim was hospitalized but not seriously injured, according to police.

PRESIDENT JAMES BUCHANAN ONCE MADE A LIVING AS A PRIZE FIGHTER.

BATHROOM BRAINTEASERS

1. It starts and ends two painful words. One comes from too little love; the other comes from too much noise. What are the words?

2. What do “subcontinental” and “uncomplimentary” have in common?

Q: WHAT ARE EPHELIDES?
A: FRECKLES.

TUBE TALK

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF TELEVISION, PRODUCERS WOULD TRY ALMOST ANY CONCEPT FOR A SHOW.

• On NBC’s Author Meets the Critics (1947), one critic would praise a new book and another would trash it. The author would then defend himself.
• On the Dumont Network’s Monodrama Theater (1952), one actor would perform an entire play—by himself—in front of a curtain. No sets, no props.

SEA SLUGS HAVE 25,000 TEETH.

SINGING IN THE SHOWER

“Getting old is fascinating. The older you get, the older you want to get.”

—Keith Richards, 62

“I don’t so much mind being old. I mind being fat and old.”

—Peter Gabriel, 55

“Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them.”

—Louis Armstrong, 69

SEE FOR YOURSELF: VIRGINIA EXTENDS 95 MILES FARTHER WEST THAN WEST VIRGINIA.

TRAVELER IN THE KNOW

The rose-red city of Petra, Jordan, was hewn from rock starting in 56 B.C. and is one of the wonders of the ancient world. It can be reached on foot by the Jig Gorger, a narrow winding passageway at times no wider than six feet.

GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE

See the answer tomorrow.

Q: True or False? The famous wildflowers of Texas are limited by the climate to a relatively small variety, primarily the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush shown here.

Answer: False. Bluebonnets are the king, but Texas boasts more than 5,000 species of wildflowers.

MOTHER EARTH

CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GEORGIA, USA

The largest of Georgia’s barrier islands, Cumberland Island was formed, like the others, by wind, waves, currents, and tides. The islands take the brunt of the wind, protecting Georgia’s marshy mainland shore while constantly being reshaped themselves.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/15-4/16/2009

4/15/1989:
The favored Calgary Flames stave off elimination by defeating the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, in overtime in the seventh game of their Stanley Cup Smythe Division semifinal series at the Saddledome. Calgary goalie Mike Vernon makes several scintillating saves to hold Vancouver in check, robbing Stan Smyl and moments later stoning Tony Tanti. Joel Otto receives credit for the game-winning goal with 39 seconds left in the first overtime session, deflecting a shot from Jim Peplinski past Kirk McLean in the Vancouver net. Having dodged a major bullet, the Flames won't waste their good fortune. They'll proceed to knock off the Kings, the Blackhawks and the Canadiens to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Birthdays:
Evelyn Ashford b. 1957
Kevin Stevens b. 1965
Jeromy Burnitz b. 1969
Phillippi Sparks b. 1969
Jason Sehorn b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Donald Driver earned the second Pro Bowl berth of his career in 2006 after catching a career-best 92 passes.

4/16/1967:
One of the original Baltimore "Baby Birds," left-hander Steve Barber carries a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Angels before Jim Fregosi breaks it up with a double. Barber will close out a one-hit, 3-0 victory. Two weeks from today, Barber's chronic control problems will produce one of baseball history's strangest games. He'll pitch no-hit ball for eight and two-thirds innings against Detroit but walk 10 men, including 3 in the ninth when the Tigers push over two runs without benefit of a base hit to beat Barber and the Orioles, 2-1.

Birthdays:
Dick "Night Train" Lane b. 1928
Rich Rollins b. 1938
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar b. 1947
Bill Belichick b. 1952
Luol Deng b. 1985

Packers Fact:
Fullback Korey Hall played college football at Boise State.

YOU, ME, AND THE SEA

The Maytrees are a loosely bound family. Lou and Toby—who are sometimes married—and Pete, their only child, live on Cape Cod. And you will find much here of what one looks for in Annie Dillard’s work: the wonders of nature (especially the sea); the intersection of the particular, the universal, and the timeless; and the inscrutable ways of love. The storyline cannot convey Dillard’s mastery of prose, the real hero here.

THE MAYTREES, by Annie Dillard (HarperCollins, 2007)

ABOUT TIME

This large, thorough biography of Andrew Mellon (1855-1937) constitutes a minicourse in American history. Author David Cannadine gives the man and his times a stately narrative arc, from the Scots-Irish family’s beginnings in Pittsburgh (and the importance of the “rust belt” to the American economy) to Mellon’s building of Alcoa and Gulf Oil and a dynasty in real estate, his stint as secretary of the treasury under Warren Harding, his importance as an art collector and founder of the National Gallery. This is the most compelling biography of this titan who stood shoulder to shoulder with Gould, Morgan, Frick, and Rockefeller.

MELLON: AN AMERICAN LIFE, by David Cannadine (Knopf, 2006)

On Right People Wrong:

The really right people know how to dodge taxes anyway.

President George W. Bush, on Sen. John Kerry's (D-Massachusetts) proposal to rescind tax cuts for the wealthy


On Sequiturs, Non:

I love England, especially the food. There's nothing I like more than a lovely bowl of pasta.

model Naomi Campbell

IT’S TAX DAY!

Do you worry about being audited? Actually, the odds you’ll be audited are pretty low: In 1994 the IRS audited about 93,000 individual income tax returns out of 114 million submitted, or about .08% of all returns filed. That’s way down from 1914, when every single one of the 357,598 tax returns submitted was audited. The IRS didn’t take any chances with the signatures that year, either: all taxpayers were required to sign their return in the presence of an IRS official.

FBI STATISTIC: 74% OF THREATS AGAINST FEDERAL WORKERS ARE DIRECTED AT IRS EMPLOYEES.

UNCLE JOHN’S DICTIONARY OF WORD ORIGINS

Invest

Meaning: Put money into a financial plan with the expectation of profit
Origin: It’s from the Latin word investire, which means “to clothe.” It became a financial word in the 17th century and it is thought to have come from the idea of “dressing up” money in different “clothes” by putting it into a business or a stock.

OHIO IS THE ONLY U.S. STATE WHOSE FLAG IS NOT RECTANGULAR OR SQUARE.

SIDI BOU SAID, TUNISIA

“There is no foreign land; it is the traveller only that is foreign.”
—ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

IL DUOMO

ORVIETO, ITALY

The perfect centerpiece of its ancient Umbrian hilltop town, the Duomo was constructed over three centuries starting in the late 13th century. Among the artworks inside, its greatest treasure is a cycle of frescoes begun by Fra Angelico and completed by Luca Signorelli in 1503.

Pre-Order Dollhouse S.1

We got Serenity because of strong Firefly DVD sales, perhaps if enough people pre-order this, FOX will see the following it has and it will help sway their decision for a S2. Okay, maybe I'm giving them too much credit, but still ... One can hope:

http://www.amazon.com/Dollhouse-Season-One/dp/B0024FAR66/

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/11-4/14/2009

4/11/1970:
Giants center fielder Willie Mays makes one of his signature catches in a nationally televised game against Cincinnati at Candlestick Park. In the third inning, Mays scales the right center field fence and collides with right fielder Bobby Bonds while making a sensational grab of a bid by Bobby Tolan for extra bases. The peerless 38-year-old holds on to the ball but tumbles to the warning track, where he remains for several minutes. Finally, none the worse for wear, he gets up and stays in the game, going one-for-four, as the Giants beat the Reds, 2-1.

Birthdays:
Micheal Ray Richardson b. 1955
Bret Saberhagen b. 1964
Jason Varitek b. 1972
Trot Nixon b. 1974
Kelvim Escobar b. 1976

Packers Fact:
Running back DeShawn Wynn played college football at Southeastern Conference school Florida.

4/12/1981:
Sean O'Grady of Oklahoma City captures teh WBA lightweight championship with a unanimous 15-round decision over previously unbeaten title holder Hilmer Kenty of Detroit at Bally's Casino in Atlantic City. O'Grady (now 75-2 with 65 KOs) scores two knockdowns with punishing right-hand leads and an unrelenting body attack to hand Kenty his first loss in 20 pro fights. Overshadowing the bout is word from Las Vegas that the legendary Brown Bomber, Joe Louis, passed away earlier this afternoon. He was 66.

Birthdays:
Joe Lapchick b. 1900
Johnny Antonelli b. 1930
Mike Garrett b. 1944
Mike Macfarlane b. 1964
Adam Graves b. 1968

4/13/1988:
Charles Barkley caps off an outstanding game with a three-point basket at the buzzer in overtime to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 98-97 victory over the Washington Bullets at the Spectrum. Sir Charles has 38 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Sixers, who trailed 47-30 at the half after they scored only 11 points in the second quarter. Mike Gminski has 19 points, and Mo Cheeks adds 14 for Philly.

Birthdays:
Flash Hollett b. 1912
Bob Devaney b. 1915
Davis Love III b. 1964
Bo Outlaw b. 1971
Baron Davis b. 1979

Packers Fact:
The Packers turned over the ball 33 times in 2006 and took it away from their opponents 33 times. Their turnover margin of zero was a big improvement over a minus-24 mark in 2005.

4/14/1996:
After upbraiding teammate Nick Van Exel only days ago for bumping a referee and proclaiming, "This just can never happen," Lakers guard Magic Johnson is ejected from a game against Phoenix for protesting a call - and bumping the referee. While videotape clearly shows the contact to be inadvertent, Johnson will receive a three-game suspension and a $10,000 fine. By comparison, Van Exel had gone berserk last week and received a seven-game suspension for his more flagrant actions and failure to leave the court in a timely manner.

Birthdays:
Pete Rose b. 1941
Cynthia Cooper b. 1963
David Justice b. 1966
Greg Maddux b. 1966
Steve Chiasson b. 1967

Packers Fact:
Rookie running back DeShawn Wynn scored his first career touchdown in 2007 against the New York Giants. Wynn had scoring runs of 6 and 38 yards in the Packers' 35-13 romp.

CHICK LIT

This collection of short stories, culled from more than 18 years of writing, sparkles with wise, tender insights into relationships and, for the most part, women from many angles: young mothers, newly divorced, married, single. Jennifer Weiner gets better and better, following Good in Bed (2002), Little Earthquakes (2006), and other successes. People says, “Fans will savor Weiner’s confidential tone and salty wit.”

THE GUY NOT TAKEN, by Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square Press, 2007)

TIME TRAVEL

Prepare yourself for a whimsical journey into space and time and Einstein’s brain, courtesy of a curious and thoughtful student. The nameless young woman has the opportunity to interview Einstein long after his death and record his thoughts on the ethics of nuclear physics, the uses of science, how basketballs bounce, and other matters. Charming and thought-provoking. (Carrière wrote the screenplays for Belle du Jour and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.) Booklist starred review.

PLEASE, MR. EINSTEIN, by Jean-Claude Carrière; translated from the French by John Brownjohn (Vintage Books, 2007)

HERE, FIDO

The Metropolitan “curated” this splendid collection of our canine friends in art from every country, clime, period, and style. And it comes with engaging accompanying texts by Shakespeare, Edith Wharton, and many others. Pair this with the companion volume, 2005’s Catnip: Artful Felines from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

THE ARTFUL DOG: CANINES FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Chronicle Books, 2006)

MASTERPIECES FROM THE KITCHENAward-winning cook and author Eileen Lo brings her Cantonese grandmother’s wisdom and kitchen magic to you. This winning book offers recipes for everything from simple, perfect rice to complex masterpieces such as won ton. The side stories about a bygone culture (bound feet, raising silkworms) are a delight on their own.

MY GRANDMOTHER’S CHINESE KITCHEN: 100 FAMILY RECIPES AND LIFE LESSONS, by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo (Penguin Press, 2006)

REEL LIFE

A FAMOUS NAME IN FILMS

William Fox was born Wilhelm Fried in 1879 to Hungarian immigrants. Working in New York’s garment industry, by 1904 he’d saved enough money to buy a penny arcade, which he later converted into a movie theater. From there he expanded into film production and distribution, and by 1929 his company was worth $200 million. Then the stock market crashed. In just two days, Fox Studio’s stock dropped from $119 a share to $1. Fox was forced to sell his stake in the company, but the studio kept his name, and in May 1935 it merged with 20th Century Pictures to become 20th Century Fox.

FRED ROGERS TOOK A MORNING SWIM EVERY DAY IN THE NUDE.

HAPPY EASTER!

SHOW ME THE BUNNY!

• In pre-Christian times, the rabbit was viewed as nature’s most fertile animal and therefore became a symbol of spring.

• Its first mention as an Easter symbol appears in 16th-century German writings.

• In the 1800s Germans produced the first edible Easter bunnies, which were made of pastry and sugar.

• Around that same time, German settlers brought the Easter bunny (known as Oschter Haws) to the New World. Children were told that if they were good, Oschter Haws would leave them colored eggs in a nest.

BLOND HAIR IS THE FINEST; BLACK HAIR IS THE COARSEST.

WORDPLAY

NEW DEFINITIONS (FROM THE WASHINGTON POST)

Counterfeiter: a craftsman who installs fake kitchen cabinets
Derange: where de buffalo roam
Heroes: how a man moves a boat through the water
Subdued: a guy who, like, you know, works on one of those, like, submarines
Baloney: where your shin is located
Relief: what trees do in the spring

KEANU REEVES IS REPORTEDLY AFRAID OF THE DARK.

A RANDOM ORIGIN

MAIL-ORDER CATALOGS

In September 1871 a British major named F. B. McCrea founded the Army & Navy Cooperative in London. His goal: to supply goods to military personnel at the lowest possible price. McCrea’s first catalog was issued in February 1872 . . . six months before an American named Aaron Montgomery Ward put his first catalog in the mail.

METEOROLOGISTS’ DEFINITION FOR DRIZZLE: NO MORE THAN 14 DROPS PER SQUARE FOOT PER SECOND.

On Peace, Pentagon's Different Take On:

permanent pre-hostility ........... peace

violence peace ..................... limited armed conflict

Pentagon definitions

On Look Out Below!:

The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water."

The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."

in a church bulletin

On Um, We'd Love To If We Knew What To Do

AFTER FIRST UNDER ON, DO RIDING WITH CIVILITY.

sign in a Shanghai, China, subway

On Sportscasters Who Maybe Should Learn Their Times Tables Better:

Kobe [Bryant] needs to concentrate on getting eight points a quarter. You do that, that's 24 points right there.

Lakers broadcaster Mychal Thompson (thanks to Scott Messer)

ON THIS DAY

CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL, YOSHINO, JAPAN

In parks and temple gardens all over the country, the Japanese delight in the blooming of the cherry blossoms. Purists and connoisseurs head to Yoshino, where tens of thousands of century-old cherry trees blanket Yoshino Mountain and a festival celebrates them every April 11-12.

BERMUDA ISLANDS

BERMUDA

Though most people think of Bermuda as a single island, it is actually a territory of 138 islands, but it is the 21-square-mile main island where resorts cater to travelers and most of the population lives.

SAFARI LODGES

KENYA

In unspoiled Kenyan preserves, guests can stay in luxury at private lodges while reveling in spellbinding views and the freedom to see exotic wild game. This one, the Sanctuary at Ol Lentille, was developed with participation of the local Masai people and the African Wildlife Foundation.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/9-4/10/2009

4/9/1995:
Ben Crenshaw shoots a five-under-par 67 and wins his second Masters by one stroke over Davis Love III. It was just a week ago that Crenshaw left Augusta to serve as a pallbearer at the funeral of his longtime coach and mentor, Harvey Penick, in Austin, Texas. Returning to Georgia to begin play on Thursday, he put Penick's teachings to good use, including the importance of controlling one's emotions during play, and his marvelous putting ability did the rest. He posts a 14-under-par 274, three shots better than his total in 1984 when heh won his first Green Jacket.

Birthdays:
Ebbie Goodfellow b. 1907
Paul Arizin b. 1928
Nate Colbert b. 1946
Seve Ballesteros b. 1957
Olaf Kolzig b. 1970

Packers Fact:
In addition to second-rounder Brandon Jackson, the Packers also selected running back DeShawn Wynn in the 2007 draft. He was a seventh-round selection.

4/10/1969:
Ralph Backstrom beats Gerry Cheevers with just 42 seconds gone in overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins in the opener of their Stanley Cup Eastern Conference final-round series. It's a crushing defeat for the Bruins, who led 2-0 with six and a half minutes left when John Ferguson scored for Montreal and then by 2-1 with a minute left before Jean Beliveau scored to tie the game and force OT at the Forum. Montreal will win this series in six games and sweep St. Louis in four straight to win their second straight Stanley Cup.

Birthdays:
John Madden b. 1936
Don Meredith b. 1938
Bob Watson b. 1946
Mel Blount b. 1948
Neil Smith b. 1966

Packers Fact:
Despite missing the playoffs with an 8-8 record in 2006, the Packers finished in the top half of the league rankings in both offense (they were ninth overall) and defense (12th) that year.

OUR WONDROUS WORLD

From the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, the authors, after 25 years of research, have selected 100 moths, butterflies, and their caterpillars from the 9,500 that grace the Costa Rican rain forest. The photographs in these two volumes are stunningly beautiful, and the text is wonderfully informative on the sometimes strange habits of these strange creatures.

	100 CATERPILLARS: PORTRAITS FROM THE TROPICAL FORESTS OF COSTA RICA
	100 MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES: PORTRAITS FROM THE TROPICAL FORESTS OF COSTA RICA, by Jeffrey C. Miller, Daniel H. Janzen, and Winifred Hallwachs (Belknap Press, 2006)

Curl up with the newest in Colleen McCullough’s (The Thornbirds) Masters of Rome series. (Her last, she claims, but who knows?) Though long, its sweep and intimate detail almost make it seem too short. Many surprises about Cleopatra, Antony, Julius Caesar, and Octavian await those who know those figures only from Shakespeare. In the end, you will have absorbed a lot of history and loved every minute of it.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, by Colleen McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 2008)

UNCLE JOHN’S ALMANAC

TODAY IS PASSOVER

The Passover celebration comes from the Old Testament story of the Exodus, when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. According to the story, Moses instructed the enslaved Jews to mark their door posts with lamb’s blood. That night, in the last of the “ten plagues,” God sent the Angel of Death to kill the firstborn of every family in the kingdom, but “passed over” the houses marked with the blood. The next day the Israelites escaped from Egypt, and their centuries of enslavement were over.

CANADIAN PERFORMER WITH THE MOST CELEBRITY IMPERSONATORS: SHANIA TWAIN.

On Slips, Freudian:

It's a pleasure to be in a country that isn't ruled by its people.

Prince Philip to Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, 1962


On I Am The Lord and My Name Is Howard?:

Weakest Link host Anne Robinson: In the traditional version of the Lord's Prayer, what "H," meaning sanctified, goes before "be thy name"?
Contestant: Howard.

SISTINE CHAPEL

ROME, ITALY

When Michelangelo unveiled the spellbinding frescoes covering the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in 1512, Pope Pius II fell to his knees. For those who tour the chapel now, the pope’s awe at this incredible masterwork remains easy to understand.

GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE

Q: Pierre L’Enfant, Washington’s city planner, chose the location for the Capitol building, which sits on which of these sites?

a) Foggy Bottom
b) Ebbit’s Farm
c) The Ellipse
d) Jenkins Hill

Movie Rec: DREAMS TO REMEMBER: THE LEGACY OF OTIS REDDING (2007)

I'm watching DREAMS TO REMEMBER: THE LEGACY OF OTIS REDDING

Very interesting documentary about him, if anyone is even remotely a fan I'd *highly* recommend it. It's available via Netflix.

http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Remember-Legacy-Otis-Redding/dp/B000UCWK1U/

From the Director
PRODUCER'S NOTES:
This is the first full-length DVD of Otis Redding, undisputedly one of the greatest soul singers of all time. To be given the honor to produce this release was an awesome responsibility. Zelma Redding, Otis' widow, has faithfully maintained her husband's legacy for the last 40 years and it was our desire to create a DVD that would both live up to and pay tribute to that legacy. Of the 30-plus DVDs that we've produced over the last few years, we feel this is some of our best work.

For our last two Motown DVDs (Temptations: Get Ready and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Peformances) we filmed new interviews with the artists to include between the performances. However this time because Otis is not here to tell his story we relied on people that knew him best to provide perspective on his life and work. As with all of the Motown releases in our "Definitive" DVD series, along with the in-depth interview material you get complete unedited performances. With our Marvin Gaye DVD, (The Real Thing In Performance) there were a number of televised interviews with Marvin that we were able to use in between the songs because Marvin's career had lasted 23 years. Unfortunately because Otis' career was cut tragically short and he gave very few interviews, it made it very difficult to bring his voice to this project. Thankfully we found a short interview from American Bandstand in 1967 and also an interview recorded for BBC radio in the fall of `66 which provided two great soundbites for the film (one of which is heard during the opening segment of the DVD.)

To tell the story properly, we chose to interview not only Otis Redding's wife (Zelma) and daughter (Karla) but also some of the key people who created the music with him. Along with his family, the interviews consist of Steve Cropper who wrote many songs with Otis and played guitar on virtually every track that he recorded at Stax; Wayne Jackson, the trumpet player for the Mar-Keys/Memphis Horns who played on all of his records and Jim Stewart, the founder of Stax Records. The interview with Jim is really unique because since the demise of Stax Records in 1975, Jim has given only five in-depth interviews and we're honored that he agreed to sit down and speak with us after turning down requests from everyone else for the last 15 years. Rob Bowman co-producer of this program and author of Soulsville U.S.A. The Story Of Stax Records (considered to be the definitive book on Stax) conducted these interviews, and it's because of the love and respect that they all have for Rob and his work, that he was able to get such relaxed, in-depth content.

One of the unique clips in this DVD is a newly made video for the song "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay". Because the song wasn't finished until after his death there is no footage of Otis performing the song so we hired Bob Sarles of Ravin' Films to make a three minute film. While Bob was filming scenes of San Francisco and the docks of Sausalito (where Otis wrote the song on a houseboat in August of '67) a fortunate thing occurred. He met Anne Garfield who bought that houseboat back in 1968. She no longer owns it but was able to show Bob photos (seen in the video) and point out to him the exact spot where it was docked. As a result, there are a few scenes that show virtually the same view that Otis had as he was writing what many consider to be one of most beloved songs in history.

December 10, 2007 will mark the 40th anniversary of the tragic death of Otis Redding and in honor of his legacy and music we are proud to have released both this DVD and The Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway 1967, a 75-minute concert from the famed 1967 European tour which includes a stunning five song set by Otis as well as performances by Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Arthur Conley, The Mar-Keys and Booker T. and The MGs.

Together these two DVDs paint a portrait of an artist whose music remains as powerful and influential as it was 40 years ago.

David Peck & Phillip Galloway
Reelin' In The Years Productions
July 2007

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/7-4/8/2009

4/7/1979:
Ken Forsch of the Houston Astros throws a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves, 6-0, at the Astrodome. Forsch joins his brother, Bob, who tossed a no-no for the Cardinals just last April, as the only brothers to each hurl big league no-hitters. Ken Forsch gets 14 ground ball outs, doesn't really surrender a tough chance and walks only two. He retires Rowland Office, Jerry Royster and Glenn Hubbard without incident in the ninth inning to record the sixth no-hitter in Houston's 18-year franchise history.

Birthdays:
Bobby Doerr b. 1918
Gail Cogdill b. 1937
Tony Dorsett b. 1954
Ricky Watters b. 1969
Ronde and Tiki Barber b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Rookie kicker Mason Crosby's first career field-goal attempt in the 2007 game opener against the Eagles was 53 yards. He made it.

4/8/2006:
Enjoying a home-ice advantage, the Wisconsin Badgers edge Boston College, 2-1, to win their first NCAA men's hockey championshiph since 1990. Tom Gilbert scores the winning goal, and Wisconsin's defense holds BC to only four third-period shots. With the victory, the Wisconsin men's team duplicates the national crown won two weeks ago by the Wisconsin women's hockey team, 3-0, over Minnesota. It's the first time in history that one school has won both titles in the same year.

Birthdays:
Turk Farrell b. 1934
John Havlicek b. 1940
Jim "Catfish" Hunter b. 1946
Gary Carter b. 1954
Ricky Bell b. 1955

Packers Fact:
When San Diego visited Green Bay in week 3 of the 2007 season, it marked the first time that the Chargers played at Lambeau Field since 1996.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Marianne Wiggins uses her own name and personality to create a character who pitches a screenplay idea about Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952), iconic photographer of Indians and the West, and then realizes the filmmakers would only botch the story. She then takes off on a road trip to find out the truth about Curtis, in a sprawling, epic tale full of dreams and surprises and gorgeous images (including some of Curtis’s photographs). A powerful blend of fact and fiction, nature and art.

THE SHADOW CATCHER, by Marianne Wiggins (Simon & Schuster, 2007)

AN UNFORGETTABLE YEAR

While his wife is in the hospital giving birth to twin boys, fiction writer Anthony Doerr (The Shell Collector, 2003) learns he has won a fellowship from the American Academy in Rome. Hustled into so many new experiences at once and too dazed to do much work on his novel, Doerr instead extracts a burnished, poetic meditation on the beauties of the Eternal City, the chaotic blessings of fatherhood, and the perennial delights of Pliny’s Natural History. Just as the year ends, he is treated to the extraordinary funeral of John Paul II.

FOUR SEASONS IN ROME: ON TWINS, INSOMNIA, AND THE BIGGEST FUNERAL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, by Anthony Doerr (Scribner, 2007)

TOILET TECH

Product: Fresh-Air Breathing Device (a.k.a. Toilet Snorkel)
How it works: The biggest cause of fire-related injury and death isn’t the flames—it’s the smoke. In 1982 William Holmes received a patent for a device designed to access a source of “fresh” air during fires in high-rise buildings, where help may be slow to arrive. Snake this slender breathing tube down through any toilet and into the water trap, and access air from the sewer line’s vent pipe. At the user end, the breathing tube is connected to a strap-on mask. Good news: The Toilet Snorkel comes with an odor-eating charcoal filter.

ZAGAZIG IS A CITY IN EGYPT; WAGGA WAGGA IS A CITY IN AUSTRALIA.

GOVERNMENT WASTE

TAX DOLLARS AT WORK

• The Hindustan Times reported in 2005 that the city of New Delhi employs 97 paid rat-catchers. What’s odd about that? They haven’t caught a single rat since 1994. (And, according to the Times, there are a lot of rats in New Delhi.)

• In October 2005 the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $36,300 grant to the state of Kentucky. Purpose of the grant: to prevent terrorists from using bingo halls to raise money.

UNTIL 2004, CAFFEINE WAS ON THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE LIST OF PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES.

On Moonlighting, U.S. Cabinet Members And:

The Iraqi prime minister-designate Nuri al-Maliki said Thursday that he hoped to form a government within a week after meeting two of Iraq's more powerful clerics, Secretary of the State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

from the International Herald Tribune


On Things We Hope We Never Hear On A Date, Bad-Film Style:

If I didn't really work for the government, if I was just a guy who accidentally killed his parents, would you still love me?

arsonist Anthony Perkins, to schoolgirl Tuesday Weld, in the 1968 movie Pretty Poison

FRASER ISLAND

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

On Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island, you can swim in freshwater lakes, explore rocky outcroppings and oceanside cliffs, join rangers to track down some of the 350 species of birds, or spend the day in a jeep, cruising the 75 miles of broad coastal beach.

TRAVELER IN THE KNOW

If you’re ever invited to ride a camel, it’s helpful to know which ship of the desert will be your mount. The most common camel in northern Africa and the Arab lands is the dromedary, calling for a saddle that usually rests astride its single hump. The Bactrian camel, like these in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, has two humps, creating a natural spot between them where a saddle can sit.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/5-4/6/2009

4/5/2004:
Clyde "the Glide" Drexler, Maurice Stokes and Jerry Colangelo headline a group of six players elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Drexler excelled in the NBA, primarily with the Portland Trail Blazers after being part of basketball's tallest fraternity, Phi Slama Jama at the University of Houston.. Stokes was a muscular forward in the 1950s who was paralyzed after a tragic fall in an NBA game, and Colangelo is the longtime CEO of the Phoenix Suns. Rounding out the new members are Lynette Woodard, a star collegian at Kansas, Olympic gold medalist and the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Drazen Dalipagic, a Yugoslavian star in the 1970s and '80s; and Bill Sharman as a coach (he was already in the HOF as a player).

Birthdays:
Doggie Julian b. 1901
Doug Favell b. 1945
Rennie Stennett b. 1951
Brad Van Pelt b. 1951
Ike Hilliard b. 1976

4/6/2001:
President George W. Bush throws out the first pitch as the Milwaukee Brewers open their brand-new $400M home, miller Park. Richie Sexson's eighth-inning homer for the Brew Crew makes it a successful debut as Milwaukee edges Cincinnati, 5-4. The new facility, with a retractable roof, replaces County Stadium, which had hosted big-league games since 1953 (with an interruption from 1966 to '69, not counting several transplanted Chicago White Sox home dates). Miller Park's completion was delayed twice, first by financing issues and then by a tragic crane accident that claimed three lives.

Birthdays:
Ernie Lombardi b. 1908
Spider Lockhart b. 1943
Bert Blyleven b. 1957
Sterling Sharpe b. 1965
Bret Boone b. 1969

Packers Fact:
In 2005, Tennessee retired uniform number 92 in honor of former Volunteers' (and Packers') star Reggie White. But defensive tackle Justin Harrell was allowed to continue wearing the number until he finished his college career.

BLOODY BEDFORD

Set in the rain-drenched and dying town of Bedford, Maine, this heart-stopper revolves around troubled but beautiful Susan Marley, whose death sets off horrors of gruesome and graphic violence. Sarah Langan’s first novel is a concoction of horror “akin to the more ambitious work of Stephen King” (Publishers Weekly). A happy and bloody debut for horror fiction fans.

THE KEEPER, by Sarah Langan (Harper Torch, 2006)

THE LANGUAGE OF BEAUTY

Gaman: “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.” A remarkable combination of visual beauty and moral lesson, this handsome volume uncovers the amazing artistry of Japanese who, during World War II, were given just one week to pack before being taken to bleak internment barracks. Phenomenal craftsmanship and sophistication grace every one of the objects pictured here, all made from scrap materials or natural resources. A marvelous collaboration among the authors. Publishers Weekly starred review.

THE ART OF GAMAN: ARTS AND CRAFTS FROM THE JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT CAMPS 1942-1946, by Delphine Hirasuna, Kit Hinrichs, and Terry Heffernan (Ten Speed, 2005)

SUNDAY FUNNIES

A GOLF JOKE

One day at the driving range, a golfer ran into a friend he hadn’t seen for years. They talked about their games, their swings, and their lives. Eventually, one asked the other, “How’s the family?” His friend replied, “Not bad. I got a new set of clubs for my wife the other day.” “Good trade,” the other said.

BIRD BRAINS: IN THE 12TH CENTURY, MANY EUROPEANS BELIEVED THAT TREES GAVE BIRTH TO BIRDS.

POP QUIZ

CAN YOU MATCH THE OBSCURE WORD WITH ITS MEANING?

1. Desuetude	a) A riddle or word puzzle
2. Epicene	b) Tangled
3. Demulcent	c) Painless death
4. Fichu	d) Of indeterminate gender
5. Carriwitchet	e) A large triangular scarf
6. Wopsy	f) To fly aimlessly
7. Dormition	g) Relating to a dead custom
8. Volitate	h) A lozenge

IT TAKES ABOUT 0.004 GALLONS OF GAS TO START YOUR CAR IN THE MORNING.

On Congressmen Who Maybe Should Have Listened A Little Harder To the Sunday School Teacher:

Talk show host Stephen Colbert: What are the Ten Commandments?

Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-Georgia), who is sponsoring a bill in Congress to require the display of the Ten Commandments in the U.S. Capitol: You mean all of them? - Um - Don't murder. Don't lie. Don't steal. Um - I can't name them all.

On Great Moments in Interviewing:

TV commentator Oz Clarke: So, you've won the British Avant-Garde Hairdresser of the Year Award. What does that mean?

Hairdresser: Well, it means I'm the British Avant-Garde Hairdresser of the Year.

on BBC1

Q: How does Massachusetts’s Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, honor a 502-foot home run hit there by Ted Williams in 1946?
Answer: A single red seat in a sea of blue marks the point where Williams deposited his home-run ball.

AL-AIN

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Straddling the border of the United Arab Emirates and the sultanate of Oman, Al-Ain is an ancient oasis town. Today it draws the curious traveler to its palace museum, dusty streets, camel racetrack, and still-active souk.

Proud to be a Fargoan - or why I live in Fargo and how can I possibly like it?

Most of you know I live in Fargo, but many do not know how I came to be here. I'm a transplant, you see. I wasn't born here, though I spent a good amount of time here, visiting my grandparents during my childhood. I'll tell you how I came to be here as briefly as I can, so you understand that these are the thoughts of essentially an outsider. Someone who, true, calls Fargo home now, but until the age of 32 had never been more than a visitor.

My mother grew up in Fargo. There are at least two homes here in Fargo and Moorhead that my grandfather built. My grandfather fought the Red River from destroying his property more than once over the years. My parents met at NDSU, Dad taking Mom with him to the Chicago area where he was from.

One of the fondest memories I have of not just Grandpa but the Red River is December 1981. I chose to spend my Christmas break here while my brother chose to spend his with our dad and other grandparents in Tucson, Arizona. (It was, coincidentally, my mother's first Christmas alone.) Despite the cold December weather, my grandfather shoveled off a portion of the Red River behind their house so that I could ice skate to my heart's content. At the age of 12, I thought it was the coolest thing ever that I could go out into my grandparents back yard, skate across the river and be in another state! (By the end of my break, I had the blisters on my feet to prove his efforts did not go to waste!)

Born and raised in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, I never really 'belonged' there. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but perhaps there are others out there who felt what I did and understand what I'm talking about. I didn't hate the area or my childhood or anything, I just never felt complete there.

That all changed the summer of 1983. It was a busy summer for me. I met three people I still consider extremely special to this day. I spent time in Washington, D.C. with my 8th grade class. I spent time at my grandparents in Fargo. I spent a week fishing in Canada. And I spent a month at Concordia College Language Villages' Skogfjorden, the Norwegian camp located on Turtle River Lake in Bemidji, Minnesota.

I'd been to Bemidji before. There are pictures of me as a wee thing standing in front of Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox, Babe. That summer was the first time I'd ever spent any time there, though. And I knew instantly that I had finally found it. That place where I belonged. The month I spent there was the most at peace I'd ever felt to that point, and I think since then.

There was never a question in my mind where I was going to attend college when I discovered Bemidji had one. My brother had tried his hand at attending NDSU in Fargo, lasting only a year before transferring to University of Iowa. He was sure I would follow in his footsteps and end up at a large university in the end y. That didn't happen. I graduated from Bemidji State University in May 1990.

Life threw in a bit of a wrench as its wont to do. I was pregnant and ended up staying in Bemidji for another 15 months to have the baby and adapt to single motherhood. Six months after Stephanie was born, I returned to the Chicago area and began my life in the administrative assistant pool. Not my ideal job, but without grad school my Theatre BA was useless and with a child to support - well, a woman's got to do what a woman has to do.

I married my first husband in August 1996 and moved to Orlando with my daughter and his son. We bought a nice house, in a nice neighborhood and began what I'd hoped would be a nice life.

Things didn't turn out that way. Some know the story of that time. I'll sum it up in a few words: drugs, violence, robbery, attempted suicide. Christmas 1996, my husband and I found out that one of his relatives had sexually abused my daughter. That discovery led to the drug use, which led to the rest and ultimately my ex's suicide attempted overdose.

Along the way, I found myself pregnant. We welcomed Arthur Edward, named for both my grandfathers and my father, into the world March 10, 1999. By this point, things were tense between us. I no longer trusted my ex as he'd proved time and time again by this point he wasn't deserving of it.

Divorce wasn't as easy as it seems. I earned too much for Legal Aid but not enough to afford an attorney. Eventually, I had the divorced filed and the unfathomable happened, my son got out to our pool one morning and died. My step-son was already with his mother for the summer by this point, but Stephanie was taken from me as a result of an accidental death in our home. Leaving me in my house where my son died alone with my dog. Fortunately, Steph's friend's mom (and a neighbor) took her in so I was able to see Stephanie every day.

As soon as I was able, I put my house on the market, packed my belongings and left Florida and all the badness it represented. I was working from home at the time. I earned a decent salary, but it wasn't enough to support me in the Chicago area. I needed to find somewhere close enough that I could go home and see my family occasionally (something I was unable to do the five years I lived in Florida), but where I wouldn't go broke living.

My grandmother was still alive and I had other relatives in Fargo. Plus, there was a college here - three of them actually. So, Fargo it was. My goal when moving here was to obtain an M.S. in Economics and a PhD in History, stay until Stephanie graduated from high school, and then return to a larger, urban area to put my Theatre BA, Economics M.S. and History PhD to work together. A dream come true for me, to finally put my Theatre degree to use.

Things have changed as I'm married now to a man who has never lived away from Fargo other than a stint in the Army in the early 70s.

So, here I am, calling Fargo home for the long haul. I've already lived here as an adult longer than Chicago or Orlando. I listen to the jokes about this town, and I even tell them on occasion. I remember shortly after moving here, listening to the radio's "traffic report" as I was taking Stephanie to school. Traffic? I thought. Having driven in Chicago and Orlando, driving around in Fargo's version of a rush hour was a breeze.

There's been flooding in Fargo while I've lived here, but nothing to the magnitude of what Spring 2009 is bringing us. And it's during this troubling and frightening time that it's hit me.

This is my home. This is where I belong.

There is no place I'd rather be than right here. In Fargo. With my husband and my kids and my pets and my existence that most would think pales in comparison to the dreams and goals I had when embarking on college a year earlier than I was supposed to back in 1986.

Thanks to Facebook I've touched base with friends from college and high school and I admit there are times I cringe when I see their accomplishments. I sit back and realize I've done very little of import. My life isn't exciting or glamorous and there are certainly things I'd like to do and see one day. But, really, my life plan changed the moment I decided to bring a child into the world on my own way back in May 1990.

The nice thing about rivers is that it's traditionally no big surprise that it's going to rise once the spring thaw begins. A good amount of snowfall during the winter indicates the river might be high. So, people were prepared, just not for a forecasted crest of 42'.

The citizens of Fargo could have fended for themselves, worried about their own domiciles and belongings and said 'screw you' to their neighbor or the house two blocks up. But we didn't do that. That type of mentality is pretty much unheard of here.

Volunteers ranging in age from as young as six to 70 contributed by filling sandbags or helping build dikes with those sandbags in the hopes it would be enough. Relentlessly, for days this went on as homes and businesses and schools were barricaded in for protection.

It wasn't just these volunteers that humbled me. Though they certainly did because it was just another day to them, a fact of life that their town was in trouble, and they were offering their sweat and tears to help fight for this place we call home.

It was the people who would stop at Sandy's Donuts for a few dozen donuts or McDonald's for a hundred cheeseburgers and coffee or Hornbacher's for a few dozen cookies and brought them to the volunteers. They didn't know anybody, they weren't getting their photograph taken. Many didn't even stick around to receive a thank you, merely dropping the food and going. They simply wanted to do something for those helping to keep our city safe.

I've never experienced anything like it. No one was sitting back, letting nature take its course in the hope of receiving a handout afterward. It certainly would have been easy to do. A river level breaking a historical high dating back over one hundred years is certainly deserving of being declared a disaster area.

These people assembled and distributed over three million sandbags in a matter of days. Some volunteers showed up daily, tirelessly assisting the city's efforts to keep the waters from destroying the city.

News crews have come as I'm sure many of you have seen, turning the focus on our community in a time of trouble. And shown the people here to be of the ilk that so many aspire to be - courageous with a sense of community that most don't understand yet want. There is no violence, there is no looting, there was no stampede to exit stage left via I-29 or I-94 - there's just a community that fought to save their city and has (so far) managed to accomplish that goal much to the relief of everyone here.


I've posted this link at Facebook already, but I'll put it here, too:

Former Fargo resident Matt Chambers recently blogged about his experiences sandbagging. Using Google SketchUp, he put together some amazing visualizations that truly convey how many sandbags the community managed to fill in the span of a few short days. The blog post is pretty long, but its well worth the read.

Check out his great blog post on Concept3D: http://blog.concept3d.com/?p=433


There's a reason so many choose to live in Fargo - AND IT AIN'T THE WEATHER. The rest of the nation is only getting a glimpse into the reasoning behind it. Gratefully, when the river has returned to its normal ebbing and flowing level, those reasons will still be here. Even if the cameras and national attention won't be.

Susan E. Falk
A proud Fargo resident

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/2-4/4/2009

4/2/1952:
Coming off a pennant-winning season for the New York Giants in which he led the National League in RBIs, outfielder Monte Irvin suffers a broken right ankle while sliding into third base during an exhibition game in Denver. Ironically, the throw from the outfield was cut off and he didn't even have to slide. Irvin will miss over 100 games before returning to the lineup, and his absence will be keenly felt. The Giants will fail to defend their title, losing the 1952 pennant to Brooklyn by the modest margin of four and a half games.

Birthdays:
Luke Appling b. 1907
Carmen Basilio b. 1927
Dick Radatz b. 1937
Don Sutton b. 1945
Linford Christie b. 1960

Packers Fact:
Three rookies were in the starting lineup for the Packers on Kickoff Weekend in 2007. Running back Brandon Jackson, fullback Korey Hall, and wide receiver James Jones.

4/3/2005:
Roger Federer of Switzerland wins his 18th consecutive final-round match, overcoming a two-set deficit to beat 18-year-old Spanish sensation Rafael Nadal in five sets at the Nasdaq 100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. Federer climbs out of a 3-5 hole in the third-set tiebreaker by winning four straight points and runs out the match from there. In subsequent meetings, especially on clay, Nadal will clearly establish himself as Federer's staunchest rival.

Birthdays:
Bernie Parent b. 1945
Pervis Ellison b. 1967
Rodney Hampton b. 1969
Picabo Street b. 1971
Michael Olowokandi b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Defensive tackle Justin Harrell, the Packers' top draft pick in 2007, played only three games his senior year at Tennessee because of a torn bicep injury.

4/4/1976:
Right wing Danny Gare scores a hat trick in the final game of the season to reach the 50-goal plateau, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-2 win over Toronto at the Aud. Still two goals shy after 40 minutes of play, Gare scores twice in a span of 1:04 during the final period, beating Leafs goalie Gord McRae to achieve his milestone. A real fan favorite of the intensely loyal Buffalo crowds, Gare will score 267 goals for Buffalo in eight seasons before being traded to Detroit.

Birthdays:
Tris Speaker b. 1888
JoAnne Carner b. 1939
Dale Hawerchuk b. 1963
Scott Rolen b. 1976
Ben Gordon b. 1983

Packers Fact:
Rookie Mason Crosby beat out former Packers' player Dave Rayner in a training-camp battle to become Green Bay's kicker on Kickoff Weekend in 2007.

NESSUN DORMA

The tragic story of Puccini’s Turandot is woven into the life and memories of Lila du Cann, an opera singer who returns to her hometown in Scotland after her father’s death. “Morag Joss has been compared to those other two premiere weird sisters in crime, Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine and Minette Walters. Such compliments are tossed about all too lightly in the publishing world, but this one is so justified that it seems like an understatement.” (Washington Post Book World) High praise indeed.

PUCCINI’S GHOSTS, by Morag Joss (Delacorte Press, 2006)

AWARD WINNER

This marvelous biography illuminates the life and times of Henry Ward Beecher, son of a preacher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and himself an enormously influential and fiery orator and abolitionist with liberal views. His times were no less complicated and contradictory than our own, and Beecher’s popularity and influence in the media and on people (including Abraham Lincoln) eventually gave way to adulterous scandals and celebrity backlash. This is the winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, among many other awards.

THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA: THE BIOGRAPHY OF HENRY WARD BEECHER, by Debby Applegate (Doubleday, 2006)

WILD WEST

The long subtitle to this memoir is: The Occasional History of a Child Actress/Tap Dancer/Record Store Clerk/Thai Waitress/Playboy Reject/Nightclub Booker/Daily Show Correspondent/Sex Columnist/Recurring Character and Whatever Else. Believe it or not, that’s not the whole story. For that, you have to experience Stacey Grenrock Woods’s prose—painfully honest, often hilarious, bittersweet, even poetic. (By the way, the author, a comedian and sex columnist for Esquire, is no longer a Playboy reject. An intern found photos of her in the archives and published one in the July 2007 issue.)

I, CALIFORNIA, by Stacey Grenrock Woods (Scribner, 2007)

On Thanks For the Warning, Electric Cattle Prod People!:

FOR USE ON ANIMALS ONLY.

warning label on an electric cattle prod


On Websites, Inadvertently Titillating:

www.whorepresents.com - web address for Who Represents
www.expertsexchange.com - web address for Experts Exchange programmers site

actual domain names (although Experts Exchange has since changed its site's name)


On Slogans Of Strange:

TISSUES OF PUPPY

slogan on a Japanese tissue box - which has a picture of a puppy on it

AN ABSORBING QUESTION

WHY DOESN’T POUND CAKE WEIGH A POUND?

Experts say: The dish was traditionally made with a pound of flour, a pound of butter, and a pound of sugar. (Wouldn’t that make it a three-pound cake?) Interestingly, that same concept explains the name of another dessert: cupcakes. The original recipes called for a cup each of flour, butter, and sugar, not because they’re baked in little paper cups.

A NEWBORN EXPELS ITS OWN BODY WEIGHT IN WASTE EVERY 60 HOURS.

UNCLE JOHN’S SPACE PATROL

Little red country cottages are a common sight in Sweden. Now the country wants to put one on the Moon. The Swedish Space Corporation has conducted a study and determined that it actually would be possible to put such a structure on the Moon, at an estimated cost of 500 million kronor ($73 million), by 2011. A nationwide contest is under way for children to design the cottage, which is required to be incredibly small—to keep down the cost of shipping building materials to the Moon, the cottage can be no more than eight square meters and weigh no more than ten pounds.

ONE POUND OF COFFEE BEANS MAKES ABOUT 50 CUPS OF COFFEE; ONE POUND OF TEA LEAVES MAKES ABOUT 300 CUPS OF TEA.

POT-POURRI

TWO RANDOM LISTS

13 Cigarette Additives
Yeast
Coffee
Honey
Rum
Fig juice
Cognac oil
Chocolate
Carrot oil
Caffeine
Ammonia
Vinegar
Apple skins
Nutmeg powder

5 Types of Cars
4-door sedan
2-door coupe
Station wagon
Convertible
Sports car

ACCORDING TO DC COMICS, BATMAN IS 6'2" TALL AND WEIGHS 220 POUNDS.

NATCHEZ

MISSISSIPPI, USA

Azaleas, camellias, magnolias, and annuals create the perfect setting for the more than 30 private homes that open to the public during the Natchez Spring Pilgrimage for four weeks in March and April. With more than 500 historic structures intact, Natchez is a living museum of antebellum architecture and charm.

ST. LUCIA

LESSER ANTILLES

Gros Piton and Petit Piton, twin pointed volcanic peaks about 2,500 feet high, rise from the surf off St. Lucia, looking like the jagged mountains of Bali Ha’i.

GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE

See the answer tomorrow.

Q: How does Massachusetts’s Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, honor a 502-foot home run hit there by Ted Williams in 1946?

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 4/1/2009

4/1/1962:
Boston center Bill Russell scores 29 points, helping the Celtics build up a 23-point lead and cruise to a 119-104 victory over the Philadelphia Warriors for a 3-2 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference final-round series. Emotions between the two arch rivals spill over in the fourth quarter when several skirmishes break out. Celtics guard Sam Jones picks up a photographer's stool to defend himself against Wilt Chamberlain after they collide in the lane. Later, Celtics reserve Carl Braun mixes it up with Philadelphia's Al Attles, and then Guy Rodgers of the Warriors grabs the same stool to fend off Boston's Jim Losccutoff. Veteran referee Sid Borgia doesn't issue any ejections in a "boys will be boys" interpretation of the rules. Boston will win this series in seven games.

Birthdays:
Bo Schembechler b. 1929
Ron Perranoski b. 1936
Rusty Staub b. 1944
Norm Van Lier b. 1947
Scott Stevens b. 1964

Packers Fact:
The Packers' regular-season schedule in 2007 included seven games against teams that made the playoffs in 2006.

MOM, I NEED NEW GENES

What’s going on at BioGen Research? Mad scientists, gene cloning (ever hear of a humanzee?), and greedy capitalists who don’t know when to stop. Michael Crichton cuts between swiftly moving scenes of dark comedy and frightening fantasy, building tension as only he can do. The afterword makes an impassioned and knowledgeable plea for responsibility in DNA research.

NEXT, by Michael Crichton (HarperCollins, 2006)

APRIL FOOLS!

When most of western Europe adopted the euro as a standard international currency in 1999, many Europeans feared losing other aspects of their individual cultural identities. On April 1 England’s BBC radio service announced that England was scrapping the national anthem, “God Save the Queen,” in favor of an all-Europe anthem that would be sung in German. “There’s too much nationalism,” a spokesperson for the EU supposedly told the BBC. “We need to look for unity.” (Sorry, England, April Fools!)

SINGER MEAT LOAF IS A VEGETARIAN.

On Is This Guy Meshugga Or What?

* I cried about a steak sandwich one time.
* Drink orange juice, because it's good for you.
* Sometimes I feel like a 3-foot-tall, poverty-stricken, homosexual, handicapped, 50-year-old Muslim woman with AIDS.
* I don't know what the word "urban" means anymore.

random excerpts from actor Macauley Culkin's book Junior

TIME TRAVELING

At Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, meticulous re-creation of the past transports visitors back to the world of Virginians from 1750 to 1775. Other preserved or reconstructed destinations afford a stroll back through these other times:

• 1500s: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
• 1600s: Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts
• 1800s: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts
• 1900s: The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California